1/12/07, 5:45 pm EST

Assignment One Finalist: Clint Malloy on San Angelo, Texas

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Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

by Clint Malloy
Age: 19

Teetering on the edge where the Texas Hill Country flattens into the dusty plains of West Texas lies San Angelo, a city with a recently thriving music scene that is as diverse as its landscape. On any given night, one could be bar-hopping downtown and encounter any number of country acts, such as emerging star Pat Green, who has made San Angelo a regular stop on his tour for many years now, and wider known Nashville successes such as Gary Allan chugging through a set at the locally-famous honky-tonk Blaine’s Pub, or the atmospheric Bill Aylor Memorial River Stage, an amphitheater set right on the banks of the Concho River. Lesser known country outfits, such as Reckless Kelly and criminally underrated country-folk storyteller Robert Earl Keen, have also regularly graced the River Stage during their respective runs. While the country scene is undoubtedly the most prevalent around town, there is a lesser known rock undercurrent running through San Angelo. The city received a bit of fame when local band The Cavaliers scored a hit in the early 1960’s with “The Last Kiss”, a haunting ballad much more heartbreaking than its standard do-wop rhythm suggests. That song experienced a resurgence of popularity recently when Pearl Jam covered it in 1999. San Angelo’s most widely-known successes, however, are homegrown blues-rock artists Los Lonely Boys. Many casual fans believe the band hails from close-by Austin, and understandably so (after all, the live-music haven is where the band became acquainted with Willie Nelson and gained widespread popularity). But those familiar with San Angelo can easily tell that the ‘Boys’ “Texican” sound is brimming with local flavor, and lead-guitarist Henry Garza’s scorching licks could have only come thundering down from the Twin Buttes.

-- Rolling Stone