Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

A real troubadour. A TRUEbadour. Stevie Tombstone plays 250 live shows a year. Always on the road, following his calling. When he is home, whenever that is, he hangs his hat in Austin Texas. His music is raw and very personal. He lives the life, he doesn’t just sing about it. I have heard him called a “musician’s musician”. I never really understood that term completely. I guess it can be interpreted as he should be more popular and recognized, but only musicians are smart enough to realize how good he is. Maybe there is a lot of truth there. I am not a musician, but I understand how good Stevie Tombstone is. His music is performed in the spirit of the great troubadours: Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, and Guy Clark to name a few. It is definitely edgy and also contains that punk rock energy and spirit. Just listen to My Bad Angel Eye (Track 13) on I Wish I Was Back In Vegas and you can hear that punk rock sound coming through loud and clear. This guy is the genuine article and deserves some acclaim.

I Wish I Was Back In Vegas is a collection of tunes Mr. Tombstone has been playing for the past 30 years or so. Sort of a greatest hits collection. And I have to tell you, they are great. There is even some appearance from some of alt country’s superstars. I keep gravitating back to Kevlar Heart (Track 11) which is a song about having a tough exterior so no one can penetrate the veil. It is a very sad song, but eerily beautiful and well written. “Take your best shot, I’ve got a Kevlar heart”. Those are some powerful words. Tombstone has a plethora of powerful words on this collection that are entertaining, thought provoking, and awe inspiring.

This link is for listening. This one is for procurement.