Collin Herring: Texas Country for the Whole Country

I mentioned last week that at the Kathleen Edwards show I sat next to a couple that just happened to be Collin Herring’s parents.  That occurrence led me to realize that I wasn’t near as familiar with his work as I should be.  I knew that he had been based in Ft. Worth (my birth place and where my fam still is), has been featured in my favorite mag, Paste (among other such as Harp), has worked with Kathleen Edwards of all folks, and is able to Rock a Country tune without being cornered completely into one or the other labeling.  After giving his most recent release, 2005′s Other Side of Kindness, a thorough listen whilst attempting to kill myself on a treadmill, I was convinced that this collection of country-tinged punk songs mixed with a reversed collection of punk-tinted country cuts is exactly what the current state of Texas Music really needs.  Cindy from The Fine Line posted a great piece about Collin just last week as I was making my notes.  This post really delves into what I think sets Collin apart philosophically from many of the folks out there touting themselves as “Texas Music.”  The whole “Red Dirt” scene is great and there are still unique and innovative things going down within that general grouping, but it isn’t a secret that many frat-boy, ball-cap wearing, Pat Green wannabes have flooded the market and helped create a weaker product in many ways, than what was the case 5-10 years ago.  Herring is vocal about not looking to include himself in a scene that he feels puts false and limiting boundaries on the ideas he looks to share and who he shares those thoughts with.  Collin’s new disc is coming out in the spring and advance word has it that the new album will mine the various emotional trenches that Herring himself has crawled through since the last disc was released.  Please keep an eye out for this dude, and by the way, his dad plays the Pedal Steel (among other instruments) for him, so if you go see a gig, find him and tell him the annoying guy at the Kathleen Edwards concert who was rambling on says HI!!