Joshua Ray Walker brought his signature brand of emotionally moving songs from his debut and sophomore albums. Photo: Jessica Waffles
It’s the time of year when family and friends gather round and give thanks — but what to do once everyone has demolished the turkey and slept through a football game?
If your Thanksgiving break needs a little direction, allow Joshua Ray Walker, Vandoliers and Jaret Reddick to suggest a freewheeling evening at the Longhorn Ballroom?
That trio of performers will anchor the event on Nov. 22 at the legendary Longhorn Ballroom, with plenty of country-inclined tunes on the menu. To help whet your appetite, here’s a quick look at what each of the evening’s performers have been up to recently.
Joshua Ray Walker
Singer-songwriter Walker has had, as has been the case for the last couple years, an extraordinarily productive year. In August, he dropped What Is It Even?, an album of covers centered on songs from female singers. Roughly a month later, Walker was tapped to open for The Killers in Reno — a feat quickly followed by a hospital stay for a perforated appendix. (The event was memorialized in the late October release titled I Opened for The Killers and All I Got Was Appendicitis.) Just last week, Walker picked up the thread of What Is It Even?, and unveiled his cover of Mariah Carey’s Yuletide-defining anthem “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Vandoliers
The DFW-based sextet Vandoliers has been keeping things rowdy at home and out in the wider world for the better part of the last decade. The group — front man Joshua Fleming, bassist Mark Moncrieff, drummer Trey Alfaro, fiddler Travis Curry, electric guitarist Dustin Fleming and multi-instrumentalist Cory Graves — all but guarantees an incendiary good time, bringing ferocious musical chops, an appreciation for the melting pot of sounds that is Texas music and a kinetic live show bolstered by sharply written songs. The band’s self-titled LP, its fourth and latest, dropped in 2022.
Jaret Reddick
If you’re a long-time Bowling for Soup fan, doubtless Reddick’s name is familiar to you. But have you met Jaret Ray Reddick? That musical moniker is the one you’ll see on stage at the Longhorn — it’s a side project Reddick launched last year as “a sincere love letter to Texas,” he said in a statement. Reddick called in some favors: Frank Turner guests on “Drunk as It Takes,” while Uncle Kracker pops up on “Way More Country,” Cody Canada turns in a guest spot on “You and Beer,” and Descendents guitarist Stephen Egerton contributes to “Natalie.”
Joshua Ray Walker and Vandoliers present Friendsgiving at Longhorn Ballroom, Dallas. 8 p.m. Nov. 22. Tickets are $24-$58.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
