By Kim Hilsenbeck
The buzz in Buda these days is a growing and vibrant music scene, thanks in large part to venues like Tavern on Main and Willie’s Joint and events such as Firefest.
But more than that, says Tim Regan, 35, founder of the band Texas Never Whispers, musicians again are moving to this town south of Austin.
Regan and his musician/singer wife and Memphis native Kelly Mickwee of the band The Trishas bought a home in Buda’s Old Town a few years ago. He said several other working and touring musicians live down the street or nearby.
“There’s John Evans and Emily Bell, Kevin Galloway, Bucka Allen (Terry Allen’s son who played keyboard with Joe Walsh), and Brian Standofer,” he said.
Regan said, like he and Mickwee, they loved Austin but found it too expensive to live there. He said the rent doubled in two years.
So they headed south and found Buda.
“We knew musicians here, so the pieces fell into place,” he said. “I was skeptical at first.”
But after finding new favorite hangouts like Garcias, Casa Alde and Summermoon, not to mention playing gigs at Tavern on Main, Regan said Buda is now home.
How did this Memphis native end up in Texas?
“I played with a group called Oh No, Oh My! in Tennessee,” he said.
The group went on a European tour with Holly Williams (Hank’s granddaughter) and opened for Tim McGraw at the Hollywood Bowl. The band also played in Lollapalooza.
“We had a pretty good run,” Regan said.
But many good things come to an end; Oh No, Oh My! put out its last record two years ago.
When two of those band members headed back to Texas, Regan tagged along for the ride. The three of them, plus two other new band-mates, formed Texas Never Whispers.
Regan said the band’s name doesn’t have much to do with Texas.
“It was the first song on an EP by Pavement,” he said. “It was literally the first song I heard of theirs and recorded with a tape recorder off the radio.”
(Who over age 30 doesn’t remember those days?)
Texas Never Whispers is about to release its self-titled debut album. Regan is excited, but he’s also involved in several other projects.
His degree from the University of Tennessee in political sociology, with a minor in poetry and a sub-major in sound engineering made for an interesting career foundation.
“I’m making records,” he said, adding that he has a recording studio in his home.
“I also compose film scores,” he said.
He mentioned “The Keepers,” a behind the scenes documentary of zookeepers, as well as a short film called “Stella Walsh.”
Regan explained, “It’s a 15-minute documentary on an Olympic athlete in the 1940s. She was murdered in 1979, and during her autopsy they found ambiguous genitalia.”
In his increasingly less and less free time, Regan runs Buda Guitar Lessons, a “meet you at your spot” guitar lesson business. He has 15 students and said it’s one of his favorite projects.
“I really enjoy that,” Regan said.
He’s also a booking agent for 9 Mile Records and Touring.
His goal is to play music every day. But the business can be overwhelming.
“It’s a hustle and it’s crazy and not everyone has the heart for it,” he said.
Regan is looking forward to new a Texas Never Whispers album coming out.
“It’s some of the best song writing I’ve done,” he said, attributing that to age and experience.
“The songs are more powerful. There’s a story and a message,” he said.
