Flanfire

July (which is far from over) has been an amazing month!  Highlights (some of which will be in my next post!) include Natalie Zoe-Fest (or whatever Sasha and friends called the benefit for her mother at Antone’s – where else?), the wonderful Songs for Laura event at the Wyldwood House Concert, and Dustin Welch’s new haircut.  [Shown below -- the OLD and NEW Dustin, sisters Savannah and Ada, and dad Kevin.]  OK — there was also the Ruby Jane television taping at the Saxon Pub, the amazing Austin to Africa Benefit at Momo’s on July 26th (more on that another day), and a whole lot more.  And, yes, I have a “passle” of new CD’s to review — from the likes of Steve Bernal, the B Sterling Band, Aly Tadros, the Will Evans Project, and more (but who’s counting?).

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a little sample of SOME of Austin’s newest music — Chris Jamison at Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe and John and Kristin Nixin — who just moved here from Kansas City (John’s band was Abracadabra) — at House Wine during Abbi Sims’ Monday Night Open Mike there.  Then there’s “older” Austin music — Kat Edmonson at Lambert’s (this was an AMAZING show nearly stolen by drummer JJ Johnson), and Ian Stewart of the Fireants at Roadhouse Rags showing off a really cool shirt that he will be taking to San Francisco in early October to wear at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park.  Oh, Ian was playing with Victor Ziokowski and Vic Gerard (Victor’s dad, who plays in Chapparal) with Zhenya Rock on guitar — a foursome to be reckoned with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BULLETIN BULLETIN BULLETIN BULLETIN BULLETIN –

FLANFIRE FAVORITES FEST OCTOBER 10th at CENTRAL MARKET (4001 North Lamar) — from 4 pm till 9-ish …

And THAT leads me to the meat of this report.  The illustrious Sean Hopper (whom I only recently learned is a jazz bassman of some considerable note about town) was kind enough to grant Flanfire a day at the Market to celebrate the best of the new to Austin music we have heard this past year.  Now the fact is that there were WAAAAYYYY too many people we have first for the first time over the past 12 months to fit into one afternoon and early evening of music — so we had to improvise.

Before we go a paragraph longer, I must point out that this day of music will be part of a larger campaign to raise money for the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence to fund the ancillary work needed to transfer the Center’s domestic violence library (created by the late Nancy Flanakin, otherwise known as Mrs. Flanfire) to the University of Texas’ Perry Castaneda Library — where the collection (which will also be able to grow if we are successful) will be of use to a much larger universe.

 

 

 

 

But back to the lineup — the first hour is dedicated to the song — and the songwriter.  So naturally I asked Ben Mallott (shown here with Andre Moran on electric guitar) to be the “big guy” on the show … he after all is a former defensive lineman.  I just HAD to ask Margo Valiante — this newcomer from Wyoming just has to be heard!  Jarrod Dickenson was another clear choice for me — this guy is 23 going on fifty (note the hat — Sinatra lover he is).  And then (far right) there was Charlie Faye — had to invite the woman whose FIRST CD I played ten times straight through while moving back into my old house last summer.  [But I could have about five to ten hours of great music from other songwriters I have met just this past year.   Some of them, of course, will be on the road in October.

The five o’clock hour will feature the four-part harmonies of Stonehoney — guys whom I helped move into their new “fraternity house” (as one of the guys has called it) and who have introduced me to so many of their fellow California refugees now in Austin (or wanting to be here).  Continuing the California refugee modus, Flanfire will proudly present Noelle Hampton (with Andre Moran and a full band) in the third hour of music — and maybe a special guest or two.   Closing the evening will be The Tiny Tin Hearts, whom my pal Ihor Gowda turned me onto one night at Lambert’s during a Suzanna Choffel show.  And, yes, I am getting an advance copy of their new CD very very soon — cain’t hardly wait!  Now it is my hope that Central Market breaks all records for music-related traffic on October 10th (or we could have a hurricane for all I know) — and that Sean will let us do this again sometime.  

So mark your calendars — and if you have an afternoon free and maybe have kids or friends and want to grab some grub, maybe a bottle of wine, and chill, then help Flanfire do for Central Market what Voices for a Grateful Nation is seeking to do on August 23rd at Luckenbach (that is, break a record — in their case the number of guitarists for a single recording).

 

If it’s June in Austin it must be Kerrville spillover city — so naturally, Flanfire went out to the beautiful Wyldwood House Concert site in deep south Austin (thank you Andrew and Amy for sharing your home with all of us — and Andy’s birthday cake!) to see my old friend Carrie Elkin (you know, that blonde who hangs out with that Danny Schmidt who is topping the folk charts these days) and a friend of hers whom I had met a few months back at the Continental Club — Tennessean Robby Hecht (with whom Carrie will be headed on tour to England very soon).

There is NOTHING like great food, great music, and the beautiful Texas sky (complete this night with an amazing full moon and lots of stars).  Let’s start with the FOOD!  Okay — Andy and Amy DO provide hot dogs and s’mores (by the campfire) for their guests as part of the suggeseted donation (sic) — but of late they have added an extra special deal — gourmet barbecue from Brendan Retherford and Nakita Santiago!  Here’s the deal (for anyone going to see Kevin Russell on June 20th or any future shows) — you order by Wednesday and your food is there for you on Saturday (and you must order ahead to get this great deal).  Brendan is founder of Sapor, a personal chef and catering service, while Nakita’s parents were longtime staff at Castle Hill Cafe who passed on their skills to their daughter.  OK they let me try some of their food — and one bite of the macaroni and cheese (which they normally feed to the kiddies) was enough to make my day!  And that was before I had the prime rib.

But this IS a music column, and so I guess I have to tell you about Carrie Elkin (who enjoys letting her pal Danny grab all the headlines while she just writes and sings great songs) and Robby Hecht (who has been called a young James Taylor in both voice and songwriting quality even though he is grousing about not having enough songs for a second album yet).  “But you will,” said Flanfire, promising he will gain great inspiration from days on the road in Merrie Olde England and Scotland with Ms. Elkin, who once wrote a song while stranded somewhere in NEBRASKA until her car got fixed.  One MIGHT say the performers were joined in song by a chorus of crickets OR that one of the macaroni generation danced in front of the stage showing off a FROG he had caught somewhere on the property (or was it, as Robby speculated, just a TOAD?) 

Just a day or so earlier, I had been called out to Lambert’s by my pals Andre and Noelle to meet Andy and Amy and hear a set from folk-punker Cory Branan (whose next Austin show will be at the Red 7’s Punk Rock BBQ on July 4th).  Cory (red shirt) who hails from North Mississippi and made his first mark in Memphis, reminds one a little of John Prine in his voice and his humor — and yet he can lay down some very heady stuff with significant power.  I have been seeing Cory here and there in Austin since he moved here about a year ago but this was my first time to hear him on stage.  I WILL be back!  I absolutely LOVED the “Prettiest Waitress in Memphis.”

I went BACK to the Madison (5th Street next to Rainbow Cattle Co.) to catch a longer set from Graham Wilkinson (at this dance club with some pretty nice amenities and lots of people having fun) — and this time he had (in addition to Mr. Swift on drums and vocals) Joe Beckham on bass (filling in on four hours’ notice) and a horn player.  It was a GAS the second week in a row.   I also caught a second set from Meagan Tubb and Shady People — that long-legged gal can flat out wear some threads, and she sings and picks guitar pretty well, too! 

Okay — I did not see any shows this week at Flipnotics, but I DID stop by to take a photo of the new outdoor seating areas that the new owners have graced the place with (along with a whole new deck, new paint, and a lot more work that really spruces up the old place).  Carrie Elkin, Molly Venter and Vanessa Lively will be at the venue on June 13th, but I have been told by Miss BettySoo NOT to miss HER CD release party at the Cactus.  Of course I would also love to be up at Journey for Grace Pettis’s show there — and down at the Amsterdam to see Jarrod Dickenson (but I just saw HIM at Momo’s).  Jarrod would get a photo spot here but he sings with his eyes closed — so I am throwing in a photo of the lovely Caitlin Bailey (cello), who is moving to New York State to further her musical education. 

Now THAT is a lead-in to talk about Jessie Torrisi, who came to Austin from New York in January and is already doing shows at places like Botticellis with cellist Alissa Schramm and multi-talented Rob Jewett (who played everything BUT standup bass that evening).  Later I went out to see Goldcure at the Szxon (great show and another debut song or two — these guys are ROCKSTARS!).  And then back to Momo’s for Jess Klein with Mark Addison, Rob Hooper, Scrappy Jud Newcomb and special guest Suzanna Choffel (she of the Momo’s late night dance club that was founded by Johnnie Goudie).

 

 

 

 

 

And the hits just keep on coming!  Just wait till you see the astounding video of the stormy West Texas gal Jen Womble’s Momo’s debut with Kalu James and Josh Halverson — on Kalu James Day in Austin but also Ms. Womble’s own birthday!  Ahhhh — but that’s enough of a foretaste.  I gotta get out to the club district for some more great Austin music.

Okay, already.  Our first photo here is Mingo Fishtrap – definitely NOT a teenaged band, but one worth mentioning for their Monday night Antone’s residency that is soon coming to an end.  And throughout this missal we may mention other bands whose guys have been shaving for more than a year or two.  But let’s get real — Austin is beginning to recognize the genuine talents and creativity of some of its younger musicians.  Now Flanfire, of course, has been writing about teen music in Austin for years, and so we are more than glad that people like Margaret Moser and Roggie Baer are giving props today.

So here we have the members of Edison Chair taking a little break from the hard work they did on a recent Sunday afternoon at Jovita’s, helping Roggie and ALTWorld host an all-afternoon showcase with half a dozen or so bands and four judges evaluating all of the younger musicians and more.  Ms. Moser was indeed one of the judges, as were Harmoni Kelley (my favorite red-headed bassist), Billy Harvey (whose own recognizable talent may soon be eclipsed by his production skills), and designer-photographer Mark Alba.  [Don't they all look superbly intent!]

As Ms. Moser reports in her own Chronicle blog, the bands (I missed half the show for reasons explained below) included South of Center (12-year-old funksters), Euphoria (winners of the Austin High battle of the bands) and a band I heard and liked — playing as an instrumental quartet, Team NEXT (whom I first met at Austin CAN Academy over a year ago), Edison Chair itself, the Fireants — fresh from Old Settlers, followed by a 30-minute jam that all the guys were talking about afterwards, the Carson Brock Group (just back from Germany), and the band I was most glad to see for the first time, the Cafe Racers, featuring Taylor Bartholemew [bottom left] and Brandon Mays (plus Sam on bass and Damian on drums).  This band really brought it — and Taylor writes good songs.

Earlier on Sunday, I had stopped by Jo’s Coffees on South Congress to visit with Ruby Jane Smith (and her lovely mom JoBelle) — and to hear a little of her band — Lefty Nafziger, Willie Pipkin, Lindsay Greene, and Damien Llanes (a more than passable bunch).  But I spent the better part of the day at the Second Annual Shotgun Party Chili Cook-off (I refuse to report on the contest other than to note that Kinky Friedman was one  of three chili judges — and that my two favorites did not even place).  This crowd photo shows people of all ages having a wonderful time — and why not?  Great food, great music, and a great bunch of friends having a blast together.  I got to see sets from J.W.W. and the Prospectors (bottom left — with Heather Rae on fiddle), Deadman, Leo Rondeau and his marvelous band, and Graham Wilkinson (dreads) and the Underground Township (featuring PJ on lead guitar — whose other band is Dub Kids).  Every set I heard was just downright fine and dandy!  And after all of that, I headed over to the Saxon for the Shelley King Band (see my review of Floramay Holliday’s CD).

 OK, that was Sunday.  Saturday was just as wild and crazy — with much of the action out at Threadgill’s World HQ in the form of a benefit concert hosted by none other than Margaret Moser.  Here we have the revitalized El Gaupos (with horns) and the Diving Captain (the band my pal Hoe’s daughter and her friends came to see).  Lots of others had played earlier, and I totally missed the Daze and Blues Mafia playing some Cinco de Mayo event over near Town Lake.

Now I did not take my camera out on Friday, but I have to mention sets at Momos from Jarrod Dickenson (playing solo) and Josh and Jake Halverson (Jake is Josh’s brother who is better known for his bronco riding on the rodeo circuit — but I like his singing, too).  Those, though, were lead-ins to the magnificent show at the Saxon Pub by Jackie Bristow and her hot band — George Reiff, Dony Wynn, and Aussie guitar god Mark Punch.  [But I take way too many photos of Jackie already!]

The photos below here are of Erin Ivey at the Parish (with Jon Dee Graham way down below) — the highlight had to be their duet, if for no other reason than that Jon Dee had never met Erin or impresario Brian Conway until he was asked to do the show with her.  Clearly, the magic was there — and Jon Dee showed why this “miracle man” should be one of the world’s most widely revered people who sing.  The other photo here is of Mike Harmeier and Burton Lee (Mike and the Moonpies) at Uncle Billy’s Second Anniversary Party on Thursday afternoon — Shotgun Party, Leo Rondeau and Slowtrain were also on the bill that day.  

Now here (left) is a major reason (other than the fine music from Jimi Lee and friends) to go to Hyde Park at Westgate on Tuesdays (Tony and his fried chicken are also there on Mondays).  The restaurant also has Sunday night swing (often with the Marshall Ford Swing Band — but look out — the texas Swing Kings will be coming soon!) — and may opt for another night of music here and there (how about late-night weekend jazz or whatever after the movies to nosh on HP’s famed snack foods)?

Wednesday nights are fast becoming Soul Track Mind parties at TC’s Lounge.  These events are not yet as crowded as Mondays with Little Elmore Reed, but rowdier for sure.  That’s mainly because of lead singer/lover Donovan Keith, who writhes on the floor, prances and dances, and falls into the loving arms of his womenfolk (see top right above).  And I have to mention George DeVore’s new project, the Twalls — who are playing late night Mondays in May at the Saxon but whom I saw at One 2 One (a really cool venue on 5th and Brazos with a great rooftop).

Finally here we have BettySoo playing accordian and singing harmonies with Charlie Faye after her own acoustic set at Momos on Tuesday night.  And, yes, I did see that little bit of Mingo Fishtrap after Stonehoney’s set at Antone’s last Monday (well, they ARE using Mingo’s drummer a lot).  Those California refugees will be on the road most of the summer — unlike Flanfire.

Now just for the record, I DID get out of the house a little bit this week too — Jimi Lee with Kevin Hollingsworth on Tuesday at Hyde Park, and Thursday was wild — but my camera battery was totally dead — so I may as well tell what I know about that night.  OK — I parked at House Wine, walked to Flipnotics for the Troy Campbell showcase that featured Will Cope and Lincoln Durham (out solo these days and sounding manly!) and a full set from Troy (do people here even realize just how good this guy is?) — and a surprise visit from Ray Wylie Hubbard, who is producing Lincoln’s new CD and has been the Itasca native’s mentor for years.  Ray Wylie (that old snake farmer) is playing Shady Grove next Thursday with Lincoln opening, by the way.

Then it was back to House Wine for a little bit of Kelley Mickwee (just back from Italy with Kevin Welch) and Andrew Hardin — and then over to Floramay Holliday’s CD release.  It was like old home week, with Kris Brown on guitar, Chip Dolan on keyboards, Arte Passes on pedal steel, Shelley King on harmony vocals along with Gabor Racz (Floramay’s hubbie who also plays harmonica), Greg Baumgardner on bass, and Vinnie Ambrosone on drums.  And later I got a private, one song concert from Austin newcomer Jessie Torrisi and her cellist, Alissa Schram at the Irie Bean right at closing time (I had missed the duo’s actual set, you see!).  Heck, they had me singing along!