Ones To Watch: Wayland Baxter

These songs blur the line between fact and fiction.

By Art LevyMarch 10, 2016 9:30 am,

All this week, KUTX profiles the Ones To Watch – seven must-see artists at SXSW 2016.

It took a little while for Nashville’s Rayland Baxter to find his place. He spent his college years as an athlete but with a creative interest. “I was always making up short stories in college, and that came fairly easy to me but they were all fantasy kind of stuff,” says Baxter.

But when he picked up a guitar and started traveling around the country, Baxter discovered his calling. Imaginary Man, his second album, lives up to its title: these songs blur the line between fact and fiction.

Rayland Baxter is the son of Bucky Baxter, a pedal steel guitarist who’s played with Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, and Ryan Adams. To this day, the younger Baxter holds onto some of Bucky’s fatherly advice: just be yourself.

Rayland Baxter at SXSW 2016:

Thursday, Mar 17: Hotel San Jose (SXSanJose)

Thursday, Mar 17: Blackheart (official SXSW showcase) — 10 p.m.

Friday, Mar 18: Swan Dive (Frye Days) — 4 p.m.