Few and far between are country bands that stick to the classic sound.  The Texas Twisters are a huge exception.  Singer/bassist Russ Brown, Hillyard native, grew up listening to the old-style country that we love.  Brad Jeanes and Duane Becker were a part of The Marauders, along with Russ.  The new band formed when Scott Platts joined up and was complete when Kenny Wier came along...from Texas, no less.  Scott is the father of Sam Platts, who made his own appearance with his band The Kootenai Three in the Saloon less than a month ago.  All these country veterans keep it real with straight-up western swingin' songs about the cold hard facts.  The Texas Twisters will bring their full band sound to the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday at noon.

Speaking of the cold hard facts, well, all good things must come to an end.  I have enjoyed getting to know so many great local/regional country, roots, Americana, and bluegrass musicians and bands and featuring some of them on my program.  I wish I could have brought each one into the Saloon for a proper show, but there's just too much music and too little time!  Sadly, this Sunday's show will be the last-ever episode of the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon.  This special broadcast will be an hour in length: the first half devoted to The Texas Twisters, the second half for The Best of The Rest.  There were several more artists that I had been in touch with but was unable to get into the studio.  I will spin a CD track from each one...they deserve something, and this is the best I can do.  You will hear from Silver Treason, Rand Miller (father of Preachers Kids), Chase, Wylie & the Wild West, The Marshall McLean Band, and Kevin Brown.  A huge thanks to all the bands I've featured these past 12 weeks, plus all their fans and all our loyal listeners.  We're gonna go out with a bang...yeeee-haaaw!!!

Left to right: Brad Jeanes, Scott Platts, Russ Brown, Kenny Wier, and Duane Becker.  Click here for more photos.

Listen to The Texas Twisters AND The Best of The Rest on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, April 7th at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

Find The Texas Twisters on Facebook, ReverbNation, and Twitter.

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.  Thanks for tuning in!!

From his church choir days to opening for Keb' Mo' at The Festival at Sandpoint, Mick Croon always appreciated an honest, soulful lyric.  The electric guitar was his instrument of choice for years, backing his deep voice with some jazzy licks.  Just a few years ago he fell in love with roots music in general and the lap steel in particular.  Now he sings tales of deceit and redemption, and of a hope in humanity that anyone can tap into.  This Easter Sunday, Mick Croon will share a half-dozen songs in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon on both his resonator lap steel and his solid-body electric guitar.

Click here for more photos.

Listen to Mick Croon on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, March 31st at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See Mick perform live in downtown Spokane at various open mics where he is frequently invited to play:

• Wednesday nights at Soulful Soups & Spirits (117 N Howard St )
• every other Thursday night (starting March 28th) at The Blue Spark
• Sunday nights at HipGrass at The Blue Spark (15 S Howard St)

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

For almost two decades, Steve Schennum has been the prime mover of The Occasional String Band: a conglomeration of local acoustic musicians on string and wind instruments.  Between band gigs, Steve performs solo at invitational open mics, such as HipGrass along with last week's Saloon guests The Parlour Act.  He writes songs satirizing a wide rage of subjects, from surreal experiences to Big Brother himself.  His keen observations and quick wit are augmented by his intricate finger-picked guitar and soulful harmonica lines.  This Sunday at 10am Steve Schennum will perform some acoustic tunes and spin some Occasional String Band CD tracks in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon. 

Click here for more photos.

Listen to Steve Schennum on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, March 24th at 10am PDT.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See Steve perform live in downtown Spokane at various open mics where he is frequently invited to play:

• Wednesday nights at Lucky's Irish Pub (408 W Sprague Ave)
• Sunday nights at HipGrass at The Blue Spark (15 S Howard St)

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

A true musician knows all genres.  Madeline McNeill and Jon Lossing each studied classical music before taking on their current rootsy/folksy/old-time style and recently joining forces as The Parlour Act.  Perhaps the sheer honesty of such simple music holds some primitive allure that doesn't exist elsewhere.  Amazing things happen when genres collide: Madeline's operatic voice takes on a quality not unlike that of early 20th century blues singers, with excellent projection and agile use of blue notes.  Jon has transmuted his upright bass skills to the mandolin, providing some intricate solos.  With their original songs about the difficulties and joys of daily life, augmented with some traditional murder ballads, The Parlour Act can be found busking around town and playing open mics.  This Sunday, Jon and Madeline will share a single microphone in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon. 

Madeline and Jon.  Click here for more photos.

Listen to The Parlour Act on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, March 17th at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See The Parlour Act perform live in Spokane:

• Wednesday evenings at The Garland Theater (924 W Garland Ave), busking for the audience lined up for the 5pm and 7pm dollar movies
• Sunday nights with many other local musicians during HipGrass at The Blue Spark (15 S Howard St), 7pm til late
• also, Jon busks solo downtown around Main Ave

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

Authenticity is key.  Sam Platts grew up in southern Wyoming, where his dad Scott was an active country musician.  Both father and son built custom guitars.  These days Scott plays in the local group The Texas Twisters, while Sam started his own band just over a year ago.  Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three have since made headway in Montana, playing to crowds of cowboys and punk rockers alike.  These seemingly disparate audiences have at least one thing in common: they want to hear something real.  To their satisfaction, Sam and the band deliver straight-up mid-20th century western swing and honky-tonk.  Tastefully playful guitar licks (on both Telecaster and steel varieties) underscore Sam's deep baritone voice.  Eric, J, and Joel keep the steady, unobtrusive beat that can make anyone dance.  With their success east of Coeur d'Alene already in hand, they now have their sights set on the west.  Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three will bring their full-band sound to the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday at noon, to ease any pains from the hour of sleep you will lose in the transition to Daylight Savings Time.

Left to right: Eric Lee, Sam Platts, J Kane, and Joel May.  Click here for more photos.

Listen to Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, March 10th at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three perform live every Wednesday 7-10pm at The Sundown Saloon: 2691 W Seltice Way in Coeur d'Alene.  Sam also plays lead guitar and steel guitar for Wylie & the Wild West, who will play a benefit show for the Spokane Public Library: "You Can't Do That in the Library!" on April 20th, 7-9pm at 906 W Main Ave.

Find Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three on Facebook and ReverbNation. 

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

Are they the children of one preacher, of two preachers, or are Adam and Sharon both kids and preachers themselves...or all the above?  The simple omission of an apostrophe (or perhaps a slash between the words) in a band name can raise many questions.  All we really know is that this brother-and-sister duo have many other musicians in their family.  Back in the day, their father Rand Miller wrote songs in the vein of traditional country music, with an introspective lean perhaps inspired by the many great singer-songwriters of the 1970s.  Adam Miller has given new life to some of his dad's tunes and added many more of his own to the repertoire, in addition to songs from other kin.  Sharon sings some pristine vocal harmonies and occasional lead lines.  Their dynamic is very quiet and delicate, with finger-picked guitar and voices that can creep down to a whisper.  With only these two band members at this point, the newly-christened Preachers Kids are looking to expand their personnel: please take note, any pedal steel players in the area!  This Sunday, Adam and Sharon will share their homespun songs in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon. 

Click here for more photos.

Listen to Preachers Kids on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, March 3rd at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

To contact Preachers Kids, listen to Adam give his email address during the broadcast.  To avoid spam in Adam's email account from automatic web crawlers, we are not posting his address in this article.  However, if you ask nicely, Spokane Saloon host/producer Matt Loi may pass it on to you. 

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

Chance Long grew up in the Hoodoo Valley area of North Idaho, spending his early days in junior rodeos with his brothers.  These experiences would soon influence his songwriting, which started in his early teenage years.  Now Chance is fronting his own band, with Cody Reisenauer on bass guitar and vocal harmonies, Nick Halpin keeping the beat on the drums, and local country veteran Clint Darnell dishing out lead licks on both guitar and harp.  This Sunday at 3pm, Last Chance Band will bring a set of originals to perform in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon, shortly after we finish our special broadcast of the Daytona 500.

Here's most of the band...click here for more photos.

Listen to Last Chance Band on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, February 24th at 3pm PST.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See Last Chance Band perform live in the area in February and March:

• Saturday, February 23rd, 9pm at Silver Fox (628 W Appleway Ave in Coeur d'Alene)
• Sunday, February 24th, 2pm at The Slab Inn (800 W Seltice Way in Post Falls), playing a benefit show along with Copper Mountain Band, Coyote Rose, and County Line.
• Monday, February 25th, 8:30pm at Moose Lounge (410 E Sherman Ave in Coeur d'Alene)
• Friday, March 1st, 9pm at Lounge Fly (900 N Hwy 41 in Post Falls)
• Monday, March 4th, 8:30pm at Moose Lounge
• Monday, March 11th, 8:30pm at Moose Lounge
• Friday, March 15th, 9pm at Pastime Club (5485 N Hwy 54 in Athol)
• Monday, March 18th, 8:30pm at Moose Lounge
• Wednesday, March 20th, 8pm at The Roadhouse (20 N Raymond Rd in Spokane Valley) playing an acoustic set
• Friday, March 22nd, 9pm at The Roadhouse
• Saturday, March 23rd, 9pm at The Roadhouse
• Monday, March 25th, 8:30pm at Moose Lounge
• Saturday, March 30th, 9pm at Silver Fox

For more concert dates and information, find Last Chance Band on Facebook.

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

Old-style country music will never die.  We are fortunate to have a handful of musicians here in Spokane to carry the torch.  Cursive Wires have been a group for about a year, but they certainly don't sound new.  With simple harmonies and tales of heartbreak and ramblin', these men know how to craft a genuine song.  Their live performances benefit from Jamie Frost on pedal steel and Aaron Saye on the drums, which you can see at The Swamp Tavern on the 23rd.  However, this Sunday on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon, Cursive Wires will keep it simple and direct with a single microphone capturing vocals, acoustic guitars, and bass. 

Left to right: Brian Young, Lew Petro, and Sam Foley.  Click here for more photos.

Listen to Cursive Wires on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, February 17th at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See Cursive Wires perform live on Saturday, February 23rd with Folkinception and Tyler Aker at The Swamp Tavern (1904 W 5th Ave, south of Browne's Addition in Spokane) starting around 8pm.  Click here for the Facebook event listing. 

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced with pride in the USA by Matt Loi.

Rough, raw, fast, and fun: that's how The Saddlebum Lushingtons like it.  With Crazy Abe and Hunter both hollerin' plus Alex and Jason keeping the beat, they prove that "acoustic" doesn't necessarily mean "mellow".  You can catch their brand of bluegrass in Spokane at Lucky's Irish Pub, Jones Radiator, and The Swamp, the latter being the site of a future down-home jam session/collaboration.  This Sunday The Saddlebum Lushingtons will gather around a single microphone in the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon to share some original and traditional songs. 

Left to right: Abe, Alex, Jason, and Hunter.  Click here for more photos.

Listen to the The Saddlebum Lushingtons on the 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon this Sunday, February 10th at high noon.  Tune your AM radio dial to 1280 kHz in the Spokane area or listen live to the on-line audio stream.  You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the free iHeartRadio app.

See The Saddlebum Lushingtons perform live with Moses Willey on Friday, February 8th, 8pm at Jones Radiator (120 E Sprague Ave in Spokane).

Find The Saddlebum Lushingtons on Facebook. 

The 1280 KPTQ Spokane Saloon is hosted and produced by Matt Loi.