Janice Williams Loves Austin

June 22, 2008

Night at the Nutt

Filed under: Accordion gigs,Kevin Fowler,Music — Janice @ 11:57 pm

It is time to tell the story of Friday night and playing accordion with Kevin Fowler. I haven’t gotten to it yet because life keeps getting in my way. Cleaning, gardening, laundry, sleep. I feel like an update of my site should take priority, too, but I am procrastinating on that and I will procrastinate by finishing this tale.

Have I said lately what a great place the Nutty Brown Cafe is to see a great show? Mark and I used to go there for just a fabulous Sunday brunch or any meal (and I still recommend that), but then they built the huge stage and there are lots of places you can just “be” at a show without being stuck in the middle of a crowd. The VIP seating is very nice and restricted, but the smart folks that bring their lawn chairs create their own VIP seating.

It was a beautiful hot summer night for a show, but not as hot as I thought it might be. Those thunderheads were building off to the east, but nothing that was going to interrupt this show.

Just about as soon as I got there and rolled my accordion in from the parking lot because I had missed an important call from Thomas, the production director of the Nutt, telling me where I could have easily parked backstage. Oh well, it is fun to have lots of people wonder what is in that big gray case.

I took my “gear” (I would like to be able to say that with a straight face, but I can’t, I’m an amateur) up to the stage so I wouldn’t be hauling it around all night. A quick trip to Kevin’s bus to find out about the set list (mine was song number 10 on the list) and a big happy birthday to my friend Sarah, who was on the bus celebrating #29. She’s the woman I want to be my Girl Friday when I become famous and need a handler.

Before I had been there very long I saw one of my favorite radio listeners, Mike Connor. The last time I had seen him was at Kevin Fowler’s CD release up at the HEB in Round Rock, which was PACKED with fans wanting that CD (the store ran out and had to go to the closest Best Buy to get more!). Mike and I had a good visit and caught up.

I found Thomas and Ron, the guys who make everything click at the Nutt. They work with me a lot at Hill’s Cafe and Shady Grove. Later Thomas made me VERY nervous when I saw him climbing among the scaffolding of that huge stage (see above? up at that top?) readjusting the lights.

Next I found Sam and Dana and their friend (I can’t think of his name!). All old great listeners that I frequently would run into as I was out and about. They caught me up on their lives and the baby and I caught them up and let them know I wasn’t with the radio station anymore. They hadn’t heard that news and were surprised.

I moved down to the cement apron in front of the stage and found Pat and “Texas Deb” (that’s her motorcycle name) and Joe and Lisa, more listener/friends that I see most often at musical events (well, duh, it’s not like I’m going to run into these people at the grocery store). I saw a man looking at me and then he said, “We sure miss you on the air!” I introduced myself and then found out we’d met before and I knew him best from being a winner on “Let’s Learn About Austin.” Richard and wife Janice looked sharp and it was nice to catch up with them.

Mike Farr, the owner of the Nutty Brown, came along and gave me a sweaty hug (at my insistence). He was working hard getting it all together and making sure it was a great night. He has really built a wonderful venue, not only for the audience, but for the performers to, with a secure backstage area and a fabulous “green room” house that is readily available and big and comfortable. From my perspective, he’s thought of things that most venues don’t realize are important at all ( . . . what? you mean the star of the show can’t just go to the portapotties on the other side of the audience?).

I find my friend Christy and her friend Mindy and end up spending most of the night watching the show with them.

I haven’t mentioned the opening acts, which helped add to my bands for the month and especially the new ones.

BAND #20 (and new band #5) was Smash Cowboys, or something like that. I’m not coming up with anything on them on myspace so I could be totally wrong. I didn’t think they were too bad. I’ve heard some really bad opening acts that make me cringe and these guys were melodic and rocking without being over the top. I thought they were a good match for a Kevin Fowler show. They didn’t try to out-rock him (you just can’t—unless you are Aerosmith) and they weren’t too traditional either.

BAND/PERFORMER #21 (and new artist #6) was Charla Corn. I had just met her a week or so ago at Hill’s Cafe. Her brother, Clay Corn, used my accordions on the new Honeybrowne CD (which I still do not have a copy of, but I heard one song on the radio and it sounded great). Charla just moved to Austin from Nashville. She played a duo with Tracy Martin of Kevin’s band playing guitar with her and she was good. Strong voice, confident, very pretty. She just needs to knock the Nashville off her act a bit and she’ll be fine here.

Okay, finally, it is Kevin Fowler showtime. (BAND #22) And what a show it is. He has the lights, the smoke machines, the stage crew, and the band that make it all work so flawlessly. I have been seeing Kevin since 2001, I think, and he has changed and grown, but it is always an amazing, entertaining performance. There are so many times I plan on only staying for an hour or so, but his show keeps you right there and there is no way you want to be the one to leave!

The band is top notch:  Tracy Martin on guitar, Gary Herman on bass, Artie Passons on steel, Ken Tondre on drums, and the newest member, Jason McBride on fiddle. I met Jason on Wednesday night at Hill’s when his brother was playing with Aaron Watson, but I had no idea he was going to be playing with Kevin when I got there.
So, okay, let’s get to ME. I was amazing. I have finally played that song with Kevin and the band enough to know what I’m doing up there. No, I dont’ know what I’m doing on the accordion necessarily, but I know how the stage feels and how the others perform and I know that there is only a couple of times that the audience can even hear my accordion. It is all smoke and mirrors. But I played my heart out, and, yes, I do know how to play the song so I was basically playing it although I couldn’t hear myself either. It is an incredible rush to play to that many people in an audience. I can see why Kevin does it.

Exhilarated, I  left the stage, put away my accordion, saw Kevin’s manager George Couri and told him I was seeking a new manager and I went back to stand wit Christy and Mindy. Now that is an experience none of those guys on stage ever get to have… Going into the audience during their show. It was nice to have some of those “Good jobs!” as I went back to them.

Kevin and the band played on and worked the crowd right up until the 11:30 p.m. curfew. I made a quick dash to the car with my accordion rattling behind me and came home feeling flushed with success. What a night! Thank you, Kevin, for making it possible.

June 20, 2008

Accordion Rock Star

Filed under: Accordion gigs,Austin,Kevin Fowler,Music — Janice @ 11:59 pm

So I’m driving home from my most awesome gig EVER as the featured accordion player with Kevin Fowler at the Nutty Brown Cafe. I pull up to the stoplight and I hear accordion music playing in the next car. I glance over and see a young guy give me a smile. I roll down the window a little so I could hear more of this great accordion music from his radio or CD. I’m digging it and then, just as the vocals begin, the light changes to green . . . The young man starts singing the lyric “Que bonita . . . ” and he’s singing to me! I’ve had a cute young Mexican boy flirt with me at a stoplight with accordion music at midnight in South Austin. What a nice capper to an amazing night.

Full report manana. Buenas noches. Tengo que dormir.

January 30, 2008

Yes, Yes, I know

Filed under: Accordion gigs,Food,Music — Janice @ 12:14 am

It is an aggravating thing to go to a blog you like and find the same post that was there the day before (and the day before). I know, I’m a blog reader, too. But, man, doesn’t a little bit of work get in the way of my webposting? I am doing some part-time work and it has kept me busy and will, I hope, continue to keep me busy, but with some time for blogging, too.

I did have three new experiences yesterday that I wanted to write about and I want to post pictures, but I’m too pooped to get the camera and upload them. So, for now, just a little of the story. I had a new food, a new venue, and TWO new bands yesterday.

First, the food. Yes, I will add a food category to the blog. It keeps coming up! My friend Marsha made me a sandwich like I have never had before. She said that the local drugstore lunch counter made it when she was a kid and it was their specialty. Get this:  Nut Olive Sandwich. And by “nut” she meant peanut butter. It was bread spread with peanut butter and covered in olives and then grilled in a pan with butter. She added some mayonnaise to it when it was done. Good? Yes, it was good. I don’t think it is something that I will seek out or try to make myself, but it wasn’t bad. The warmed peanut butter was very good and almost “cheesy” in its creaminess. And I love olives just about anywhere, so they were good.

On to the new venue. I went to the Scoot Inn on the east side of town to see a friend play. Jennifer Leonhardt is relatively new in town and I met her and her college-aged daughter on Christmas Eve at the club Mark plays at. Very nice people. She sings and writes and had a show at the Scoot Inn so I checked it out. Cute little place, it reminded me of an old-fashioned living room with flocked wallpaper walls, old chandeliers and lamps with red bulbs, and old-fashioned frames and photographs on the walls. Neat old wooden bar, too. Nice place and nice people, though very few of them on a Monday night. I think the second band watched the first band play and the first band watched the second and there were a few employees, a girlfriend or two, and me.

And the new music:  Jennifer was the headliner and she played with a four-piece band. She has a beautiful voice. I would use the word ethereal except that sounds quiet or weak. Her voice was very strong. The style of music was something that I enjoy live, but don’t know that I would like it on a recording as much. It has been interesting (and a bit of a challenge) to see music now that I am out of radio. No longer do I have to judge or critique (in my head) for the job and if it would fit there, now I can just appreciate music as it is and decide if I like it. It has been harder than I would have expected to make that transition. I’m learning.

The band that opened for Jennifer was Blue Squeezebox. I hope a picture I took came out. They are a three piece band with, of course, an accordion! The lead guy (and I didn’t even get his name) plays a beautiful blue accordion with, well, black “white” keys and white “black” keys. You know what I mean.  I love his approach to the accordion. No, this wasn’t polkas or conjunto, this was more the French style of accordion, which was the type that affected me most just before I got mine. Very melancholy, melodic. He was very strong in his control of the accordion, which I am not, and he had a great way with the buttons. I see lots and lots of accordion players with bands that are truly keyboard players so they only play the keyboard or play the buttons intermittently. And I really don’t mean that as a criticism. If you see me play at the Broken Spoke (or anywhere) I’m only going to play the keys because I am too inexperienced to control both at the same time. This guy was great and had an amazing style of singing, too. If you like Tom Waits and Jon Dee Graham and other artists that growl and bark their songs, this was like that!

So new food, new places, new music, and new friends in the process. It was a great Monday. Apparently it wore me out, though, and I’ve been dragging through work today and even through American Idol tonight, if you can imagine. I did finish up my website class at ACC, though, and you’ll be proud I have passed. Whoo-hoo. I’d post my final website project, but it is boring boring, but it is my first website created entirely by hand with html, so that was a big learning process.

November 25, 2007

A Full Week of Music

Filed under: Accordion gigs,Austin,Kevin Fowler,Music — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Janice @ 11:30 pm

Eventually I am going to have a blog on this site, the kind that can be added to so easily. For now, I haven’t made that happen, but I still want to tell you where I’ve been and who I have seen in this past week. It reminds me why I am so thankful I am here in Austin, Texas, where you can see the most talented artists in little clubs and restaurants on a daily basis. And not “unknown” talents, although they are there, too. You can see artists that have recorded with Brad Paisley, toured with Merle Haggard, written for George Strait. It’s a town where an artist can find a home. And a fan can find heaven!

Last night I went to the beautiful and historic Paramount Theater to see the fabulous production of Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison’s Holiday Show. This is their fourth year to put it together and they opened their short tour here in Austin this time. Kevin McKinney opened the night. I had never heard of him before I Googled him and found that he was a founding member of the old Austin rock band Soulhat, which I had heard of, but still wasn’t familiar with. He has a new 12 song Christmas CD Kevin McKinney’s 12 Holiday Hits. It is a CD of acoustic guitar recordings he made as a gift for his wife. You can hear a bit here or find more at Chocolate Records. I didn’t know what to expect at the live show, but it was just Kevin and John Brush, a guitar player from Fort Worth, playing Christmas songs on guitar. He was one of these artists that are as much fun between the songs as he was during the songs. His continuing commentary on Christmas, his music, the night, the crowd, was fun. He had never played, nor even BEEN, in the beautiful Paramount, so he was in awe.

Bruce and Kelly put on a wonderful, casual show, with their band Eleanor Whitmore on fiddle and mandolin, Andrew Nafziger on guitar, John “Lunchmeat” Ludwick, Eddie Cantu on drums, and a fabulous keyboard player. Anyone know who that was? I haven’t been able to find out who it could have been. It is a “holiday” show, but they leaned heavy on their hits: hers from her latest album Translated from Love and his from It Came from San Antonio and the ones that George Strait has taken to the top. I talked to several people who weren’t really familiar with Bruce until he started reeling off the hits: Travelin’ Soldier, Angry All The Time, Desperately, and the latest number one, Wrapped. Bruce and Kelly have a Christmas CD and they did play Baby It’s Cold Outside and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but they seemed to have less of the Christmas tunes than previous years. They did add a new hilarious HOLIDAY tune to the repertoire, but I won’t tell you about it here in case you are going to see the show in Gruene or Dallas or Lubbock. The surprise I can tell you about, because it isn’t going to happen again, was when Jerry Jeff Walker came out and joined Bruce and Kelly onstage. What a wonderful holiday gift to the audience. Jerry Jeff sang Gettin’ By (which may become my new theme song), I’ll Be Home For Christmas, and Mr. Bojangles.

Friday night I went to the Evangeline Cafe on South Brodie. I have been there for the fabulous food before, but never for the late night music. It was really a treat. Curtis has a place to be proud of and if you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it. I highly recommend it for the food, first, so go when you can enjoy the fried shrimp and those little bread things they make, the gumbo and the Cajun specialties. But go for the music, too, because it is really the epitome of a neighborhood gathering place. I went to see Redd Voelkert and he was joined by Warren Hood on fiddle, Nate Rowe on bass, and Chris Gilson on drums. Redd entertained a full house with country classics, lots of Merle, and his amazing guitar playing. Warren and Nate also sang.

Tuesday night I spent in New Braunfels at Gruene Hall for the KNBT 92.1 Radio New Braunfels Thanks and Giving show with Adam Hood and Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros. It was a night of thanksgiving and pure enjoyment. I got there late and didn’t get to hear much of Adam Hood, with Matt Powell on bass. But Adam is back at Gruene in December so I will try to be back. Walt and the Mystiqueros: Marcus Eldridge, Bill Small, Johnny “Gringo” Greenberg, and Raymond Rodriguez harmonize and find a way to not only entertain, but to uplift. I decided on the spot that if Walt Wilkins ever starts a church (or even a cult) I would be the first to join up. He was preaching to me when he said, “We are the luckiest people alive!” I sure felt that way among my friends in Gruene.

Monday night I made a night of the blues. My nephew Connor was in town for the music and we went to see Uncle Mark onstage. First, Mark’s band “Little Elmore Reed” played at Antone’s to open the night for Easy Monday, hosted each week by Lee Edwards and Claudia Voyles. A great performance there from Mike Keller (guitar and vocals), Dale Spalding (harmonica and vocals), Willie Pipkin (guitar), Pat Whitefield (bass) and my sweet husband, Mark Hays, on the drums. After their set, Lee and Claudia celebrated the release of Lee’s new CD Interesting World. Lee is the singer/songwriter in the vein of Townes Van Zandt. He knows how to make the right choice of word to evoke an emotion or paint a picture. Much more folk than country, he and Claudia still have a place on my music lists. We moved on from Antone’s to the east side of town for more blues with Little Elmore Reed at the secret clubhouse (don’t ask, I have been sworn to secrecy).

And, of course, last Saturday I was at the Nutty Brown Cafe for a great night with, first, the Sam Bentley Band, and then the Kevin Fowler Band. I had the immense pleasure of joining the Kevin Fowler Band on stage and playing accordion on Senorita Mas Fina. It is an absolute thrill to get to be onstage with those guys and see how adored they are by the throngs. They sure know how to hold them in the palm of their hand!

So, nine bands/performers in eight days. A pretty typical week in Austin, Texas.

Powered by WordPress