Texas Music News — August 16, 2026
Jonathan Terrell told an Austin crowd that a song can rewrite someone’s whole life, and he had proof. The Austin songwriter served as the featured guest at Episode 10 of The Hook. It’s a weekly songwriting showcase at Sagebrush, a live-music joint in South Austin. He opened with an unreleased song called “I Still Dream of Horses.” Then he told the room about his 2020 album, Westward. A fan once wrote to Terrell to say the record pulled him back from his darkest hour. The room went quiet. Then it didn’t.
That’s the whole idea behind The Hook. Host Silas Lowe built the show to fight back against everything squeezing songwriters these days. AI, algorithms and gatekeepers all make his list. A song can’t fix all of that alone. But on a good night at Sagebrush, it can still change somebody’s life.
A Gold Patch, Passed From Father to Son
Episode 10 delivered the show’s first father-son pairing. Anthony Salerno, who also performs as Raised By Pandas, opened with his song “All The Way Down.” Then his son Owen took the stage with a song called “Adam.” The Sagebrush crowd wouldn’t let him leave without a Gold Patch, the show’s highest honor. It was the first Gold Patch awarded in three weeks. Owen said songwriting pulled him out of a deep depression. Everyone in that room understood exactly what he meant.
Otis Wilkins also returned to the stage that night. Terrell filled the crowd in on just how much of a cult Austin legend Wilkins really is. The next taping happens today, Sunday, August 16, from 3 to 5 p.m., back at Sagebrush. Sign-ups start at 2:30 p.m., and the mic stays open to anyone brave enough to grab it.
Terrell has spent 15 years building his name in Austin. Along the way, he’s opened for Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton and ZZ Top. But at Sagebrush, he’s just another guy waiting his turn, same as everybody else. It’s not so different from Kerrville’s New Folk songwriting competition. An unknown Robert Earl Keen once won over strangers there with nothing but a guitar and a good line. The Hook works that same old magic. It just comes with a little more neon.
Details at Saving Country Music.
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