Matt Hillyer surprises guests at Oak Highlands Brewery
Pop-up concerts at Oak Highlands Brewery are like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates — you never know what you’re going to get. On Wednesday night, OHB loyalists signed up for the show hoping the live performers might be to their liking. Based on the crowd’s rousing reception, they got their money’s worth.
Local artist Mark Hudspeth opened the show with his signature mix of rock, pop and country. He connected naturally with the audience and had listeners toe-tapping in their seats.
Rachel Stacy and Adam Schwem were next up on the OHB stage. After collaborating for years with Garland music legend Jimmy Wallace, Stacy is now focused on working with Schwem, her music director and partner. With him on guitar and her on the fiddle, their personal and musical chemistry was undeniable. They’re preparing now to tour with the biggest bike rallies in the nation, and last year they opened for Gretchen Wilson at the Sturgis Bike Rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Matt Hillyer, former lead singer of Eleven Hundred Springs, was the pop-up’s big headliner. Hillyer has four albums as a solo artist and more than a dozen as frontman for the honky-tonk band which parted ways in 2021. Before Eleven Hundred Springs, he charmed Deep Ellum audiences with the rockabilly Lone Star Trio and the rock band, Strap.
Hillyer’s latest record, Bright Skyline, was released June 21 via State Fair Records and features eleven tracks fine-tuned over 30 years playing Texas dance halls. He describes it as “a journey from his rockabilly roots through the vibes he takes from western swing, outlaw country and traditional honky-tonk country.”
You can catch Hillyer live on July 3 at 9 p.m. at The Doublewide or at a few other nearby shows here.
You may follow Oak Highlands Brewery on Instagram and Facebook here.
Oak Highlands Brewery is at 500 Lockwood in Richardson.
Rachel Stacy and Adam Schwem
