Oklahoma native and red-dirt country pioneer Jason Boland has been packing bars and selling out shows for more than seven years, positioning himself and his band, the Stragglers, as underground legends among Southern partiers and in-the-know music fans.
Boland and The Stragglers are heading back to where it all started for a Wednesday show in Stillwater, and a solo acoustic set Thursday night at the Wormy Dog Saloon in Bricktown.
"We always love coming back," Boland said. "Your home-crowd fans are always tuned in. They are family. You can look out there and see people that have always been there for you."
GENESIS
Boland and the band assembled in Stillwater in 1998, where the red-dirt country revolution was born and where it first started storming barns and bars alike. Boland said he moved from Oklahoma to New Braunfels, Texas, in 2002 to make it easier to tour.
"Oklahoma is great, but a lot of times, it just comes down to geographic isolation," he said. "Many of our shows were in Texas and through the South, and it just made sense to live down here."
Live, Boland always plans to sing the older songs and crowd favorites.
"We always want to play what they want to hear, and as long as they are having a good time, we really don't get sick of playing them," he said. "We don't plan every show out. We like to mix it up and try to give everyone everything we got." "Joe Wertz
