Flanfire

What a wonderful weekend at the Continental Club.  Friday (and Saturday) night featured the legendary guitarist James Burton with an all-star band that included Earl Poole Ball, Caspar Rawls, and other members of the Leroi Brothers.   Later on Friday, the assembled horde danced the night away to T-Bird and the Breaks (who broke out their new T-shirts and the vinyl version of their debut album. “Learn About It.”  But on Sunday night, after another stellar set from Heybale, club owner Steve Wertheimer was busting buttons on his classy shirt to announce the return of Raul Malo!

Steve and Raul both remembered the first time the Mavericks came to Austin and played the Continental before about 25 blown away fans — and their their first record came out and the next show had about 400 people, and then the band was playing much larger venues.  Raul and his hot band had just done a set at the ACL Music Festival, and Steve thought, why not my club, too?  There were actually more people dancing to Raul’s band than to Heybale — including, of course, Flanfire!

We were very fortunate, too, that Raul had caught a set from the Trishas when he was up in Nashville for the Americana Music Awards, and that he invited the lassies to join him on stage Sunday night.  Because we were in the right place at the right time, we have video of this historic event in Austin music — and, yes, we too thought maybe the girls could have had more volume in their vocal mikes.  But check out those well rehearsed dance moves (admittedly, SOME of the Trishas secretly want to join T-Bird and the Breaks if there is ever an opening — you be the judge as to which if any of them are ready for that prime time gig).

This first shot is for the ladies — it’s bassist supreme Kyle Clayton, who on one late afternoon last month (and on many other occasions as well) provided the foundation for songwriters Margo Valiante (see bottom clip here, and that’s Etan Sekons on guitar) and Joanna Barbera (not shown here, but with the fabulous Julia Parmenter on operatic vocal harmonies).  Kyle and his band, About Blank, have a new record out of their own called RISE and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it several times already.  Now even though Kyle has a great (deep) voice, this is an instrumental record that also features bandmatws Danny Anderson on guitar, Dave Adams on drums, Kevin Gibbs on saxophones, Paul Luedke on trumpet, and guests Marcus Cardwell on baritone sax, Stephen Graf on trombone, DJ Stillness (uh, turntables), and Ian Varley on organ.  This record is 13 slices of pure “psycho-funky-jazz’ from one of my favorite groups anywhere in town.  The boys will be at the Elephant Room on July 26th and at the Lucky Lounge (for a CD release?) at the end of August.

At top right we have Charlie Terrell, who has un-retired after getting settled with the lovely Polly here in Austin and shaken off the cobwebs to just tear up Austin music stages, including the gorgeous outdoor stage at the Scoot Inn with bandmates Danny B. Harvey (off right now with the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash), Brad Fordham (Jerry Jeff, anyone?), Tom Lewis (Heybale), and a cast of a thousand “Murdered Johns.”  Charlie is a throwback to those glory days of southern rock — and a show not to be missed.  Great gravelly voice and a real showman.

But if it is pure joy you want, then get out to Threadgills on July 17th when the Trishas open for Willis Alan Ramsey.  From left to right, Savannah Welch, Kelley Mickwee, Jamie Wilson (of the Gougers), Liz Foster, and violinist Trisha Keefer.  This is just the best all-girl vocal group ever — they even blow away the Boone Girls.  Now, Savannah is busy with her movie career, Kelly is at House Wine most Thursdays with Andrew Hardin, and yadda yadda, but Stonehoney and the Band of Heathens together cannot generate as much pure emotion and power in their harmony vocals.  [After all, they're guys!]

The girls describe their sound as what happens when “Texas dirt, Mississippi River water, City Lights and Apple Pie sit down together in a pickin’ circle at an Austin backyard party – which I presume means Liz, Kelley, Savannah and Jamie in that order (explanations falter).  But it is not just that they are all drop dead beautiful – there are a lot of pretty faces out there.  This truly IS music people sing in a circle around a campfire — old songs, new songs, soulful and blue.  And any band where I get to hear Jamie Wilson sing her amazing songs has got to be a real favorite!  And there is more good news — Jamie has a new EP about ready for prime time (details to follow).

The photo below shows three-fourths of Margo’s new band — yup, she debuted with her new drummer at Momo’s last week before heading home to Wyoming to sing at a couple of weddings and get out of the Texas heat.  Thank goodness she will be back soon — meanwhile, Etan is working with the handsome Geron Hoy in a new project that we shall soon hear more about.  [And I have to mention that the piano player/guitarist with the big smile, Josh Halverson, is back in town for a while — I met his dad the other night at Momo’s and though brother Jake (who also plays drums and sings) is the better known rodeo cowboy, pop says that Josh can rope a steer just as well.