Hank Alrich
The Sound of Austin’s Living Legacy
Hank Alrich is a cornerstone of Austin music history. A half-century ago, he was the behind-the-scenes operator of the storied Armadillo World Headquarters, running Onion Audio and overseeing the Armadillo Records label. From recording Kinky Friedman’s first demo to guiding the music hall through its most successful run, Alrich spent decades shaping the industry before retreating to the California wilderness to raise a family. With Broken River, Hank Alrich returns not simply as a figure from Austin’s storied past, but as a vital voice for the present and future.
Joe Nick Patoski ~ Author of Willie Nelson “An Epic Life”
Broken River is a both a storm warning and a meditation. The words ring loud and clear: the world is not in a good way, but somehow we will persevere.
The music reflects the wide breadth of acts Alrich brought the Armadillo ranging from free jazz to new wave and punk to funk and soul, along with a heaping helping of songsters of all stripes and folkies of every persuasion. You might call it American music; I think of it as the sound of Austin.
Bill Bentley ~ Bentley’s Bandstand @ Americana Highways
this new album is a revelation. Not only can the man sing, but he can write songs that will surely remain timeless. Hank Alrich’s voice has a near- supernatural sound, one that feels like he’s been singing through the spirit of time.
John Kereiff ~ The Rock Doctors Hot Wax Album Reviews
This is a new album from a man known as a cornerstone of the Austin music scene. A renowned musician, producer and cultural architect, it would be too easy to describe Broken River as ‘country’, but he’s a storyteller on the same level as Ian Tyson. The feel of this reminds me of something Meat Loaf told me when I did a phone interview with him in 2011... talking about art, whether it be music or theater, he said “if you’re not after the truth, you’re wasting your time”, and it feels like there’s truth behind every song on this album.