Loveletters from Roanoke, TX // Thom DuKan

Roanoke, TX is one of the very cool small-ish towns the DFW Metroplex has to offer.

There are tons of great Texas photo ops, and the whole town is full of personality!

Roanoke is known for having many fabulous local eateries. It did not disappoint.

The attention to detail is as remarkable as the food. The above photo is from Tortilla Flats, an authentic taqueria. Definitely want to go back just to eat there. 

Yes, yes I do! I find this completely charming! Typography lovers, what say you? I think it's adorable and so amazingly appropriate for not only "great burgers," "cold beer," but also the hilarious admission of "bad service." Love it!

Hard 8 BBQ is where the infamous (hehe) and mega-talented Thom DuKan played live to a great crowd of music and Texas barbecue lovers. 

Intermission: I love these old chairs! Where are they from?! A baseball stadium? A movie theater? My vintage-loving little heart flutters with nostalgic goodness.

Thom DuKan is a self-taught guitar player, singer/songwriter, and all-around swell cat. His music is what I am going to call "indie-blues" because it's difficult to pinpoint. If you're wondering if he's good...he is. 

Let's put it this way, great response from the crowd (which included half the police force!) and toward the end of the show a little girl came up to him and shyly asked, "where did you learn to play guitar?" Thom was very gracious and kind to the girl. It was a very sweet moment. With that darling sincerity of a child, she said, "you're really good!" 

And...it's true! Thom DuKan is the most impressive guitarist I have ever seen live. His original music has evolved over many years and just keeps getting better. It's a little voodoo, a little back porch sipping lemonade in the summertime, a little boom boom boom, you know what I'm talking about. Wink!

Thom has played a wide variety of venues from large music halls in Osaka, Japan to small, dodgy bars in Fort Worth, Texas. He can play Hendrix on an acoustic guitar that will knock you on your bum. Not to mention his own arrangement of "Summertime," which features Thom's creativity and skill as a musician.

Thom DuKan has previously released one CD and is preparing to enter the studio with amazing musicians Guthrie Kennard and Marian Brackney in the next couple months. The new CD is going to blow the old one away and will show the evolution of Thom's talent and growth in confidence as an artist. 

Don't let pop culture tell you what's cool. Turn off your Mtv (irony) and get out there and support local musicians. No autotune, no fake stuff, just good music. If you are into unique, non-cookie cutter music, then you'll love Thom DuKan. He is completely unpretentious, no gimmick, just talent. He has had an adventurous life so far, which reflects in his music...and as he says, it ain't over yet!  

xoxo,

Ashley

P.S. Special thanks goes out to Daniel for being a consistently spectacular roadie!