If you\u2019ve spent any time in the Fort Worth music scene over the past five or six years, chances are you\u2019ve heard the name Two Guys Walk Into A Bar. What sounds like the setup to a dirty joke has become the nameplate of a band that\u2019s quietly grown into elder statesmen of Cowtown\u2019s roots, red dirt, and Americana scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pete Gargiulo and Mike Terry \u2014 the \u201ctwo guys\u201d in question \u2014 are more than just collaborators. They\u2019re neighbors, friends, and co-conspirators in a musical journey that began over a decade ago. Around 2010 or 2011, the pair met in their neighborhood, initially just jamming with other local musicians in a band called The Swags. That project, mostly originals but heavy on good-time covers, lasted six or seven years before splitting in 2016. A hiatus for Gargiulo turned into a reuniting spark: why not start fresh as a duo?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStarting as a duo is easy,\u201d Terry explains. \u201cYou can play anywhere. You don\u2019t have to organize a full band, coordinate schedules, or find a venue big enough for five people.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
From there, the project evolved \u2014 first as a duo, then into a full-fledged band, complete with Mike Prichard on bass and Steve Pierce on drums. Their mission? Bring a good time to every stage they step on, whether it\u2019s a small bar or a sprawling outdoor space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their forthcoming album, Sippin\u2019 Bourbon in Hell, recorded with Mark Randall at Blackstone Studios, drops Oct. 24 and builds on the lessons they learned from their first record, Terlingua. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Gargiulo recalls, \u201cWe spent more time preparing the music as a four-piece before hitting the studio. We\u2019re not session musicians, so every track had to be tight before we laid it down.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Terry adds, \u201cWe wanted each song to have its own personality. Some tracks are more acoustic, some heavier with layers of electric guitars, lap steel, or keys. We don\u2019t want listeners feeling like they\u2019re hearing the same thing five songs in a row.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Collaboration drives their songwriting. Some tracks are seventy-thirty, some fifty-fifty, but every song is a joint effort. Gargiulo tells the story of \u201cDo You Feel Me?,\u201d inspired by his military family and the struggles of returning veterans. \u201cI wrote it one night when I couldn\u2019t sleep. Then Mike added chords, lyrics, and helped craft the bridge. It\u2019s always a collaborative process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that process extends beyond just the two of them.\u00a0Sippin\u2019 Bourbon in Hell\u00a0features guest artists like Bethany Doolan, whose vocals grace \u201cDystopian Blues,\u201d as well as local musicians contributing lap steel and keyboards. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all want the songs to discover their own sound,\u201d Terry explains. \u201cIt\u2019s about letting the music lead us, not forcing it into one box.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Influences run deep but aren\u2019t restrictive. Terry, a child of the early \u201970s, grew up on the Rolling Stones. Gargiulo, late \u201970s, favored Journey and the Eagles. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d Gargiulo laughs. \u201cMike\u2019s a Stones guy, I\u2019m an Eagles guy. But we go where the music takes us. Some songs are bluesy, some jazzy, some rock \u2014 but all of them feel right to us.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
The result is a sound that\u2019s unmistakably their own, yet impossible to pin down into a single genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fort Worth\u2019s music scene, they say, has only gotten stronger alongside their growth. Venues like Gustos, Magnolia Motor Lounge, Crystal Springs Hideaway, and the Rook in McKinney have become vital hubs for artists. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got unreal talent here,\u201d Terry says. Leon Bridges, Denver Williams \u2014 the scene rivals Austin. If not, we might even do it better. And I think musicians get paid better here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two Guys Walk Into A Bar aren\u2019t just performers; they\u2019re community builders. Every dollar they earn funnels back into recording, collaborating, and supporting Fort Worth\u2019s local venues. Studios, photographers, merch suppliers \u2014 all local. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do is invested back into Fort Worth,\u201d Gargiulo emphasizes. \u201cIt\u2019s about the community, not just us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For aspiring musicians, their advice is practical and grounded. Hustle, be professional, and get involved. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShow up, know the scene, meet other musicians, and be consistent,\u201d Terry says. \u201cDon\u2019t chase fame. Focus on your craft, your community, and filling a small venue with people who love your music.\u201d Gargiulo adds, \u201cIf you can do that, the rest comes in time.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that same dedication and attention to community that shines through on\u00a0Sippin\u2019 Bourbon in Hell\u00a0\u2014 an album that isn\u2019t just a collection of songs, but a statement. It represents years of friendship, experience, and lessons learned in the trenches of Fort Worth\u2019s music scene. The duo is proud, not just of the music, but of the scene that made it possible. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d be honored if anyone called this music on our upcoming album the Fort Worth sound,\u201d Gargiulo says. \u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of the community, the city, and the people who have supported us along the way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With eight songs that range from bluesy to jazzy to straight-up roots rock,\u00a0Sippin\u2019 Bourbon in Hell\u00a0promises to solidify Two Guys Walk Into A Bar as more than a local act \u2014 but as torchbearers of Fort Worth\u2019s vibrant, evolving, and fiercely independent musical identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n