Before there was Americana, before there was Texas Country, Two Tons
of Steel front man Kevin Geil and his original band, “Dead
Crickets,” rocked a sound that blended the best of musical worlds
and pushed the envelope of “Texas” sound with a signature brand of
country meets punk. The San Antonio-based group packed the small bars
and local hangouts and quickly became the Alamo City’s most-loved
band, earning them a spot on the cover of Billboard Magazine in 1996.
It was the beginning of a twenty year journey for Geil and the 4-piece
ensemble. Releasing “Two Tons Of Steel” in 1994 and “Crazy For
My Baby” in 1995 on Blue Fire Records, a sponsorship deal with Lone
Star Beer quickly followed. Dead Crickets, renamed Two Tons of Steel
in 1996 began traveling outside of Texas, including stops at the Grand
Ole’ Opry in Nashville, Tenn., the National Theater in Havana, Cuba,
and European tours, to greet fans who had embraced their Texas-born
sound. In 1996 they released “Oh No!” on their independent label,
“Big Bellied Records.” They followed up the passion project with a
live recording at the legendary Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas, taped
during a Two Ton Tuesday Show 1998. In 2016, the band marks 21 years
of “Two Ton Tuesday Live from Gruene Hall.” The summer-long event
has drawn more than 180,000 fans since it began its annual run in
1995. It’s has given birth to the very popular “Two Ton Tuesday
Spring Break Show” and “Two Ton Tuesday Christmas Show” The
popular concert series was captured in “Two Ton Tuesday Live,” a
DVD-CD combo released on Palo Duro Records in 2006. Also that year,
the band’s first national release, “Vegas,” produced by Grammy
Award-winning producer Lloyd Maines on the Palo Duro label, took them
to No. 7 on the Americana Music Charts and was one of the top 20
releases of 2006. Two Tons released “Not That Lucky” in 2009. The
album peaked at No. 4 on the Americana Music Charts and has made Two
Tons of Steel a band to watch in 2013. Along the way, the band has
collected a number of awards. To date, Two Tons has cleaned up at
home, winning “Band of the Year” on 12 separate occasions and
“Album of the Year” for its self-titled debut. Two Tons has also
been named “Best Country Band” by the San Antonio Current ten
times. Geil also has nabbed ‘Best Male Vocal’ honors four times.
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29/03/2020 Last update