The Panhandlers
In case you have been hibernating through the winter or living under a rock (and these days, who could blame you), there is a new supergroup that has recently broken out in the Texas/Oklahoma music scene. They are The Panhandlers. The band has, as its members: Josh Abbott, John Baumann, Cleto Cordero and William Clark Green.
I had the great fortune to get a little time to speak with Cleto Cordero at Mile 0 Fest about this new project. He told me that it started out with Josh Abbott wanting to create an album of covers that was in the vein of and a tribute to The Flatlanders, a classic country band that was established back in 1972. Over the years, their songs have had an influence on much of the music coming out of the Red Dirt/Americana scene.
To add to this tribute, even The Panhandlers album cover highly resembles the Flatlanders album cover from their 1972 album “More A Legend Than A Band.”
The project morphed from when Josh called in friends John Baumann, William Clark Green and Cleto Cordero of Flatland Cavalry and asked if they wanted to be part of this project. Cleto said that he was all in as soon as he had got the call.
The group spent a few days songwriting in Marfa, Texas. To which he said the album was nearly complete. They then went to Bruce Robison who agreed to produce the album and they recorded it at his studio.
The album has 10 tracks:
West Texas In My Eyes
This Flatland Life
No Handle
Panhandle Slim
West Texas Girl
The Panhandler
Lonesome Heart
Cactus Flower
This Is My Life
Caprockin'
The producer of the album, Bruce Robison, best describes the album in these terms, “It aspires to be music that makes people feel better at the end of a rough week. It's one step away from the honky-tonk and one step away from the roughneck oil house. West Texas really has an identity. It gets so damn cold, and for the people who stay there, it's half pride, half resignation, and half something else. That identity has really drawn these guys together."
The Panhandlers sound is one that is unique to the band in that it stands apart from the music that each of these artists individually create.
Photo By Charlie Stout
The first track on the album “West Texas In My Eyes,” a cover written by Charlie Stout. It’s a slower, sweet piece where the singers give their reasons for leaving (or staying) in a place that, from an outsider's perspective, can appear to be harsh and desolate. The use of fiddle as more of an embellishment than a dominant instrument is a strong highlight to this piece. This song, also, has some absolutely stunning imagery.
“I’ve seen the thunderheads descend and rip into the ground. The twisted hand of heaven spreadin’ terror all around. Sending farmers into deeper debt and ranchers to the grave. Where towers mark the end of time with slowly spinnin’ blades, till the water table falls below the reach of humankind.”
Each verse poetically end’s with “I ain’t cryin’, that’s West Texas in my eyes.”
“This Flatland Life” is a fun song that leads off with a picking banjo and a drum. They start describing what you’d expect to see and experience if you were in West Texas: oil pumps, windmills and cotton fields and how things rarely change. The song is a fun piece both lyrically and musically. As The Panhandler’s describe, "This Flatland Life" offers an overview of West Texas society over a loose, loping beat.
“No Handle,” the first single released from the band is a faster, danceable and fun song that describes Llano Estacado in humorous terms from the terrain, the weather and the vermin, and how those who live there come to grips with it and somehow enjoy it. I particularly like Josh Abbott’s first line in the song, “It’s so flat your dog could run halfway round the world and you’d still see his tail waggin’ in the wind.”
“Panhandle Slim” is a slower waltz about a good, but lonely, cowboy looking for love and how he finds it. It is a lyrically interesting song that requires you to really listen and mentally “chew on” what is being said. But, the real beauty in the song isn’t as much the songwriting as it is the choice of singer. They chose Cleto Cordero to sing it. His voice and soft-spoken midland drawl really adds texture to the song. He engages the listener and fits well with the storytelling.
Cleto Cordero
“West Texas Girl” starts with an upright piano and quickly joined in with an accordion to give the feel of an old-time waltz. It’s a love song where the singer describes how he got caught in a bad storm and how a kindhearted single woman was willing to help him out and how they found love in it all. The last verse of the song gives the listener proper resolution to a song of this nature.
“Streamers and cans on the back of the flatbed. Salt on the floor of the old Legion hall. They dance to the sound of twin fiddles singin’, wedding bells ringin’ the Panhandle Waltz”
“The Panhandler,” a lonesome sounding song about a homeless guy busking for change and now he seems to have lost his faith in everything. The song also addresses issues of social class; living on the streets, drug use and how having money changes your status in today’s society. The song starts off slow with pedal steel and guitar, then kicks into a moderate tempo two-step that adds banjo, drums and bass. The solo section highlights the talents of the studio musicians on electric guitar, banjo, acoustic guitar and pedal steel.
“Lonesome Heart,” sung by William Clark Green has much the same tone, feel and sadness as his hit “The One I Was Then.” I found the opening line to the song compelling “I’m driftin’ like a tumbleweed across this lonesome land. In a rusty roller coaster, through the desert sands. Clingin’ to a cardboard sign sayin,’ ‘I could use a friend.’” Sadly, that’s a place too many of us know all too well. The song is sung from the perspective of a man who has loved and lost. He is starting to see that his better days are behind him and is starting to take stock of his life and regrets. But, I should note that that’s not the only compelling line in the song... it's full of them. Musically the song is a slower pace that starts with keyboard, guitar and bass, highlighted by fiddle. All of which add gravity to this piece.
William Clark Green
“Cactus Flower” is a fun, old-style country love song starting with guitar, banjo and pedal steel. Even lyrically the song style is maintained. “Sweeter than the fruit atop a prickly pear cactus flower. I’d follow your beauty anywhere.” This song is sung by Cleto with his fiancé, Kaitlin Butts, singing backup.
Cleto Cordero & Kaitlin Butts | Photo By Melissa Payne
“This is My Life” is an up-tempo song opening with a fiddle. (Is there any better way to open a song?) Sang by Josh Abbott, describing what life is like for a West Texas troubadour. While it doesn’t sound glamorous, he makes it sound fun and that he enjoys the life he is living.
“Goin’ down the road in a twelve-bunk bus, the AC is out and the vents blow dust, the bathroom’s dirty and crew hasn’t showered in days.”
The song then goes on to describe the personalities of each of the band members, condensed down to 2-3 lines for each. The chorus will get you singing along too.
“This is my life and these are my friends. We’re a rowdy group of dreamers, drinkers and has-beens. Playin’ music that we love, tossin’ caution to the wind. Yeah, this is my life and these are my friends.”
“Caprockin’” is definitely a slow dance. It comes from the perspective of a man who lives in the country and loves where he lives and who he is with, regardless of some of the hardships that come with that territory. He just wants to live a slower life and look up at the stars with his girl at night and raise some cattle. The song is mostly piano, guitar, fiddle and what sounds like an upright bass with a bow. John’s voice is perfect for this song and Kaitlin Butts provides the perfect backup and embellishment to this piece.
“West Texas in My Eyes” and “Caprockin’” provide sublime bookends to this album. These songs travel all over West Texas in so many ways and not just geographically. On the surface, it's easy to listen to and enjoy. It captures the tough, yet peaceful character of the land and its people. Yet, it is written in such a way that whether you live there or not, you can relate to many of the characters in these songs. Either you know someone who fits the description of one of these folks, or you have been in their shoes at some time in your life. The album addressed a long list of issues like loneliness, hardship, poverty and extreme weather conditions, at times, described in a humorous, folksy storyteller way. This is a masterful piece of work from artists that are still young and perfecting their craft (my hat’s off to y’all). In my opinion, this first album (hopefully first of many) was written with layers of meaning, in that, it will cause you to listen, think and re-listen as any fine piece of art should.
Photo By Charlie Stout
The Panhandlers:
