Tex Smith knew he loved music since he was a kid. He was writing songs when he was still in college at the University of North Texas in the early nineties, and continued to pursue songwriting after moving to the Hill Country in 2006. He was inspired by everything he’d heard along the way – country, Americana, rock and folk, so it came quite naturally to pool these influences together into an eclectic mix for his self-titled debut, recorded in 2009 at Superpop! Records. Tex Smith has a bit of everything, both up-tempo and laid back, but it’s strikingly introspective. There are deeper questions lingering beneath the honky-tonkin’ surface bemoaning foolish romantic woes.
But before the album’s release, Smith was faced with a terrible, heartbreaking loss. His wife of nearly nine years took her own life, leaving him devastated and feeling completely alone. However, rather than isolating himself, Smith chose to concentrate more on his music and actively became involved in Kent Finlay’s Songwriter Circle at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos. It was through this group that Smith would write and debut the songs that appeared on his next two albums, To A Bird Singing Woe (2010), and A Wayfarer’s Lament (2012), both revealing a lot about his journey through loss and pain, and looking toward the road ahead as he moves on.
The early evening Monday gigs by Tex Smith at the Hole In the Wall are a must-see. Check him out tonight at 8 p.m., followed by The Hard Pans, Alpine-based songwriter Anthony Ray Wright, and The Old Five and Dimers. Shaping up to be a lovely Monday night, indeed. Recommended.
