Last Picture Show

If you were in Lubbock, TX six years ago, popular Texas artists such as Robert Earl Keen and Jerry Jeff Walker were the mainstay artists heard in honky-tonks and bars. Not surprisingly, any local singer/songwriter with a guitar and a knack for drinking (and writing songs about drinking) became associated with what is still known today as Texas Music. It could have been easy for West Texas-based singer/songwriter Heath Tolleson to get caught up in the scene, but with guitarist Nic Goodson, their Orange County Band forged songs and a style that felt and sounded more Americana than what they felt was the predictable Texas sound. The groups only album, Dead City Radio (2002), reflected their interpretation of what Americana in Texas was. In late 2003, during a long stretch of continuous touring, stand-in bass player Justin Gregg found the chemistry with Heath and Nic a perfect fit, and joined the band.

Although their music was well received, Heath, Nic, and Justin felt there was a wider, more diverse audience out there waiting to be found. In the summer of 2005, finally ready to break beyond the Texas borders, both geographically and musically, the three moved to Athens, GA. The remaining missing piece was found when Georgia native Jeremy Beck recently joined as drummer. The group is now known as Last Picture Show -- a tribute to their never-forgotten Texas roots but firmly rooted in Americana. The new setting, solid band alignment and strong friendships are proving fertile ground, generating outstanding new songs and compelling performances.