It's already begun. After the Academy awards show last Sunday night where Jeff Bridges won for best actor and Ryan Bingham won for the song "The Weary Kind", the inquiries started rolling in. People are beginning to pick up on what's going on in the Texas Music scene and especially around the Austin area. The talent pool around Austin is by and large well known to the film community both in Austin and Los Angeles, no secret there, producers and directors have been coming to Austin for quite some time and are very familiar with the artists and singer-songwriters that live here. But nationwide, to a larger audience, the music scene in Austin and Texas music in general is not all that well known though it has made some inroads in the last 10 years.
But with the worldwide exposure that a film like Crazy Heart has received, you can bet that Country Music, Texas Music, Austin Music, all of the above will be getting a lot of attention in the next few months. Ryan Bingham caught my attention quite awhile back, with a sound that is so far removed from the norm, the gravelly voice, unique production and edgy songs, it's just so different from the pack. I figured he would find an audience but I never suspected he was headed to where he is now. What a ride.
So brace yourselves music people, they are coming. They are coming to Texas, they are coming to Austin, they are coming through the web, they want more. And they are going to find what they are looking for. The time is now.
