Texas Musicians on How They’re Making It Through the Deep Freeze

By Joseph Hudak, February 19, 2021 

“We’re all so vulnerable right now,” one local says of the artists and venues that were already struggling to get by before the power went out

Below is an excerpt of Rolling Stone’s “Texas Musicians on How They’re Making It Through the Deep Freeze” featuring Joshua Ray Walker:

“Singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker has slowly been returning to the stage, supporting his latest album Glad You Made It. Walker decided to cancel a pair of shows in Lubbock and Amarillo this weekend because of the storm. While the clubs are open, he couldn’t risk the five-hour journey west from his home in Dallas.

“It’s just not safe to try to drive in the ice right now. I can barely get to a grocery store,” Walker says. “I probably could have gotten up at 8:00 this morning and slowly crawled my way to Lubbock, but I don’t necessarily trust everyone else on the road not to crash into me.”

Walker, who in a bit of tragic irony has been living in a hotel for the past few months after a non-weather-related burst pipe flooded his home, says Texas government’s failure to prepare and respond to the weather crisis is “just another kick.” He questions the state’s commitment to “rugged individualism” — the idea that you’re responsible for yourself and that the government should remain hands-off.

“That’s what Texas claims, and that’s true. There’s a lot of great stuff that’s come out of that and I am proud that I’m from here. But when ‘rugged individualism’ starts to hurt people, I don’t believe that speaks to the values that we should all try to uphold,” he says. “I don’t think your typical energy consumer in Texas was aware of how energy purchasing works. Now it’s one more piece of infrastructure that you realize is failing because of the choices of people that have been voted into power. And it’s just disheartening.”

Read the full article “Texas Musicians on How They’re Making It Through the Deep Freeze” HERE.