On the Road

Heading into the most well-known hill country event around the world: The Kerrville Folk Festival. 18 days of pure joy, creativity, love expressed, new artists, memories, stories and songs. Yep, I love the event, having been to all but one year…the first one. I raised my children on the music and stories of people who are passionate about self-expression. Good lessons in life. The first night finale is Ray Wylie Hubbard, a songwriter of great magnitude in the history of Texas music. He visited my Aledo High School English class over 20 years ago, and he is now the voice of KRVL radio in Kerrville, promoting the distinct sound of “Texas” music. Listen to his song, “The Messanger,” if you want to hear great writing.

Peter, Bethany (daughter of Peter Yarrow), and Rufus will play Saturday, May 31. An interesting version of PP&M, my favorite group from my college years. And my interview with Peter Yarrow is part of my dissertation for a Ph.D. on the topic,” Writers On Writing: An Eclectic Approach to Teaching Composition,” completed in 1985. Yes, Peter Yarrow singing “Puff The Magic Dragon,” is part of my own life story!

Band of Heathens closes out the evening. And Ray Wylie is part of that sound, rootsy and rocking. My new favorite band. Gordy Quist once played an open mike in Kerrville, and I had lunch with him the next day, knowing he was going to do more with his music. And he has!

David Amram and his now-classic “jam” returns on Monday, June 2. I once read the last scene from On The Road by Jack Kerouac while David played flute behind me. I wanted to go on the road then, and I still do! Stephen Bruton follows him, a night not to be missed. Bruton also plays on the Band of Heathens new album. Ah, everything connects.

Dads Who Rock play on Wednesday, June 4, and I loved this show last year. Nathan Hamilton, Beaver Nelson, Matt the Electrician: all these dads have strong voices and are great writers. Ah, how am I ever going to decide what to teach in the new Texas music class I have at Schreiner University in the fall. We meet on Wednesday at 6, and I know we’ll have to make some tough choices.

Kathy Mattea plays Friday June 6, and Walt Wilkins closes down that evening. Randy Rogers closes down the entire festival on Sunday, June 8. What a great linup for 2008. Dalis Allen is bringing.

And now for another event in September: Fandango. An aside on Mike Blakely: He was a featured performer in the THMF Bard project, and he not only performed at Tivy High School and Starkey Elementary, but he also came to visit my children’s literature class at Schreiner. I was reminded that he has 16 novels and 8 cd’s and a possible screen play on a book he has co-written with Willie Nelson! That book will be out in time for his September Fandango at Luckenbach, where the headliner is Guy Clark. His event features music as well as an authors’ day on Sunday, September 13-15. Mike is full of good music and stories! His renaissance talent led him down to the Big Bend country for a round-up and campfire event right after leaving my class. I had a strong urge to jump traces and join him. Glad I got to spend a day in New Art, Texas, on the Llano River with Mike and Abbey, as guests of another Renaissance man, Bill Worrell. When Mike sang “Mr Moon ran away with the night train,” Bill just had to turn on his recorder and capture the moment. Good for him.

More news from the THMF office: A stack of new cd’s adorns my desk. A local production, “Broke Down Avenue,” features the Greg Griffith blues band and a new singer, Seona. The style on the cd is black and white classy, with a trio of men wearing dark glasses standing behind, a bit off center, of Seona, also wearing her dark glasses. You got it; the cd contains some serious blues, with serious leads by veteran Greg Griffin. Those of us frequenting the local venues have dance the night away to this trio before Seona added her own distinct voice. And she can sing the blues. As Tom Goodwyn reminded me when he gave me the cd, “We are not just a blues band, and we do want to play before thousands of people!” As you can tell, I like the style of the cd and of the music. The THMF showcased this band on February at the Schreiner coffeehouse, and I have dance to them at a rehearsal before. Hastings carries the cd.

The Band of Heathens has a cd hitting the market on May 20. I have heard each performer in the band play individually, and the five members gathered now have “grit and authenticity reminiscent of other notable fan-driven bands like Little Feat, The Black Crowes and Drive-By-Truckers.” I read a comparison like that and start off listening, expecting to like the band. And when you read that Ray Wylie Hubbard and Gurf Morlix are in on the production and music, you know that grit and growl are part of the mix. The music is conducive to dancing and swaying. I particularly like the way my body starts moving on the first song, “Don’t Call On Me,” and continues with “Jackson Station.” We also get to hear lap steel, dobro, slide guitar, Hammond B3, pump organ and mandolin. I don’t know if I like the songs or the performance more. I know I’ll be using this in my new Texas music class next fall at Schreiner.

I bought a signed copy of “Sacred” by Los Lonely Boys, only to find out that Jesse Wayne Kennemer, son of Wayne Kennemer, a local performer who inspired the THMF scholarship fund, also opened for Los Lonely Boys recently. We suggested that he invite them to Kerrville. Jesse lives in Oregon and needs to come visit Texas. He also plays some blues with Taj Mahal. I love their new song, “Outlaws,” which features Willie Nelson singing some true word! I first heard the Boys at a Willie Picnic in Austin, hearing that rumor, “This is Willie’s favorite band right now.” I see why over and over.

“The Spiritual Kind” by Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines caught my eye and ear when it came out in 2007, but hearing Terri sing “If I Had a Daughter,” at the March coffeehouse took me right back to the Cd for a new appreciation. I played it for my daughter and granddaughter with tears in my eyes. We, as a community, all agree that we love Terri and Lloyd! Another cd for my Texas music class.

Jay Sims first crossed my radar screen when I was hosting a local television show that I called “Living Outloud.” What a wonderful morning interview we had several years ago. Now I have his new cd, “Half Souls and Heals,” that features mostly original songs and Gurf Morlix shows up on guitar. Gurf, who often plays Maria’s Taco Express on Sundays from noon-2 p.m., can be counted on for great production, guitar work, songs and singing. You can tell, I’m a Gurf fan from the first time I saw him play!

I carried home a cd called “pay me no mind” by The Homemade Jamz Blues Band, from the Bluebonnet Blues Festival in Marble Falls in April. Not only did two of the young brothers play guitars made from mufflers, but their delivery both off and on stage engaged the crowd at many levels. I ran for my camera, others stood and danced as Ryan and Kyle Perry both walked through the crowd. Their nine-year-old sister, Taya, held down the stage on drums. Produced by Miles Wilkinson, this Cd features songs by Renaud Perry, the proud father and harmonica player for these two songs and a daughter. Yes, a family affair recorded at home in Tupelo, Mississippi. Check out northernblues.com for more information on a company that knew to say “yes” to this band. And now for the music playing in the background while I write, “The Vault,” a classic collection of Marc Benno songs performed by Marc. Now I understand the stories about this magic man with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Leon Russell, Jim Morrison to name a few. And he has written the story (partial story?) of his life in the music business. He moved to Hunt three years ago to bring his passion for working with music into the arena of counseling. I also have “Shadow,” his choice to be smooth. “I can sound like Barry Manilow if I want to,” he quipped. Yes, I drove home from my meeting in Hunt with Shadow providing background music to the drive.

I was managing my own excitement at meeting up with a stunning singer named Tamara Jalian (a young 24) and hearing her work with Marc on a recording in his small studio. Buck Boon brought us all together, a creative talent and catalyst. We first met when he attended a Peter Rowan coffeehouse at Schreiner many many years ago. This April night in Hunt was filled with so much magic, that as I left, Marc sang a song for me about Magic days and nights in LA. Buck laughed knowingly. Yes, they share some stories, and the world needs to hear some of these stories that document a time in history that is gone except in our storytelling and memory.

I was thrilled to look up on the wall and see Marc, playing his guitar, and sitting with Jim Morrison as he recorded. Hm…what could that mean? And that Leon Russell photo! Marc comes out of his studio once in a while to play, most recently at the Coyote Club on Sidney Baker. Hearing Tamara’s wonderful voice reminded me of how I felt the first time I heard Gillian Welch. Come to find out, Tamara is a fan of Gillian’s. Buck informed me that Tamara, an acting student in Austin now, originally from Canada, just complete a scene in a new film with Brad Pitt. I’ll be looking for that movie. And it just might contain that haunting song I heard her sing at Marc’s.

Go to marcbenno.com for a chance to buy his cd, a vault of experience! His rendition of “Bright Lights, Big City,” takes me back to some Jimmy Reed stories. And I found out that Benno and I both discovered The Chateau Club on the Jacksboro Highway. He’s from Dallas, I’m from Ft. Worth. He has a new cd of vintage music out that includes a performance by Stevie Ray Vaughan at age 14…….Marc Benno and the Nightcrawlers. Order from his website.

No more space for music talk. I want to acknowledge how thrilled I am to see the THMF receive a Peabody, and I want to commend the talent of producer Lex Gillespie. He created a radio series full of heart and soul, one that I will be using…yes, you guessed it….in my Texas music class. See www.texasheritagemusic.org for a link to his site. Ils sont partis.

www.kathleenhudson.net and www.texasheritagemusic.org