Texas Reflexis Spring 2017
Another successful trip to Texas and back, from May 10th to May 22nd. Dawn and Henry picked The Baron Ward up on Wednesday in Houston, and we made it back to the beach that very night, after a Welcome Back dinner at Sake To Me in Lake Jackson (sushi!). The beach house was cleaned up scrubbed and totally ready for us…and we were overcome with gratitude…and nerves, for the tests to come.
Our first gig day was a double-header: Bridge Bait (Freeport) in the afternoon from 2-4, and Sake To Me (Lake Jackson) that night from 5-9. Bridge Bait was another classic…hot sun, cool crowd, hoots and hollers, Here.We.Are.In.Texas. We started off with an enthusiastic bang, and almost wore ourselves out those first two hours. At Sake, we played acoustic in front of the aquarium, and the stage was nicely set, and the mellowness of it was perfect. Friends were popping in left and right, including Billye and Sam, Matt and Julia, even Jake Riggs, who drove over from Austin to spend a couple days. We met Dianna Chenevert. We plan to book both places again in October.
Once again: Bridge Bait in the afternoon…and by this point, the locals seemed to remember us…memories flooded back from prior years there, and we got some great pictures for Facebook and Instagram. HUGE SALLY was fully present…I talked Jake into coming up to sing Never Rain Again, and after that, he just grabbed his guitar and started busting out. The version of Emily we did that afternoon, with three-part harmony, is one of my favorite phone video performances ever. We played Dido's that night, all acoustic, once again with Jake in the band. We knew he had to take off on Saturday, so we made the most of that night, body-surfing in the ocean until 3a.
Dianna is a woman with a long history of acting, music booking, promoting, charity organizing, and social medianating. This point in her life finds her with a worldwide network of friends, a son who once held an NFL contract in his hands (now he's a pastor and activist), a small yacht that she currently pilots between Florida and Freeport TX, and some fascinating memories that are steadily being transcribed into a memoir. She made a connection with The Baron Ward through Henry and Dortha Pekar, our stellar and hospitable hosts in the Texas Gulf. We hung out for the next ten days straight.
La Casona was our Saturday night show: the mexican restaurant that resides at Columbia Lakes Resort. The last time I was at this place, it was 2010. Will Downing was alive and jamming. Jake and Megan and I were staying in "The Beatles Room", a rental cottage on the premises. We were all in the midst of a visionary cacophony that was shivering our connections to each other. There was tension, there was venturin', there was raw interaction.
Now that I am sitting in the future drinking coffee and scotch, I realize fully just how foundational that trip was for William and I, for Dawn and I, for Megan and I, for Jake and I. Small memories came rushing back as I walked the grounds.
The gig itself was outdoors and very pleasant. John Downing was there…so we sang him His song, "Johnny On The Farm" (Track #1 on Will's forthcoming, postheumous third album). We shot more videos with Dianna. And then we ate mixed fajitas, charro beans, y guacamole. Home by midnight, with a check in hand, and with an inkling that it was all getting stronger.
We played a long brunch set at Dido’s on Sunday morning, and then we climbed aboard Nancy and Fred and Bob's paddleboat. It was a glorious ride up the Brazos River! We played a few songs, told a few jokes, whipped out a dance number for Sissy and Fred, and of course, dedicated everything to Captain Bob. This show marked the first time we were requested to play "Outlaws" (another Will Downing tune from that third album) more than three times in the same set ("…umm, we already played that, it was our first song" … "Well Play it again!") We actually obliged…and that dustballed into performing it three or more times per night for the rest of the trip…hm…
We had these days off, and spent them writing, rehearsing, filming videos with Dianna at the Yacht Club and on her boat…beach walking, beach cleaning, swimming, brisket smoking, string buying, email writing, TURTLE PATROLLING.
Yes, on Tuesday May 16th, we witnessed a Galveston scientist and her crack team evaluate a sea turtle nest site, and prepare to dig up the eggs and transport them to South Padre Island, a protected area. They measured the lengths, made notes on the facts. They drove a regular truck. I wrote a song. We filmed a very short version standing in the surf and put it on Facebook. We debuted it live on Friday afternoon…and as of this writing, its been requested at every single show I've played since then. Thank you to Henry for putting that short video up on FB and sharing it around. Thank you to Dors for not being annoyed at the catchy annoying melody, and memorizing the lyrics real quick. Thank You to the scientists who actually do the real work. I never got her name…
Wursthaus in Lake Jackson was one of my first big gigs in the area: 2014. It was a leap-of-faith solo jaunt in the midst of a Huge Sally tour. Huge stayed behind in Austin, and I rented a car and drove out on an instinct. I met Dido's, Wursthaus, and Bridge Bait on this fateful trip. Richard Wood and I made a connection, and ever since, he has booked my band when we come through! First, it was Thursday night at Growler’s Pourhaus, his new place. Our local friend Eli opened the night with a startlingly funny introduction, and we had a Great time with the staff and all our fans. Then on Friday we did the Wursthaus thing. Both nights were super fun, high-energy, and with an aura of peace, professionalism, and power. I can't recommend these two spots in Lake Jackson highly enough. Both have inventive menus, both pride themselves on their beer selections, and both hire real good people.
We met Jeannette Waldie, and saw Houston's superb house concert venue Visionary Heights. Wow. Doverlaff House Concerts in Portland has a surprisingly similar outlook on lifestyle, community, and song circles…they are two thousand miles apart, and have never met, and yet have each arrived at the, I SAY, right conclusions! Jeannette's son Owen, Ted Miller, and Ken Gaines also play a big role in this vibrant and seriously interesting Scene. We met a new band member: the amazing Addison Freeman. He is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter-singer, and comfortable jammer. We hung out with him nonstop our last two days. He is invited to come up to Oregon in July and join us for quite a few gigs. Can't wait to welcome Addison to the Pacific Northwest!
Its good to be home. Oregon is beautiful. Texas is welcoming, amazing, a unique experience. And yes, turns out not where but who you're with that really matters.
We hope to come back in October. And The Baron Ward hopes to visit the southeast coastline from the Carolinas to New Orleans next spring…
