Album Review – Eleven Hundred Springs – “Here ‘Tis”
About the same time in the late 90’s when some of the biggest names in Texas country from Austin and elsewhere were really starting to sizzle, and the Red Dirt acts from Oklahoma were rearing out of Stillwater and starting to make some national noise, a little band called Eleven Hundred Springs was formed in Dallas, TX by two former bandmates of a rockabilly band: singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Matt Hillyer, and bass player Steven Berg.
At the time, Dallas was not exactly seen as a haven for the burgeoning Texoma sound. It was the home of cover bands and The Dallas Cowboys—a halfway stop between Austin and Stillwater that was sliced a little too metropolitan for honky tonkers or country rockers. Sure, you had the Old 97’s, but they didn’t exactly fit into that scene, and The Reverend Horton Heat was a little too retro for the Texas/Red Dirt crowd. Better to be from Lubbock if you were looking for a little Texas/Red Dirt cred compared to Dallas.
But undaunted, Eleven Hundred Springs released a debut record, and launched a now legendary residency at the Dallas club called Adair’s where they recorded their second record live, and started garnering a local following from their throwback style and authentic country songs that carried a little spunk from the songwriting of Matt Hillyer. Soon everyone in the Texas honky tonk scene knew who they were, including the the fans of all the Texas and Red Dirt bands that would tour through Dallas and have Eleven Hundred Springs open or headline for them.
Over the years, Eleven Hundred Springs and Matt Hillyer would stretch their footprint beyond Dallas and Texas, but they found their calling as Dallas’s country music house band, becoming synonymous with the city, and the only right answer when someone asked who one of the coolest country bands in the DFW area were. Perhaps they were always too much of homebodys to sweat it out on the road in a manner that would make them as well known as those Texas and Red Dirt headliners. But focusing instead on cementing a legacy in Dallas has made them legendary in their own way.
Here now over 20 years since their inception, maybe it’s fair to ask what a band like Eleven Hundred Springs has left in the tank, or what they can contribute to the greater realm of country music, if anything. Most everyone wants to talk about the next hot thing heading out on the road from Austin, Tahlequah, Tyler, or Lubbock. But the new album Here ‘Tis finds Eleven Hundred Springs exactly where they need to be—in a somewhat reflective mood after more than two decades of service time, and perhaps leaning into their authentic country sound and songs more than ever, and growing old with their music instead of leaning on their past conquests.
That’s one of the great things about true country music. It’s insulated from the wild mood swings of trends or tastes, and there will always be a honky tonk full of two-steppers ready to soak it in no matter the occasion. Like wine and cheese, country music only gets better with age. The stories become more real, the wisdom interwoven into their verses more substantial. That’s certainly what you feel in this new album’s opening track, “This Morning It Was Too Late.” How many times has something broke, or an ailment gotten out-of-hand, or a relationship ended because you assured yourself you would take care of the next day and never did? It takes a seasoned veteran of not just the local honky tonk circuit, but of life to sow these kinds of astute observations into song.
Same goes for the super smooth “Fair Weather Friend,” or the witty “Let Me Be Your Man.” You always regarded Eleven Hundred Springs as country, but they really lather it on in Here ‘Tis, making it hard to not re-rack this record numerous times and savor it. The album does have a bit of an underlying theme to it. “All Jokes Aside” sung and co-written by guitarist Chad Rueffer can be interpreted as being about the camaraderie this band has sown over time as brothers in music, while “Looking Back” very directly reflects upon the 22 years as a band, it’s ups and downs, and lack of regrets.
And despite the old school country style they pull off so well, Here ‘Tis addresses some relevant themes. “Let’s Move Out To The Country” is definitely something Dallas residents can relate to as the skyscrapers and superstructures skewer the landscape, while the same can go for residents of many cities all across the U.S. that seem to have their priorities skewed. “Nobody Cares” is the perfect comeback to the incredibly hypocritical assertion by many online commenters (including here at Saving Country Music) that profess not caring about a subject, but take the time to let their opinion be known anyway—one of many foolish notions of social media Matt Hillyer challenges in the song.
Beyond Hillyer and bassist Steven Berg, the lineup of Eleven Hundred Springs has changed a few times over the years. Chris Claridy who now picks guitar with Cody Jinks once played in the band, as did drummer Arjuna Contreras of The Reverend Horton Heat. But what Matt Hillyer and Steven Berg initially built has turned into an institution of Dallas country music.
During an era when many other musicians deemed themselves too good for the scene in Dallas, moving to Austin or somewhere else, Eleven Hundred Springs made the Dallas country scene something worth sticking around for, helped support the local dives, and made Dallas a country music city worth driving to instead of through. They never compromised, and if Here ‘Tis is any indication, they also haven’t lost their skills to date.
1 3/4 Guns Up (7.5/10)
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January 20, 2020 @ 10:31 am
Just gave it a listen … right up my alley. Thanks for the head’s up!
January 20, 2020 @ 10:41 am
Great review of some even greater guys. Always glad when they put out new music.
January 20, 2020 @ 12:54 pm
Love these guys, saw them as SXSW back almost 20 years ago and have two of there album’s, this is one of there best and I’m only on the second song.
Thanks once again Trigger for the heads up!
January 20, 2020 @ 1:51 pm
Hard to pick a highlight track or two.
It’s a good album. From first to last track.
But with all the new albums & songs right now (Aleyce Simmonds, Luke O’Shea…) i don’t think i play the album on repeat.
January 20, 2020 @ 2:22 pm
Professionals.
January 20, 2020 @ 2:34 pm
Thanks for reviewing this album.
I became aware of them in about 2014 when I happened to tune into a country music show on an NPR station on California’s Central Coast, which was playing “I Still Have a Little Falling Left toGo” from Matt Hillyer’s solo album. I’ve enjoyed all their albums, and from there I got more interested in good country music from this decade and eventually found this site. But I’m surprised to have found little recognition or discussion of Eleven Hundred Springs in my four years reading this site. Not Trigger’s fault, as there are so many bands to cover, but still interesting to me, because I really think they have the best combination of melody, instrumentation, vocals and lyrics out of all the bands I’ve come across, with Turnpike Troubadours and Mike and the Moonpies right there with them. Croy and the Boys’s recent album also meets this standard.
Which other bands do you all think come closest to Eleven Hundred Springs’s approach?
January 20, 2020 @ 3:12 pm
Western Centuries maybe?
What gives Eleven Hundred a huge leg up in authenticity of approach is their prominence in the North Texas music scene for years.
January 20, 2020 @ 5:50 pm
I’ve definitely mentioned Matt Hillyer and Eleven Hundred Springs a few times over the years, but I was frustrated as you that I hadn’t found the right opportunity to write a good feature for them. Nothing against their last few albums or Hillyer’s solo stuff, but I just didn’t feel like it was a good introduction point for the band like I feel this record is. As they took time to reflect, it allowed me to do the same and give people a broad perspective about what makes them cool. Sometimes it takes me a while to get around to a band, but I usually get there eventually.
January 21, 2020 @ 8:54 pm
Perhaps when time warrants, a rear view album review of one of their earlier ones is in order?
January 22, 2020 @ 8:36 am
Yeah, a couple of their early records would work for vintage album reviews.
January 20, 2020 @ 2:47 pm
I dig these guys. They have that twang to their sound i’m nuts about. I sure hope they’ll drop by sweden sometime, so i can see them live.
January 21, 2020 @ 2:41 pm
No point here but a good memory. I lived in Dallas from 2002-2006. I hated country when I got there but listened to almost nothing but when I went back to California. Of all the time I spent in Dallas (hated it), the best was an April day that ended at Shinerfest on the south side of downtown. The show featured 1100 Springs, Aaron Tippon, Chris Cagle and Dwight Yoakam, just before he released Blame The Vain. That was the first time I heard of 1100 Springs and they were great. Tippon and Cagle were awful, the former in particular was downright embarrassing. Dwight, though, was amazing, playing for about three hours and just rolling through a bunch of awesome covers and classic hits. It was the best show I have ever been to. After that I had to look up 1100 Hundred Springs and really enjoyed a lot of their early stuff. “See You In The Next Life” is still one of my favorite songs and one I point people to when demonstrating that country can stretch boundaries and still be very traditional. Jason Boland covered “Hank” too. It’s a good track.
January 21, 2020 @ 2:59 pm
Don’t want to label this as easy listening, but it is very easy to listen to (for a country boy). Reminds me of George Strait albums in how it’s no-frills, straight down the middle, unapologetic country music.
July 18, 2020 @ 9:56 am
I thought it worthy to mention that Jordan Hendrix has played fiddle with 11 Hondo for a long, long time. He and the rest of the band are fantastic musicians, great entertainers, and just real nice people.