Album Notes

Greg Westfall has been a guitar player and songwriter for over twenty years. He grew up on a steady diet of Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Pink Floyd, but over time became more and more interested in Texas folk music. He has now written and recorded TEXAS THEATER, which incorporates all of those influences into edgy, guitar-based country songs.

Westfall began writing acoustic-based Texas music two years ago. While performing his songs at "open mic nights" in small bars around his home town of Fort Worth, Texas, he ran into Gary McGrath, a local producer/musician, and TEXAS THEATER was born.

With McGrath's production, the acoustic-based songs began to sound more like the rock-n-roll style that Westfall grew up with. McGrath assembled some very talented local musicians to form the core rhythm section. These included Steve Froese on the drums and Bob Prince on bass, who both regularly tour with country singer Penny Gilley.

Once the tracks were laid in Fort Worth, the whole crew went to Hollywood, CA, where they were joined by Will Ray, Stevie Gurr, Amy Orebaugh and Doug Livingston.

Will Ray, a member of the Hollywood, CA based Hellecasters, does an amazing job with electric guitar on "Wanted Man." Stevie Gurr, a veteran West Coast stage and studio guitar player for such artists as Jackson Browne and Elvin Bishop (to name but a few), does some very fine work with both guitars and harmonica on "Outlaw," "Jones County Line" and "Change." Doug Livingston, a veteran pedal steel maestro, does incredible work on many of the tracks. The rest of the guitar and harmonica work is Westfall.

Michael McDonald put on the finishing touches at his studio, Private Island Trax, in Hollywood, CA.

Many of Westfall's songs are "story songs" in the Texas folk style. The characters in his songs cover the spectrum of those roaming around the West, from border town serial killers ("The Angel") and unhappy yuppies trapped in the city ("Outlaw"), to that mean old man that lives down the road that would kill your dog if he got a chance ("Two-Finger Dan") and a "Lonesome Dove"-style execution on horseback ("The Hill"). Of course, there are plenty of songs about love and the lack thereof ("Change," "If You're Going to Texas," "One Horse Town," "The Truck Song," and "Constantly Amazed"). "Jones County Line" captures the regret and second-guessing of one who can't quite remember why he ran away from the small hometown he grew up in.

Westfall also covers two of his favorite country songs, "Mama Tried" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" with plenty of force and energy.

This is definitely NOT your father's country music!