Eleven Hundred Springs' 'Bandwagon' moves on charts

AUSTIN, TX. (Palo Duro Records/ www.palodurorecords.com) - Texas country band Eleven Hundred Springs is getting airplay on national and satellite radio and is climbing the Americana and Texas Music charts with its new recording, "Bandwagon" (Palo Duro Records, July 27).

Austin's KVET AM-FM Radio DJ Jay Vise sent word to the band that the station is 'playing the hell out of' the memorable cut 'Why You Been Gone So Long' - written by country music legend Mickey Newberry - and called it the 'best-sounding thing in a long time.'

The track features one of the band's greatest inspirations, Ronnie Dawson, who recorded the original version of 'Why You Been Gone So Long' with Hillyer in July 1993. Dawson, who passed away last year, can be heard on this remastered version.

Eleven Hundred Springs owes its sound as much to the classic swell of driving pedal steel as it does to the Burrito Brothers/Byrds/Eagles strain of California country rock and today's CMT lineup.

Band leader and lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Hillyer and the other Springers (all backing vocalists) - band co-founder Steven Berg on upright and electric bass, Chris Claridy on guitar, Aaron Wynne on the pedal steel and new member Mark Reznicek, formerly of the platinum-selling Toadies, on drums - consider themselves members of the outlaw country camp but also cite influences from Buck Owens and Doug Sahm to the Rolling Stones.

Tight vocals, astute songwriting and a Texas sense of humor can all be heard throughout the tracks of Bandwagon, including two other emphasis tracks, the Sahm-inspired 'North Side Blues' and the heavenly redemption-themed 'A Straighter Line.'

Palo Duro Records continues its mission to promote country music and Texas spirit with the October 2004 release of the all-acoustic "Texas Unplugged, Vol. 1", featuring Ed Burleson, TC Taylor, Mike McClure, Becca Dalrymple, Houston Marchman, Larry Joe Taylor, the team of Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines, and other Texas artists who perform throughout the Southwest.