How to go
What: Little Texas in concert with special guest 90 Proof Twang at RiversEdge Amphitheater and Park
When: 6-10 p.m. Thursday
Where: RiversEdge Amphitheater, 116 Dayton St., downtown Hamilton
Cost: Free
RiversEdge Concert Series
Start times may vary
Thursday, May 29: 90 Proof Twang and Little Texas
Thursday, June 12: SOHIO and The Revivalists
Thursday, June 26: Worley Boys, The Great Wide Open and Hoots & Hellmouth
Friday, June 27: Pett Crow and Ray Fuller & the Blues Rockers
Saturday, June 28: Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, July 10: The Okeanas and The Delta Saints
Friday, July 11: Outta Here and The Roasters
Thursday, July 24: Flawless and Lieutenant Dan’s New Legs
Thursday, Aug. 14: Kelly Richey and Freekbass
Saturday, Aug. 16: A Dominican band to be announced (Dominican Independence Day parade is the next day.)
Thursday, Aug. 28: Jim Burns Band and The Whiskey Gentry
Saturday, Sept. 20: SweetBeats (Beatles Tribute Band)
Thursday, Sept. 25: Seven Bridges (Eagles Tribute Band)
Saturday, Sept. 27: Signs of Life (Pink Floyd Tribute Band)
Hamilton High School graduate Del Gray, drummer for the multiplatinum rocking country band Little Texas, said that he’s excited to kick off the RiversEdge summer concert series with 90 Proof Twang on Thursday in Hamilton.
“It’s always fun to come back home and play for a hometown crowd. I have a lot of friends and family that I will get to see that night that I love and hold dear to my heart, so it will definitely be a homecoming,” he said in a recent phone interview from Nashville.
“You know something, when I first started going on the road close to 28 years ago, I always told people that my favorite sign was to see the Hamilton city limits sign. And it’s going to be good to see Hamilton,” Gray said.
When the band formed decades ago, Gray recalled playing at Hamilton Days several years in a row, where the crowds and support were amazing, he said.
This year marks the band’s first appearance at the RiversEdge Amphitheater. Joining Gray on stage are fellow Little Texas bandmates Porter Howell (lead guitar, vocals), Dwayne O’Brien (rhythm guitar, background vocals) and Duane Propes (bass, background vocals).
A few of the band’s hits include “God Blessed Texas,” “What Might Have Been,” “Kick a Little,” “Some Guys Have All the Love,” “First Time for Everything,” “Amy’s Back in Austin” and “My Love.”
Fans can expect a show highlighted by the hits, new and cover songs, Gray said.
Lead vocalist and guitarist, Josh Brock of 90 Proof Twang said it’s also a big night for their Oxford-based band, which will be celebrating with an album-release party the night of the concert. He said playing live music with their friends in Little Texas will be a blast, too.
“We’ve been working with Little Texas for over a year, writing songs in Nashville, so it’s going to be exciting to get together and play with them at a show. It’s going to be fun to hangout,” Brock said. “We’ve never actually seen each other play before, so it will be a good time.”
The new CD, “Six Pack,” from 90 Proof Twang features several original songs that were written by Brock, along with Gray and Howell of Little Texas.
The concerts are funded by corporate sponsorships and private donations from Hamilton businesses and residents. As far as what’s new this year, the venue has added new sound and lighting systems. The show schedule has also been expanded. Officials said more than 2,000 fans are expected to attend.
“We wanted to bring the community together through music,” said Adam Helms, director of resident Services, City of Hamilton. “A few of the big concerts last year included 90 Proof Twang, Signs of Life, a Pink Floyd Tribute Band, and The Revivalists. Their lead singer David Shaw is also from Hamilton, and they are coming back on June 12.”
Commemorating more than 25 years as a band, Little Texas has packed concert venues all over the world. On average, the band currently plays around 80 concert dates a year. Gray was inducted into the Hamilton City Schools’ Fine Arts Hall of Fame in 2011.
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