Happy birthday, Mike Pinder!

Most folks don't know that name. I do . He was a founding member of the Moody Blues, one of the most important bands in my life. He was born in 1941, in Birmingham England, and has lived in the US for much of the last three decades. I miss his wonderful deep voice, and his deeply spiritual point of view. I think the Moodies went lacking after he decided to go do his own thing.
And I have yet to forget him. Well, when someone touches your life as much as those guys did mine, it would be tough to forget. They quite probably are why I am alive today. It sounds a little dramatic, but it is true. They gave a desperate person something to hold onto.

A belated happy birthday to his one time band mate, Ray Thomas, too. Ray was another of the founding members, flute player and extraordinary Welsh voice in the band. Ray decided to retire from music a few years back, figuring I suppose that four decades was quite enough. Now hw spends time fishing and playing with any grandchildren, I am sure.

I've always been tickled that I shared something with two members of that band: my birthday in right after Mike's. I'll have to remember to have a bite of cake for each of these fellows, when I do so for myself.

Many more guys! You are very loved.

Silent Night

Now, I have heard the above song done in Spanish for years, living here in San Antonio, but I don't think I have heard it quite so pretty or passionately, until last night. Yup. Del Castillo covered Silent Night.
It wasn't quite as moving as Perdename, but it was so sweet....I wish I could've captured it on tape, video, audio, whatever, to share with everyone who couldn't make it to the gig. It is a good thing to find reasons to truly be uplifted in this season, which ends up being so full of tension and bad manners because people are putting themselves in debt.

My drive to Houston was tension ridden because I was running late. I got there JUST before Los Super Vatos got on, but I did get there, and I think I got some good shots.
I delivered the cupcakes to Rev for his birthday (we are a little less than a year apart in age, so I make a point of this one!) and the holiday cards for all in the band and crew, threw myself in front of the stage and waited with baited breath! (Okay, I'll downsize the drama...)

I remembered quickly why I usually stand closer to center stage; I love watching the brothers play, but, ya know, it's possible to be too close to somebody during a performance! For the second time in nearly three years, I could have tied Rick's shoes laces together! I love these guys, but that will be the last time for that for awhile! And I missed the interplay with all the guys. I did have a number of friends around me which made the placement special, but the whole band means a lot to me, and I felt kind of separated. Good pictures are tough at that angle too, though I think I got some spectacular ones of Mark and Rick playing. We'll see.

The guys are starting to feel the effects of the road. They are pulling out old tunes I haven't heard in nearly two years, including one that would've convinced many of you you were listening to a 60's acid band. They did Luz A Me Paso, something I haven't heard live in at least two years! What wonderful harmonies.
And generally they pulled out the stops because it was the Last Show of the Year, and the Last Year of the Show, whatever the hey that means! They were a little goofy and a little relieved to be getting some time off. It was a great night all the way round.

**************************************************************88
due to upper respriratory trouble, I am running late on this, so it goes to press now with more commentary to follow. I have a couple of long weekends coming up, and hope to catch up on a lot of people's performances.

Blessed holidays to all. May peace between humans become a reality in our lifetime.

namaste

Seasonal Greetings

taken from my MySpace blog:

Sad Songs


A friend on myspace sent out a list " songs that make you cry", and ironically she had listed the first song that comes to mind for me: Perdename, by my beloved Del Castillo.



DC is one of many unsigned bands I am into, but by far the most important to me. I have been a fan from the first time I heard those amazing flying fingers of the DC brothers. They are both world class guitars and absolutely astounding to listen to and watch. The other guys are just as important; Del Castillo would not be what it is without any of them- they are a family - but the first impression most people have is of those astounding guitars.



Perdename means forgive me. This particular song is about remembering to forgive one's self; it is in the spiritual way to learn forgiveness, but mush of the time we forget that we too are deserving of our own forgiveness. We make mistakes, we hurt others and many times without meaning to. To hold a grudge aganst one's self for being as human as any other limits one, keeps the possiblity of growth down.



Whatever your faith, in this holiday season that has lost so much of its meaning to crass commercialism, I wish you the little step inside yourselves that might open the door. I hope you can forgive yourself- and be free.



namaste

Pardon me if I whisper....

I have lost my voice.
It got left somewhere in Antone's last evening after I spent way too much time yelling at bands and trying to sing along over 120 decibels of DC playing.

You'd think I'd learn.

It has been a really busy weekend! I missed the first of DC's double-header at Antone's to be here in SA for Billy Harvey and his band. They played a wicked set at the Broadway Bar, and as I predicted to the nervous Billy, made some fans along the way. No, it ain't like playing at Flips or Bend Studio, where you have a fairly rapt and involved audience, but hey, if you wanna get heard, you gotta get out there.
I know Del Castillo has had their share of playing to small and even indifferent audiences. Hell, last night, during my dear Perdename, I could hear a roar of conversation in the back of the room. Ticked me off, but what can you do? Some people show up at places to be seen, not to see.
I know the power of music though, and there will always be a few who will listen, hear and return again. The best of the best don't make it to the "Top" through gimmicks and flash. They make it through the music, pure and simple. (I keep telling Billy he needs to get out into the rest of the world, take the guitar and play wherever he can. I don't think he gets it yet.)

Now the Antone's gig was exhausting. I had seen the same series of groups here in Helotes, and I don't know what the diff really was, but I nearly didn't have any reserve for my Boys! I love Los Super Vatos! They are so much fun, and they love to play. Period. I think a lot of the newbies around me were skeptical at first, but they warmed up to them by set's end. Del Sol should thank them, 'cos everyone was in a good mood for the next band. These guys had sounded too loud and not well mixed in Helotes. I don't put in my earplugs much, but I had that might. Also -couldn't hear the singing at all, over the sheer volume. At Antone's, the mix was much better, thus so was the set. I could get into what they did...well, until the guy with the camera turned up. I understand, but it wasn't well done on his part. They were videotaping the set, which is cool, but interfering with new fans while they are trying to listen to the band, well,....unprofessional. Luckily, the same thing didn't happen during DC's set. I would've been unhappy.

Don't really know why, but DC did tape part or all of both nights. I am afraid I may end up on the damn thing too, which I am not fond of, but it is the price one has to pay sometimes for being an insane fan. I must state though that there are reasons I am BEHIND the camera, not in front of it. I mean, how many pictures of ME are there on my Webshots site?! Max of six I think, and all with DC band members. Only reason I would allow it.


Oh well.

I will have to write a review of they Boys' performance on the computer and post it later. I am tired right now, and am going to mention only today's event, then go get some rest.
Austin musicians Slim Ritchie and Francie Mojo lost their house to fire the other night, and out at Alice's today there was a benefit to raise money to help them out. My friend Casey and I went out to add our support, and I was quite moved at the number of people who turned out. I have never seen Alice's that busy, or full of love. Kat's Meow played a terrific and fun set. Jelly Jar played with an absolutely packed stage! and a couple more groups came up after them, but I was too pooped o stick it out any longer.

A great weekend, with lots of great people. Whenever I start getting bitchy or whiny about how life sucks, I just have to re-read entries like these. I am surrounded by so many neat people, musicians, fans and else, I have to count my blessings.
I got more than way too many folks.

Thanks.

Casual Encounters Don't Come With a Warning

Wow

hadn't realized how very long it has been since I have sat down and written at my journals! My apologies to any band out there feelinga tad neglected. I have been spreading myself too thin of late.

The above title is snitched from one of my more recent discoveries: Lanky. Out of New Jersey, by way of Houston currently, he was the host for a Songwriter's Round in Houston the first time I saw him. Billy was one of the guests that night, which is the main reason I went. Came away with much more than I started with! I went to Lanky's myspace site, and then his own site, and was blown away by the strength of his words. Just yesterday I also realized listening to one of the CDs in the car that he writes happy music. No matter the subject of the lyrics, the music is up and dancable much of the time. He is quite a wordsmith, something yours truly can definitely relate to, and the two forces put together are downright infectious. I cannot figure out why the record companies out there cannot see/hear what I am finding out here. But then again, i hate the music industry for what it does to artists usually, so it would be a very double edged sword to lose any of my current music focuses to a megacompany.

I have covered so much turf in the last couple of weeks I don't know quite where to begin. I am going to make myself a list here and try to get back in later to write a squib or two about everybody. And yet, I am supposed to be driving to Austin yet again tonight! I am kinda hoping for a peaceful time in the week or two around the holidays, but we'll see!

Anyway, peace for now, and hopefully some words soon about these events:

Jelly Jar, at Jovita's and Alice's, with some really special guest appearances.

Billy, at Grackle Mundy, and at Stubb's, and of course, Bend Studio.

Lanky, again at Rudyard's but with a band! and then at Flipnotics

Del Castillo, finally home. Waco, and then San Antonio, soon Austin, and then Houston my god I am tired already!

Buttercup, Grackle Mundy (with corporate sponsorship too!) and at Austin's Ruta Maya.

Brotherhood, at the Backroom in Austin, and The Sanctuary in SA.

......I don't think I forgot anyone.......

now to a coffee house for a breather and a little writing time.

sweet dreams all, and support live music! I can't do this all by myself! ;)

Torn Between Two Loves

Well, in reality it probably qualifies as more like 6 or 7. I LOVE the fact I am finding all this new music out there. I love the fact that it moves my world into whole new avenues of thought and creativity. I HATE the fact I cannot cover more territory than I do.

Last evening I made my way to Waco and spent some time hanging out with my beloved Del Castillo and a clutch of good friends. Despite having possibly damaged one person's eardrum yelling at the band (as well as giving myself largyngitis), I think we had a ripping good time. The boys were obviously tired and ready for a break, but they pulled it way out in the end. They always do. I don't doubt though that on the drive back to Austin, that van was pretty quiet.
I have been so completely loyal to these guys for so long, I cannot imagine being any other way. I find myself torn nowadays though; there is so much out there, and not just in Austin, which has a glut, but in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. I wish I could get frequently driver miles! I know the I35 corridor too well, and the I10 stretch to Houston almost that well. I drive around Austin now like I did back when I lived there...well, except for the bloody construction on Riverside. (See what I mean?! I don't know SA's trouble spots that well!)

My whole point to this was a little nag that kept at me yesterday. I was painfully torn between going 180 miles to see DC and staying in SA for Pseudo Buddha or stopping in Austin for Billy Harvey. And I have similar conflicts in the next couple of weeks, not just involving Del Castillo! They shouldn't feel put out. I have just loaded my plate too full and can't get enough of any single music group to fill up the hole they fit into. Oddly, or maybe not so oddly, DC is going to win a fair number, though not all, of the debates. I don't know that anyone will even notice I am not there anyway, but I have to make a choice. Despite my best efforts, I have not yet figured out how to be two places at once. And trust me, I have tried.

Like I should be bitching. I have heard and found so much music lately, many many amazing singer songwriters and some tremendous bands. Most others would be overwhelmed, and perhaps to a point I am. I cannot seem to fit them all into the schedule right now. If I wasn't so addicted to music, i would put them all aside for awhile, stand back and try to get some perspective. But I am an addict. I admit it freely. and this may be more addictive than smack- thought I doubt anywhere near as harmful, save to my sleep schedule.

I think I am trying to apologise to all the bands I follow. Most of you are music nuts too, and should understand to some extent. I just am one person, and there is only so much of me to go around. I have to make decisions, and I don't want a battle of the bands. Good lord, if I could get all of you together into one huge gig and then invite the world to hear what I have found, I would. If I win the lottery, it will happen. Probably on the east coast of Costa Rica. On the beach. Sort of a midlife spring break. (okay, even I chuckled at that! The mental images are funny and scary at the same time!)

I want that watch Bart Simpson once found- I want to stop time so that I can be more than one place. It bothers me to no end that I have to miss something. It feels like being young again and not wanting to go to bed, 'cos you KNOW your parents do neat stuff when you aren't there. I just don't know quite how to do it. And I'm sleepy anyway.

love you.

oh dear gawd!!

Is it not bad enough that when I go to the grocery store I hear things like Talking Heads and the Pretenders- not remakes, THEM- playing glibbly over the muzak machine?! Is it not enough to know that they are in fact old enough to qualify as OLDIES, no matter what they once meant to me!?
Now they taunt me with the worst: the Partridge Family on DVD.

oh....my.....gawd.....

will the humiliation and degradation never end?!

I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West, curling into a greasy spot of smoke and goo, "I'm melting!!".....


(I am joking of course. I could care less if some silly person ever found anything useful about that vile little show. Better that you watch it at home, behid closed doors, all alone, than put it back on TV. Not that I watch much of that either.
But I am getting tired of feeling old. whatever happened to the irritating stuff they used to play on muzak when I was a kid?! Now we irritate the younger ones with rock-n-roll? Seriously, it is time for me to move to Alaska.)

wow!

i am just floored by how long webshots is taking. and I do apologise! I have gotten Sexto Sol and Jelly Jar up, and hope to have the otehrs up very soon, then reviews to go with what else I have been privy to on this vacation.
I am telling ou, I am almost looking forward to going back to work! Routine, and REST! Well, at least for a few days...... (heehee!) I ain't so dang old JUST yet!

Frustration!

To all those who flip between this site and my Webshots site, i apologise. Apparently they are doing some changes to Webshots, and it has held up my uploading a lot of pix I have on my computer to the site. I am quite uphappy about it, but can do nothing at the moment to change it. Bear with me, and them, and the pictures I owe so many of the groups I have been writing about will be there sometime soon.


And incidently, Thank you! Over 13,500 hits there so far. I am personally amazed!

Mike, Salim, Jelly Jar, Del Castillo, Billy, Sexto Sol -hold on! They are coming!

billy

Again...
He complained tonight that he has never had a review of his latest CD, Pie, so I will have to compose something. It's on I-Tunes now, too, if you want to listen. Trust me, it's worth it. The guy is an amazing songwriter. He played a new one (sorry my notes are out in the car at the moment...,) brand new out of the box still in the wrapper new tonight, and I was really moved. His playing is just growing by leaps. He seems to have stretched out a little further every time I see him. It just makes me choke to think that this talent could go unheard, when crap gets to the top of the charts.
He said someone reviewed his stuff on Itunes and made him cry! Something about "he'll never make it- he's too good."

People, speaking from the heart here, it doesn't have to be Billy, he has a legion of fans at the moment, but get out there, find a group or performer that moves you like this guy gets to me and put him/her/them on a pedestal. Okay, well maybe not, but get out there and support your local musicians, dang it! Especially in Austin, where gigs are hard to come by and it is easy to get lost against the basic background noise. True success is measured by how you are remembered, and a lot of these folks deserve to be known. Met a new one tonight, as a matter of fact- Mike Rosenthal. I'll write more on him later.
My point is that the big record companies play only to what can sell the most merch. It is up to us, the REAL listeners in the world, to make certan to hear as much as we can by those the corporates will ignore, and pass on as much as we can. Again, it's all about finding the treasure by looking a little closer. Or listening, in this case.

Where the hell is Neiderwald?

Ya know, you can find treasure anywhere, if you just look a little closer. When driving through Texas on the back roads, it's easy to move so fast that you pass by some pretty neat places. They are often unassuming in size and shape. They can look like just another local dive on the side of a lonely stretch of highway. Do not be fooled.

Alice's Restaurant is in the tiny town (pop. 584) of Neiderwald, off highway 21, south of Austin, Bastrop, and kinda in the middle of cow country. It's soul is based in the Arlo Guthrie tune and movie of the same name, and if for some reason you are not familiar with either, it is high time to correct that.
The beauty of the hippie ideal at its peak was the communal nature of humans: the ability to live and let live and still be friends, even if only for an afternoon. I am afraid the best of those times has been forgotten in the ever faster technology bound world we all live in. There are only a few pockets of this sort of hope and simple joy to be found anywhere anymore. Alice's out in Neiderwald is one of them, and I recommend to all to find it, experience it, and maybe keep it in your heart for when things get too tough out here. Here are a few reasons why.

First, let's talk food. It is one thing to sit and eat a meal. It is another to revel in every BITE. The Sunday brunch buffet was astounding: moist sweet pork chops, eggplant steaks, two types of potatoes, corn and green beans, baked beans, breakfast stuff, cake and brownies, wonderful coffee...if I have to go on, well, you just aren't into food. And the little extras brought around just because.....scallops wrapped in bacon, rosemary skewered shrimp off the barbie...I haven't even seen the menu yet (it's online) and I am sold.

If salivating like that isn't enough for you, let's talk music. Jelly Jar was the main reason for my trip out to this lovely place. They are a South Austin band that runs the gamut from country to rock to blues, all with equal verve and expertise. They have something that a lot of musicians would love to find- a strong basic band that loves to have folks sit in, add in your two cents and take the ceiling just a little higher. Miss Karen is a throaty, smoky blues singer. Ricky is a talented and poignant songwriter, Gary and Charlie a strong and able rhythm section. Tom is up front with his banjos and tremendous voice. On top of that today we had Albert Besteiro Jr.,bassist for Del Castillo pulling duty as lead guitar. If that man ever tells you he can't play guitar, kick him for me! And tell him who it's from!
they played a lovely long set, going from their own brand of country rock to Jimi Hendrix (All Along the Watchtower, sung by Bert!), to Karen's lovely torch songs, to a new piece written by guitarist Ricky, entitled The Disaster song. I am a sensitive soul sometimes, and this one caught me; it's about New Orleans, and how her fate has touched all of us, even from far away. I had to put my sunglasses one for awhile out of embarassment for being too moved. Amazing writing, sir.Make certain that one goes on the next CD.
After a casual set change and time to sit and chat with everyone, another band came up, known as Kat's Meow. The guitarist was a tall, white bearded young fellow by the name of Slim Ritchey, also out of Austin I believe, and man, no holow body has seen such expert use in my company in a long time. Gary from Jelly Jar sat in on a sparse kit of snare, brushes and highhat. On the upright bass, Francie kept up one of the wildest paces I have heard out of a bassist in awhile! I know drummers are crazy, but I am pretty convinced right now that they all took lessons from this one bass player! Damn, girl!
Fronting these folks was a little pixie by the name of Kat Edmondson. When I saw her up there, I wasn't sure what to think. soaking wet, she probably doesn't weigh 98 LBS! A cute little blonde thing that would drive most of the guys crazy, she changed my tune by starting hers. I was astounded at the voice that came out of her! The group did a lot of old standbys from the 30's, 40's and 50's, very very well. My personal faves were probably the swing tunes. I could hear them playing in a speakeasy, Kat dressed up in flapper regalia. I don't know if they are a regular group or a happenstance get-together, but I would sit and lsiten to them just about anywhere. It was a lovely surprise after a great day.

Folks, next time you have had enough of city living, and need a mental break, especially if it is a music filled sunday, head out to Alice's. It is just one of those places you will fall for, and go back to, just because. If you see me there, introduce yourself and I will buy you a cuppa joe.
and many thanks to all the folks I met out there. You are a good portion of the reason why it was just such a neat experience. My friend Casey and I have already promised ourselves to come back out. Soon.


www.alicesrestauranttx.com
www.jellyjar.com

My luck just sux...

I have had the most active social life I have had in years lately, and the DAY I go on vacation?! It dries up...oh, it's only a for a short while, but it doesn't seem right to spend this time wondering what the heck to do with myself......

I spent last night with Del Castillo and Monte Montgomery,and it was wonderful and fun and memorable, and I was supposed to go to Navasota...until I found out tickets were $100 a piece. Ouch.(In all fairness, it is a fund raiser for a hospital.) I love the guys, but not quite that much. There's Waco in a couple of weeks anyway. And Alice's restaurant in Neiderwald for brunch with Jelly Jar tomorrow. and billy next week. and Sexto sol tonight at the Brew Haus.

Okay, I don't know what I am complaining about! I just didn't get to be with my Boys tonight and I am a little disappointed. But they sound like they are tired, and need a few down days, which ain't happening til closer to Thanksgiving. Busy busy band.....

Yesterday's performances were just the stuff of history. The Boys came out and did a really good set, then Monte came out an did a blistering set too! THEN, the coup de grace, the encore- Rev and Mike joined Monte's group for a tune. Then the brothers came on, and played a round of guitar wars (absolutely blazing solos out of all three!) and finally with the addition of Bert on bass and Alex on lead vocals, "While My guitar Gently Weeps" was given a ride it will not soon forget.
They pulled out the stops with another tune that took all of us in the audience to musical heights that might be considered obscene. Shivers up the body, no voice left from the screaming, adreneline so high as to be off the scale..... The hell with coffee! Give me jam sessions like that one- to go!

Whew! I was worn down. Monte ended the night with this lovely tune I am afraid I do not know the name, of about being alone in the spotlight. He really has a great voice and just innovative knowledge of his guitar. Most amazing guitar players, and I rarely write about any who aren't, feel the guitar to be an extension of themselves, ...I may have that wrong, really. A great number of the famous ones act as if it is a part of them, a piece of who they are, a mate, a lover,..... a true friend who has never betrayed them. I think it comes down to poetry. I will have to try. My point here was that for some reason, in Monte, I perceive a different relationship. That well-worn, pretty plain acoustic, in his hands, becomes something else. It is more than merely an extension of him; it is as if it is not an outside extension, but something inside, like he absorbed the guitar into his system.

Every now and then, a guitarist I am watching will get to that point: where the guitar and he/she are no longer seperate creatures, but so in tune with each other, player and instrument, that they are a single "something new."
I suspect the players may get that description before some listeners do. I am something of a musician, but I know the feeling from my art and writing. Sometimes you just get somewhere different, and you know it is special. I am sure Monte has bad days like anyone, but both times I have seen him now, I have gotten a similar feeling.
Ah well.

I must get on with the little things in life, like laundry, and club hopping. I miss my boys even more right now, and will have to be satisfied with listening to the Kennedy Center performances again. and wait for Waco with baited breath. finding the plaster to fill in the cracks is the hard part.

Disclaimer

Okay folks...well, I never thought I would have to worry about this, but think it might be time.
This Is A Blog- an online journal, a place to scream out my joy and gnash my teeth in frustration. It is not a solicited sales pitch for any one or thing, save my own POV (point of view). I do not directly speak for any of the bands that I write about here, nor do any of them EVER directly ask me to write anything about them here. I only recently became aware that there were a fair number of people reading this thing. I'm still not sure why.....

Anyway, please know that I have a queer sense of humour and a lot of opinions, and I am working off steam, good or bad, here. I have written for a couple of music rags and published my own back in the DIY '80s. I just can't seem to get the diatribe about music out of my world! But I do not speak for anyone else, though I hope I speak eloquently enough to encourage others to listen to what I've found, and maybe go do some exploring for themselves. There are so many artists of extraordinary caliber out there.....the record companies only feed us what is sellable. It is up to us to find, and treasure those beings out there not loud enough or slick enough for the big labels.

And I hope that doesn't insult any of the bands I have written about. I do think you are worth much, or I would not spend my time talking about you. And traveling insane miles to see you. And plying your music to others from all corners of the world. Nothing moves me so much as music, nothing else can lift me and carry me away from this world's insanity as does music. Nothing touches my soul as does music, and all of you must have touched me, or I wouldn't babble on about you so. I know fame and fortune were and are on your minds. I do wish you luck for your dreams; I just don't want to lose you to it so totally that I can no longer hear the heartbeat, the raindrop, the flap of a butterfly's wing in your songs. That would be a crime beyond reckonings, a deed so heinous as to be unpunishable...no payment high enough.

I often wish I was wealthy and could start my own label. I already have a name for it, and I have my eye on a certain bunch to start my stable. Maybe someday folks. Until then, I do what I can to support live music and the tremendous musicians I have found to make it.

Just don't take this site too seriously. It is one fan, trying to make a little difference.

namaste, and sai Ram.

it's still too far away but....

April 2006, Austin Texas sees the greatest street insanity in recording history. Yes, folks, I said recordING history. The arrival of Del Castillo's long awaited third CD will cause joyful panic and insane rapture in the streets!

I'm guaranteeing this- 'cos I'm startin' it!

NOW.

(figured I would get a jump start on the nut cases- I'm probably crazier than all of them anyway!)

In all seriousness, I expect one hell of a huge release party in at least that city if not SA and Houston and Dallas and well...anywhere else they have made fans already.
Wow- wouldn't that be cool! A CD release TOUR. Just the big places though.
Granada, Paramount, San Antonio's Majestic Theatre..... NOW we're talking party.


I am just glad to hear they are finally getting this Cd done. I know they probably have enough material for another one already, but I will take what I can get. It has been too long in the making for most of us rabid fans. And - Doug! You better come to Austin for this! We gotta jam again!

Ciao!

Weekend shake up

Well, things happen for a reason I guess. I was supposed to go to El Paso and then Albuquerque again to be with Del Castillo, and other things got in the way. I was really in a traveling mood though, so I went a different direction: north. I went to Dallas to catch Billy Harvey, twice, actually, in two days. The first was at the Cavern, on lower Greenville Ave., the bar strip. I have been to both the original Cavern site in Liverpool (now a parking area) and the Chelsea Drugstore in London (Rolling Stones' song "You can't Always Get What You Want"?). This place did not resemble either one..... it was nice little club, but nothing particularly special. Billy's short set was well received, but left me hungry for more. Sadly, I spent most of the rest of the night driving around looking for something to do. Equally sad, Dallas can be like that. Just not very satisfying....
I was ready to go home Saturday morning. I knew of two bands in SA that would be playing that I wanted to see. Yet for some reason I kept delaying my return home. I am happy to say that staying was a good choice in the end.
Right now, the sun is about to come over the horizon (I drove home after the gig, for several reasons) I need to go get back into my coffin for awhile at least, and then I will continue the story.
no need to wait by the computer, but I do have much to tell you! Sleep first though.....

******************************************************************
approx.1.30 PM

That cursed day star is still up but so am I so I continue.
Bend Studios. Dallas. They have got a really good idea going here. By day a mild mannered yoga studio for the rich yuppie and student sorts that live in the area.By weekend night, a small intimate place to listen to singer/songwriters who have trouble being heard over the usual club noise. (that was really bad English, but I have to take poetic license now and then...)

The place is small; they claim up to 80 people but I think that would be a bit over-crowded. Last night was about 30, and seemed a little low. There is a good midline somewhere in there. Soft lighting, decent acoustics and a better sound system than many clubs use, chairs or mats or beanbags for the limber or brave....BYOW (bring your own wine) or buy water or tea from them. It was a relaxed atmosphere, and it was enough to show off the artists' talents. It was also small enough a situation that the musicians felt at ease with us and could joke or expound on a piece. It was really a good way to see a singer.
It reminds me of the Wiggle Room, SA's avant garde art spot for music. You have to know where the Wiggle Room is to find it, which means that the audiences tend to be small too. There are about 20 bleacher seats for a bird's eye view and about 50 chairs on the floor, usually in a semi-circle around the stage. Other than overly chatty people failing to take it outside, not a bad place. Everyone behaves for the most part and cleans up after themselves, and gets to hear some really good music in a more intimate setting.
Anyway back to this place in Dallas. Opening for Billy was Kristy Kruger, an independant singer/songwriter who spends much of her time driving from place to place around the US, playing her music and enjoying the traveling. I wish I had had that sort of nerve when I was younger. Maybe when I get older....
She has very much got her own style, and the songs have depth, humour and honesty going for them. I don't know if she has a website but I will try to find out.
Kristy's music reminds me a lot of early Suzanne Vega; it cuts to the quick sometimes, but is really descriptive and thus draws the listener into her world. That's one of the things about this new (or maybe revived) songwriting trend that I like: paint me a picture. Draw me into your world. Tell me how you see things. Even if I don't agree, at least we have started the basis of communication. It is a good feeling to walk away from a gig feeling like you and the artist have connected on some level, however minute. i was really impressed by Kristy's powerful tunes, especially when they come out of someone so quiet. i will review the CD I bought when I get a chance.

and billy.

Well, I have gushed on this guy enough. I think he is getting a little wary of me too. Seem to bring that out in some folks....Let me leave it at this: his writing is getting more intense, his delivery is maturing, and his sense of humour is something to be experienced in person. I enjoyed the heck out of myself last night, and have come not to regret staying in the big D, even when I had trouble filling in the time. I must advertise both for end and Billy: they record these concerts and sell the CDs at the Bend Studio website. So you can hear last evening's performances if you wish. I bought two of the past BH performances, and while it is not the same as being there, what I have heard already convinces me that the Cds are good investments. I have to encourage Buttercup to do something similar.

And on she goes. Much to do after knocking around a foreign city for too long. Must get on with it. More pictures to go up soon, and maybe a more bands to write about. Next weekend is Del Castillo, and I am really looking forward to it. I miss my guys.
They are going to disappear into the larger fabric of the music world soon, so I will take every chance I can to be at their gigs. They are already too few and far apart....such is the price of attempting fame.

laters!



www.kristykruger.com
www.billyharveymusic.com
www.bendstudios.com

and, "oh yeah!"....

Happy birthday, Mr. Lennon. I cannot believe it has been nearly 25 years. The world has changed so much, and not much for the better. Your voice for such poistive change has been missed for a long time already. Yet your song Imagine remains a beacon in this world for those who want to believe the human race has within it the ability to rise above the animal in us, and be something greater.

Imagine.

and never forget.

namaste.

My thumb hurts!

DC is in Lubbock, or was last night ( I forget the time! ) Brotherhood played down at the Rabbit here in town. Me? I was in Austin, yet again. Last night it was Salim. Couple of nights ago I got a late wild hair and went up to see Billy Harvey and band at the Saxon pub. Last night, it was Billy, a fellow named John Goudie, and Buttercup. I haven't seen BC in WEEKS it seems. It was just too much fun and way too short a set. I am looking forward to Grackle Mundy bigtime!
My thumb is complaining to me because of Odie! Well, okay, not because of him but what he gave me! The last song they did had some heavy tambourine in it and he handed it off to me when he had to start playing bass. I had a blast playing along, but OW! It was made for a drum kit and the screws that hold on the chimes left a minour imprint on my Mound of Venus! (Oh cut that out! It's the pad at the base of the thumb! Go read a chiromancy book! Scheez....)

Seriously, everyone was in a rockstar mood tonight! John Goudie's band got the crowd coming in from the Willie Nelson gig outside all fired up. (this was at the venue in Austin called Stubb's. There is an outdoor arena, and also a stage inside. Not a bad little club, but the inside acoustics are questionable!) I liked what I heard, wouldn't walk out on them at a club, but I was there for other reasons. I was delighted that Billy's band was with him again. I have come to like them a lot. they work well with his music, and yet kind of draw him out too. He has a lot more rockstar in him than I think he wants to admit. Donny Wynn had been with Goudie's band, but also played with Billy. Kudos for the double shot tonight, Don!
Billy and co. Pulled one on me the other night by revamping a couple of tunes. They funked up Piggyback Ride, and ganga-ed Frozen Through! the changes were enough I had trouble singing along! The new versions are neat though, and the audience last night knew enough of his stuff to appreciate the dry humour. He also did a song I had heard at Threadgill's and know to be new. I call it Go, because I don't have a title
yet. I wrote down most of the set list at Threadgill's and made up what I didn't know. Until further notice, it's called Go. Nice tune. I am waiting to hear what he does with it for his next CD.


And then there was Buttercup. Dang I didn't realize how much I had missed them! It was almost as bad as going to see DC after they have been on the road for months. And the guys were just charged for some reason. They started off with Egypt and a couple of others that require tight harmonies. Then they decided to just kick it in the nuts! I do not think I have ever seen them get quite so volatile. They have let loose for a song or two on occassion but this was just out and out rock and roll! Ww-ooow. Coolness! I hope I got a few good shots of this more intense gig, 'cos come Mundy, I don't that anyone would believe me!

New songs for both BH and BC and they are driving me crazy making me wait! I keep asking after new CDs. I think Buttercup will beat Billy, but I could be wrong. he's got a lot of material already. Right person just needs to push him a little I think.
If I lived in Austin, I suspect it would be me.As it is, I will keep after Buttercup. (These people are going to hate me by year's end! ;)

It is horribly late, I'm home from Austin but too wired to sleep, so I will go do more writing or drawing or whatever. And plot my menu for the Grackle Mundy dinner I am helping out with! You got to admit, a band encouraging the audience to be part of a dinner party is pretty neat. But I am really glad I have Monday off, so I can get the cooking done!

more later, and remember: Keep San Antonio Lame!

the Round Up Got Rattled!

Okay, the first surprise was to find out that the thing in San Marcos was some kind of highschool reunion/fund raiser. Took me back a few steps. Then Emilio- yes, THAT Emilio- played BEFORE DC....
Alright. I can put up with two strikes.... I was waiting to see if anyone in the band had gotten a facial tattoo or piercing! (roadies don't count Eric! I expect it out of you!)
In all seriousness, it was a neat gig, and very well received by the locals as well as the loonies like me who traveled distance just for DC. The Guys must miss their Texas crowds, 'cos they just poured it on and then pushed a little further for the encore. They have always wowwed me, reminding me why I have become so willingly involved in their world after vowing to never do that again with any band.
I watch fingers FLY over fret boards, I hear percussion and bass lending both support and encouragement, and Alejandro's vocals soaring over all of it and I just know.
I know it is possible for the Voice of the One to speak through us, as we are merely parts of a much greater thing than any of us can singularly put to words. We have to come together in peace, and love, and in doing so, we find that place in each of us that belongs to everything else. From there, from that hidden point of Light in each of us, comes the vibrations that make groups and composers like Del Castillo so astounding. And they don't just tap into each other- they tap into us too. And we into them. That is where the joy of their music comes from- complete belonging, to each other, to ourselves, to the universe....to the One.

No details this time. It gets redundant. The power, the depth, the joy and the music must be experienced to be understood. My hope is that day by day, more will join us, and together we might start healing our fragile world.

I truly believe music has that power, and Del Castillo is one of its finest messengers.

NAMASTE- and Sai Ram, my brothers.

a commentary

I don't know who else pays attention to them , but I am getting tired of this advertising blots being attached to my writing. I guess Blogger isn't watching too closely, or makes money with it.
My apologies to anyone reading for the idea they hav been lead astray. And damn it people- I am just a writer. Stop using me as a billboard!

(shh...whisper this!)

(not to dis anyone I have been talking about lately, but this weekend is special....I get to finally see my Boys again. It has been way too long. that is unless they cancel due to sunshine again.....
in all fairness that was Phil's idea. I just think it really funny. They did the right thing in being cautious, but it was such a drag to have perfect days and know that we still weren't going to get to see the Boys. They probably appreciated some down time at home with wives and kids though. I know the kids have missed their daddies. I don't have to ask about that.
I have been having so much fun finding new music out there, yet I haven't forgotten why I got started looking around out there again, and it is Del Castillo. They are special, and they have lead me to others of similar ilk. But I can only spread myself so thin, and this weekend is for DC- first putting out fliers for the Floore's gig, and then in the park in Sunday in San Marcos.
don't fear my new found band friends- I will be back. they still have a lot of time on the road, and I have found such lovely things to fill the time with. Someday I hope to get DC to hear some of you. )

Good God

There seems to be a growing trend back to songwriting that has some depth beyond sexual predation. I really like it. It isn't that everything should have a deep meaning- humour is more than appreciated too- but there should be some humanity involved somewhere. To speak from the heart is to be honest and straight forward. I love the hooks and the playfulness, the short sweet little pop tunes and the ones that can grow into musical adventures that even the artist did not anticipate. It is a thing of fascination to me to watch the artist stretch out and find new places to go with a piece. It is the sign of the best among them, truly.

billy harvey @ the Broadway Bar, San Antonio

A recent addition to my repetoire of soulfull songwriters is, of course, billy harvey. I have now seen him 3 times and each wa quite different. Acoustic guitar only, full band, and one-man band. He is not afraid of doing any of his music in any of these settings either! I think he had a little more fun when he had others to jam with, but last evening was still impressive.
The Broadway Bar is really new- so much so that I had to go find it. I have worked in this city with various bands for more than 20 years, so that was a bit of a shock. Apparently, SA is trying to grow again, actually a good thing.

While bh set up more than I had anticipated him with, it still looked bare bones on that pretty good sized stage. I was tempted to get on one of the couches behind him but didn't. Didn't need to make the guy paranoid; besides that, it was a minimalist PA, no monitor and I probably wouldn't have heard a whole lot.
As it was a very warm crowd of Buttercup loyalists greeted billy, and even sang a couple of songs with him. I think he was a little surprised. I guess he doesn't realize how bloody infectious those tunes of his can be. They are as bad as buttercup for getting stuck in my head and invading even dreams! Quite irritating sometimes!
I am not going to give away his set, or some of his approaches. Instead I thoroughly recommend anyone interested catch him in both formats- band and alone.
I had such a neat time, even during the slower songs that lost many people to the normal bar distractions. It's no fun feeling like a jukebox for much of your set.

i would like instead to talk about Billy's CDs. He has three out, the latest of which is Pie. I happen to think it is by far the tightest and best produced one he has done, but that's what happens as you grow artistically. I went backwards one CD at a time. Toast, #2, is a trip and a half, and seems to be a little haphazard. I will have to see if he will chat with me about that sometime. Last evening, I bought his first effort- More Happy Than Sad.
wow.
That's what first albums should be. I have gone through it at least five times since last night. As a matter of fact, the title of this entry is the last song on the CD.
It really touched me.....I even may put the lyrics up here. They are quite heartfelt and moving. I know where he is coming from completely.

There is movement back to the spiritual creatures that we truly are, and it seems to be finding voice in the music world in particular. Del Castillo , Billy, even Buttercup are all indicitive of it. We are all searching for what makes us feel like we are not alone out here, and music is crossing that barrier. We are, if my imagination is to be believed at all, the canaries of the universe. there is no more important instrument played by anyone,anyhere, than the human voice. Raised one or many to the Creatour, it uplifts us more than anything else. And it isn't about religious worship- it is about giving voice to our Oneness with the whole of Existance. This probably belongs on my other blog about esoteric stuff, but the two subjects ar every connected. i am not always certan where to end one and begin the other. As I move into this new phase of musical changes, the lines are blurring even more. I feel often that I have been through a kind of worship after a gig, and no, it isn't just alcohol talking. I often don't drink at all.

anyhow, it is getting late and I have a busy day ahead. go out there, find bill's site, watch the vids, and listen to the tunes, then find the CDs. He has them with him where he plays. I think he will go far soon, so be quick.

more later- must sleep.

a quickie...

I really hate quickies. well, most of them anyway.....
I am so far behind I think I am in front! I have yet another weekend of music travel coming up and I am behind schedule STILL!
Okay here goes:
Buttercup at the San Pedro Playhouse Cellar theatre. I don't think I would've come up with this venue for them, but it ended up being much fun. Only 60 seats, and I used the stage as a footrest part of the time. these guys are going to work at being a little different each time I think. they work at setting moods. I lent them some luminarias to guide the way to the door (it's on the side of the building.) They had a living room lamp on the stage to provide lighting part of the time. No working painter this time. But a wild backdrop on the stage. The set list is up on their sight already, so I will leave most of it to the imagination. the only thing that cannot be represented is Joe trying to play saw. It was good for some laughs, but he finally pulled it off with a mallet from the glock instead of the bow. (The bass player from Billy's band needs to give hima few lesson. I mean, the saw didn't have strings! What's a guitar player to do?)

On the whole a delightful evening, worthy of more words than I have given it here. I was only a little miffed by all the folks there who needed to go outside to chat or smoke, interrupting the progress a little. The guys took it in better stride than I actually. I got tons of pictures, many of them in the true Buttercup spirit. They ar eon my webshots site, and no, they aren't necessarily mistakes. With BC it is hard to tell where mistakes end and art begins.....they are helping me find that part of myself, while giving me a big earful of neat music.

b. harvey, part 2

The hell with this attempt at continiuty; I am just going to write when the mood strikes me. Like right now.
I just drove home from Austin, where I had gone to see Billy Harvey play.He opened for a fellow he used to play with, Bob Scheinder. tonight billy had a fll band with him, a real boon for me, because I had only seen his acoustic set before. I was suitably impressed with the delivery, as well as a couple of new songs they did. I have a strangely written set list in my journal- I will post it in awhile.

I must someday apologise to Bob- I walked out on him. I was not there for him, and honestly, he didn't catch my ear. It wasn't a lack of talent, or even bad songs. It just wasn't anything new in the sea of Austin music. I was still in a billy mood. i got in the car, put on the BH cd called Toast, and cruised down a nearly empty highway back to the stifling arms of SA. I was glad for the peculiar humour and company of bill's music.

*********************************************************************

Things happen for a reason. At least so we are told. A massive hurricane threatened much of Texas, then turned and left us alone. As a result, where I would have been on Saturday night changed drastically. Del Castillo wasn't playing, so I got to hear someone else, someone who has caught my ear lately. There was no apparent rhyme or reason to this, but it worked out well. I really enjoyed watching the Harvey group, and I didn't have to get overheated to do it! Now I just have to figureout what the reason for having to give up DC for yet another week was, and where bill's music fits into my lifestyle right now.
That could take awhile. I think I will go get a little brain dead before I wrestle with that one.

But I can't wait for the next gig, Billy. Warning- you have a new fan!

Ravi Shankar....

and his daughter of course. I am writing this one out on paper. Be patient please. I was so amazed at his/their performances, this will be a long one! Let me say this much- AWESOME. The man is 85 and he ran circles around all the other musicians on that stage.

I KNOW I owe others credence at the moment, but I must write about this concert. I will go sit at a coffee house otmorrow and get a lot of this stuff out and up , i promise. Hurricane aside, I will endeavour to make the appropriate comments for all concerned.

I have been listening to Ravi since 1970, and I cannot say how ecstatic I am to have finally been able to see him live. "Concert For Bangladesh" in't a bad way to see him, but....yee gods, I have not been to so moving a gig in a long time, and that includes my beloved Del Castillo.

More in the next day or two.

namaste

Help!

I have got way too many bands on my agenda! This next 6-8 weeks is just crazy with all the possible music. I have to start a calendar for JUST music! crazy.
And here's an irony- the week I am planning to be out of town to be with DC out of town, NO ONE else is scheduled to play.........not fair.
Well, they'd lose out anyway. DC's home for a while. My loyalties are pretty easy to see, I think.

Oh well. Could be worse- life could be boring and predictable again. Now to land that fella I have my mind set on. (I ain't tellin'! ;)

Billy Harvey

Okay, I have owed this guy for awhile now, so the CD's on, and here goes.
Doing a one man acoustic set, Billy opened for the Cup up in Austin and I was impressed. Good songwriter with a sense of humour and humanity. Lot like the Cup. I could see the fit.
I bought one of his CDs, the latest in fact, called Pie. He is apparently a Trent Reznor sort, doing almost all the album himself. There are a few bands like that- The The, Aztec Camera, to name a couple that most of you probably don't remember.
He is also a talented producer, using a unique approach. He works with Bob Schneider out of Austin, if you would like to hear more of his work.
Speaking of work, check out the website! I have to look at it at work, because my dial-up system chokes on it. Lots of neat graphics and you can see videos and listen to several songs. Very neat
The music. Well, we go from bouncy pop tunes that will haunt the mind in sleep or waking state, to ballads that could make any drunk cry in his beer, to rocking pieces I cannot wait to see him do live with a band. There's much resemblance to Buttercup in the joyful use of pop hooks in songs that would have fit right into the pop era of the late '60's. But the guy thinks. the little ditty that opens this CD is called Stupid Daniel. I am 99% certain that is based on the movie PI, and with a simple infectious song, he makes a point akin to the beatles' Fool on the Hill.
I really like that.
I am waiting to see him again. I have to admit it took me a song or two to really pay attention, something I kinda regret. Luckily, the man is out there playing a lot, so I will get the chance in the near future.

'Nuff said for now.

the List

Buttercup
Billy Harvey
Sexto Sol
Lara & Reyes
Brotherhood

Okay that's the list.
I owe each of them about 2 pages worth of write up but I am getting seriously back logged. Think it is time for a laptop; then I can write wherever I am, and post later.
Damn. you'd think I was publishing my own rag again. Except for not having to go out and get advertisers, this is almost as much work! at least i don't have to try to get to press by such-and-such date!

Must put out the trash and such tonight- I have a Ravi shankar gig to make tomorrow, and a friend to call tonight. then I can sit and start trying to talk about these people with some clarity.

back in aflash hopefully!

Oh!

Well, that just smarts! (joking of course..) my guys prefer the road to being home! I am jealous. Out there meeting new fans but getting upset that I go out and find new bands! how double standard of them! ;)


I hear from the antsy one of Del Castillo that the road has been good. They may just not want to come back home if this keeps up! We Texas fans are going to have to prove to them who it is that truly loves them I think. Those others are just fly-by -night fans who turn to other music when the band moves on ( uh-oh! I hear an arguement starting up when they get home....better watch it, or I may have to pay some penance!)

I really do miss DC and cannot wait to celebrate in Waco with the Posse. We are all a little tired of weekends without them, and knowing that others are where we can't be. I think. I know I am.

I am so glad that there are other fans out there, but I bet they understand now why I complain of needing my DC fix. It has been too long as is. I know Joey down in Corpus is going even more nuts. The energy that comes from these six guys is just so addictive. Maybe they should come with a warning label. But where would we stick it?!

(hee hee!)

the 24th cannot come soon enough, my brothers. You are sorely missed down here.

namaste.
Jazz

Goodbye, Gatemouth

I hate mondays. Sinus headache and now this: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown has passed from this world. That sucks. He wasn't young, and he had been ill, so it wasn't a surprise, but to lose anyone in the music industry just sucks.
You will be missed, good man. Teach them youngsters up in the heavens a lick or two, okay?

namaste.

a can of worms....

Alrighty then, he may get a bit tired of me talking about him, and may even have begun to believe I am some sort of stalker (which I am not,) but I have got to rave on about this guy Joe Reyes.
This city has produced some tremendous musicians, but none of them really seem to get far from this place, and it just chaps my hide!
I have for years blamed it on a black vortex, a negative whirlwind that keeps those of us who should be able to break free held fast to the
“lameness” of this town. I am not certain what it is about this place, but progress just takes longer here. Or I am listening to mass media and being dooped into believing that everywhere else just has more to offer. I have lived in and visited a lot of places, and I know it isn’t true, but my frustration over the music scene here not getting taken seriously is not eased by that knowledge.

Joe is a huge example of what I mean. From what little I know of him, he seems content to go out and be involved in numerous projects, putting his special spice into everything he plays. He is a great producer, with a great ear for detail from what I have heard, and an unparalleled guitar player here. I have not heard him play classical guitar yet, but I do not doubt he is able. He has the hands for it. He knows the subtlety of hand fingering in Spanish music, and the guitars he holds are obviously just an extension of himself....that means to me that he understands Segovia, and Bream. Maybe someday. Maybe one day he will take my chiding seriously and do a solo CD, proving to the rest of the world what he is.

I am frustrated for him, and yet immensely happy for myself that he has not yet been discovered by someone big enough in the industry to take him away. It means I might get to hear more of what he can do, even if he is thoroughly tired of my face turning up at every gig I can. I have seen him with Buttercup, the Swindles, Patricia Vonne, and Lara & Reyes in the last few months. None of these share much musically in common,....except for him.
They all recognise his ability, and get a real kick out of playing with him. When he cuts loose and lets what is inside him come out through that instrument, well.....I would have to put it in poetry, because it is. Simple as that. Poetry written in music.

A bit mushy, granted, but it is true. I am particularly fond of Buttercup, but Joe’s playing has stopped me, turned my head, in all these groups I have seen him with. I am an artist and a writer, and I cannot tell you what it is that one guitarist has and another doesn’t that can do this. He’s got it though. And for the time being, San Antonio has him. As much as I would like to see the world acknowledge him, I am also glad he has chosen to stay home, and be a local boy first.

Maybe that’s it. It isn’t that SA holds on, so much as something I haven’t found here yet that makes some of the people here just not want to leave. I have seen much of the world, and while things out there are familiar enough that I am comfortable there for awhile, no single place has ever whispered in my ear “This is where you belong.” Perhaps that is what I hear in this guy’s music. This is where he is supposed to be. And I guess me too for awhile.
He, and the other musicians he works with, give me reason to stay put. And for a time anyway, I feel like I might fit.

I owe all of them thanks then; they give me a place to rest my weary feet for a bit, and a soundtrack to live by.

A Cuppa Crown

Buttercup at the Triple Crown, San Marcos, Texas.

Wow. I thought I had worked small places before. This stage was actually smaller than the one at the Pour House in SA. Yet they got all the guys on there, managed to move around and get stuff done! I was impressed.
The Triple Crown is small , but not a bad little venue. I don't know much about the San Marcos music scene- with Austin so close, it is either very competitive or dead. I wasn't too keen on the zydeco played so loud in such a small place, but that's was the porch is for I guess. The band sounded good, especially when I could think between notes! Not every place known to man should be made into a live music venue.
My backyard for instance. I have thought more than once of having a private party with a band, but after the mariachis my neighbours bombarded me with, I thought better of it. Just can't see doing that to the local pets and wildlife- the heck with the people. The wanna-be drummer on the other street needs to take a hint and QUIT. Yikes. Do people just not realize when they have no sense of rhythm? (That might explain some dancers....)

I digress!
************************************************************************************
and a busy day passes without completing that thought.

Tens of thousands.
that's how many songs I think I must know the lyrics to, and yet I keep finding out there are so many more I do not know at all. A lot of them don't care about, BTU it is surprising how many songs there are out there. Buttercup keeps pulling up all sorts of stuff I don't know by a band I thought I would know: the Kinks. My cousin Bruce in Denver has less than 150 albums, and more than half of them are Kinks. I have gotten my exposure, and still they come up with stuff I don't know. Princess Marina. Very Kinks tune, for some reason beyond mere convenience, I hope (I think!) dedicated to me.....about people who think that image is everything, even in the face of abject poverty. Not sure if that had meaning beyond the surface. I missed it if so....

The presence of a handful of real fans in an otherwise not too welcoming place can change a band's performance completely. BC seemed to thrive on the group of SA fans who came up (the San Antonio Consortium, per Mr. Erik) and they poured it on for several of the early songs. By the time they got to the stuff that needs a quieter setting, the audience was paying attention. I like that. Art is not beyond the average mind. They may need reminding to look up from the day's drudgery, but most will. And they walk away a little different for it.

***************************************************************************
whew.
I am behind schedule!
And pronouce that like the Brits, purely for emphasis.
What have I missed so far......White.
Man, I haven't seen that much white in one spot in a bar in many a year. It was some "no-white-after-Labour -Day" joke I suppose, and the guys wore it well, but it was heck on the flash! Luckily, Buttercup seems to like working in the dark, so this time they just showed up better.
Horns....poor Dale was pulling a double person shift all by self. He did well, especially with no amplification, but in this little place, that would have been suicide!
Music....well, the reason I drove that far, of course! Set list is up on their sight, but the intenseness of the first couple of tunes doesn't show by merely listing songs. cutting daisies was very powerful! There was a little rock star in the air I guess. (probably Danzig. He's short little cuss!)sick Yellow Flower was the strongest I have ever heard it- they took it to a height I wish they could've caught on the CD. Studio never does quite go where live can, though.

I must make apologies for my recalcitrant flash. I missed a couple of really good shots due to what I think was a failing battery.
After too short a time, the Cup vacated the small stage, and once again I was left wanting more. Had to settle for the CD on the drive home.
Thankfully, there will be a next time.

Aawww....

I so tickled.

My Webshots site, home to over 760 Del castillo pictures and 200 + more of other bands has had over 10,000 hits. Aw. I guess somebody else out there really does like looking at what I love to do. I will keep it going. It is a harmless, pleasant hobby to share with others.

Thanks folks.

:))

J.

Nothing More

Wow, wait a minute, hold on, this just isn't the way it is supposed to be!
San Antonio has always had a lame music scene, due to competition with Austin.
Right?
Ha.

I just heard yet another band tonight that convinces me SA has come somewhat into its own. They are called Nothing More, and while a Christian band (something I did not expect when I looked at their site- but like I care)(it is about the music after all), I was so impressed I had to sit a few moments and give these kids majour kudos! They are all quite young, but dang what talent. I heard Fripp guitars, Tony Levin fretless bass and drums that would have made Bill Bruford proud! I really thought for a moment there I was listening to the next stage of King Crimson. Wow. How often do you hear of a rock band of any kind with a fretless bass player?! I only caught two and a half songs by these guys and I want to see more. I am lucky- they are local, so that shouldn't prove too tough. Check out their site at www.nothingmore.net. I think they are on My space Music too, but haven't looked yet.
I must describe one more thing and I will stop ranting: the drum piece...... I am old hat in this city. I remember Evil Mothers' wild and crazy ending to many shows. They would have all the members playing drums, usually 55 gallon type, and one of them on fire in the center of the stage. It was mesmerizing and scary. I half expected them to light the ceiling of the Rock Showcase on fire!
Now these kids weren't even born, or if they were, they were toddlers.

The drummer pulled the floor tom and snare out, set them up between the two guitarists and they started this wildly inventive conversation. The other two guys were gone! I blink and the two guitar players are gone and the other guys are on stage, with drum sticks. This begins an interplay between the three of them that must be seen to be believed. ANY marching band worth its weight would love to have gotten ahold of these guys. They were in perfect synch through the whole ten minute routine. The movements were strong and decisive and obviously well practiced. I dare say flawless. Absolutely amazing.
And to boot, the music's really good. Strong voices, tremendous guitar work, bass and drums to rival almost any heavier band. Check them out.

I feel bad! I went to the gig to see my son-in-law's band, Brotherhood! Totally different type of music, but I think Nothing More was a pretty hard act to follow.
(Brotherhood actually tore it up big time, though I don't think the same people were in front of the two bands. Very diversified crowd tonight!)
I'm pooped. Gonna go sleep, and tomorrow finish my review of Buttercup's gig.
Ciao

(OH! before I hang up, have heard from the DC front out there on the East Coast, and they are having a good time. Even had David Bryne in the audience in NYC. they are going to be so bored with us normal people when they come back home.....;)

Blueberry Hill

Word has it that legend Fats Domino is found and okay. I wonder of the many other entertainers and artists native to New Orleans. It may be some time before we know. Goddess bless that poor city. I don't know how they will ever be able to reclaim it, or make it what it used to be. In a single move, it has changed forever.

Despite soaring gas prices, I am venturing to San Marcos to see Buttercup this evening. I am having to seriously rethink any further driving plans I may have been making. I cannot imagine what Del Castillo is going through; two fully loaded vans and one of them pulling their gear. That has to be a bite in the wallet in the north east. Just take a little longer to get there guys and save by conservation. (Eric, Jason, you listening?) Safe trip. We await you back home.
and poor Patricia and Bobby! They went off on their much anticipated European tour, only to come back to all of this! What a home coming!
It doesn't take much to change everything, does it?

September Song

Leaves play upon a silver breeze....


Okay, I am proving my age there. Chad and Jeremy. Most of you don't have a clue, do you? Well, one of the bad females on the old Batman series once stole their voices. That and the song are about all that remains of a wonderful singing duo. Shame.

I wish that in Texas, the turning of the year to September meant what it does up north- down here, it just means we have at least 30 more days of blistering heat. Yech.

I am recuperated finally from last weekend's escapades and looking forward to a couple this weekend. My dear boys in DC are on their way to the East Coast, where they will spend much of the next 20 days wowing and wooing, I am sure. I had hoped to be going to NYC or Annapolis, but it is not to be. I will have to wait for Albuquerque and El Paso again to travel. Considering current gas prices, probably just as well. It might actually be cheaper to fly, but where's the fun in that? I want to go through Roswell and Carlsbad again, and maybe Marfa too (look them up if you don't understand- very neat places, all.)

In the meantime, I will have to settle for the DVD, which is NOT what they are like at all anymore. I am hoping that despite my feelings at the time of inconvenience, this new batch of film becomes a new DVD. It would be good to get their real power up there on DVD. And it would mean some new tunes to listen to now and then.

I still have Buttercup to go see. They are an interesting group of guys. I have offered to lend them props and such out of my house, and they are game for the input! Ooo...if they only knew what box they have just opened. My imagination can get a little weird now and then. But...they seem to like challenges. Good. I like the adventurous sort!

And there's San Antonio's annual Jazz Alive, provided it isn't so hot I can't stand it. I just wish there was stuff in between, during the week....I have learned to turn off the boob tube (meaning it makes you into a boob, not some sexual reference. Down, boys.) and I am trying to find things out in the community to put in its place. SA isn't a little town, but it sometimes feels like it. The sidewalks at least yawn and scratch themselves about 11 PM, though they don't actually roll up til later.... It is a little sad that the only ones I can find out doing stuff at midnight are the bats of society like me, usually in bars and rarely being productive. Maybe I need to start something. I am the master of chaos after all. It's my job.

(heehee)


nighty night.

Two :Too hot to Handle

Yow, the things I do in the name of band-love!

Later in the evening, Rick Del Castillo told me in passing that temps in Austin had reached 108. That's nuts! Who in their right mind holds an outdoor event in potentially life threatening heat?! And I remember back when I was in school at UT that the average temp in Austin was always about 5 degrees cooler than San Antonio. no more I guess. They call all that damned cement and steel progress....I sure as hell don't.

Despite the heat, a cadre(sp?) of loyalist DC fans stuck it out for the boys. We darn near melted, but we stayed. I haven't eaten that much shaved ice since I was about 12. And I still needed water for many hours afterwards. Someone I know had a case of heat prostration from this day, and that is NOT good. It's supposed to be fun and enjoyable for all. Let's do it again guys, but not until cooler weather!

The guys were really on this particular evening, partly because they were home, and partly because of the film crew flitting around the stage all evening. Kudos to them for not interfering with the fans' view or priority, but I still hate being at these filmings. The groups always act differently, a bit more self-consious and such. Not to speak of we fans who would prefer to NOT end up on film. Leave that crap to Hollyweird. I came for the music only.
The boys have obviously had a lot of time on their hands on the road and have been productive. there was a new tune, which I had heard in El Campo, but cannot remember the name of. And they have seriously tighened up Bert's "Brotherhood" tune. Both pieces are decidedly more radio oriented, btu still very Dc. Catchy I must say! Now, if we could just get them on an ALBUM?! I know that's out of the question, at least for now. Maybe 2006. I think they are still waiting for a label to give them the big deal instead of just getting the music out there. It is driving those of us who have heard about this album-in-the-making now for well over a year nutz. I would settle for an EP of new stuff guys!

The one upside to the evening is that the film crew was supposedly making it for some public access channel to show. Please any one in austin who can tape it, do so! At the very least I would like to see what they made me not use my flash to capture. I do think the smoke machine was a bit of overkill, but we'll see. It just seems more Bonjovi than Del Castillo. My opinion of course. I just don't go for the frue-frue junk. If one is true to what one is, the only thing that kind shine through is the Truth.

Texas, Too Hot To Handle

Lesse........



over here and over here
we have we have

DEL CASTILLO BUTTERCUP

(Well, THAT didn't work! they were supposed to be on opposite sides of the page!)


It has been an exhausting weekend. I had made a mild promise to get up to Alice's Restaurant in Neiderwald today, but my head just won't allow it. Just as South Texas is getting an early taste of autumn in the air, the heat managed to give me another migraine. It is the price I sometimes pay for my music. I will stay quiet today, because there is always more to go see. I just have to stop trying to spread myself so thin. As it is, I am already working on my October schedule, adding back in a band I have yet to write about- E Muzeki. They are a gypsy duo (actually, now a trio)
from San Antonio who are playing the Texas Renaissance Faire that month. DC again is to blame for my hearing of them, and I am a dedicated fan of violin and bouzouki music now! but October is going to be a busy month all the way around.

Now, let's start with Friday evening. The day sucked royally, so I will try to forget about it and get on with the good stuff: Buttercup at the Hyde Park Theatre.

the one really neat thing Austin seems to have over SA is the number of smaller venues available. We go from too small to too big, with little in between. If one wants a more intimate setting, it can be tough down here. The guys in Buttercup seem to thrive on improvisation to some extent though. good thing!
They didn't have to do too much of that at the Hyde Park place, which has probably seen more intact days. It has obviously been redone inside more than once for various needs, with all the stuff from those changes hanging around out back.....along with the mangled 10 speed bike lashed to a set of burglar bars on a side window. ( I know there's a story there, but do I want to know?) It was a pleasant enough setting, and so intimate that those in the front row could've used the monitors as foot rests. Artist Robert Tatum was doing a live art show with both performers. Opening act was Billy Harvey, an Austin balladeer whose live performance tonight gave no indication of the intensity of his latest CD. When I have had a bit more time to digest it I will write on him. In the meantime check out his website www.billyharveymusic.com. Wild. And you can hear his sounds there.

The Cup came on in their unassuming way and started off what ended up being an amazing set. I can already say that they are going to probably surprise me everytime I get to see them. They seem to feed off the audience even more than most bands, which of course is going to make a diff. I will leave it up to them to put up the set list, as usual, on thier website. I want to relay the feeling.
This show was much heavier, in terms of music, than the last one I got to see. a stronger delivery, as well as stronger tunes. Everybody sang at least one tune, and the power in the delivery was tremendous. (And someone tell Joe he needs to use than voice more- yummy!;)
***************************************************************************
Headache under control.

ELVIS.

damn, should have seen it!

Joe Reyes reminds me of Elvis. I think it's something between the eyes and mouth (like his nose, stupid?!) (Sorry, talking to myself again....) I just saw a photo of him I took the other night and it hit me. Better voice and smile though. And I don't think Elvis ever played guitar quite like that.

oh well. on with the show description. Note I don't say review? Opinions are as numerous as lower bodily exit points......
I can't say exactly why this show was so much stronger than the first one. Maybe because it was a Friday? The crowd? Planetary alignment? I'm not sure. I had a couple of Austin friends turn up to experience the guys. That made it fun for me. The crowd at these things seems looser, more open to letting the band be flexible. We are almost part of the performance, which of course changes the possiblities with each show. The fellow passing out shots of kool-aid flavoured schnaps probably didn't hurt the mood.... I since come to find that the idea of coming to the show with a communal mentality is encouraged. How many bands do you know that work to get their audience to relate to each other? It is a first for me, even in the art community.

It a sign to me of a group's skill when they can play less than 3 bars of a song we haven't heard before and set a mood instantly. When the band is seperated by being on a stage, apart from the audience, almost like they are in a totally different world, some members of the audience are likely to be unmoved. Perhaps it is our closeness to the band, or a differnce of mindset that would draw us to such a performance, that makes this audience unusual Even those back on the wall, a few feet further away from the guys, reacted to the songs. There was respectful silence when the song called for it, which means they were paying attention. there has never been anything so irritating to me to hear DC playing Perdename or Porque and people yakking loudly right over it, like it was a jukebox. Buttercup's crowd doesn't do that. Well, not the ones I have been part of yet. They come for the music, pure and simple.

And the music is simple. This is not to say it is moronic or repetative. Simplicity can be deceiving. That pregnant pause....that sustained note...that one finishing word held back until you can't stand it anymore. Some how, some where, this becomes the part of art that no artist can explain. I've been trying to capture it as poetry for 35 years. It is probably the hardest thing to put to words I have ever found.

I think that's why I enjoy Buttercup. They aren't trying to write Billboard 100 hits. They write from the soul and play some songs that touched theirs. And they enjoy doing it to do it. I come away from the shows happy inside for a little while, and so far it has been a blast to remember too. Another batch of enigmatic smiles I can't explain to anyone, save by playing them Buttercup. I think I will go find one now, while I uplaod the newest batch of photos.

namaste.

DC gig will follow.

Oh goody goody!

I get to go stand out in 100 degree heat to catch Del Castillo and Vallejo....

didn't I do something like this last year in Victoria? Only hat was Chris Duarte and DC.

I gotta be nuts.

Between traveling for DC and now traveling for Buttercup, the price of gas right now, and the September heatwave of '05, I have to be crazy. Good thing I am on vacation for a week! I will need it to recover.

well, it's off into the blaze. I have much to write about Buttercup's Hyde Park gig, with notes about Billy Harvey, but they will have to wait. Gotta chug water and slather on the sunscreen in self defense. Irish blood should not have to hang out in the sun!
More on this weekend's insanity soon!

I Stand Accused

of musical infidelity.

Ya know, I'm not sure that's possible. Perhaps fickleness, but one would have to be the vilest of groupies to fall into that first category, and well, I just don't do that.
and I am not the love 'em and leave 'em type either. I still hold my dearest Moody Blues in my heart, despite finding out things about the people in the band that didn't settle well with me. It's where I learned to let artists also be humans.

What I am talking about it a somewhat serious, somewhat joking accusation from a member of Del Castillo ( I will keep his anonymity) of "being with another band" while they were gone. I actually fumbled around trying to explain my way out of it too! Apparently for some musicians, there isn't even a fine line to be drawn between fan and possession! ;)
Seriously though, DC is my true love right now, no matter who I write about. I was standing last night watching the brothers FLY through a couple of solos, and thought to myself, then to my friend Casey, they could wipe out Lara and Reyes. Yet I still played L&R's World Jazz Cd when I got up this morning. It is a wonderful, skillful jazz album, with tones of musical forms from around the world in it. I have NO doubt that Reyes could keep up with and even challenge Rick and Mark. Yet- what they make, the music they with their fellow band members create every time I see them so surpasses anything out there.... Perdename had me literally on my knees, in tears, AGAIN. Those harmonies just cut through all the bullshit roaming around in this confused little soul and put it on the line. The words I do know, because they come boiling up from inside me. They find expression in DC's most amazing tune, and the Truth in it burns away the mask for a brief moment, letting in light where I myself may not dare. None of the guitar duos in my collection, and there are many, have ever touched me in that way. And, once again, I know I am not alone in this. It is the force, the power of the soul in their music that draws a growing number of fans together.
You have much to do in this world, gentlemen. I cannot say what part I play in it, if any, but I will be there to support you as much as I can. If you think for one minute that I do not count the days, nay, even sometimes the minutes, between the times we get to spend together, you are wrong. Not to belittle anyone I would write about here, but I would throw over any gig I get to go to, if I knew I had time to spend with my brothers in Del Castillo. The fact I search for something to fill in the gap when they are out there letting the rest of the world know they exist should only be a sign to DC that I miss them. And I really do.


(Ps. Don't miss the Austin Buttercup gig this Friday if you can help it. There's a lot of soul there too, though a little different. Avant Garde, for sure.)

namaste.

Greek Brothers Oyster Bar

kicks butt. The food was terrific- enough to travel for- and the venue itself was pretty cool. El Campo walked home impressed by the band (Del Castillo) and there is already talk of them returning. It is worth the trip just for the band, but the Pasta Margarita makes it even more special.
On the way down, once we got off I 10, I would've sworn we had gotten into the twilight zone.I am just too much the big-city kid I guess. I don't know what to do with middle America any more than they know what to think of me. We do by all appearances have similar tastes in music. Finding that out made up for nearly clocking several chickens on the way into town!
It is after 5 AM though, and I am pooped. I have a birthday party for my 3 year old grandgirl to go to in a few hours, so I will relate more about the gig later. Just to leave it at this.....damn, I have missed you, guys. You take a piece of me with you every time. It was really good to have all the parts back together for awhile.
My love goes with you wherever you are.
namaste.

Buttercup, again....

I spent most of yesterday evening with my feet and ankles submerged in a wading pool, in the middle of which was a fairly typical bar table. On the table I had dumped an offering of chocolates, which were imbibed in by all who cared to. The only rule was you had to make a boat or other floaty thing to set free in the pool. We had many attempts still afloat at the end of the night, even after at least two dog-induced mini-tsunamis. For a group of near strangers, it was really relaxed evening. There was not even one attempt at a bar brawl, and no nasty tempers even seemed to be in the room. Quite a change for one used to working with a band that drew most of the local biker crowd. For a five foot three female, I got pretty good a few years back at intimidating big drunk bikers. I had to- it was them or me.
It was really a nice change to not feel even one bad vibe all night.

The location was an unassuming building called the Wiggle Room, Chances are you, like I, might drive right past it in the dark. The only thing that caught my ttention in that block was the big purple neon OM in a window. I didn't know until later that this was the Wiggle Room.
Inside is a bit more impressive than outside, though still quite low key. It fits the band a lot actually. It is really not a bar, but a performance place for the avant garde of SA I guess. It is a small but proud community. It was pretty obvious that some serious thought had gone into the placing of chairs, the structure on stage, and a few subtle side decorations. It was all to set a mood. I was pleasantly surprised. I had been listening to the CD for a few days, but still really didn't know what to expect live.

In the way of casual gatherings, the band waited until there was a small crowd before they started their first set. I was pleased to hear harmonies done live just as they were on the CD. That is one of the things about them that charmed me from the beginning. I am a sucker for harmonies in vocals. The music is complex enough to intrigue, but does not make great demands of the ear. Instead, again, it tries to create a mood. The lyrics go the full range from sad to funny, seriously to tongue-in-cheek. The general feel of the whole event is "we are going to do what we do best, and we hope you come along for the ride."
Like my dear Del Castillo, they have some very dedicated fans, many of whom have seen at least a years worth of performances like this. I chatted with a few, but relaying the experience is tough. It isn't really about words. It is about feelings. And they make me feel good. I wish I could keep it with me a lot more than I can. But I pull it back up when life gets a little rough. Sorta like DC.

I was going to write down a set list, but they rarely called out song titles. I knew the Neil Young tunes they covered, and one or two from the CD, but almost everything else was new material. It was cool to hear something new, and still find it moving. I anxiously await the next CD, due out at the end of the year. The live and the studio both held up. One or the other always seems to fall short, but not this time.
****************************************************************************

Well.....
I got caught up with work and haven't been able to write on this again yet. Such is life. to my surprise, some fellow DCites were glad to hear about Buttercup coming to Austin in a letter I wrote earlier this week, so...here I advertise for them:
26 august, Hyde Park Theatre, about 8 PM for the doors. Also, check the guys out at www.myspace.com/buttercup, as well as their own website, which is now back up after a 24 hr down. There are two names: www.buttercup.com and www.buttercult.com. I am kind of partial to the second one.
I am going to publish this one, and get back to describing them as I can. Seriously though, go find the Borders in Austin or Hogwild in SA, and take a listen to the CD. I am partial to cutting daisies and downslide...and most everything in between!

ciao for now.

THIS is what Austin THINKS it is.

Austin has gotten blase. It is too easy to proclaim oneself Live Music Capital when one has so many bands that there must be music every night of the week for anyone to get a chance to be heard. Good luck catching a crowd that isn't so bored out of its mind by all the possibilities that it fails to recognize the truly original in the vast sea of the mundane.
Soon, very soon, they will be potential witness to a truly original band, one that knows no boundaries placed upon it by local critics, one that stretches where it needs to and lets things be simple where is best suited. This is Buttercup.

Someone's pet lamb became the unwitting name of this most original pop band out of San Antonio. Rarely, since the early 1980's, have any tread upon the ground of social and personal observation with such clarity and humour. Never let it be said that Buttercup takes itself too seriously. When things get too uptight, the joke is ever there to lighten up the mood. It is a bad thing when one forgets how to look at one's self and laugh. In the middle of some of the most intense and profound pop music since Rank and File, Buttercup finds time to let old wounds heal through humour. It is to be commended.

I am currently investigating the career of one Joe Reyes. This guy has got to be the busiest musician I know of.He has so many things going on that the owner of Hogwild Records recently joked with me as I was buying a couple of CDs about "Joe Reyes' 89 bands." I haven't actually counted but I don't think Dave is far off! And what a talent. I do not doubt for a second the talent of the other members of Buttercup one ounce, but I know from many years of experience that a person like Joe can make others reach out for what they might not have otherwise tried for.
I had bought the band's first CD a few days prior to this Monday night performance and by the time they got on stage, I was pretty sure I had it memorized. I was singing where I knew the lyrics and reveling in whatever I didn't know. They did things to Neil Young songs that man could only dream of. They played new stuff I heard during sound check and old stuff off the album and still left me wanting them not to stop. It wasn't the most bombastic. It wasn't the deepest of lyrics. It probably didn't come close to Grammy material, but that's because most folks don't wanna feel that deep. It might mean they have to wake up.


They call it Grackle Mundy. A grackle is one of the noisiest birds one could ever hope to come across. They inhabit South Texas for many months of the year, making one of the most god-awful rackets one ever heard out of a bird, and living in every tree left on what was once their migratory path. It is only in the silence of winter that one finds relief from the crackling screech of their call.
I am hoping for a warm winter, if only to keep Buttercup from migrating away. I have, in a single evening, become a dedicated follower of this odd ritual of a Monday evening celebration. It is born in the music created by Buttercup. You won't find them in many stores. You probably won't hear them on the radio quite yet. They are, however, worth whatever effort you choose to put into discovering the new and different. \they are one of those groups that rarely come around, but leave an indeliable trail wherever they go. It isn't something they have control of. Sometimes the total is greater than the sum of its parts. I dare you to take that leap.
If you are openminded enough to read this blog, you owe to yourself to find out about this band.
The name is BUTTERCUP.



www.buttercup.com

Lara & Reyes

Ah-ha!
I have found a new distraction!

To my embarrassment, I had never heard of this San Antonio duo in all their years together, though I know one of them from his other ventures in the music scene around here.
Sergio Lara and Joe Reyes are two of the best guitarists San Antonio has ever produced and their vibrant Latin- tinged jazz has been repeatedly compared to the best on the biz. I feel no need to name names, as I am here to talk about this “new” old duo’s work.

I am called Jazz, a self-given nickname of more than 30 years. I love the music form, because it usually challenges the artist to a higher degree than rock or even blues does. It also has yet to conform to any rules, which gives one the ability to stretch out.
Lara and Reyes could easily end up lumped into the New Age category, or maybe world music, because of the diversity they aim for. Their percussionists come from totally different backgrounds than the two Spanish styled guitar players, while the bassist, playing no less than six strings, is obviously a jazzer from the beginning. Yet their interplay was the stuff of legends. There are many guitar duos out there, some these two have already been compared to, but I really think they are in a place all their own.
Right now I have the CD “World Jazz” on. I have listened to squibs of other CDs on Amazon, but this one caught my ear. I will have to see them a few more times before I could start ranting like I do about the brothers in DC, but I daresay these two, like Monty, could easily give the boys a run for their money. I have now an ideal gig in my brain: Lara & Reyes, Del Castillo, Monty Montgomery, and to top the night off, a guitar jam session the likes of which have not been seen in this city since 1984. That was McLaughlin, di Meola, De Lucia, and Steve Morse, at the Majestic Theater. God what a night that was.

Incidentally, I have found that too many guitar fans have yet to hear of that ground breaking album, which is beyond sad. Do yourself a favour; go find “A Friday Night In San Francisco,” by the first three in that last list. It is, as yet, untouched, by any other group I have heard. It was quite probably a majour influence in many bands’ worlds. I knew rockers who would stand in silent awe in my record store while those amazing guitars blared out of our woefully inadequate speakers. That is the true test of music- can it still sound good when the system playing it is crap?

I have seen Joe Reyes play with Patricia Vonne, the Swindles, this duo, and come Monday, a band called Buttercup. I also think now that we have crossed paths before. His work over the last 25 years or so has had just reason to cross mine, though I will leave those stories for some other time. I just know that he has become one of the best guitar players to EVER come out of San Antonio. If you hear of any of these groups in your area, especially Lara & Reyes, don’t miss ‘em. you will not be disappointed.

namaste.

Happy Birthday, Satchmo!

Satchmo was a nickname.

My nickname is Jazz, and that has it’s roots in the birthday boy for August 4th. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, trumpet wailer and jazz crooner, was born on this day. When I was just a kid, being bombarded by music on all sides (Beatles, Bob Dylan, Stravinsky, Glenn Miller,and the list goes on,....) I found a new form of music on my own: jazz.
I heard Louis singing one day on the radio and was smitten. That rich, deep voice started me down a path that eventually led to Weather Report and Jaco Pastorius.
I cannot thank Louis enough for opening a door that might not have been. I know many in my age group didn’t hear of him til a movie called “Good Morning Vietnam”, but he’s a old standby in my house.
As a matter of fact, I think I will go put on a CD right now......

Immortality doesn’t necessarily mean living forever in flesh, but rather in the world’s heart.
Happy birthday,Louis.

Heart, Soul, and Roots

Ya know for anyone who reads past the most recent entry here, it has got to get boring how much I talk about Del Castillo. Most bands would love to have such a nut on their side, but it always sounds like a bit much from a fan's perspective.

But man, they just do it for me.

I cannot seem to find a point where they fill the space around them so fully that they can't possible add anymore to it. And they have brought me the most amazing array of new music along the way!
Take Monty Montgomery, for instance. I had never heard of the guy, but now plan, while my guys are out of the road, to go catch this fellow and his band locally. It isn't DC, but he did impress me, as did his bass player and drummer. Tremendous trio. I was down front for the jam session between the brothers and Monty that I knew would happen, but I got caught up in his music on the way! And i tell you what- the guy makes the brothers sit up and pay attention on the playing side! He is definitely world-class on guitar, and I have never been one for giving that kind of compliment easily. They all stretched out, which is partly why I am so tired today.

The really fun part was during his encore....the whole of Del Castillo came out, and joined Monty for a song that took me totally by surprise: George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." My friend Casey was with me, had gone to take a seat because his hip was hurting, and was back on his feet, and at the front of the stage before they got two bars into the tune! He is a huge George Harrison fan, and a pretty big DC fan, and now I daresay, a Monty fan! What a great night.

Every time I think I have witnessed tha best these guys have ever done, they pull another gig out of the hat that goes a little further. One would think there is a level of ecstasy where it can go no higher. Perhaps that is the difference between physical pleasure and true spiritual ecstasy. The soul can go places these limited bodies cannotr. And I really do believe Del Castillo has found one of many doors to touch on that place in each of us. It is not merely an individual trip, but a collective effort to rise above what we are that creates these moments. I cannot tell the world how much it has meant to me to make this journey, and meet these people I have along the way. It isn't just the band- I know lots of them. It is the band and the ever growing legion of fans that have made this what it is. It is a Light, in a world desperately in need of it right now. And it shines brighter each time They play and we all celebrate together.

Namaste- Om Sri Sai Ram.

(more later- I am due to drive to Houston today.)