Artist Of The Month: Crooks

Photo by Alexandra Valenti

Every month we turn the spotlight on a new release from a Texas artist with a series of weekly features that give you a sneak peek at the new music and some insight into the artist behind it.

Ever since Willie first united the hippies and the rednecks in 1972, his spirit has reverberated through Austin. From Doug Sahm to the Gourds, local country music has been spiked with different flavors, and Crooks are the latest outfit to carry that peculiar flame. Formed by Josh Mazour in 2007, Crooks started as a two-piece dive bar staple, but over the years the band has grown in size and sound. 2012’s The Rain Will Come put the band on the map with a hard-charging set of murder ballads and honky-tonk heroism. With their new album Wildfire, Crooks’ blend of Tex-Mex, country, and rock sounds even bigger and more self-assured. And as anyone who’s ever seen them live can attest, “wildfire” might be the perfect descriptor. Catch Crooks at the Scoot Inn on July 11, and find our full feature run-down below.

–Art Levy

Artist of the Month Features:

*Studio 1A: Crooks live set on Wednesday, July 8 at 1 p.m.

*Song of the Day: Free download of a Crooks song on Monday, July 13

*My KUTX: Guest DJ set with frontman Josh Mazour on Saturday, July 18 at 6 p.m.