If you haven’t become familiar with The O’s from Dallas, there’s a good chance you will soon. Regardless, you’ll want to, whether you know it now or not. Their new album, Between the Two is out, and thanks to the experience from playing a couple hundred shows in the past year or so, and the producing help from Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, Walkmen), the early-Avett Brothers sparseness of their debut record has become a fuller, more well-rounded sonic that has caused me to play the entire thing over and over again.

The band has been in Europe for a bit, but is back in the States, so please check them out. Until then, check out their new video for the lead single.

I just posted a few thoughts about a great band from Ft. Worth over on Best of Texas.com. I should’ve been on-board with these guys WAY before the last couple of months, but, at least I am now, you know? Check out the video above and go over to my column, and you can also be on-board with them…

• I have a new radio show in Dallas, and two of my favorite singer/songwriters came by recently to perform.

• One of Austin’s Honky-Tonk kings, Jesse Dayton, has a brilliant new record out.

• The latest album from Lubbock’s Thrift Store Cowboys is perhaps the best “Texas record” of the year, and easily one of the years best, regardless of which state it’s from.

Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward‘s album from a couple of years ago, The Lonesome Dirge, went criminally under-discussed from me on this site. I’m now trying to make up for that offense by really making sure that as many people as possible get all up in the grill of their latest release, The Apology, Part One. This EP is just plain ol’ kick-ass country rock. Too many times, “country-rock” means cheesy, 1980′s rehashing while various country-related lyrical themes are introduced. Not here. The second part of The Apology will be making it’s way soon enough, and an acoustic record of some sort will be making its way into the marketplace, as well.

Tell you what, give a listen to the track below, then go on over to my review of the album on The Dallas Observer’s website. You’ll be crazy glad that you did.

LISTEN: “Guitars” – Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward

Here's some of Patrick Michels excellent shots for The Dallas Observer from the Ritter show I reviewed recently.

Here’s another one of those, “Sorry, I’ve Been Gone A While, But…” posts. For those still clicking onto this site every so often, I really appreciate it, thanksfully, there’s still plenty of you. Below is a slight recap of what I’ve been doing lately.

• I’ve been judging the early rounds of the Shiner Rising Star contest. Looks like I’ll be a regular at the table for the next few weeks, too, so there will likely be more updates like these from the past two weeks.

• I recently suffered from a Texas-country funk….

• …and thankfully, I’ve been getting out of it, thanks to some really great, new talent.

• Ray Lamontagne’s lead single from his latest album is killer.

• Me and the boys at Twangville have really gotten a kick out of the new Old 97′s EP.

• I got to chat with two of the current kings of folk, and two of my personal favorites, Joe Pug and Josh Ritter.

Tons of new stuff have hit my inbox and I fully intend on sharing some of that with you, sooner than later.