Amanda Shires carries the torch of Texas music

The big picture: While Shires lives outside Nashville with her husband, Jason Isbell, and their 7-year-old daughter, Mercy, she says it's important to her to keep alive the classic Texas music she grew up with.

• "​​I started realizing how much we could potentially lose the old music if we didn't keep it in a new recorded way because there's so many of the songs that aren't on streaming platforms," Shires tells Axios.
• "I'm happy to do it. I love the songs, whether they're in fashion or not."

Catch up fast: Shires grew up in Mineral Wells and Lubbock and started playing fiddle with the Texas Playboys — legend Bob Wills' Texas Swing band — when she was 15. She says the septuagenarian musicians taught her to improvise and retain the vintage tunes they played together.

• Shires also plays in her husband's band and co-founded the country music supergroup The Highwomen.

What's happening: Shires completed "Loving You" after Nelson died last year at age 91. Shires says the task was both an honor and a burden. "When she passed, I took a step back and I was like, 'How am I supposed to do this without her here?'" Shires says. "Then, alternately, I thought, what a huge disservice to not honor her anyway, because she did so much."

Meanwhile: Shires is also the scene-stealing star of an HBO documentary chronicling Isbell making the album "Reunions." The film touches on the couple's sometimes contentious marriage — and documents their isolation during the pandemic, including footage of Shires and Isbell recording themselves.

• The filming process was more complicated than she originally expected.
• "I'd already said yes. What was I supposed to do? It's not very Texan of me to not do what I said I would," she says.

State of play: Shires says it's vital for artists to expose their vulnerabilities.

• "It's more important now than ever to be vulnerable and be human and not be AI robots," she says.
• "Our job is to explain hard things because many of us don't have the vocabulary and haven't been taught how to describe our feelings accurately."

Between the lines: Shires has also been outspoken about wanting other Nashville stars to stand up for abortion rights. She wrote an op-ed for Rolling Stone in 2020, specifically calling out Garth Brooks. She says she's tired of popular artists worrying about losing their platforms if they speak out.

• "For men that already have money and boats and land and more money, and it's like, how much do you need? How many times have you benefited from somebody having an abortion or anything like that?"

Poetry: Amanda Shires is the rare breed of successful musician who can craft a poetic turn of phrase even without accompaniment.

• She has a master's degree from Sewanee, with a focus in poetry.

Why it matters: Attentive Axios readers know how much we love six-word reviews, so we couldn't resist the urge to ask her to write some for us.

• We gave her some prompts and she did the rest. Here's what she came up with…

Her new album: "Heartbreaking. Hopeful. Three tequilas. Master pianist."

The new documentary: "Better because we weren't in control."

Her hometown of Mineral Wells: "River, well water, cattle country, fiddles."

Texas abortion laws: "Cruel and inhumane. Have a heart."

Mike as an interviewer: "Thoughtful, genuine. About to try vulnerability."

The bottom line: Shires embodies the Texas legacy even when she isn't playing music.

What's next: Shires is playing two shows at legendary Texas venues this weekend. She'll be at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas on Saturday and at Gruene Hall on Sunday.