Music

From Texas Standard:

On Saturday, the reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee turned 42 years old. The Puerto Rican artist has been in the news lately because he's one of the few artists on YouTube whose songs consistently have billions of views.

From Texas Standard:

People who live outside Texas know the names of the state’s biggest cities – Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin. And many have also heard of a town of less than 3,000 – Shiner. That, of course, is because of the beer that’s been brewed there since 1909, and is now distributed in 49 states. But even some Texans may not have heard of another town, just 14 miles of farmland down Highway 90. Like Shiner, it was founded in the 1800s, is big on its German heritage, and is home to less than 3,000 people. We're talking about Hallettsville. The two towns have long had a friendly rivalry.

From Texas Standard:

"South Texas ... that's where I stay." Those words from the late rapper Pimp C – edited, fans will note – exemplify the fierce regional pride artists and fans alike have in the Houston-area rap scene.

From Texas Standard:

Buddy Holly. Joe Ely. Butch Hancock. Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. Terry Allen. And the list of musicians from Lubbock goes on. Over the years, music journalists have wondered what it is about this city that makes it produce so many musicians.

Amanda Shires, the current queen of Americana music, says that the answer is actually quite simple: there’s nothing else to do there except make music.

From Texas Standard: Terry Allen is a mixed-media southwestern storyteller. David Byrne is a fan of his and a former collaborator. Ryan Bingham and Lucinda Williams are among the dozens of famous musicians who've covered his songs. His artwork is in the collections of the Met, MoMA, the Hirschorn, and various art museums around Texas. He’s written award-winning plays and cemented a reputation as a creative renaissance man.

The holidays are a time of coming together, but they’re also a time when we think of those who are absent. Thoughts turn to loved ones distant or departed,  to the spirits of jolly old elves and to melting frosty snowmen. On Sunday at the Cheatham Street Warehouse, they will turn to a narcissistic country singer who never shows up. 

From Texas Standard:

New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville – all pride themselves as cities with rich musical scenes. And in Texas, those bragging rights tend to go to Houston and Austin. But a new documentary turns the spotlight on another side of the business, staking a claim for another Texas city: the beat makers of the Big D.

From Texas Standard:

Houston has hip-hop, New Orleans has jazz, the Delta has the blues. What about San Antonio?

The South Texas Museum of Popular Culture is celebrating its role in the national songbook this weekend, launching an exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the San Antonio recordings of blues legend Robert Johnson.

From Texas Standard:

Growing up in San Antonio, Nina Diaz was one of those kids who spent a lot of time in her bedroom, singing along to the Smiths and imagining the world beyond. Then she got swept up into the music when her sister and a long-time friend asked her to form a rock band, Girl in a Coma.

From Texas Standard:

Austin bills itself as the “Live Music Capital” of the world. But a flood of newcomers to the city has produced some dire consequences for the very people who've earned the city that title – the musicians who can no longer afford to live there.

Mayor Steve Adler says the city has reached a tipping point. 

From Texas Standard:

It's been smooth sailing for Leon Bridges this summer. The 27-year-old neo-soul singer from Fort Worth has gotten lots of critical acclaim as well as a mighty big hat tip from President Obama, who included Bridges on his second-annual summer Spotify playlist.

The playlist runs the gamut from indie rockers like Courtney Barnett and Edward Sharpe to Brazil's Caetano Veloso. Dan Solomon, who writes for Texas Monthly, thinks the president may have overlooked some Texas flavor. 

From Texas Standard:

The Texas Capital claims to be the "live music capital of the world" but another Texas city might be able to lay claim to the "stolen music gear capital of the world."

Kyle "Trigger" Coroneos,  editor of the website Saving Country Music, says over the past few years he'd heard a lot of stories from artists and bands saying their gear was stolen, seeming like an "epidemic" of thefts.

"It became so rampant, it was like, What's going on here?" he says. "There must be some underlying issue to it."

From Texas Standard:

Despite his well-known song saying he’s an Okie from Muskogee, Merle Haggard never claimed it as autobiographical. The country music legend was born in Oildale, California. Although he wasn’t a native Texan, he got here as fast as he could.

From Texas Standard:

When I think about the 1990s, here's what comes to mind: roller blades, crimped hair, Beanie Babies and Walkmen. But there was more to the decade than tacky products and oversized flannel.

From Texas Standard:

There’s a lot we don’t understand about the human brain. We’re still learning more about what happens when people start to experience dementia or other memory loss. There’s no cure for something like Alzheimer’s right now, so when there’s a chance to improve the lives of people with dementia, caregivers like Debra Maddox are eager to give it a shot.

From Texas Standard:

Look up Golden, Texas, and you’ll see it's 35 miles north of Tyler. Wikipedia says it's best known for its sweet potatoes. But that’s probably because most folks don’t realize that Kacey Musgraves, who some say is saving country music from itself, just so happens to be from sweet potato country.

From Texas Standard:

As you made your way up Austin’s West 5th Street in the past few days you may have noticed a little ch-ch-change in street signage. Woe be to the vandals of such an affront to city property.

I stopped a few passers-by to gauge their reaction:

“I wouldn’t consider it as vandalism. It’s a tribute.”

“Austin is known as the music capital of the world. If we’re going to call it the music capital of the world, when someone as prominent in music as David Bowie passes away, I don’t see anything wrong with doing something like this .”

“I was born and raised here and love David Bowie and I think it’s a perfect city for it. And it’s a tiny street, too. Why not? It’s only a couple blocks long. Why not?”