Archive for the ‘Richard Carter’ Category

Overly rehearsed live music

Richard Carter

The other day I got a call from a Houston friend who asked if musicians in Wichita Falls still got together and jammed. What he was asking, of course, was do people still get together, a drummer, bassist, several guitarists, and just play jams—not to play tightly rehearsed songs—but to get a rhythm going and then play guitar leads over that and to improvise. While I was growing up, jamming was the thing that made me want to play music. It was a lot of fun and it made everyone better players. And the people who came to listen to those jams, seemed to enjoy them.

Bands back in the ‘60s, ‘70s and even early ‘80s used to also play their music live a lot different than the original records. “Space Truckin’” on Deep Purple’s “Made in Japan” is almost 20 minutes long, and I don’t even want to say how much longer “Whipping Post” is on any of the Allman Brothers live CD’s. Those songs featured lots of jams and were obviously not being played the same way from night to night. There’s an eight CD boxset of “The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965” by Miles Davis where a short selection of songs are presented numerous different ways over the course of the recordings. The songs are ever changing interpretations of the originals.

The point I am trying to make is that somewhere along the way (in the ‘80s and ‘90s) most bands started trying to play their music live the same way that they recorded it. I mean, Boston was pretty much all about playing their records perfectly if you ever managed to see them play live. And decades later, live music mostly continues to be about playing songs a certain way over and over again.

When Stone Sour played the Kay Yeager Coliseum a while back, their set was pretty pitch perfect. Perhaps the most noticeable show when a touring band played everything perfect like on a computer playback was the last time ZZ Top played the area. The choreographed light show was established through a computer, and Billy Gibbons didn’t even operate his own guitar pedals. A far cry from when the band played the old Kickapoo Cantico in the late 1960’s and you could hear the hum of the amplifiers and Mr. Gibbons occasionally tuning his guitar.

Even most local bands who play cover songs are extremely well rehearsed to the point that the leads, guitar fills and even drum rolls are established.

I would like to see (and more importantly hear) bands, both local and touring, try to kick out the jams a little more often and improvise a bit more in their shows. If a song is going well, extend it out. If a guitar player is nailing his or her leads, give him or her some more. Perhaps it would also be kind of cool to improvise a little more on set lists. If someone screams a song and it sounds like the right thing to do, maybe a band should play it.

I am pretty sure that Elvis in the ‘50s was playing things a lot more off the cuff than he did when he was playing those over-choreographed Las Vegas lounge shows.

Seeing a band play live used to mean going to see a high energy set of music that reintroduced songs to listeners. Now, it’s sort of like watching a band jump up and down under a great light show while playing a technically perfect set that does good to simmer when it should be cooking.

Steve Morton

Richard Carter

I recently got a message from Greg Neth to let me know about the passing of a mutual friend of ours–Steve Morton, a really good guy who had played bass in area bands for the past thirty-plus years.

I think that if you had grown up in the area and/or were playing in bands in the late, late ‘70s, you would have known Steve’s playing. My history will be less than perfect and really reflects how I knew Steve over the years.

I first met him through Brad Johnson– a drummer and mutual friend whom he played with in a band with guitarist Mark Shirley and, I think, singer Chris Jaeger. They were definitely more into the late ‘70s punk thing—both English and American—and they were good. At some point I remember the band, with a different vocalist, winning a battle of the bands at the Wichita Theatre to open up for a touring band, The Romantics? If I remember correctly, the band Steve was in was called the Mercenaries and they were a good tight punk outfit.

According to Greg Neth, Steve would play in a band called Blue Noise and White Noise before joining up with Mike Williams, Neth, Bruce Brint and drummer Troy Whaley to create the second version of Phosphene. The first version of the band featured percussionist Randy McClung, the rhythm section of James and David Ryle, guitarist Williams and singer Brint.

As I recall, the version of Phosphene with Steve played every one of the Local Heroes shows, an all-day event which featured bands coming together annually on a Sunday to play at an area club. The last one was in 1988 or 89, I think, and it was in Parker Square and I played in the band, after Phosphene. Phosphene only opened because they had so much equipment to hook up. The group was highly eclectic and would play anything from the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song to the Brothers Johnson’s “Strawberry Letter 23.”

The last time I played with Steve was at the AV Jam Shop on Speedway Street in the late 1980’s. He and Whaley and a number of different musicians (and sometimes guitarist Bill Lewis) would gather there to jam on a variety of setup equipment and the songs would be recorded on video. The jam with him was special for me, because it lasted about an hour and a half and it sounded like the very cool late ‘70s German band, Neu. The tape was actually played a lot at the well-known Dallas alternative Record shop RPM. Steve played bass, Troy played drums, I played guitar and Neth played electronics.

Steve worked at McCarty Music doing repairs for a good long time and was a big fan of “SNL,” British comedy and interesting music that was off the beaten track. After McCarty’s, he left to work at Channel 6 with Lewis as an engineer for 21 years. He was an amazingly solid and good bassist. A natural bassist that respected the instrument for what it could do and the roles it could play in music. The only bass I ever saw him play was an old ‘60s Silvertone. If I remember correctly, he ripped the frets out of it and played it fretless.

But, Steve was more than a bassist. He was an excellent musician who wrote music and lyrics, often on his own, and played and recorded, not always by himself. According to Neth, he had released a solo cd called “Transition” under the name SRM last year. He had also provided Neth and Whaley with bass lines for their ongoing Shaved Fish project.

Steve’s Soundcloud page is https://soundcloud.com/srm1138 and it includes any number of recordings he played on. https://soundcloud.com/srm1138/srm-tomorrow-never-knows is a cover of the famous Beatles song. Also, https://soundcloud.com/gregneth/did-you-see-it-demo4 is a song with Steve, Greg, Troy and guitarist Steve Norman playing a tune called “Did You See It.”

Steve was reclusive, until he knew someone and then he was a giving and humorous guy. He had a quick wit and worked to be able to write and play music. I would run across him from time to time at a record shop or whatnot, and it was always great to catch up. He will be missed.

SXSW week

Richard Carter

I recently got a message from Gellert to let me know that Jac Damsel is going to reform one last time to play a going away show for lead singer Jac who is moving away. The band will play at Fat Albert’s at 9:30 p.m. on Friday March 23. The cool thing is that members of Outspire and A.A. Bottom will be involved in the show. If you miss you some Jac Damsel, this will be the place to be. Also, it would be cool to see a great attendence as there are not a whole lot of great venues for live music in town. If people flood Fat Albert’s, that might convince management to feature some more live music. The venue seems tailor made to host bands, and I can think of a few bands that never get to play nearly enough in town because of the lack of venues.

Last week, I got to watch the members of The Affiliation figuratively kill on stage. I had written “literally kill,” but obviously there wasn’t that much blood left behind. The band was the tightest I had seen them play, and the two guitar players ripped lead after lead. It was the first time I had watched a band play with Legion-like intensity in a non-all ages venue. They seemed to enjoy themselves very much.

Following the Affiliation, I went down 8^th Street to a series of band practice places where several groups opened their jam spaces to the public to watch them play. Cody Magana’s band Jumping Point had one spot where they had Bryson Lawrence play. Next door, the space featured the Doppelgangers and Blue Light Special. It was a really great turnout and I hope this summer we see some more things like this. Again, with so few clubs featuring live music, groups need to get somewhat inventive, and this is good policy for everyone.

One thing I did discover over SXSW week was that some of the Austin clubs such as Stubb’s (really a barbeque place) allow the performances to be streamed online, so I had the opportunity to watch a live show by Nick Cave and the Seeds, a band which some people will find pretentious and other people a sort of controlled chaos. It was a good performance but there were a few too many camera angles for me. If you wish to capture a club experience, it’s best to have one well-situated camera and then run with it. That experience was captured much better when I switched to watch Iggy and the Stooges play a live SXSW club show. While the performance was a little ragtag, the view was perfect. It was like being 20 feet back from the stage and elevated about 8 feet up. I loved it. Finally, I waited for Yeah Yeah Yeahs to play and they did a good show. A little disappointing after seeing the band play live in Trees four or five years ago. There is no substitute for live music, but I wouldn’t have travelled to Austin and paid that kind of money for anything. Do stream some SXSW and see what you think. You can always light a package of cigarettes, invite some loud neighbors and friends and open a beer cooler or two if you miss that element of the show.

Words about St. Patrick’s Day (Saturday and Sunday) next time around.

Pre-SXSW

Richard Carter

Emily Pothast’s band Midday Veil will be performing at Felix’s Machine Shop on 107 Mississippi on Friday, March 8 with It Hurts to Be Dead opening. The doors open at 9 p.m. and the headlining act goes on at 11 p.m. it’s all-ages and costs $5. Pothast was a longtime resident of Wichita Falls before moving to Seattle some time ago to do a master’s degree in art. Her band is sort of a psychedelic mixed with Krautrock sound. The group will also be playing SXSW in Austin, so you might want to check her out. The group is on Facebook and has its own website at www.middayveil.com. It’s their first show ever locally after having to reschedule last year and it should be worth hearing.

I had the opportunity to hear the sound check for the Irish band FullSet last Friday at the Pub. The six-piece band is currently on a five week tour through America and they were quite good. I suspect the only reason we got them locally was because they were playing the North Texas Irish Festival on Saturday March 2. Each member was proficient on his or her instrument, and they played well together—despite the fact that their pipe player only joined them a month or so ago.

I understand that Radio Republic is back in the studio last Saturday and it shouldn’t be too long before the CD comes out. Their past shows at the Pub have been really good, and everything according to new guitarist Jeff Catlin is coming along well. I wonder if anyone plays locally in more bands than Catlin? (By the way, his group the Affiliation plays this Saturday March 9 at the Pub). The good thing is that all of his groups are really worth hearing.

Here’s a shoutout to a band that may have formed nearly two years ago, but that I have not heard yet. The band’s name is Only the Hero Dies and features former Advance drummer Will Chowning. Jay Bird sings, Guy Justusson and Moff plays guitar and Andy Klem plays bass. They have a four-track ep about to be released, and they are on facebook.com and also on reverb nation. Check them out.

Next Friday, March 8 opens yet another SXSW, where as of a week or so ago, over 1,000 bands were playing. The event has become quite the smorgasbord for people to hear the newest thing in music and also listen to some of the more mature voices in music talk about where things are going. I hear Stevie Nicks will be chatting along with Dave Grohl. For those committed to hearing music, they will have everything they can handle and then some. It’s still quite an honor to be accepted to play the event, so you know there will be an audience for each band performing. It’s not cheap, so start counting your change.

We are also not far away (a little over a week and a half) from the St. Patrick’s Day festival in the downtown area where bands will play Saturday night in the Iron Horse Pub and right across the street in the parking lot underneath a tent. I also understand there will be bands playing inside the Pub during the day. One performer that afternoon will be an old favorite from the Rudolph Christmas shows, Kellie Lee, who will come in from California to play live and will also do some recording while she is in town.

Local Honky Tonks

Richard Carter

I received an e-mail from Kenny Mayo the other day about an exhibit he is starting to put together for the North Texas History Museum downtown. His idea is to put together an exhibit of honky tonk music in Wichita Falls from 1950 to 1970. You might not be able to tell it now, but Wichita Falls used to have some ace honky tonk bands back in the day and musicians who spent a lot of time playing for some big names. If you don’t believe me, go by Dwayne Kinnett’s shop some time and he can show you some pictures and connect some area faces to some major bands. And a lot of those guys were serious characters back in the day. Some of them still are.

Anywho, he asked me if I could help put him in touch with some people who might provide some pictures and some of the old microphones and things that people used to use back in the day. If you think you might be able to help him, I suggest you contact the museum (on Indiana St) and they can put you in touch with Mayo. The cool thing about the exhibit is that you’ll be able to see guitars, stand-up basses (or what they once called dog house basses) and old sparkly drums as well as the old tube amps that normally only get seen in museums or guitar shows with huge prices on them. Plus, there will be those old-fashioned promo black and white 8 by 10 inch images—some of which can be really colorful (and humorous). There will be all sorts of other things displayed. But I think the best thing will be the people who show up for the opening. That opening should bring musicians from all over Texas who can tell stories that are up to 60 years old and retell stories that may have been passed around longer than that, and some of those stories may be embarrassing for some people.

When you think that Hank Williams used to come through Wichita Falls fairly often and that Elvis Presley and any number of early country guys (whose named you would recognize) would come through and play shows at clubs like the MB Corral, I think it’s going to be a fabulous evening. And I think the show will remind people what Wichita Falls once was, and perhaps what it might become one day again.

So, if you have something or know someone who might have something interesting from back in the day, please contact the museum to pass it along to Kenny Mayo.

Who knows? One day we might see an exhibit of the all-ages scene in Wichita Falls that drew a bunch of bands that a lot of people might not have heard but that were known by music aficionados across the country. There is still a possibility of the recently reformed Paulsen playing a show locally. It would appear they are playing in New Jersey at this point. Cross your fingers already and Facebook these guys.

The Big Find

Richard Carter

I got to hang out at a jam/rehearsal with an area metal band that’s been working on things for a while but has yet to play any live shows. The group, Big Find, originally got together about two years ago or so with original 10 Cent Pistol members bassist Jason Cooper and guitarist Ryan Hager and current Blue Light Special members guitarist Cody and keyboardist Dustin Bowen.

At some point, Ryan Hager dropped out, and the remaining three members rehearsed (with Bowen playing drums), then dropped it and recently decided to get back together and start putting something together. The trio is a solid metal act featuring Cooper singing in addition to playing bass. There’s some psychedelia involved but the music is mostly on the hard metal end.

All three of the Big Find members also play in The Doppelgangers. The new metal band Big Find plays several steps down on the tuning scale. They have definitely listened to their Black Sabbath and a lot of the more current bands who also sort of idolize that great old traditional metal. Don’t think hair metal or anything like that. Word on the street has it that they are talking about playing a show before long with Lycergus and Coffin Crusher. We shall see, and let’s hope the bands play that show locally.

One of my favorite regional bands, The Virgin Wolves, out of Denton, Dallas and Keller, has released its first full-length CD called “Pretty Evil Thing.” The five- piece band is on Facebook.com and is seriously good. The group is also playing a live show in Denton at Hailey’s Club, 122 Mulberry, at 8 p.m. (or so) on February 16 in a series called Denton Babe Bash. Other groups include The Red Death, Sol Tax, Classy San Diego and Stormy Durant. All of the bands are babe led, or something like that. Admission is less than $10, and the evening should be a blast. I think you can check out videos of The Virgin Wolves on Facebook.com as well as some of their live shows. They are super high energy and need to be seen to be believed. The guitarist used to be the lead singer for a band called Memphis Mayfire. The guy can sing and he can play guitar, and he’s originally from Bowie.

And, I recently messaged the band and they seem open to playing in Wichita Falls. I am not sure where they would play, but it would be a great show.

The lineup for Coachella was recently released and listed, and it’s an intriguing collection of bands that play over a couple week period in California. I am completely onboard with hearing Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Beach House, but I am not so sure about Blur or the Stone Roses. Didn’t the Stone Roses put out exactly one good record?

Finally, “Grease” opened last weekend and should be a fun for those people who enjoy the more ‘50s end of things like music and clothes. This version is ultra authentic to the ‘50s  from looking at the stage props.

Paulson

Richard Carter

Rumor spread like wildfire several days ago when New Jersey based band (and clearly Wichita Falls favorites) Paulson announced they were going to play a show. The band, for all practical purposes, broke up a while ago, and they have not recorded or played since. The news that they were going to play hit area listeners hard, and there were numerous “Play Wichita Falls” responses within the first 50 posts.

And, the best thing is that Wichita Falls fans then “liked” all of those responses. Having interviewed the bassist years ago, he specifically said they love playing shows here, and the last show I remember them playing the whole band was surrounded by fans, and the singer had to stand on a chair and hang on the rafters to be able to sing. No one could breathe, but they all managed to dance and have the time of their lives. A Paulson show would rock. Anything I hear about this further will be immediately updated.

The strange thing is that former Wichitan and now Baltimore resident Jesse Witt was the guy who first brought them to town, and I would imagine that if Paulson plays here, it will likely be in the Lakeside Ballroom, which is way large and a somewhat awkward place to have Paulson play a show. The other thing is that while the show will draw, and it will draw a lot, will the vibe be the same after all “these” years. Whatever happens, it will probably be the best show of the year in the area (at least “best all-ages show”), and one that everyone needs to go out and support—at least if they ever hope to see anyone else like Paulson play this area.

There is a new death metal and thrash band that recently started playing and the groups name is Skinhook. It’s Derrick Dorsey on bass, Robert Torres on guitar, Jaymes Jaeger on vocals and guitar and Tony Wolf on drums. The band is on Facebook.com under their name, and they also have some material up. Look at “about” under the band’s name.

I got the opportunity to hang out with the members of Miyagi the other day before they opened up for Hard Nights Day. The Beatles’ cover band was doing their soundcheck while the local boys were hanging out waiting. Since Jon Richerson has joined Miyagi as a full-time member, the area group is preparing to play a lot more shows than they had been doing. The band sounds good, and I suspect that they will be around a number of the venues in town. Richerson has also gotten somewhat busier, as not only was he playing with Miyagi but on the next night he was playing with Doppelgangers as that area group was opening for Kris Lager. That’s two pretty big crowds in a row.

I chatted with Jonathan Tyler on Friday and he was getting ready to fly to Texas from Los Angeles, where he is now living. It was an interesting conversation because he has definitely done some new things with his career and music since arriving in LA. But I suspect his upcoming Friday night show at the Pub on January 25 with be classic Tyler. It should be a blast, so check it out.

All Night Long

Richard Carter

One of my favorite things to do is to watch bands put together their cover songs. For one thing, you can tell an awful lot about a group by their choices of cover songs and how they play that material(how they interpret it).

Growing up, an awful lot of the area bands that I played in, or went to watch, tried to cover a song perfectly. And, some tunes are pretty easy to play like the band does on the album. We could play a perfect version of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed.” It was funny because most rock bands didn’t play their songs like they recorded them, unless it was Boston.

Anywho, covering the Rolling Stones was never that hard to do, though doing a Beatles song and trying to get the harmonies right is next to impossible, unless you have some great singers in the band.  And, in local bands, that usually doesn’t happen.

The point I am attempting to make here is appreciating area bands making a cover song their own. For example, a while back I wrote about Mr. Fairchild learning to play the Van Halen song “Panama.”. It was pretty hilarious watching them do it, because it was half fun and it was half serious. Surely they could have played it perfectly, but that wasn’t the point.

Obviously, Mr. Fairchild is no more, and several of their former members are now playing in the Blue Light Special band. It’s a band that pretty much does ‘70s style versions of the blues, and they take doing it pretty seriously. Most of the guys grew up with the blues, and they revere it.

In putting together their recent New Year’s Eve show at the Pub, they were determined to do something serious, but they were also wanting to do something humorous and that’s why they played the Lionel Richie card. In covering the song “All Night Long,” they played a classic ‘80s song where everyone in the video was wearing too much pastel (and it sort of sounds like it in the song too.) The song and the singer are a kind of fake soul, and no one could seriously believe the band was doing that tune.

In practice, I watched the band members listen to the song several times and work out their parts and then saw them play along with the song. They decided that three of the six members would play percussion on the song including drums, congas and either a shaker or an agogo bell. David Sanchez sang it straightforward, at least one background singer sang it sort of straightforward, while the bass player seriously played line and the guitarist jazzed up the spacey guitar lines.

From five times I heard the band play it through, the song the first time through was very humorous. Over time, it slowly began to sound more serious. By the fifth go through, I was not so sure they were joking around with the song. As one guy said, it will be funny because of the song selection. It would also be funny because one of the background vocalists was going to ham it up. I think people might end up being more impressed with their version than humored by it.

Anyhow, listen to how musicians change a cover song when they play it. Seriously, go to a Queen for a Day show and watch Brian Harris play lead guitar and tell me the guy didn’t grow up around a lot of ‘70s and ‘80s guitar players. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like Queen for a Day and the band does play with their covers.

Speaking of Queen for a Day, I know they are coming back to the Pub to play in January or February, but the date has not been confirmed yet. Will post when I know.

New Live Music Places

Richard Carter

With a number of clubs dropping rock music from their offerings, it was just a question of time before other venues tried their hands at filling them. Live music brings in people and cover charges or increased drink sales.

The first place for me to check out was the Blind Pig Saloon on 2223 Sheppard Access Rd., or what is the old location for The Hubcap. I’m sure it’s been some other places along the way as well. I had seen Broadcasting on All Frequencies play at the bar before, but my first time to check out bands that regularly play the bar circuit was last Saturday night with Zig Zag and Miyagi filling the bill. You just walk in, and find a place around the square bar, at tables near the stage or other tables in the club far away from the stage.

By the way, Zig Zag sounded great but they are about to lose their lead guitarist, so I imagine it might be a short trip back to the drawing board for them. Miyagi has transitioned nicely to Jon Richerson playing guitar for them. If Zig Zag was predominantly a ‘90s band, it seemed like Miyagi was very much an ‘80s band. Both decades suit each band, though they are hardly limited to them.

The club has a decent sized stage, and there were a number of people there to check out the bands—mostly the crowd was comprised of area musicians hanging around the bar or at the tables. There were plenty of other patrons doing things completely unrelated to the music. It seemed like there was good interaction between the listeners and the bands, and the sound was fine. I could see this turning into a regular venue. I am not sure if the club has its own sound system, because without one it surely makes it tougher for a band to play. Then again, Old Town never had a sound system and neither did The Office or P2.

Last Saturday, I checked out Michael Christmas spinning his DJ thing at the backroom in Old Town. Walking to the backroom, it appears that the old area that was used for live music has been boarded off, so I am not sure what they plan to use it for. Perhaps private parties? Anywho, the backroom where the DJ spun is usually the most crowded place in the club, and it was pretty full when I got there. The crowd was mostly from Sheppard Air Force Base, some Midwestern State University students and Michael Christmas fans and then the middle-aged business crowd the club has always drawn.

There’s not much room for dancing nor is there much lighting, so it’s a strange effect for any kind of rave oriented dance music. There was also at least two wide screen TV’s playing sports programming giving the room a sort of sports bar feel. I think if they choose to develop these back room DJ programs they can make some small changes and they will be fine. The bar is, of course, top notch, as is the clubs bartenders and wait staff.

That said, I would still love to see the downtown DJ venue Crush develop back into what it was when it originally opened. From what I understand, they still host shows once a month or so on Saturdays.

I understand that Outspire will play again (the second show) at Fat Alberts Pool and Pub on December 31 from 9:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. Admission to the club on 4011 Rhea Rd is free. This club will be another interesting venue to see if it develops.

Downtown Christmas Crawl

Richard Carter

It’s been a while since they’ve thrown a downtown crawl in Wichita Falls, but last Thursday they had a Downtown Christmas Crawl in the downtown area from around 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I managed to get there around 5:30 or so and was there until about 7:30 or so. The weather was great, and that was a good thing for an outdoor event in winter. The problem, I think, was the overall lack of light because of the season.

The first band I ran across was in front of Wichita Furniture, or technically cat-e-corner to Wichita Theatre and that was Black and White with Alan Black and Dr. White playing ‘60s through ‘80s horn music and so forth. They were loud, and you could hear them from about three blocks any which way. They were good, as they are always. It turns out that one of their horn players, Tom Hauptman, played with my neighbor back in the late 1960’s in a rock horn band. I would have never guessed, but it does remind you how small Wichita Falls really is.

Down Indiana some, Ben Atkins and Bill Steward were supposed to play guitar and fiddle tunes in front of Alley Cat, but that got put off for the following Saturday. A gathering of two acoustic players did play next door to Alley Cat. Around the corner of 8^th and Indiana, Dusty Potter and James Ogden played a collection of older tunes on acoustic guitars with Potter singing. Next door inside the 8^th St Coffee shop, the guys from James Cook and the Audacity played. And they were also fun. Down 9^th St some several blocks west, Cody Tucker and Shawn Gregory played acoustic and electric guitars with Gregory singing. As far away from the action as they were, they had a decent crowd posted to watch and to listen. Tucker said that he and Gregory had a blast doing it.

There was an acoustic player in front of Eastern Treasures and there was a mix of a little bit of everyone locally in front of the Iron Horse Pub. To me the best music of the night was the gospel a capella group singing in front of The Holt Apartments. I’m not sure what church they were from, but the five members could all sing and they were dynamic. It was a blast to hear them sing. The guys at the Pub said they thought the name of the church was Welch Street and the actual choir there was about 15 members. It was my favorite music of the night.

I missed having Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s that night, and I am not sure whey they were not there. The band has played every one of the crawls to this point and were usually the most, or one of the most, popular act(s).

I did see several of their members at the Spot later that night, and they were doing duos and trios with Stephen Welch, Chris Roberson and their friend Cody Magana. Speaking of Magana, he celebrated his birthday at the Pub Wednesday night, and they had a special open mic with nothing but bands playing. And that included his band. I got to sit behind their drum set and play a little and it felt great to be on stage.

I am at the Pub right now and am waiting for Ashley Doby to play and then the Damn Quails. I got to interview both bands a while back and they were both pretty fabulous.

Places to Play

Richard Carter

Walk around the city square in Denton sometime, and you will be surprised how many clubs there are, and places to see live music. It’s like it’s it own world or something of cool places to hang out and/or just walk around. You can barhop in Denton like you would on 6^th St in Austin or in Deep Ellum in Dallas, and barhopping by foot is a lot safer than driving to clubs all over a city, and it makes it easier to partake of different varieties of live music like a musical smorgasbord.

There was a short time in Wichita Falls several years ago, when a number of clubs downtown offered somethingmilar to the Denton scenario I mentioned above. The time was fleeting through, and until recently the clubs that offered live music was few and far between. And, they were very much spread out over the city.

The last couple of months have become worse for people who like live rock music. The number of all-ages shows have dwindled to practically nothing, because the American Legions don’t seem to be available for live bands to play, and the venues that took their place are no longer viable to local promoters. I’m still not sure if a show at the Hangar ever made money. Rumor had it that despite the great bands that played there, none of those shows did any better than break even.

Recently I was told that The Office was sold, and that the new owner was bringing in real country music and not live rock music. I understand that the newly reopened venue is doing well. Good for them, because that old Pioneer Restaurant building has some great musical vibes, courtesy of Frank Goff. Rock bands lost another place to play in November when Old Town renovated their front room and is no longer booking live bands, at least from what I understand. Old Town was a great place for regular rock bands, pop country bands and even metal bands like The Affiliation to perform live.

At this point, the Iron Horse Pub is the lone established venue for rock bands to play. The 8^th Street Coffee location just down the street is doing open mics and will have the occasional act play live. But that leaves no other venues dedicated to live rock music in Wichita Falls.

The good news, or at least there is some room for optimism, is that two venues are trying out live rock music. Fat Alberts, which is next door to the old Brickhouse, has had an aa band play and will have the same act play, I believe, for New Year’s Eve. The venue is certainly large enough for a rock show, but it remains to be seen if it could draw crowds regularly for live music shows.

I also heard, from a Facebook.com post, by an area Killdevil member that a venue near Sheppard Air Force Base has booked the band to play a show on December 15. It’s called My Place Saloon on 1103 Sheppard Access Rd. For more info check out the Killdevil Facebook page. I have not been to the club, but I don’t recall any venues from the past being on the north side of town with the exception of the Hangar and Lakeside Ballroom, the venue near Herb Easley’s, where so many of the all-ages shows were up until recently.

Bands need venues to play, and I cannot imagine rehearsing for years on end to never play a show, or at best play only three to four times a year. I suspect that there will always be benefit shows, somewhere, and bands should play those. But the notion of having to pick up and travel to play in Denton, Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston or Austin without any connections means playing to an empty room and not getting paid every much. We shall see what happens with local venues, but one full-time venue for rock music is not nearly enough.

“Mark it Eight”

Richard Carter

Had things gone better, some of us would be preparing to see Morrissey this week. Alas, we had to “settle” for Jimmie Dale Gilmore last Thursday and Friday at the Museum of Art at Midwestern State University.

Needless to say, it was an interesting turn of events. Gilmore is an absolutely gracious person, and he seemed to really enjoy himself talking about the old days of Texas music, along with former MSU graduate and writer Jan Reid. Both men have seen a lot in Texas music along the way, and it was fun to listen to them chatting about growing up in a state that has surely changed a great deal over the last forty years.

A friend of mine, not originally from Texas, was talking to me earlier in the week about going to Austin for the first time and how that she was completely enchanted with the city’s music scene. She said that on any given night you could pretty much hear about anything you wanted to hear, and it was generally pretty great music.

I cannot imagine what Austin would have been like in the ‘60s. There would have been less live music, but it surely would have all been good. I was lucky enough to see two shows at the historical Armadillo World Headquarters (1970 to 1980) before it shut down, and those were pretty amazing shows in a pretty amazing setting.

One of those shows I saw at the ‘Dillo was Iggy Pop.  It turns out that Gilmore played in a band that opened the venue up in 1970. Absolutely amazing. Gilmore also addressed his short movie past and was rather humble describing how he came to play Smokey in the Coen’s “The Big Lebowski,” surely one of the great indie film characters of all time.

I heard from Ali Holder, now in Austin, that her Kickstarter.com program to raise money to record her new album was closing in several days. I love the idea of this program to raise money to record music by offering copies, shows and such for that support. Check it out to support her or another project that might suit your musical tastes.

I got to hear Cody Magana’s new musical project the other day and was impressed. Magana is singing and playing rhythm guitar, while James Ogden, formerly of Blue Light Special, is playing lead guitar. The rhythm section is formerly of Chiva. The band is working on covers and has a few originals already and is probably about a month or two from playing its first show. It’s a good, solid band that should really come together the longer they play together. Some mad talent also, by the way.

As Christmas music becomes more and more the tune for the times this month, I suggest that you should make every attempt to enjoy it as much as you possibly can. But when it all gets to be too much, and trust me you will appreciate time away from it, just remember than your smartphone has headphones and a way to listen to your own music—even if its different Christmas music that every restaurant, retail store and everywhere else seems to be playing at this point. At McCarty Music, we used to bring in world Christmas tunes, if that gives you some idea of possibilities.

Finally, I am looking forward to hearing The Affiliation play Saturday night at The Pub along with Radio Republic. Both bands are good and prove that the whole all-ages scene had a lot more to offer than some people thought. I think the Affiliation will have copies of their CD for sale, and it’s great. Also, I think that Radio Republic is not that far away from having its own CD for sale.

Texas Singer Songwriters

Richard Carter

If you are into the Texas singer songwriter thing, and you really should be if you are not, I can recommend a free program next Thursday and Friday. Both start at the Museum of Art and Midwestern State University. The first show at 7 p.m. Thursday is a roundtable discussion featuring two major Texas music writers, Jan Reid and Kathleen Hudson; Abby Abernathy who started the Lazy Boy Late Week Supper Club in Archer City, Texas that brought pretty much every major Texas singer songwriter to town with the exception of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Also featured in the guest performer, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, one third of the Flatlanders and also Smokey in The Coen Brothers’ great film “The Big Lebowski.”

The next night, Gilmore will play a solo acoustic show at the Museum of Art, and it should be amazing. It’s rare that you can bring together this kind of talent, and if this were Dallas they would probably charge $25 or so. Here, in Wichita Falls, this next weekend, it will cost nothing. What a deal.

For all of the talk about fall shows, the next best thing to check out for live music locally is open mics. Yes, you might have already heard, but the Morrissey show, which was paused a week or so ago to be rescheduled for another date, will not be rescheduled. I am not really sure what happened, because it was my impression that he wanted to play the area, due to his ongoing fascination with “The Last Picture Show,” and it’s not like Archer City has gone away or anything. It’s still there, and I guess he’s still not coming. Anywho, that would have been one show to lord over your friends in other cities for years. Imagine getting to see “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” at the cinema, and during the same year getting to see Morrissey play live at the Kay Yeager.  Easy come/easy go.

Anywho, I went to watch the first Cody Magana open mic at the Iron Horse Pub last night. The first one for me to see anyhow, and I was very impressed at how many people attended the open mic, and how attentive the crowd appeared to be for the music. It’s not like they were talking over the other bands, and finally I thought there was a good diversity of talent there. Sometimes, the genre of the music is pretty much determined by the person running the open mic. If you play folk and the guys is disrespecting you, for example, it’s unlikely that you will return. Nothing at all like that was happening last night and that’s a great thing for this area.

Because there are such few places to play in town, it’s hard for young people to develop or find good places to play out live. And there was some good young performers playing at the open mic. One of my favorites was a young lady named Ashley Doby who has one of those voices that just seems about capable of anything. She let fly and it was impressive. I would like to see her do a full set. The guy who followed her was also pretty interesting. (Obviously I am awful at names). Again, it’s always a great deal when people are not talking over the performer. Consider there is no drums or bass in an open mic and it’s pretty easy to do that. I even saw Cody Shaw there but I am not sure if he ended up playing or not.

On the way

Richard Carter

As a follow-up to my last week’s blog about the imprisonment of two female punk rockers in Russia, the leader of the nation publicly defended the two-year imprisonment sentences in hard labor camps.  He also made a comment that they could be doing housework at home had they not chosen to do their protests. It will be interesting to see the reaction from musicians around the world. Of course, the difference is that these punk rockers in Russia do not have a record deal and were sort of real punk rockers.

A lot has happened over the last week. Jeff Catlin of The Affiliation handed me a copy of the band’s new EP, and let me tell you it’s fun and it rocks. Recorded with original guitarist Kristin Mask before he went off to Berkeley for school, the EP features some absolutely blistering leads. Normally, a band would re-record a CD when they lose a member, but they used the original gang of guys and I like that.

Jeff told me that when Tyson Arnold moved to guitar that they had to change everything up, and it’s fun to listen to the dynamic change. Both sets of guitarists are really good, and I look forward to hearing how the band will develop with the current lineup. I understand they will be opening up for Radio Republic on November 23 at the Pub and I suggest attending that show. Radio Republic should be close to having its new CD out and the show should rock.

Speaking of Radio Republic, they have had a new drummer for a while now, Mike Hardison and recently his other band The Minor Prophets called it quits after some time together. I know that their recently added members Aaron Epp and Charles Harlow had been doing a lot of writing, so it’s a shame they didn’t get to play all of those new songs.

I chatted with Stephen Welch tonight and he is putting on the finishing touches to his newest solo project. His last solo EP was quiet and mostly acoustic guitar and him singing. This new CD, due out on November 27 will be him and two other guys (one is Chris Roberson from Dr. Philgood) and will be somewhere in between Philgood and his last solo music. I am looking forward to it and he said there should be something to hear pretty soon. We shall see.

My buddies, Broadcasting on All Frequencies, will be opening up for Josh Weathers this Saturday, so that might be worth a check out, as well. Also, I understand that former Wichitan and current Austin singer songwriter Ali Holder is looking to record pretty soon and is trying to raise money. You might check her out on Facebook.com to see what is going on with that. I hear she might be writing songs about donors, and that would be sweet!

Finally, the December 31^st band at the Pub has been announced and it’s none other than Blue Light Special. Congrats to them.

Music and Change

Richard Carter

There’s always been some sort of protest involved in playing or listening to rock music. I mean, what band or music listener doesn’t see their parents as hopeless squares that want to stop them from having fun, or perhaps having too much fun? And even if their parents don’t actually do that, there are still plenty of people who want to hear bands sing about such things.

The whole teenage rebellion easily dates back to the ‘50s. That protest spread further in the ‘60s when music got political with the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and so forth. By the time the punk movement hit in the late ‘70s, sensationalized bands like the Sex Pistols were singing songs about anarchy and tunes against the English Monarchy, though often times it looked like they were just trying to shock people. They did not put out an album called “The Great Rock ‘N Roll Swindle” for nothing.

But, there were plenty of other English bands in the ‘70s and later American bands and French and German and Australian and so forth who were starting to seriously address what they saw to be political, social and economic inequalities. Whether they were just playing punk to sell records (a sort of oxymoron) or they were revolting against the status quo kind of depended on the band.

By the ‘90s, it seemed like the whole punk thing had become a meaningless sort of phase most kids seemed to go through. Whether they were genuinely angry about something serious or just upset that their parents were not giving them two Xboxes or whatnot.

But considering the last 70 years of anti-establishment pop music in Western Europe and America, it’s particularly hard to imagine anyone ever being arrested and going to court or punished for writing lyrics critical of leaders or the government or their culture.

That said, two members of a Russian punk band were sentenced to harsh work camps this week for music critical of the present Russian leader. The band had also gone into a church and asked the Virgin Mary to free themselves of said leader. It’s kind of scary to think that a single act like that could lead to two people being sentenced to hard labor many miles away from their children and families.

Yet, whatever international protest there has been against the judgment against the two punks has pretty much fallen on deaf ears.

It’s hard to imagine any band would risk their lives to play music to change something. For the record, the women in Russian were not recording that music or selling it.

Open mic

Richard Carter

Last week, I attended the first Spot open mic in months. When I walked in about 30 minutes in, it was only Chris Roberson playing guitar and Steve-o Welch playing drums and there was no one else, and I thought it was going to be a long night.

Luckily, a pic got posted on Facebook.com, which is far better than any street sign and it leaves less of a ecological footprint, if you know what I mean, and soon people were bursting through the doors. Thirty minutes later, there was at least 30 people there and Welch was cranking out a Leadbelly tune and it was all pretty awesome.

Needless to say, I like the late night atmosphere of the Spot—whether it be empty or filled. But, it’s probably better musically when there are a lot of people.

At one point, Phil—also of Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s, was playing guitar—sort of fingerpicking and stuff–and Chris was singing all the way from the kitchen and it sounded good. It’s just a healthy atmosphere for music, and a continuation of the Vincent’s open mic—despite the fact David Thompson is long gone to the Metroplex.

I recently received an e-mail from Gellert Domany which said that his new band (former members of Jac Damsel) will be playing the first ever live show at Fat Alberts (4011 Rhea Rd) on November 3.  The band is called OUTSPIRE and should be interesting. The lead singer is new to the area, so we shall see.

Fat Alberts is next door to the old Brickhouse, which was one of the premiere all-ages clubs in the area for quite some time. Fat Albert ‘s already has good business with pool and is good at carding people to keep the under 21’s out, so there is no trouble. I am happy to hear there is the possibility of a new live venue, which is so well located.

There is a new owner of The Office and rumor has it that live music may be a thing of the past there. It’s sort of a shame because when Frank Goff moved his bar, Frank’s Place, there in the early ‘80s, it was for live music, and their jazz jams were pretty legendary. Also the area band formed by Steve Stout and Chris Whitlock called Take two, which was really popular, used to play at Franks all of the time. Let’s hope that those rumors are not true.

By the way, speaking of rumors, there was some talk a month or two ago about reforming Take Two to play an area show. That would have been a blast from the past and I think sort of a healthy music event for the younger folks to hear.

I got to talk to Dustin Fike earlier this week and he told me that he would be singing with X at the Iron Horse Pub on Saturday, October 27. He also said they would once again be doing a Lady Gaga song, so I think that’s going to be massive fun. Also, the trio of guys It Hurts to be Dead will be opening up for them, and I hear there will be bands earlier in the day during the zombie run. Lots of blood, loud music and happenings.

Isaiah the Mosaic

Richard Carter

Last Thursday, a group of five Austin-ites—four of whom are from Wichita Falls—played their first ever show in Wichita Falls as the band Isaiah the Mosaic, a pretty cool psychedelic band with keyboards, djangly guitars, a strong rhythm section and relaxed, dreamy  vocals.

The band is made up of second-generation musicians and brothers, Eric and Phillip McClung, whose late father Randy was a percussionist for an early Wichita Falls band called Phosphene. Bassist Brandon Mallonee is also involved along with drummer Ryan Heath. Tyler Delaune plays keyboards. Heath and Eric McClung used to play in an area instrumental band called When We Dance, We Dance for Reason.

The group played on a Thursday night, and Attebury Blueprint played its last show, for a while at least, as a quartet. By the way, Attebury Blueprint will tell you that their show rocked, and it did. The night before keyboardist Kory Rogers emceed his last open mic, before moving to San Angelo. We should all wish him luck. But then he will be way close to Dallas and also Austin, and San Angelo is a great music town.

It was one of the better Thursday night crowds at the Pub that I have seen in a while. The back of the club was pretty much filled with family and friends of family. There was actually a very healthy contingent of people from Austin who came to cheer the band on. That, and the fact there were quite a few friends from the area there to check them out.

They told me that their band will start recording once they get back to Austin, and there should be a lengthy EP before too long. I look forward to it.

It’s interesting how a band that has always been very prog in a sort of immediate way has come to psychedelia, but I think that’s grand. And they also seem to have a touch on it. One friend suggested that they definitely have some recent influences like the Gazelles, and I can sort of hear that.

The band had synched a laptop with video visuals for the backdrop, which they played to, and I sort of wished the visuals had been larger. I think that the sounds of psychedelic bands from the past were saturated with the visuals and it sort of amplified the effect of the visuals and the sounds.

The songs were well written and the attitude and the mood for the music were right. I would like to see the band perform again, because the first time you hear something that you’re not expecting, part of the experience is getting over (or getting used to) the shock of the newness. They said there was a possibility pf coming back again in six months, but then we shall see. Douglas Boyd said the Sweetness would return and that no longer looks like it’s going to happen.

If you wish to hear something by the band, check them out at www.reverbnation.com/isaiahthemosaic. There are also some places to see videos and stuff. I think they’re onto something, and it will clearly be something that will play better in Austin.

Next Friday and Saturday, the Wichita Theatre is opening their new production of “Nunsense,” which is a funny show, and the gals playing the nuns are kind of brilliant. I plan on checking it out, and you might want to consider it.

Also, on Friday October 19, a Christian performer named Brandon Heath is playing at the Evangel Temple. I interviewed him a while back and really enjoyed chatting with him. Check out the story that day and consider going to hear some live music.

A Wet Weekend

Richard Carter

This past weekend was supposed to have been my first since moving back to Wichita Falls where I wasn’t going to be at Fallsfest. But around noontime on Friday, I was asked to review one of the evenings and I chose Marshall Tucker Band. I have met Kevin Fowler before and even reviewed his show, and I wasn’t sure what other adjective besides zany I had to describe him.

Anywho, it was a choice that returned me to the local live music of my teens. The first time I ever heard Marshall Tucker was by an area band called Sneet Gibbons (as I recall) which featured my then neighbor drummer Richard Gaines and a guitarist Jim Gideon who my brother bought his first guitar from, an old Kalamazoo—that would now be worth significantly more than he paid for it, had he not blown it up for some Old High Howdy assembly program or some such.

Anywho, my neighbor friend’s band used to play the song “Can’t You See” which was off the first Marshall Tucker Band album, but really kind of sounded more like the Allman Brothers. Their band was super fans of the Allman Brothers and that was sort of the way that I discovered Southern Rock—by way of a more progressive jam band sort of sound than Lynyrd Skynerd would later make famous.

Trust me, the 30 to 45 minute version of “Whipping Post” was a badge of honor for bands to perform. The longer the version the better, and I would not doubt that the Allman Brothers could play the song for days. It was a good riff with plenty of room for some deep bluesy singing, a strong organ riff, a very prog sort of progression and drums galore—at least two drum sets.

Anywho, I think it’s still more than acceptable to appreciate the older Allman Brothers no matter how old or young you are. The newer version of the band still appeals to a lot of people, but I still prefer the Allmans of the Dwayne Allman and Dickie Betts variety.

I spent most of Saturday morning re-familiarizing myself with old Marshall Tucker Band songs, and I was surprised that I recognized so many of the songs the band would likely play that night.

It was also going to be fun because from what I understood from Dwayne Kinnett, that area guitarist Don Chance was going to get to sit in and play with Marshall Tucker Band. And, that’s a cool thing, because I am pretty sure Chance grew up listening to the same music, and he could definitely play guitar with them, no problems.

The rain last weekend however never let up. If it let up long enough for Kevin Fowler to get his set in on Friday night, it kept going on that night, Saturday morning and then into Saturday evening. By 6 p.m. I had heard they might cancel the FallsFest, so I went out there to say hi to people and see what I could discover. The cool thing was that bands had played the city stage that day and I saw Eli Cash guitarist Eric Priolo helping out with the sound.

The sad thing was that they were taking down the huge stage and there was mud everywhere. It was raining and no one was smiling. I never got to see the band or say hi or whatnot. But there are next years and such, and I suspect they will return at some point. Later that evening, I went to the Pub and saw a guy there who had driven 700 miles to see Marshall Tucker. At least he got to see Jonathan Tyler that night, whose guitar playing is probably as good as anyone’s.

Upcoming good things…

Richard Carter

I had the opportunity to touch base with the Denton-based band The Virgin Wolves—about the closest Texas has to a band like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and they were playing a show last Saturday in Deep Ellum. Unfortunately I was unable to get out to the club all the way in Deep Ellum, but I did find out the band is finishing a new CD in the studio and from what I understand they are having a great time recording it. Expect something seriously good from a band with a lot more firepower than what they need, but with no inhibitions going into overdrive when they want to because they have what it takes to do exactly that.

I got to hit the open mic last week at the Iron Horse Pub and it was my first in a good while. What struck me was the diversity of the musical offerings and how smoothly it all went. The cool thing is that Kory Rogers is in charge for one last week, and I think he does a great job helping out the people on stage or letting them do their thing when they are without need of help. Rogers will play one more open mic and then will be off to San Angelo—a great little live music town close to the Metroplex and also to Austin—the live music capitol of the world.

Anywho, from what I understand, the new person in charge of open mic will be my old buddy from A Formal Affair—the band’s original lead guitarist Cody Magana. Magana works with a lot of musicians and has a good rapport with them. I look forward to seeing what he will do with the ones he meets at open mic. I suspect that some bands will form as a result of him putting people together with other people, and some will be worth checking out.

Perhaps my favorite thing to hear at open mic last week was half of the new Cody Tucker project (he of The Doppelgangers and long-time guitarist with defunct blues-psychedelic band Mr. Fairchild.) He and Shawn Gregory and Dustin Bowen and another guy whose name is escaping me (sadly) have formed a band that will be doing everything from Alice in Chains to Grateful Dead and Leadbelly. Tucker and Gregory have been spending a lot of time together lately practicing and they did a duo introduction that was intriguing.

When the band is playing out as an entity, there will also be percussion and a second acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, but the basis for the group, an acoustic player singing and a lead guitarist winding lines through the chords can be quite effective on its own. It’s strange to think that a duo could effectively play a Grateful Dead song, then lead into Alice in Chains and then complete with a Leadbelly (by way of Nirvana) as Gregory said, but they did it and the response was immediate and positive. They should be able to play pretty much wherever they want to, and I suspect the group will add something to the area.

If you are in town this weekend, I suggest FallsFest, but if you happen to be in Fort Worth, let me suggest the Fort Worth Music Fest (Friday and Saturday. The event brings in a mad lot of talented individuals including Hayes Carll, The Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers, The Wheeler Brothers and a lot more. There’s art, great food and music to check out. Formerly the jazz fest, the festival has gone a little more Fort Worth and western, and that’s a good thing.

Fun Fun Fun and then some

Richard Carter

At this point in the game, there are a couple of cities that can compete with Austin in terms of having mass outdoor live shows to attend ala Woodstock with tons of fabulous acts but a lot less mud and much safer drinking water.

In early March 2013, 35 Conferette will be back in Denton and considering the program’s recent successes, it only stands to reason they will continue to get more acts and add ones with more name recognition. And, considering that Denton is just a hop, skip and a jump away, that’s good news for all of us in the area.

Coming up in Austin, which is not really a hop, skip and a jump away, unless you happen to be in the Metroplex alrdy, are a couple of doozy shows. While Austin may not be in our backyard, it’s really not that far away, and I promise you that the talent upcoming at Austin City Limits Music Festival is worth a road trip.

Coming next month to ACL is Red Hot Chili peppers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Jack White, Florence + the Machine, The Civil Wars, Crystal Castles, The Shins and The Black Keys.

If that’s not enough, they will also have Iggy and the Stooges, who will not be opening up for Morrissey when he plays here, and that is a shame. That show would have likely gone down as one of the 10 best ever in the area. Die Antwoord and Weezer and Olds 97’s are also playing at ACL with a number of other bands.

With the exception of the Randy Rogers Band and the Wheeler Brothers, I don’t think any of the listed groups at ACL have played in Wichita Falls. If you are hankering for a lot of music over a short several day period, you might check out aclfest.com, and from my experience, there are always people locally who have bought tickets in advance and cannot attend and are then willing to part with them. That’s especially helpful when ACL sells out, which it usually does.

For those keeping track, South by Southwest 2013 is March 8 through 17, 2013 and their website is sxsw.com. Finally, the 35 Conferette will be held right before SXSW and their website in 35denton.com. It’s never too early to get a start on checking out one of these events.

Our own area festival is coming September 28 and 29 with FallsFest and the music is already set. On the main stage on Friday is Shantell opening, which is great for the little band than can do, and they are then followed by Tyler Rushing, a Texas country act and finally Kevin Fowler who penned the classic “Beer, Bait and Ammo.” Great metal guitar player who crossed over to the more rocking side of country.

There will be a FallsFest unplugged stage Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with TC Fambro, Cheyenne Pitts, Recently Separated, Justin Guthrie and James Cook.

Finally, the Saturday main stage event is more noticeably Southern Rock with Cody O’Neill and the Crosswind opening (he being the son of Mike O’Neill) and The Marshall Tucker Band headlining. Fresh off their national tour, area band Twicebroken will play before The Marshall Tucker Band. So, it should be a fun evening.

By the way, there is also Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin that runs from November 2 through 4, which I have written earlier about. The address is www.funfunfun.com.

By the way, the Affiliation is playing Thursday with the Doppelgangers at the Pub. You should check the Affiliation out. They are a lot of fun!