Archive 2009
Sayings I never understood 12/30/2009
I wanted to wrap up the year sharing “sayings” I never understood - phrases meant to impart great wisdom in few words, but which in my mind never made sense.
Monte Montgomery 12/23/2009
I wish I could say I recognized the musical brilliance of a 14-year-old boy hanging out at Luckenbach in the 1980s.
On Being Elvis 12/16/2009
Everyone should be Elvis. At least for a day.
Cowtoons 12/9/2009
As a kid in school, Wheeler Hughes tried to be a real artist - he really did. But he just couldn’t make it work.
Meals on wagon wheels 12/2/2009
Brisket, beans, taters, prime rib, chicken fried steak, fajitas, homemade apple pie a mile high and apricot crisp dripping with rum sauce. Throw in the smell of wood smoke, the creak of an authentic chuckwagon, and maybe a cowboy story or two and you’re living the life of Lauren and Wheeler Hughes.
Telling Tales 11/25/2009
Everyone thinks they can tell a story. But it takes a special talent and drive to be a “storyteller.”
Dancing with the Pros 11/18/2009
Is there any little girl who hasn’t dreamt of dancing in the Nutcracker ballet? This weekend, the Kerrville Performing Arts Society and the San Diego Ballet are making that dream come true for 50 local dance students.
Teen Troupe 11/11/2009
When Melodie Lane was in 6th grade, her class put on a production of Pinocchio. She wanted to be the cat.
Marching "8 to 5" 11/4/2009
If you have ever referred to the intermission at a concert or play as “halftime,” then you just might be a bandie.
Dancing for each other 10/28/2009
There are reasons something goes on for 5000 years.
The Power of Drum 10/21/2009
In western Africa, when villagers approach a neighboring village, they sing out Fanga alafia ase' ase', which translates to Welcome, Peace Be With You, So Be it, So Be It.
Classic Monday 10/14/2009
Ever want to know all the hit songs that have a day of the week in their titles? The best bubble gum songs of all time (I hope that was a short list)? Or the lyrics to Louie Louie?
Nunsense, Too 10/7/2009
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.
Be a guest at your own event 9/30/2009
She has hired attractive “party fillers” for tech conventions in Las Vegas, and booked a superstar to sing at a surprise breakfast in New York. Now Elizabeth Harris is happily planning weddings in Fredericksburg - even while dealing with the occasional “Mom-zilla.”
Live & Local 9/23/2009
Did you know we in the hill country have our own local TV station?
Learning through story & song 9/16/2009
All the world’s a stage for Kathleen Hudson, and everything upon it a story to be told.
Icky Twerp 9/9/2009
Kids in the 1950s and 1960s rushed home after school and turned on their televisions to watch shows designed just for them. If you lived in Fort Worth, you watched Icky Twerp.
Magic Man 9/2/2009
“There is not much difference between doing magic for adults versus kids, except adults are easier to fool.”
Cleaning out the files 8/26/2009
This week, I got nothing.
The sound of 2000 guitars 8/19/2009
Listening to 2000 guitar players whale away on a three-chord song might not soar to the top of your “to do” list for a Sunday afternoon. But it will be a raucous way to make history as the loony crew at the biggest small town in Texas takes a stab at breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest guitar ensemble this Sunday at Luckenbach.
Support your local comic 8/12/2009
Thirteen-year-old Roger Acevedo remembers sitting in class and not laughing at the class clown. “Secretly I said this guy is not even funny. I should be the class clown.”
Sharing the Spotlight 8/5/2009
I have always been amused at the musician reviews in industry rags and now online at social networking sites. After reading some of these bloviated bios you wonder why the musician bothers to perform at your local club - surely he is keeping Willie waiting!
Healing with Harmony 7/29/2009
Can a simple 3-stringed instrument cure cancer?
Blues Mafia 7/22/2009
The backstory of Blues Mafia may conjure the plot of High School Musical, but these youngsters hold advanced degrees in wailing blues, rock and R&B.
On the road 7/15/2009
Road musicians and their vehicles - is there any relationship more quirky and dear?
Taylor Pie 7/8/2009
Taylor Pie remembers the moment she fell in love with folk music.
Doug Miller & the Rhythm Ryders 7/1/2009
While not in quite the same way that W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel rode his fame with the Light Crust Doughboys to the Texas Governor’s office, State Representative Doug Miller may have started along his political path by playing guitar for the Rhythm Ryders.
Your raise me up 6/24/2009
I first heard acclaimed tenor Donald Braswell singing in a vineyard near Fredericksburg on November 7, 2007. I - along with many of you -next heard Donald Braswell in the summer of 2008 on the national television program America’s Got Talent.
Matt the Mayor of Who-Ville 6/17/2009
The reputation of the Fredericksburg Theater Company ripples far beyond McElligot’s Pool. So when recent arrival Matt Ward heard of the auditions for Seussical the Musical, he got ready to dive in.
Waffle House 6/10/2009
What is big and yellow, lurks along major highways, and never stops stuffing its faces? Welcome to WAFFLE HOUSE.
Heidi Eubanks 6/3/2009
“In California, there is a blonde girl with green eyes from Texas singing on every single corner, trying to get noticed.” So blonde-haired, green-eyed Texan Heidi Eubanks decided to return to Fredericksburg and work on her songwriting career right here in the Hill Country. California’s loss; local music fans’ gain.
Improv on Main 5/27/2009
All bands must start somewhere, and for high school students Keller Fornes and Michael Martin, playing in an alley in Fredericksburg is as good a place as any.
The essence of "hip" 5/20/2009
Writing about music, the arts, and entertainment, I have learned something: I am not, nor ever will be, hip.
The secret of tango 5/13/2009
My adult tap dance class had just run through our final dress rehearsal, and something wasn’t working on the tango number. Driving away from the high school auditorium, I passed by the Argentine Restaurant and on a whim decided to stop in for dinner. Not only did I enjoy a great meal, I discovered the secret of the tango.
Water to Wine 5/6/2009
Every time I tried to interview Mike and Kathy Clay about their business - Water 2 Wine Custom Winery - customers kept interrupting to tell me how wonderful the place was.
Rockbox Theater: Behind the curtain 4/29/2009
The old saying is you don't want to watch how they make laws or sausage. But I was curious how the crew at the Rockbox Theater comes up with a new show each and every week year round.
Be a Poet 4/22/2009
April is poetry month. That may have escaped the notice of those of us whose idea of a good poem starts out "There once was a man from Nantucket..."
Ambleside Strings 4/15/2009
There are some new string slingers in town. Last fall, Ambleside School started its own string orchestra program.
Canciones at the Cantina 4/8/2009
Porfirio "Porfi" Cantu manages the Cantina - the newest club in the county - when his patrons let him. Usually they are pushing him up on stage to play.
Farm Fresh Music 4/1/2009
How about some farm fresh music to go with that organic kale and fresh-squeezed juice?
I Shot Willie Nelson - Part 2 3/25/2009
Last week I wrote about my stint as an extra in the movie Barbarosa, filmed around Fredericksburg in 1980 and starring Willie Nelson and Gary Busey. On what was to be my last day on the set, the film crew hired me as a stand-in for actor Danny De La Paz. Now, the rest of the story...
I Shot Willie Nelson - Part 1 3/18/2009
I was perched on the low limb of a live oak tree. The sun was beginning to set behind me, casting long shadows over the sparse hill country brush. There was no sound, except for the cautious approach of footsteps on dry grass. A cedar limb moved slightly. Out stepped Willie Nelson.
Barbarosa, I hissed between my clenched teeth. I leveled the pistol through the leaves, sighting directly at the outlaw's heart.
Chromatic Kalimbas 3/11/2009
John Ike Walton achieved legendary status as the original drummer for the 13th Floor Elevators, the seminal psychedelich rock and roll band of the 1960s (read article). But these days the Hill Country resident gets more excited talking about his Chromatic Kalimba.
Still on the 13th Floor 3/4/2009
Unless you were growing up in south Texas in the late 1960s, you might have missed the 13th Floor Elevators.
Auslander Redux 2/25/2009
The last time I checked in with Auslander owner Jeff Jeffers, he was gearing up for his first weeklong music festival. That was back in 2005. Next week will mark the 4th Annual Spring Festival, and the 7th total festival, as he added summer and winter versions of the popular "every night" concert concept.
Two Views 2/18/2009
If you have lived in Fredericksburg for any length of time since 1993, chances are good you have met Tani Guthrie and Dran Hamilton.
Classic Autumn 2/11/2009
As a very young child, Autumn Boukadakis begged her parents to let her take piano lessons. But rather than playing Brahms and Beethoven, Autumn was more influenced by the Dylan and Creedence tunes her dad played as she was growing up.
Earworms 2/4/2009
Seeking a good cause for a telethon? How about this: brain itch.
Sweethearts of the Radio 1/28/2009
They made a striking appearance 60 years ago in their white boots, denim skirts, fringed leather vests and red cowboy hats. And when the Crenwelge Sisters started to sing, hill country listeners leaned a little closer to their radios to better hear the sweet vocal harmonies.
Carin Treibs 1/21/2009
Last spring as I walked a few laps around the high school track at the Relay for Life, I heard a fantastic voice belting out a country song. As I ambled past the finish line, I craned my neck up to gal singing from the bleachers and asked, "Who are you?"
Kicks & Clicks 1/14/2009
Another day, another dance. This weekend for the first time, the Luckenbach dance hall will be alive with the sounds of clicks and clogs.
Wrangling Aggies 1/7/09
Back in high school, Derek Steinbring admits he "was a little bit scared" to ask a girl to dance. Now, as a member of the elite Aggie Wranglers dance group, Steinbring's challenge is to accommodate all the ladies who come up and ask to dance with him.
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