Texas Country Supergroup Featuring
Josh Abbott, John Baumann,
William Clark Green & Cleto Cordero
Today, Texas country supergroup The Panhandlers released their new EP West Texas Is The Best Texas. The four-song EP is laden with pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, dobro, guitar and percussion and finds inspiration from the vast landscape and tenacious inhabitants of the Panhandle Plains. Formed in 2019, The Panhandlers is composed of singers/songwriters Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green and Flatland Cavalry’s Cleto Cordero.
Stream: West Texas Is The Best Texas
“This EP listens like a West Texas ethnography allowing both those familiar and those who have never been to laugh at the sense of humor shared in the panhandle and western Texas,” Abbott explains. “Where good hearted jokes are made about electric cars & Austin, and a tip of the cap is shown to the cotton farmers & wildcatters that carry on the commodity legacies of the land.”
The EP comes on the heels of first single “Where Cotton Is King”, which received praise from BrooklynVegan, Whiskey Riff, Raised Rowdy and more.
Each track on the EP tells the stories of the oddities and experiences that make West Texas unique. While “The Chilton Song” is an ode to Lubbock’s signature cocktail, “Midland Jamboree” talks about a good old-fashioned panhandle party. Album closer “West Texas Is The Best Texas” ties it together with an all-encompassing dedication to the entire region.
“I feel there’s something for everyone,” Cordero said. “‘Where Cotton Is King’ for the rockers and headbangers, ‘The Chilton Song’ for those in need of a chillout session, ‘Midland Jamboree’ is a charmer and last, but certainly not least, there’s the title track, which makes you wanna crank the stereo to 11, roll down the windows, hit the blacktop and resist the temptation to point the car west – that is what Home sounds like to me!”
The Panhandlers originally came together to record a collection of cover songs honoring the sound and spirit of West Texas, specifically by area legends The Flatlanders, but during a 2019 songwriting session in Marfa, Texas, their collaboration proved too fruitful, and their self-titled debut record was born.
Released to acclaim from Rolling Stone, CMT, Billboard, The Bluegrass Situation, No Depression, The Boot and more, The Panhandlers was able to capture the duality of life in West Texas. From the hardships to the humor, the record was a witty and reverential addition to the Red Dirt canon.
Since the release of their debut, the band has only grown in popularity, with their cover of “West Texas in My Eye” being featured in the fourth season of hit Paramount TV show Yellowstone
West Texas Is The Best Texas Tracklist
1. Where Cotton Is King
2. The Chilton Song
3. Midland Jamboree
4. West Texas Is The Best Texas
The Panhandlers 2022 Tour Dates:
November 18 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas
November 19 – Odessa, TX – The Ector Theatre