Category: Songwriters

Thirty years on, Ellis Paul’s songs and stories delight audiences

 in Americana Music, Reviews, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson –

Singer-songwriters are plentiful these days. Have a guitar, smartphone and social media account? Suddenly you’re giving concerts.

There was a time, though, when anyone stepping on stage at a coffeehouse had to truly engage an audience with songs, stories and a sense of humor. If you wanted to work, you had to entertain.

Ellis Paul is old school in all the best ways. His Oct. 21 performance for the Americana Community Music Association had him demonstrating how an acoustic guitar can sub for drums and bass, explaining why he’ll be buried with that guitar and hopping off stage and into the audience for a touching encore of “Over the Rainbow.”

Ellis Paul photo
Ellis Paul at Americana Community Music Association in Fort Myers

Paul is on his 30th anniversary tour and he reflected on the evolution of his songs. Early on, young songwriters tend to focus on romance and relationships, but over time, you need to expand your perspective, Paul explained.

That explained his raucous “Kick Out the Lights,” an account of the Man in Black losing his temper on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, with its refrain “Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash.”

Paul’s reflection on dysfunctional families led to a memory of his own family’s worst day, a reunion documented in “Five Alarm Fire on the 4th of July.”

Paul, whose most recent album 55 was inspired by his birthday of that number, also offered up “You’ll Never Be This Young Again,” a buoyant song about never giving up on your dreams.

And so the evening went: wildly diverse songs, entertaining stories, the occasional singalong and an absolute rapport with the audience. Talent and experience make all the difference.

Opening up the show was Gene Martin, an 84-year-old retired radiologist, living the lyrics to Paul’s song about dream-chasing. Miller’s brief set was warm and fun and featured the evening’s most memorable song “Prep Day.”

Gene Martin

“That was the best song about a colonoscopy I’ve ever heard,” Paul proclaimed, beaming at his opening act sitting in the front row.

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).

A brilliant showcase from Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark

 in Reviews, Songwriters


By Paul T. Mueller –

There’s a belief in some quarters that everything coming out of Nashville these days is formulaic dross, but Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark put that idea to rest in their Sept. 28 co-headlining appearance at Houston’s Heights Theater. The 90-minute show, the first on an 11-date tour, amounted to a two-person guitar pull that drew heavily from the singer-songwriters’ recent releases. Taking turns performing their finely crafted songs, McKenna and Clark rewarded the capacity crowd with a brilliant showcase for their writing, singing and playing, with some bonus comedy thrown in.

Brandy Clark and Lori McKenna (Photo by Paul T. Mueller)

McKenna, who lives near Boston but spends time writing in Nashville, is a master at capturing the nuances of human emotions and experience. She performed several songs from her new album 1988, including “Happy Children,” “The Old Woman in Me” and “Town in Your Heart.” There were older favorites as well – “People Get Old,” a wistful but clear-eyed look at aging; the rueful “All the Time I Wasted on You,” and the sad and haunting “Halfway Home” – the last performed, she said, at the request of one of her Texas fans.

Clark featured songs from her self-titled fourth album, produced by Brandi Carlile and released earlier this year. She paid heartfelt tribute to a beloved grandmother with “She Smoked in the House,” while “Northwest” was a love song to her home state of Washington. One of the biggest moments came near the show’s end, with “Dear Insecurity,” recently featured as a duet with Carlile during the Americana Music Association’s annual awards show. Clark’s fine older material included the regretful “Who You Thought I Was” and “Pawn Shop,” a ballad about broken dreams, both from 2020’s Your Life Is a Record.

The ”encore” consisted of one song each from McKenna and Clark, each of which became a hit for a more mainstream Nashville artist. The two alternated verses on “Girl Crush,” written by McKenna, Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, and recorded by Little Big Town. Clark closed the show with a rousing rendition of “Mama’s Broken Heart,” a co-write with Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves that found success with Miranda Lambert.

McKenna and Clark got excellent support from guitarist Cy Winstanley and bassist Vanessa McGowan, transplanted New Zealanders who also perform as Tattletale Saints. Louisiana native turned Nashvillian Brandon Ratcliff opened the show with a six-song solo set that featured his strong songs, excellent guitar and vocal skills and engaging stage presence.

Kent Blazy Meets the Beatles

 in New releases, Reviews, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson –

It’s always a joy when an artist and songwriter is an unabashed music fan like the rest of us.

That’s certainly the case with Kent Blazy, whose new album From The Beatles to the Bluebird, is fueled by a love of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Blazy, a 2020 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, has had an extraordinary track record, including writing “If Tomorrow Never Comes” with Garth Brooks, the Brooks hit “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up” and  Chris Young’s classic recording “Getting’ You Home The Black Dress Song)”

The new album isn’t about Blazy’s hits of the last 30 years. Instead, it’s a full-throated celebration of the Beatles, songwriting and living a vibrant life.

Album opener “February 9th, 1964,” chronicles the night the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and inspired an entire generation to ask for guitars on their next birthdays. The song was co-written with Steve Allen, who also contributes vocals.

On the title track, Blazy draws a direct line from that night to his later success as a highly successful songwriter playing at the Bluebird Café, Nashville’s songwriting haven. On “Die Young,” Blazy tips his hat to Paul McCartney in his ‘80s, and offers these words of wisdom: “I want to die young at a very old age.” This should be the personal anthem for anyone with a senior discount.

The rest of the album is less Beatles-centric, but always fun and thoughtful. “Just Writing Songs” is a particularly upbeat song about how writing songs for the pleasure of it can sometimes bring unanticipated rewards.

Many successful songwriters reach a point where they set aside their art and just make regular trips to the mailbox for royalty checks, but there’s no slowing Blazy down. He still writes, performs and releases albums on a near-annual basis, still drawing on that magical night in February of 1964, as this new collection attests.

Time Traveler: Jason Wilber’s engaging musical journey

 in Reviews, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson —

Jason Wilber was among friends and family as he took the stage in Fort Myers, Florida on June 24. There was his wife Michelle in the second row. Sitting next to her was Jason’s father. On the left side of the room were friends from Bloomington, Indiana. And pretty much everywhere there were fans who loved his work as a member of John Prine’s band.

No matter, though. Even a room full of strangers would have been won over by Wilber’s engaging, low-key set.

Wilber opened with the upbeat and inviting “Time Traveler,” a song he says was partly inspired by the science-fiction classic novel “Time and Again.” It was a fitting start to a set that spanned decades of music.

The oldest song was also the most moving. “A Song For You” was written and recorded by Leon Russell in 1970, and was later covered by Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, the Carpenters the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Willie Nelson and many others. Despite all of those other interpretations, Wilber’s stripped down version was absolutely striking. From the beginning, it was a song written by a road musician for the woman he loved. Wilber’s take sounded true.

Wilber didn’t disappoint those who came to see him because of the Prine connection, playing “Far From Me” from John’s first album and “Souvenirs” from the Sweet Revenge follow-up in 1972.

John Prine also came to mind when Wilber performed his own song “Quakertown Optimists Club,” which explores why an Optimists Club would call it quits. The song and story behind it were very entertaining.

Jason Wilber is an extraordinary guitarist and he offered up sometimes intricate and always impeccable playing throughout his set. From his cover of “Annie You Save Me” by Graffiti6 to his stirring closer “Ghost Light,” he packed a lot of variety and surprises into the evening.

Bruce Gallant opened the evening with an exuberant performance. It’s always a great sign when the artist is clearly having as good a time as his audience. We hadn’t seen Gallant before, but quickly recognized that his “Living in Paradise” is a local anthem:

“Living in Paradise, I ain’t got much, but it sure is nice. A ten by fifty mobile home, that sets on land that I don’t own”

There’s some Roger Miller in there – and that’s a good thing.

The concert was presented by the Americana Community Music Association, a remarkable organization of volunteers who bring great live music to Southwest Florida. Their base is the All Faiths Unitarian Church in Fort Myers. Picture a good house concert with top talent, comfortable chairs, good lines of sight and first-rate sound. These folks have built a vibrant music community out of a sheer love of Americana music. Highly recommended.

Ken Paulson is the editor of Americana One and the host of The Songwriters, seen on PBS affiliate TV stations nationwide.)

Gretchen Peters’ graceful exit from touring

 in Americana Music, Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller —

Gretchen Peters, wrapping up a long touring career, gave her fans in Houston a fine show to remember her by. The prolific singer-songwriter and her husband and musical partner, Barry Walsh, performed for a nearly full house at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on June 22, the final show in the church’s Coffee House Live spring concert series.

Peters fittingly opened with “The Show,” a ballad about the life of a touring musician. The next few songs included some dark stories of violence and death, including “Wichita” and “Blackbirds” (she introduced the latter by noting, “There’s always a high body count at my shows”). The murder tales eventually gave way to gentler fare, including a lovely rendition of Tom Russell’s “Guadalupe” and “When You Love Someone,” one of the dozens of songs Peters has written with Canadian singer Bryan Adams.

Gretchen Peters and Barry Walsh (photo by Paul T, Mueller)

Walsh alternated between piano and accordion and provided vocals on most of Peters’ songs. He got a turn in the spotlight mid-show, performing the instrumental “Belgian Afternoon” from his album Silencio. Peters returned for a lovely rendition of “Say Grace,” a call for compassion and forgiveness from her 2018 album Dancing With the Beast. Other highlights included a fine performance of “Independence Day,” with Peters accompanying herself on piano, and a sweet version of “On a Bus to St. Cloud,” with a callout to the late Jimmy LaFave, who memorably covered the song.

Peters closed with another song appropriate to the occasion, “To Say Goodbye” (she has announced her retirement from touring, although she does plan to play some festivals and other gigs). After a standing ovation she sat on the edge of the stage and crooned an excellent rendition of the Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer classic “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” accompanied by Walsh’s excellent piano. After the show she and Walsh stayed to sign autographs and share memories with their many fans and well-wishers.

Michelle Malone spans decades in Houston show

 in Reviews, Songwriters


By Paul T. Mueller –

Georgia-based singer-songwriter Michelle Malone brought decades’ worth of songs and showmanship to her May 13 show in Houston. The show at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, featuring Malone on acoustic guitars and Doug Kees on electric, included a career-spanning 14 songs. All were fueled by Malone’s powerful vocals, ranging from a delicate croon to an all-out roar.

She led off with the evocative “Dust Bowl Man” from her 2022 album titled 1977.  Other highlights included the anthemic “Just Getting Started,” from 2017’s Slings and Arrows, and “Not Who I Used to Be,” also from 1977. The latter wrapped in a bit of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” with a powerful solo by Kees.

Michelle Malone copyright Paul T. Mueller

Malone’s solicitation of requests from the audience yielded a sweet rendition of “32 Seconds,” harking back to her 1990 album Relentless with former band Drag the River, and “Butter Biscuit,” which she called a “silly song” but one that’s often requested. Near show’s end came a new song, “Like Mother, Like Daughter,” in honor of the hours-away Mother’s Day.

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

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”).

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.”

Brian Wilson, John Prine headline 30A Songwriters Fest

 in Festivals, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson

John Prine

“Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows.”

“Angel From Montgomery” and “Sam Stone.”

“American Pie” and “Vincent.”

If the measure of a songwriting festival is the caliber of the songs it showcases, the 11th annual 30A Songwriters Festival is in an enviable position. The festival, which begins this Friday in Fort Walton, Florida, is being headlined by Brian Wilson, John Prine and Don McLean.

One of the joys of the 30A Songwriters Festival is always the range of talent it presents. There are dozens of both emerging and veteran artists who share one common trait: They’re all deserving of more attention than they currently enjoy.

At the other range of the fame spectrum are the writers whose work has made them household names. Joining Wilson, Prine and McLean are Tanya Tucker, the Indigo Girls and even Peter Noone and the current generation of Herman’s Hermits. It’s all a smart mix of thoughtful songwriting and joyous entertainment. (See Peter Noone.)

You’ll find the full line-up here, and tickets are still available here.

Review: For the Sake of the Song – The Story of Anderson Fair

 in Americana Music, Songwriters


By Paul T. Mueller –

It can be tricky to capture the magic of a particular era, or a particular music scene, or a particular venue, but Bruce Bryant was up to the task. Bryant directed and co-produced For the Sake of the Song – The Story of Anderson Fair, a 2010 documentary about Houston’s legendary Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant, better known simply as Anderson Fair. The small club was instrumental in nurturing the careers of such notables as Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith, whose album One Fair Summer Evening was recorded there in 1988.

Anderson Fair

The 88-minute film got the big-screen treatment on November 14 at Rice University’s Media Center, about four miles from Anderson Fair, which opened in 1969 in Houston’s eclectic Montrose neighborhood. The club, which began as a restaurant and evolved into a singer-songwriter-focused listening room, remains a mecca for aspiring and established musicians to this day. The free event, sponsored by Rice’s Fondren Library and the Houston Folk Music Archive, was preceded by a reception and followed by a brief performance by singer-songwriter Vince Bell, prominently featured in the film, and a Q&A session with producer-director Bryant.

The enthusiastic audience, most of which appeared old enough to have hung out at the Fair in its early days, braved what was for Houston a chilly and damp Thursday night. Attendees included such notables as James Gilmer, longtime percussionist with Lyle Lovett’s bands and another of the many musicians interviewed in the film; Houston musician and producer Rock Romano, also known as Dr. Rockit; Norie Guthrie, director of the Houston Folk Music Archive; Bill Moore, the film’s editor, and a sizable group of current and former Anderson Fair volunteers.

Vince Bell
Vince Bell

For the Sake of the Song tells the story of Anderson Fair – named for its two original owners, Marvin Anderson and Gray Fair – with a mix of archival photos and film footage, more recent performance clips, numerous on-camera interviews with musicians, and some original music by Gurf Morlix. Some of those featured in the film – Lovett, Williams, Griffith, Keen and others – are still alive and performing. Others, including Guy Clark, Richard Dobson, Steve Fromholz and Houston folkie Don Sanders, have died since the film was released, adding poignance to their words and images.

The film is more than the story of one music venue, though. At one point, Anderson Fair is compared with the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, where the Beat poets of the ‘50s hung out, as the epicenter of a community of like-minded people, a sanctuary for the hippies and free thinkers who didn’t feel quite at home in mostly conservative southeast Texas. Things change, of course, and today there’s little left of the funky, bohemian Montrose that gave birth to the club. But Anderson Fair persists, true to its roots and its values (the latter personified by longtime proprietor Tim Leatherwood), and the film’s inclusion of younger artists such as Matt Harlan and Greg Klyma illustrates the continuity of those values.

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.

Show 38 : Felice and Boudleaux Bryant honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame

 in Country Music Hall of Fame, Podcast, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson –

There’s a remarkable new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville celebrating two of the most successful songwriters in the history of country music – or any genre for that matter – Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.

We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant chronicles the writing of such indisputable classics as ” All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Devoted to You,” “Rocky Top,” “Love Hurts” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” The Everly Brothers alone recorded 29 of their songs.

The exhibit tells the couple’s story through a wide range of artifacts, but most impressive are the bound ledgers containing their hand-written songs. They’re a compelling reminder of how painstaking the process of writing truly great songs is.

In this edition of the Americana One podcast, we’re privileged to hear from Del Bryant, a longtime music industry executive and one of the Bryant’s two sons, and Dr. John Rumble, senior historian at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Americana One #35 Gary Nicholson bridges the divide

 in Podcast, Songwriters, WMOT Roots Radio

By Ken Paulson

Gary Nicholson, one of Nashville’s most respected songwriters and artists, is overachieving these days. On June 7, he’ll release not one, but two new albums, and both are pretty special.

Nicholson, like so many of us, is concerned about the state of our nation these days. His The Great Divide captures that in 11 compelling songs, opening with “God Help America” and a nod to Irving Berlin. It’s not an angry album; it’s a call to action.

Whitey Johnson is the Clark Kent to Gary Nicholson’s Superman, or maybe it’s the other way around. As Whitey, Nicholson delivers a playful groove throughout More Days Like This. It’s a soulful and often charming collection of rhythm and blues, with co-writes from Delbert McClinton, Seth Walker, Donnie Fritts, Tom Hambridge and the late Arthur Alexander. Nicholson doesn’t mess around.

In this edition of the Americana One podcast, we paired our preview of the new albums with a conversation we had with Gary last year on Delbert’s Sandy Beaches Cruise. He took us all the way back to the roots of his career and the highly successful years that followed.

Americana One is heard twice a week on WMOT Roots Radio and is available as a podcast on iTunes, Google Play and other prominent podcast platforms. Subscribe now.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Americana One #34: A conversation with Elizabeth Cook and Carlene Carter

 in Nashville music, Podcast, Songwriters

Describing Elizabeth Cook and Carlene Carter as kindred spirits doesn’t begin to cover it. We were about 10 minutes into our conversation with Elizabeth when Carlene dropped by. What followed was a highly entertaining, engaging and candid conversation about both women’s lives and careers – and how the two first connected.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Strategic Songwriting of Justin Townes Earle

 in Festivals, Interviews, Podcast, Songwriters, WMOT Roots Radio
Justin Townes Earle at the 30A Music Festival

Justin Townes Earle knows how to pace himself. In a wide-ranging conversation at the 30A Songwriters Festival, Justin told us how he writes a new album: 12 songs written over the span of a year and astonishingly, in the exact order they show up on the finished collection. In this excerpt, he talks about how it all comes together.

Justin Townes Earle on Strategic Songwriting

The full interview will be available soon on the Americana Music News Podcast (find it on iTunes) and broadcast on WMOT Roots Radio.

Michael McDermott on writing the truth

 in Interviews, Podcast, Songwriters, WMOT Roots Radio
Michael McDermott at the 30A Songwriters Festival

We visited with Michael McDermott about his new collection “Orphans” at the 30A Songwriters Festival, but also spoke about his truthful songwriting and his penchant for performing the National Anthem. Here’s an excerpt:

Michael McDermott


The full interview will be available soon on the Americana Music News Podcast (find it on iTunes) and broadcast on WMOT Roots Radio.

Steve Poltz at the 30A Songwriters Festival

 in Festivals, Interviews, Nashville music, Podcast, Songwriters
Steve Poltz
Steve Poltz at the 30A Songwriters Festival

Steve Poltz has something that most of the artists at the 30A Songwriters Festival can only dream of – an honest to goodness hit song. But his “You Were Meant For Me,” co-written and recorded by Jewel in the mid-’90s, was actually a bit of an impediment as Poltz tried to develop his own solo career. In this interview excerpt with Americana Music News, Poltz explains how all of that changed when he moved to Nashville. His new album “Shine On,” produced by Will Kimbrough, is due March 1.

Stee Poltz talks about his breakthough hit

The full interview will be available soon on the Americana Music News Podcast (find it on iTunes) and broadcast on WMOT Roots Radio.