I just got back from the Bay Area. First, though, I’ll tell you about a brief trip I made to Texas before the Bay Area, the description of which got delayed due to the passing of Fritz Richmond.
I was asked to go to Texas by Vince Bell, a singer songwriter from Houston who now resides in Sante Fe. He puts on concerts down there in a little theatre in Austin. He also asked my old pal Bob Neuwirth to come along, so there would be three of us to reckon with.
When I found out about this gig I booked a few others nearby… near, at least, by Texas standards. I went to Houston first to play the Texas version of the quintessential beatnik folk club called Anderson Fair; sweet little spot. Then up to Crockett, and here’s where things got interesting.
Crockett is in the heart of East Texas…. a place where, evidently, Davy Crockett made camp on his way to the Alamo. My drive up from Houston was a slow one, as I turned it into a search for the red-cockaded woodpecker. I have an old Alexander Wilson print of this bird but have never seen the little critter…. (still haven’t). But the interesting thing about the drive was the good look I had of East Texas. It entirely changed my perception of those parts. I had it as funky, run-down… but no. Rather, it was quite beautiful and the Houston economic engine seems to have had an effect well up into that area. Lots of new pick up trucks…. Rayid ones! (Don’t get me wrong though. A lot of the folks down there would still rather dance with a snake than a human being.)
The gig in Crockett was at the Camp Street Café run by Guy and Pipp Gillette. It’s a converted store on a quiet side street of this quaint town. Lightnin’ Hopkins used to play on the porch. So, as there happens to be a small park across the street from the Cafe, Guy and Pipp got some fellow to chisel a statue of Lightnin’ and they put it right there in the park. It’s lit up at night and looks just fine.
So many great bluesmen came from East Texas or thereabouts… Lightnin’, Mance Lipscomb, Henry Thomas, Washington Phillips, Blind Lemon, Blind Willie Johnson, and on and on. I love this gig. Check it out sometime: http://www.campstreetcafe.com/ Oh yeah, if you get to Crockett, don’t forget to go to Thompson’s Barbecue, run by Robert and Linda Thompson. Oh my goodness… the ribs! I digress, but the closest thing to these ribs that I’ve experienced was in Kyoto in the ‘70s on a tour with Amos Garrett. We ate in a restaurant that was 800 years old. That’s old even in dog years. Anyway, we had a baked fish – maybe a ‘tai’ fish – and after we picked away at it with our chopsticks and finished it off, they took it away… as one might expect. But as one might NOT expect, they brought back the bones a few minutes later… all crisped up and entirely edible. You could just break off any part of this salty carcass and pop it in you mouth like beer nuts. Don’t know how they did it. Same with Thompson’s barbecued ribs…. They melt in your mouth…. The bones have been rendered munchable. I drool to think.
From Crockett I headed west to Austin for the gig with Vince and Bob. I think the audience got their money’s worth on this one. Plane fares and gas money for the three of us alone would be enough to buy the building we played in. We traded tunes and had a good old time playing to a small group of irreverent Austin hipsters.
From Austin I headed north to Dallas. Believe it or not, the gig up there was terrific…. I’ll admit it… I was surprised. It’s a church gig called Uncle Calvin’s. (I love the church gigs; lots of smiles and home-baked cookies). The place was full and the folks appreciative. What more could I ask for.
I also did a terrific radio show in Dallas with a fellow named Glenn Mitchell; an hour of good conversation, a little picking and singing. It was a really special show. Glenn knew his stuff. Sadly, a few days after the show, Glenn passed away from of a heart attack. This was a shocker for everyone in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. People like Glenn Mitchell are rare…. and they’re keeping what’s left of this culture breathing.
I went home from Texas for a couple of weeks before heading up to the Bay Area early December to play with The Fountain of Youth, the new band that I’ve put together with Eric and Suzy Thompson, Larry Hanks and Tony Marcus. We get together once or twice a year to play that good old time music. It’s starting to come together… but we’re in no danger of becoming slick. Trust me.
So, now it’s time for the family and the holidays. I can use the break. At the end of January I head to Munich, Amsterdam and Paris.
You all have a very Happy Holiday Season!!