The Gobblers Knob

Man, I gotta tell ya, when the stars align, they really help produce a great night.  With an 11 month old son at home, it is rare that Mom and Dad have an adult night out, let alone catch a show that starts after 7pm (which means we don’t catch as many gigs as we used to).  For this July 4th, we decided to ship the little concert-blocker to Grandma’s and enjoy the evening of July 4th at Hank’s in McKinney to see one of my newer favorites, The Jackson Taylor Band.

Taylor is a great example of an artist that has been around for while, put out a few discs, and still, I wasn’t overly-familiar with his work.  After hearing “Lonely” played on KHYI, and then reading a positive review of that very song on my fave country music site, I knew it was time to delve deeper.  I emptied my E-music acct, by downloading Dark Days, and it has been my default soundtrack to the time I spend outside grilling and drinking (usually at the same time, kids don’t try that without an adult around).

Back to the parent’s night out.  The missus and I enjoyed some good grub on what must be the only patio in town to compete with Love & War in Texas-Plano.  Almost completely covered, while allowing the elements to enter in from the sides of the venue, I felt as though I was sitting in one of the finer examples of what a true Texas Music venue should be.  Great sight-lines, well-placed stage, and even more well-placed bar made me embarrased to be on my first trip to this venue.  JTB hit the stage around 9:45 and immediately busted out material from the Dark Days album.  The band all display an impressive array of tattoos, (most notably the “Honky Tonk Hero” tat that Taylor himself wore) and they even played an excellent version of Social Distortion’s “Highway 101″, but there isn’t any mistaking this outfit as anything but a Honkin’-Tonkin’ Country Band that uses each night as a chance to resurrect the vibe and spirit of the old Armadillo World Headquarters.