Individually Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen are two artists whose careers have been woven into the tapestry of Texas Music. Together the friends have entertained thousands, across the U.S., with their annual "Hold My Beer and Watch This" Tour.

Yesterday their long awaited, highly anticipated, collaborative album; spawned from a decade of doing those acoustic shows, "Hold My Beer: Vol. 1" was released (on a Monday, cause 4/20).

"It became obvious to us that we should write the story of our friendship," explains Bowen, "How we met - how we became friends." That story began 15 years ago, when Rogers dropped by one of Bowen's gigs. "I invited him back to the house to jam," Rogers explains. "Anyway, the next thing you know, we're here, 15 years later."

The album was produced by the legendary Lloyd Maines. "Lloyd's not only one of the most talented people on the planet, he might be one of the funniest, too," says Rogers. "He's a genius. He's smart, and he knows how to make each musician play in order to be the best version of themselves."

The new album see the Texas duo tap into their honky-tonk side. Bowen and Rogers go back-and-forth on songs reminiscent of '70s, and '80s outlaw country popularized by Willie and Merle -- and in two cases actual Willie and/or Waylon songs.

Of the three cover songs on the ten track album, the guys take on Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard's 1983 hit "Reasons to Quit," Haggard's 1978 song "It's Been a Great Afternoon," and Joe Ely's roaring "I Had My Hopes Up High."

"'Reasons to Quit' really sums us up," Rogers says. "We play so many dates, we're gone so much from our families, the excesses of the road, the toll it takes on our bodies ... We tried to sit down and write that song, and we realized, 'F**k it - they already wrote it.'"

Don't miss it, this week both Wade and Randy will be joining us on Radio Texas, LIVE! to talk about the project, and spin a few songs off it.

Click below and download "Hold My Beer: Vol. 1," today.

 

The new studio album from Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen, "Hold My Beer: Vol. 1", is now available! Go get it, spread the...

Posted by Randy Rogers Band on Monday, April 20, 2015

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