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).

I will always remember the first time I met Jess Klein — at Momo’s, of course — Charlie Faye introduced us.  So a couple of weeks ago, Jess introduces me to her old friend Jessie Torrisi — who, like Jess, escaped from New York (a la Kurt Russell?), another in the never ending parade of wonderful people who were wise enough to come to Paradise where the streets are paved with golded songs and our pockets are lined with lint and sweat.

I will also never forget the first time I heard Jess Klein sing — last January at Flipnotices, and thank God the window was open, because her songs heated up the room.  Last Saturday I got to hear Jess again at Flipnotics, first solo (with her hair down), then with Jud Newcomb (who has just buried his close friend and fellow Resentment, Stephen Bruton, a man whom I admired and loved but nowhere near as much as Scrappy and the guys who knew him best). 

Like Suzanna Choffel, Jess appears the mild-mannered woman off stage but as soon as her guitar gets some action, she is pure dynamite.  I was just sitting there in awe and all of a sudden it hit me — Jess’s songwriting reminds me of the young Bruce Springsteen (and, by inference, Tom Waits at any age) in the way she weaves her stories from the vignettes of life she captures in her soul as she goes through everyday life.  Austin is so very blessed to have her here and yet Jess says that Austin has been a life saver for her as well – and folks, this new record she did with Scrappy and also with Mark Addison is like a seven course meal followed by another one — and dessert and brandy and coffee.  [Which is to say there's a lot of meat, plenty of spice, a touch of sugar but a pound of honey, and vegetables like great-grandma used to make.   [But for us here in Paradise, we get that kind of cookin' so often we may forget to kiss the cook even when it's finger lickin' good!]

Earlier in the evening, I got to see Jessie Torrisi (whose mom told me that Jess has had concerts in her living room), who had dragged me out to see Elvis Perkins in Dearland earlier in the week (a rare event for Flanfire checking out a non-Austin band, but what a wonderful experience that I will tell you about for hours if you just ask (but not here, though DO check out the photo of the young man whose father was Norman Bates and whose mother was Marisa Berenson’s sister).  [The photo is of Elvis to the right of the trombone player from Stillwater (OK) band Other Lives, who opened the show -- the Dearland guys, like Elvis, are Brown graduates.

Now, Jessie is really from Philadelphia but did go to Columbia and lived in NYC for a decade -- so she knows her bagels and her cheesesteak and STILL came to Austin for the music and the life.  And she is a drummer and percussionist and a very good one, as friends have told me.  At Ego's on Saturday, though, she brought out an acoustic and an electric guitar and her friend Alissa Schram to play cello -- and Carl Ryals on drums, Raul Vallejo on trombone and a brand new father Josef Butts on upright bass.  The thing with Ms. Torrisi is that she just gets you before she even sings a note -- maybe it's the time she spent learning Brazilian beats, maybe it's just her natural gift of gab, maybe it's just her devilish smile -- but she filled up the room with fans (some all the way from Manhattan) and with smiles of joy.

Later in the evening, I went over to Momo's to catch Goldcure in their final set before a Southeast tour -- now they are covering the Who, Bowie, and the Beatles and yet their originals are what blow people away.  Even their closest friends are amazed at how these guys have gotten so much better since arriving maybe two years ago from Fort Lauderdale (well, Adam, Craig and Gavin - bassist Marcus is their best Austin find other than producer (and great guitarist and songwriter) Stephen Doster (shown here with birthday boy Gavin Inverso -- and yeah it was also Will Evans' birthday too!)  The big surprise of the evening, though, was Ryan Harkrider and his band -- wish I had gotten the name of that pretty law school student who sang harmonies and leads with Ryan all night long.  Ryan, BTW, won the Austin song contest -- just gotta love the emerging talent this town produces (yup, he's a native!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday was sort of a makeup day for Wednesday, when to accommidate a late-booked private party, Scholz's Biergarten moved the Fireants and Blues Mafia show to the choirlike Sangerrunde Hall, which does not handle electric instruments well and which did not attract anywhere near the normal crowd you get outside at the venue.  Plus, it was a chance to check out Tim's Porch at the Old Backyard -- just a fabulous place to sit outside and listen to great music.  And folks, Malford Milligan is back in town to do a show there on May 30th!

 

 

 

 

The Fireants were missing Rebecca Pledger (bass) and Steven Campbell (keys) but then again that put Danny Levin on fiddle, cello, and keys and Jon Blondell on bass for quite a show.  Carson Brock even sat in on a song or two -- after telling me he was a little ill and "glad he was not playing." But of course he is a featured member of the Lake Travis Fiddlers (playing guitar) as is my old friend Richard Parke's lovely daughter Catherine.  I really enjoyed this ensemble, which is directed by Anna Macias who has been such a developer of young talent for so long in this town.  And yet -- the best show of the night may just have been the very informal jam sessions with Carson Brock (he of the weak-kneed feeling earlier), Victor ZIolkowski, Zeke Jarmon, and Danny Levin -- sometimes with Zeke or Carson sitting in on drums).

Later on Friday, I stopped by Ginny's Little Longhorn for a set from Jenny and the Corn Ponies (which includes my pal Missy Beth on fiddle and vocals) -- and Vaughan and Sly from the Shake-Em-Ups showed up, Mr. Barrack on his brand-new motorcycle!

 NOTE - I am reserving an entire post just for the Ricky Stein CD release and family fun fest at the Continental Club last Thursday.  Earlier that evening, the lovely Jackie Bristow (with Mark Punch and Mark Hays) put on an amazing show at the Amsterdam despite the ongoing renovations at the venue that its owners hope will turn the former diner into one of the city's top intimate music venues.  ANd I even had been to Momo's for Happy Hour thanks to Aimee Bobruk who had told me not to miss her friend from south Georgia via Noo Yawk City (there's that place again!), Mary Bragg.  ANd boy she was RIGHT!  Lovely woman (with her husband on bass), gorgeous songs.

Despite the last-minute relocation, there was much good to say about the Fireants and Blues Mafia at Scholz's -- first, I had never been to Sangerrunde Hall, but now I see why acoustic groups love to play there during SXSW or at any time.  Second, I got to go see and hear Stefanie Fix with Mark Williams on bass and cello down at Botticellis.  [Which makes me wonder just how good "the Marks brothers" would be -- Mark Williams on bass/cello, Mark Hays on drums/percussion, Mark Addison on keyboards and some guitar, and Mark Punch on lead guitar, all from this post. 

 Gotta throw in a few kudos for Slaid Cleaves, out with his brand-new CD (I caught part of his Waterloo show, which was phenomenal -- and have to note he sings a duet with Jess Klein on her new CD.]  And then there’s that great new project for George DeVore (he gets to wear his overalls), the Twalls, which also features Matt Powell — and Curley Sue Twall on bass.  The garralous Douglas Jay Boyd made his Saxon Pub debut last week (he’s also singing with Dertybird of late) — and the always fun Nathan Hubble delivered as promised with Miss Brennen Leigh on electric, rock and roll mandolin at Momo’s.  [I might also mention Jackie Bristow’s warmup show at Flipnotics and my late-night taste of Warren Hood with Ruby Jane Smith at Momo’s on Sunday — after the Kris Brown Taurus birthday party — his mom and girlfriend are also Taureans, and it was a great party at Happiness Nursery which I heretofore had not even known about but which was such a cool little place tudked away off South First Street.

Finally, I have to give kudos to Blues Mafia (and to the Greyhounds and to Stephen Marcus of San Antonio’s blues rock band The 46, who also played) for helping raise nearly a thousand dollars for hte Leukemia and Lymphoma Society last weekend at Jovita’s.  Stephen’s drummer was in bed recovering from a tonsillectomy so he just came solo but ended up in another of those famous Austin jams with Patrick Mertens, Chris Copeland and Kai Roach of Blues Mafia and later Syd Sanchez on guitar.  The Mafia then put on a show that brought out the dancers (young and older, got a saxophonist up on stage for a song or two, and unveiled another new song that totally blew me away.  Later that evening I stopped by Botticellis to see Margo Valiante, dropped in at the Continental to catch two songs from LZ Love, and then went over to the Saxon and watched in total awe as New Orleans’ Theresa Andersson (who lived in Austin after Katrina) just mesmerized a packed house with her one-woman, five voices band show — violin, guitar, drum kit, various other percussion, and of course her loop machine that enables her to dance around barefoot pushing pedals and harmonizing with herself in four octaves. 

And after she sang a joyful tribute song  in the Nawlins tradition to Poodie Locke (it really WAS a hard week for Austin music, losing two of its finest who were both born in 1948), Theresa got a note telling her that Stephen Bruton, too, had died.  She paused for just a moment, then announced she was doing one more song — and proceeded to sing “Find the Cost of Freedom,” that great anthem from CSNY, with just her voice (looped for effect) — and as we cried our bitter tears we were slowly transfigured by the power of her soul as Bruton’s spirit entered the room and calmed all of our hearts.  My boys from Stonehoney closed out the night, but even their sweet four-part harmonies could not touch what we all had just seen and heard.