The Broken Spokes

Abby knew Willie as just another classmate until one day…

She went with her family to a (now defunct, of course) bluegrass venue in Fairfax, VA. There she saw a young guy sawing on a fiddle and playin’ it hot and she was like, wait - I know that guy. At that time, Willie was playing with about half of the (now defunct, of course) bluegrass bands in the D.C area.

Anyway, she introduced herself at school, told him her brothers all played bluegrass in bands and, oh by the way, she could sing country. He said he loved country and, oh by the way, he could play the tele. And that’s how a little bitty idea was born.

So the next semester, they enlisted some friends from O’Connell, a kickin’ drummer from Marshall and Willie recruited his sister from Oakcrest; they turned our basement into a practice room, and the work began.

Bluegrass was where Willie and Abby both came from (along with a bit o’ the pure, to be sure, in Willie’s case) and they both graduate in June. It would become just another high school band diversion but for one little thing.

It just so happens that they are both Austin-bound in the Fall for college.

There’s too many coincidences here. And I’m not trying to jinx it. This could still turn out to have just been a high school diversion, of course. These two are both serious A students with serious work ahead of them. And they won’t be at the same school. Abby will be at UT doing engineering and Willie will be doing the great books at the upstart UATX. And even if they are only blocks away from each other, those blocks can be miles in a place like Austin TX.

But from what I’m seeing, if they can dedicate spare time to playing, it sure could sound good. There is no shortage of ace musicians in Austin to fill out the band again.

OK, I’m partial to this band since it has two of my kids in it. And there’s a part of me that sees one too many coincidences here for this to all just be random. I’m not saying these are the next big names in country (or rock, bluegrass, etc,,,) but I’m not saying they ain’t either. I’ll be watchin’ em, that’s for sure!

Note: Willie recruited his sister because she has been his willful but willing sidekick since at least as far back as this little “Christmas” video below.

3/7/26

Neon Moon

Kacie Musgraves breathed life into this Brooks & Dunn 90s classic. Abby breathes just as much!
3/7/26

Tennessee Orange

One of the things I love about a good Irish bawdy song is that you can sing it around children and they don’t get it. This song is so good that even my nearly grown kids in this band think the only sin in question is wearing the jersey from another state’s college team.
3/7/26

Don't Mind If I Do

This Riley Green/Ella Langley duet is only about a year old - and it’s not only a great song but a great duet. It’s good enough to work even when rendered by high school kids who still can’t, for all kinds of good high school social reasons, look one another in the eye even when singing how much they miss each other ;)
3/7/26

All Your'n

This was a hit for Tyler Childers around COVID. This song resonated with people who knew alone-ness more than usually acutely in those days and now it’s being picked up - and rendered well - by the kids coming up behind.
3/7/26

What Was I Thinkin'

A man in a good marriage can still enjoy the out of the frame pleasure of singing songs about cheatin’ or divorce or whatever. In fact, one can argue that he can enjoy them a lot more than the guy going through that kind of misery. It is my hope that when Willie sings songs about being a reckless redneck, he will always do so out of the frame…
3/7/26

Weegan Wheel

I don’t need to know a thing about the DJO Class of 26 in-joke, who Mr. B might be, or why he mispronounces the name of this perennial song. But it gives me joy to see my children enjoying the same kind of high school camaraderie I knew in ‘93. And I do know that, for all that we love to hate on it, this is one of the very few genuinely popular songs in American vernacular music that still actually involves/requires a fiddle.
3/7/26

Band Intros & Head Over Boots

I think Willie did these intros really well. The gentleman of manners side of me wonders whether he should have introduced both ladies last but the musician in me recognizes that that drummer deserved to be mentioned penultimately as he was. Kid is darn good, 15 years old, and his momma drives him to all his gigs.
3/7/26

Before He Cheats

One of the great catty vicious female songs in modern country. If one can call one of those great. It’s hideous, of course. But I get the popularity.
10/29/19

Rhinestone Cowboy

Ok, this isn’t the band. This is two of the band members just a few years earlier. And it features a pre-verbal (but not pre-dance, clearly) little sister, Emmy, as a bonus.