The dusty plains of West Texas have been a surprisingly fertile ground for the cross-currents of rock ‘n roll and country music, from Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and Waylon Jennings to The Flatlanders (the late Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). The West Texas Exiles are tied to The Flatlanders in that Jimmie’s son, Colin (whose voice shares his father’s distinctive warble), plays in the band.
Like The Flatlanders, all three core members (Gilmore, Marco Gutierrez, and Daniel Davis) are songwriters, and they share vocal duties. Their recent appearance at Jammin’ Java, their first in Virginia or the DMV, featured original songs and a few great covers that drew from their eclectic influences.
The Exiles released their first full-length LP, 8000 Days, last year — so, naturally, on April 26, the Jammin’ Java set included quite a few songs from that, as well from their EP from 2023, including the title cut, “Hotel Tomorrow.” Songs like “Out on the Plains” and “Wind’s Gonna Blow” are rooted in a distinct sense of place in their native West Texas, though they live in Austin now. Introducing “Bright Yellow Sun,” written as they were preparing to leave Amarillo, they explained how that city’s just a place to pass through. This one reminded me of James McMurtry’s “Levelland.”
Watch the official music video for “8000 Days” by West Texas Exiles on YouTube:
The Exiles paid tribute with a song they “wrote for one of our musical heroes, Dolly Parton.” Colin sang one that he’d written for his wife, Tammy. “My Name’s Bad News” wouldn’t have been out of place in the heyday of the Outlaw movement, and “New Moon Fee” and “Running Circles in the Yard” could’ve come straight out of the days of progressive country.
They chose some really interesting covers to fill out their set: the Pogues’ “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” and the Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care,” which they did as their encore. As much as they’re grounded in country — as they showed with their song for Dolly — this is also a rock & roll band.
Delia Moorman got the evening started with a mix of classic covers and some original songs. She opened with the classic “Tulsa Time,” followed by Zach Top’s “Sounds Like the Radio.” She then did her own “Oklahoma Song,” which she just released as her first single. It was inspired by a visit to Oklahoma State, where she’ll be attending college next year, studying music industry. Her eclectic approach mirrored the Exiles’; she sang Jackson Browne’s “Take It Easy,” made famous by the Eagles, and finished with “Southern Skies.” After her set, I joked with her, “I don’t normally like Mormons, but I like you.”
As much as music gets carved up into genres, I come back to Townes Van Zandt’s statement that there are two kinds of music, the blues and “Zippity-Doo-Dah.” However you want to classify them, the West Texas Exiles are a terrific band with some great songs. Their show Sunday evening was a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing them again.
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