Many musicians will tell you that hitting the road is the worst part of their job. The long drives, late nights, fast food, and cheap hotels don't come close to the caviar-and-champagne lifestyle glamorized on TV. And then there's family, most likely at home, awaiting their return and already dreading the next road trip. But you can also tell that some secretly thrive on the hectic pace of travel, the opportunity to leave responsibilities behind, and the chance to feel like a star.

When Brandon Rhyder tells you it's tough to go on the road, you believe him. You see the pain in his eyes and hear the conviction in his voice. But on this night, anyway — a muggy summer evening at the Nutty Brown Cafe just outside Austin — he has no need to feel homesick. His wife Kelli and infant son Dusty sit just a few tables away, along with friends and family members of bandmates Keith Davis (guitar), James Hertless (bass), and Mike Henretty (drums).

Home and family are always close to Rhyder's heart. He grew up in Riderville — just outside Carthage — with extended family's land adjacent to his own. For a kid, that may have been too much family living too close. But now that he lives some 250 miles away, with parents and in-laws only able to see Dusty every 6 to 8 weeks, he sometimes feels compelled to return to Northeast Texas.

Brandon and Kelli moved to Austin in 1999, figuring he'd have a better chance to make it in music here than in Tyler. It was a pretty bold move for someone who first played the guitar just a couple years earlier, after seeing some college friends jamming at a party. A lifelong musician, Rhyder grew up playing the trombone. And while he'd long written songs, he'd never had the right instrument to add rhythm to his lyrics. "When I first picked up the guitar, it just fit so perfectly."

As he started completing songs, Rhyder pieced together a band he describes as "nothing more than garage-worthy." His bassist pulled family connections to land a private party gig in Austin. While rain washed out the performance after just three songs, that tiny taste of the big time convinced Rhyder he wanted more.

"That night I told my wife I know that I have a degree, and that you're out of school, and that we have a new house, but I really want to move to Austin and try this music thing. And amazingly, she said OK."

They moved two-and-a-half months later. Once settled in Austin, Rhyder quickly pieced together a new band and started recording.

He released the country album Because She Loves Me, in 2001, followed by the more rock-oriented Behind the Pine Curtain in 2003. Neither engendered much interest, and Rhyder struggled to define his own style.

"The first record, I was trying to blend into the country scene more than anything. If you look at the cover I'm wearing a cowboy hat, Wranglers, and boots. I don't look like that today. The second record, I think I was even more trying to fit into a crowd."

Rhyder decided to split from his band in 2004. He wasn't ready to admit failure, but he also knew he couldn't make the big-time without working to improve his art. Texas artists like Pat Green, Kevin Fowler, and Cory Morrow were garnering national attention — Rhyder struggled just to be heard.

He hit the road solo, playing acoustic gigs to get his name out there, and making new fans one by one at bars and coffeehouses around the state. And along the way, he met the people who would help reinvent his career.

Walt Wilkins moved back from Nashville around the same time Rhyder hit the road, likewise trying to hone his sound away from the clamor. They became fast friends.

"Walt kind of took me under his wing, and we decided to do a lot of shows together. When we did a show with Susan Gibson, it all fit together just perfectly. Being on stage with those guys made me a better singer, a better player, and a better songwriter. They had more talent and better songs than me, so I had to work harder than ever just to keep up."

Inspired, Rhyder wrote feverishly and soon had more than enough material to return to the studio. Deciding this would be his make-or-break effort, he asked Wilkins to produce the record, recruited top players for the Nashville sessions, assembled a new band back home in Austin, and hired manager Mike Williams to build a support team.

"I went from having no overhead, no phone calls to make, nobody to gripe at, and nobody to gripe at me, to having booking, management, band, publicist. I went all out."

Adding so much overhead is risky for someone who self-finances his recordings. But Rhyder was confident in the album's quality, and he recognized that might be his best — and possibly his last — chance to make it in the music business.

"Coming out of the studio I knew that this was the best thing that I had ever made. As far as whether it would be received by the masses, I didn't know that for sure. But I did know that this would be my last attempt at making a record if it didn't turn the other way."

The gamble paid off. Debut single "Man of Conviction" made it onto the Texas Music Chart's list of the top 50 songs for 2005. "Freeze Frame Time" found even greater success, spending weeks in the top 10 and becoming a spring-time fixture on satellite radio. Conviction is selling at a faster rate now than when it was released last fall.

Rhyder is amused when people who don't know his story describe him as an overnight success. "I've put in the time, and I've put in the effort. I've pounded the pavement, and I've pounded my head. A lot of people don't know my first two records, and I always encourage them to buy them at a show or when they can, because I think a record is what it is — positive or negative, it reflects where you were at that point in your life. So I always want people to have those records because I want them to understand where I'm coming from."

Still working hard to support Conviction, Rhyder is also thinking ahead. He's built up a cache of new material — enough for 2 or maybe even 3 albums. And he arranged co-writing time with Radney Foster in July. While there's no studio work scheduled yet, he expects to have a recording plan in place by fall.

"I think we can top Conviction pretty easily. I don't want people to take it as us being egotistical or big-headed or whatever. We realize we're getting to another level, but at the same time we realize that it's a big ladder and we're on the bottom rungs, and there's a lot more room for improvement and a lot more room for us to grow. That said, though, we've got some good material, and I'm really excited about it."

Rhyder is happy in Texas, but if Nashville calls he'll certainly listen. The recent success of artists like Miranda Lambert, Hayes Carll, and the Randy Rogers Band has him hoping that Music City continues mining the state for singer/songwriter talent.

"At this point my career I don't know if I'm going to be blessed enough to have the opportunity to be a star nationwide, or if I might have the opportunity to be a songwriter. I don't know where that's going to lead. We hope for the biggest and the best, and we push for that every day."

This summer, Rhyder has had the unique opportunity to host a weekly showcase at Antone's in Austin. Billed as "Brandon Rhyder and Texas Country Friends," the Monday nights continue a tradition he established a couple years back at Inn of the Hills in Kerrville. Though currently on hiatus, the series will resume on Aug. 28.

It's a simple format — three singer/songwriters in a stripped-down acoustic songswap, with Rhyder leading the exchange. And with guests like Randy Rogers, Willy Braun, Wade Bowen, and Cory Morrow, Rhyder and friends have often packed Antone's with a couple hundred fans while nearby clubs sat quiet on what's traditionally the slowest night of the week.

Not bad for someone who didn't even pick up a guitar until nine years ago.

Patrick Nichols (email)
This Is Texas Music
August 2006

...

Sign up for our biweekly newsletter.

...

Are you an artist, label, or promoter that would like your performer(s) or band(s) featured in an article on the site? Contact This Is Texas Music to suggest a feature, submit materials, and/or arrange for an interview.