Texas Country/Red Dirt singer songwriter Wade Bowen performed at the 2018 Old Settler’s Music Festival on April 21 right outside of Lockhart, Texas. After a long afternoon full of torrential downpour, the skies cleared and the moon began to rise as Wade took The Bluebonnet Stage.
A Waco native, Wade has been making music for twenty years now and is still on a strong roll, recently having released his newest album “Solid Ground” which features other well-known country artists such as Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and John Randall. Said to be a love letter to Texas, “Solid Ground” was a new beginning, pushing him to trying something new. Being an Austinite, I must say “So Long 6th Street” is currently my favorite track on the album, a retrospective piece sharing the story of Wade’s struggles and growth during the two years he live in Austin.
With his tour in full swing, I was happy to catch his set during day three of the festival, and was eager to hear him perform live for the first time. Despite recently recovering from a nasty cold, Wade’s voice was clear and smooth and his sentimental tunes had the crowd swaying and swooning. Backed by his full band (Todd Laningham, Bryan Zanotti, Caleb Jones, and Will Knaak) Wade lead us in to the tail end of the evening with heartwarming lyrics and melodies that made us feel right at home. A beer in hand and a smile on my face, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to wind down the day.
Take a look at some photos from his set below, and stay tuned for our exclusive Q&A and with Wade himself!
For more information on Wade’s music and tour dates visit http://www.wadebowen.com/, and be sure to snag tickets for WadeFest on Sunday, June 3 (more to come on that in our interview post as well)!
Leigh is a native Texan gone temporary New Yorker and now proud Austinite. Passions include but are not limited to music (both as a spectator and dabbler), traveling & cultural adventures, film & television, true crime, design (of the fashion, interior, and graphic sorts), and photographing & writing about all the aforementioned. Self-acclaimed coffee connoisseur & wino, cat aficionado, book worm, and nature junkie.