HWY 261

Sterling has been sidelined by a medical condition, so The Reverend is hosting solo as he welcomes Star De Azlan into the KZSM studio. Star's new single, Adios Cowboy, will be released September 26th. She plays an acoustic version of that tune live on the air, as well as a brand new song. Prerecorded tracks included songs from Nathan Hamilton, Keith Davis, Mark Allan Atwood, Tom Russell, The Rev. Jason Woolery, and Dallas Burrow ft. Kelly Willis.

Sterling is back from his touring with Todd Snider and Dallas Burrow! He and the Reverend welcome local phenoms Hank Weaver, Cameron Allbright, and Ashton Naylor who are playing together tonight at Cheatham St. Warehouse in San Marcos, TX. Prerecorded tracks centered around the Jennings family in honor of the forthcoming Waylon album "Songbird." Tracks played were all from Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Shooter Jennings.

Sterling is still on tour with Dallas Burrow, so The Reverend is still solo in the KZSM booth as he welcomes Rob Dark Smith, Keith Davis, and Trey Martinez into the studio. This is Rob and Keith's second visit to HWY 261 in 2025; last time they were promoting the release of The Anvil, today they're plugging the show that the three of them are playing tonight at The Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels. The three of them play two amazing songs off The Anvil as wll as talking about their other projects, upcoming shows, etc. Prerecorded tracks today all came from artists who have been HWY 261 guest artists in the 2025 calendar year: Hank Weaver & Cameron Allbright; Dennis Jay; Muchacho Sanchez; Eric Sarmiento; Melissa Engleman; Lynn Crossett; Dylan Rhys; Tasman Sharp.

Joey, Bramwell, bassist of Austin's 80s throwback cover band Prime Meridian, joins The Reverend in the booth and spins cover songs with Texas connections.

Today The Reverend welcomed a couple of members of Austin-based Americana band Briscoe, Truitt & Phil. They are about to hit the road for a middle America tour on Monday, and they played us a couple f great songs that'll be in the setlist on this tour, Roughnecks & The Well. The Rev also played the title track of their forthcoming album, Heat of July, at the end of the show. Other prerecorded tracks included artists Ruthie Foster, HalleyAnna Finlay, Charlie Sexton, Paul Cauthen, and Dj Bartly.

Sterling in still on the road playing bass in the current incarnation of the Todd Snider Band, so The Reverend is solo again this week, but not entirely, because today The Rev welcomed guest artist David Rosenblad into the KZSM studio. David played a couple of great unreleased tunes (Living, Loving, & Being in the Present; Rise Up) in addition to telling listeners where he'll be playing live in the near future and where he can be found online. The Reverend also played a handful of prerecorded tracks from Dangerous Toys, Lyle Lovett, Lightnin' Hopkins, Hank Weaver, David Rosenblad, Dallas Burrow, and Tracy Weinberg & Friends.

The Reverend is flying solo in the booth because Sterling in at war with his own sinuses, so the playlist for August 1st, 2025 is a mixed bag of rockin' tunes from (mostly) Texas artists. Artists played on today's episode: Texas Tornados, Reverend Horton Heat, Deep Blue Something, Toadies, Tripping Daisy, The Mars Volta, Blue Healer, Micky & the Motorcars, Reckless Kelly, Spoon, Old 97s, and Des Rocs.

Sterling is returning from a recording session in Nashville Friday, so The Rev is broadcasting solo in the booth again this week. Today's episode focuses on the Cheatham Street Warehouse "Class of '87" group of singer-songwriters, that is, half a dozen young artists who frequented Kent Finlay's Songwriters Circle at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX in 1987 and went on to make names for themselves in the music industry. All six of the "Class of '87" artists are represented on today's show: Todd Snider, Hal Ketchum, Terri Hendrix, Bruce Robison, John Arthur Martinez, and James McMurtry.

The Rev is hosting solo in the booth this week as Sterling heads to Port A to play a gig with Dallas Burrow tonight at The Gaff. Guest artists today are a couple of the participants in this year's Young Songwriters Workshop, an annual program put on by Cheatham Street Music Foundation and held at The Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, TX (a venue owned by Dallas Burrow and family). Students this year worked with artists Missoula Slim, Melissa Engleman, Sammy Wells (of The Trips), Hank Weaver, Dallas Burrow, Bri Bagwell, Sterling Finlay, and award-winning cowboy songwriter Dennis Jay.

16 year old Dylan Rhys-who traveled from Cypress, TX to attend YSW- was on the show last year after his first year in the YSW program; he returns to the KZSM studio today, and he's joined by 15 year old Tasman Sharp out of New Braunfels, TX, who was in the workshop for the first time this year. Each young man plays two phenomenal original songs in the back half hour of this episode. Prerecorded tracks spun by The Rev in the first half hour, and to end the show, include songs from William Clark Green, Dallas Burrow ft. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Carolyn Wonderland, and Gurf Morlix.

On this July 4th episode, The Rev and Sterling play songs about social issues and songs of protest, but because of an overnight deluge in the hill country, the first quarter hour is dedicated to sending our best to our neighbors who are dealing with flooding issues. The show begins with SRV playing Texas Flood and Couldn't Stand the Weather. After the first promo, the focus shifts to songs about social issues and songs of protest. Tracks included three covers from the late Victor Holk (Kill the Poor-Dead Kennedys, Rainbow Stew-Merle Haggard, Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag-Country Joe & the Fish); we also played Mercantile store by Good Medicine Band, We Can't Make It Here by James McMurtry, Antifa by Ministry, Deportee by Woody Guthrie, sung by Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger, and This Land is Your Land sung by the author, Woody Guthrie.