Rowdy Burns Busts Out of Small-Town Texas with Their Debut Single “Skeptic”

Image courtesy of Rowdy Burns

What is happening in central Texas? The selection of music coming from the Lone Star State’s hill country has my ears sufficiently perked. Hailing from the tiny town of Blanco, Rowdy Burns is poised to turn heads all over the country very soon. The four-piece, made up of Ramiro Castro, Stevann Montoya, Trevor McGuire, and Johnny Elrod, delivers a heavy dose of wayward southern gypsy rock with their debut single “Skeptic.” 

The song opens with a delta blues-inspired guitar riff that gives way to Castro’s rich, whiskey-and-cigarettes voice. Montoya’s harmonies add a melodic touch of honey, while the hard-packed rhythm section prevents the track from sounding like a rehash of artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan. The song's lyrics lend an air of sinister sex appeal in the vein of “Baby Did a Bad Thing” by Chris Isaak and “Bad Things” by Jace Everett. 

While updating the genre, Rowdy Burns has tapped into the side of southern rock that gets a little weird, a little dark, and a lot more fun. If “Skeptic” is a preview of what’s to come from this band, I’m more than willing to keep listening.