A lot has happened since the release of Matt Hayden Minor's first album MHM. Euro Country, the ECMA's official publication, featured Matt's name on the cover as the ninth most requested artist for November-a list that included, among others, Alan Jackson and George Strait. His album, in which all the seven tracks received extensive airplay in 11 countries, made it to No. 31 on the prestigious International Country Album chart. Country Music, Britain's No.1 C @ W music newspaper, said of Matt's debut: "Matt has it all talent, youth, good looks, and yes he does wear a hat so maybe some major will look him up. He deserves it." This success sets the stage for the release of his forthcoming album, Tall Tales from Houston Town, and the album's first single, released to European radio and American independent radio, "Bandanna. " "The record is a kind of tribute to the city in which I was born and raised," Matt explained. "I kind of consider Houston the Politically Incorrect capital of America. Really the whole state is, but Houston is its largest and rawest city." The title Tall Tales is taken from the literal meaning of the term: the truth taken and twisted to achieve a certain conclusion, usually humorous, sometimes tragic, but always entertaining-terms that most definitely apply to this CD. Having abandoned much hope of breaking into the mainstream country market, Matt begins where he left off with MHM; only pushing it further left of center. "The last CD was colorful, and there's nothing I'd really do over, but like a lot of guys here, I recorded it for publishing purposes as much as for artist. With this one I'm just recording songs that I like," said Matt. "It may be far too early to do that, but that's what I'm doing." Make no mistake, though-Tall Tales from Houston Town is one hell of a catchy record. From the slick mid-tempo western "Take Me Back to Houston." the haunted story of a young dreamer defeated by the ridiculous realities of the recording industry; to "Saddle Bronc Blues," the minor key guitar- fiddle tale of a paralyzed rodeo cowboy; it is the subject matter and the utterly uncanny lyrical approach that sets these songs apart. Houston Town is also laced with witty commentary on everything from the miserable state of pick-up trucks to love, marriage, big business, big government and bits and pieces of personal history. Musically, Tall Talesfrom Houston Town falls somewhere between Straight country and Americana. There's even some elements of pop and alternative. "I was influenced as much by the twangier elements of Post-Punk like The Long Ryders, R.E.M and The Alarm as much as by the popular country music of my childhood and adolescence. I can't really compare myself stylistically to anyone genre or artist; it's all pretty original," Matt said. Original is definitely a term that describes Matt Hayden Minor, and yet he is the quintessential native son. "My father's side of the family came to Texas from Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1800s. I am a direct descendant of Baily Hardeman: a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and William Hardeman,' a general in the Republic of Texas army. My mother's side settled in La Grange via Prague, Czechoslovakia at the turn of the last century. My music is just my way of contributing to that rich heritage. This record is just a smattering of all the songs I've compiled about our collective experiences. I'm excited about it. I think Texas' greatest contribution to the world is not the Alamo, or the cowboy, but rather that of the ability of the individual to still assert his or herself. What makes it great is that it was, and is, a land of ass-kicking misfits. "