James Brown, 1933-2006

As one writer aptly put it, dramatic to the end- dying on christmas day. as a pagan, I couldn't give a fart about the date, but I suspect it wasn't in his plans to go out on a day like this. Ah well. Best laid plans and all. anyhow, I was never a collctour of his music, but like the Beatles, I very much appreciate the impact this man had on the music industry and the world in general. The godfather of soul will have a place in history for generations to come. I know there is more I could write, but I haven't had any entusiasm lately, so I will not strain the reader's patience with tripe.

Bad day

It was 26 years ago. I spent the day in a court room waiting to testify against a little richkid brat whose daddy bought his way out of facing theft charges. I spent some time researching a book I was writing. I slept for awhile at home.
The phone rang. I sat bolt upright from a sound sleep, knowing who was calling. I said her name outloud. When I picked up the phone, she was hysterical. When she told me why, my knees gave way, and I collapsed to the floor. I didn't sleep for more than 48 hours after that......
John Lennon, one of the Beatles, a man outspoken about peace for most of my life, had been shot down in cold blood on his own building's doorstep.

Everything changed that day. All those things that had always seemed like they could be possible became brittle, bitter dreams. Yet strangely enough, John, without somehow becoming a martyr, despite what had happened, actually brought a lot of us together, where we might never had met. Grieving for our own mortal loss briefly clouded the greater meaning of his words and music. Though I wish it had been a different day, a different person, something, ANYthing but what it was......I also know that it was a very powerful bringer of change.

May we as a species learn to live up to what you sang of, John. It would be the greatest homage we could pay to your memory.

"All We Are Saying Is Give Peace A Chance."

John Ono Lennon, 1940-1980
We will not forget.

Happy Announcement!

Oh, I have much to report as of the last few weeks, but this is by far the thing I feel I should talk about. Mark and Candy Del Castillo are proud parents yet again!
Their second shild and son, Julian, was born a bit early the other evening. He wasn't due til early November, but that's how babies are- they come when THEY are ready. The healthy mom and baby look terrific, and I suspect the whole house, not to speak of the clan, are turned a bit upside down now! me, I am just one big grin whenever I think about it. They are such sweet people, and have already got one amazing son......who knows. Maybe these brothers will also end up moving the world!

Congratuatulations to the Del Castillo family, both the recently expanded one, as well as the much larger one that covers almost coast to coast!

Pianosaurus

Many years ago, I wandered into the local indie record store, as was my habit. Frank was at the desk, or maybe it was Ruben...don't remember really. But the guys at Hogwild used to love to "introduce" me to new sounds by slipping them on, and not saying a word to me. I am blessed, or cursed, with perfect pitch and a serious understanding of both harmony and melody, and well done music will always catch my attention. This particular day, what ended up being played sounded tinny and a bit amateurish to me at first. When the keyboard guy started rattling off a line in the song "Cherry Street", I turned to Frank (or Ruben...) and asked "who's playing keys for this band, Schroder?!" As Frank laughed, he handed me the cassette case.

Pianosaurus.

This was the time prior to Barney being a household name, or it might never have flown with me. As it was, this bubblegum basic, toy-bashing trio stole my heart. I have been playing that cassette for nearly two decades.

I also had been wondering what I would do if that tape ever wore out....because it was irreplaceable. For not the first time in this music collectour's life, I thank the world of compact discs for saving something simple and precious. I just found their record on CD today, at amazon.com.

A group of classical musicians on holiday from Cambridge U., they ended up pooling their money and buying toy instruments to busk for enough cash to get back to campus. The results of their jams made them incredibly popular, and eventually, they put out this one album. I assume they went on to finish school and may now be playing elsewhere, in a somewhat more regimented form. I may never know. But I would love to be able to tell them how much joy that one cassette brought to me for years, and now for the rest of this lifetime.

Thanks guys.


(i have a lot to write about where DC and Buttercup are concerned, but life in ridiculously busy right now. Soon, I swear!)

LALALA!

Heading out this day to FInally get to see my DC boyz again after way too long! I love the fact they are gaining so many new fans and hate the fact it keeps them away from home ! and me, with the RR going so much....well, times change. If they would just hire me to do something within the co., all this could be resolved! (kidding guys- I have so much on my plate right now...but I may be abuying a new camera today, just because of YOU....)

Sonic Landscapes

I was gonna title this one "Joe Reyes: ill-equipped", after his in-the-making solo CD ('bout time, Joe!) After last evening however, I just have too much to talk about!
Plumtucker came to town, and brought a new band to the Red Room, one that has literally traveled farther than anyone so far to play our little space! Additional Moog is from the Midlands in the UK, and though they were missing their drummer Ian, I, and most of the room, were mightily impressed. To call them pop is to be unflattering. I was just moved by what I heard, and tickled that David Lutz from Plumtucker got them to come all the way to Texas to play a few gigs with him. A sweet treat on top of a night I was looking forward to. David is possessed of a tremendous, strong voice, and some real multitalent as a musician. So far, I have heard and been impressed by his bass, guitar and drum playing...where will it end?! ;) Seriously, he, and his lovely wife with him, make for some sweet singing.

And David managed to bring another gem with him: Brady Muckelroy. Some bassists are purists, believing that four strings is all they should have. Others have stretched out to 5, 6, 12......apparently, someone is trying to test the limits of infinity through the bass guitar......Brady, is one of those who pushes perimeters. He doesn't just play the bass, he paints with it. Jaco changed how I hear music. Brady is helping the world colour in the pages that Jaco left blank. This fellow is going to play the Red Room on October 20th, solo. I cannot recommend enough that all fans of music come give him a chance. If you appreciate, Jaco, Tony Levin, Stanley Clark, you will find Brady to be one of them.

Ian Moore

I write, because I am too wound up to sleep yet. I write, because I feel the need to capture something here, to hold a moment in time still for long enough to show it to another. I cup it in my hands, hold it lightly, protected from the passing winds of time, and try to find another to show. “See? See what I have found?”

I made a trek to Austin tonight, to try to squeeze into the smallish Cactus Cafe. Ian Moore and Kullen Kuchs were playing there, and, bonuses for me, Billy Harvey was opening for them. When Ian and Kullen played the Red Room in SA awhile back, I was a novice to Ian’s stage performance. I knew of his music, but live is always something more than the recording. Recordings are often made over long periods of time, with enough spaces in between to allow for change of mood and mind. A live performance calls on things in one’s soul that might not always translate to the tape machine. The interaction between performer and audience adds nuances.

At the Red Room, I was blown away in less than a single song, and like the rest of that audience, was entranced. I wasn’t certain that tonight would be the same. That little room has its own power, its own presence, built partly by Delphine and partly by all the amazing music that has been performed there. I knew Ian was powerful onstage, but what about the room?

I found out that it isn’t just the place in his case. He and Kullen wound a similar web at the Cactus, pulling in even the most stubborn of attendees. Some people just do not get the idea of sitting and listening; there is some weird need to talk, especially when alcohol has been added to the mix. Taking command, both with the intensity and subtlety of the music, and a wry sense of humour, seems to be one of Ian’s strengths. I found myself putting my fingers and hands over my mouth quite a lot, to keep from letting out a squeal or yelp. The level of emotion pouring out off that stage was overwhelming. It was quite difficult to not let out an at inopportune time some burst of excitement on my part!

Once again, they walked out into the audience, to play a few acoustic numbers, and this time I was one of the ones so close to them both I could probably tell you the weave of their pants! (Sorry, but I was sitting after all!)
The sound system did a good job of delivering the music, but to be where the ambience of both voices and guitars could brush across my skin was wonderful. There is nothing quite like an intimate song from someone right next to you. And what harmonies! They finished their little audience foyer with “True Love’s Ways”, an Everly Brothers tune. Not many folk in my life know it, but I have had a lifelong crush on Phil Everly, and well, Phil, I am afraid you may have gotten shoved out of that seat tonight! Wow. I adore the Everlys’ harmonies, but these two so outdid the original. I would love to hear them put it as a hidden track on the next CD. Just astounding.

Sigh.

Whew. The drive to and from Austin, combined with being excited all day, and thrilled for several hours, has left my body a bit worn out. To sleep I go, knowing that I am probably lagging behind Ian and Kullen. They both looked done for at the end of the encore. They’ve been on a long tour, and now it’s time for some rest. I am hoping it won’t be too far in the future before I get to hear either or both live again, but this evening will be ringing in my ears and my dreams for several days.
Thank you guys. You are, as I said, magical.

(and Billy bear? you know I love you sweetie, but I will write of thee maybe tomorrow, after a bit of rest. You have a special place in my heart always.)

Say It Loud- Say it Proud

No more apathy people. No more of "I can't make a difference." Join the fight to end the stupidity.
www.neilyoung.com

list of protest songs
#7
Hundred Year Flood's "Ain't Gonna Fight a Rich Man's War"

It is never too late....unless we let it be so.



"You CANNOT bomb the world to peace."

Synopsis

good lord! how time do fly when you are too busy to think! I hadn't realised that it had been nearly a month since I last wrote anything here! Egads!
I am literally going to have to check my calendar as I write this to remember all the amazing folks that have passed through my life lately. Bear with me- I will update this as time permits. Right now, I have another full day at work to face, and sleep is a staple of that diet.

....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................

A Loss For Words

I am a writer, a spinner of words. There comes a time when words just don't do it, just cannot seem to communicate an experience well enough for the reader to really get what I mean though. It is then that I paint or draw, trying to capture what seems elusive.....

I should've had my pad with me the other night. I do not know what would've been born, but it might do better here, right now,



Ian Moore came to the Red Room Thursday. He brought with him his multi-instrument playing compadre, Kullen Kuchs. I wasn't certain what was going to go on up there, but before the first tune was even half way over, I knew something special was building in that place. It's one thing to be a singer-songwriter. It is another to be a storyteller. It is yet another to reach beyond that and learn to paint and sculpt with words and music. That is perhaps the best description I can give of what these two did inside those walls.

The first song set a mood, planted a spell....it was like a cauldron of ingredients, both artist and audience, being mixed with sound and the right chant. I see in my mind's eye a swirling, growing cloud of smoke, full of images half-recognised, but so familiar. I hear the drone of the chant, calling one into meditation, and a different state of mind.

Yup. they did this to their audience. It was astounding. Someone sitting in the back, when I told her there were places further forward if she wanted them, informed me should would be leaving in a few minutes. She sayed til the last note died away, some 90 minutes later. I hated to be distracted, but it wan't difficult to fall right back into the mood. Ian kept a tight , though gentle grip on his audience.

One of the delights of the evening was a shift he and Kullen made on their own. They stepped off our little stage, moving a few feet out toward the audience. Kullen brought out his accordian, Ian his guitar, and they stood among us, singing songs in wonderful harmonies. No one there thought about cell phones or chit-chat; we were engrossed in this intimate moment.

And what a voice! I think Ian must have a four octave stretch or better. His clean and perfect transitions remind me of Shawn Phillips so much. I think some opera singers would be jealous. I know most other vocalists would be taken back a step or two.

Oh and Kullen! Kullen saved the soul of a piano that has been sitting at the Red Room for a couple of months, gathering dust, being a knick-knack holder. It was proclaimed to be untunable and unrepairable, and its fate had seemed sealed. When Kullen opened the keys up, while he and Ian were in the audience, a shudder of fear,and embarassment, welled up in me.......then he touched it, lightly at first. Instrument and musician felt each other out, and found common ground. Sounds I did not think it capable of making were carressed out of that piano, and a flurry of tears joined the shock on my face. I know now that I will do what i can to protect that little grandma's -sitting-room piano, until Kullen can come back and try to work it into shape. He believes it can be given new life, and I have to believe someone who can take such time and tenderness to find use for the discarded. It speaks of a true artist, not just of the human being.



We have had some tremendous musicians come to the Red Room already, leaving there bit of soul in the walls, on the stage. The place has built such a wonderful vibe that no artist has yet had even a single negative word for us or the experience. Whatever this place started as, it has become larger in soul than anything we could ever have done to it. I can only use so many words to describe some of the experiences we have witnessed here, and this one is harder than most. I had a friend there who saw Ian about 15 years ago, and his comment was "It's nice to see an artist grow so much."

Whatever journey he has gone through, the Red Room and Ian found a crossroads the other night. It was something that no one there will forget, and no one who wasn't there would probably be able to get without having been there. But he and Kullen left a whole new patina of soul and spirit on the walls, in the curtains. I daresay it will bring further changes on from its mere presence. and I really hope we have theirs again, in the not so distant future.



( I spent last evening with my dear Del Castillo, in Austin, but the day calls. I have so missed my beloved brothers; I know I will have to write about them soon, but the RR calls, among other things. All I will defifnitely say is Happy Birthday Beto! I love you!)

Subtitles

Marcus kinda stole my blog title for this, and really it’s about more than just him anyway, so......

It has been a really busy 4-day weekend! Rest?! What the hell is that? And there is still far too much on the RR’s plate for the next 10 days. I will NOT be staying for all the performances. I have a real job to do, and that’s the one that pays the bills. *sigh* and I used to complain how busy my life was just because I was driving all over the silly state! Scheez.

I don’t really think I have a title for the first segment here, but I have much to say. Spencer Gibb and Rachel Loy came down the other evening. They are half of a band called 54 Seconds, out of Austin. I heard a lot of hubbub about Spencer’s lineage, but wasn’t quite sure what I would be hearing. I was more than pleasantly surprised- I was floored. (I seem to be using that term a lot lately......)
Spencer is the son of Robin Gibb, one of the BeeGees, but I see and hear only the smallest of resemblances. The style of song, the depth of word are so different from what most people would know of the BeeGees. I loved them for their pre-disco music- the harmonies and soulful songs, and I cannot thank Robin enough for this son of his. Other than the quaver in his voice occasionally, I hear few other comparisons, but Spence obviously has a wonderful and long musical back ground.

What was I waiting for? I don’t think I knew; this was a blank slate for me. Rachel and Spence are both very nice people, easy to work with, and obviously at ease with each other. Their combined sense of humour added delightful entertainment to the stage- I haven’t laughed that much at a gig in a long time.
They are both accomplished songwriters, and good singers. I am afraid Rachel took the award for vocals though- she has great control and a wonderful range. Many people try to use areas out of their range and there’s often a gap in their slides through notes. Not so Rachel! She hit pitches that made me cringe (by no fault of her own- I have very pitch-sensitive ears) but the execution was flawless, every time. Just a clean, clear, well-trained voice. It was a perfect compliment to some wonderful songs, many of which truly touched the heart...or the funny bone.


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Okay, life is just too busy! I will have to finish this thought as I can.

Gjallarhorn

A few years back I found a series of very inexpensive Cds that showcased a wide variety of world music bands form Scandinavia and parts of the UK. I fell in love with one group n particular, the name as the title of this blog. Just bought one of their CDs and am now convinced I will go see them however I can during their lengthy US tour this year.
How to describe them....Some folk, some pop, some new age, some old age.....As a pagan I can relate. The Gods are still here, and praises are sung to the skies by this band. Go find out for yourself:
www.gjallarhorn.com

Don't be surprised if you can't understand anything. They are Finnish, and sing in Swedish. But it doesn't matter. They get the point across. How many of you really understood the Latin you heard in church? yet you knew what they meant. This is a new kind of church for many of you. Welcome.

Catch Up

So many apologies to all the talented artists who have crossed the Red Room's threshold. My world has been dizzyingly busy lately. It's astounding I have found time to sleep, eat, feed the cats, and get the trash to the curb. I took last Saturday evening off (sorry Eric- I was torn about missing your gig, but, well, ....I have preferences.) and went up to Gruene Hall. That's pronouced "green" in this state, even though it should by all rights be "grew-n". I have German relatives up north. They have corrected me.
Gruene is as close to a late 1800's village/town as you are likely to find in south Texas. They have tried to stay small and quiet and old-fashioned, but the locality of the Guadalupe river and inevitable tourism have taken their toll. It's still fairly quaint, but Fredericksburg is probably closer to what many folks are looking for. The centerpiece of the town is Gruene Hall, a classic tin-roofed honky tonk if there ever was one. Almost every name that has ever been in country and blues, and quite a few that ain't no more, have played this place. Despite it's somewhat out-of-the-way placement, Gruene Hall often sells out. And this despite the total lack of AC, and a minimal amount of seating indoors. Outside under the trees, you might get a breeze, and you can play horse shoes if you feel like.
I must say the sound system that was in the hall the other night did impress me. I don't know that it was an in-house board, but it was certainly professional. Too bad the room is something of an echo chamber! Wide open spaces with a metal roof.... I feel better about the Red Room's potential shortcomings! I get pretty good sound there much of the time.
Anyhow, I had gone up to Gruene to see Mando Saenz play. He's living out of state these days, so the chances are rare, and I must heed the call. He was opening with his band for a group you have to be old to remember: the Pure Prairie League. I would guess that 90% of those coming to hear these guys were there for their one big hit back in the 70's called Amie. Just goes to show that the bug can bite deep, and the stage can then be really hard to give up. They sounded good as far as I could tell, but I was there for Mando. I love that voice, and cannot wait to hear his next CD. What I've heard from him in concert leads me to believe it will be a tremendous album. 'Course, I may be justa tad biased.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to make notes about others who had played the RR while waiting out the sweltering heat till Mando's set. I fear that my lack of time may make me forget some details, but I have got to give this a try. I feel badly for some of these folks. They deserve some kudos too!
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Lesse....where to start. Let's backup to Emile Millar. He's another one of those songwriters that just pulls you into his world- deep rich voice and words to match. Recently heard that the macho male is back in- stead of the metresexual thingee of the last 10 years or so. Coulda fooled me with all these fellas out here putting their hearts into their songs, but isn't that the way of the artist? Ever the measure by which we gauge both heart and soul. Emile's soulful tunes definitely do just that.
He brought a friend with him, Lawrence Glass of Western Electric- another one to definitely catch in concert one of these days. I hope to hear his band before the year's out.
The really tasty treat of the night for me was when Emile was going to do his second set. A friend of the RR brought a friend of his by- a didge player- and he sat in with Emile for a tune. I love the sound of the didgeradoo; it calls to me as few other instruments do. This fellow was a master player. Emile had to do some odd tuning to play with the guy, but their bit together was magical. I wish more could have been there to hear this unique baptism of the room. Only trouble was that Emile had to retune to do his last couple of songs, but it was a delightful evening all the way round.

We were going to be having a ladies' weekend the next time round, or so I thought. To my own chagrin, I found out that Melody Mann is the name of a band...not just the lead singer. Her name's Kelly, and her husband is Tom, and the band name is from their name Mann. What a tremendous sound they have too. Tom is a multi-instrumentalist with more than a little bit of crazy artist in his. Kelly has a neat voice for the songs they write. The bass player, Scott Beardsley and I hit it off talking about basses; he was playing for this gig an fully acoustic hollow body bass, which one just does not see many of out there anymore. What a lovely sound.
Guitarist Bill Crock rounded out this quartet version of this band with some really fine licks. Very subtle player, something I can appreciate. They are well worth catching at a gig. I hear bigger things in their future.

I am not one for female voices (sorry ladies...) It has to do with pitch, and isn't completely confined to women. There are certain male singers, to remain unnamed here for discression's sake, that I would slap if they stood to close to me and started singing! I mean, get a voice change!) I have very sensitive hearing- a family trait- and certain tones just cut right through me. Luckily, this trait didn't interfere with enjoying Wendy Colonna the evening before MM came in. She has a throaty voice and writes tunes of frustration that most women can relate too- a real gem, and a hippie of sorts, like yours truly. I may have played other parts in this lifetime, but I came from the Sixties- I admit it. (;p) All in all, guys, I think you were shown up this particular weekend! Better work a lil harder!

short break- I have stuff to do, but definitely more to write. and pictures to put up. And dishes, and laundry.....oh good lord.
Thank heavens for holiday weekends!

howdy

I am a rocker by nature I guess, with more than a smiggen of jazzer thrown in (obviously,) but I don't believe I have ever been able to say I was one for country. The irony is that the first two bands I ever saw in this city were Asleep at The Wheel , and Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88's. Both are pure bred Texas, and yet I have never laid claim to being moved by them. I was brought to this state rather against my will, and despite the years here, do not think of myself as Texan. I am a gypsy, born to ever wander. I doubt I will be where I am now when I die. I also have no idea where I WILL be....but life's more interesting that way.

Texans are not known for a dirth of words...well most of them anyway. Some don't know when the hell to shut up, but we will leave that to a different blog. Most folks here, perhaps due to the usually pervading heat, settle for a few choice sentences, or even just words. It has been a startling thing to me to find so many Texans, the ones born here, not just naturalized, who have some real story telling ability. Last night I found yet another, yes, a musician. Wayne Sutton is no new comer to this state or the music scene, but because of other distractions, I hadn't heard him yet. He came to the Red Room last evening, and I am just pleased beyond words to know his music now. And he and his wife, and dad, were also just neat people. The one thing I can say about Texas is that the majourity of folks anyone will meet here are of a gentler, though not always genteel, nature. You can expect a helping hand from Texans. It is just the way they are.

Anyway, I would compare Wayne's vocal style to something between the raw country singer and Tom Waits. There's a modicum of Bob dylan in there, but I think that has much to do with the words as the delivery. His guitar playing shows me he is definitely got rock-n-roll in his blood, and I would love to hear him on electric.

I started writing about him while he was playing, and I think for the sake of saving my truest writing, that which rolls out when I least expect it, I will put that paragraph here:

The Red Room has been host to a number of singer/songwriters. Wayne Sutton is the latest. The Tom Waits/Bob Dylanish voice combined with the picture painting lyrics makes most of us stop, listen, think. We've all been there- we've all loved and lost, or failed to try. We've watched the world tumble by and wondered if we were truly part of the scheme, or an outsider. Wayne is also a talented guitarist,capable of serious chops and subtle accents. I can imagine finding him playing in the back corner of some tiny bar tucked in the seedier side of a city, the normally rowdy audience enraptured by his truthful and moving tunes.


Okay, I was feeling a bit poetic there. Can't help it.


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Hmm...never a good thing too take too long off a piece of writing....gets to easy to lose the thread. Spent much of Saturday evening writing down other stuf about people who played the RR before Wayne, so I start a new entry, using those notes.

And no matter who else I write about, I really am still in love with Mando Saenz.....that damn voice just does it. (the long eyelashes don't hurt any either....;p) He was distracting enough I didn't get as much done as I should have, but....well, read the next one, you'll know where I am coming from.

Double Timing

(she sits at the PC and screams in tones unheard by most in her life. The ##@%%$!#@%&
machine just dumped over two pages of writing she had done on WORD!! Egads, the aggravation! She is of the school wherein writing should be a spontaneous thing initially, but will do her best to recapture the last thirty minutes of writing...'cos it was really kinda funny....damn.)

and no, that title has no relation to the term two-timing!

I have spent much of this weekend trying to do more than most folks would do in a month. There has just been so much music going on. I have been in attendance at the Red room , then packed it up and flown over to some other venue to catch another set. Luckily, it has worked out this weekend! There have been a few where I screwed up and missed everything due to trying to travel too much. And I am way behind on writing about so many of our lovely acts that have been through in the last couple of weeks. And my refridgerator decided to die on me(trip to Sears to buy a new one....) and now my house's AC unit is screaming like a belt is loose (they don't have belts...), then there's the 40 -hour workweek.....Is it any wonder that most people who come to the RR see me with an energy drink in my hand instead of a beer?

ANYway, I have yet another gig in a couple of hours, and a couple hours worth of things to do before then. I will add more to this in a few hours. I wish all of you could be at the room for tonight's gig: Joe Reyes and Hilary York. I think this will be quite special.

Holey Moley

What a weekend! Heck, what a week period. Went from Exhausted to in shock to exhausted again, and managed to keep going despite it all. I did find out that Red Jax tastes much better than either Monster or Rockstar, but I don't think it has quite the jolt the other two do. Or maybe I was beyond any help but sleep. Not certain.
Obviously, if you have read this blog, you know of the death in the Austin musical community. If not, check out the Austin chronicle on line, and learn a bit more about one of the most influential people in the last 25-30 years up there. I could ramble on about it, but really,...well, I don't know that Cliff himself would understand all the fuss....he was that kind of guy. Just know that Austin has changed forever, because of this man, and because he won't be there anymore, to help the new ones along.

My week otherwise was spent flyering my own city for the Red Room and Buttercup's CD release gig on Sunday. My partner Delphine was up at the Kerrville Folklife Festival for a couple of days, and sprained her ankle, so I ended up running things by myself. Many kudos to my best friend Casey for giving up his Friday evening to help me not panic. Los Mescaleros, a local blues group, played to an intimate but devoted crowd. These guys are one of a kind really, pulling in all kinds of influences, from the likes of John Lee Hooker to the Velvet Underground. Their music fit the mood of the RR better than lots of folks have. Almost everyone who has played the room has commented on the feel of the place; Los Mescaleros just seemed to slip into the inborn groove of the room, like they were a missing piece. It was very cool.
It could be that they are part of the room really, as guitarist Roland De La Cruz built the stage.....left more than just some nails and a hammer behind,hmm, Roland?

Saturday, Ms. Patricia Vonne and husband Bobby LaRoche graced our stage. Patricia is a San Antonio native, and thus has lots of friends and family that always come out in support. There were some lovely moments there, especially when Bobby improv-ed a tune about coming to SA to play the Red Room...got a sprained ankle up to dance, though she paid for it later! It was a great evening, and I was really glad to see the two of them again; they've been in Europe for like six weeks, on their fourth European tour in a year. I am so tickled for them that they are doing so well, but I bet it was nice to sleep in their own bed for a change.

Sunday Sunday Sunday...I was hired by Buttercup to flyer this city for this gig, though I did it as much for love of the band than any other reason. These guys have just brightened my world, and I knew this was going to be a special gig. I was pleased beyond words to see about 150-200 people turn up at the Beethoven Maennechor (an authentic German biergarten in San Antonio' art district, Southtown.) I think the guys were startled. This has got to be the largest audience I have ever heard of them playing for since I have known the band. Well, hell, I know why too. Great new CD, wonderful bunch of people playing in the band, and a holiday eve spent drinking good beer and listening to terrific music.

and it was amazing.
I caught a picture of Joe Reyes I can't wait to see: he went out on the back porch of this place (it's huge) with his ukelele...just stood there playing. Little by little, people started to pay attention, and then followed his back in, like rats with the pied piper! It was quite cute! And he knew it too! ;p


I snitched one of the set lists (a die-hard habit form Del Castillo gigs!), but what they played isn't quite as important as how. They had producer Mark Rubenstein on piano and others keys with them, and he played some delightful additions to the tunes. I am used to the Grackle session, where it's just BC. This was a treat. They also had local wiz-kid Marcus Rubio sit in on several tunes, first on violin, then guitar and finally saw. That was another picture I can't wait to see! At one point in the saw it, Erik held his mic out so we could better hear the saw. Then Joe did. Then Jamie did it! I was laughing so much, I hope that picture comes out. It was just a giant Grackle Sunday for these guys. I couldn't tell who pushed who higher, but by the end of a LONG set (about 2-2.5 hours) they were all just on such as energy high. Had it not been for the sensible management of the Maennechor, it might have been another hour. What a night. When I get the pictures back tomorrow, I am sure it will spark more stories. I am pretty sure last night is why i have been so tired today. I must say it was the cherry on top of the sundae of a weekend.

More later. Have to get up to the real world in the AM, which means rest now.

namaste.

Sad, Sad news from Austin......

I will not be able to look at 5th and Lavaca quite the same ever again.....
Rest in Peace, Cliff.

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

Legendary club owner Clifford Antone dies.


Clifford Antone, 56, the legendary music club owner, died Tuesday.

He died of an apparent heart attack, his sister said.

In 2005, Antone's club celebrated its 30th anniversary. The club opened its original location on East Sixth Street as a small music venue on a street and neighborhood long ignored. It attracted famous blues acts from the Chicago and New York blues scenes. Among the players there were the likes of Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy and a very young Stevie Ray Vaughan.

That same club's success led to the birth of the now-famous East Sixth Street entertainment district, the heart and soul of Austin's multi-million dollar tourist trade and led to the citys nickname of 'Live Music Capital of the World.

The club is now in its third location.

In 2000, Antone went to prison on federal charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. He was released in 2003.
His career and the clubs history was captured in the documentary Antone's: Home of the Blues

"One of the primary reasons Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World is because of Clifford Antone. His devotion to the music spoke for itself. He was my friend and I will miss him dearly," Austin Mayor Will Wynn said. "I ask Austinites to join with me and remember the music giant this city has lost and the great things he brought to our community."

Review: Buttercup's CD "Hot Love"

This is my new Happy Album.
I have been trying to compose a lengthy review, all wordy and serious about this CD for several days now, and ell, Screw It! This ain't a newspaper, it's afan's opinion, so stay with that I will.
I found Buttercup last year, partly because of Lara & Reyes, a San Antonio jazz duo known worldwide. Joe Reyes also plays in Buttercup, along with many other projects. I fell in love the first evening I saw them and have been an avid fan ever since. This new CD is long overdue, apparently, and I cannot be happier it is finally surfacing.
The CD release isn't for about 10 days, but I have had a copy for almost that long and cannot quit playing it! When I am happy, I dance in my seat in the car. When I am blue or even keel, I still end up dancing in my seat! I do the lalas and the ooo's right along with them, because, save for a song or two, they have been playing some of this stuff as long as I have been going to their Grackle Mundys and other shows.
BC's first record, "Sick Yellow Flower," was catchy and memorable, a floating sea of soundscapes that please me to no end. "Hot Love" is infectious. It reaches out and makes the listener pay attention. The first three tunes are much more rock than the guys did for the first record, and yet the playful pop attitude, which is a Buttercup signature, shines through. I know one of their influences is Ray Davies of the Kinks (WWRDD? : What Would Ray Davies Do? - my own slogan for Buttercup!) but for some reason I have found reason to liken this new CD to the Turtles. For those too young, the Turtles were a mid- to late Sixties Pop band best known for the tune " Happy Together" (now sadly known mostly due to abuse for TV ads....) The harmonies, the poppiness, the time changes- all of it just rings of the Turtles to me. It is a tough comparison to give out when I know that way too many folks don't know who I am refering to. Not too strangely, I suspect the guys in Buttercup do.

I won't waste the readers' time with chopping up and describing each song in turn, as I had started out doing. That's part of the fun of finding something new- the experience becomes something special between you and the band. If I tell the world how I feel about it all, other than a general overview, I risk tainting someone else's moment of listening with opinions. And we all know how many opinions there are out there!
I will leave it at this for the time being, perhaps inspired after the CD release party here in San Antonio on the 28th of May to write some more. This is one band I would love to see make it, because they are so different, but as I watch one of my other bands outgrown fans like me to become another of those oversized fame riding groups, I sortof hope that Buttercup stays a bit more underground. There is a purity that gets lost as the business end of being a musician takes over. I do not wish them ill in the adventure- I just hope they can remain as down to earth and have as much fun as the burden to perform grows. It is a rough life.

I haven't said much about individual tunes on the CD, so I will mention a few that are particular favourites: "hello,goodbye", "you and you alone," "we're easy," and "shiyganai." I will leave up to the reader to investigate further! Here's how:

www.buttercult.com
www.gracklemundy.com
www.myspace.com/buttercup

and Dial-A Song: the Daily Tune. Call 1-210-PET-ABLE, and listen to one song per day off the new CD, as presented by lead singer Erik Sanden's answering machine. No Kidding.Use a landline though- cell phones don't do so well with music translation.

More later. Just don't miss this CD if you are a pop music fan with a twisted viewof the world. Buttercup will be right up your alley, and they will help you tap into a place of happiness in yourself you might not know was there!

Alright, this is getting out of hand!

I was looking up yet another band on MySpace today and noticed that they now have expanded their music definitions. I hate seeing music boxed and labeled, but most folks need a little security in their lives, and labels make the world feel a bit safer.

I just have to ask some questions though, because there seems to be an awful lot of genres (god, I hate that overused word!) that weren't there awhile back. I mean, I grew up with rock, and hard rock and country and country-western (not the same thing).
Then there was pop, and classical and jazz (heehee!); I grew up with Big Band and folk music. There was acoustic stuff and electric stuff, though we didn't try to break those into seperate definitions. One was just unplgged, the other a touch(!) louder.
As I grew up, things like punk came out. And heavy metal. To listen to what we called heavy metal today and compare it to what started that name off is laughable. Those now-old fogies (Zepplin, Sabbath, BOC, even Iron Maiden) are such music lightweights when put up against the wall-o-sound, make-your-ears-bleed groups out there now! My brother's in one of those bands- Machine Head- and really, they are more melodic than most of that ilk.

When I was little, there was Motown and soul music, and the blues, and on a rare occassion or two, some crossover hits from those sounds into other genres. Then came hip-hop. Okay, not my cup of tea, but hey, it obviously has its market value.

and now (getting to the crux of this diaribe), there is triphop......

I gotta wonder. I mean,I thought you had to hop before you could trip.

Seriously though, some of these new genre titles do have me scratching my head, music fanatic that I am, though I am sure the kids today would put up their noses and shrug me off as being "old". Of course, they have no idea who the Beatles were and how much they alone changed the music industry when I was barely in school, so poo on them. They have much to learn too, sadly from history books and legends that have turned to myth.

Some of the other titles that got a laugh out of me were things like "crunk". what the hell is Crunk?! Crunchy Punk?

Or Happy Hardcore. Okay, now that's just an oxymoron, like christian punk or metal. Something just don't jibe.

Though I question its correctness, I think turntablism is pretty self-explainatory.

Screamo....okay, well, you got me on that one. I imagine groups of kids who have managed to deafen themselves at metal gigs standing around trying to be heard by one another.

Post-hardcore. Damn, are those guys getting that old already?! What the hell does that make me?!? I was around long before hardcore was!


In truth, I understand the human need for boxing and defining things. We do it to everything. Have you seen the growing list of dinosaurs in the last few years!? There were a max of like 100 when I was in school. It has got to be in the thousand by now, and growing almost daily. I suppose music can survive it, because when you get past the industry's need to know how to sell something, people will listen to what what appeals to them, not just because something fits into a certain catagory.

I suppose new titles to things give the kids some sense of elitism, which we all needed at some point during growing up. And in this world where we are so in touch with what everyone else is doing, and how quickly fashion changes, having something to call your own makes people feel better.

Me, I got music. If you can play well, I don't need to know anything else. If you can't, I won't be hanging around.

(Coming soon to a blog near you, a review of the wonderful new CD by Buttercup, Hot Love.)

The Red Room: week 4

It is an amazing thing, to watch something grow, and change and become something wholly different than it started out. The Red Room started off as a listening room, but seems to be shifting. I have good reason to believe that those who have performed within its walls, and those yet to come, are having an effect in the Soul of the room. The comments about the feel of the place by every artist so far have just blown me away. There is a growing peacefulness, a calmness, to the space. I am personally very surprised at it, because San Antonio is known for having a large number of "hauntings", if you like. A lot of places around this city contain the echo of those who have lived there before; they can effect how the ones currently live there react to the place. This one was so clean, so empty, and is being filled up by the spirit left behind, the little piece that each artist leaves when she/he sings and plays to its walls. It is a wonderous thing to watch progress.

As the reader might figure, this was a very good weekend. Salim Nourallah from Dallas came here Friday, guitarist Chris Holt in tow. Chris did an opening set that was delightful. I knew well how good he was on the guitar but was caught by his singing and songwriting. Then Salim came up and the two of them proceeded to cut a path through the human spirit that few who witnessed will forget. The whole range of emotion was their playing field, with skilled playing, wonderful sublties, and some great harmonies. On the mind of Salim much of the night was the recent and sudden passing of a friend from the Dallas area. He dug down deep and played several songs for her, quite literaly bringing me to tears at one point. I have not often been tempted to walk away from music, but I came close. Brought to my mind were all those who have passed before me, leaving me with one less person to walk through this world with. It was almost overwhelming, and I cannot credit enough his fearless stepping into his own soul for it. It takes much courage to get up there and open like that to an audience, even with so many friends in the room. It was, dare I say, magical. Truly not a night to be forgotten.

This evening was Graham Weber, with friend Chris Bercht along to help out. Chris did a lovely opening set (this was unplanned by us, but quite a nice surprise.) He has a style that closely resembles Dylan's, something Delphine had said of Graham.
Had I judged it strictly from his CD, I might have agreed, but after what Graham did on stage, i am more inclined to compare him to Arlo Guthrie, or to some extent Dan Fogelburg. He has a tremendous way with words, creating pictures that last through the entire song, fade only slightly as he goes on to the next story, and morph into the next patchwork of mind-images. I am at a lack from another metaphor for the guitar work; words just fail sometimes. I just know I seriously look forward to his next visit in about fve weeks. And the next CD. There are some astounding songs due to be recorded for it.

When I find such talent, like my current favourite, Mando Saenz, out there, I am just mind-blown that these guys haven't been discovered and signed. I know if I had the money, there would be a new label out there, trying to catch up all this amazing talent that is making its way into my life. There just shouldn't be such prejudice toward the songwriter who writes with greater depth; I think a lot of people would come to it, if they only could hear of it. For that reason alone, I feel MySpace to be a great thing. It is giving so many performers a chance to be heard, to meet each other, and hook up. So many of them are talking about going to Europe, and I know Europe will take to them. I hope we don't lose them as a result. This nation needs to catch up and appreciate the born talent of its artists, before that can happen.
I think places like the Red Room, and our sister up in Dallas, Bend, and a couple of other little places around the state can make that change happen. We have to make it so that what is out there can be heard. Too much of the radio and the industry aren't going to do it. We must.

I am sort of in a different state of mind. Watching this little business become a warm, welcoming home for the indie artist, the heart-touching, gut wrenching songwriter, ia a trip. I think back on it a lot during the work week. And I seriously look forward to the weeks to come. So far, so many have been awesome surprises, beyond what I think anyone expected. I can't wait to see where it goes.

namaste

Wonderful Weekend

Well, at least I had a good time!
Friday started off with too much work, and then having to deal with wanting to be three places at once! Soundcheck with Matt McCormack w/ Will Sexton et al made me not want to leave! A tremendous sound to be sure, even in the few pieces I got to hear. I will look forward to seeing them again for sure.

I also knew that my little wiz-kid friend Marcus Rubio was playing at the Limelight, and I tell you what, it was a damned hard choice where to be that night, but......

It was back to Sam's for me, for the Del Castillo CD release show for "Brotherhood".
It was crammed, so I never got anywhere near the stage during the show, but it was okay really. I watched the crowd and the stage cams that were being shown on the screens and monitors around the room, and frankly may have seen more than only those closest to the stage. I do not know whose idea it was to try and make a Del Castillo crowd sit down, but I daresay, should the group ever play there again, there will not be any chairs put down front again! Silly. This is definitely a band to get up and shake it to. Vallejo put on one butt-shaking funky set, I must say. I stood outside talking to folks, but I was slippin' and slidin' all around the entire time they played. Good set guys!
DC, well, what can I say. They are always amazing, even on not-so-good nights, and this was a GREAT night. They were all obviously in a good mood and it so showed throughout the gig. Zeoli was so worn out, at one point he tried to lean back on the wall behind him, only to find it wasn't solid! They were just on fire (saag paneer engineered, if I may say so myself! Long story.)
And I got to sit around and chat with most of them for awhile, after they had been mobbed for autographs. It's always good to get down time with my musicians. Keeps it real, and lets them know I do care about them as people, not just objects. I am pretty sure DC and crew know that already, but it never hurts to remind any of the people I like that I am there for them.

Saturday evening I had been looking forward to for some time. I found Mike Rosenthal at Flipnotics in Austin,many months ago, opening for Billy Harvey. I was the only person in the room for quite awhile and got to know Mike and his keyboardist, Chris Sayer, pretty well for a bunch of strangers. I was really impressed with Mike and thought San Antonio would be too. Damn those holiday weekends- a small but appreciative group came out for Mike and I think when he comes back, many more will follow the buzz to come see him. He and Chris seemed to have a really good time, and I sure as hell did. Tremendous songwriter, singer, and entertainer. Chris is just wonderful on the Korg, mostly as piano, just perfect backup to Mike's songs. I know from chatting with Chris that he's into jazz, and would love to tap that for the Red Room sometime too.
Much, much fun!

Sunday, my buddy Casey and I went out to Alice's Restaurant in Niederwald for good food and good music. Miss Pearl's Viper Tea(Slim Richie, Francie Meaux Jeaux and two gal singers whose names I am afraid I didn't catch) rocked the house, and were followed by my friends Jelly Jar. I am afraid the sweltering, sticky heat of an early Texas summer day drove many folks home, but I have just not been able to get anywhere to see the Jar in too long, so I planted myself squarely there and enjoyed it all. I slept like a rock that night due to the heat of the day, but I had sweet sounds in my head when I did.
All in all, a good weekend, one I will relish when the work week gets hectic.

Got much to do beore this next weekend, with Salim Nourallah and Chris Holt gracing our lil stage. I am just so tickled to have them down here. What talent. the world does seem to get better as one ages; maybe one just learns to appreciate the little things more.

right now, sleep and sweet dreams. New pictures of the Red Room adventures and the last Grackle Mundy to put up as soon as time permits.
night all.

I am so enthused

I cannot even think of a good title for this!
Saturday night, Marcus Rubio, a local little secret I think, played the Red Room with his special guest of the month, Matt the Electrician, from Austin. Now, I have heard of both these fellows, but frankly had never had the time to HEAR either of them......was I in for a surprise!
Matt is a soft-spoken, well-mannered, tremendous singer-songwriter. We sat around outside for quite awhile before the gig and chatted, and I was impressed with him just from the little soundcheck we did.
Marcus is a high-spirited, lively 17 year old from SA, who I must label as some sort of musical genius. Genius doesn't lie within the confines of one's education, but what one finds to do with that education. Marcus has got something deep inside that is starting to blossom, and frankly, I expect him to go very far, if he so chooses.
I think I understand why local guitar master Joe Reyes chooses to work with this kid- Joe is a genius in his own right, and sees and hears what Marcus can become. Someday he might even eclipse Joe....and trust me, I do not say something like that lightly. My adoration of Joe is deep; I often wonder if he was like this youngster when he himself was in school.

When the evening started off, Marcus played a tune and then had Matt do a tune. It was obvious they had a feel for each others' music. As the evening progressed, They interacted more and more, until one would have sworn they had played together, at least in practice. This was not the case. These two, while they may have listened to each others' CDs, had never actually played onstage to together at all! It was astounding. They became so in synch with one another as musicians, that by the end of the show, they seemed flawless in the execution. I was floored to find out they hadn't played together.
I was also fascinated by both their diversities on instruments. Marcus plays not only guitar, but violin. He has only been playing since August. As a long time veteran of classical music, literally since childhood, I was once again floored, because his delivery of that instrument was nearly flawless. The violin is not an easy instrument to master. He had it set up through a repeater system like some guitar players use, would start a beautiful on the violin, putting it through the repeat cycle, put down the violin and pick up the guitar. Matt backed him up on both guitar and trumpet! Wow. I wanted to call everyone I knew and tell them to get to the Red Room, to not miss this amazing performance. I was too enthralled to get on the phone!

Some friends of mine made it into the room for only the last three tunes these guys did, the last of which involved bells. No I am not kidding. There is a...fad?....fashion?...something going on locally with these neat little fine-tuned glass bells. The Wwhite Stripes, I think, are the ones to blame, but it has been fun. Buttercup has aa wonderful bit done with them. Marcus pulled them out for the last tune, and completely proved to me his tremendous musical ear and flexiblity. at that very moment, I was wishing more than anything that there was a way to capture everything they had played all evening on tape, video, hologram, anything! just to be able to replay it. Those friends of mine were so impressed by just three songs, they bought Marcus's Cd and both of Matt's.

Delphine and I had worked at changing the lighting in the stage area of the room, and so changed the mood in there! The place already has a good feel to it, something I have received in the way of compliments repeatedly in just the last two weeks. I think San Antonio is going to take well to this new approach to music. I am just certain that it is meant to be; this city is hungry for original music, and she and I know so much that hasn't been here yet. I sort of miss the traveling to go find something new. It feels weird not to be on the road to somewhere every weekend. But ....now we bring here what used to draw us elsewhere.

Besides, I don't know that I would've ever heard Marcus anywhere BUT SA. Not yet at least. This is a future star rising, and now I get to say I saw him when.....and at a place I am helping give birth to. what better story could one ask for when talking to the grandkids about "I knew him when....." ;) Peoples....Matt the Electrician is worth getting out of your humdrum lives for, Austin or wherever you get a chance to catch him. Marcus will take you out of your life altogether, between his wonderful talent and his delightful personality. Should you ever get the chance to see them together, oh, do not miss! Perhaps, you'll find them here in San Antonio, in a homey little artspace called the Red Room.

(and I think the key words for that evening should be 'flawless' and 'floored', they were, and so was I!)

And I must make kudos to Marcus' family- mom, dad and brother. The level of support has very definitely got something to do with the young man's progress. Hold tight to them, Marcus. It will keep your feet on the ground if you are ever tempted to lose yourself in the music business.

Hail to Thee, Ram Ayala.

For those who do not know the San Antonio music scene, and thus may not know the names Ram Ayala and Tacoland, this time is a period of mourning, and celebrating, a life that meant more to the music community here than can be truly expressed in words.

Tacoland was a mainstay of the live music scene here for most of my time in Texas. It was a grungy little neighbourhood bar that brought in, encouraged, and nurtured a lot of local and non-local bands. Especially in the punk days of the early '80's, you were no one until no played Tacoland. And back behind the bar, gruff and mean-looking, was a teddybear of a man named Ram. Tacoland was his baby, and the bands who played there, his children.

Last year,on the evening the SA Spurs won a majour game, two little punks tried to hold up Tacoland for the small amount of money in the till. They shot and killed Ram.
They also shot fellow bar employees Doug and Denise. Doug died some weeks later, while Denise is recovering. This city was thrown into a state of shock. The music scene was floored; there were no words for the pain, just the music, and the joining together.

The little bastards were caught and face double capital murder charges, but some things cannot be changed.

Tacoland now stands alone, dark and quiet, a continuous reminder of the past, its good times, and its horrible end. There is a broken place in the heart of this city.

My friend Delphine said the other day that she felt the spirit of Ram was guiding her, and others, in this city to rebuild, remake, and keep moving forward. The Wiggle Room, Limelight, now the Red Room....she may have something. The spirit of Ram Ayala is pervasive in the musicians of this city. It is quite possible that through them, and the rest of us who knew Tacoland, he chooses to live on. After all, Tacoland was just a building. It was what went on inside (and sometimes outside on those sweltering Texas summer nights) that made it what it was. It wasn't the things, or the location. Those were what came to mean something to us, but WHY was Ram. The best of what a parent can be to a child never, ever leaves that child. I don't think anyone would deny the influence tha man had, individually, or as a community. I don't think it has stopped yet.

Perhaps, just maybe, Ram is trying to help all of us heal. I know that passing over isn't nearly as hard as being left behind. I suspect he and Doug do too. The one gift they can give from beyond is the knowledge that it is okay to go on living.

I will be checking the shadows from now on in some of these places. I have a feeling Ram and Doug just might be hanging out, watching over their "kids."


Thanks, Ram. The time was too short.

SX So Weird

Well, I just got most of my pictures back today from this busy weekend, and though most are of my longtime standbys, there are some little bits of fun in there. The weekend was capped off by a surprise visit to the De Sol stage by los hermanos Del Castillo and El Lobo Ruiz for a few tunes. Got some pix of that, though with 10 people on stage at one time, it just looks crowded! I was so tired all day today it was tough to get through a pretty normal Monday at the med clinic. The upside is that I keep replaying of this insanity week in my head and would love to have been able to tape it to watch again.

I am going to back up to my first trip up to Austin, and talk about Mando again- I missed the other gig I had the chance to see, partly because I misread the schedule. Well, if you could see how I wrote it all down, you might understand. I am really not happy about it, because I wanted to hear this guy again. His music was the first of a weekend of discovery for me, and damn it, it may be awhile before I get to hear him, and some others again! But, when he played, I was on the other side of town, at Schultz's Beer Garden for Buttercup's performance, and I have to say I am glad I was there. They were so playful, so funny, I am glad beyond words I didn't miss it. The pictures will show some of it, but I only had one roll with me and missed the final tune, the Kinks' "Demon Alcohol", during which Erik blindfolded Joe, who then staggered, dropped and rolled like, as he put it,Foster Brooks, without missing a note. (ok, that reference will tell you exactly how old you are. Who can tell me what show Foster Brooks was a regular on?) They won over a lot of people with this set, I must say. On after them was the Texas legend Ray Wylie Hubbard, who I haven't seen play in over 20 years. He was good, his band excellent, but the high point was his special guest: a 12 year old blues guitar wiz kid. Sadly, his name didn't make it to my ears, but DAMN! (He reminded me of Kenny Wayne Sheppard back when he was learning and sometimes sitting in with Stevie Ray.) He used a full sized guitar, and had strong enough hands, at that age, that he popped the 'g' string. The guys lent him another guitar and kiddo just kept on flooring me with his playing. I don't think I have tried harder to shake a musician's hand in many a year. I hope he can keep his head on as he gets further out into the music world. Kenny took the hard road and made it out scathed but still going. I would love to see this new one when his Kenny's age now (about 33, I think); he will be a monster.

From there is was back to South austin, to Threadgill's to catch Billy Harvey's band. they were opening for Bob Schnieder(sp?) This was the first place I saw BH with a band, and this night was even better than the first. billy, well, i have raved about his songwriting here before, but he really does do it for me. there is such a sense of humour and yet heart to what he does. The guys did a blistering set, through most of which a few of us danced (Austin can just be so damned stuffy sometimes!)and then billy decided to play his answering machine for us...

In all seriousness I have no idea what the hell the thing he was playing was, but it made an interesting change to his tune "Barnaby Jones." Somebody go frisk him to tell you what it is! Oh hell, nevermind---I'll do it myself! :p He's just too cute.

Ended up calling it a night not long after that, which was just as well. I had been up since 5.30 AM, worked until 1PM, drove straight to Austin, partyed with my friend and biz partner Delphine til after 12AM.....the bed was calling! I slept for about 7, 7 and a half hours, got up and started it all over again.....but that's for another blog!

Pictures will be up as soon as I can. Got the Red Room to get on it's feet, and a job to hold down. Just wish it was something a little closer to the music that makes my long weeks worthwhile. Love you, guys.

South By So Wet

I steal the title of a new addition to the SXSW madness, partly in irreverence to the actual event, and partly because it bloody well decided to rain on us! South Texas is bone dry, has been for months, and WHEN does it choose to rain?!Well, one has to give the gods a few points for having a sense of humour.
South by So Wet, or in some instances, So What, happens down on S. Congress Ave., the other side of the river from the "other" silliness.Unsigned, or eclectic bands cannot get a break at SXSW, which sucks beyond measure, so some people with more open minds to the possibilities out there started this. For about 5 city blocks, there are bands and food and good times, with next to no hassle like the other side gets. There is music and often beer for free and all these musicians get to be heard without having to kiss the music industry's ass. I think this is what SXSW started off trying to be, lo, those many years ago (an awful lot of the participants this year were very small then, or not even born!) Somewhere, somehow, the business end took over and the music lover end got pushed to the back. Used to be the whole thing was held at the now deceased South Meadows arena, had about 150 bands, and cost a whole $10. My, don't we just love progress. It costs that much just to PARK now.

anyhow. Let me not demean the whole thing, because frankly, I had much fun. I could not work in everyone I wanted to see, missed a few I wanted to see again because I miss read the schedule, and frankly was worn thin just trying to get to the stuff I did! I managed to get Billy Harvey, Buttercup, Salim Nourallah, and Lanky worked into the list, and found a lot of other bands rather unexpectedly. I think that's the part about this that I love- when something musically is of value or unique or really well done, it will catch my ear and turn my head, no matter what else is going on. Even at 1 AM last night, I was finding music that blew my mind. In the utter cacophony of 6th St., I heard a punkish metal band that had the most tremendous drummer. I was listening intently when one guy walked out, saw me (my adopted kids are ALL older than this guys was) and asked me in all seriousness if I really liked that kind of music. I had to be honest and say not really, but I have one mother of a drummer brother in Machine Head and I know what doing it

right sounds like. The drummer in this band, Faux, (mispronounced "fox"....gotta love the education system in this country...) was a really talented guy. I could hear what would sell their CDs....just not to me.

Let me publish this one, and I will continue as fast as I can! Much to report!!


First off- The Flying Club!!! Wow! light jazz from Heaven!
Check them out at www.flyingclubmusic.com
Again, WOW!

more soon!!

Little Surprises

Well, the first new event in awhile for this one. I met Mando Saenz about 6 weeks ago, due to Lanky,in part. They had jammed together the week before, and along with friend Chris, were all into watching the guy that came on after Lanky at a Flipnotics gig. Blu Sanders was good, but not really my style. Hey, different strokes. I really didn't know that Mando was a singer-songwriter like the Lankster, but should've guessed. Not always on my toes about some things, but then again, the best in the world don't walk around talking about themselves egotistically. Last evening, I went to a place where Mando was performing, with Chris backing him up on guitar. The music seemed a tad country or maybe country rock, which also really isn't me, but then...Mando started to sing. My god, what a voice. That alone, no matter the music, could get me to go see the guy! And Chris, quite adept on the guitar as is, putting in some tremendous back up vocals, and harmonies! I had another obligation up the street but I stayed for the whole set, just to hear them sing. Wow. When you least expect it, ya know?
Go check him out. www.mandosaenz.com or www.myspace.com/mandosaenz I think you'll be impressed.


Hangface. My friend Anna asked me to come up to see them play; she's a big supporter.
The guys are from Norway, and just a nicer bunch of rockers one couldn't hope to meet.
Very tight band, with all the rock-n-roll moves, BUT the music to back it up. It ain't hype; it's what they do. I can't call it metal, and it sure isn't pop, but I hate putting labels on music anyway. I could near all sorts of influences in the sound, from Robin Trower to Floyd to Soundgarden. Still, they managed to make it all theirs and have a great time putting it out there for the world to experience. Too bad the room was so damned live and the sound guys apparently unconcerned with tryig to balance it. According to Espen, the drummer, they couldn't turn the kick up any louder without blowing breakers. Okay, fine, but overcompensating with the floor tom was too much! Well, during insanity week, the sets tend to run a bit short anyhow, so it never got truly overbearing. I just hate it when a band that actually has some musical worth can't be heard well. Punk%2

And They're Off!

Breaking out of the gate at amazing speed is BUTTERCUP! they head for the first turn and pass up much of the rest of the field to play at The Dandelion Cafe! It looks like everyone else on the whole of 6th St. is Standing Still!

Okay, at least from where I am at right now, it may not be quite so bad, but I bet parts of Austin are wishing it would all just go the hell away. SXSW, I mean. Racing around, trying to put together gigs and bands and sleeping arrangements that might actually include some sleep..... and we wanted this lifestyle WHY?!

Ha! I sit down here in SA, calmly getting up and doing my job, wondering what the hell some of my friends are going through up there, and truly, not envying them a wit. I will get a few choice handfulls as I can, and then leave, come back home to my nice "lame" little town (8th largest city in the US- how's that for lame, Austin- you ain't half our size! well, maybe right now, but tourists don't count!) I will sit on my porch, coffee and book in hand,sunday morning, and be able to see straight. and come Monday, when all the mundane world creeps back in your window, it will be like a bad Christmas memory, washing away with the street sweepers......

****************************************************************
The main reason for my jibe at all of this is the pure insanity of trying to plan out just two days worth of this silly thing! I just got ANOTHER notification of someone playing, but he chose to leave off the times. I suppose I am supposed to guess! I'll find you, Mando.....somehow. Right now, I have so much else also going on, that SXSW is just a panicky dream in the future. If I get there, fine; if not, well, so what. Most of these people I am going to see I will see again in a less nutz atmosphere.

**************************************************
Must go throw flyers for Del Castillo. Back in awhile to relate a fun little Lanky story he doesn't know about yet!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
Okay I'm back. throwing flyers ain't hard, but man, it is time consuming!

Anyway, I was doing one of the mundane jobs at work I just happen to have this odd knack for,and was playing Lanky on the PC at my desk, when one of the airmen I work with came into the room. I was behind him and saw his head turn and stop, and he listened very carefully to what was playing. I know that look. I get it myself. I walked passed him, saying as I did, if you like what you hear, come see him at the new club I am part of. I told him about the Red Room, showed him the new website my nephew Aaron made (http://redroomsa.com) and I think I know that the Lanster is going to have a new fan in that audience. (Oh yeah -"what the hell is an airman?!" I hear it now. I work for the Air Force currently, in a medical facility that used to be on Kelly AFB. Kelly is defunct, but for some reason the clinic is still there. I work wiht an interesting mix of air force people, civil circus people like myself, and contract civilians. The kids and I (some are as young as 19) get along, in part due to music. Who knows, Lanky, maybe you can land a world tour for the military.)



ANYway....I am tired, and I have got one heck of a couple of days coming up. TTFN, and I will report after returning from the battlefield. Light a candle for me- i will be going in feet first! and oh hey...it's supposed to rain like all hell this weekend- the first good rain we have had in too many months. Just figures. Better than dying of the heat like last year!

Spinning Wheel Got to Round

Yow. My world is spinning in so many different directions, I don't know what the hell is up! Upheavel at work. Upheavel with a friend in CA. The whirlwind speed that the Red Room is moving at. Trying to plot who I can and can't go see while SXSW (read: south by so what here in San Antonio...heehee!) s going on. Just trying to keep my sanity enough to feed the cats and myself,and the fish, with some regularity.

Well, never let it be said that my life is boring. I have had boring before, and it's no fun.

My beloved Del Castillo is West Coast bound tomorrow AM, to play several gigs with Styx at four different House of Blues locations. Then home for awhile before the CD is out and all heck breaks loose for them again.

Lanky is apparently getting by with upbroken strings out there in the southish area he's driving around in.

Billy is being quiet, but Buttercup, Los Mescaleros, and whole bunches of other folks aren't!

Brotherhood is playing several gigs over the next month with national acts like Bleed The Sky, (hope that means something to somone out there, 'cos I am really not a big metal person.) We married off the bass player Saturday, and the first gig, down in Corpus Christi, is part of the honeymoon. Talk about a tolerant wife.....
Hey, Tracy fell for Brent while he was in Brotherhood; she had to know the score coming into this.

My bro's band Machine Head is back in the studio, to follow up the absolute monster "Through the Ashes of Empires." This means hopefully a new tour by year's end. I may have to go to Europe to see one of these 100,000 person crowds they play for there. Gotta be mind blowing.

I am so exhausted and yet unable to rest right now. Too much going on, and no one to help me get rid of the energy!!! ah well. Another weekend of music looms before me. Just have to get through this week.

that's it for now. this reporter is signing out.
Catch you on the rebound!

Finally

I feel I have been remiss, but it has been a slow time since the holidays. I finally have new pictures up on the Webshots site. There is a new folder of some one-off shots of Lanky, not my best work, but neat venues, and then the Valentine's Grackle done earlier this month at the infamous Wiggle Room. Ms Hilary York opened for the Cup, who sat in with her, and then she sat in with them. It was a delightful evening all the way round. Still to come are pictures from New Year's Eve, spent with my friends in Jelly Jar at a private home in South Austin. A very very nice way to bring in the New Year, and a great start to what is more and more promising to be a very interesting year!
Things are about to start picking up, with SXSW coming, the new listening space The Red Room here in San Antonio, and the new Del Castillo CD, Brotherhood, due out.
Oh yes, and the delightful new release from Buttercup, Hot Love, still avaiable by phone to listen to. Details available on their website, www.buttercult.com. Lanky's been recording supposedly, and Billy too, though mostly for Steve Poltz. Jelly Jar has been back at Smilin' Castle Studios with producer of the year, Rick Del Castillo at the board. Like I said, 2006 looks to be an interesting year!

I personally could not be happier! After all, music is everything.


http://communtiy.webshots.com/user/jazzpjd


hope you enjoy- join the 24,000 other hits that have graced my lil site in the last year and a half! :)

The Red Room

I may be taking a chance talking about this over a month before it sees the light of night (no daytime shows for now.) A friend here in SA and I have lamented for many months the lack of sucha place in SA, so we are endeavoured to start a listening room. It is a place for music nuts like ourselves to come hear people like Billy Harvey, Lanky, or other such bands play their quieter types of music without excessive talking, or other such normal bar -related interference. My friend Delphine is so gungho at the moment, it is almost scary, but there is light at the end of the tunnel I think. We have much work to do, to satisfy the needs of both artist and audience, but there are so many people out there we would like to see get better exposure in San antonio, we feel the chance is worth it. After all the miles I have put on my car to hear such performances in other Texas cities, I think it is about time to find a way to get the artists here, and give other people a chance to hear why I travel so much.

Being the eternal pessimist, I see all the potential pitfalls, but I am trying really hard to keep my chin up, and see the possibilites instead. I am hoping for success. I really want to make this city a haven for music, unlike Austin, which is more a haven for out-of-work musicians and dreams that often don't get realised. Yeah, I know, that sounds unfair, but SA has a crowd starved for good sounds. Our own beloved bands like Buttercup and the Swindles, Los Mescaleros and Pseudo Buddha have so much talent and so little exposure. The Red Room will hopefully become a place to gather a small (50-60) crowd of devoted listeners, who can then take word of what they find to further places within the city, opening doors that otherwise seem disinclined to give such stuff a chance.

Maybe I am getting older, but nothing moves me quite like getting to sit and be a part of someone else's music so completely that I feel I know that person by the end of the night. The array of talented writers, players and singers that have come into my life in the last couple of years is mindboggling, and almost none have I intially found HERE. It sucks, because I know they could do well with the right venue. I hope we become that venue. San Antonio may be lame (and we like it that way!) but we do not take our talent for granted.

We are aimming to open in April. If you think you'll be down this way, musician or listener, look up the Red Room, and come find out how music should be heard.



More as things progress. It feels right. I truly believe this will be a boon to the city's music scene.

Lanky's Curse

(from myspace blog...to be continued here shortly!)

Yes, That's what I am. I have a new title: the Stringbreaker. No kidding, I have seen this guy four times in the last few weeks and he has broken strings at every gig- tonight- TWO!

I really wanted to just fade into the woodwork when he turned and looked at me. " It's you." was all he said and I just tried to find a way to hide! and laugh. Poor guy! and me too! I feel like I shouldn't go out to see him anymore!

That really won't be a problem for me, since he will be out of state for awhile. Damn. I just want to know if he keeps having trouble when I am not there.......I mean, maybe it's the full moon, not me!



Lanky, or pardon me, Lancaster, was playing out in Bellville, a village east of Houston. I am going to have to do a write up about the place on my music blog after getting some sleep. It was quite a neat night all the way round, and I guarantee I will go back. I will also be making reservations, as it seemed to be really a popular place. I didn't eat, but could tell the food was world class, and well, the music I have written about before. Despite fussing about with voodoo-ed strings, the Lankster put on a good show.

More about that after I have some time to get passed the road drag. I miss the traveling for the bands- everyone is kind of on hiatus, or playing out of state- but I feel a little out of practice too. The yawns are starting to hurt!



more later!

(safe journey, Lanky. Come home in one piece- you will be missed in the interim. )

OHYEAHOHYEAHOHYEAH!!!!!

Current mood: Ecstatic!


Wow! I have had a rough day or two ( I hate mondays!) but I am bustin' open a bottle of Tito's (Texas born vodka for you novices) to toast two pieces of WONDERFUL news!!!!!!

got word this AM that my Billy-bear, Billy Harvey, is working on signing with an indie label. I am so happy for him! His talent deserves to be heard out there, and this is such a great step for him!



And now......

the big news.....

my "son-in-law's" band, BROTHERHOOD, is being courted by a metal label attached to Warner Bros.! They blew Austin on its ear Saturday night, and are being recognised in the streets. I had stopped by Planet K on Lamar early in the evening and upon hearing old worn out Ozzy playing in the store, recommended the metalheads there slip down to Red Eyed Fly to catch my Boys. They did, and then knew Dave when he walked into the store the next day. Rock the hell on!!

They are the Band of the Year in the Edge Magazine, booked for three national act opening slots, and well on their way!! I am so proud I cannot sit still at the moment!! Go listen to the guys. Come out and hear metal dne the way it should be. Come see the next big thing before you have to pay $35 a head to get in!!

BROTHERHOOD RULES!



(and no I won't tone it down! I am so happy for The Hood and Billy. It is about time! now gotta work on a few other folks!)

www.myspace.com/brotherhood

www.myspace.com/txedgemagazine

www.myspace.com/billyharvey

www.billyharveymusic.com

and pictures of all my bands and songwriters @ http://community.webshots.com/jazzpjd

You Never Know Who Will Touch Your Life

So says my friend Lanky.
He posted the lyrics to a new tune Monday the 30th, and when I read them, I heard in my head a rockish sort of tune. It seemed a new good venture for him. I then took the time to drive to Austin to see him play at Momo's this evening, and he broke into my heart. Not broke it, but broke into it. He played for his last tune, this brand new piece, and its soft, quiet demeanor ripped through me in a way I had least expected. It sang of people, known for a moment or a lifetime, who have touched this soul, and left it a changed thing. He is now among them.

It is so easy to forget when we walk through this world that we really aren't alone. All the pain and bullshit that gets thrown at each of us on any given day can lead us back into ourselves so far that we forget the things that have molded who we are.
The teacher who reached out a little further than was required, because she saw a hurting, talented soul languishing. The best friend who is there through thick and thin. The one night stand that makes one forever wonder if that was the ONE.
All of it eventually adds up to who we are.

and, Lanky, you are a new chapter in this life. I hope it is not too short a one.


He's about to start a new tour of the midwest and east coast. Go find him, buy him a beer, sit back in the dark, and just listen. I don't believe any could listen well, and not be moved by this songwriter.





www.lankymusic.com
www.myspace.com/lanky

SXSW XX

Oh my. It snuck up on me again. I hadn't realised until just today that this citywide insanity case was coming up so soon.
It is hard to imagine that there are folks out there who don't know of this event that makes Austin Texas the centre of the world briefly, but for thos ewho might not:

South By South West,or SXSW as it's known, is a 10 day meet-n-greet and talk and party and just about anything goes for the film and music industries. someone is under the idea that Austin is the centre of some movie industry, which I have yet to see, and almost anyone who knows of Austin knows of its rep for music. It used to be a combined thing, but I noticed this year that they gave a full 5 days to the film people and a full 5 days to the music people. If you want to pay for the wrist band,you can literally walk all over about a fifteen mile square area for those five days and hear all sorts of music. There are free events too, but many folks want to feel they are special by wearing the identifying marks. Personally, I avoid the town as much as I can, or make plans for specifics only. I know nothing about what goes on for the movie people, 'cos I don't care and am not impressed by hollywierd or any of its cronies. Just not a movie person. I am a music person.
I have checked out the online list for who's playing this year and have only seen a few names I would go to any length to catch: my friend from Dallas, Salim Nourallah. Killing Joke. Well, okay, that's not good! That's all I can think of!

There's plenty of time and thousands of bands will be playing. If there is anything SXSW is good for, it is finding new people, new music. I searched for people I know and love on that list, because it is such great exposure for them, and was surprised not to see many. The cool thing is, they may still be playing during that time, but not as an official part of the conference. Austin's music venues are going almost non-stop the entire 10 days, and literally thousands of bands from around the world come to be heard by any means possible.

You're probably out of luck this year if you decide to go, because hotels are booked out well in advance, the wristbands go so fast it'll make your head spin, and the official entry list for the music stuff for this year is full. BUT....should you have a friend or aquaintence who might be willing to lend a bed, couch or bit of floor for whatever sleeping you try to do, it's worth the trip at least once for the music nuts. I suppose for movie buffs too, but like I said, i know nothing of that. I do know lots of celebs hang out in Austin that time of year; Mickey Rourke and a couple of others were at one Del Castillo gig 2 years ago. (Can't miss that face...not pretty, but one of a kind!)

Speaking of which, my Boys aren't listed to play! If they aren't on tour, I have no doubt they will find something to do, but they are on a deadline to release the new CD, so maybe they took the year off. You'll note that they chose NOT to release the CD while SXSW was going on. Wise. No one gets enough undivided attention during that time, and my Boys deserve to! Yes, I am biased! And the involvement in this indie movie Killing Snakes will probably tie a couple of them up at the film thing, if I have figured out their producer at all.......oh well. I just hope someday we out here get to see this production. I am curious if the guys can act anywhere near how they play. ;) They're a bunch of hams; they gotta have some of that ability in them!
Ah well, the day calls. I am off to figure out what that means.

reminder to self!

Go back to the bit in December about Lanky, ook at that list again, and get to writing!!!!!

Too long!

Much much too long since I last wrote here! many apologies to all my beloved groups and performers. I have been distacted by a lack of performances going on, and a hyper involvement in an online discussion group.

Frankly folks, I'm bored! And it seems the end of the month, the 28th particularly, is the new real starting point for everyone! SIX performances, from Memphis to San Antonio, and many points in between, all on the same day, and almost the same time.Well, I can't be everywhere at once, so I am headed to Dallas, as long as the weather holds up.
And I want new music! Buttercup and Del Castillo have projects in the can, or nearly so, due for spring release. Where is everyone else?! (I am kidding- just because I have absorbed your 2005 releases and sing them when I am walking around my job should put you on the spot to get another out just yet.)

Sadly, I have little real news for anyone or of anyone. Had a great New Year's Eve with Jelly Jar, but since then it's been a bit dry. Sexto Sol is out some, and I have had to miss the last two Grackle Mundys at the Wiggle Room. It just hasn't been a good beginning for me this year, and I am looking to change it. Come on out here and we will start some trouble to get all of you noticed!

right now, I am off to investigate a new/old band, World Entertainment War. They are defuncted now, sadly, but seem to be full of all sorts of piss-n-vinegar, which should put them right up my alley. I will be back to let you know!