Dallas band Somebody's Darling got something a lot better than free beer when it won Shiner Records' Rising Star competition last October. Weeks after beating out 23 other bands in the contest, the country-rock foursome found itself in a Nashville recording studio, making an album on Shiner's dime with producer Dan Baird (of Georgia Satellites).

Guitarist David Ponder says those sessions resulted in a self-titled album that captures the band's live sound much better than last year's debut EP.

"On every song on the record – drums, bass, acoustic guitar, one electric track and most of the vocals are all live," Ponder told us in an e-mail interview. "We can definitely hear the difference."

Ponder and his bandmates – Nate Wedan, Michael Talley and lead singer Amber Farris – will play a big show this weekend at the Granada to mark the release of Somebody's Darling. Here's more from him.

Hunter Hauk

Q: Does Shiner Records operate differently than a typical label?

Ponder: It's the label that all "Shiner Rising Star" competition winners release their albums through. They've put out some great albums by Darryl Lee Rush, Lost Immigrants and Miles From Nowhere. The label is really a partnership between Palo Duro Records and Joshua Jones of [KHYI-FM] 95.3 the Range. It really is an artist-friendly place. For example, unlike 99.9 percent of all other record deals, you only commit to do one album, so there's no concerns of having to get out of some crippling deal four albums down the road. All in all, it's a really nurturing, positive atmosphere.

Q: What was the "Rising Star" competition like? What was the hardest part of the process?

Ponder: The competition was pretty awesome, especially in retrospect. Of course, at first we were really wary of the whole battle-of-the-bands idea. Those generally seem to be a "whose fans can clap the loudest" competition, and at the end of a really cutthroat process you'd win a few days in a studio, or half off on your next batch of T-shirts or something. The Shiner competition was different because you were judged by actual industry people. ... I think the hardest part of the process was winning and then immediately fleshing out 12 song ideas for the studio. We had about a month and a half to do this, which was crazy hectic. But, honestly, the pressure was probably a good thing.

Q: Did Shiner introduce you to Dan Baird, or was hiring him as a producer your idea?

Ponder: Dan Baird was totally Joshua Jones' idea, and we really lucked out. We immediately felt like he was our crazy uncle that we had just gotten old enough to hang out with. I mean, here's a guy that toured with Tom Petty, and he's poring over your tunes with you like they actually matter. ... He really knew where we were coming from with our blend of classic rock and country. I mean, it's pretty much how he's made a living for 30 years, so we definitely knew we were in good hands from the beginning.

Q: Did recording in Nashville have an effect on your sound or approach to making music?

Ponder: So glad you asked this. Nashville has completely and utterly spoiled us as far as recording studios go. For instance, it sounds small, but we each had our very own headphone mixers sitting right next to us. This means all of us could completely customize how we were hearing the session, and it's amazing what a relief this is. Also, the studio was big enough that we could isolate all of the instruments and record live as a band.

Q: Who are some songwriters that you guys consider kindred spirits?

Ponder: Tough question. All of us are really grounded in the classic rock our parents and older siblings introduced us to. We were the kids who learned how to play guitar because we liked Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers. All pretty blues-based stuff. Of course, like everyone, we grew up, and things got a whole lot more diverse, but I'd say Jim James and Ryan Adams are our two most direct contemporary influences. Like a million other 20-somethings, Ryan Adams really showed us that country and country-rock didn't have to be filtered through Music Row, and watching My Morning Jacket live drastically expanded what we thought was possible in a live setting.

Q: What are a few songs on your LP that stand out to you?

Ponder: This is too hard! Our ideas on this probably change every month or two. ... "Another Two Step" is a really cool song. It's probably the most "country" that we really get. There's this hard train beat, and we insisted upon getting some Nashville session players in there to do banjo and fiddle. "Put Out Your Fire" is cool because it came together almost entirely in the studio. It's got this vulnerable vibe that's really honest. "Cold Hearted Lover" is our ode to classic rock and Camaro drivers everywhere. Dan put some of his signature backup vocals on it, and we love it!

Q: Love the band name, but what's the thinking behind it?

Ponder: There's really no deep, behind-the-scenes meaning here. "Somebody's Darling" is an old Civil War song about a dead soldier. The tune talks about how there's this anonymous soldier in a grave, but back home he's somebody's darling. We liked the idea that everyone has more to them than what you see. We all got a story, ya know?

CD-release show with John David Kent, Merrol Ray and King of

the Rabbit Trail, Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Granada Theater,

3524 Greenville Ave. $9.50-$12.50. Free copy of the CD with every ticket sold. 214-824-9933. tickets.granadatheater.com.

Hear some music at myspace.com/somebodysdarlin.

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