Flanfire

Better known as — Gina, we love you so much we want to send you away for a year — AND with some much needed cash.  OK – some of you may not know Gina Chavez, the raven-haired beauty who crashed onto the Momo’s Music Scene one night when Suzanna Choffel had to ditch her gig for a show at Antone’s.  Gina packed the house and then brought it down, and her infectious personality to boot made her a fan favorite.  Now this Austin jewel is getting ready to leave town for a year to work with children at a school in El Salvador, where she and her colleagues hope to aise enough funds to help the Sisters in Soyapango finish building five new classrooms to accommodate new students from families too poor to afford the fees required for public education in that country.  So on September 6th folk are gathering at El Sol y la Luna (best mojitos in town, and pretty good victuals, too) for a rockin’ good time to help out the cause of getting rid of Gina for a year (the good way).  Now, Gina is ALSO one of five finalists in the Gattis’ Pizza jingle contest (the $10,000 first prize would go a long way toward tuition for poor children — but the other finalists are also well-known Austinites) and the “Fan Favorite” award (a MACbook goes to the winner).  Did we mention that Gina’s benefit is on the final day of voting — and that (rumor has it) there will be laptops set up so stragglers can cast their vote just before the deadline! 

I also have to mention an upcoming benefit for raconteur-photographer and Renaissance Man Todd Wolfson (cool enough to hang at Ming’s on Mondays and even with a broken wing to get to Flipnotics the other night for Tawnya Lorae) — twill be at Antone’s and will feature a veritable calvacade of stars (as befits the man), including Alejandro Escovedo, Will Sexton and Ruby James, Paula Nelson, Skyrocket, Triple Cobra, Ian McLagan, the Trishas, Jesse Sublett, Jon Dee Graham, and Carolyn Wonderland.  Todd hit a patch of defective pavement and was thrown over the bike’s handlebars into the street — landing squarely on his right elbow and head. His elbow joint was split in half and he sustained two additional compound fractures in that arm. His head injury required 11 stitches, and he suffered numerous internal injuries.

A highly skilled orthopedic surgeon repaired Todd’s arm with 16 pins and two metal plates. After several months of healing and physical therapy Todd will be able to use his right arm again to create the artistic portraits that have won him so many fans. But until that time comes, Todd is out of work — facing staggering medical bills and a long road of painful rehabilitation.  The price is $25 at the door, but just $20 if you get your tickets early.

OK — it is always good in a post to show some handsome men and beautiful  women — so here is Flanfire himself out on a barbecue run to Luling’s City Market with Ruby James and the one and only Super Dave Holmes with two of his biggest fans (whom you may hear now and then singing with Donnie Jones).  One other note — my pal Sean Hopper, he of the We Three jazz trio, says   that Central Market at Westgate will soon have a new elevated stage and a new sound system — upgrading the profile of the indoor facility considerably.  Sean is a fine jazz bassist, and We Three features guitar and saxophone — Flanfire’s mom liked the music a lot.

Finally, here is the Geron Hoy Band at Headhunter’s – Etan Sekons on guitar, Jordon Ellis (who just came back from Mountain Stage playing with Ben Sollee) on drums, and Kurt Revette (from Indian Bayou, Louisiana, Flanfire’s Hoffpauir hometown) on bass.  The Beautiful Mistakes brought the swamp to the Saxon Pub on short notice on Tuesday night, after Deadman’s set with Steven Collins’ old bassist Lee Milton sitting in.