Carrie Rodriguez teams with fellow musicians in the great outdoors for new video series
Peter Blackstock
When we last saw Carrie Rodriguez, she was onstage at the Long Center Lawn with her partner Luke Jacobs, opening a show for Patty Griffin. The longtime Texas fiddler and singer-songwriter appears to be emerging from the pandemic with a lot going on — including a new video series that launches on Wednesday.
"From Texas With Love" features Rodriguez presenting what she describes as "a musical conversation in the wilds of Texas with some of our state’s most celebrated artists." A short preview clip indicates the videos will feature duet performances set in quintessentially Central Texas outdoor settings.
How to watch
Tune in to Rodriguez's YouTube channel at 7 p.m. Wednesday for the first episode, which features keyboardist Emily Gimble, last year's official Texas State Musician. It's a fitting collaboration, given that Gimble's grandfather, western swing legend Johnny Gimble, was one of the state's most famous fiddlers of the 20th century.
As for the outdoor settings, Rodriguez wrote in a brief description of the series on her website that "there is just something about the freedom of playing in the open air that allows musicians to plug in to something deeper than themselves." Jacobs, who in addition to playing guitar also is a videographer, produced and directed the series.
More are coming soon, with guests including Ruthie Foster, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, David Ramirez and David Pulkingham. Jacobs says there's no specific timeline yet for when the others will be released, but Rodriguez's website refers to these first five episodes as "season one," suggesting they plan to make it an ongoing endeavor.