January 10, 2010
I hope you enjoyed last weeks show with Whiskey Myers, it has been so exciting getting to see this radio show really take form. After such a great experience last week we could only hope for the same this time around. Well, we just got back and I have to say that our expectations were exceeded. This week's band Texas Renegade blew us away.

Texas Renegade was playing at Poodie's Hilltop Bar & Grill in a little town outside of Austin called Spicewood. If you have never heard of Poodie's, I'll give you a quick rundown of how the place came about. Poodie Locke was Willie Nelson's stage manager for 34 years. In 2002 Poodie opened up Poodie's Hilltop Bar & Grill, it was not uncommon for Willie and the gang to stop in between shows to unwind. Unfortunately Poodie passed away last May of a heart attack, but his Bar is still thriving and you can feel his energy when you walk in the door.

On our way to Poodie's we decided start our trip off right with a stop at Robertson's Hams in Salado, (located right off I-35, exit 285). If you have never been to Robertson's then you are missing out! They literally have the best beef jerky in town, and as our Angry Sound Guy Cory would say, "there ain't nothin' wrong with the peanut brittle" either.

After Robertson's we were "On The Road Again." We arrived in Austin at around 4:00pm. We had some time to kill before we had to be at Poodie's to set up so we decided to go check in to our hotel. We stayed at the Lakeway Resort and Spa, it's about 15min from Spicewood. The Hotel was great and while we were there we were lucky enough to meet some really cool United States Army Troops. The Hotel was hosting a marriage retreat for them, and it was nice to see them having a good time and getting to relax because they definitely deserve it.

We arrived at Poodie's around 5:30pm. We started setting up and then we got to sit down with the bar's manager Brooks. Brooks was definitely a character; in fact after meeting him I was seriously considering growing a handlebar mustache of my own! Brooks was an awesome guy and it was great getting to listen to him talk about the history of Poodie's. After chatting with Brooks, the crew and I were hungry so we decided to order the famous "Poodie Burger," and I'll tell you this, we were satisfied to say the least..

Texas Renegade showed up not too long after we finished dinner. I enjoyed getting to talk with them and just hang out. For the interview I sat down with lead singer Andy and guitar player Tyson.

Texas Renegade put on a great show! After getting to know them and seeing them play live it easy to see why they have become one of the fastest growing bands in Texas. Once the show ended we packed up our gear and headed back to our hotel. After maybe one too many beers we decided it would be a good idea to make a Whataburger stop, which probably ended up saving me from having the kind of ride back to Dallas that I had last week. This 26 week adventure has started out great; I hope all you listeners are enjoying it as much as we are!

Thanks again Texas Renegade!