Music News from the Big Bend of Texas
Old friends gathered for happy hour with Jimmy Holbrook at his unique “Passing Wind” compound Friday afternoon.
Jimmy will be back for the chili cook-off.
Keep scrolling for pics of music at the Starlight Theatre and the Thirsty Goat Saloon.
There was a parade and burger-bash on the 4th and an outdoor pool party with live blues by the Fabulous Vortexans on the 5th.
Saturday, the 4th, the American Legion post hosted a burger and hot-dog feast after the parade.
The parade itself was impressive, but held way too early in the day. The idea was that at 10:30 in the morning it would be cool enough that people would enjoy sitting on the side of the road watching the parade.
Although the concept was good, it turns out that Terlinguans would rather deal with the heat than get up early. I missed the parade, but made it to the party.
Saturday, there was a celebration and inauguration at the Lajitas Golf Resort. After a hotly contested election and run-off, Claymore Henry, the goat, beat out George Goss, local celebrity for the office of Mayor.
From the 50’s until just a few years ago Lajitas has had a goat for Mayor named Clay Henry. Previous goat/Mayors were famous for drinking beer. It’s unknown if Claymore will have a taste for the brew, but odds are that he will. It runs in the family – he’s a direct descendent of the original Clay Henry.
So, Saturday Lajitas hosted a party at the pool to introduce the new Mayor. Big Bend Brewing Company provided beer. BBQ, burgers, and hot dogs were available. And local blues band, The Fabulous Vortexans, provided the music.
Check out the pics-
Continue reading “Parades, Fireworks, Party at the Pool – 4th of July in Terlingua”
Last night, a group of locals was sitting on the porch outside the Starlight Theatre when a plume of black smoke starting snaking up in the sky in the Terlingua Ghost Town.
I jumped in the 4Runner and raced down to take a look. A motor home was on fire.
NEW – You can donate to the Sam and Dani fund right now!
When you click the “Donate” button and contribute, your money goes to TerlinguaCares, a 501 c 3 non-profit based in Terlingua, Texas. 100% of all donations made will go directly to Sam and Dani.
Continue reading “Fire in the Ghost Town – Terlingua – June 4, 2014”
I’ve said that “everything comes to Terlingua if you just wait long enough.”
Sometimes you don’t have to wait long at all.
Gary Fortin brought his amazing movie, “The Road to Austin,” to Lajitas last Wednesday.
The movie starts out with a brief history of Texas music, then morphs into the story of a concert held in Austin. Stephen Bruton was music director of the concert. A few months before the concert, Stephen was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. He heroically did a fine job producing the concert with Gary, but by the night of the show he was very ill and weak. Continue reading “The Road to Austin – Doug Moreland – Terlingua.”
I’ve been watching and listening to Bonnie for… a decade? Her folks, Alex and Marti, started both of their girls out young- singing and playing and writing songs. It worked.
When you go to Bonnie’s website, you’ll note that she’s getting a LOT of radio airplay. Listening to her perform her songs, it’s easy to see why.
Last night’s show was a sort of homecoming. Bonnie played and talked about how her parents influenced and taught her. Then Alex and Marti joined her on stage.
Continue reading “Bonnie Whitmore, Craig Carter, Fireman’s Ball 2014”
It was a day of sunshine, music, beer, and community.
Like the original Chili cook-off, SXSW, and the Kerrville Folk Festival, this event started out slow- which worked out great for the lucky ones who attended. Stand-out music sets were provided by Trevor Reichman and Chase Peeler and Alex and Marti Whitmore, George Goss, Jeffro Greasewood, Charley Maxwell, Clayton Drinkhard, Neil Trammel, Webster, Mark Lewis, Shirley Bird, Marshall (Dammit) Spires, and several others.
There was plenty of parking, lots of room on the dance floor, and Big Bend Brewing Company provided the beer- the IPA was perfect for a hot day of music. The only thing in short supply was Scotty’s brisket, which went WAY too fast.
After the show was over, Jeff and a few others sat around discussing how to make the next show even bigger and better.
Continue reading “1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music Festival”
It’s spring break in the big bend.
A group of locals gathered on the porch to watch the show… and be the show.
Continue reading “Just another day on the porch in Terlingua.”
Once again, the Terlingua community came together to take care of our own. Terlinguans, wherever you are, give yourselves a hand.
“Hungry children in Terlingua? Not on my watch.” Glenn Felts
I did a blog post HERE explaining why this is something we had to do right now. A few weeks ago, Mike Drinkard told me he could provide food assistance for the 600 or so people in the Terlingua area who needed it for $300, and he was having trouble coming up with the $300.
Sunday night we raised about $2,000 for food distribution. More importantly, over 30 people signed pledge forms to contribute monthly. When you add in Lajitas Golf Resort for $250/month (thank you Ruffin Moore, GM) and the Terlingua Preservation Society for $420/month- they picked up Glenn Felt’s donation as a memorial to Glenn, that gives Mike over $1,000 a month in recurring income to buy food.
I’m pretty sure Glenn would be proud of us. Continue reading “Benefit for Hungry Terlinguans”
On Saturday, 2/22/14, Terlingua said good-bye to Glenn Felts in a fashion he would have approved of.
There was a wake/party at La Kiva with live music, beverages, and a delicious pot-luck dinner.
Terlinguans from all over the country travelled to gather one last time. Friends who hadn’t seen each other in years hugged. There were tears, laughter, and dancing.
Attendance was limited to close friends and family. Glenn was much loved and had a lot of friends. The parking lot was full. There were cars parked along the road. The club was packed.
As the sun dropped low in the sky, shots of Glenn’s favorite drink – 12 year old Macallen single-malt scotch – were passed out to all attendees and we gathered for a final toast to Glenn.
Gumby walked to the microphone and, raised his glass, and said, “To Glenn. He was my brother. I loved him. He loved all of you.”
The Terlingua community raised $1,075 for the scholarship fund. Since Cynta only needs $250 right now, TerlinguaCares has set up a fund for Cynta’s projects with the remainder of the money.
In the process of raising the money, we had an amazing party. It’s the Terlingua way. Music was provided by Laird Considine, Charlotte Teer, Jeff Haislip, Moses Martinez, Tom Delaney, Webster, Al Berry, Ted Arbogast, Mike Davidson, Chase Peeler, Collie Ryan, and many other local pickers. Trevor Hickle was there and ready…
The plan was for the “band of angels” to play an acoustic set early in the evening and rock out later on… and, once again, I discovered that making plans is for amateurs. We had so many musicians who wanted to contribute that it turned into a concert.
Buckner ran sound and herded cats. The Starlight Theatre provided a comfy and friendly location for the benefit as well as paying the band – and the band donated that paycheck to the fund-raiser.
We were hoping to raise $500, which will cover the tuition for a year. Terlingua reached deep and more than doubled that. I’m proud of my community – we funding compassion in action and having a party while we’re at it. It’s the Terlingua way.
Continue reading “Benefit for Boquillas scholarship – Starlight – Feb 16, 2014”