7 p.m. March 10 A good ol' boy for the new millennium, Fowler has endeared himself to the beer/bait/ammo crowd with songs like, ah, 'Beer, Bait and Ammo' and 'The Lord Loves the Drinkin' Man,' but he is a savvy, self-aware writer who backs up his yee-haw persona with solid songcraft.
Metal fans might remember his previous incarnation as a member of Austin's Dangerous Toys. 3 p.m.
March 11 In 2004, Michelle Branch took a break from her solo career to team with friend and backup singer Jessica Harper. The result was the Wreckers and a debut album, "Stand Still Look Pretty,' which spawned a hit single, 'Lose the Pieces.' Like the late lamented Kennedy-Rose, the Wreckers are a female duo with enough attitude to leaven the sweetness of the presentation.
8 p.m. March 12 (free show) A veteran of the Stillwater, Okla.
, 'red dirt' music scene, the Okie equivalent of Texas' red-hot 'Texas music' gimme-cap-country genre, LaRue has been making his way up through the ranks one beer joint at a time. He recently won Artist of the Year at the 2007 Gruene With Envy awards, the local Grammy equivalent for Texas/Oklahoma country-rockers. 7 p.
m. March 13 California sisters Alyson 'Aly' Renaw and Amanda Joy 'AJ' Michalka achieved prominence after their music was used in the Disney movies 'Ice Princess' and 'Herbie: Fully Loaded.' Balancing careers in both the Christian music and pop scene, Aly and AJ released a gold album, 'Into the Rush,' in 2005.
7 p.m. March 14 Adkins will be making his second 2007 Austin appearance when he performs at Rodeo Austin.
The star played a benefit concert in conjunction with the 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' segment filmed in Austin. According to the singer's Web site, the concert raised more than $75,000 to pay off the O'Donnell family's current mortgage. In the meantime, Adkins is touring behind his latest album, 'Dangerous Man,' and its hit single, 'Ladies Love Country Boys.
" 7 p.m. March 15 Taylor Hicks isn't the first 'American Idol' winner to play Rodeo Austin; Kelly Clarkson had that distinction back in 2004.
But with 'Idol' fever in full swing with the current season, Hicks, the 2006 winner, is bound to enjoy some increased scrutiny. Since winning the contest, Hicks has recorded a platinum-selling debut album and notched a hit single, 'Do I Make You Proud?' 7 p.
m. March 16 Turner's current album, 'Your Man,' finished at No. 5 on Billboard's chart of top-selling country albums for 2006.
Since his critically lauded 2003 debut, "Long Black Train,' the South Carolina Low Country native has made an art out of splitting the difference between sacred and secular themes. 1 p.m.
March 17 Shelton's 2001 hit, 'Austin,' name-checked everyone's favorite capital city, and he has spent the interim touring with Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and others and notching hit singles like 'Some Beach,' 'Goodbye Time' and the latest, 'Don't Make Me.' Rodeo Austin fans will get to hear him perform songs from his forthcoming album, titled (how could he resist?), 'Pure B.
S.' 7 p.m.
March 17 If Anna Nicole Smith was the dark side of the Texas-girl-makes-good saga, Lambert is the real deal. The daughter of an East Texas songwriter and his wife, Lambert grew up onstage, placed third in the national 'Nashville Star' talent competition in 2003 and released her debut album in 2005, all before age 22. Her new single, 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,' continues what has become a Lambert trademark mdash; handling adult themes with disarming candor.
3 p.m. March 18 Yet another in a seemingly endless phalanx of navel-baring Latina stars, Reyes adds some genuine gravitas to her physical appeal.
Reyes won the Regional Mexican Album of the Year New Artist award at the Latin Billboard Awards in Miami last year for 'El Sol No Regresa.' Her latest norte o/banda/ranchera-flavored release is 'Te Voy A Mostrar.' 8 p.
m. March 19 (Free show) Last year the prestigious Monterey Peninsula booking agency snatched up the cream of the Texas country-rock community, and it's putting very big chips down on one of their lesser-known acquisitions, the Eli Young Band. If the bet pays off, look for this uptempo outfit to fill the shoes previously worn by Pat Green and the Randy Rogers Band.
7 p.m. March 20 You know 'em, you love 'em.
'Feels Like the First Time,' 'Cold As Ice,' "Hot Blooded,' 'Urgent,' 'I Want To Know What Love Is' . . .
As long as founding members Mick Jones and Lou Gramm are still at the helm, the '70s and '80s aren't dead; they aren't even sick. 7 p.m.
March 21 Engvall can be appreciated best by a process of elimination. He's the member of the Blue Collar Comedy troupe who doesn't birddog rednecks, doesn't drink Scotch onstage and doesn't look like he came to the gig straight from fixing your disposal. Does that make Engvall the intellectual of the group?
Who knows, but he's a funny guy regardless. 7 p.m.
March 22 Few remember that Kenny Rogers started out singing jazz in Houston clubs and psychedelic pop ('I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)') in L.A. Far fewer still know that in Austin, he dropped out of the University of Texas to play bass for local jazz legend Bobby Doyle.
But starting in the mid-'70s, when he charted 'Lucille' and 'Love Lifted Me' kicked off a seemingly endless series of soft country/pop hits, everyone knew who Rogers was. An equally endless series of movies and TV specials have only enshrined Rogers in pop culture years after his records no longer top the charts. As savvy as the Gambler character he so successfully portrayed, Roberts still knows how to parlay an inside straight into a winning hand.
7 p.m. March 23 Though the four members are Texas natives, Lonestar had its origins in Tennessee.
'Tequila Talkin' ' was the band's first Top Ten hit in 1997, followed two years later by 'Amazed.' Their latest release is 2006's 'Mountains.' More recently, they spun the big wheel for charity during Country Music Stars Week on TV's 'Wheel of Fortune.
' 7 p.m. March 24 McCoy is a familiar face at Rodeo Austin.
The East Texas native had a platinum streak that started in 1995 with the album 'You Gotta Love That,' and followed through two subsequent releases. His 2005 release, 'That's Life,' reached the top three of the Billboard Independent Album chart and he followed it up with a 2006 live album/DVD release.
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