Few sounds belong to Texas as completely as a fiddle sawing through a crowded dance floor. In a honky-tonk, the instrument can be sweet enough for a slow…
Stories
Building a pedal steel guitar from a kit is a practical way to enter the instrument without paying the full price of a finished professional model. You will…
A great honky-tonk record can announce its world before the needle reaches the groove. A dusty portrait, a hard stare, a neon sign or a plain western shirt can…
Walk into a honky-tonk and the first thing you may notice is not the jukebox, the dance floor or the polished boots. It is the glow: a beer brand’s red, blue…
Before streaming queues, satellite radio and carefully branded playlists, the jukebox was the music programmer in the corner of the bar. Its illuminated…
For fans of bold sounds, big atmosphere, and entertainment with a strong sense of occasion, casino roulette has a familiar appeal. The wheel spins, the table…
Pokies are built around simple rules, quick rounds, and a wide range of themes, yet choosing spins at random can make a session difficult to control. A…
At 6:15 on a Friday evening, Ray Mercer still arrives at the same side door, carrying a record case in one hand and a paper cup of black coffee in the other.…
Texas towns have always carried their own musical identities. A place can sound dusty, lonely, romantic, rowdy or wide open before a singer has described a…
Honky-tonk began as working people’s music: direct, danceable and built for crowded bars where conversation competed with the band. Its sharp guitars, crying…