Usually, musical trios with a Hammond organ as the spotlight instrument have plied their trade in the jazz genre under leaders of yesteryear like Jimmy Smith, Richard “Groove” Holmes, Jimmy McGriff, Brother Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Others may dip their toes (and tones) into blues or R&B.
However, the Dallas-based J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed are surely the sole practitioners of “Garageicana Rock-N-Roll.” Or so their bio says.
“That term is all me!” Evans laughs on the phone. “I was kicking that around to answer people who kept asking what this music was. And playing live over the past couple of years, it’s gone even more fuzzed out and Garage Rock. We still keep Texas boogie, blues and country music. But at the end of the day, it’s all filed under rock and roll.”
Evans handles lead vocals and guitar work. Cohorts The Boss Tweed are Hammond organist Matthew Vasquez and drummer Spud Crowley. The duo takes their name from the real-life 19th century politician and head of Tammany Hall, New York’s Democratic machine, William “Boss” Tweed.
The genesis of the group came from Evans’ desire to work “smarter, not harder.” He was already fronting the roots rock/R&B quintet The 40 Acre Mule in 2023 when Americana royalty Alejandro Escovedo asked him to open a Dallas show, but as a solo act. Evans—who doesn’t particularly like performing alone—had been kicking around in his head for a couple of years an idea for an organ trio and quickly recruited Vasquez and Crowley to join him.
Two rehearsals ensued before they debuted at Dallas’ Kessler Theater. And they’ve never looked back.
“We only knew seven or eight songs that first show, but the reception we got was amazing. So, I looked at these guys and said, ‘You’re hired!’” Evans laughs. He also notes that it’s easier for this trio to tour since none have (or still have) children in the house or strict “day jobs” (Evans still holds one in higher education, but says the scheduling is flexible).
“I grew up around the jazz and blues tradition [in Louisiana], so I knew about organ trios. But in the Roots Rock world, you always carried with you a bass player and two guitars and all this other stuff. I wanted to do something leaner, but still with a full sound,” he says. “I had a chance to give it a shot, and I did!”
The group put out two record projects this year. Debut album Americana Radio features 11 tracks, all but one written by Evans and including “Let’s Rock,” “Up to No Good,” “Pullman Porter Blues,” “Hat in Hand,” and “Trouble Bound.”
And the four track Modern Sounds in Americana Music features their covers of tunes by Lucinda Williams (“Honey Bee”), Alejandro Escovedo (“Always a Friend”), Mickey Newbury (“Why You Been Gone So Long”), and Tom Waits (“Way Down in the Hole”).
Evans notes that writing for this band is much different than his previous one—though he does say that new music from the 40 Acre Mule is coming. “A lot of that has to do with not having a bass player or thinking about the horns. There’s also a lot of overdrive and pedals in that [band]. And we can’t rely on a saxophone solo and acrobatics!”
The lyrics for title track Americana Radio read like a textbook working-band-hopes-to-break-it-big tale by getting their music played over the airwaves. And while Evans notes that AAA format terrestrial, public, and satellite radio have been good to the band, in 2025 radio only one of many ways for a band to get their music out there, especially a new one.
“I love talking about this stuff because there’s never been a time when the artist has had more control over where their music is presented or how it’s marketed. I’m Gen X and I still discovered stuff on the radio, these super community radio stations like you have in Houston with KPFT,” he says. “But there’s also YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify to drive traffic without a record label or big machine behind you.”
In fact, Evans says that when he’s talking to potential club or venue bookers, one of the first questions he gets asked is for the band’s Spotify streaming numbers or amount of Instagram followers. And that could determine if they play a club, a festival, or get signed to an agency.
“Radio has been good to us, and that drives people to our social media. I’m pretty good at it, but I hate it,” he says. “And I hate Spotify, but it’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room… you end up with people who will pay for spins and it’s really shady. But it’s a fast track of getting on the radar of people who can alter your career to a place where you can tour, sell merch, and generate ticket revenue to make a living in this business.”
Finally, Houston makes an appearance in the lyrics for “Hat in Hand” off Americana Radio. A song so close to the Dallasite Evans and semi-autobiographical that version was also recorded by the 40 Acre Mule. “I packed up my bags and set out for New Orleans/Got turned around in Houston/Wound up in Abilene” he sings, detailing his real-life travels and home bases.
“There’s a friendly/not-so-friendly rivalry between Dallas and Houston, but I’ve come to like Houston. I could not stand going there growing up. It just seemed really cold and unfriendly,” Evans says.
“But as we’ve played there more and more and I’ve gotten to know the people and the city and its incredible food, there is a charm to Houston. And every time we’ve come back, there are more people. People who saw us and then brought their buddies the next time,” he continues.
“It has been the city where I’ve seen the most consistent growth in this band. And they could not be more kind and loving and they just want to buy you and beer and talk about the music. Houston has really grown on me.”
J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed play 9 p.m. on Friday, December 26 and Saturday, December 27, opening for the Road Kings at their Third Annual Holiday Throwdown at the Continental Club, 3700 Main. For more information, call 713-529-9899 or visit ContinentalClub.com/Houston. $20-$35.
For more on J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed, visit Jisaiahevans.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.