With influences ranging from The Flatlanders and Buddy Holly to Augustana and Jason Isbell, West Texas Exiles are reinvigorating the music world with a modern interpretation of the “Lone Star vernacular.” Grounded in rhythmic vibrancy and lyrical honesty, the Exile sound echoes the vastness of the West Texas sky. “New Moon Foe,” the band’s first single from their self-titled debut album, combines a driving, grinding pulse with haunting lyrics. Meanwhile their second single, “Hotel Tomorrow,” evokes the ghosts of southwestern Americana at its snakebit best. But it’s on a track simply entitled “Exile” that the group’s intentions are declared most strikingly: this band of outsiders aren’t just waltzing across Texas; they’re riding into the sunset in search of new musical horizons….

Michael Wayne Hall has made a career of using color and form to create unexpected emotions in those who view his work. His abstract paintings are grounded in his love of the flat-color aesthetics of vintage screen-printing. For this reason, his works feel at once both familiar and new, retro and modern, calming and energizing. Michael’s work is always created by hand and painted without the use of tape or masking, which allows for the “realness” of wobbles, smudges, and other imperfections to remain. While each piece is extremely precise, a close examination reveals the handmade nature of the process. Mistakes are left to be discovered. If you’d like to see some of Michael’s work, check out his Instagram—or head over to the Still Austin Tasting Room, where he painted the interiors!…

Kel Brown is a multi-disciplinary artist with a decade of professional experience, as well as a portfolio of varied accomplishments including gallery exhibitions, private commissions, public murals and municipal projects for the City of Austin. He painted every individual label for Still Austin’s popular December 2022 Distillery Reserve Series release, Cognac Cask Straight Bourbon….