The Debut Album Finds West Of Texas In the Stretch Of Highway
Where Bakersfield And Austin Come Together
“…very much worth it for fans of traditional country music.”
–Rocking Magpie
“With songs about cheatin’, drinkin’ and dancin’, played in classic old school styles, this album could’ve been called, country, country and more country. From western swing to Bakersfield to honky tonk to Tex-Mex and even a splash of Cajun, this album covers the diverse range of country music like a vast patchwork quilt.”--Turnstyled Junkpiled Mag
“Much of the effectiveness of this album is down to Zinn’s vocal ability and his lyrics, which sound as though they could have been written and recorded by many of the masters of the genre over the last seventy years or more. This is a honky-tonk delight…”–Lonesome Highway
“West Of Texas is the musical vehicle of Jerry Zinn, who, together with guys like Big Sandy, Dale Watson, James Intveld and Wayne Hancock, propagates the authentic country spirit in the contemporary scene.”
–Written in Music
“A terrific record full of twangy guitar, crying pedal steel and Zinn’s rich baritone ‘Heartache’ is the perfect bridge between Austin and Bakersfield. Fans of the ‘60s and ‘70s country scene will absolutely love this record.”
–Red Guitar Music
“No doubt if Faron and Ray were here, they’d be cracking a beer and a smile at the unadulterated honky tonk tones coming from West of Texas”
—Western Red, If That Ain’t Country
Los Angeles, CA —Jerry Zinn is the singer, songwriter and leader of West of Texas, a band formed in 2003. The band has shared the stage with other purveyors of “real” country music, such as James Intveld, Red Meat, Wayne Hancock, Big Sandy, 1100 Springs and many others. Heartache, Hangovers & Honk Tonks began as a 3-song EP called The Heartache Single that was released in 2010. It was poised to become a full album, when health problems hit Zinn and he was unable to sing.
In 2019 when Zinn recovered and was able to sing again, an exciting new lineup was assembled with shows booked from the end of March through May 2020. This, of course, was just before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live music around the globe. This drove Zinn into the studio where he went to finish the album he had started over ten years earlier.
Produced and engineered by Americana stalwart, Rich McCulley, Heartache, Hangovers, & Honky Tonks was also produced by Jason Eoff, Jeremy Long and Jerry Zinn. The album is brimming with players from the Southern California Country and Americana music scene; Jeremy Long, Dale Daniel, Erik Herrera, Dave Gleason, Gary Brandon, Jordan Shapiro, Rob King, David Serby, Robert Black, Rich McCulley, Dan Weinstein, Phil Glenn and Grant Langston.
West of Texas is good ole’ Traditional Country music and known for “tear in your beer” toe-tappers. These are songs of love, heartache, bad habits, being broke, and working for the man. Zinn is known for his unique vocal style that’s reminiscent of 60s and 70s country music and the songs contain a twangy guitar, crying pedal steel, a walking bass line and a shuffling drumbeat.
Zinn can write a good country song and he pulls from real life, from dead-end day jobs to putting the work into a relationship. “Life in California has an influence on you,” he observes. “You’re constantly searching for the authenticity in life.”
Zinn wrote all of the songs on the album with co-writing credit on “This Fool” (with Daniel Goldblatt), “12 Steps To Drinkin’” (Grant Langston), and “Foolin” which he co-wrote with his wife, Cindy Zinn. “It’s a cheatin’ song and those you don’t usually write with your wife, but this one, I did.”
The first song, “My Whiskey Life” immediately transports you to a Texas dance hall on a hot summer night with a beer in your hand. But don’t let go of your dance partner because the aforementioned, “Foolin’” will have you two-stepping until you’re out of breath. The album is full of slow, medium and quick tempo tunes, so if you’re not dancing, your foot will be tapping or your body swaying.
Zinn’s deep baritone voice guides the record throughout. From the Tex-Mex influenced “This Fool”, the strains of Cajun music in “Bayou Boy”, and the western swing sound of “Fixin’ to Love You”. The album ends with the classic country sounding “Sound of my Heart Breakin’” which Zinn says is, plain and simple, “…another heartbreak song.” That’s the sound of my heart breakin’ | And I’ll never ever love another | I know I’ve said this before | And I won’t let it happen again…
The songs on Heartache, Hangovers, and Honky Tonks are nothing but real. “I’m not one to follow what’s trendy, because I have no time to reinvent myself,” states Zinn. “Inspiration comes when it wants to and sometimes leaves as soon as it comes. It also has to work between having a wife, two kids and two jobs.”
From the beginning, Zinn set out to make a well-rounded country album that touched on a little of everything. “From the honky tonk shuffles, western swing, tex-mex, Cajun, ballads, etc. It’s all there,” he muses. “…except a waltz. Somehow, I didn’t write a waltz for this record. Next time!”
Heartache, Hangovers and Honky Tonks was an album worth the wait and if it’s any indication of what is to come, we will look forward to the next record, and that waltz.
PURCHASE CD or VINYL: HERE
DIGITAL: HERE
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