By Mark Kneubuhl
Special to LIVE!
November 12, 2007

By admission, the Dallas-based band, Macon Greyson, plays a variety of music from country to soul to all kinds of rock-and-roll, even the harder stuff. “Our music crosses a lot of borders,” said lead singer and guitarist Buddy Huffman.

Huffman and company played at the Steel Penny Pub last weekend to a typical Friday night crowd of varying musical taste… none of which were disappointed.

But the hardest thing to pigeon-hole about this group is their name, Macon Greyson. It sounds like the name of some mythical wizard popping up in an old John Wayne movie. And the only person alive that can unravel the mystery behind this suspected nom de plume is none other than Ray Wylie Hubbard, who both mentored and named the band.

“I knew Ray through some other musician friends of mine and our group was just kickin’ around at the time and Ray heard some of our songs and offered to produce our first album, 2000 Miles From Here,” Huffman said.

“But what about the name,” I pressed. At least we could pigeon-hole the name!

“No, the name is strictly an invention of Ray’s brain… he’s a cool guy. I’ve had a few people running across the parking lot screaming ‘Macon,’ thinking that’s MY name. I didn’t want our group to be the Buddy-band. It’s more in the tradition of Lynyrd Skynyrd or Jethro Tull… it’s just a name,” Huffman insisted.

The group’s newest CD, 20th Century Accidents (Fat Caddy Records) was released last month. That name itself was also a bit of an accident.

“We were all driving in a car somewhere and taking about how all of us were born in the 20th century and somebody just blurted it out, ‘we’re all just 20th century accidents.’ And it stuck as a private joke between us and later we gave that title to a song and our new album,” said Huffman.

And the new CD is well named because it covers a variety of 20th century accidents: Love, hate, anger, politics and the trials and tribulations of the working man in “John Q.” it’s all in there.

Huffman and old buddy, Badger Vass are the original members of the group with lead guitarist Harley Husbands joining ranks next, followed by Fred Kousal who replaced the previous bass player who opted to pursue a day job and be a family man.

Huffman is originally from Colorado Springs, came to school in Texas where he obtained a Ph. D. in Molecular Biology and stayed.

Waco native Fred Kousal plays a solid bass and is this year’s recipient of the coveted San Angelo LIVE! “Best Fu-Man-Chu” award. More on that later.

The Macon Greyson originals (and they ARE original) are a collective effort where the musical score is concerned but Huffman writes most of the lyrics.

Anyone who can appreciate music with lyrics beyond the “four-L’s” of country music, (namely lovin’, leavin’, liquor and lock-up), you’re sure to like Macon Greyson music.

Sample the music of Macon Greyson on iTunes (click here) .