Internationally known Texas singer/songwriters Matt Harlan and Brian Hudson will appear in a live acoustic song-swap on Thursday at The Runaway Mule, located downtown at 203 East Main Street. Doors will open at 7:30 and there is a $10 cover charge for the event.
The concert, which is sure to be an intimate showcase for the seasoned young Americana artists, is part of the duo’s Summer Ramble tour, which they describe as their “whirwind of a tour across the U.S” on their Facebook page.
The Runaway Mule, a local “culture shop,” according to owner Tim Bryant, specializes in selling Nacogdoches-themed T-shirts and other merchandise with local ties, such as visual art, books and records from local artists. Bryant, a musician himself, has recently started hosting music events and poetry readings at the store and is looking especially forward to Thursday’s concert. “It’s rare that we get a chance to see musicians like Matt and Brian here in Nacogdoches. The Runaway Mule is very happy to be hosting this event, and we hope the community will come out and support the store and these great musicians.”
The Houston-based Harlan’s professional debut Tips and Compliments, produced by Rich Brotherton of the Robert Earl Keen band, has drawn a great deal of critical acclaim in America and abroad on the strength of such songs as “Elizabethtown” and “Waiting for Godot” and has been selling steadily since its 2010 release. The album also debuted at Number One on the European Americana Chart.
He has won numerous accolades in songwriting contests, including a recent win at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
Hudson, an Austin singer/songwriter, was half of the highly acclaimed Hudsons folk duo, which recorded three albums and won several prestigious awards, including the University of Texas/Kerrville Folk Festival college songwriting award, which they won two years in a row.
His solo debut, Into the Black, was highly praised from a number of online and print sources. John Ziegler of The Duluth News-Tribune wrote: “Nobody, but nobody, writes songs of relationship disillusionment better than Hudson.”
Opening the show is local singer/songwriter Chris Edwards, whose second album The Winter Garden was recently released.
For more information, visit The Runaway Mule website at www.therunawaymule.com. For information on Matt Harlan or Brian Hudson, visit: www.mattharlan.com or www.brianhudsonmusic.com.