Archive for the ‘Richard Carter’ Category

“Not even Memorex”

Richard Carter

Johnny Cooper plays the Iron Horse Pub December 23

Thursday night I dropped by Akin Auditorium at Midwestern State University to check out and listen to the dress rehearsal of the Christmas Homecoming show that benefits the Opera Breve Vocal Intensive two week seminar at MSU. The program brings former Wichita Falls singers back to town from New York and other cities to sing, and the voices are pretty amazing.

Their final performance is today (Sunday) at MSU and I believe it starts at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door. Tickets, I think, are $25.

While I recognized the three singers that I interviewed for the opera and noted their good diction while they spoke to me, it’ always amazing to hear those same people when they sing. It goes from a good, reserved, spoken voice to amazingly well-trained singing voice with real power. Seriously, listen to Eugenie Grunewald “lay into” the high points of an aria and it’s amazing. Very few non-opera singers have the power and the passion that opera singers bring to their profession. And, here we are in Wichita Falls getting to experience people at the top of their game singing, and the price to hear this kind of talent sing is pretty affordable. I hope that people don’t miss out on this, and that we can continue to host such an excellent program and talents.

It’s so much more direct and immediate to hear live voices—even if amplified—as opposed to recorded voices in the various shops around town singing the same songs. There’s something lost in translation along the way.

The other day I was asked in a radio interview about culture in Wichita Falls, and I observed that we can’t have it too bad because we still have a symphony. There are much larger cities out there that have lost theirs. We also produce some brilliant singers who go across the country and the world to perform. And it was just announced—from what I understand—that MSU will host two additional classical programs each semester. Again, we should feel lucky that people want to perform and play here–even if we can’t seem to show up in droves for major shows like Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Lady Antebellum.

After the dress rehearsal at MSU was over, I went to the Spot to listen to the last of their bi-weekly open mics. Starting in January 2012, the open mics will be limited to the first Thursday of each month. I think it’s sad that cool open mics don’t draw the way they used to, but maybe the time for that locally is over. I remember when Vincent’s first opened and they had open mics once a week and sometimes more. Despite this setback, there are still some good performers and some intriguing new performers who continue to show up. I’m not sure if it’s the weather, the economy or whatnot that stops more people going to appreciate free live music. It may be a while if we ever know.

I understand that the Mix is going to have a huge rave for New Year’s Eve, and that has possibilities. Finally, I got to hear an area blues band work up a version of Prince’s “Let’s Get Crazy,” which was so much fun. It’s almost as good hearing a band kill it live as hearing them painstakingly put it together in the studio. Wonder what that was like back in the day when Prince himself was putting it together.

“Music everywhere”

Richard Carter

DJ Marcus at the Spot Saturday

Outside of concert halls, cars and clubs, music has always seemed to be standard in places like elevators, lobbies and cafeterias. Now music in all the coffee shops, grocery stores, pawn shops, malls, bathrooms and pretty much everywhere. I’m not sure that we haven’t becoming kind of immune to “listening to” and appreciating music, and that cannot be a good thing.

I started reading a new novel last night and it opens with a young woman noticing a particular orchestral piece while sitting in the back on a cab. The storyline notes the musical implications of the particular music and its historical implications at the time it was composed as well as at the time the piece is being heard by the woman in the novel. The scene gorgeously sets up what promises to be a significant theme in the novel.

Around people who listen to a lot of music, such as record stores and music stores that I’ve worked in, it’s amazing to follow the conversations of people about a song that happens to be playing and what that song (or the music of the group performing it) invokes to them. People who love music can more often than not tell you stories about when they first heard a song or some wild story about something that happened to them while that song happened to be playing.

The point I am trying to make here is that more and more live music has become a sort of background music to people going out and partying or drinking or doing something crazy. This became obvious to me Friday night at a restaurant where a musician was playing a variety of wind instruments and then a club later on where a live area band was playing.

Surely, a musician playing music at a restaurant is performing what would be called background music. But yet I was shocked to discover after I commented to people at the table that he had not played a standard yet that no one really had noticed anything that he had been playing. But then the conversation turned to the current song that he was playing, “Girl From Ipanema,” and the brilliant 1964 “Getz Gilberto” album by Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao and Astrid Gilberto.

It was the kind of conversation that befitted the music and the importance of it to the people at the table.

Later that evening, I went to the Spot for their third birthday party. While I missed Jay Burnam who will be back in town for a while, I did get to hear Markus play a DJ set. I cannot emphasize enough all the sounds and things which people take for granted that are being done by a good DJ. While people were hanging out and sipping beer, eating pizza or talking, he was doing all sorts of slides, hitting buttons, doing scratches and going in and out of the songs on his laptop and the LP on his turntable. Watching that over his shoulder seemed to emphasize the effects on the music coming through the speaker. It actually showed the live musicianship of what was being done and how “sick” it was. It generally appeared that the crowd was hearing little more than the beats on the PA.

It wasn’t much different when the band, Dr. Philgood, came on. While I can see someone ignoring muzak in an elevator or possibly even a live musician at a fancy restaurant, it seems odd to be oblivious to a loud live band in an eatery that is playing music that’s making conversation nearly impossible.

Dempsey reunites Friday night to play the Iron Horse Pub

“Clubs and Bands”

Richard Carter

Earlier this week, I was preparing to be interviewed about the state of popular music in the area, and a notion hit me about how the actual places to play in a town influences the bands that manage to form and to play consistently.

Not that the venues around this area literally spawn the bands who play at them, but the clubs do influence the formation of bands and what those bands will try to write, practice and play as also how successful they will be.

Forming a band and developing it without a sense of where one will play, what the sound will be and who will be in the crowd is simply not realistic. At some point, bands leave their garages to play in front of people. There are only so many high school stages that people can get built-in crowds to play high school assemblies and talent shows.

In Dallas or Denton or Fort Worth there are a ton of clubs, and there’s at least one club that will suitable for any band who manages to play their music well. Smaller cities like Wichita Falls don’t have the masses of people or the number of clubs to specialize in music to the degree that clubs in the Metroplex do.

So choosing cover songs and writing music and arranging music must be done by bands with some real idea of where those tunes will be performed. How loud and energetically a band practices also depends on the club and its patrons. For example, shows at the old 169 were perfect for all-out loud noisy garage practices, because the sets were mostly going to be deafening on a cramped stage with not always the best sound. Larger all-ages venues like the Hangar allowed the sound to breathe a little more, despite the stage still being crowded and not always the best sound. The bottom line for bands that played that music was that they could write, practice and play loud and extreme, and if their music was “bad” enough, it would appeal to crowds who regularly assembled there.

Knowing your crowd is important and the type of people who regularly attend the different area clubs. For example, while bands will always bring their own audience to see them–up to a certain point, club regulars will also be in attendance and club owners generally have a pretty firm idea of what kind of club they want. I’ve heard extreme metal bands play at established clubs in the area and even if they were really good, they were still out of place (for the most part) and they didn’t get regularly booked.

The bottom line is that when the 169 was open, there were tons of metal bands forming on a regular basis and playing there on a regular basis. There are still area metal bands that are headstrong enough to stay together and practice regularly and play from time to time in various venues–such as Bully’s who recently hosted the Derby Dames Benefit. But those are the same bands that end up practicing here but mostly playing other cities. Lycergus, and members of Coffin Crusher, are holdovers from the 169 days who play out of town more often than not–if they want to play in front of people who are actually there to hear them.

The bands that do regularly play at area clubs are the ones who play classic rock or standard ‘80s and ‘90s FM music: the type of music that appeals to the masses of club goers in the area. There are exceptions like funk bands or (large or small) jazz bands that occasionally play clubs but mostly do private parties.

If you are going to form a band here, know your audience, your clubs and the regional outlets. The same is true if you enjoy certain forms of music and want to hear it live.

Away from the smoke

Richard Carter

Rocketboys at the Pub last Friday

Lazy rainy wintery days can be some of the best days to just get away from it all and discover some great new (old) music online.

In older days, the best way to find music–that you had not heard before–was to either listen to FM radio (of course, back then the only way to get KZEW was at night on the parking garage of the Sears building downtown). Nowadays, I would not recommend that, and besides KZEW is long gone. Now we have Internet radio, if you want to pay for it, and there’s really no reason to get out of the house.

The other place to go (back then) was the record store. I could wax prosaically about the joys of discovering cool new bands on LP at the great old record stores in town. But the days of Ripoff and (the original) Disc Records are long gone, as are a lot of the people who worked there. Fellow haunters also seem displaced, which is sort of sad.

More recently, during my Dallas days, there were plenty of places to go as late as the early ‘90s. But alas all of those places are gone as well. The days of the record store have all but ended. During the last years of the CD Warehouse in town, I tried to play a mix of interesting new tunes, such as Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Liars, but even that was limited.

So, with record stores near the end of a downward spiral, I think your best bet is Internet radio but what (to me) is better and cheaper is Youtube.com. I have mentioned this Internet site in the past, but the better that you get to know Youtube and how to browse through it, the more interesting stuff you are going to find.

The majority of that interesting (new) stuff seems to be from the past. I have always prioritized live music over recorded music, but over time I have begun to more fully appreciate the joys of older music that never made the charts or heavy rotation (not that that business concept existed back then on the FM). There is some great music from the 50’s through the ‘70s that didn’t get promoted properly and as a result has been relegated to the bin.

Let me back up for a minute. We live in a town that very much emphasizes live bands covering other bands’  music. That’s part of the area entertainment economy. For one, it’s easier to learn a good song and play it as opposed to actually writing a good song. And, two, I’m not sure (having been to a ton of area clubs over the past 10 years or so) that all that many people are really there in clubs for the live music.

I would like to see more area bands, who choose to cover other people’s music, actually change that music up more. I think the Jason Brown Band does a great job of rearranging songs. But what I would also love to see would be for cover bands to discover some of really underground old gems that most nobody has ever heard before.

The point I am trying to make is that there is some perfectly great music from back in the day to be discovered on Youtube.com, and some really interesting websites and subscribers are doing a great job digging this stuff up and promoting it.

And on those cold days when it doesn’t seem prudent to get out of the house, and the notion of watching infomercials hardly seems appealing, it’s time to dig up some old music and check out some great stuff.

Richard Carter

Late Fall?

Richard Carter

Kellie Lee Saturday at Quail Creek

Something recently hit me at the Thursday night open mic night at The Spot, and it’s so obvious but it had never really occurred to me before.

Because it gets colder during the winter, it seems like more musicians are writing tunes this time of the year, and it shows in open mics where people are busting out new tunes at an outrageous clip. Sure, it’s hot in the summer but people tend to swim and stuff. When it gets this cold, and you’re not near any slopes, the thing for musicians to do is to grab an acoustic guitar or find a piano and noodle. Noodling leads to riffs, which leads to new tunes, which manages to find words.

So, right now is not a bad time to get to open mics to hear some new songs fresh off the artistic “stove” so to speak. Besides, what else are you going to do during the wintertime besides go to hear some new bands in warm clubs?

My friends who went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra said that the show was pyrotechnically amazing and they really enjoyed the musicianship. Supposedly the best seats (in terms of proximity to the stage) were sold and people were going all batty about the show—immediately afterwards on Facebook and then to each other for the following week. It’s a shame that not more bands come through town to play, but there is that economy of the thing.

Friday night was an excellent night with Dr. Philgood playing at Old Town mixing in their sets with DJ sets by their phenomenal DJ Marcus McGee. That same night, one of my favorite bands, The Rocketboys, came through Wichita Falls. One day I should write a blog about the shortening of names. For example, Dr. Philgood was originally Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It Ons, while The Rocketboys were originally Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys. Perhaps the trick is to keep things short so that it all fits on a marquee or on the Facebook page.

Also, the fabulous Kellie Lee played at Quail Creek Saturday afternoon and the great City Lights parade downtown was also on tap.

I am at the Spot checking out a really good singer songwriter David O’Dell playing an extended set. He’s played so many originals that he ran out. He’s currently playing the standard, “Georgia,” which is very nice, while David Thompson plays some tasteful lead. A girl is crocheting, while other people are talking about whatnot. It’s cold outside. And, now Chris Roberson is starting a song.  I can tell you how amazing he is, but I hope you already know this.

It would appear that Dempsey is playing on December 9 opening up for the Minor Prophets show. This change was made last week after two members assured me they were going to push the show back. Sometimes you should trust the club website when it lists a band.

Minor Prophets has a new guitarist from what I understand. Charles Harlow, formerly of White Knuckle, will be playing lead for them. The Dec 9 show is still supposed to happen.

Finally, Johnny Cooper is playing the Wednesday next week before Thanksgiving at the Pub. It’s pretty much become a standard show like X playing Halloween.

Check out my story on The Doppelgangers next Friday in NEXT. Their band is great and indicates that instrumental music is starting to make its move locally.

Kellie Lee is coming back in town

Richard Carter

Kellie Lee is coming back

Erratic Method at Bully's Saturday

In case you missed it, Kellie Lee—originally from Wichita Falls—is coming back to town on Saturday, November 19 to play a free show. It’s her first time to play the area in about a year or so, and I think it’s going to be a blast.

She will be at the Quail Creek (shopping center) Grand Opening that runs from noon to 4 p.m. The shopping center is located across the street from the Wal-Mart on Lawrence Rd. She will be playing music from her first solo record “Stereo Type,” which includes two singles “Soul in a Shell” and “Toxic City” that have been getting some air play. She is also supposed to be recording right now and should play a few tunes from the new album.

The event is totally free to see a gal who was a regular at the area Rudolph events back in the day and who has taken the great local experience she got playing in Wichita Falls and is making the best of it on the West Coast. She’s played some great clubs like the Whiskey a GoGo, some great festivals and an MTV eco event in Beverly Hills.

The show will also feature another good local guy, the Jay Hollis Band, and it’s going to be outside, so it will be effectively smoke free. If you’re a Kellie Lee fan from back in the day, or if you just like good home-cooked music from someone who can vocally bring it, you should check Kellie out. She’s the real deal.

For more info on Lee, go to http://kellieleemusic.com

This Saturday, November 12, I spent time hanging out at Bully’s out west of Wichita Falls for the Derby Dames benefit. We are having remarkable weather so far this late into fall for outdoor shows, and that’s a very good thing. I think the problem is that most people think that outdoor venues like Bully’s and Neon Spur have long closed down for the season, so those shows are not drawing as well as they probably should.

Needless to say, it was an eclectic mix of bands that was begun by Miyagi who then hung out all day to watch live music. I got to chat with most of their members, and they were having a blast. The dames from the Derby Dames were also having a blast and were appreciative for the fans who were there supporting the cause. The groups were playing on the side stage, which has some decent lights and is close enough to the main bar so that people don’t have to make too much of a walk into the now grassy Back 40 to see the bands play on the main stage.

If you missed out, then you missed out. I wished I would have had the time to check out the Texas Blues Runners at the Backdoor Saturday night, because you know those guys are always good.

The guys from Minor Prophets are about two weeks away from dropping their first CD, which they recorded in Dallas and is supposed to be very good. Their CD release party, is on Friday, December 8 at the Pub. It says that Dempsey is opening but that reunion has been pushed back until at least early 2012. I am looking forward to seeing Dempsey reunite even if it is for the one show.

The Rocketboys play the Pub on Friday, Nov 18 and it should be brilliant. Jay Burnam will open and that will be more than worthwhile.

From Itasca to Wichita Falls

Richard Carter

Sam Baker at the museum last Thursday

Probably the best musical deal of the year for listeners was last Thursday at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University (wow, that takes a breath or two to say.) Anywho, the Austin-based singer songwriter Sam Baker came to town with a piano accompanist and played for an hour and a half. The best thing about the show was not that it was free (though that was a good part). The best thing about the show was that the man is extremely talented and is able to convey that music and that energy to a live crowd with music that sticks with you.

He joked about area football rivalries (this being Old High-Rider week) and Baker was in a position to do so having played football in high school in Itasca, Texas in the early ‘70s. Soundman Abby Abernathy particularly took some grief about his Archer City allegiances. The humor was all in good fun. Again, the best thing about the night was Baker playing amazing melodies on his Taylor and Art & Lutherie acoustic guitars, while singing and speak-singing what he has seen in small towns and on the road about life and some of the less fortunate parts of life. There was also some very tasteful accompaniment on piano and acoustic guitar.

Baker played in a tastefully lit gallery with some art on the walls and music coming from four speakers. It wasn’t quadrophonic, if that’s what you may have been thinking. There was no smoke and the only liquid was occasional wine, which people drank sparingly and acted accordingly. The crowd was quiet and applauded enthusiastically after the songs were over. I’d have to say that Baker should come to town again, soon. It turns out that he had played Archer City a number of years ago, but I don’t think anyone really recalled that until several days before the show.

So, Baker played last week, and Billy Joe Shaver played in town about a month ago, and Ray Wylie Hubbard played in town about two weeks ago. If you are a Texas singer songwriter fan, Wichita Falls is your town. Seriously, we get Texas singer songwriters like no ones business around here, and it rarely costs more than $7 or so to go and see them. There are exceptions of course, such as Joe Ely and Guy Clark down the road, who cost a little more than that to bring to town.

What’s confusing to me is that it seems like anyone of note in the rock or the country genres are considerably more expensive to go see, even if they would come to the area.

And that’s the thing, Peter Frampton came to Ardmore Oklahoma on August 24 just north of here and everyone rocked out. Surely, Frampton came to Wichita Falls and played the Memorial Auditorium in the late ‘70s or ‘80s just like Ted Nugent did and the Clash did and any number of other bands who were relevant (at the time they played). But at some point bands like that stopped coming to Wichita Falls with any real frequency.

Nostalgia bands like Frampton play in small towns near here, and even casinos get groups like Poison. I hear that Willie Nelson is going to play an Oklahoma casino before too long. Maybe we need a casino in town?

Remember to go see some really good local talent next Saturday at Bully’s playing a show to benefit the Wichita Falls Derby Dames roller derby skating team.

“Put on ya costume, already”

Richard Carter

X at the Pub Saturday night

Last Saturday, a new band called Doppelgangers performed their first ever show in Wichita Falls at Old Town playing in front of the Blue Light Special band.

To be honest several members of the Doppelgangers play for Blue Light Special but the band sounds quite different. One plays instrumental sort of prog rock tunes, while the other plays sort of ‘70s blues songs.

Doppelgangers features the guitar players and keyboardist of Mr. Fairchild, who played their last show ever Saturday October 29. Anywho, the band also has former 10 Cent Pistol (and current Enthusiast) bassist Jason Cooper. Louis Tucker plays drums but he’s not the guy from Lewis Louis. That’s John Lankford on the drums.

Anywho, the Doppelgangers plays songs by bands that you’ve never heard of before, but the tunes are tight, have tons of energy and a good beat. Nobody danced to their music, though I think they could have. People did nod their heads and seemed to enjoy themselves.

Wow, do we have some instrumental bands in town. We have Broadcasting on all Frequencies and also the Jason Brown Band, and for a small town like Wichita Falls, that’s saying something.

Speaking of Fairchild, they practiced with their original drummer Rob Kirkland who actually played drums with them some Saturday night. He also sang some Dio and that was entertaining. Dude even picked up a guitar and played some. When asked at practice, he explained why he actually quit playing drums, but I am not allowed to say.

Word on the street has it that the Soundgarden show with Mastodon Wednesday night in Grand Prairie was one of the better live shows ever. Supposedly Soundgarden played two hours non-stop and people never sat down. That’s what they call a great show.

There is no word yet what the guys from Fairchild will do now that they’re calling it a day. They’ve been together for over 10 years, and it’s kind of strange to think there will be a local scene without them. No one around them knows what to say about it. Shame that.

I chatted with one of the members of Minor Prophets earlier this week, and they are nearing the end of their recording in Dallas at the same studio that Bowling for Soup and a number of other major recording acts have laid down tracks. I can only imagine that it will sound pretty good. I will let you know when the band is ready to release the CD.

The Derby Dames benefit is coming up on (I believe on) November 11 to replace the one that was rained out. The Doppelgangers will be playing the show. Also playing is Standing Hallow, Roselawn, The Disco Rico and possibly Broadcasting on all Frequencies. There will be some good bands out there and the cause is totally worthwhile, so check it out.

A documentary called “Thunder Soul” opened Friday at the Parker Square Cinemark and from what I have read about the high school funk band from Houston (and the few previews I saw of the flick) it looks absolutely great. There are not that many great documentaries about high school jazz turned funk bands. This looks to be a sweet movie that people should consider checking out.

I interviewed Texas Blues Runners tomorrow, and that’s an awful lot of talent and ability playing together in one band. They will be playing at the Backdoor Theatre as part of band night weekend after next, and that’s a great environment to see a show.

Finally, don’t forget to see Sam Baker next Thursday at the Museum. He’s a pretty talented guy and it’s totally free. No bad, there.

“On the road again”

Richard Carter

The Pretty Reckless in Dallas last week

During the busiest time of the year, I heard that The Pretty Reckless was playing in Dallas. And that a cool new band called Rival Sons out of Los Angeles was also playing.

Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows how I feel about The Pretty Reckless. They’re a fun band with great songs that can play and grab an audience’s attention. Their lead singer sings like she means it, and the rest of the band can jam.

I have seen the band on its first tour in 2009 opening for the Veronicas. I missed Warped Tour two summers ago but saw them again in February 2011 and then again last week. The group has always been energetic and really good. I had hoped to hear a new song or two when they played last week, since the rumor was they were recording in LA right before the tour, but they did nine familiar originals, mostly singles, and an Audioslave cover.

The show started off well but the band was plagued with sound issues, so they didn’t really hit their full stride with their sound, presence and getting the crowd into it by the sixth song. They did 10 songs overall, but there was no encore. I suspect that Evanescence wanted the time to play, and supposedly shows in that venue end before midnight.

It’s fun to watch a band develop live watching them play twice a year or even as little as once a year. The Pretty Reckless continue to get better. The first album did not sell enough to do a major headline tour, so instead they are touring behind a band that draws very well in larger indoor venues. I do think the Pretty Reckless is going to be around for a while. But for them to headline in large venues, they need to put out a second album that’s as good as their first one with enough singles to make them a household name.

I did get a chance to talk with The Pretty Reckless bassist, who is actually quite a nice guy. We had met at their last show and he has a good sense of humor and does not act the way he looks. On this tour, he said that he’d been checking out Rival Sons, who played a 35-minute set.

The band reminded me of an early Led Zeppelin mixed in with an early ‘70s Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart singing. The singer had one of those great blues voices and the guitarist could crank. The bassist is a former 1 o’clock jazz band guy from North Texas State and the drummer was up to the task. They were a lot better than the average opener on a three-band set. I wished they had a second guitarist to cover some of the lines they overdub on the record.

If you haven’t heard The Pretty Reckless (or Rival Sons) yet, you need to check them out.

I went to the Friday night benefit at the Neon Spur and wished there had been a larger crowd. I think that most people don’t even know the club is open this year, or if they did know then that maybe the club had already closed down for the season.

Zombie crawl is next weekend, so I recommend that you check it out and also see X play their annual Halloween show at the Iron Horse Pub. X really is the premiere ‘80s hair band playing locally.  Jac Damsel will open, so it should be an entertaining and fun evening.

Honky tonk

Richard Carter

BIlly Joe Shaver at the Pub Saturday night

Friday night I found myself at the Pub to watch the Josh Weathers Band–the first time I have seen the band since the sound check for their very first show in town. That’s kind of amazing, because they completely blew me away in their sound check. but I had a sinus headache that night and didn’t stay around for another four hours to watch them play.

Well, I did get to watch them play about four or five songs on Friday night and the guys were amazing. It’s an interesting mix because Weathers is young, as is his bassist and saxophone player, but the drummer and keyboardist are sort of a lot older, but no less awesome. Needless to say, the band has the musical aspect of the equation wired, and they also have a lot of energy. I can see why the group has become a popular act in Wichita Falls. You might want to check them out their next time through, and it’s actually not that far away. They will be back on November 25 at the Pub headlining over the Blue Light Special band.

Just for the record, I just discovered that the Rocket Boys are coming back to Wichita Falls on November 18^th with Jay Burnam opening up for them. If you have not seen this former Abilene and now Austin band, they are pretty cool. Stephen Welch calls them the Coldplay of Texas, but I think they’re better than that. And, while I am promoting forthcoming shows, I strongly suggest that you go to see Dr. Phil Good do their record release show next Friday. It’s going to be good.

Saturday night, I went to see Shantell play yet another benefit show in town. Not every band does benefits, and these guys are always great at playing things to help other people. They were playing P2, and Doug Boyd was on bass having a great time playing with them as a last minute sub.

Right after that, I went to the Pub to watch the sound check for Billy Joe Shaver  (who is awesome) and also to say hello to Ali Holder and her band (and they are also awesome).

The last time Ali brought her fiddle player and standup bass player to town, they had only been formally together as a band for not that long. The trio played very well the last time in town, and this time they showed the sort of growth a gathering of musicians get with musical familiarity and the time together enough to get to know each other’s style. There was no looking back and forth between the three to figure out where the other was. Sure, Ali was a little nervous as anyone is when they come home to play with their friends and family in the crowd. They knocked it out of the park. Great show, and everyone was asking about the EP. I am pretty sure that Great Neck has some of those for sale, by the way.

Anywho, the headliner, Billy Joe Shaver then brought some seriously awesome honky tonk to the Pub. His band nailed it, and so did he. The man is one of the best songwriters around, and one of the few songwriters who sings all of his own songs. There surely are enough tunes that he’s written over the years, but I don’t think anyone is tired of his tunes. Great performance by a man who belongs in the same sentence as Guy Clark, Waylon, Willie, Joe Ely and the rest of the boys. If you missed it, you missed out.

Crowds on Vacation

Richard Carter

People on Vacation Friday night at Neon Spur

Before I went to check out the new project by singer and guitarist Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup, I ran by the Mr. Fairchild jampad to check out what was going to happen at their annual Office show. In case you didn’t know, Halloween is actually one of the best nights ion town to go and hear live music. If you decide to dress up like a zombie or whatever, all power to ya.

Anywho, so I was walking into the jam pad when I heard them cranking Dio through the PA. We all love Dio, and I assumed it was a joke, until I heard former drummer Rob Kirkland belting out “Rainbow in the Dark.” It turns out that he will guest sing on the Fairchild set that night by doing some Dio screaming. And let me tell you, getting to hear the guys go through Dio was sort of like hearing Loudness (the Japanese metal band) back in the day.

I am not trying to cause any trouble or anything, but it’s sort of peculiar how the Dio tune sounds a lot like Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” and I may not be the only person to suggest that. Check it out.

Okay, once I was bored of hearing covers of Dio, and trust me about three times is the trick there, I headed out to Neon Spur to check out People on Vacation, the indie pop duo of Reddick and Ryan Hamilton (who does sort of look like a hipster when you meet him). Anywho, the band was really good, and the cool thing is they sounded full by using a laptop, an iPad and all sorts of electronic musical loops to play guitar and keyboard and sing along to.

They are a cool pop band with some indie overtones and nice harmonies and of course a sense of humor. It was perhaps the sense of humor that may have saved the evening for some people that night. Despite getting two guys from successful Metroplex bands with a local tie in, there was less than 100 people there. I mean, what the “what the,” right? You have a cool duo who are about to release a CD that will get national attention and there’s almost no one there?

I mean, the newspaper wrote a story (that was me, by the way) and they were all over the TV, the Facebook.com on the Internet and there was word of mouth. What is it about certain bands that don’t seem to get any love? I don’t get it. it was sort of embarrassing.

I am just saying this so that when Billy Joe Shaver plays the Iron Horse Pub with no less than Ali Holder on Oct 15 at 9 p.m. or so, I want to see a crowd of people out for some very good music. Shaver’s music dates back to the early ‘70s when Waylon Jennings discovered his music and used 9 songs on an album. Shaver is the real deal, and it would be insult to injury of he doesn’t draw well.

Also, Dr. Phil Good is releasing their first CD on Oct 21 at the Pub with a big show, and that should be an all-out blast. Represent.

“Perfect Storm”

Richard Carter

the members of a group formerly called A Band Called John, Kory and David at the Downtown Culture Crawl Thursday night

Surely the cool breeze in the air means Fall is here, and if there were really any doubt, all it would take would be to look at the cover of NEXT and see that FallsFest was hitting town.

But this year, the music kind of started early—before FallsFest. It was the back to the downtown area culture crawl that came Thursday night, the day before everyone heads out to Lucy Park.

So, downtown Culture Crawl is like turning back the clock 30 years and pretending that downtown is still the coolest place in town to go and to do things. Downtown is, of course, back during the day, and it’s sort of back at night. Indiana on a Friday night can be pretty busy at night with plays at Wichita Theatre and Backdoor Theatre and also the club action.

At the Culture Crawl, all the places stay open late, and musicians play on Indiana and Ohio. The guys from Dr. Phil Good and the Let’s Get It On’s were in front of the Alley Cat Collective, while Bayou Funk Debris was playing in front of Artifact Emporium at the Littlest Skyscraper. I thought I saw the members of a Band Called John, Kory and David in front of the old Muehlbergers building, but I was wrong. They were just hanging out, and it wasn’t a reunion of the famous power trio that was spawned at Vincent’s coffee shop and art emporium so many years ago. It did turn out that Kory and David were playing in front of Eastern Treasures. There were lots of other bands, and the crowds came out to crawl a little late, but they did come.

While it was a nice touch to have a city trolley out there, it was kind of odd to have a trolley at a crawl. It was my impression that crawls are supposed to be about walking or running or maybe even riding a bike. Anywho, I think people had a blast and it set up the following Friday night.

Friday night, I was debating going by to see FallsFest country night, but instead decided to defer going to the big annual party on Saturday night where I am to write about KC and the Sunshine Band and also Slab Rat and whomever happens to win the Battle of the Bands and gets to play on the main stage.

So, I ran into the members of Slab Rat doing a last minute practice, and they were kind of practicing like there was no tomorrow. The worst thing for them was that singer Ben Prater was recovering from a brutal mike stand accident. The bases on those things are a lot heavier than they look, and it would appear that one fell on his right toe. If you see him, wish him well, and hopefully he can still hit the high notes. The horn section sounded fab, and the background vocals were sweet. Should be a fun show.

Bryan Reilly is playing trumpet at Akin Auditorium at 3 or so on Sunday afternoon Oct 9, and I really like his Chet Baker influenced style. It should be a good afternoon.

The new Mastodon CD is solid, and they are playing in front of Soundgarden in Grand Prairie on Oct 26 or so. I think you can still probably find a ticket.

“Dance the Night Away”

Richard Carter

The Disco Rico at P2 Saturday

No this isn’t a Van Halen themed blog, even though I was just at the Mr. Fairchild jam place, and yes they could play a Van Halen song, since they have the more than impressive professor Lionel de Barge playing guitar for them, but they refuse to, and somehow that just seems wrong. Okay, maybe it’s only disappointing.

The lyric is from a Chris Roberson song. He is the acoustic playing and singing genius of the amazing Dr. Phil Good and the Let’s Get it On’s. I believe that is the way they are now writing it. They played a four-hour set in Bryan College Station this weekend and are set to release their first CD in October. Represent! The guys said the event went over well, and the sky is the limit.

But, I digress because what I want to write about is the lessening of the ruthless summer temperatures as we slide into the rain and the leaves and the cool of the fall time. It’s time for dancing under trees to good outdoor live music while the leaves swirl around you and the person you are dancing with. That’s cool.

FallsFest is just around the corner, and there are already rumors spreading that a member of Bowling for Soup will be a judge for the Battle of the Bands. I can’t say if that is true or not, but considering they used to ask me to judge those things, I would have to wonder. We shall see.  I hear from the members of Slab Rat that there will be lots of people on the stage helping them out playing their opening set to KC and the Sunshine Band, and the includes a horn section, a banjo player and background singers. You can probably guess who those people are, and it will be good. I don’t think the band member size will be as large as the 15-member headliner but who knows?

There will be some moving and a grooving and dancing to the beat and all that, so make plans to get there early.

On that same night, you can also check out the fabulous instrumental sounds of The Jason Brown Band with a new Jeff Beck song in tow. There will also be a younger instrumental band playing called Broadcasting on all Frequencies, and they are always worth checking out.

Back to where I am sitting and writing this, a girl is playing a folk song with the lyric “Give Me Novocain,” because some times the world can be a total pain.

Speaking of outdoor live music events, you should make every attempt to go to the Downtown Culture Crawl this Thursday from 5 am to 9 am. All of the bands are on their own this year, and so the only confirmed bands that i know about are Kory Rogers and David Thompson and the guys from Dr. Phil Good and the Let’s Get it Ons. Also the owner of The Spot will be selling pizzas in front of Alley Cat Collective. My friends from Shantell will be playing at the Pub, their first show there, opening for the always fabulous Jac Damsel. I know lots of good bands that will be there, and it’s free and it supports the guys who are trying to bring downtown back. So go and check it out, already.

ACL

Richard Carter

ricci amador is the new drummer for white knuckle

So, late this week, some friends took me out to eat to tell me all about ACL this weekend in Austin, and how they were going, and how much they were looking forward to it, and how cool it was going to be and blah, blah, blah.

And, I appropriately rolled my eyes, because no one wants to go to a pricey three day, all-day music festival with loads of hipsters and hippies and preppies and a bunch of people that any right minded individual would likely care less being around.

So big deal, right? And, then they told me the names of the bands that they would be getting to see, and I started to feel a little green with envy. And according to some other friends, a lot of really good bands were added over the last two months or so that made a semi-decent festival into a really good one.

Live bands and performers include Big Boi, Foster the People, Nas, Damian Marley, Kanye, Cut Copy, Fitz and the Tantrums, Cee-Lo, Chromeo and Sunday Fleet Foxes.

Now, I could care less about Arcade Fire and Coldplay, but still, that’s a lot of really good bands and there’s even more. The point is that KC and the Sunshine Band doesn’t even compare with the ACL stuff on the lesser stage.

Sure, Austin is not all that far away and everything. But, it would still be nice to be able to drive no longer than four miles away to be able to go see a band that I care about. Once or twice a year it happens, but it’s never the bands I really care about a whole lot.

Anywho, The Pretty Reckless is playing soon in Dallas, and some of my friends are all going to see Soundgarden with Mastodon opening up. That should be an amazingly good show that people will be talking about for a while.

I had the opportunity to talk with the three members of the Jason Brown Band earlier this week, and it was a total blast to talk with such well-travelled musicians who were such an integral part of music in Wichita Falls during the ‘80s and to the present. All of them are good guys and I am looking forward to seeing them play at the Pub in early October. By the way, these “geezers” will be playing with MSU freshman and sophomores who comprise another instrumental band called Broadcasting on All Frequencies. I’ve written about those guys in the past, and it should be a nice evening of music with no vocals.

Well, it was bad news to hear from drummer Michael Christmas that he had left White Knuckle last week. Their new drummer will be Ricci Amador who was with twicebroken and is now with BlueLightSpecial and also White Knuckle. If you think about it, he was really the most natural person to drum with them.

It’s not clear who Christmas is going to drum with next but considering that he has mad talent and that he also appreciates some sick dance music, I would like to hear him play with a harder edged dance group. Maybe try out with Dev’s touring band. I mean, seriously, I could see Christmas drumming in a sick grooved version of “Like a G6.”

“Brother Sharp”

Richard Carter

Brother Sharp at the Spot playing the venue's first Friday acoustic night

It is long been clear that one of the area’s best hangouts to listen to live music is The Spot, across the street from Sikes Mall. On Friday, Sept. 2, I dropped by to listen to the first of their Friday night shows featuring guitarist Joe Harris and singer Justin Wright. Guitarist Phillip Harrell couldn’t make it that night, so the acoustic Brother Sharp was actually a duo.

While I am not a huge fan of the covers that the duo was doing, I did enjoy how they played them. Harris is a really solid guitarist who plays cleanly with good definition. His forte is lead guitar, but since Harrell was not there he was playing chords and slipping in the occasional lead whenever he could. I enjoyed the show and hung out with them during their set break.

Last Thursday was the every other week open mic at The Spot, run by David Thompson. There’s always an interesting group of people who show up for these open mics where players get three songs or 15 minutes. And if there’s time, people can play longer or play a second time. It’s a cool opportunity to get to hear people try out their original music or play some covers in a unique fashion. It’s always loud, but considering the applause after the numbers, the crowd is definitely hearing stuff they like.

The following Friday, Sept 9 was the second Friday night show by three of the five members of Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s. Chris Roberson played acoustic guitar and sang, Stephen Welch and Phil Pendley switched off between electric guitar and drums. They were missing DJ Marcus and bassist Mike Daly but I think that their songs are written well enough that they sound great played with various members. I think what I am trying to say is that depending on whoever plays the music, a listener gets to hear new things in that song. A less than full band actually serves to emphasize elements that might not normally get heard.

If you have not yet heard Dr. Philgood, I suggest you check them out. I mean, the worst possible thing is to discover an area band after they relocate to some other city. Needless to say they will have a CD out in the next month or so, and they are in talks with Backdoor Theatre to have a band night.

With the departure of the Hangar shows, it’s rare to hear groups play in all-ages situations, and Dr. Philgood does that about half the time. They’re melodic with good musicianship while being song driven. And they’re great guys to boot.

The other cool thing about Friday was that there was an art opening at the MSU gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. One of the things we used to do in the big city was to hit a cool art opening and launch the evening from there. For example, go from an art show to a place like The Spot to hear a very cool area band, have a slice, and then go on to clubs or whatnot and maybe end up back at The Spot later that night from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and then try to wake up in time for work the next day.

Anywho, we don’t have a lot of cool places to hang out that are smoke free and only admit over 21. My friends in Austin and Dallas always want to go to the Spot when they are in town, so don’t let it be our area’s best kept secret.

Les Paul’s and .09′s.

Richard Carter

It Hurts to Be Dead (IHTBD) Thursday at the Pub

After chatting the other day with Brian Harris, the awesome guitar player for Queen for a Day and the Allmost Brothers, I discovered how to restring a Les Paul where it’s plays a lot more slinky. It’s actually pretty easy to do. But of course, me being me, I strung it with ‘09s rather than ‘10s, which is what he recommended and now it’s way too slinky. Brian, I hope you’re not reading this.

The good news that you should have gleaned from the previous paragraph is that one of my favorite guitarists, and also one of the more popular locally, has recovered from heart surgery enough to be back at work in Dallas. He played his first show back in Denton Sunday at 5 p.m. at Dan’s Silver Leaf and I am told it went well. He even showed off his scar!!! Harris is a great guy, and we need guitarists with his mad skills.

Btw, I am restringing my guitar early next week, Brian.

I got stuck trying to play drums earlier this week for Mr. Fairchild while they were preparing for their Friday show, which was to celebrate Iron Horse Pub co-owner Danny Ahern’s bday, by the way. Danny also has some great news, but he has to tell you. I am not saying a word.

Anywho, I was playing drums (rather badly) and digging what the Fairchild guys were throwing down. They introduced a Rolling Stones cover last night, “Miss You” that just blew everyone away with former drummer Rob Kirkland playing harp. According to guitarist Jon Richerson on Sunday, everyone in the place was dancing like there was no tomorrow.

I was at the Pub Thursday listening to a new band called Alliance (with Jeff Catlin of Lycergus and Coffin Crusher) and also the three-piece I.H.T.B.D. Alliance is basically your fun pop rock cover band and got a nice response. I didn’t get to see them much because I couldn’t get into the room. There were a few people I had not seen for a while, if you know what I mean.

When IHTBD (It Hurts to be Dead) went on, I was back at the sound booth with sound guy Christian Keep listening on. I have not heard the band since it went from a quartet to a trio, and I was quite surprised and impressed with how they have changed their music to suit their individual and collective talents. It couldn’t have been easy to lose the tasteful melody lines that Roger used to play, but I didn’t miss them Thursday night.

I moved to the front next to Brandon Graham (former guitarist and singer for the Advance), and we both liked the dynamic interaction between bass and drums, which were extremely tight. I wished that the smoke around had not been so thick, but for the four songs I was there, I was also really impressed with Sean’s guitar lines, and how he brought guitar and voice into each of the songs. It’s really masterful how the band has arranged each song for maximum effect. The musicians managed to create a mood that also moved with authority and strength. According to Sean, they have a little more recording to do, but there should be a CD out before too long. It should be well worth checking out.

“(Very) Hot, Very Hot”

Richard Carter

The Sweetness at the Pub Wednesday

“Very hot, very hot” is the line that Anthony Michael-Hall’s geek character in “16 Candles” uses to his quest for Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald). In a very ironic sense, it’s a positive way of thinking that hot can be good. The movie was set in Illinois or Ohio, of course, and not in Texas during the summer.

There’s also plenty of not so very good ways of thinking about hot, and that was something I experienced this Saturday at the Hotter’N Hell Hundred Finish Line Village. The bands played well, and the crowd enjoyed them, but the heat was palpable.

I’m going somewhere with this, so keep reading, please.

Johnny Cooper , Jay Hollis and the guys from the Killdares were looking just parched.

When the bagpipes player from the Killdares went to the back of the stage and asked for ice, I went to an ice chest and opened it and got him a cup. He immediately opened up his bagpipes and poured the ice into a bag. It turns out that it was so hot outside that he was having problems having his bagpipes work.

That’s (very) hot, very hot.

Needless to say, it was all fun and I wished that it might have been 10 degrees cooler. That didn’t stop the nice couple from getting married though at 4:30 p.m. and I suspect that I should just learn to toughen up. Other people were handling it just fine.

Only later that night did I hear that the Lazy Dog place downtown was starting a live show at 5:30 p.m. featuring area bands like the Minor Prophets. I am not sure how many people came, but if the performances were inside that would have helped. The good thing lately for the P2 is that they have a mister for their outside shows, and that’s a pretty awesome (and very Dallas and Austin) idea.

A note that does not completely relate to live music, but it’s still about music. I was at Fat Alberts the other night interviewing the members from Mr. Fairchild for a story in next Friday’s NEXT, and I started hearing some absolutely amazing songs on the jukebox. It turns out that they have Internet jukebox, which is pretty awesome if the people at the joint paying the dollars have taste. Luckily, the crowd had some taste and that included the guys from Fairchild and the members of Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s. I hear the Office also has an Internet jukebox and who knows who else locally is that blessed.

I also had a blast on Wednesday when I went to see The Sweetness at the Iron Horse Pub. The quartet, from Austin and from Canada, played a smart mix of “modern” folk (anti-folk) on acoustic instruments with some sweet vocals and harmonies and some nice simple musical arrangements. Two girls played a variety of strung acoustic guitars, and one played standup bass. Doug (from Wichita Falls) played percussion on a box, a cymbal and some handheld instruments.

The Pub crowd was enthusiastic—especially for a Wednesday night—and the band members enjoyed themselves, and the bassist said they wanted to return. The good thing is that when I spoke to co-owner Danny Ahern, he said that the club also wanted the band to return. I like the notion that we can bring—as well as support–different and good live music in town.

“Staying the course”

Richard Carter

White Knuckle is continuing to practice as a quartet and it sounds good.

I was hanging out with a few musicians the other day in about 103 degree weather waiting for Fall or at least some cooler weather, and one of them commented that people were starting to recognize him and associate him with his band. The reason, I told him, was that it comes down to playing with the same band, playing lots of venues and getting out and chatting with people before and after the shows.

What happens to too many people who play music is they keep looking for the right band and they never allow the band the time to gell—to come together musically, and that’s something really that makes them better.

It’s pretty rare that people from smaller cities like Wichita Falls will make it famous musically directly from this town. But that doesn’t mean that people from this town can’t become famous. They just need to get to that point musically, or whatever art form they operate in, where they can play and play and play and spend enough time on the road to get noticed. That, or they can relocate to Denton, Dallas or Austin or Los Angeles and play and play and play.

The band from Denton, the Virgin Wolves, that I just wrote about recently just completed their national tourswing and it went well. Whether it’s an uphill climb or a sheer two-mile up a solid sheet of ice, it’s never easy going up the food chain, but taking the chance on a tour, making sure they were properly funded and booking into places where they know people, Facebooking the tour and group to death the entire time, can do a band real good.

From what I understand the guys from Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s are going into the studio (Crystal Clear in Dallas) one last time to finish up their recent recording and we should hear something by the end of October or so. The members say that it certainly sounds a little different from their previous work, so I am looking forward to that. The area band will be playing Friday, Sept. 9 at the Spot and some other shows in the area should start showing up.

This summer was such that there weren’t too many outdoor shows. The Hotter’N Hell Finish Line Village will be hosting Jay Hollis on Saturday Aug 27 free outdoors along with Johnny Cooper who is presently promoting his new two CD live at the Iron Horse Pub, and his band will then be followed by the Killdares. The show starts around 11 a.m. and will be over with by 6 p.m. or so. It’s free and all-ages, and it should be a lot of fun. Parking will be no fun, but the festivities are worth it and it’s a good day for Wichita Falls.

There will be a feature story next Friday in the NEXT about Cooper from an interview I did with him about a week or so ago.

I am also pretty exited about The Sweetness show that is coming to the Pub next Wednesday. The band features four singer songwriters who do great four-part harmonies and play acoustic instruments but are not a folk band. In that New York sort of genre, they are what people call anti-folk. The members of The Sweetness are all extremely talented, and this may be one of the better live shows that comes through town in a good long while. The show seems eminently safe to me for people who are open to new and interesting music with craft to it. Probably the only reason we are getting this show is because Douglas Boyd is in the band, so go with it while we have it.

I am chatting with the new head of music department at MSU this week for a story, and that promises to be fun.

“Clouds”

Richard Carter

Abbey Laine Friday night

In a summer where the oppressive heat just doesn’t want to let up, another friend, Brad Davis, was laid to rest earlier this week. Anyone who knew Brad had an amazingly wonderful person as a friend. He always had a kind word.

I met him originally at the all-ages music shows and then discovered some other friends of mine also knew him as well. I will miss him. He was truly a great guy.

I had the opportunity to hear Abbey Laine play and sing several songs Friday night and it was enjoyable. Over the last week or so I have been going through iPhoto looking at images of performers and I certainly have seen some Laine shows along the way. She is doing well in San Antonio and I am glad to hear that she has a compadre, Ali Holder, in Austin to play shows with.

Speaking of people in Austin, I had the opportunity to talk with Douglas Jay Boyd Saturday afternoon, who plays bass, but not the guy who was in the hair metal bands in the ‘80s but rather the guy who lives in Austin who plays in an anti-folk band called “The Sweetness.” He and the band of three talented songstresses will be playing at the Iron Horse Pub on Wednesday August 24 starting at 9 p.m. or so. I think their music will be different from things people have heard around here and that’s worth checking out.

The Sweetness story will run next Friday in NEXT and if you have a chance, do go Wednesday Aug 24. Doug has played in a variety of area bands including Slab Rat. By the way, those guys are playing FallsFest as the opening act for KC and the Sunshine Band, and for my money the opening act will be the one to see.

I have been keeping up with the Virgin Wolves, the best band in Denton, and they are doing well on their nationwide tour. They will be playing Hailey’s in Denton on Saturday, August 20, and that show will be worth seeing. If’n you’re in a traveling mood, it’s only 200 miles round trip, and there’s some great places to eat in Denton. I hear the new Jupiter House is where you now get great espresso in Denton.

I chatted with Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s last Thursday at the open mic at The Spot, and they did great at Crystal Clear studio over the previous week. Their album is going to be out soon, and they will be playing in front of Alley Cat at the next Culture Crawl downtown in late September. Do keep your ears open because I think that band has all the potential in the world to blow up in the very best of ways.

Also at the Spot last Thursday, they had a very talented open mic event. One of the stars was Chris Roberson whose songs and performances show a real gravity for someone as young as he is. Also keep an eye on the Spot because they tell me they will start featuring bands on weekends and I introduced Mike Hitt of The Disco Rico to Roberson, and that promises to be a good combo of two area original bands.

Free music at Hotter’N Hell on the afternoon of Saturday August 27.  Check it out.

Richard Carter

“Summertime on the Prairie”

Richard Carter

Ali Holder playing last Sunday with her band

It seems like every person that you know or overhear anymore is talking about the heat. The best guess is that this oppressive heat wave will break sometime around September 15.

Last Sunday I had an invitation to see a private set or two by the inimitable Ali Holder and her fiddle and standup bass player. Set in someone’s back yard, there was no smoking, and it kind of looked like they were playing on the prairie, minus the bad pa system and the microphones. To be honest, I don’t know anyone who would actually carry a standup bass on the prairie.

Anywho, there was a string of bulbs strung out from the house to way past them into the darkness, and it was kind of neat because it sort of reminded me of something out of a David Lynch movie. I could totally see Ali doing a song for a Lynch soundtrack. Someone should e-mail him.

I came to the show shortly after the Sunday episode of “True Blood” which was disappointing. Anyway, Ali and the Broken Hearted were not disappointing at all.

You always wonder what is going to happen to a home-grown musical product when they move off to a large music city. For example, Charlie Sexton went to Los Angeles and started sounding like David Bowie. There’s worse people to emulate, but Sexton should have stuck with being himself.

When Ali moved to Austin, she made the diversity of the music scene work for her. Rather than letting the scene or some aspect of it define her, she listened around and learned some cool things and found two talented musicians who were good to play music with. Her fiddle player is someone Ali can do some raw (and pretty awesome) harmonies, while her doghouse bass player musically grounds the guitar and fiddle.

Ali’s new sound is tastefully sparse and yet also the right kind of full. Her musicians allow her to play her songs without her having to carry the performance. Easing off the guitar playing a bit and the intensity of the vocals just a touch, the bowing of the fiddle and the picking of the bass gives her guitar playing and bluesy singing a sort of haunting dynamic that fits the sort of country-ish folkish blues of the music. It’s more intense en masse.

Just two months or so together, I do like what her band is doing, and I look forward to how the trio is going to grow together and continue to develop musically. Her bassist can play guitar and any number of other instruments and can sing, while her fiddle player has adapted quickly to playing guitar and she can also sing. I think the quality of their voices together is amazing, and I love it when Karin adds her voice to the mix.

Someone suggested that eventually they should add a drummer to play brushes on a snare, and while that would be nice, I also appreciate the lack of drums in what they do. The beat is sort of intrinsically there with the occasional ghost note, but it never regulates the music into a time-driven lockstep.

It’s almost as if Ali’s live performances waft in and out of some dreamy prairie-like winds like a artist drawing melody lines from the classics.