Beads will be flying, beer will be flowing and music will be blasting at this year's Mardi Gras Texas Style festival. But this isn't your typical Mardi Gras party. With the help of more than two dozen different Texas country artists, this annual festival will put a country-fried twist on the traditional New Orleans-centric celebration (which wrapped up in early February).
Back for its 15th year, the Mardi Gras Texas Style festival will take over Fair Park on Saturday, Feb. 20. The lineup includes a wide range of Texas artists like the Josh Abbott Band, William Clark Green and the Cory Morrow Band.
It's only been a few months since Abbott and company released their fourth record, Front Row Seat, a project that the lead singer says is the most personal and intimate to date.
"We made ourselves a little more vulnerable on this album -- especially myself -- to the public," says Abbott, who suffered a marriage breakup in recent years. "Everyone was waiting on me to write a divorce record."
Although the West Texas band hasn't witnessed the Mardi Gras madness in New Orleans, they have played the Texas festival in the past. Abbott says it's a wild and crazy time that he looks forward to. This year he says he's excited to catch William Clark Green, a close friend and "one of the bright spots of Texas country right now."
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Because everything's better in Texas, we asked Abbott what we could do to make Mardi Gras a little more cowboy friendly.
"You could do a Texas version of the king cake with pecans and probably some Shiner beer, especially Shiner Cheer," says Abbott. "It's the best beer ever."
So come ready to catch some beads without spilling your beer and dance the day away to some of the best Texas country around.
