All tagged Reckless Kelly
Reckless Kelly is celebrating 25 years as a band in 2021; having been founded in 1996 by brothers Willy and Cody Braun in their home state of Idaho before moving to Austin. Their latest record American Girls/American Jackpot is a double album released last year in the middle of the pandemic; “Not the best business decision,” as front man Willy Braun says. The last time we saw RK in concert was in the fall of 2019. Ryan Engleman of the Turnpike Troubadours had just filled the guitar spot, then recently vacated by longtime member David Abeyta. Now it was time to see how the group was holding up after spending so much time in their online “Quarantine Kitchen” last year. Our mission was to catch Reckless Kelly on the last shows of their September run; 3 shows in 3 nights in 3 states at 3 very different venues.
Last year seemed like a banner year for releases, but the buzz for 2020 albums, tours and festivals had everyone thrilled for what was to come. No one imagined that all of that would come to a screeching halt in Mid-March when a global pandemic struck. A devastating blow to the performing arts community among so many other small businesses, the education system and the healthcare community. Many musicians had just released or were nearing release dates for their music, but were left unable to tour in support of it. Some chose to delay their releases and others forged on and released albums, EPs and singles anyway. I have a great deal of respect for those that took a gamble and provided us with one of the most important things to help get us through this difficult period. The power of music has continued to bring us together when we can’t join each other like we normally would. Thankfully, social media has allowed the artists to perform livestreams or even just promote their art. It’s allowed the fans to share music and continue to discuss and analyze it. Here at the Amp, we’ve made our own individual lists of our favorite three albums this year to share with our readers. We hope that you’ve listened to some of these amazing artists and their albums, but if not, we hope that you’ll at least give them a listen and perhaps find some new favorites.
