David Beck to play Duett’s Texas Club in Martindale Nov. 11

The Hill Country is changing, and like it or not, we are changing with it. We feel it in the way our morning commute has lengthened from 5 minutes to 30. We see it in the apartment complexes springing up around the fringe of town. And we hear it in the songs our locals share with us.

It’s a sweet melancholy reflected in the lyrics of “North Star,” the lead single from David Beck’s new album, “Goodbye Country Stars,” due out next year.

Ahead of the album’s release, Beck is playing a handful of shows around the Hill Country, including one at Martindale’s brand new Duett’s Texas Club on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.

“It’s an awesome spot,” Beck said. “They renovated an old historic building. It took about two years to do it. They put one of the best sound systems in there. It’s a great place to see music. It’s the right sized room. It’s got the right atmosphere.”

Though many know Beck from Tejano Weekend and from his dynamic country band Sons of Fathers, this time around, the noted bass player brings his personal experiences of growing up in the Hill Country to the forefront.

“It's a little more country, a little more Americana,” Beck said. “We’ve got upright bass, guitar, fiddle. I got all my best friends to play on it. We’re excited to tell people about it.”

Born and raised in Texas, Beck currently calls Martindale home. Being from the Hill Country, Beck is well aware of the changes encroaching upon San Marcos’ small, quiet neighbor to the east, and it makes him all the more eager to embrace the town even as it’s begun to grow.

“Right now, people are drinking beer, walking around in the street,” Beck said. “[Martindale] is wholesomely lawless, in a good way, but for better or worse, it’s a greater Austin road trip destination spot. In 10, 15 years, it could turn into a Gruene/Luckenbach situation, which is not a bad thing. But you’ve got to catch it while you can.”

Duett’s represents a step in the direction of progress while remaining true to its small-town Texas roots. Located on the lower level of the Martindale Motor Company Building, it was originally constructed in 1924 as a Hupmobile car dealership. Now it serves as a public hub where the people of Martindale can come together over food, drinks and really good music.

“It’s in a special spot geographically,” Beck said. “There’s a full liquor bar, which hasn’t happened in Martindale since prohibition, and there’s a full restaurant dinner menu. It’s going to be really fun.”

Tickets for David Beck featuring Parker Chapin are available at duettstx.com/music. “North Star” is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes. Check out Beck’s discography at davidbeckdavidbeck. com. You will be glad you did.

You’re my north star And you’re shining true I spend my whole life Just following you.

— from North Star by David Beck