Billy Joe Shaver

Rhett's former band, Kyle's band, and Mr. Billy Joe Shaver. Billy is a good-ol'-country-boy-hard-ass-type. Not too long after this show he was arrested for shooting a man. By no means his first run-in with the law. He's lost some fingers. He's also lost a son. And you can hear all of this in his music. His stage performance is just as badass. He punches, he kicks, and with unexpected tenderness he swings his arms and beats his battered hands in angel-wing motion, a tribute to his fallen child. See him while he's still fighting' the good fight.

Round Two

So, I've seen A LOT of shows in the past (gulp) three years but have only managed to photograph somewhere around 1/10th of those shows. And that's being generous. For shame. Here's all of those photos at once. I've already forgotten a good number of these shows in there entirety even though I'm quite certain they weren't/shouldn't have been forgettable. If I can remember a show, I'll put a little note to help preserve the memory while it still lasts.

Frank Smith

As you may recall, Frank Smith is the whole reason this little blog even exists. So I guess you can say that I kind of have a soft spot for this band. Just warning you.

A few things you should know about Frank Smith: No one in the band is named Frank Smith. The vocals alone - which somehow manage the feat of being simultaneously smooth and rough - will hook you. The arrangements - clean, sweet, fun country - will guarantee that you stay. In conclusion: Rent a Texas dance hall, queue the Frank Smith, and prepare to fall hard.

In case you hadn't noticed,

I rather dislike using a flash. So much so that "I Hate Flash" would be an acceptable alternative title for this blog. But, yeah, it makes the pictures blurry. Sorry.

Caleb Coy

I'm 99% sure that this is a picture of Caleb Coy performing at Mohawk. It's definitely the Mohawk. And it's definitely the artist preceding Frank Smith. But since I can't remember the date of the show and I never knew the band name to begin with . . . well.

This is excellent bed time and/or stare-at-the-stars-on-a-quiet-night music. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for that echo-y sound effect, especially when combined with an acoustic guitar. There's a song called "Acoustic Guitar" so I know I'm not alone on this. Purr.

Goran Bregovic & His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra

I found myself sitting outside a concert hall on a breezy midsummer eve, waiting for a friend to share a free ticket with me. I was about to see Goran Bregovic & His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra*. They had made the long trip across the pond to party Eastern European style in the ATX and the crowd was fully prepared. There were gypsies, hipsters, debutantes, and professorial-types but they all had an element in common. Their clothes flowed in that free and casual way that left no question about it - they were ready to dance. And dance they did. The whole lot of them. Because that's what Bregovic's music begs you to do. The all-male choir is spot on, the female vocalists are haunting, the brass and string players are mood setting maestros, and the drummer/vocalist is dreamy. Bregovic expertly guides you through it all. You clap, you dance, you sing along if you understand the language. You are merry.

Thanks be to Kasia.

*Sadly there's no music site but the Wikipedia article is a fairly intersting read.

The Lost Pines

After a backyard performance like that, I just had to see the full act, live and in-the-flash. The show proved once again to be quite charming, packed with all the good stuff -- boot stomping, smiles, and solos aplenty. And the venue cannot go unmentioned -- a quirky little lodge that serves as home for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, an altruistic fraternal organization. What a combination!

The Lost Pines-ish

Pictured below is Talia Sekons, her brother Akon (hope I got that spelling right), and Christian McAdams. Talia and Christian are both members of The Lost Pines, a wonderful local bluegrass band.

Here's how the story goes: I was having a lovely time at a friend's house party when I happened to see these folks come bearing various instruments. Naturally, I chatted them up and quickly learned that they were bluegrass players. This was especially serendipitous since I had very recently decided it was a genre I wanted to get to know better. And on top of this, I was lucky enough to have made mention of my love of Gillian Welch, only to discover that Talia fronts a Gillian Welch tribute (or is it cover?) band! Being the kind people that they are, they broke out their instruments and played a beautiful set of music right there in the backyard. And I watched, hammock-side, as Talia did Gillian justice and then some. The setting was perfection, the instrumentation was magical, and the vocals were mezmerizing. It was, a small slice of heaven.

Cartright

Oh yes indeed! My b-day night was the first time I saw Cartright perform, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I truly felt that it was the PERFECT band for the occassion. Now, I'll admit that I know a couple of the guys in the band and so I was able to finagle two birthday shout outs but even without the shout outs I would still sing their praises. It's the kind of music that makes you want to throw your arms around your buddies' shoulders, beer in hand, and sing at the top of your lungs. It's drunken good ol' times music. It sways and stomps and every so often, soothes.