Evan Patterson at Red Rooster IceHouse

Evan Patterson is a rising country artist from Gilmer, Texas, the county seat of Upshur County and a town within easy reach of this part of Northeast Texas. His sound follows the Red Dirt and Texas country tradition, the songwriter-driven style associated with names like Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed. On Saturday, May 8, 2027, he plays the Red Rooster IceHouse in Hawkins, about 30 minutes from the property.

The artist

Patterson is the kind of artist the Texas and Oklahoma Red Dirt scene keeps producing: a songwriter who comes up playing the small halls and icehouses before the bigger rooms, building a following on original material and honest storytelling. His influences run straight through the Texas country canon, and his shows pair original songs with the kind of covers that fit a weekend room. Hearing an artist early, in an intimate setting like the Red Rooster, is part of the fun of following the regional circuit.

The venue

Red Rooster IceHouse on North Beaulah Street in Hawkins is a classic East Texas music hall with a restaurant, full bar, and an indoor stage that hosts regional and national acts throughout the year. The room has a worn, welcoming feel built for live music, with a menu of burgers and Southern comfort food. A May night is perfect weather for the drive, with long evenings and the Piney Woods at their greenest.

The drive from the property

County Road 1070 to Hawkins is about 30 minutes via US-80 and US-271, past farmland and through the Piney Woods. For a property that promises quiet and seclusion, it is reassuring to know that a rising regional act is playing a quality room half an hour away. The music scene around Titus County is one of the area's quiet strengths, and nights like this are why.