Bonnie Whitmore, Craig Carter, Fireman’s Ball 2014

Last night, Bonnie Whitmore played the Starlight Theatre.  Later, Craig Carter and the Spur of the Moment Band played the Fireman’s ball at the Boathouse.

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.

bonnie whitmore at the starlight in terlingua
Bonnie at the Starlight

Continue reading “Bonnie Whitmore, Craig Carter, Fireman’s Ball 2014”

Loves It in Terlingua.

The homeless duo, “Loves It,” played the Starlight last night.

Although they are officially from Austin, they have a storage room in Nashville and live on the road in their touring van.  Apparently, this is a trend- Ray Tarantino, Jon Hogan and Maria Moss, Hank Woji… have discovered the economic reality that you can just skip all that rent and utilities stuff if you just keep on moving.

I’d never heard them before, but reviews from their show at Lajitas were good, so I hung out at the Starlight with Cosmic Kathy, Jeffro Greasewood and Sha, and other locals at the bar.  It was a full house, which is just weird.  It seems like spring break will never end…

Jenny Parrot of Loves It

Jenny after the show.

Continue reading “Loves It in Terlingua.”

Monday on the porch in Terlingua.

Yesterday, we hung out on the porch before dinner…

Chase Peeler, Jeffro Greasewood, Hillie Bills, Mark Lewis, Hank Woji, and a few others were playing… I was enjoying a cigar and the scenery and the scene.

Over the course of about an hour I snapped a few pics.  What struck me when I looked back on them was how the band morphed and changed over that hour.  People switch instruments, go on beer runs, see someone they want to talk to…

But, the music plays on.

Only in Terlingua, y’all.

musicians on the porch in Terlingua
Chase, Hank, Mark, Hillie.

Continue reading “Monday on the porch in Terlingua.”

1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music Festival

The 1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music festival was held yesterday, 3/29/14, at the pavilion behind Delia’s store in Terlingua.

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.

m1

Webster, George Goss, and Jeff Haislip

Continue reading “1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music Festival”

The Paper Moonshiners at the Starlight

Last night, Austin’s “Paper Moonshiners” played the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua.

From their website:

Paper Moon Shiners is a duo from Austin, Texas. They specialize in vintage songs and originals inspired by American music from the early Twientieth Century including blues, jazz, swing, ragtime, americana roots and folk. Elena Antinelli fronts the band with her shoo-fly pie syrupy vibratos and turpentine tinged belly growls.
Frank Meyer toured with Gary Primich, played bass with B.B. King and roadied for Junior Brown once. He’s the string man in the band and his fingers pull thumpin’ notes from the stand up bass, delicate ripples from the ukelele, and soothing rhythms from his jazz guitar. Mix all that with deep vocal tones that resonate like shifts in tectonic plates and yes, you’ll feel the earth beneath your feet move.

All that and a bag of chips.

Although I’ve played with Frank on the porch and at the Boathouse, I’d never heard the band before. They’re like a musical time machine, showing how and why the 20’s and 30’s were so musically interesting and fun.

Elena has an amazing voice, with shadings of Ella and Janis, with the occasional Billie Holiday inflection. Frank is tasteful on guitar, uke, and national steel, and his deep voice provides an interesting counterpoint and contrast to Elena’s.

Local sax-whiz Chase Peeler sat in on Tenor and added some spicy leads.

All in all, it was a surprising contrast – music we don’t normally hear in Terlingua that fit right in.

They’ll be at the High Sierra Friday, 3/28/14.

Here’s how it looked:

m1x

Elena

Continue reading “The Paper Moonshiners at the Starlight”

Banjo in the Boathouse – Terlingua porch music

Yesterday, as Betsy and I were sitting on the porch in the Terlingua Ghost town watching the sun set in the East, smoking a delicious Cohiba Maduro and sipping a locally brewed Porter, Sharron Reed introduced me to Trevor Smith, an alarmingly talented banjo player from Austin, and his wife Christina.

Trevor plays with “Wood and Wire,” a well-known bluesgrass group that travels the country irritating traditionalists and delighting music lovers, I suspect.

js9mod

Trevor Smith

Normally, the appearance of a banjo on the porch is not a cause to rejoice.  In this case, it was a delight. Continue reading “Banjo in the Boathouse – Terlingua porch music”

Benefit for Hungry Terlinguans

Last Sunday, 3/2/14, there was a benefit at the Starlight Theatre for:

Food Distribution in Terlingua 

Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend, Inc.

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.

benefit1

Me, Trevor Reichman, Chase Peeler, Charles Maxwell – Photo by: Jessica Lutz

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”

Saying goodbye to Glenn Felts

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.”

g11

pot-luck dinner…
g10

Just Us Girls (JUGS) held a reunion
g4

the world-famous penisaurus erectus

Continue reading “Saying goodbye to Glenn Felts”

Benefit for Boquillas scholarship – Starlight – Feb 16, 2014

Sunday night, 2/16/14, there was a benefit concert at the Starlight Theatre to generate funds to send a girl from Boquillas off to school.

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.

buckygoat

Buckner kept it sounding good all night.

Continue reading “Benefit for Boquillas scholarship – Starlight – Feb 16, 2014”

Remembering Glenn Felts –

There was no stronger supporter of the Terlingua Music scene than Glenn Felts, the owner of La Kiva bar and restaurant.  

Glen Felts at the Chili Cook-off
Glen Felts at the Chili Cook-off

When Glenn died Monday night, it left a huge, Texan leprechaun-sized hole in our community.   Glenn and his friendly grin had presided at La Kiva for years, overseeing some amazing parties, out-door concerts, and 17 years of Wednesday open mics.  He could always be counted on to slip a musician a plate of his prize-winning BBQ or a beer. He loved music and musicians, and every player who had the privilege to play his stage knew it.

On a personal note, last Wednesday’s open mic was pretty magical.  Butch Hancock, Laird Considine, Charlotte Teer, Trevor Hickle and I played the first set to a full house.  After our set, Glenn called me over.  He had heard about my efforts to raise money for the local food bank.  He offered to contribute $420 a month to buy groceries for the food bank to distribute.  He had some great ideas, including opening up his restaurant once a month for a free meal for his hungry neighbors.

Since the food bank only needs $400 a month to meet it’s minimum goals, Glenn basically offered to fund the food bank by himself.  I couldn’t help myself- I gave him a big hug and teared up.  Terlingua people are a proud bunch.  The people who need the food bank are predominantly children and disabled adults.  Glenn was not going to allow hungry children in his town.

That was the last time I saw him.

Tonight, the community gathered in the parking lot of La Kiva to honor and celebrate Glenn.  There had been music at La Kiva every Wednesday night for 17 years.  Although the club was closed, musicians and friends braved the cold to sing, hug, cry, and tell stories about their time with Glenn outside the club.

The Sheriff’s department had cordoned off the parking lot.  The crowd gathered on the shoulder of the road across the street from La Kiva.  A decision was made, and the gathering walked across the parking lot and gathered outside the club.  It was cold and windy, but soon that chilly wind was carrying the sounds of guitars, mandolins, bass, saxophone,  viola and voices that weren’t quite ready to say a final good-bye to 17 years of music on Wednesdays – or to Glenn.

 

l1

The Sheriff’s Department blocked the entrance to La Kiva.
l2

hugs and tears

Continue reading “Remembering Glenn Felts –”