Last year, Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, the core members of folk band Briscoe, spent Fourth of July like thousands of other Texans: watching in horror as news of devasting floods unfolded in headlines. Not only are both men from the Central Texas area (San Angelo and San Antonio, respectively), but the duo first met at a summer camp just half an hour from Kerrville. Moved by the moment, the pair sprang into action to assist with relief efforts along the Guadalupe River.
“It just broke our heart, because we know how much joy you experience when you’re out in the Hill Country at a camp like that for the summer,” Lupton says. “It hit really, really close to home, so that’s part of the reason we wanted to get out there and help as soon as we could.”
Lupton remembers marveling at the number of people and the various emergency response teams that showed up from across the state. The turnout was so vast that it required extensive effort just to coordinate all the volunteers. It was a moment of unity and hopefulness amid a terrible tragedy.
On his way home from a day spent clearing downed trees and debris, the musician’s mind began to process the events in the way that feels most natural for him. The melody of a line began to take shape: “Two thirds the state, half the world, and all my living kin helped the Heart of Texas start to beat again.”
One year later, Briscoe is now ready to share that song with the world. “The Heart of Texas” is officially releasing on Friday, July 3, but you can hear the song today via our exclusive premiere at the link below. You can also pay what you wish to purchase the song via Bandcamp right now, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to support neighbors impacted by the floods and contribute to ongoing recovery efforts.
“We felt like it wouldn’t do Kerrville justice to not mention the lives that were lost in the flood, and that’s what we did in the third verse and tried to do that as carefully as we could knowing the amount of heartbreak that the community is still experiencing,” Lupton explains. However, he says the song at its core has other aspirations: “The goal was not to tell a story of loss, but to try to capture the hope of community.”
While the members of Briscoe were more than happy to donate their time and physical energy to assisting their community, the duo has used their talents to offer an even larger contribution via fundraising and an inspirational work of art.
“People who don’t keep up with the Texas Hill Country might keep up with our music,” Lupton says. “It puts us in a position to shine a spotlight on the place we love and the people we love through a song like this, and continuing to support these communities that were affected by the flood even a year after the damage was done.”
Briscoe will perform an intimate show on July 3 in Kerrville as part of a special evening of reflection and healing for the community. To read more about Briscoe, including their sophomore album, Heat of July, check out our feature on the band published last fall.
Stream “The Heart of Texas” below, and purchase the song via Bandcamp here.