10 City Run likes to call its maverick brand of twang “psychedelic country,” and they found one of the pioneers of the form, John Beland, to produce their debut album, Somethin’ Else. As a late-period member of the cult-worshipped Flying Burrito Brothers, Beland sustained an indestructible catalog and sensibility that mashed together raucous guitar solos with moaning hints of pedal steel, and gave Aretha Franklin a country lilt.
10 City Run’s album comes nearly a year after the San Antonio band walked away with the grand prize at the Texas Country Reporter’s 2005 “Texas Country Star” contest. The win earned the group a record deal with Universal South, and they’ve already captured some video play for their first single, “City of Angels,” a clip that was shot in Bandera.
They celebrated the CD’s release at Rolling Oaks Sports Bar & Grill on August 17, and they’ll be back in this area for a Helotes gig at Floore’s Country Store on September 16.
Another local band promoting a debut release is 51 Acres, a rootsy rock collective known for their jam-friendly live performances. The band (which took its name from the acreage of the plot of land at which they began rehearsing) celebrates the completion of its new CD, Thousand Miles Away, at Rebar (8134 Broadway) on Friday, September 1.
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The International Accordion Festival has been one of this city’s musical highlights in recent years, and word of the sixth edition of this cross-cultural, multi-genre celebration sounds promising. This year’s festival runs from October 13-15, and opens with a Conjunto and Cajun Kickoff at La Villita’s Arneson River Theatre, featuring performances by Mingo Saldivar y Los Tremendos Cuatro Espadas, and the Gulf Coast Playboys. Call 573-6984 for more info.
