THE TEXAS SAPPHIRES - STARS OF TEXAS MAGAZINE REVIEW
by: Brad Springs
I first crossed paths with Billy Brent Malkus, the ring leader of The Texas Sapphires a few years back when I was running the now defunct Old Wimberley Tavern in his still sometime roll as guitar slinger for Nathan Hamilton and No Deal. The No Deal was evident in his low slung guitar style that by no coincidence seemed to based in something other than your standard country fare. With roots in the Baltimore punk scene and hog farming he headed for Austin with his band Mondo Generator featuring members of The Dwarves and Queens Of The Stone age in the late 90's. The manure fresh on his boots he began a quest to show the urban "khaki cowboy' types just what being country was about. I'd venture my opinion to say he's on track doing what he set out to do. After Mondo Generator went their respective ways he buried himself in the true roots of honky tonk music with various acts and finally an entity was formed that explored just what he was looking for. A blend of what roots or Americana is really about, back before we called it roots or coined the phrase Americana music. That entity became known as The Texas Sapphires.
Recipe for a gem, take a smoking straight up guitar player and songwriter who used to be a pig farmer in Baltimore with country roots and rock-n-roll hooks and add Rebecca Lucille Cannon former front woman for Austin's perennial favorite pop-punk band Sincola with vocal comparisons to Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith and put her in a Kitty Wells groove. Toss in 'Brother" Paul Schroeder a Beaumont native on guitar, mandolin and banjo. Jeff Joiner heads up the upright and electric bass department, a native of Jackson, Mississippi he was once guilty of stealing his dad's car to go to a Johnny Cash show so I feel the love when greater sensibilities prevail. Ram Zimmerman is the back beat, born in Minneapolis he began his musical career with piano but quickly moved to drums and played in a slew of bands and most recently with Kim Deschamps who lends dobro, pedal and lap steel to the Sapphire sound. Honorary Sapphires include Warren Hood on fiddle, Craig Bagby on drums and Texas music legend Lloyd Maines on dobro and pedal steel. The roots and Americana sound is truly a roots experience with musicians from varied backgrounds and parts of the U.S. that have found their way to each other and created a sound that combines the roots of music in all genres and wraps it up in a tight package of country, bluegrass and rockabilly.
This blend caught the attention of multi-platinum producer Lloyd Maines recently and, "Valley So Steep" their debut record, produced by Lloyd, is the result ... Prior to the release of their debut they were honored with "Best New Band" and "Best New Local Act" in the Austin Chronicle readers and critics polls recently, and had openers for Two Tons Of Steel and Dwight Yoakum as well as other heavy hitters on the Texas music scene, without a debut record even out. From here it's only up. Look for The Texas Sapphires in your neck of the woods at www.thetexassapphires.com.
They've got shows all over Texas this summer as well as a late summer trip up to New Mexico for some shows with your Frogville favorites Hundred Year Flood, Joe West and Boris McCutcheon. Catch the next big thing, Stetson hats or sleeves of tattoos or both. It's roots, it's real, it's down from the mountain, it's up from the valley. It's a Texas gem so call your local radio station and tell them to spin Texas Sapphires, you'll be glad you did, the down home feeling is instant. I wouldn't steer ya wrong. Yours in musical appreciation. — BS