Press
See what everyone is saying
Lonesome Highway Online Magazine: says, the album we’ll be on their favorite list for 2021. Read the interview here.
Turnstyled Junkpiled: read the review of the album calling it “authentic country music that spans the musical landscape of the entire Southern USA.
Rocking Magpie: read the review of the album calling it a “melodic hardcore country music from a connoisseur of the genre”.
Red Guitar Music: read the review of the album calling it “the perfect bridge between Austin and Bakersfield.”
Fatea Records: read the review of the album calling it “a terrific collection of old school country.”
Both Kinds of Music: “pure, unadulterated twang.”
Under the X in Texas: “Hot dang this album is killer!
Cousin Early’s Late Night Country Show: “one of the greatest honky tonk albums.”
The Cosmic Cowboy Cafe: “The record cover and the title promised me some real country music and that’s exactly what I got.”
The Concrete Cowboy Rides Again: “West of Texas creates a potent brew of Honky Tonk”
The Honkytonk Jukebox: “the best sounding country band west of Texas.”
Boots & Saddle: “West of Texas knocks it out of the park.”
Hurtin’ for Real: “Hell of a listen.”
Country My Way: “It’s a dang party record, and there’s not a clinker on the whole thing.”
The Country Campfire: “This one stays strictly in the country dance halls and bars where it belongs.”
Band
Jerry Zinn photo by Andy Garcia Reyes
In the world of traditional country music, if you find the stretch of highway where Bakersfield and Austin come together, you’ll find Jerry Zinn’s band West of Texas. Twangy electric guitars, crying pedal steel, a driving rhythm section and Jerry’s deep voice come together for an orgy of the ears that serves up honky-tonk, western swing, and truck driving country, recalling the giants of country music: Buck Owens and Merle Haggard; Bob Wills and Ray Price; Lefty Frizzell and George Jones, just to name a few.
Jerry Zinn, the singer, songwriter and leader of West of Texas, was born in California but grew up all over the world in a military family. Discovering vintage country music through his grandfather’s record collection, he was bitten with the urge to form his own original group and write his original songs. The first iteration of the West of Texas band began in 2003, and the group shared the stage with other purveyors of “real” country music, such as James Intveld, Red Meat, Wayne Hancock, Big Sandy, 1100 Springs, among others.
The original group released a 3-song EP in 2009 and began working on a full-length album. Unfortunately, singer Jerry Zinn had health problems that forced a seven-year hiatus for the group. When Zinn recovered and found himself able to sing again, an exciting new lineup of West of Texas assembled in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live music across the globe.
Jerry went into the studio in 2020 to finish the album he had started over ten years earlier. Titled “Heartache, Hangovers and Honky Tonks,” this great new album release showcases the versatility and power of Jerry’s voice, original songs, and the Bakersfield-meets-Texas concept he had begun years earlier. With the release of the new album, West of Texas are ready for the world to open up again, when barrooms and honky-tonks and lovers of traditional country music are ready for their exciting brand of California twang!
Shows
Heartache, Hangovers & Honky Tonks
Hear songs from the new album Heartache, Hangovers & Honky Tonks. The album has 16 original pure country honky tonks songs. Bringing together a Bakersfields meets Texas concept with an exciting new brand of California twang.