Dallas, Texas - October 16, 2009 - Cowboy Militia has teamed up with Ambiance Artists of Austin, Texas, in a cross-promotional relationship that benefits Texas music fans and Western aficionados alike.
The affiliation will drive more country music fans to rodeo and Western wear - and vice versa - through partnerships with five hit-making Texas country music artists, including the Josh Abbott Band, Whiskey Myers and bands fronted by Kyle Bennett, Charlie Shafter and Rich O'Toole.
"We play shows in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin, but it's the little rural communities or rodeo towns where we really fit in," says Ambiance co-founder Bruce Kalmick. "The markets we really focus on are rural - those people are attainable and they remain fans for a longer period of time."
Texas music, or alternative country, began in the 1970s with Willie and Waylon but resurged in the late 1990s and has exploded in nationwide popularity as Pat Green and others have crossed over into Nashville.
"It'll be around a very long time," said Kalmick, who booked the Randy Rogers Band's first show. "We're expanding outside college to where Texas music festivals are getting huge and the music's penetrating families, from 16-year-olds to 40-year-olds. The things Cowboy Militia is doing with high school rodeo - that's the market. Everyone wants a piece of that."
Cowboy Militia founder Jason Trosper has always had a love for Texas music. He and his partners even flew to Nashville to look into establishing their own record label.
"Ambiance has the biggest up-and-coming Texas artists on the market right now, so combining their ties and connections with ours is a great mix," he said.
As for Kalmick, he noticed Cowboy Militia because of its early artwork and unique logo at a music festival this year.
"They have some innovative ideas," Kalmick said. "Cock Your Hammer and Compete To Defeat are great slogans. And it's priced more competitively than others of its kind. I think it's going to be the must-have brand."
Cowboy Militia recently teamed with Gilley's Dallas and Cavender's Western Outfitters to sponsor the Josh Abbott Band's new trailer. Abbott, 29, is described by his agent as a "good ole West Texas boy" with the ability to get through to the soccer moms. His material is new and edgy, but at live venues he covers a little Don Williams or Steve Warner, too. His fiddle player grew up in a rural town with just six classmates.
"The heritage of Texas is in us all; it's in our blood," said Trosper, a fourth-generation rancher and team roper. "The history associated with Texas is cowboy history, and Texas music upholds that heritage."
Cowboy Militia is a new apparel company designed for fashion-forward Western youth who crave contemporary style without compromising their authenticity. For free music downloads and more information, call 866-656-7376 or visit www.cowboymilitia.com.
Ambiance Artists manages the Josh Abbott Band, Whiskey Myers, Ben Danaher, Charlie Shafter & the Gnomes, Rich O'Toole, or the Kyle Bennett Band. Call 512-382-6827 or visit www.ambianceartists.com.
Gilley's Dallas is the reincarnation of the former world's largest honky-tonk made famous by the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. The 91,000-square-foot club boasts the original mechanical bull and multiple venues that have featured country musicians and other diverse artist from Sheryl Crow to Greenday. Call 214-428-1692 or visit www.gilleysdallas.com.
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