Author: Paul Mueller

Perfect pairing: James McMurtry and BettySoo in concert

 in Reviews, Songwriters


By Paul T. Mueller –

It might sound like an unlikely pairing for a singer-songwriter show – a famously curmudgeonly Anglo man in his early 60s and a Korean-American woman in her mid-40s. But the recent five-week tour featuring James McMurtry and BettySoo has been, by all accounts, a big success. The two wrapped up their current tour at Houston’s Heights Theater on October 7, with McMurtry rewarding longtime fans with an excellent full-band show and BettySoo charming those already familiar with her work and likely winning new followers as well.

BettySoo (Photo by Paul T. Mueller)

BettySoo opened with a well-received set that included five songs performed solo and four with the backing of McMurtry’s drummer, Daren Hess, and guitarist Cornbread, who plays bass for McMurtry. BettySoo, who owns a lovely voice and impressive guitar skills, put both to good use in service of some well-written but mostly downbeat songs about romantic difficulties, such as “One Thing,” “Down to Nothing,” “Don’t Say It’s Nothing” and an as-yet-unrecorded song that might be titled “Just a Matter of When.” The band-backed selections included the haunting “Blackout” and a nice cover of “What Do You Want From Me Now?,” which she credited to fellow singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles. She also won applause for her defense of oft-maligned Houston, noting that she had grown up in the Houston suburb of Spring.

For his part, McMurtry drew from a wide cross-section of his extensive catalog, opening with “Fuller Brush Man” from 1995. Three songs later came “Canola Fields” from the most recent collection, 2021’s The Horses and the Hounds. Other highlights of the 14-song main set included the raucous family-reunion tale “Choctaw Bingo,” wryly introduced as “a medley of our hit”; a solo, unplugged take on “Blackberry Winter,” from Horses; nice renditions of “You Got to Me,” “Levelland” and “No More Buffalo,” and a rousing “Too Long In the Wasteland,” the title track of McMurtry’s 1989 debut album, to close. McMurtry accompanied his distinctive vocals with impressive work on a variety of guitars, both acoustic and electric, while outsourcing some of the six-string duties to guitarist and accordionist Tim Holt.

James McMurtry (photo by Paul T. Mueller)

After a short break, McMurtry’s band returned to the stage and launched into a well-done rendition of “That’s How I Feel,” an instrumental by The Crusaders, a jazz band that started out in Houston in the 1960s. It was a nice tip of the hat to some local heroes. When McMurtry and BettySoo returned a few minutes later, both were in drag – BettySoo in a sharp-looking men’s suit, McMurtry in a stylish red dress accented by a black beret and scarf, two strands of pearls, fishnet hose and red lipstick. The crossdressing originated a few weeks ago in Tennessee, as a dig at politicians seemingly obsessed with the dangers of drag shows there, and seemed almost inevitable for a performance in a state where many elected officials seem equally unsettled by gender issues. The one-song encore was the longtime favorite “Lost in the Back Yard.”

BettySoo and James McMurtry (Photo by Paul T. Mueller)

McMurtry, not known for a talkative nature or outward displays of happiness on stage, stayed true to form, with the exception of the occasional comment on a song. But he did seem comfortable and genuinely appreciative of his audience, and also had good things to say about BettySoo and about his son, Curtis McMurtry, also a singer-songwriter (and, as it happens, the driving force behind BettySoo’s 2022 release Insomnia Waking Dream).

Review: RB Morris in rare concert in Nacogdoches

 in Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller –

RB Morris, a singer-songwriter, poet and playwright based in Knoxville, doesn’t tend to venture too far west from his Tennessee base. So it was something of a rare treat for his Texas fans when Morris played a Jan. 21 show at Live Oak Listening Room, a former church turned intimate concert venue in the East Texas city of Nacogdoches.

RB Morris (photo copyright Paul T. Mueller)

Morris writes with the sensibility of a poet and performs with the soul of a rock ‘n’ roller. He opened with several songs played solo, including the wistful “Old Copper Penny,” and “Thin Air,” which he dedicated to the late Leonard Cohen. Next came readings of a couple of his poems, one about the mockingbird – which, he noted, is the state bird of both Texas and Tennessee.

Other highlights included a lovely rendition of “A Winter’s Tale,” which has become something of a latter-day holiday classic; “That’s How Every Empire Falls,” a cautionary tale once covered by John Prine, one of Morris’ early fans; “Distillery,” which draws parallels between the commercialized and organic forms of liquor and religion, and the powerful “Take Time to Love.”

Morris was backed for most of the show by electric guitarist Tim Lee and drummer Susan Lee, a husband-and-wife duo from Mississippi who perform their own shows under the moniker BARK. Tim Lee’s guitar, by turns subtle and powerful, and Susan Lee’s strong and precise drumming provided effective texture behind Morris’ acoustic playing and vocals.

BARK opened the show with a rocking set consisting mostly of jangly power-pop originals, plus a cover of David Olney’s “James Robertson Must Turn Right.”   

Remembering Townes: 26th annual “wake”

 in Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller

A wake can be a mournful affair, but the mood at the Old Quarter Acoustic Café on the first day of 2023 was anything but. As they have every January 1 since 1998, talented musicians and appreciative fans gathered at the small listening room in downtown Galveston, Texas, for the annual wake to celebrate the songs of Townes Van Zandt. This year’s event featured an impressive cast of performers, both professional and amateur, each giving his or her interpretation of one or more songs, most of them either written by or written about the legendary artist.

Numerous such events are held in various locations every year, but no other has quite the same direct connection to Townes, given that this one is held in a venue once owned by Rex (Wrecks) Bell, his former bassist and running buddy. Bell, who for years played bass in Van Zandt’s band (as well as those of Lucinda Williams and Lightnin’ Hopkins, among others), and accompanied him on adventures both legal and otherwise, served as emcee of the event. He played his role with characteristic delight, telling frank stories about tour life and dredging up the kind of bad jokes his old friend was famous for.  

Wrecks Bell

The five-plus-hour event featured 65 songs by 24 performers of varying degrees of musical ability, and every performance was received with grace and enthusiasm befitting a community of music lovers. Some of Van Zandt’s better-known songs – “White Freightliner Blues,” “To Live Is to Fly,” “Pancho and Lefty” and others – were covered more than once, proving interesting contrasts between the various renditions.

Van Zandt had his demons and many of his songs reflected his struggles with them, but the love and respect with which the performers interpreted his music infused the evening with joy, in the full sense of that word. More than a few made a point of thanking Joel and Angela Mora, who bought the Old Quarter from Bell in 2017, and Bell and his wife, Janet, who live part time on Galveston Island and maintain a connection to the venue.

Tex Renner

A few highlights:

  • Galveston singer-songwriter Tex Renner’s gruff take on “Blaze’s Blues,” Van Zandt’s tribute to another partner in mischief, Blaze Foley
  • A quiet, beautifully harmonized rendition of “White Freightliner Blues” by the Houston-area duo Grifters & Shills (John and Rebecca Stoll)
  • “The Ghost of Townes,” written as a tribute to Van Zandt by Chad Elliott and performed by Tommy Lewis
  • A beautifully dark trifecta of “Waitin’ Around to Die,” “Marie” and Steve Earle’s TVZ tribute “Fort Worth Blues” by Waxahachie, Texas-based Bobby Huskins
  • “Rex’s Blues” by its subject, Bell, and his wife, accompanied by ace guitarist Gary Reagan. Bell, who seems to be aging in reverse, was in fine voice all night; he played using Van Zandt’s fingerpicks.
  • Austin-based singer-songwriter and guitar wizard Marina Rocks’ take on the lovely “Snowin’ on Raton,” which started out quietly and built to an emotional, high-volume conclusion
  • Ocala, Florida-based Chris Ryals, who took on some less-familiar Van Zandt songs – “Our Mother the Mountain,” “Tower Song” and “Colorado Bound”
  • The evening’s big finale of “White Freightliner Blues” and “Two Hands,” performed by Joel and the Honey Badgers (singer/guitarist Dwight Wolf, bassist Christopher Smith Gonzalez and drummer/venue owner Joel Mora), accompanied by Wrecks and Janet, Gary Reagan and Chris Ryals.
Rebecca Stoll

Review: John Egan’s musical twists and turns

 in Reviews


By Paul T. Mueller –

You never know quite what you’re going to get at a show by Texas singer-songwriter and bluesman John Egan. A song title might be familiar, but most likely Egan will throw in some twists that make it sound different from what you’ve heard before – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. This dynamic was on display at Egan’s Sept. 11 performance at Cowboy Surfer in west Houston. The 17-song set comprised both originals, including the mystical “St. Teresa” and the melancholy “Looking for a Place to Fall,” and covers, including Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” and Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Once a Gambler.”

Photo by Paul T. Mueller

All featured Egan’s gruff vocals and his masterful playing on an impressive collection of resonator guitars. Egan plays with a combination of picking, strumming and percussion, often using a slide, and the result is an almost orchestral range of sounds that bring fresh perspective to even the most familiar tunes. One big hit with the 40 or so in attendance was “Down in Houston,” a raucous account of Egan’s teenage years (he attended high school a few miles from the venue). He added a little snippet from a song by hometown heroes ZZ Top for good measure. Another high point was an as-yet-unrecorded “pandemic song” that might end up being titled “Count My Blessings,” with a sweet theme of gratitude in the face of adversity. “I’ve got an old guitar that I love to play,” Egan sang, “and I count my blessings every day.” That’s a nice message after a couple of tough years.

Steve Earle in concert, with a nod to Jerry Jeff

 in Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller –

Steve Earle’s August 31 show at Houston’s Heights Theater began with a seven-song tribute to one of Earle’s musical heroes, Jerry Jeff Walker. Fittingly, Earle opened with “Gettin’ By,” which happens to be the opening track of his latest album, Jerry Jeff, featuring 10 Walker songs, and also the first track on Walker’s iconic 1973 album ¡Viva Terlingua!.

Photo by Paul T. Mueller

Backed by his excellent band, Earle then did full justice to several more selections from Walker’s distinguished catalog, including “Gypsy Songman,” “Hill Country Rain” and, of course, “Mr. Bojangles,” which Earle said he had been singing since age 14. The band then moved into an 18-song retrospective of Earle’s own greatest hits, including “Someday,” “Guitar Town,” “Galway Girl,” “Transcendental Blues” and the classic “Copperhead Road.” All featured stellar instrumental and vocal support from The Dukes, most notably guitarist Chris Masterson and his wife, Eleanor Whitmore, on fiddle, mandolin, guitar and keyboards. After a hardly-worth-it break, the band returned for a 20-minute encore. Earle prefaced “Harlem River Blues,” written by his oldest son, Justin Townes Earle, with an alarming account of Justin’s death in 2020 by accidental overdose. That was followed by the exuberant “City of Immigrants” and an energetic take on the Grateful Dead’s “Casey Jones.” The two-hour show concluded with a lively version of The Band’s “Rag Mama Rag.” The night’s opener was The Whitmore Sisters, consisting of Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore, plus Masterson, who’s married to Eleanor. The 30-minute set, drawn from the band’s recent album Ghost Stories, featured five original tracks and one by singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan.

James McMurtry taps into his rich body of work

 in Americana Music, Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller –

Singer-songwriter James McMurtry released his first CD in 1989, so it’s pretty much inevitable that his shows these days resemble career retrospectives. At an August 26 solo acoustic show at Houston’s McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, McMurtry led off with “Melinda,” from his 1995 album Where’d You Hide the Body.

James McMurtry (photo by Paul T. Mueller)

Next came the title track of 2002’s Saint Mary of the Woods; more songs from other stages of his career followed, accompanied by masterful work on six- and twelve-string guitars. They included “a medley of my hit,” the raucous “Choctaw Bingo,” and “Levelland,” which McMurtry described as “one of the Robert Earl Keen songs that I wrote.” Four songs from last year’s excellent The Horses and the Hounds made the cut; the later-in-life romance tale “Canola Fields” might have held particular significance for audience members, many of whom were old enough to have been fans from the beginning. McMurtry closed on a upbeat note with “If It Don’t Bleed,” a wryly humorous look at aging that tempered ruefulness (“there’s more in the mirror than there is up ahead”) with acceptance (“it don’t matter all that much if it don’t bleed”).

Robert Earl Keen’s joyous last go-round

 in Americana Music

By Paul T. Mueller –

Robert Earl Keen, who earlier this year announced his intention to retire from touring after more than four decades, probably could have phoned in his farewell tour. His legions of fans likely would have eaten it up in any event. Instead, the beloved Texas singer-songwriter seems to be taking his last go-round very seriously, while having a lot of fun to boot.

Keen brought his “I’m Comin’ Home” tour to the Martin Center for the Arts at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, on June 5. His set, which lasted a little more than an hour and a half, featured several of his biggest hits, along with seldom-heard deep cuts and a few well-chosen covers. The audience responded enthusiastically, often singing along on choruses, but listening respectfully during the quieter passages.

Robert Earl Keen in concert (Paul T. Mueller)

Playing before a large backdrop captioned “I’m Comin’ Home” and “41 Years on the Road,” Keen opened with several older songs, including “Mr. Wolf and Mamabear,” from his 2014 album What I Really Mean. He noted that a fan had once sent him a 12-page essay detailing how the song’s somewhat fanciful lyrics were in fact an explanation of World War II. A few songs later he sang “Charlie Duke Took Country Music to the Moon,” a true story that he described as “a fake song” from Burn Band, a little-noticed album he and fellow Texan Randy Rogers recorded under the fictitious name The Stryker Brothers. The song describes how astronaut Duke, one of the last people to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 16 crew, had taken a mixtape of classic country songs with him on his lunar journey.

Remembering John Prine, Nanci Griffith

Keen introduced his raucous fishing tale “The Five Pound Bass” by noting that guitarist/fiddler Brian Beken had spent some happy time fishing earlier that day. Next came a funny anecdote from his days opening for John Prine, and a sensitive cover of Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” That in turn was followed by stories of touring with revered singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, who he said treated him with respect and kindness early in his career. After setting the scene with a lovely description of a wee-hours hotel room performance of Ralph McTell’s “From Clare to Here” by Griffith and two other singers – a moment he called the single most beautiful musical of experience of his life – he shared his own rendition of the song.

Keen eventually moved into more familiar musical ground with “Feelin’ Good Again,” segueing quickly into fan favorite “Gringo Honeymoon.” Next up were a couple of his older and funnier songs, “Copenhagen” (“Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor”) and “It’s the Little Things,” an ode to marriage featuring that rarest of moments, an acoustic guitar solo by Keen (it was more than competent). The main set finished with “Corpus Christi Bay,” a tale of two brothers whose relationship is fueled by sometimes irresponsible behavior, and the rousing “The Road Goes on Forever.” After a brief break, Keen returned solo for the wildly popular “Merry Christmas from the Family.” A pretty good Aggie joke (Keen attended Texas A&M University, where such humor is a staple) led into “The Front Porch Song,” which Keen wrote with fellow Aggie Lyle Lovett about their college days. Keen closed with “I’m Comin’ Home,” rejoined partway through by his band, which along with Beken featured his longtime rhythm section, bassist Bill Whitbeck and drummer Tom Van Schaik. It made for a fine end to a joyous and very enjoyable evening.

The chorus of one of Keen’s best-known songs declares that “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.” That might prove wishful thinking, if he’s serious about retiring. And even though, song lyrics notwithstanding, all parties must end at some point, this one seems destined to continue for a while yet. Keen’s tour continues through the summer, including a July 9 date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and is scheduled to end in Texas in early September.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter John R. Miller opened the show with a 30-minute set featuring well-crafted and personal lyrics backed by excellent guitar playing. Fiddler Chloe Edmonstone contributed fine playing and vocals.

Rodney Crowell returns to Houston for an exuberant set at the Heights Theater

 in Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller

If you had any lingering doubts about how performers and audiences are feeling about the recent resumption of live performances, Rodney Crowell’s July 29 show at Houston’s Heights Theater would have put those doubts firmly to rest. Crowell and his excellent four-piece band, clearly thrilled to be back on the road, put on an energetic performance spanning the Houston native’s long career, up to and including his new release, Triage. The near-capacity audience responded in kind.

The show was only the third of the current tour, but you’d never have known it from the band’s tight playing. Multi-instrumentalist Eamon McLoughlin and keyboardist Catherine Marx earned frequent and enthusiastic mid-song applause for their impressive solos, while bassist Zachariah Hickman and percussionist Glen Caruba provided solid rhythm support. Band members also contributed vocals in support of Crowell’s fine voice and powerful delivery.

Crowell started off with the title track of 1995’s Jewel of the South and continued with the anthemic “Earthbound” from 2003. He dedicated “Still Learning How to Fly” to an audience member turning 70. Marx and McLoughlin, on fiddle, showed off their impressive skills on the jazzy “The Weight of the World,” from Crowell’s 2015 collaboration with Emmylou Harris, The Traveling Kind.

Other highlights of the 25-song set included older hits such as “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried,” “Shame on the Moon,” “I Walk the Line (Revisited)” (with Hickman handling the Johnny Cash vocals), and the more recent “It Ain’t Over Yet,” which Crowell wrote for his old friend Guy Clark. A mid-set segment of Triage songs included the title track, “Something Has to Change” and “This Body Isn’t All There Is to Who I Am.” “Telephone Road” and “East Houston Blues,” with their local references, got big reactions, as did Crowell’s stories about growing up in the Houston area and about the genesis of some of his songs.  

The main set ended with a trio of hits from Crowell’s more mainstream days in Nashville – “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” and “ ’Til I Gain Control Again.” After a standing ovation and a short break, the band returned with “Frankie Please,” which Crowell dedicated to the late Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, and a quiet but powerful solo rendition of his “cautionary tale” of crime and irony, “Highway 17.”

Review: Will Kimbrough’s fine “Spring Break”

 in Nashville music, New releases

By Paul T. Mueller –
“Spring break” took on some added meaning early this year, when the pandemic shut down normal life and most people had to adjust to a strange new reality. For Nashville-based singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, Spring Break turned out to be a good title for an album recorded during a forced hiatus from touring and other activities. It’s a solo acoustic album of mostly new material, with a few older songs thrown in, and a fine showcase for Kimbrough’s many musical strengths.

Some of Kimbrough’s songs deal directly with the pandemic and its consequences. “The Late Great John Prine Blues” is a gentle, sad tribute to one of COVID-19’s better-known victims. “Handsome Johnny’s coming home/with the late, great John Prine blues,” Kimbrough sings. “All Fall Down” takes a wider view of the situation, realistic but is also hopeful. “Maybe we should listen to some good advice/Maybe it’d do some good,” Kimbrough sings, later concluding, “We rise and we fall together/We fly like birds of a feather/We shine through good or bad weather.”

Several songs deal with travel, and the frustration of being unable to do so. “I Want Out” is the first-person story of a waitress trapped by circumstances, while the narrator of “Trains” dreams of hopping a freight and getting away. Harmonica breaks give the song a Springsteen-like vibe. “Philadelphia Mississippi” tells the story of a woman who left her small town for brighter lights, only to return. “She never felt at home, until she ran away,” Kimbrough sings, accompanying himself with a lovely slide guitar.

Kimbrough acknowledges the need to accept reality and get to work in the folky “Plow to the End of the Row.” In the same vein, “Work to Do” is an anthem to confidence and determination: “I ain’t wasting my time here/I got work to do.”

Not so directly connected to current events are the confessional “My Sin Is Pride,” a bluegrassy take on “Rocket Fuel” (a co-write with Todd Snider, whose band Kimbrough once led), and “Cape Henry,” an account of a Revolutionary War naval battle also written with Snider. Humor finds a place in “My Right Wing Friend,” in which a long friendship transcends political differences; “Home Remedy” explores romantic love, and “Child of Light” is a hymn to parenthood. Kimbrough closes with “Digging a Ditch with a Spoon,” a country blues tune about doing the best you can with what you’ve got.

It’s hard to overstate Kimbrough’s skill and style as a player. Seemingly anything with strings is fair game, and he does justice to a wide range of wood and wire, including several guitar, dobro, mandolin and banjo. Kimbrough is also an accomplished producer, and he does a good job with his own material here, leaving things simple and letting the playing and singing shine through.  

Review: Eliot Bronson’s “Empty Spaces”

 in Nashville music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller
“I’m getting used to living alone,” Eliot Bronson sings on the title track of his new album, Empty Spaces. “I’m getting used to nobody there when I come home… I’m getting used to the empty spaces that you used to fill.”

And that’s one of the happier songs on this 10-song collection.

Empty Spaces is one fine breakup album – written, as Bronson says, as therapy in the wake of painful breakup and a move to a new city. It’s got everything one would expect – sadness, confusion, bitterness, resignation – and, of course, emptiness. One could easily imagine most of these songs on breakup mixtapes, if that’s still a thing. The album is also a pretty good metaphor for the times we’re living in, as we navigate the transition between the world we used to know and the new, harsher reality we find ourselves in.

Several albums into a solo career, Bronson is only getting better as a writer. Around every corner here is another skillful turn of phrase to capture experience and emotion. “Don’t give me words, words can confuse,” pleads the weary narrator of “Let Me Go.” “Words can conceal the weapons we choose.” Confusion and frustration fuel “Good for You”: “If it’s so good for you, why aren’t you kinder? If it’s so good for you, why don’t you step lighter?” And in “Montana,” a sweetly sung bit of misplaced hostility, Bronson vents his rage on a proxy instead of his real target: “Your mountains in the night/Look like the edges of a knife that cut me… You took her away from me, and how could I ever compete with what you’ve got?” In “Gone,” the album’s bleak closer, he sings, “I listen to the rain play on the leaves/Like seconds ticking away, tiny thieves,” accompanied by twangy guitars and a lonely-sounding harmonica.

Empty Spaces encompasses a range of musical genres. “Visitor” is introspective singer-songwriter pop, while “Good for You” has a glossier feel. There’s a little country in “Good for You” and “She Loves the Mountains,” and “With Somebody” is packed with ’80s-style guitars and drums. The title track is a lovely, timeless pop song, full of sweet melody and catchy hooks, layered vocals and understated playing.

The album is also a showcase for Bronson’s talent for composition and arrangement. He shares credit for the project’s atmospheric production with bandmate Will Robertson, who also plays guitars, keyboards and bass. Other contributors included Bret Hartley (guitars), Colin Agnew (percussion), Marla Feeney (violin), Andrew Colella (viola), and Prisca Strothers (harmony vocals).

Bronson has been doing weekly livestreamed shows for the past few months, and for the most part they’ve been lively and upbeat – not surprising from a guy who last year came up with a funny novelty song based on that viral tweet about “30-50 feral hogs.” That he’s written and released an album’s worth of downbeat songs speaks to his skill as a writer, as well as his willingness to bare the darker side of his soul. It’s been said that artists turn pain into art, and Eliot Bronson has certainly done that with Empty Spaces.

Review: Eliza Gilkyson’s “2020”

 in New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller


Eliza Gilkyson probably couldn’t have made a timelier album. The Austin-based singer-songwriter’s recently released 2020 captures the essence of the troubled times we’re currently enduring. And if she unflinchingly depicts the anger and despair many are feeling, she also channels more positive counterparts such as faith, sympathy and hope.

“We’re on fire, we’re on fire,” Gilkyson acknowledges in the opening track, “Promises to Keep,” before stating her resolve in the chorus: “Thoughts and prayers will never make things right/and I have promises to keep.” That’s followed by “Peace in Our Hearts,” an anthem to what some might call hippie sentiment – “Gonna stand for the earth and our children too.” But there’s toughness, too, as revealed in the final verse – “Gonna stare into the face of the hateful mind/with peace in our hearts.”

Songs such as “One More Day” and “Beautiful World of Mine” take a softer approach, exploring themes such as love, forgiveness and the beauty of nature. They’re essentially the kind of “secular hymns” that have become a Gilkyson trademark in recent years.

Gilkyson bares her lyrical fangs on the ominous “Sooner or Later,” in which she recounts the sins of the oppressors – “They take the oil from the earth, put their coal dust in the sky/Their poison in the water, they don’t care if people die” – before warning, “Sooner or later, it’s a natural fact/Gonna rise up, gonna take it all back.” Age has taken its toll on Gilkyson’s voice, but she’s in excellent form on this track.

Most of 2020 comprises Gilkyson’s writing, either alone or with co-writers, but there are some notable covers. “Beach Haven,” a plea for racial harmony that sets Woody Guthrie’s words to Gilkyson’s music, is described as an adaptation of Guthrie’s 1952 letter about a segregated Brooklyn apartment complex called Beach Haven that was owned by Fred Trump, father of the current president. Gilkyson also gives a haunting rendition of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” and an impassioned take on Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” – both sadly still relevant after all these years.

The album closes on a gently hopeful note with “We Are Not Alone,” an ode to community that she wrote with Robert McPeek. “A flickering flame each soul holds high/Searching for another kindred spark,” she sings. “We are not alone/We are not alone/Not alone.”

 Gilkyson’s son, Cisco Ryder Gilliland, contributed drums and percussion, as well as fine production. He had plenty to work with in the way of contributors – an all-star cast of Austin notables including Mike Hardwick on guitar, Chris Maresh on bass, Bukka Allen on keyboards, Warren Hood on fiddle, Kym Warner on mandolin, and BettySoo and Jaimee Harris on vocals.

Don’t look for Eliza Gilkyson at your local arena any time soon, but with 2020, she has produced a highly relevant musical chronicle of our times that both describes the trouble we’re in and prescribes what we need to do about it. There are voices that need to be heard in times of crisis. Eliza Gilkyson’s is one of them.

Review: Wheatfield’s “Some People”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

Some People, the latest effort from folk-rock veterans Wheatfield, is as much a testament to enduring friendship as it is a musical document. The roots of this Texas- and Arkansas-based quartet go back to 1973 – an often-told story describes how two of the members, already alumni of a Houston high school, attended the graduation ceremony of a third, eagerly awaiting the moment she received her diploma and joined the band full time. The fourth joined a few years after that, and all these years later – after tasting success for a few years, breaking up, and re-forming after a quarter-century hiatus – they’re still at it.

Wheatfield earned critical praise and loyal followers during the first go-round, playing a mix of folk, rock, jazz, soul and even classical music. The band could be forgiven for playing nostalgia gigs for aging fans, and it’s true that several of the old songs are still staples of Wheatfield shows, such as they are these days. But when the quartet restarted the band in the early Aughts, it was with the idea of continuing to create new music, and they have. Some People is a bit uneven, but the album’s 10 original tracks are worthy of the fine reputation the band established long ago.

(Full disclosure: This reviewer has been a Wheatfield fan at least since 1976 and counts these musicians as friends, having come home one evening a few years ago to find them in his living room, set up to play a surprise birthday party house concert.)

The music, as always, is an eclectic mix of styles and influences. The title track, written by Craig Calvert (vocals, guitar, mandolin, flute) is a funky look at real-world tensions between work and fun, money and time. “When the Fog Rolls In,” by Calvert and Ezra Idlet (vocals, guitar, banjo, percussion) is a gentle, jazzy meditation on life’s simple pleasures. “Sweeter Side,” by Idlet, Connie Mims Pinkerton (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Keith Grimwood (vocals, bass) celebrates seeking the good in life; it features Idlet’s banjo and some fine four-part harmonies. (Idlet and Grimwood make up folk duo Trout Fishing in America, which began as a side project in the ’70s and is still going strong.) “Different Games,” by Mims Pinkerton and Calvert, is metaphorical look at personal struggles; “Cup of Moon,” co-written by Calvert, harks back to the band’s roots as an acoustic trio. “Better Days,” credited to all four members, is an up-tempo ode to hope and perseverance that seems well suited to current times.

The only song not written by one or more band members is a folky-bluegrassy rendition of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” that highlights Grimwood’s soulful vocals and Idlet’s skillful banjo.  There’s a message there: Almost five decades on, at or near retirement age, Wheatfield’s members are still seeking. The writing on Some People is thoughtful, the playing is excellent, the harmonies are as lovely as ever, and the production, by Calvert and Idlet, is clean. Wheatfield isn’t exactly a full-time band anymore, but its members continue to explore the musical landscape, and what they’re finding there is worth hearing.

Review: Chuck Hawthorne’s “Fire Out of Stone”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller – Austin-based singer-songwriter Chuck Hawthorne’s sophomore effort is an eclectic collection of nine originals and a cover, exploring themes as diverse as Native American lore, the struggles of growing up in the shadow of a famous father, the loss of comrades, and the hardships of life on the road. Hawthorne’s writing is personal but accessible, combining literalism and metaphor to explore a range of human experience.

The opening track, “Such Is Life (C’est la Vie),” is a tribute to a fallen buddy that draws on the language of music and motorcycles. Dealing with a friend’s death isn’t easy, but Hawthorne finds positivity and acceptance at the end: “His holy wind, I gave him back/Now he’s riding on the zodiac/And such, my friends, is life.” Another farewell song, “Worthy of the Sea,” reflects Hawthorne’s military background – a couple of decades in the U.S. Marine Corps. “May your gift be sailing through the end,” he sings. “Calm seas and fair winds keep her steady as she goes.” 

“Arrowhead and Porcupine Claw” is a coming-of-age tale featuring a young Native American acquaintance trying to find his place in the world, and the narrator’s efforts to help him along. Fittingly, one of Hawthorne’s own mentors, singer-songwriter Ray Bonneville, contributes of harmonica to the track.

“Broken Good” is about as happy as this collection gets. It’s a lively shuffle and a celebration of imperfection, describing a couple who make music together and don’t care that it “don’t get much farther than the neighborhood.” Hawthorne closes with a fine rendition of Richard Dobson’s “I Will Fight No More Forever,” based on the story of Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce tribe of the Inland Northwest.

Producers Walt Wilkins and Ron Flynt do a fine job of letting Hawthorne’s songs speak for themselves. Contrast is used to good effect – Hawthorne shifts easily between full volume and a voice barely more than a whisper, between fast shuffle beats and slower tempos. The small but capable cast of musicians yields a sound that’s clean and textured, but not cluttered. Both producers also play, mostly guitars; other notables include Libby Koch on vocals, Ray Rodriguez on percussion, and Geoff Queen on pedal steel and dobro.

Review: The Mastersons’ “Transient Lullaby”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller–
Transient Lullaby, the most recent album by The Mastersons – singer/guitarist Chris Masterson and singer/multi-instrumentalist Eleanor Whitmore – reads as an account of the couple’s musical and personal lives. Marked by well-crafted lyrics and beautiful harmonies, these songs form an insightful look at the highs and lows of a life of almost constant togetherness, on and off the stage. They’re backed by Masterson’s excellent guitar playing and Whitmore’s fine performance on pretty much anything with strings, including but not limited to guitars, violin, cello and mandolin.

The album’s sequence seems to track the arc of a relationship; the 11 tracks cover a lot of emotional ground, and easy answers are in short supply. The first track, “Perfect,” sums up the beginning of a relationship, with a mix of wariness – “You seem like a great find/But I’m broken, so please be kind” – and optimism – “We’re not perfect, but we’ll turn these tears to gold.” Conflict surfaces in the title track, in the struggle between personal bonds and professional demands: “It’s time to go/It’s been great, but I can’t stay long.”

Several of the songs that follow explore, with sometimes painful honesty, the everyday conflicts that challenge relationships. The titles hold clues: “You Could Be Wrong,” “Fight,” “Don’t Tell Me to Smile,” “This Isn’t How It Was Supposed to Go.” But it’s not all darkness. “You are my light,” the couple sings on “Shine On.” “We’re gonna shine on/Gonna shine on.”

By the end of the album, restlessness seems to have won out. “The time has come for us to part ways,” Masterson sings on “Happy When I’m Movin’,”the last “official” track. “ ’Cause we both know/I’m happy when I’m movin’.” That would make for a sad ending if not for the bonus track, “Anchor,” which closes a lyrical circle by echoing a line in the opening track – “Can’t you feel me? I’m your anchor” – with a similarly upbeat sentiment. “ ‘Cause I want to be right by your side,” they sing. “I promise you/In a world untied, you’re my anchor.”

Instrumental support comes from Andrew Pressman and the late George Reiff on bass, David Boyle on keyboards, and Falcon Valdez, Cully Symington and Conrad Choucroun on drums.

Conroe Americana Music Festival’s winning debut

 in Americana Music, Festivals

By Paul T. Mueller

Conroe, Texas – The good times continued through the weekend at the premiere edition of the Conroe Americana Music Festival. Fair weather, a strong lineup and a relaxed vibe made for a fine experience for the hundreds in attendance in the small city north of Houston.

Dale Watson and Ray Benson at Conroe Americana Music Festival

The schedule on Saturday, May 6, began at 12:30 p.m. and ran until midnight, with 26 shows at six venues. A noon-to-6:00 Sunday schedule featured 17 shows. Many fans found themselves trying to decide among several good options at the same time; the event’s relatively small footprint, spread over a few blocks, made it possible to see parts of multiple sets without spending too much time in transit.

Some Saturday highlights:

  • The appropriately named Caleb and the Homegrown Tomatoes, from Conroe, kicked off with a lively set that included “Family,” a look at the ups and downs of life on the road, and nice covers of the James Gang’s “Funk 49” and Robert Ellis’ “California.”
  • Sophia Johnson, a native of England who relocated to Austin a few years ago, played an energetic set of bluegrass and swing that showcased her impressive guitar skills. The supporting cast included Beth Chrisman on fiddle.
  • Texas honky-tonker Mike Stinson demonstrated his gift for catchy hooks and rocking riffs on songs such as “Late for My Funeral” and “The Box I Take to Work.” The set featured nice contributions from ace guitarists Lance Smith and Brian Whelan (for whom Stinson played drums in an earlier set).

  • Eric Taylor

    Iconoclastic singer-songwriter Eric Taylor, a mainstay of Houston’s folk scene in the ‘70s, played a few long songs featuring his unorthodox vocals and guitar playing, interspersed with rambling stories about marital misadventures and the time Lucinda Williams introduced Bob Dylan to Townes Van Zandt. Taylor eventually left the stage to his wife, Susan Lindfors, who played a couple of nice songs including her “A Matter of Degrees.”

  • Notable moments from Sunday:
  • Houston-based trio The Great Trumpet played an engaging set of energetic folk featuring guitar, washboard and cajón, plus nice contributions from a guest fiddler (but no horns). The songs were marked by interesting arrangements and nice harmonies by guitarist Andrew Smythe and washboard player/singer Sarah Haug.
  • Folksinger Ray Bonneville, a native of Canada now living in Austin, entertained an attentive audience at the Red Brick Tavern with songs exploring the problems and rewards of living, all filtered through his weathered voice and distinctive guitar playing. Selections included “When I Get to New York,” “Funny ‘bout Love,” “What Was I To do,” and a couple of requests “Canary Yellow Car” and “Tiptoe Spider.”
  • Honky-tonk star Dale Watson and Western swing master Ray Benson (frontman of Asleep at the Wheel) put on a clinic in crowd-pleasing showmanship during one of the festival’s closing sets. Songs included some by Watson (“I Lie When I Drink”), some by Benson (“Miles and Miles of Texas”), some by both (“The Ballad of Dale and Ray,” “Feelin’ Haggard”), and some classics (Merle Haggard’s “Misery and Gin,” Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” Commander Cody’s “Hot Rod Lincoln”). There was also plenty of comic interplay between the two veteran performers. The encore consisted of exuberant renditions of Hoyle Nix’s “Big Ball’s in Cowtown” and Waylon Jennings’ “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” featuring assistance from fellow festival performers Guy Forsyth, Jon Dee Graham, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis.Festival talent booker Tracy Brandon, speaking shortly after the last notes had faded and crews had begun breaking down the outdoor stages, pronounced the festival a success. “The fans had a great time,” Brandon said, noting that the event had drawn attendees from other states as well as from around Texas. Asked about future plans, she said the event’s producer, the Conroe Downtown Area Association, “hope[s] to continue to grow the festival.”