What do you think of when you picture West Texas? Something that comes to mind may be a straight road through the middle of no where with a speed limit of 85 or possibly a dark starry night with abandoned diners. That is what I thought of too until a few weekends ago. Now, I picture the beautiful Big Bend National Park and the welcoming people of Marathon, TX. This is an image that I am sure El Paso native and country music singer Abe Mac can agree on with me.
These days it is hard for artists to “make it big” and this under the radar musician is someone I want to share with ya’ll.
When first arriving to the Gage Hotel in Marathon, I was a little concerned that I could stand at one end of the town and see the other. But once discovering that there would be a live performer for dinner, I was satisfied. I had the privilege of eating a delicious meal while listening to Abe Mac perform for the restaurant. He grew up in far west Texas just minutes away from Rosa’s Cantina. Never heard of it? Well maybe you have heard of Marty Robbins’ song called “El Paso” where he says, “night-time would find me in Rosa’s Cantina.” Mac was not only inspired by Robbins, but also many other Texas country stars like George Strait and Merle Haggard. He can play drums, keyboard, and guitar. Throw out a song and he can make a beat and play. He had no back up band with him but was using a multi track song recorder to create his own band. He would record a few guitar chords and a beat with his fist on the body of the guitar and then start playing.
But, his original songs were even better.
Mac has released two albums, “My Kind of Friends” and “American Country,” and a single since 2013. He has a couple of music videos out as well. His songs range from an array of county music topics like tequila, whiskey, girls, family, and America. Going off of that last topic, his song “Far Away,” that is accompanied by a music video, is one of my favorites.
In this song he is singing from the point of view of a soldier. It discusses the troubles of coming home after being deployed. You can tell from the music video that he actually knows people who have experienced these troubles and cares about the topic. He actually works with the American Patriots non-profit organization to raise awareness for PTSD. This is a song he wrote, not something that a producer told him to just sing, which comes through in his performance. In fact, Mac is an unsigned independent artist who just loves to play his music.
While watching him perform he was just so happy to be up there entertaining people and connecting with the crowd. While he clearly has high hopes of making it big and playing at sold out venues, he loves what he does and is in it to make himself and his fans happy.
Honestly, the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of West, Texas is a little bakery called, The Czech Shop, where delicious kolaches are abundant. I’m glad you shared Mac Abe with us! I really enjoyed listening to his music. I feel like nowadays, it is difficult to make it to the big league in the music industry. I admire that he loves what he does and does it to please others. Those are the kind of people we need more of in today’s world. Also, I love how he sings about things he cares about. I am very inspired after listening to Far Away.
That is so cool that you got to write about him because I know how excited you were that you got to listen to him play. I feel like the bands, or in this case the one man bands, are always the best. One of my favorite things to do is go to a hole in the wall place and listen to one man bands play cover song. I like how you shared with us some of his original work…I thought he was really good! I have some family members that actually get gigs at small venues like that, so I am always willing to support them!
Thanks for sharing him with us! One of the toughest things about being a new artist is just getting your name out there. I love hearing new artists but as an avid radio listener I get stuck hearing repeats of the same already big name artists. I know it is impossible for everyone of these small name amazing artists to become famous but I still wish it most of the time. There is just so much talent out there that never does get noticed. Today though through the internet, phones, and such artists do have more ways to reach out to listeners besides just live shows. I sometimes wish I could go back in time to the older days of music just to compare it to the busy technological industry I know.
As someone who does not listen to Texas country all that often, I’m always looking out for new recommendations, so thank you for writing this article! It’s amazing to me that Texas country has so little online presence; there’s no website or magazine for the sub-genre, the best way to discover new artists is to simply go to a little restaurant or honky tonk somewhere in Texas and listen to whoever is playing. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re not. Unlike Nashville country which is so widely publicized and the stars are so well known, Texas country is under the radar and only known to those who really go out and find it.
Lauren,
This was so cool! I love how you got to showcase an up-and-coming artist that you were able to personally listen to and see in a show-like setting. Texas country is some of my favorite, so I’m also excited to see where Abe Mac goes. I feel like the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not you were going to make it big and make a career out of music is such a stressful thing, so its reassuring to know that either way Abe Mac is doing what he loves. I’ve never heard anything from his album or his single, but I will definitely look up more from him. Thanks for sharing!