The third Texas date of the “Give Up The Ghost” tour, Brandi and her band (cellist Josh Neumann, twins Phil (bass) and Tim (guitar) Hanseroth and drummer Allison Miller) played the old-time stage at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, just outside of San Antonio.

The quirky, traditional dance hall has played host to a number of country music icons like Patsy Cline, Bob Wills and Willie Nelson.

“I came in here this morning to look around and do soundcheck and I looked around and went, ‘We are in Texas,’” Brandi laughed. Getting into character, her usual Converse were replaced with cowboy boots and a fun “western” styled shirt.

The show itself was very similar to the rest of the tour, they opened around one mic with Oh Dear before jumping straight into Looking Out and Late Morning Lullaby.

Of course Turpentine and My Song and The Story were included in the set but missing were Dying Day, That Year and the newly revamped Caroline. At one point she noted that it just wasn’t right to play a ballad when they had been rocking, and skipped around the printed set-list.

The Beatles’ I’ve Just Seen A Face took the “cover slot” after Closer To You and Radiohead’s Creep was slipped in before the Johnny Cash nod Jackson/Folsom Prison Blues.

A special treat was song of country-western clichés, Same Old You, with the hilarious introduction of a medley of classic (mostly Tammy Wynette) country tunes. “I’m sure there’s a place for ‘She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy’ and ‘Redneck Yacht Club’ but it’s all derivative of a kind of country music that is so amazing and so ahead of it’s time that the lyrics were so horrible, and by horrible I mean you cannot stand to listen to them without laughing or crying, depending on where you are in your life.”

The night ended with Pride and Joy and a thank you to the “respectfully rowdy” crowd. Brandi stuck around at the merch table for awhile, signing autographs and meeting fans.

Set List
Joshtacular (Josh’s cello intro)
Oh Dear
Looking Out
Late Morning Lullaby
My Song
Closer To You (false start)
Fall Apart Again
Closer To You
I’ve Just Seen A Face
Dreams
Times They Are A-Changing
Turpentine
The Story
–
Creep
Jackson
Folsom Prison Blues
Country Medley: D-I-V-O-R-C-E > I Don’t Want to Play House > Stand By Your Man > She’s Hired A Wino To Decorate the House
Same Old You
Pride and Joy

In remembrance and celebration of legendary Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt, fans packed into the Cactus Café (a stage where Townes performed many, many times) to take part in the yearly all-star tribute to the man and his music.

Butch Hancock

Friends and admirers (Butch Hancock, Michael Fracasso, Beaver Nelson, Sam Baker, Mickey White, Gurf Morlix to name a few) performed everything from his hits and better-known favorites like “Pancho and Lefty,” “Snowing On Raton” and “If I Needed You” and some more obscure tunes such as BettySoo’s rendition of “Squash.”

Michael Fracasso

A few originals and songs Townes was inspired by were slipped in by Graham Wilkinson and Kevin Gallaugher and Townes’ first-born son, J.T. made an appearance, sharing a few stories about his dad and singing “Tecumseh Valley” with friend Andrea Parodi (who translated his verses into Italian).

Sam Baker and Gurf Morlix

BettySoo and Gurf Morlix

Griff Luneburg

Graham Wilkinson

BettySoo and Gurf Morlix

Tish Hinojosa

Larry Monroe

After a four-month hiatus to record a new record (Letters in the Deep out June 8) Cadillac Sky is taking their impressive live show back on the road starting at the Parish Room in Austin, Texas.

These guys (Bryan, Matt, Ross, Panda, and David) live somewhere in the musical neighborhood of the Boulder Acoustic Society or Yonder Mountain String Band and just down the street from Old Crow Medicine Show turning their traditional bluegrass instruments (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, upright bass) inside out and upside down.

Download Hangman from their upcoming record at CadillacSky.net.

BettySoo

BettySoo

BettySoo

BettySoo

When it comes to Texas music, Shelley King is something of an authority. In fact, she was named the Official Texas State Musician 2008, a title she passed to Willie Nelson. And her live show is a testament to the powerful combination of country, swing, gospel and a certain brand of Southern sass.

The Saxon Pub was packed for a Saturday night show with her band (the first band show she’s played since returning from a tour of Japan with Carolyn Wonderland in January).

Taking the stage she declared, “Let’s get this party started!” before launching into Soul Searchin’ and then Running of Out Blue and Texas Blue Moon from her 2002 release The Highway.

Her songwriting and soulful delivery (she has an awesome voice – think Bonnie Raitt with a history of some Sunday morning church singing and a healthy dose of whiskey) are highlighted by her band with Sarah Brown (bass), Perry Drake (drums), Marvin Dykhuis (guitar) and Chris Brown (slide guitar, dobro).

Seasoning her set with some songs from her latest record, Welcome Home, recorded with members of The Subdudes like Everything’s Alright, I Remember and Falling Fast she creates an atmosphere that’s more like a comfortable house party than a concert, casually talking to the audience between songs in a smooth drawl. Of course, this means that when she sends the audience off with the spine-tingling spiritual Welcome Home one realizes that between the foot-stomping and dancing, the show has flown by much too quickly.

Luckily, Shelley keeps a full touring schedule with dates listed at ShelleyKing.com. She’ll be in Kerrville on March 3 and streaming live from the VideoRanch3D on March 18 after which she’ll be with SisDeville (Carolyn Wonderland, Sarah Brown, Floramay Holliday and Lisa Pankratz) at the Saxon.

Jason Yates self titled 2009 sophomores solo CD, from Vapor Records, included nine tracks, and was recorded at Manny Nieto’s Estudio in East L.A., and produced by Yates, Nieto and Shane Smith. This well done CD bridges modern rock, blues, and a jazz filled soul sensation quite effortlessly.

The upbeat lead track, My Way Out, is one of secure self assurance amid adversity. Yates Hammond B3 sighs and slowly sings the downbeat on Nobody So Far which shows us the facade of modern facelessness as, “. . . Nobody is what they say they are. . . .” He drops in a blues based lead guitar riff pulling the listeners in slowly, then, seize our yearning attention, “. . . Like a mirror in the dark . . . ” as he plays the opening bars of Coming’ On Back.

The whirl of Yates B3 bounces off the upbeat lead guitar of Black Crow’s guitarist Marc Ford behind the beat on, Paper Tents. Yates allow us another upbeat hopeful sound on, To Chance with talk of loves secret dance as it steadily skips along.

He spans acoustic blues in, Tear Drops, with a longing knowing feel of one who has walked with the heart-wrenching painful path. A significant pull of a lonesome undercurrent is evident on the sparse and sad song Sing for You.

Yates’ true essence is showcased here with ease by conversationally smooth lyrics in a counterpoint pattern to fine written rolling melodies from his Hammond B3.
He explains a need for a nourished sound space with a certain naturally strong groove from his musical workbench. Yates cite, “I spent a long time thinking about this and trying to find a way to do what I wanted, and I finally did.”

As a keyboard sideman, he played sessions with Taj Mahal, Mazzy Star, G. Love, Michael Franti, Toots & the Maytals, and on tours with Macy Gray, and Natalie Merchant. As a five-year band member of Ben Harper’s Innocent Criminals, he graced a stint which included a Grammy-winning collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama, on the 2004 disc, There Will Be a Light, which featured longtime Black Crow’s guitarist Marc Ford. Hence, he’s been a busy man since his solo debut, Angeleno.

Five years after forming at a Rainforest Action Group benefit show, the all-stars that make up Great American Taxi (Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon, Chad Staehly, Jim Lewin, Edwin Hurwitz and Chris Sheldon) are reinventing jam-band orientated roots rock into something they call “Americana Without Borders.”

And without borders it is, their new record, Reckless Habits, is a delightful array of genre-mixing tunes calling on influences like the Grateful Dead, Woody Guthrie and the Byrds.

There’s the swampy, New Orleans-inspired One of These Days and a funky cover of John Hartford’s Get No Better, both highlighted by Chad’s keyboard and brass from Peak to Freak horns. The Black Swan Singers add depth to the soul flavored Cold Lonely Town and there’s some honky-tonk swing in Tough Job which is all about the difficulties of living on the road.

On the other side of musical influences is Gram Parsons, a prime character in the title cut with mentions of the Rolling Stones, the International Submarine Band and his untimely departure at the Joshua Tree Inn paired with a steel-guitar driven melody that comes straight off Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

And giving a nod to their hula-hooping, festival-going fan base are the tongue-in-cheek Fuzzy, Little Hippy Girl and American Beauty. The two bluegrass jams, Unpromised Land and Big Sandy River have some fantastic fiddle work from producer Tim Carbone.

Reckless Habits is an Americana amalgamation that shouldn’t be missed by fans of Leftover Salmon, Gram Parsons, the Grateful Dead, Cosmic country or any other slightly rebellious form of roots music. And make room on your CD shelf for this one, the die-cut artwork by Greg Carr is phenomenal.

The October 2009 debut release, Bittersweet Lullabies, from songwriter Sam Schrieve, contains a wide mix of styles — folk, pop, alternative, indie and ambient soundings. The recording displays his abilities to be a vocalist, pianist, acoustic guitarist, and drummer who can also play the strings.

Now in his third year of study, Schrieve, a 20-year-old from Seattle, Washington, is a student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, in Boston.

He has generated a recording of 10 original classic pop orientated selections. However, the noticeable standout track on this release is a respectable cover version of the Leonard Cohens’ classic, Hallelujah. The inclusion and acknowledgment to a well known and highly respected song master by Schrieve was a great idea. The dreamy instrumental introduction leads you nicely into the great lyrics.

There are some noticeable jazz vibes amid the strong composition, via the fine guitar work timbre of Bill Frisell, on the track, I’ll Be There.

Belita displays nuance accessory in Spanish flavorings as the acoustic guitar brings forth images from far away places. His composition of the song Beautiful has generated heightened attention from his online fans. Second City really showcases his upbeat and distinct classic pop based sound, complete with a catchy chorus.

As the son of legendary drummer Michael Schrieve, of Santana fame, Sam is most willing to absorb the seasoned advice from the masterful shaman Carlos Santana,
“There are musicians, and then there are visionaries, and it is up to you to decide how it is your going to become both.” Schrieve then adds, “That one really stuck with me.”

Schrieve resolves a need to continually hone his craft and technique. Citing professorial advice to “add more tools to his tool box,” and to learn to, “paint with more colors.” His realization is his musical growth will come from learning to be more emotive and articulate as he navigates his own path. Schrieve believed the strong diversity and vehicle in his music are, “just different parts of whom I am.”

Don’t let the matching outfits fool you — while twin songwriters Tegan and Sara Quin could easily turn their act into a cliché-filled disaster by finishing each others thoughts in perfectly planned spontaneity and exchanging carefully-crafted stories of childhood designed to elicit soft chuckles from the audience, they somehow rise above being ridiculously adorable to put on an enjoyable show for both the skinny-jean wearing hipsters and the harmony-loving folk rockers.

Tegan

With entry music courtesy of Lesley Gore (a little sunshine and lollipops anyone?) they kicked things off with The Ocean, On Directing and The Cure from their latest album, Sainthood before Tegan started confessing her love of Red Bull, the first of several rambling pieces of banter between the sisters (Canadian jokes, watching football as children, playing “Orphanage” and a deep-seated fear of abandonment, their first show at South by Southwest and a bottle of Patron from the previous evening were other topics of discussion).

They managed to squeeze about 75% of the new record into the set, slipping in earlier tunes like Walking With A Ghost and Speak Slow from So Jealous and Soil, Soil and Nineteen from The Con.

And the best part of the night, the magical “something” when the two play solo as they did for their extended encore which included Back In Your Head and Call It Off before they were rejoined by their band for Living Room as to not end the show on a soft note.

Set List
The Ocean
On Directing
The Cure
Hell
Sentimental Tune
Alligator
Where Does the Good Go
Speak Slow
Walking With a Ghost
So Jealous
Soil, Soil
Monday Monday Monday
Dark Come Soon
Red Belt
Arrow
Nightwatch
Northshore
The Con
Nineteen
You Wouldn’t Like Me
–
Back In Your Head
Feel It In My Bones
Divided
Call It Off
Living Room

As the battle to rescue the much-loved and renowned Cactus Café from budget cuts by the University of Texas wages on, the Friends of the Cactus Café and SavetheCactusCafe.org held a rally on the steps of the UT Tower gathering signatures and continuing to raise awareness.

Local musicians Sara Hickman, Bill Oliver, David Garza, Elizabeth Wills, Richard Bowden and Barbara K. performed alongside speakers State Rep. Elliot Naishtat and City Council member Laura Morrison reminding the community that the Cactus Café is a vital and historical venue that should be preserved.

Sara Hickman

Sara Hickman

Bill Oliver

Barbara K.

Sara Hickman and Bill Oliver

Sara Hickman and Bill Oliver

State Rep. Elliot Naishtat

David Garza

David Garza

Barbara K.

Barbara K.

Elizabeth Wills

Returning to old stomping grounds, The Fabulous Thunderbirds took the stage at the legendary Antone’s club where they spent many years serving as the house band.

With support from openers The HiDefs and DaHeBeGeBees, the evening was filled with rocking and dancing to the Texas blues.

Frontman and vocalist Kim Wilson led the slightly rowdy, weeknight crowd through the two-hour set of guitar-driven classics like Tuff Enough, Wrap It Up and She’s Tuff.

Guitarists Johnny Moeller and Mike Keller served up multiple searing solos balanced by Kim’s harmonica on Riding in the Moonlight and Wait On Time and several extended instrumentals. And as the audience began reluctantly slipping away as the time crept closer to midnight, the Thunderbirds wrapped the show with an encore of The Crawl.