BRAXTON KEITH CALLS SAN ANTONIO HOME, BUT THE 20 SOMETHING SONGWRITER HASN’T SPENT MUCH TIME THERE IN RECENT YEARS. HE LEAVES TOWN NEARLY EVERY WEEKEND, DRIVING HIS BAND— AND HIS OWN TOUR BUS TOWARD THE NEXT SHOW. “THAT BUS IS ACTUALLY THE ONLY VEHICLE I OWN,” HE SAYS. “I DRIVE IT EVERYWHERE I GO.” WHETHER HE’S ONSTAGE OR BEHIND THE WHEEL, BRAXTON DOESN’T JUST PLAY COUNTRY MUSIC. HE LIVES IT. INSPIRED BY THE TRADITIONAL TWANG OF STORYTELLERS LIKE MARTY ROBBINS AND MERLE HAGGARD, HE WRITES SONGS THAT BLEND MODERN SOUNDS WITH THE BEST ELEMENTS OF OLD-SCHOOL COUNTRY. IT’S A BALANCE OF THE CONTEMPORARY AND THE CLASSIC, GLUED TOGETHER BY A PROUD TEXAS NATIVE WHO’S LEARNED TO CREATE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MUSIC ABOUT UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCES. “THESE ARE SONGS ABOUT LOVE, HEARTBREAK, AND DRINKING, WHICH ARE THINGS EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT,” HE EXPLAINS. “I’M NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO WRITE SONGS ABOUT THOSE THINGS. BUT I’M THE ONLY PERSON TO DO IT MY WAY.”