Music News from the Big Bend of Texas
It’s 2016. The history of the building we know as the Boathouse in Terlingua starts in 1981, There have been a lot of changes there during its 35 year life.
Since I’m a relative newcomer to the area- I bought my property 10 years ago and have lived here full-time for just 3 years – I asked Mike Davidson, who’s owned that property since the early 80’s, to write a “history of the Boathouse” for us- it’s included at the end of this blog post. Continue reading “Changes at the Boathouse”
Wednesday night was another amazing night of music in Terlingua.
I met Sarah Burton at the Las Ruinas Campground, which I run and where she was staying for the night. She’s a Canadian singer/songwriter touring the Southwest U.S. for the summer.
She was late for soundcheck, so I cleaned the bathrooms and shower at the campground while she hurried to the Starlight Theatre, where she would be performing later that night.
Later, I joined her for dinner and then sat down to catch the first few songs, thinking I’d head for the Boathouse for Open Mic. Two and a half hours later, I was still sitting there. I turned to Buckner Cooke, who is entertainment manager and sound guy at the Starlight and said, “I would have paid for this show.”
Bucky informed me that he had just decided to charge a retroactive $10 cover.
Sarah is one of those rare performers who is able to take on the character of the protagonist of her songs. She becomes the song. Her show was mostly originals, with a few tasty cover tunes.
She played for a half-filled room, but people lingered over dinner and drinks and she held the crowd. I suspect that the next time she plays in Terlingua she’ll fill the room. I’ll certainly be there.
After Sarah’s show, she, Buckner, some of the staff from the Starlight, and I headed for the Boathouse, where Santa was hosting the Open Mic.
Santa sang. Chris Baker and Shanna Cowell sang and played. John Cronin, who plays with Ian Tyson, was visiting and he played and sang (Another Canadian!). Shannon sang and Trevor played. Trevor sand and played while I accompanied him. And then, Sarah played and sang.
Once again, it was just another night of amazing music in Terlingua.
Paul Kilberg and Don Sharlow played a set of stripped-down blues and rockabilly at the Boathouse in Terlingua 10/4/15.
Dancing ensued. Continue reading “Paul Kilberg and Don Sharlow at the Boathouse”
A couple of weeks ago, a tall lanky guy wandered into my recording studio by accident. We got to know each other, and found we had a lot in common.
Then, I pulled up a youtube video of him playing… wow. Here’s a video- you can go to YouTube and type in his name and be entertained for hours.
He and his wife have moved to Terlingua and are creating a space for artists called “Glint” on their land. He told me a little about himself: he’s a touring musician, does better in Europe than the U.S., is quite technologically savvy and knows his way around a recording studio.
We talked a while, and I encouraged him to play the local venues here in Terlingua so his neighbors can get to know him- and enjoy his music. Very soon, I heard he was going to play at the Boathouse. Continue reading “New Terlingua Music: Paul Sprawl at the Boathouse”
Niko Laven has been coming to Terlingua with his family/band since he was five years old. I didn’t know him then, but it’s unlikely that he could scorch the earth with a Telecaster or sing with such passion and authority back then.
Last night, the boathouse was packed as Niko celebrated the release of his first CD.
The Lavens- Andreas (dad), Jana (mom), Rachel (sister), and Niko, performed as if they’d been doing it for years. They have. The harmonies are rich and tight. Andreas and Moses held down the rhythm. Rachel and Niko split the lead vocals, except for a nice interlude where Andreas and Jana took us on a slightly more traditional country ride.
Here’s what it looked like to me.
Continue reading “Niko Laven’s CD Release Party at the Boathouse in Terlingua”
For 16(?) years, every Wednesday there was an open mic at La Kiva. It was the longest-running open mic in the galaxy, and they didn’t skip a Wednesday in all those years.
For several weeks after La Kiva closed, we gathered at La Kiva’s parking lot or the “Passing Wind” compound near the ghost town, and continued the tradition.
Time passed…
Two weeks ago, I was honored to host the first Wednesday night open mic at the Boathouse. Jeffro Greasewood is the host, but he was under the weather that night. Last Wednesday night, Jeffro was back at full strength and the Boathouse was packed with players, listeners, dancers, and an Archie action figure.
This is an ongoing, weekly open mic- and you never know who will show up. C’ya there.
Al Barlow and his crew of singer/songwriters from all over are arriving for the 20th annual Terlingua Music Bash. There are live music events happening at the High Sierra, the Boathouse, and the Starlight Theatre this week.
I’ll try to get a schedule… the only one I’ve seen was in Al’s hand, and it was a rough draft.
And, just in time, the Boathouse is open- with Gumby and Sierra behind the bar.
Here are some pics from Tuesday night- stay tuned, there’s gonna be lots more.
