Music News from the Big Bend of Texas
There is a new harvest coming – some of it is already here.
Saturday night, Hank Woji released his new CD, “Holy Ghost Town,” with a party at La Kiva.
He assembled a fine band for the job – Mark on fiddle and mandolin, Laird on bass, Jana Lavan on background vocals, Continue reading “Hank Woji’s CD Release Party at La Kiva”
The Big Bend of Texas is the last outpost for singer-songwriters. Totally uninfluenced by outside trends, it’s a world unto itself. On any night, and pretty much all day long, there is music playing here.
The local bars support the local musicians with money, food and beer. There’s always a jam going on the porch in the Ghost Town – fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and voices raised in harmony.
Occasionally, the outside world joins us – and it gets really interesting. Continue reading “Viva Big Bend 2013 – Marfa”
From Wikipedia:
Keith Gattis (born May 26, 1971 in Georgetown, Texas) is an American country music artist. Gattis has released two studio albums. He also charted one single on the BillboardHot Country Singles & Tracks chart: “Little Drops of My Heart”, which peaked at No. 53 in 1996. Since being dropped from RCA, he has written songs for George Jones, Kid Rock, Randy Houser, Charlie Robison, Gary Allan, Ashley Monroe, Waylon Payne, Sara Evans and the Eli Young Band.
Kenny Chesney recorded two of Gattis’ songs for his 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl. One of these, “El Cerrito Place“, was released as a single. Gattis also co-wrote Chesney’s 2013 single “When I See This Bar“, from the album Life on a Rock.
He’s played with George Jones, Dwight Yoakum and Kid Rock among others. He’s a dangerously good guitarist and singer and an immediately likable human. Continue reading “Nashville to Terlingua – Texas Americana Music with a dash of Country”
The Terlingua Music Concert Series is going through some changes. It’s a good thing.
First – there will be no Legiondary Jam at the American Legion in July. The legion is going through some changes, too, and a lot of our favorite musicians will be in Santa Fe then, cheering Greg Grymes on as he makes his new CD.
August will be all about the Terlingua School.
After the “Second Sunday” jam at the high sierra, I was talking to the track coach. He said, “I’ve got a group that I think can take State this year- if only we could afford track shoes.”
So, the second Sunday in August we’re having a “Second Sunday” jam at the High Sierra Bar and Grill in Terlingua. We’re going to raise enough money to buy the team shoes.
Later in the month- similar deal. The local art and music teachers have been buying supplies for their students out of their paychecks – and they’re about the lowest paid teachers in the State of Texas. I’m not going to talk about the lack of support for Art, Music, and education in general in Texas except to say that it would be nice to vote in some representatives who have the kids best interest at heart.
What we’re going to do is fund those programs ourselves. I’ll announce the details as soon as I’ve confirmed the date and location.
The end of the story: we lay on comfy pool recliners, drinking excelent Malbec and watching the stars play on the turquoise water of the pool…
The resort at Lajitas is an oasis in the desert. Literally. Green grass covers the golf course. There are two pools. The suites and hotel rooms are “cowboy’ chic” and luxurious.
It’s also way out of the price range that most Terlinguans can (or will) afford.
That’s why I was so excited when I learned about the “Rockin’ the Ranch” party the resort was putting on. Two great bands (playing through Trevor’s new PA system. Very cool.), against a backdrop of desert mountains and a huge sky.
Free show, $2 BBQ, $2 beer, open-swim…
Now, that’s a “local-friendly” party.
The first “Second Sunday” Jam at the High Sierra exceeded my expectations.
New location. New time. And the Terlingua Moon (the only “newspaper” out here) didn’t include our info, so the PR campaign consisted of flyers. It could have been lonely…
It was a blast. Somehow, word got out.
The room was full of locals, tourists and musicians. George Goss started at 2:00 and Moe and Brandi closed the show around midnight. In between, some truly amazing music happened. Unexpected combinations of musicians played together, some new musicians showed up, and everybody played like they meant it.
It was a good show.
For the musicians, it was also a chance for good friends to hang out, play together, and share gratitude for being part of such a vibrant musical community. For the audience, it was a free concert showcasing the region’s finest talent.
The High Sierra is a great location for the concert. They’ve got a large selection of cold beer, great food (Tacos Alhambra (sp?) for me), cheerful staff, and the best air conditioner in the county.
The experiment was a success. We’ll be doing a “Second Sunday” concert on a regular basis from now on.
We didn’t have a designated charity for this one, so the money raised will go to the Terlingua Music General Do-Gooder fund.
After the concert, a few dedicated partiers gathered at the outside bar for conversation under the stars. The moon was setting- a dark gold sliver over the ghost town. The Milky Way was a spray of diamonds across the sky. Music played from a pickup truck. And, somebody just happened to have a cooler of beverages.
Talking to the local track coach, I learned that he’s got a new batch of kids that he thinks can take State this year- if only they could afford shoes.
I think we’ve found our charity for the next “Second Sunday” jam.
Continue reading “1st “Second Sunday” Jam at the High Sierra”