We Love Mike and the Moonpies Singing Rusty Wier’s ‘Outlaw Love’ on The Next Waltz
Austin-based band Mike and the Moonpies are a throwback to the good ol' days of honky tonkin' country music. But they're more than a nostalgic music trip, they're really good too. In fact in 2015 their album Mockingbird was named one of Rolling Stone's Best Country Albums of the Year.
From The Next Waltz creator Bruce Robison:
Mike had the unique experience of growing up around Rusty Wier. It was great for Mike to pick a rare tune that you can't really find most places.
Rusty Wier was a big part of Austin in the 70's that was such a time that formed the Austin music scene. He wrote one of the seminal songs that Bonnie Raitt covered for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance".
He might not be a house hold name but he was one of the people who affected a lot of folks, me and Mike being some of them.
It was a special time in music when the attitude and culture of rock and roll was meeting the culture of country music and Texas in general. Those were the big pieces that acted together for this music to directly impact me and Mike and all the stuff in country music that you hear around us now. Everyone knows "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance", even if they don't know Rusty Wier.
Rusty spent pretty much his whole career playing in and around Austin and was a big part of the community here.
As a member of The Next Waltz Family, I wanted you to be one of the first to know that we're going to be following this release up with another secret song release at the end of the month, just in time for the holidays. Stay tuned and see you down the road.