Tune Tag #29 with Christopher Bradley of "Daydreamin'...": Billy Joel, Texas Gentlemen, Ben Folds Five, Elaina Kay, Surfaris, Lulufin the Woo Hoo...and Orville Peck

🏄Chris & I surf the new waves from L.A. to Osaka, Japan, and manage to catch some Jellyfish; we also meet a mysterious cowboy who was once an Unrighteous Brother after Eating Out. This should be fun!

Hey, Chris! Tag, You’re It!

“I am very excited to be playing Tune Tag with Brad!”

Christopher Bradley: “I am a bit of a melomaniac, and I love all things physical media; I’d fashion myself as an audiophile-lite. By day, I am an attorney that loves the work I do. By night, I listen to my vinyl collection and write about records over at my Substack page, Daydreamin’ ‘Bout the Way Things Sometimes Are. I occasionally discuss hi-fi equipment, as well.”

Chris’s song #1 sent to Brad: The Texas Gentlemen, “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas),” 2023

From the D-FW area, these Texas Gentlemen, aka The Gents, have spent several years as session players or backing band members for the likes of Kris Kristofferson and George Strait, among others. A fairly fluid amalgam, the group’s core members (in no particular order; they kept moving around during the shoot) are Beau Bedford, Nik Lee, Daniel Creamer, Scott Lee, McKenzie Smith, Matt McDonald, Aaron Haynes and Ryan Ake.

Chris’s rationale: I am starting off with a cover song by one of my favorite bands, The Texas Gentlemen, from Dallas. If you haven’t listened to them, check ‘em out. This song was on a compilation of songs, Texas Wild, performed as a benefit for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation that features a whole lot of other excellent artists and covers.

It was actually the first release for the Lower Colorado Record Authority label (#LCRA001), under the auspices of the non-profit public utility, Lower Colorado River Authority!

The song was originally done by Houston native, Lyle Lovett, on his 1996 release, The Road to Ensenada, and written by Lovett, Alison Rogers, and Texas music legend, Willis Alan Ramsey (who wrote the oft-covered “Muskrat Love” aka “Muskrat Candlelight”).

I have always felt like I belong in Texas, and have been there a few times; I even applied to, and was wait-listed to attend law school at U-T Austin—unfortunately I stayed in the northeast, but maybe someday I can get myself a little piece of land in the Lone Star State!

Brad’s song #1 sent to Chris: Elaina Kay, “Rodeo,” 2019

Chris’s response: Brad, I think you picked this song because the Texas Gentlemen were the backing band on her debut album, Issues. However, I really think you picked it because that same album was produced by Paul Cauthen, who was featured on the Texas Gentlemen’s first album, 2017’s TX Jelly.

The Texas Gentlemen have really made their way as a backing band for a lot of artists, but they definitely stand well as a band on their own. I like that song, she’s got a great voice, and is also easy on the eyes! I hope to hear more from her in the future!

Brad’s rationale: In 2019, Dallas native, Paul “Big Velvet” Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen produced Elaina Kay’s record, Issues (featuring “Rodeo,” written by Kay, Joey Green, and Heath Webb).

Chris’s song #2: The Unrighteous Brothers, “Unchained Melody,” 2020

Brad’s response: The Unrighteous Brothers appears to be a side project for Paul Cauthen, who co-produced the Kay track.

Fringe Artist—The Cover and the “Sub-version”: Superstar Reba and The Man in Pink have both recorded covers of Bobbie Gentry’s 1969 hit, “Fancy.” Men have covered the song before Peck, but not through the perspective that Peck has captured in his version, insists Esquire on August 14, 2020: “This one subverts gender and nods to this complex reworking of the story. With the same conviction as Gentry and McEntire brought to their iconic recordings, Peck manages to do exactly what ‘Fancy’ was meant to do: pique an interest and make you a bit uncomfortable.” Curious? Spotify link:

Chris’s rationale: Continuing a theme of brilliant cover songs, this one is Paul Cauthen and the great Orville Peck (above) as the Unrighteous Brothers. I happen to own two copies of the Record Store Day exclusive of this 7-incher (“Unchained Melody” b/w “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” produced by Beau Bedford and Butch Walker):

I had to dig in a few crates in order to find them, but that is something I love to do in my spare time. I think they do the songs justice. Their voices really complement each other.

Off the rack: In this video, Mo Heart “Walks In” on Orville; By all accounts, it was a clothes call: