15 April 2 - 8, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents (Cow)boys on Film With Cowboy in London, Dallas documentary filmmaker Jared L. Christopher captures an unapologetic look at rising country crooner Charley Crockett. BY PRESTON BARTA T here is a distinct kind of mythol- ogy that wraps itself around Charley Crockett. With his sharp vintage suits, effortless brand of cool and a worn acous- tic guitar slung over his shoulder, he looks like a ghost pulled straight from a 1950s honky-tonk. But behind the polished veneer of the Texas troubadour lies a story far more complex, rugged and untamed than any country song could hold. Now, a new documentary and concert film, A Cowboy in London, aims to strip away the myth and show the man. The film, which premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, offers an unfiltered look at the beloved blues and country singer. The film follows the journey of a rising star of Texas music, yes, but it also follows the story of the Texas filmmaker who caught him on tape. Much like Crockett himself, director Jared L. Christopher knows the Dallas-Fort Worth sprawl intimately. Growing up in Grand Prairie, a sort of middle ground be- tween the two, he understands the invisible geographic lines that define North Texas. “If you grow up in Dallas, you really never go to Fort Worth. And if you grew up in Fort Worth, you never go to Dallas,” Christopher says to the Observer. “I identify with Dallas when people ask me where I’m from.” That local soil is where his connection with Crockett took root. Crockett spent a significant chunk of his early life in Irving and honed his musical craft busking on the streets of Deep Ellum. “Me being from Grand Prairie, we actu- ally knew some of the same people, so we stayed in touch,” Christopher says.. “When you hear his voice, there’s only one Charley Crockett. When he sings, you know who it is every time. And so, I was just taken by him, and I thought, well, we need to work to- gether.” The path to premiering a film at the State Theatre during SXSW was not a straight line for Christopher. His journey started in the trenches of local journalism as a video jour- nalist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He recalls hustling just to get a taste of the Aus- tin festival scene. “I had convinced my editor to let me cover South By purely for the badge,” he says. Tagging along with the paper’s former film critic Cary Darling, Christopher used his credentials to slip into just about any room he wanted. “Just in the back of my head, I thought, one day I’ll have a film that’ll premiere here,” he says. On March 18, that thought became a real- ity. Honest, Not Polished C owboy in London is a bold departure from the standard, sanitized music documentary. It does not exist to merely stroke an artist’s ego or sell records. Instead, Christopher wanted to create something honest and meaningful — a film that had something real to say. Inspired by the old-school vérité documentaries that both he and Crockett admire — works by Les Blank, D.A. Pennebaker, the Maysles Broth- ers — Christopher’s approach was all about capturing truth, not hype. “This is going to upset some people, but this is real and we need to put this out,” Christopher says about the film’s unflinch- ing gaze. “It is [Crockett] laid bare for the audience to decide how they feel. And to me, that’s what a documentary is. Otherwise, you’re making reality TV, and so we’re trying to resist that at every impulse.” Documentary filmmaking of this caliber requires immense patience and sharp in- stincts. Christopher describes his creative process as a delicate balancing act of obser- vation and presence. “I’m always trying to find that place where the version of you that you think ex- ists, and the version of your friends and fam- ily that speak of you, sort of meet,” he says. “I try to find that middle ground, and that can be uncomfortable.” Capturing that fleeting medium is no easy feat. “This type of filmmaking is without a doubt the hardest type of filmmaking, and it’s because you only get one shot at it,” Christopher says. “It’s literally observing and also being present and sharp enough to capture these moments that only happen once.” Part of Crockett’s truth involves a history that occasionally casts a long shadow over his soaring success. Recently, the singer made headlines when he was denied entry at the Canadian border due to an old drug conviction, forcing him to cancel a string of international shows. It was a stark reminder that the hard-traveling, outlaw persona is not a marketing gimmick — it’s a lived expe- rience with real-world consequences. Christopher views these moments with the empathetic but objective eye of a true storyteller. “I won’t speak for him, but certainly he’s got a past,” Christopher says. “And as [Crockett said in his social media post], that came back to haunt him there at the border. When you live that kind of life, you certainly have a past, and sometimes that literally comes back to haunt you.” Fans often romanticize the drifting, busk- ing lifestyle that Crockett endured before finding fame. But the reality of sleeping on the streets and hustling to survive leaves deep scars. As Christopher points out, “So many people question parts of his story. The truth about his story is probably even darker than people realize.” Yet, it is precisely this darkness, woven with an undeniable star power, that makes Crockett such a magnetic force. He carries the weight of his past onto the stage every night, channeling it into a sound that feels entirely out of time. After A Cowboy in London screened at the State Theatre to close out SXSW’s film portion, the celebration spilled over into the night. Crockett took the stage at Stubb’s Bar- B-Q in Austin to perform alongside fellow Texas musicians Presley Haile, Nicky Dia- monds and Calder Allen. But on a screen in a darkened theater, au- diences witnessed Charley Crockett stripped of his armor, laid out bare through the lens of a local filmmaker who knew how to look past the Stetson. ▼ CONCERTS POSTER GIRL GRANADA THEATER IS HOLDING A CONTEST FOR NORTH TEXAS ARTISTS TO DESIGN THE SHOW POSTER FOR SNAIL MAIL’S SHOW LATER THIS MONTH. BY CARLY MAY GRAVLEY U nless you’re a nepo baby, or whatever the art world’s version of an industry plant is, the opportunity to have your work co-signed by one of indie rock’s rising stars isn’t exactly an artistic rite of passage. The odds just went up for North Texas art- ists, though. Snail Mail, the solo project of indie-rock wunderkind Lindsey Jordan, is playing the Granada Theater on April 25. The show will feature Jordan’s exceptional musical styl- ings and selections from her upcoming al- bum, Ricochet. All the show still needs is a poster. Last week, the Granada put out a call on social media for show poster designs from North Texas artists. The submissions need to fit an 11x17 print and include the head- liner and supporting acts, the date, the venue name and absolutely no AI artwork. The winner will receive two tickets to the show, two additional tickets to an upcoming Granada show of their choosing, dinner at Sundown at Granada and a copy of their poster signed by Jordan. Ricochet is Snail Mail’s first new album in over five years. Jordan’s earlier work, such as the 2016 EP Habit and her breakout 2018 debut album Lush, was released when she was just a teenager, having already earned acclaim from critics and fans alike for her advanced songwriting. Her aching, confes- sional lyrics earned comparisons to indie- rock legends like Liz Phair and Fiona Apple. “I have a really hard time writing from any place other than complete honesty within myself,” Jordan said in a 2021 inter- view with Pitchfork. “Sometimes I want to write from an emotion that isn’t there, or isn’t something I’m experiencing at that mo- ment, but it never pans out. Maybe I do have a weird obsession with honesty.” Now 26, Jordan continues to bless listen- ers with her honesty and expand upon her sound. Ricochet blends her familiar lyrical prowess with rich orchestrations, creating an atmosphere that’s fuller and more cine- matic than anything she’s ever put out up to now. So far, singles like “Tractor Beam” and “Dead End” feel like they’d be right at home on a coming-of-age movie soundtrack. The record dropped on March 27. Not only would winning be a major flex, but being among the first to experi- ence the new album live would be a more- than-worthwhile prize. The deadline for Granada’s poster contest is April 5 at 11:59 p.m., and we highly recommend throwing your hat in the ring. The venue is accept- ing submissions at marketing@granada- theater.com. Jared L. Christopher Lindsey Jordan, aka Snail Mail, is coming to Granada Theater on April 25. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Director Jared L. Christopher gives us a closer look at Charley Crockett (above). | B-SIDES | ▼ Music
