Turnpike Troubadours Ring In 6th Annual Dia Del Gallo at Floore’s Country Store
For six years straight, the Turnpike Troubadours have celebrated a self-appointed holidays each Spring called Dia Del Gallo at the historic Floore’s Country Store on the outskirts of San Antonio. The city has always been a crossroads of cultures, and the rooster (“gallo” in Spanish) has always been the band’s official mascot. As the Turnpike Troubadours have grown in stature, so has the annual celebration, this year swelling Floore’s outside venue to capacity, and welcoming Charley Crockett, and Grammy-nominated John Fullbright to open the show.
Another interesting observance people have been taking from recent Turnpike shows is the addition of “Hammering” Hank Early as a full time steel guitar player in the band. In previous years, lead guitarist Ryan Engleman was playing behind the steel guitar more and more, but this new lineup addition allows Englemen to focus more on Telecaster duties, while adding more steel to the Turnpike sound. Hank Early, who also played with Raised Right Men and filled in initially when Engleman was injured, also plays accordion on certain songs, giving a little Louisiana to the sound that was more present on the band’s first record.
The Turnpike Troubadours have recently been in the studio, and fans can expect a new record potentially in the fall.
Photographer Brad Coolidge was on hand at Floore’s Country Store to shoot some photos of Dia Del Gallo for Saving Country Music that can be seen below. You can find Brad Coolidge on Instagram and Twitter.
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Daniel
May 14, 2017 @ 11:50 am
Rad
Dangus
May 14, 2017 @ 11:56 am
Cool story, riveting
Sean
May 14, 2017 @ 12:14 pm
They finally stopped in Asheville for the first time a few weeks back. One of the best shows I’ve seen lately.
DENNY
May 14, 2017 @ 1:46 pm
MY GRANDSON WAS THERE. DID YOU SEE HIM? HE ONLY CAME TO SEE THE HAMMER CHILDHOOD FRIENDS.
Broncaho
May 14, 2017 @ 2:08 pm
I have certainly seen him hammered.
Jim Bob
May 14, 2017 @ 2:25 pm
God fucking damn it..that’s the 2nd story in last 2 days starting with “Turnpike Troubadours” and not ending with release date for next album. God damn it…
the pistolero
May 14, 2017 @ 3:09 pm
Man, a new TT album and another Boland album would just make this whole year for me music-wise.
hoptowntiger94
May 14, 2017 @ 2:28 pm
I’m glad the fans got a good show. I’m still smarting from the terrible one they tanked in Knoxville. 3 weeks later and I still can’t listen to their music. How bad was it? After playing almost an hour and a half, they ended the night on a new song – “Something To Hold On To.” Who does that?
The show was poorly sold (about 1/3 capacity), their bus broke down that day, and the weather was terrible (we had to buy jackets!). They clearly didn’t want to be there. Was Evan drunk? IDK. I asked three people on the way out: 2 said yes, 1 said no. But, clearly off – very high pitched; kept starring at the ceiling.
Unfortunately, we drove from Pittsburgh (1k miles round trip) to see them for the first time. It will be awhile before I can listen to them again.
Jim Bob
May 14, 2017 @ 2:36 pm
Or, you could just see them the next time they come through. I saw them 3x last year in Columbia and KC Missouri. Unbelievable every single time! And all 3 were sold out way before the show. Sounds like you either caught an anomaly or you’re just full of shit. Or you’re at least exaggerating a great deal, cause 1/3 capacity at a turnpike show just doesn’t make sense. At least not in my experience, where they’re sold out weeks/months in advance
hoptowntiger94
May 14, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
I couldn’t believe they weren’t sold out either! It was at a newer venue – The Mill & Mine – that is having major sound issues (it also serves as a wedding and upscale mess hall). Maybe the locals caught on to the sound issues – check Yelp.
Also, I totally gave way too much credit to the city of Knoxville. I used to regard it as a great college town, but it may not be. Since this occurred, I talked to a couple artists who say they don’t tour Knoxville because the people don’t come out. On top of that, it was a Sunday night (there are a lot of Jesus billboards in Knoxville).
I’ve been to thousands of concerts in the past 25 years and I used to work in the industry and I’ve never said an ill word about an artist prior to this show. It was bad.
Jim Bob
May 14, 2017 @ 5:15 pm
Must’ve just been bad luck/timing. Last time I saw them in Columbia, MO the crowd was singing so loud Evan just said, “shit, you guys’ve got this” and stopped singing at one point. Place was beyond capacity and everyone knew every word.
In KC, MO in November sound was so bad I couldn’t understand a single word Sturgill sang. And I knew the fucking songs. It sucks when bad shit happens, especially when it’s at a show for artists you love.
scott
May 16, 2017 @ 6:28 am
Man, that’s a shame, I remember on an earlier post how pumped you were to go. Understand your being bitter.
Trigger
May 14, 2017 @ 3:56 pm
If I had your experience Hoptowntiger, I would be very frustrated too. I saw video from that show, and it looked like maybe Evan was a little bit off or something, but not anything like we saw at Music Fest a couple of years ago. Without being there it’s really hard to know what happened. One thing I’ll say is that Turnpike is trying to branch out into new markets, which can be hard for a Texas country band when regional shows are so lucrative. That means there’s going to be some smaller shows. Bad sound could have factored into the equation as well. Just like all of us, sometimes we have an off night. Not saying that’s what happened but it could have been. Really sucks for the people that traveled long distances, but every time I’ve seen them, they’ve been spot on.
Wyatt
May 14, 2017 @ 4:41 pm
I hope this isn’t a trend with their shows far away from TX/OK, I’m driving 6 hours down from WI to IL in order to see them this summer.
R2D2
May 15, 2017 @ 7:11 am
I have seen them in Iowa City, IA and it was a great show! Good crowd and sound was great. Luckily I was shooting pool with a buddy after the show at the local pool hall and Turnpike walked in to play. Place was dead it was just the band and me and my buddy. Got to talk to them for a while and got a picture as well. They’re great guys! I bet the show in IL will be good!
Wyatt
May 15, 2017 @ 5:41 pm
Good! I actually considered driving down to Des Moines but am going to a Cody Jinks concert in Milwaukee instead.
scott
May 16, 2017 @ 6:32 am
I’ve seen them a couple times in Springfield IL, they tore the shit out of it. No worries, Illinois is Turnpike territory! BTW, is it the Tall Boys series in Peoria you’re going to? If so, look for me!
Wyatt
May 16, 2017 @ 7:16 am
Yes it is! For every day I’m working on the Illinois River…
scott
May 16, 2017 @ 12:07 pm
Well, I got me a gal in Pekin…Hell, me too!
Cooper
May 16, 2017 @ 1:25 pm
It being on a Sunday night did not help the crowd numbers any, I was going to go but had class the next morning. I watched them on a Sunday last summer, but a Sunday in July is a little different than one in April.
Old Brett
May 14, 2017 @ 5:07 pm
Saw them for the first time a couple of weeks ago in suburban DC. Two things struck me: how young the crowd skewed, and how into it they were. I’m so used to getting blank stares from people when I mention bands like TT that it completely took me by surprise. They’ve definitely made major inroads beyond their home region.
Dangus
May 14, 2017 @ 10:33 pm
Shoot, cool
Dangus
May 14, 2017 @ 10:33 pm
Beer thirty
JB
May 15, 2017 @ 12:55 pm
Saw them last month in a small town in South Georgia – outside venue. It sold out. Large crowd and we all sang along with every word. Sound and performance were incredible. The only bad part was the beer vendors couldn’t move the lines fast enough. Can’t wait for new material and the next show I can catch them at!
mick
May 17, 2017 @ 2:00 am
They came over to UK on a short tour and on last night they played in the smallest downstairs club imaginable in a non music city Chelmsford. They couldn’t even stand up straight across the whole of the stage it was so low and small. It was sold out but reckon there was only around 150 crowd squeezed in.
I was wondering if they would bother putting on much of a show but wow they were unbelievable, played for around 2 hours and were just fantastic. They hung around and chatted after. Was fantastic to see such a real deal band putting it in for such a small audience. Hard to believe its the same band you’re talking about. They certainly impressed me, played every song I ever knew by them ! Actually except for Funeral which is probably my favourite.
Mountaineer Mike
May 17, 2017 @ 7:42 am
Caught my second TT show when they came to the Grey Eagle in Asheville last month and they absolutely killed it. Will definitely be going to see them again when they come through Charlotte in June, the Neighborhood Theatre is an awesome venue.
I love Turnpike’s music and hate to hear stories of folks who have seen them on a night when Evan is ‘off’, for whatever reason. I’d be sadly disappointed as well but that has not been my experience. They’ve put on some of the best live shows I’ve seen recently.