Flanfire

Sorry, no photos — the camera is on the fritz!  But soon!  Monday night very late (after Bukka Allen) at Momo’s a bunch of us were sitting out on the deck and this long-haired guy with a high voice (someone suggested Ray LaMontagne like) was up on stage singing and playing guitar to an empty room (inside).  We of course could hear quite well, and we knew right away this guy had something.  So on Tuesday I am down at Jovita’s for the Tiny Tin Hearts and there he is again — Chris Jamison, hair and all, and his guitar — and his songs.  Guy’s got a big smile as he steps off stage to introduce himself.  Hands me BOTH of his CD’s.  Hangs out all evening — and later I find out maybe why.

Turns out Chris is a native Texan with lots of family around here — but his folks moved up to Radford, Virginia, and he ended up going to the University of Virginia and becoming quite a songwriter.  Put a band together up there and made a record, “Into Surrender,” some of which was recorded at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire, all of it mixed there, and the whole shebang mastered at Abbey Road.  A year later he made his second record, “Strangers and Lovers,” mostly in Virginia but again taking it to Abbey Road for mastering.  Now he’s working on his third song collection, but here in Austin.

And what songs — powerful stuff like “Savage Nation” and “A Heart Unbroken” on the first record, and “Hollywood Cemetery,” “Holy Ghost” (absolutely stunning!), and “Wonderland Avenue” and “River of Tears” on the second — and he is closing his sets now with even newer material that is pure poetry.  Chris is out at Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe on Friday — HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (as is the Sin City showcase at the Scoot Inn, featuring Stonehoney’s final set in central Texas until September 6 at Gruene Hall, and the Book People showcase featuring Tiny Tin Hearts at Momos).

Speaking of the Hearts, I simply cannot get enough of these guys and gals — new songs galore as they prepare to unveil their still in the final stages CD that George Reiff is producing.  But that’s nowhere near ALL the good music that has been popping up in town.  I already mentioned Bukka Allen, fresh from opening for the Flatlanders (and playing with them as well) out at the Boulder Theatre (I got a great report from my Devil in My Closet pal who saw the show!) with Robbie Gjersoe on guitar.  Freedy Johnston is also off on the road now, having played his final Monday night show at Momo’s for quite a while — though he will be back at the Continental Club in late July for a couple of shows.  Lots of folks are on tour for much of the late spring and summer — as it should be.  It’s getting hot here and the long winters of preparation have brought forth new flowers (for example, new CD’s from Charlie Faye, BettySoo, and a whole lot more) that need to be admired by a nation in great need of the real thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this report, I will merely skim the highlights (memory and camera failing of late).  Let’s start with Ming’s, home to great jazz every Monday and tasty food every day (thanks, Fai Jow, for moving to Austin!).  Last week it was Gary Newcomb and his amazing skills on the pedal steel — so good that steel player John Leon showed up to take notes and get his picture taken with the master.  This week ringleaders Brad Houser and Eldridge Goins (now THERE’s a rhythm section for you) gathered together pianist extraordinaire Cole El-Saleh (Carolyn Wonderland, for starters) and Landis Armstrong (Paula Nelson, of late) with special guest Pat McCann (Troubadillos — but 25 years playing with Cole beginning in Shreveport and along with Landis one of the finest guitarists in town).  These guys are playing Autumn Leaves and Chopsticks and other standards (Moondance) — and Landis and Pat are trading off vocals as well as breathtaking guitar licks.  Did I mention the food – or the wine (BYO)?

Somewhere in between was a trip out to the Red Shed Tavern to see Shelley King and Floramay Holliday on their SASS tour — this place is flat out comfortable, and I had some tasty tamales from the Airstream diner on the premises.  [BTW, the Scoot now has its own semi-diner, too!]  Later that evening I stopped by House Wine (another great outdoor sitting venue) to visit with Margo Valiante, fresh from her successful showcase at the Wildflower Festival in Richardson (where she was one of three runners-up to the big kahuna winner and thus got to play again on Sunday).  There’s Margo through the rails with Etan Sekons — and the lovely smiling lady on the right is “Singer of the Year” Aria Hollingsworth, daughter of guitarist Kevin Hollingsworth, whom I ran into at Maria’s Taco X-press playing a set with Mandy Mercier (to whom I owe an apology for talking to Kevin while she was introing a song).  Aria, who will soon be at McCallum High, will tell you that it was “only” for her eighth grade class at school, but we know the girl is relentless and will have a good time on many stages in years to come. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was that WILD Thursday night (oh, wait!  That was right after seeing Aria!) when I ran back and forth between the Amsterdam Cafe and Momo’s because I first had to catch some o fJackie Bristow’s set, then hightail it outta there to fall in love over and over again with Molly Venter who for the first time in MY memory was playing with a full band (Bryan Austin on drums, Steve Zirkle on bass and keys, and the dashing Dave Madden on melodica?) — then back to the Amsterdam to catch a set from Noelle Hampton and Andre Moran (with Teal Collins and later though I missed it Josh Zee as well), and back to Momo’s for the David Newbould extravaganzabonanza whytheheckareyouleavingusforNashville celebration party where he both blew everyone awy on stage and handed out (for a small donation) hand-made copies of his brand-new CD.

David, who has after all given Austin seven pretty wonderful years (hosting the open mike at the Hideout, for example), nonetheless has been coming into his own as a kickass performer.  On this memorable occasion (with Cindy Cashdollar, Warren Hood, the unable to perform Redd Voelkart, Wendy Colonna, and Lord knows who all else — I DID miss a couple or three songs — plus the lovely new mom Megan Melara on vocals along with GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY!  And, yes, David closed his smashing set with a tribute to his opening act — which is just the type of dude he is!  And why Flanfire hopes to get to know this guy better on his occasional visits in the near and distant future.  Good GRIEF!  He is moving to Nashvegas! to become a BIG STAR!  Heck, he already IS a big star!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I have to mention yet another visit to the Amsterdam — to see Leeann Atherton and the wonderful Sunny Coleman.  Now while we were there in walked a vision of loveliness wearing a mask — a mystery woman, to be sure (who just happens to be a dynamic singer who was born in Wyoming).  And so we will leave you with the unsolved along with yet another photo of Molly Venter “posing” with Aimee Bobruk (that’s two of my favorite women in the world who just happen to write topnotch songs).