Two beers rested in cup holders on the custom mic stand as award-winning country singer/songwriter and Sam Houston State alumni Roger Creager entertained an energetic audience during his show at the Jolly Fox on Thursday.Creager and his band made a stop in Huntsville as part of their “2008 Live Across Texas Tour.”The band has been silent since the 2003 release of their last album “Long Way to Mexico” but the anticipation for a new material has only made fans more eager to attend shows.”The tour is doing better than ever,” Creager said. “After four and a half years, everyone knows the words to your songs so it’s pretty exciting.”The 1994 graduate obtained an accounting degree from SHSU before taking on music full time. On stage at the Jolly Fox, Creager joked that students attend college to “get a degree in case what they really want to do falls through.”Creager started out playing in local bars and clubs around College Station but never really knew how far the music business would take him. “I remember the first time I heard myself on the radio,” Creager said. “I was in College Station at a party and we the knew the DJ for the radio station. He called us up and said to turn on the DJ in like five minutes. We did and there was my song playing on the radio. Everyone at the party went crazy.”Four albums later, the band has received numerous awards including Entertainer of the Year at the 2001 Texas Music Awards and have earned rave concert reviews from all over the state.”The best part [about touring] is getting to play music every night and being around the guys in the band,” Creager said. “I don’t like to stay in one place for very long. Every day in a different city, different scenes, different cultures and different people. I love it.”The band is currently recording a new album (according to Creager, “it’s about damn time”) and is in the process of launching a new Web site to be up this week. On the Web site, fans can get information about an opportunity to join Creager and the band in Mexico during the 7th annual Party South of the Border. “It’s a trip we do every year,” Creager said. “We go out to Playa Del Carmen and hang out on the beach for four days. We play shows while we’re down there and people can sign up to go with us.” Whether the band is in Texas or outside the United States, Creager never forgets where he’s from and makes it a point to come back to his alma mater.”I love Huntsville,” Creager said. “It’s a fun town. It’s just me.”For more information on Party South of the Border or to check out upcoming tour dates, visit the band’s Web site at http://www.rogercreager.com.
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