Update: Sherry, who is coordinating the Red Dirt Pub Crawl mentioned in this article, said they now have plenty more seats available now for the trip.

Rich O’Toole, Texas by birth, and now a California resident, returned to his roots this past weekend, playing at a new festival in Denton and then at Gilley’s/Choctaw in Durant. The Sunday 2-hour show at Gilley’s was one in a series hosted by K95.5 Radio, out of Paris and Hugo, and streamed over the Payne Music Group radio stations, and radio personality Barry Diamond did the hosting/interviewing honors.

Oh, BTW, Rich’s birthday will be this upcoming Wednesday, Aug. 6.

Many of the questions between songs came from Barry himself, others from the audience, and some from radio listeners via Facebook social media. And they were all fun. Between Barry Diamond and Rich O’Toole, that “fun” was a given. And all the while it was going on. people rode the bucking bull off in the restaurant’s corner.

Answer to question — Moved to Los Angeles, rather than Nashville as so many other rising Texas artists are, because… he loves country music, but “I write about real life and love and right now I can’t be in Nashville because they write about back roads and beer. It is a great city and I love it so much. But I fit in better with my rock and roll in L.A., it’s just a better fit for me.” O’Toole went on to advice anyone, “Don’t hate on any music. It’s like a super market.  When you go to the market, you may not like this kind of lettuce, but you don’t ‘hate’ on it, you just buy the one you like. America is a free trade, market economy. Just buy and listen to the music you like.”

In L.A., he said, he has learned more about co-writing. And he’s just released his latest CD, Jaded, with a limited supply of them printed. Two of the fans there Sunday had also been at the Saturday festival, and wanted one of those CDs, but there were no more. From

Barry and Rich

the Gilley’s stage, Rich told them and the crowd that he was going to be giving them his own, 1st issue copy, for having taken the trip from their Whitesboro residence to the Gilley’s show.

In December, Rich is one of 10 Texas musicians headed to Ireland for seven nights in Ireland, the yearly Red Dirt Pub Crawl in Dublin. Others going along are: Josh Abbott (who will be touring with Rich and their respective bands between now and then), Roger Creager, William Clark Green, Bart Crow, Bleu Edmondson, Randy Brown, brandon Steadman, Aaron Sandoval, and Scott Brown. The coordinator said that the plane is sold out, but that they are trying to get more tickets so more people can take advantage of this rare opportunity to see the incredible emerald isle. Go online if you are interested: RedDirtPubCrawl.com

The day went on that way, all along Rich singing the songs for which he is so well known. “Me and the Crickets” getting a lot of the applause.

It’s safe to say that the crowd this Sunday had increased by about 300 %, and hopefully that increase continues Sunday (Aug. 3) with Curtis Grimes taking the Gilley’s stage. It all runs from 3-5 p.m., No charge, ever, at a Gilley’s show at Choctaw in Durant. Great parking, valet available, and good food.

And don’t worry ’bout Rich becoming a bona fide Californian — don’t they all move back to Texas sooner or later? Meanwhile, check his Website for his tour dates, which will also be on Scene In Town’s Live Music Calendar.

Rich O’Tool.com

For many photos, click here

Need a great fix for your Sunday afternoons?  Gilley’s at Durant’s Choctaw Casino  and Paris radio K95.5, along with sponsor Coors Light, offer the solution — live music!  And why not? “Music is good medicine,” says Cajun King Jo-El Sonnier.

This past Sunday, (7/20/14) saw Erica Perry and Phil Hamilton on the Gilley’s stage, with Payne Music (K95.5 plus a bunch more stations) head honcho Will Payne interviewing them. It was all streamed, live on the radio station, pure fun, and great music. Both musicians opened with one of their originals, and then the interview began with Will getting a question for Phil from a participant. The fan asked about his beard. Phil has a full growth, still all black hair with an occasional red one growing in, he said. And from there, the crowd learned about that famous beard, how often he’s shaved it totally off (not often at all), and his Santa pseudo he’s donned upon occasion.

The crowd learned about Erica’s time as a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. They learned about both artists’ creative writng processes, and their travel experiences. And all the while, Erica and Phil kept belting out boocoos of great music. Phil complimented Will from the stage, saying Will was the best interviewer he’d ever worked with! High praise!

Sound man Jim Barnes kept the sound perfectly polished and pitched. Great job. And K95.5’s Chad Lindsey video-ed the whole show… don’t know when that will be published. And frankly, it would have been better with stage lighting. Maybe next time.

The next three Sundays are scheduled this way (and if there are changes, we’ll be sure and get them in the Live Music Calendar). July 27-Rich O’Toole; Aug. 3-Curtis Grimes; and Aug. 10-Jamie Richards. In theory, this series will end on Aug. 24, and Will Payne will say who’s playing then real soon.

For more photos, click here:

For more info on these two artists, click on their Websites:  EricaPerryMusic.com  and PhilHamiltonMusic.com

Marty Stuart

For many photos, click here:

A small-town boy at heart, Marty Stuart seemed right at home Friday night (5/9/14) in Grant, Okla., where he performed with his Fabulous Superlatives band in the Choctaw Event Center. He brought with him a great combination of classic tunes of his and other country music giants, along with some gospel , rockabilly, and his unique brand of rock n roll. Whatever the tunes, there were foots stomping all over the place, always below faces shining with smiles.

The Fabulous Superlatives are guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson, and bassist Paul Martin. Kenny and Harry often joined Marty on vocals, and even took the lead at times.

When K95.5’s (Grant and Atoka radio station owner) Will Payne introduced the band, he preceded it by bringing out his old buddy, Bill Grant, who with his former partner, Delia Bell, led the bluegrass field for years. If you don’t know Bill Grant, you might know his song,”Roses In the Snow” which country great Emmylou Harris took to the top of the charts. Bill Grant plays mandolin, as does Marty Stuart, and he joined the band as an added treat to fans.

At the end of the show, Marty put it out to the fans if there was any song they would still like to hear. It sounded unanimous — his 1990s hit “Hillbilly Rock.” An accident? Probably not, probably great crowd involvement.

Thanks, Choctaw, for continuing to bring quality entertainment to Texomaland!

Oh, and Marty Stuart — If you read this, please know that Karl Shiflett said to tell you hello. Your fan/merch line was so long, I gave up the wait. But I loved that you took time with each person who wanted to speak with you or get an autograph, or make a purchase and then have it signed. You are top-notch!

Zach Swon

Photos and story by Mary Jane Farmer — click on the link below for photos

Since appearing and making the top-3 finalists on Season 4 of The Voice, Colton and Zach Swon have been taking an uphill ride and, if the sold-out crowd at Choctaw’s CenterStage in Durant Monday night is any indication, these brothers will be burning up Nashville during the next few years.

The siblings, about two years apart, charmed their way through a dynamite 75-minute set, teasing one another as brothers do, thanking the audience time and time again for its support, and combining a mix of lesser-known songs with top hits originally sung by the country music classics. They included a tribute they performed on The Voice to George Jones, performed several made huge by The Eagles, and they understood that people want to take their photos. In fact, Colton, the younger of the two, went out into the audience after telling the crowd, “Now here’s the time in the show where you should all get your cell phones out. We’re going to make some selflies.” Zach stayed on stage, and posed with the up-front crowd while Colton made his way through the thousands of people in the audience.

Colton Swon

Their band consisted of an incredible Dallas-based guitarist, a musician who switched from keyboard to harmonica to banjo to mandolin, and drummer and bass player. The Muskogee, Okla., duo also introduced their sound man, their road manager, and just about everyone else who arrived on the band bus or by private car. Sorry, didn’t write all those names down…

Toward the end, the brothers picked out a front-row fan, Kimberley, invited her on stage to help them sing “Okie From Muskogee” and then autographed and gave her the new guitar she had been handed as a Swon Sister.

Personable, in a comfortable and friendly way, the brothers had a police escort after the show to their merchandise table, and people were wrapped around the room, in line to get an autograph or buy a shirt, or just say howdy to these two future stars.

The Swon Brothers recently signed with Arista Records, based in Nashville, and are working now on a new CD project, due out in 2014. Keep these guys in your radar. And thank you, Choctaw, for bringing them to the area!

For photographs, click here