Blue Water Highway Band inspired through its Lake Jackson roots

LAKE JACKSON, Texas (KTRK) -- For many locals familiar with the Blue Water Highway along the Gulf Coast, they think of the stretch of road between Galveston and Surfside. However, Zack Kibodeaux and Greg Essington used the name for their band as a way to pay homage to the area they grew up in. The duo went to high school together and quickly grew fond of the music and arts education that the Lake Jackson community had to offer.

During college, Kibodeaux and Essington met up with Catherine Clarke and Kyle James Smith. The four began jamming together and soon formed the band, Blue Water Highway. 8 years later, not only have they toured major Texas cities, but they have been all over the US, and overseas. For the past year, the band had to scale back and perform virtual concerts for their fans due to the pandemic, but they're looking forward to hitting the road once again when gathering become safe again.

One of the projects Essington is proud of is The Grand Ol' Christmas Show. He, along with his friend, Will Hearn, produced the show as seniors in high school. 19 years later, the production continues to raise money for local nonprofits in the Lake Jackson and statewide communities, including youth homes, True to Life Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.

Blue Water Highway is getting ready to release their next album, Paper Airplanes. That will be out in March, but you can check out some of their music now on Apple Music and Spotify. To learn more, visit their website or check them out on Instagram.