Today's bro country thrives on images of John Deere tractors and perilously short Daisy Dukes, but its stomp-clap beats and prefab licks listen more like a city kid's wild weekend on a ranch. Local swampy-tonk duo Mayeux & Broussard have a different take on bro-dom. "This one's for my boys back at home," Broussard intones in "Back Home" on the pair's sophomore effort, High Times & Good Rhymes. Home, in this case, is Port Arthur, and judging from the road-trip guitar licks on songs such as "Stoned and Broke Down," country outlaw Willie Nelson could've easily been one of those boys in question. Barroom ballad "A Long Time Since You" begins with acoustic picking, but with subsequent whiskey shots the honky-tonk trills layer on drunken indulgence. Still, as evidenced in "Can't Fall off the Floor," Mayeux & Broussard might sing it loosely, but the fiddle whines and Louisiana-tinged guitar are solid as a rock. Bros, take note.

– Abby Johnston, The Austin Chronicle

 

Tate Mayeux and Brian Broussard make the kind of country music that wouldn't have been completely out of place at Gilley's in its Urban Cowboy heyday. It has the requisite fiddle runs and Tele riffs, along with a lazy Texas swagger that Mayeux compares to Hayes Carll. But these guys -- Texans, both -- aren't afraid to get a little bit dirtier than Johnny Lee or Kenny Rogers ever did. And that's exactly what they do on their upcoming High Times & Good Rhymes, the follow-up to 2012's While the Gittin's Good.

– Kelly McCartney, The Bluegrass Situation

 

The term 'whiskey-soaked' gets thrown around a lot when talking about good ol’ Texas country, but upon listening to Austin group Mayeux and Broussard, it’s hard to deny them that title. The group was formed in the summer of 2011 by frontmen Tate Mayeux (pronounced “My-You”) and Brian Broussard. Joining the duo in their band are Taylor Englert on drums, bassist Misha Ben-David, and Matt Wiley on lap steel, mandolin and banjo. The band has racked up some solid live performances at clubs like the venerable Hole in The Wall, the San Marcos stand-by Cheatham Street Warehouse and up-and-coming Austin honky-tonk The White Horse. They even had an opening slot at the late Leslie Cochran’s 60th Birthday Bash at Threadgill’s. The band doesn’t have an official record out yet, but they’re working on a debut that’s set to release sometime this summer. 

– Paul Carrubba, KUT 90.5FM "Song of the Day"

 

Mayeux’s raspy barroom vocals pair so beautifully with Broussard’s bluesy guitar riffs and just the right amount of fiddle and lap steel to make this band a perfectly sweet taste of all the best things about Texas music. Listen closely and you’ll catch a little swamp pop and rockabilly influence in there, all of it tied up with a filthy little bow that makes you wanna unwrap this band with a bottle of bourbon and a pretty little lady in your lap.  

– Beth Rankin, Cat5/Beaumont Enterprise

Mayeux and Broussard are the epitome of the Austin music scene. They write gritty cosmic country with a lot of bayeux and red dirt in between. John meets up with Tate Mayeux and Brian Broussard for two days of shotgun and AR15 training with Combative Weapons Solutions.

 

The loping beat and devil-may-care viewpoint of Mayeux & Broussard’s “Stoned and Broke Down” would have been perfect for the famed Austin music joints of the 1970s. Instead, Tate Mayeux and Brian Broussard are young, modern-day Texans who are about to release a new album, High Times & Good Rhymes.

– Craig Shelburne, CMT Edge

 

In case you weren’t aware, Texas country music is as distinct a genre as symphonic prog or hardcore punk rock. Songwriters Tate Mayeux (vocals and acoustic guitar) and Brian Broussard (lead guitar), together with their band (Taylor Englert on drums, Misha Ben-David on bass guitar and Matt Wiley on lap steel) reside in Austin, and play a particularly hard-edged version of Texas country music, the sort of thing Steve Earle made his name playing before kicking bad habits. In fact “While The Gittin’s Good” will take many listeners back to that special time in the ‘80s when a host of new performers, including Earle, revitalized country music, by concurrently taking the music back to its roots, while injecting some much needed energy, and believe me, this collection lacks no energy, whatsoever. 

– Phil S., Leicester Bangs