To Plank or not to J. Plank, Folk Alliance, Baton Rouge and Texas

Feb 19, 2025

As always, scroll down to see my upcoming album release shows in Baton Rouge and all over Texas! Get the info from the links below, check my website, or follow my Bandsintown.

Join my patreon for new unreleased music every month and much more! patreon.com/jeffplankenhorn (previewed of a song earlier this month from my unreleased album recorded in The Netherlands in October!!!)

On my Air Canada flight to Montreal…

First up - I’m on my way to Folk Alliance International 2025. This year it takes place in beautiful, but chilly, Montreal, QC. I plan on seeing a lot of old friends and meeting some new ones. Maybe even find that sought after manager I have been searching for…

I few emails back I told the story of how Ray Wylie Hubbard and I met at Folk Alliance in Memphis back in 1998. So I won’t go over the whole explanation of this conference but suffice to say it’s a big arse hotel with hundreds of folkies trying to get attention at a conference where everyone is trying to get attention. Despite that, it is a wonderful conference and makes me think fondly of many folks we have lost. My friend the late Louis Meyers who had recently become my manager in 2016 and gave me the “five-star” treatment in Kansas City that year. Sitting in the stairwells with Sarah Elizabeth Campbell singing Blaze and Townes songs together for hours completely blowing off our responsibilities and drawing larger crowds there than in our private showcases. As much as I miss those we have lost, suddenly and otherwise, I am always excited to hear and meet new songwriters, club and venue owners, promoters, and the likes.

A friend of mine contacted me about his nephew who is coming, by himself, all the way to Montreal and asked if I’d grab a coffee with him. When I think of how many folks I met through various Folk Alliance’s in the past, man, I need to pay it forward as much as possible!

Here’s a look at my schedule:

OK next I want to hip y’all to an incredible venue I am playing this coming February 27th that is sadly coming to an end in the next few months.

The Red Dragon Listening Room Baton Rouge has been a funky, great sounding, fantastic audience having, great artists promoting venue for 24 years, and is finally coming to a close. The proprietors Chris and Liz Maxwell were (and still are for a fe more shows) the absolute best of hosts, and will still continue to promote and put together shows for Manship Theater there in that same spicy Louisiana town, and I know we’ll still cross paths. If you are in the area before they close the doors, you really have to go check out a show there.

I’m exited to have my first album release show for my solo acoustic album on Coastal Bend Music — The Bend there at the world-famous, but sadly coming to an end Red Dragon Listening Room. Bittersweet.

For the rest of the 2 weeks after Folk Alliance and Baton Rouge I’m Texas bound with more album release shows! Brand new CD’s and t-shirts and Plank hats for those who are interested in Houston, Wimberley (private party), Dripping Springs, Fulton (home of Coastal Bend Music), Lubbock, Hunt, Austin (big release show at The Saxon Pub!), and a house concert in Austin for those who don’t like the big crowds on Saturday nights!

By then, almost three weeks will have gone by and I’ll be so ready to head back behind the maple curtain.

Oh, and I need to let everyone know I am not changing my name, but I am going to put J. Plank on all my records, shows, websites, socials, and everything else music from now on.

Here are answers to the obvious questions:

I’m changing it because everyone calls me plank anyways and have for years. I have learned to love it for many reasons.
I am not going with just “Plank” as a stage name because believe it or not, there are too many folks out there playing music under the “Cher and Slash” umbrella with the name “Plank.”
Why the “J.”? I always loved names like M. Ward, A. Whitney Brown, etc. It rolls of the tongue better.

Same me, new sound, just a couple less syllables.

So some venues will take a bit to catch up, and Facebook is being a real pain about letting me change it, but you’ll get used to it. My booking agency. label, other business associations have already succumbed to my will on this. You will too!

So you can still search Jeff Plankenhorn and find me, but as fast as I can make it happen the music will be under J. Plank.

OK check the dates below, come see me in Baton Rouge and Texas for now, and wish me luck at Folk Alliance!