Kat Hasty Lights up Texas Summer Jam
I think that it is safe to say that we are all happy and excited that live music is making a comeback and that music festivals are happening again as well. I am also thrilled that we are not only able to start attending them again we are also being allowed to cover them again. This will allow us to relive the shows that you attended or for the ones, there were not able to attend the show and missed it in person. As we arrived at the Toyota Music Pavilion in Irving, Texas to attend the third annual Texas Summer Jam you could instantly tell that people have been waiting for this for quite a while. Upon leaving the parking lot and rounding the corner to the venue you could see people waiting to get in the gate to the main venue and get this night of Texas and Red Dirt music kicked off.
Once inside the venue people were walking around getting drinks, hitting the merch tables, and headed to their seats to get settled in for the show. As soon as the house lights dimmed and the Kat Hasty and her band took the stage the crowd cheered and yelled for them! As soon as Kat the band struck their first chords the crowd erupted with cheer and started standing and singing her song along with the band. She kicked off her set with one of the songs for her First EP “Drowning in Dreams” titled “The Highway Song” which is one of her most played songs currently. As soon as they wrapped up the first song, they were all looking around and smiling at one another and thanked the crowd for applauding them. She told us about her first EP and assured the fans that they would be playing them, however, they were going to be playing us some new songs that are in the process of being recorded. This news was met with more whistles, cheers, and applause to get treated to some new music. She then played on their new ones titled “Empty Tattoo Shop” and a little way through the song she stopped for a minute and had a smile from ear to ear talking to the fans and was amazed at being able to play on that stage. She apologized and said she had never seen herself on such a big screen as the ones that Toyota Pavilion has on the sides of the stage. She played a few more new songs for everyone and you could tell everyone in attendance was in awe of her and her band’s performance, soaking in some much-needed live music. One of the last songs that they performed is another one of the songs that has received many listens and plays all over the radio and streaming services. It is titled “Pretty Things” and is an anthem to not just be just a pretty thing. She sings about not being controlled and not just being another pretty thing that walks around and does what everyone else wants them to. After that song, she closed out their set with another new one titled “69’ Corvette” which she told the audience would be her next single. She then thanked everyone for supporting her and putting her up on that stage to play her music for them. As she was ending that song, she gave them a little bit of a mix-up and sang some of the lines from Robert Earl Keen’s song “Feeling Good Again” and everyone sang along to every word that she sang.
Kat’s first EP is a stripped-down version with just her and an acoustic guitar recording the songs that she has written and been playing for some time now. Kat recently put her band together and has not played very many shows together most likely only a handful of times, but I can assure you that you would not know that by listening to them and watching them play together on this night. Her current band is composed of some phenomenal musicians with two amazing guitarists named Taylor Ochs and Jack Jones. Keeping the timing and low end on lock is bass guitar player Garrett Bryan and drummer Ryan Olgin. Kat also plays guitar and graces us with her amazing voice that seems to hit that musical sweet spot in your ear every time she sings. The music that we experienced that night was much needed and you not only heard it you felt every song that they performed. She always had a smile and the whole band looked as if they were genuinely having a great time being on that stage in front of their fans! It was such an exciting show and we cannot wait to see where Kat and her band go. They are just getting started and I am sure they will go far, and everyone will end up knowing their names. I was a fan when we walked into the show and left an even bigger fan and I am sure they gained a lot more fans that night, So if you haven’t listened to them or heard them I would highly suggest giving their music a spin and go catch one of their live shows when they are in a town close to you.
Photos by Craig Youngblood
Words by Craig and Paula Youngblood