Is it me or does this pasta look a lot like fly line?

While I typically race in a million different directions, I am literally preparing to head in two very opposite directions (both geographically and culturally) as we are traveling west to Montana and then east to Italy…in all of its pastalicious carbohydrate glory. I am wildly excited about both trips but it’s a bit heady trying to get ready for my first fishing trip of the season out west as well as my first trip to Italy in over a decade. I feel so lucky but want to be as prepped as possible to make the most of each special vacation! My mind is a water bug making list upon list and jumping between spaghetti, fly line, trout, pasta, rivers, ruins, mountains, museums, cowboy boots, and comfortable walking shoes.

Where the hell is my passport?

Total Panic! (Don’t tell my internationally well-traveled mother this is happening yet again.)

There is a very good chance I could head west with an entire plate of steaming spaghetti wound onto my reel in place of fly line. As you can see it’s all starting to make me a little loopy.

And speaking of tight loops…so the Professor and I are going to spend a few days in Sheridan MT over Memorial Day. I have been madly pulling down gear, clothing, trying to remember what I have here in Austin and what I left at the Troutshack last August. It’s the same fire drill every year, I’m not sure why I don’t make this easier on myself.

Where the hell did I leave my Scott 5-wt?

Total Panic! (Don’t tell my uber-organized husband this is happening yet again.)

If I have in fact learned anything from history, it’s that mother nature on the Big Hole River over Memorial Day weekend will likely dump snow, sleet and rain on us. So yesterday I madly contacted friends at FLY SOUTH in Nashville to redeem a 2011 Christmas gift certificate that I have been sitting on. Figuratively, not literally, as I have long since lost the paper gift certificate. After much computer sleuthing they found my credit and I am now the proud owner of a heavy duty bombproof Patagonia rain jacket sure to keep the sleet and snow away, to the point I can personally guarantee 85 degree sunny skies in Melrose MT over Memorial Day Weekend. Your welcome.

Simultaneously I was in a delightful but fervent email exchange yesterday with my new BFF in Tuscany, Serena, who is helping me secure a tour/tasting at a local olive oil mill. After molto back and fortho we finally have this mill booked. Delicioso!

Then I also had to scramble to come up with a new lunch spot in Siena because I have poo-pooed the original choice on the itinerary. I was actually the one to suggest, nay push, for the first place. But since I last dined there in the 1990’s they have adopted a medieval theme and waitresses clad in peasant costumes serve drinks in giant goblets. Gag. I cannot handle the Medieval Times gimmick when I’m in Italy for just one week (or ever) so now we are going to try this restaurant which is highly endorsed:

And of course I had to compulsively obsess over finding a place in our super-tight schedule to drag my entire family (largely against their will) to my favorite place in all of Rome, The Crypt of the Capuchin Monks. For some reason all the members of my travel party are inordinately preoccupied with visiting utterly predictable things in Rome like St Peter’s and Bernini sculptures and the Coliseum, but I am here to tell you, this is happening:

But first, this is happening:

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

Any travel tips for us? For the Spaghetti or the Western portion of our adventures? 

GLADYS AND MAYBELLE

Gladys and Maybelle travelled down from Fort Worth where this sister act stays busy playing private parties and busking the streets of the Stockyard. They cleaned out every Hobby Lobby in north Texas buying enough red bandanas to SEW THESE ADORABLE DRESSES just for the Willie party!

They also brought a crockpot of chili and Willie braided breadsticks. Too cute. I love these girls.

Gladys and Maybelle offer sweet, old-fashioned country harmonies that are so vintage they are downright fresh. Every act last night did some covers, did some originals, but everyone did at least one Willie tune. Here they are doing “Good Hearted Woman.”

Visit Gladys and Maybelle on FACEBOOK

JOSH BUCKLEY

South station in Boston to the stockyards of Austin….Josh Buckley moved from Boston to Austin and the Texas music scene is all the better for it. Typically he performs with his band The Gilded Splinters but he is as big a Willie-phile as the rest of us so he graciously joined the party and blew everyone away with his strong, unique voice.

People were dreaming up reasons to have parties so they could hire Josh to play them. Josh has a new fan club as of last night.

He did a great rendition of “Hello Walls” for Willie…

Follow Josh Buckley and The Gilded Splinters on FACEBOOK

TEX SMITH

If you have been reading this blog lately you already know what a talent Tex Smith is as I have been raving about him in recent posts. His songs are soulful and powerful and dare I say he too got a whole new batch of fans last night. He sounded great. If you like Townes Van Zandt, you will like Tex Smith. His songs have a similar meandering, lyrical yet poignant ache to them.

Unfortunately I didn’t capture any video of Tex last night because once he took the stage I started getting nervous. And I mean nervous! Because Tex had already agreed to let me sing one song during his set. I haven’t sung on a stage since my twenties and the few times I did it was little more than late-nite, overserved screeching. I am incredulously comfortable public speaking in front of a thousand people, but the idea of singing in front of people makes me get all blotchy and nearly  faint. I haven’t been this scared in I don’t know how long. But I did it. With a real mic, and a real band, in front of a real audience.

I sang Kitty Wells’ classic “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” I missed a few notes and choked on a few words early. Yikes! But I so enjoyed the instrumental solo in the middle that it relaxed me. Tex was strumming away, Nick was on guitar, Lynette on standup bass, Russ on drums and Peter on steel. I guess that calmed me down because I felt much more relaxed on my second verse/chorus and sounded a bit better. No one bumrushed the stage or anything but hopefully I didn’t hurt anyone’s ears either. I grade myself out at a C+ maybe B- but most importantly….I DID IT!

Thanks to Tex encouraging me for a month and a half, I didn’t chicken out.

Check out more of Tex’s music at his website Tex Smith.net

JASON JAMES

The final act of the night was Jason James. This kid has a voice straight out of 1949 and might just be the future of traditional honky tonk in Austin. Great originals as well as covers of Willie, George Jones, Hank Sr. Jason cites Lefty Frizzell as one of the most important singers to him and it really comes across in his music.

Here he is covering Willie’s “I Gotta Get Drunk and I Sure Do Regret It”

Special kudos to the band who played with all four acts. They jumped in on songs they had never even heard before and brought them to life, it was incredible! I have seen Nick on guitar and Jake on bass a few times now and I am continually amazed at their talent.

Check out Jason James on Reverbnation

CAKES

Of course what’s a birthday party without cake? I made two cakes for Willie. This is the red velvet with the bandana/braid theme. A little rough around the edges but hey, I am not only an amateur singer, I’m an amateur cake decorator.

And this is a yellow cake I did trying to celebrate Willie’s treasured guitar, Trigger. I even sacrificed my best eyebrow tweezers to this project, trying to meticulously place the little silver beads on the guitar and arrange the brown sprinkles to create the hole worn in the wood. I felt like it was 1977 and I was playing the game Operation.

I can’t have a celebration without ordering a cake from my friends at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. They just won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network so they are SLAMMED these days but they found time to create this Willie cake masterpiece. I looooooved it! And it was delish, chocolate cake with kahlua and cayenne pepper. Insane.

We ended the night just as Willie ends his concerts, with all the musicians on stage together singing “I Saw The Light.” I was so flattered when Tex asked me to join them up there, I was over the moon.

I don’t even know where to start with the THANK YOU’s. It was such a fun, magical, easy evening. I loved it. SPECIAL gratitude goes to the band…Nick on guitar, Jake on bass, Lynette on bass, Russ on drums and Peter on steel. I can’t believe I got to be on stage with you guys.

Thank you MARY for letting us have this at Sam’s Town Point and for all your enthusiasm about the evening.

BIG THANKS to Tex for cheerleading me all the way to the mic. And figuring out I sing that song in G. And for assembling all this talent. Thank you for sharing your gig and letting us turn it into one big party.

THANK YOU to all my friends who ventured out on a school night to hear some honky tonk, love on Willie, and clap for my song. I kinda stacked the deck, it’s true. But I will never forget each of you being there. Yall were better than a beta blocker.

And thank you to Willie for bringing us all together. I think he would have enjoyed it, we certainly captured his spirit. They’re all good but this was a pretty special night of music and friends in Austin Texas.

Turn out the lights, the party’s over

They say that all good things must end

Call it a night, the party’s over

And tomorrow starts the same old thing again

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

You may not know that the Professor is quite the grill master. Last year for his 50th birthday he got a green egg and it has opened him up to a whole new world of outdoor cooking, smoking, and grilling. This weekend in Austin was the 10th annual Big Green Eggfest out on Lake Travis and it was a blast!

This event is not recommended for vegans.

We topped off Eggfest with a stop at the most legendary dive bar of all time, Dry Creek. A little Pearl in a can and George Jones on the jukebox seemed like the perfect way to cap off this beautiful Austin Saturday and honor The Possum.

On Sunday our friend Monte Warden was celebrating his birthday so we went to see him perform with his band The Wagoneers at the Continental Club. They too were called to pay their respects to George Jones as you can see in this little video…

Granted I was a little excited when they busted out their three George Jones tunes but if you saw me crying, please don’t think I was completely emotionally unstable. I had been a little heavy handed with the self tanner earlier in the day. While it clearly states not to apply near your eyes, I had slathered it around my eyes and right when they started playing the Jones songs it seeped into my eyes, burning my retina and no doubt turning my eyeballs orange.

A minor distraction. The Wagoneers brought it big time. Just another Sunday night show with Monte Warden delivering his one-of-a-kind, full tilt, all out, high-energy, cardio honky-tonk. If you have the chance, definitely come to see the Wagoneers, they play Sunday nights at the Continental Club at 7:30. You won’t be disappointed.

After the show I had the chance to meet Austin photographer and author, Mathew Sturtevant.

(Yes, I realize I was a little too aggressive with the self tanner and I look like a human Cheeto. In another post I will address my on-going issues as a lifelong tanorexic in recovery trying to make it in an SPF-centric world.)

Sturtevant published a coffee table book called The Sound of Austin which the Professor bought for me for Christmas last year. It boasts incredible photographs of Austin musicians, including Junior Brown, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson…and the band of the evening, The Wagoneers.

If mom or dad are music lovers, this book would be a great mother’s day or father’s day gift, yall. Run don’t walk.

It was a great show and a lovely time afterwards relaxing with the Professor, old friends and new friends. We were thrilled our friend Kin joined us and we were able to convert another fan to the Wags. And I always love laughing with Brandi Warden who is sweet and hilarious, plus I enjoyed chatting with new friend, Tom Lewis, aka the hardest working drummer in central Texas.

And of course, the birthday boy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTE! (Thanks for the cake, Brandi!)

Speaking of birthdays…and cake…

Our beloved Red Headed Stranger turns 80 this week and we are throwing a bash to celebrate. If you are in the Austin area, or can get yourself here, PLEASE COME! We are throwing a Willie Nelson Potluck 80th Birthday Bash this Tuesday 4/30 at 8pm at Sam’s Town Point. My talented friend Tex Smith has generously decided to share the stage, in true Willie family style fashion, and has invited some redhot musicians to come for the party. We are going to have live tunes from:

8:00 – Gladys and Maybelle

8:30 – Josh Buckley

9:00 – Tex Smith

10:00 – Jason James

Bring a dish, bring a sweet, or just bring yourself. It’s going to be a perfectly Austin evening, sending love and music Willie’s way.

Followed by cake.

Ten hours later we determined our vintage Onkyo receiver is on the fritz.

But one of the highlights of the day was spending time in Mobile Records with owner, Keith Glass. Originally from Australia Keith is a singer, songwriter, producer, record label owner. And now proprietor of an epic record store. This place is a true gem, some other patrons showed up having driven over from Biloxi just to check it out. Keith makes it, he is one of the most gregarious and knowledgeable musician/storytellers I have ever encountered. I plan on logging some serious hours in this place.

I was delighted to see he had this 45 of Curtis Gordon’s local hit “Mobile Alabama.” Curtis Gordon was an early rockabilly/country star who owned a popular music venue in Mobile called Radio Ranch which Elvis played a few times.

Keith also had an old copy of a Lawrence Reynolds album with a handwritten note scratched on it…from Reynolds himself! Lawrence Reynolds was a Mobile guy who was a prolific country singer. He recorded a vast library of tracks without ever really breaking through as a household name. But he had a big hit called “Jesus Is a Soul Man” which has been covered by countless country greats and even inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to create the Broadway smash “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Here’s a fantastic clip of Johnny Cash singing “Jesus Is A Soul Man” with Lawrence Reynolds as a guest on the Johnny Cash Show.

Got the bug to browse some vinyl? Want to support your local record store? APRIL 20th is NATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY. Check and see if your town has a retail location that is celebrating. If you’re in the Mobile area, head over to the parking lot of Mobile Records, Keith has plenty of live music lined up for the good people on the Gulf Coast.

PS…here’s what we took home from Mobile Records yesterday:

I am not quitting my blog. I am not changing the format. I am not going to pull a Michael Jordan-esque retirement just to start posting stories again the following week. I am not going to alter the nature of the site just to revert back to what’s been working for half a dozen years already. I am not going New Coke on your ass.

I am just talking out loud here, trying to explain why it’s a little flat of late. And the answer is LIFE, for the most part. Marriage, family, friends, raising a 13-year old…the joys and responsibilities have been amplified lately. Plus I have started working part-time for my husband’s company which is fantastic, but one more ball to juggle.

And then, there’s my writing. I am working on Book #2 and for some reason I am having a much harder time finding good chunks of time to write on this one. Paddlefish just flowed right out of me, I don’t remember this constant panic that life was too hectic and I couldn’t sit down to right. But for whatever reason this season of my life is so overwhelmingly nuts that I have to fight to write each week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not writer’s block, I love love love writing on the book. It just seems everything externally is conspiring against me to have that quiet time. I have been doing a lot of interviews for this project, which are enriching the story but are a pain in the butt to chase and schedule.

The good news is I am undeterred! I have about eight chapters left to do in the first draft and I hope to have those completed by the end of May. Game on! And because I tend to overcomplicate an already complicated calendar I have some fun outings/soirees/getaway planned along the way. The other thing that has suffered in my focus-on-others schedule is diet and exercise so it’s time to put that back at the forefront of the todo list on a daily basis. It’s just a lot. You know, your life is the same, I’m no different. Doesn’t everyone seem extra nuts these days?

So bear with me. I don’t have time or brain power to offer my full tilt storytelling at the moment. Posts might be a little leaner for a while, a picture/caption, random soundbites, or a few bullet points here and there. They are going to be quickfire updates for the time being. Then someday this summer when you least expect it and you’ve gotten used to my rapido posts I will hit you with another long and winding story.

Until then, I’m not really sure what’s coming your way via this blog. But we’ll find out together.

Last night I ventured out to do some hard hitting honky-tonk research for the book. I decided I needed to get out of my Old South Austin music scene (as fabulous as it is) and plug in to some different artists/venues. Through my friend Ashley I have come to know Tex Smith and last night I went to hear him play with his band the Haymakers.

They played at a joint called Sam’s Town Point which I had never heard of before, and now won’t be able to stay away from for long. It is a fantastic, divey, warm, honky-tonk tucked away from the madness of Austin’s condo construction chaos. Tex and I chatted for an hour or so before he played and discovered we have a whole overlapping history of Dallas music in the early 90s! I knew I would be inspired and entertained but I have to say, I can’t get over what a great guy he is. He was wide open with me and I really enjoyed his perspectives on music and life.

And the band. The Haymakers is comprised of super charged talent, all guys who also play with other bands like Hot Club of Cowtown. But here at Sam’s Town Point on Tuesday nights they are Tex Smith and the Haymakers and they were outstanding.

There is a lot of sound coming from these four guys! They were tight. Tex delivers songs that hint at his eclectic musical influences (Johnny Cash, Elvis, Beatles, Ernest Tubb) but are also altogether unique. His songs are unornamented, raw, and pleasing. They have an ache and a quirkiness at the same time, not to mention an honesty that fits with this very authentic new friend I have made. Great guy, great talent.

And speaking of talent. He generously invited various musicians who showed up to hop on stage and play a few of their songs. The Haymakers were unbelievable backing these songs they were hearing for the very first time and I felt like I was watching magic unfold before my eye.

First up was Ben Ballinger. He looked like a young Harry Connick Jr, but when he opened his mouth to sing the blues came out. Big time! Blew me away…

Next was Toronto native Nancy Dutra who transplanted herself to Austin for a few months to feed off the music scene here. Perhaps my favorite thing I learned about Nancy is that late in life she ditched her high salary J-O-B to follow her creative dreams. (Hmmm, reminds me of someone else I know.)

Finally there was Pake Rossi who was rocking the hippest hat with a single feather hanging down from it. He played solo without the band backing him and I couldn’t get over his song, something about empty cupboards. It was wholly his own yet was on par with a Guy Clark composition!

MANY THANKS to Tex Smith and the Haymakers for spending so much time talking with me before the show and making me feel so welcome. Thanks to all the other musicians who are brave enough to work on their craft and get up and sing in front other people, an act that terrifies me to the bone. And finally, special thanks to Sam’s Town Point. You haven’t seen the last of me there, I have something up my sleeve in April and I think Sam’s is just the spot to pull it off.

Meanwhile, yall take a moment and check out these singer-songwriters. Last night was a fresh reminder that there is always good new music on the horizon if you’re willing to step out of your rut and check it out. Here are links to their sites:

TEX SMITH

BEN BALLINGER

NANCY DUTRA

PAKE ROSSI

Brava Tex, Jake, Nick, Russ, Ben, Nancy, and Pake.

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

Be very very glad this is not a scratch and sniff blog. I am mentally, physically and emotionally crippled after three FANTASTIC days camping in Live Oak, FL at Springfest music festival. Some of you may recall 2008 Springfest was the Professor’s and my first date so this year marked 5 years we’ve been together! Springfest delivered as always…laughs, campfire, drum circle, great music, good food, flowing wine, sunshine, rain. Everything but hygiene. So as I face this nasty suitcase and try to decide whether or not to wash it all or burn it all, I will offer just a few highlights from the weekend.

* Within minutes of our arrival we purchased a mason jar of apple moonshine from some guy cruising around in a golf cart. No one could believe how delicious it was. “Tastes like Thanksgiving in a jar!” It was a real crowd pleaser until the second night when someone spit some of it into the fire and nothing happened. A very scientific study ensued which involved spitting whiskey and vodka into the fire, both of which had enough alcohol content to make it flare. Conclusion: we bought apple moonshine that was practically zero proof. Basically we were passing around a $20 bottle of Mott’s all weekend.

* First music highlight (of many) was the unscripted appearance of Peter Rowan on stage with Keller Williams as they covered “Wild Horses.”

* Next music highlight…every heard a bluegrass band cover ‘Stranglehold’? Cornmeal blew our minds. We’ve heard them at Springfest before and this high energy band just keeps topping themselves. Run don’t walk if you have the chance to see this female fiddle player, you will not believe her talent/showmanship. As one member of our group blurted out after her solo, “SCREAMING F-ING FIDDLE!” Pretty much sums it up.

* We worked up a hunger watching Cornmeal and went in search of the Greek food vendor we’d tried in years past. About 12:15 we raced up to it and I thought I was darling doing my best Bonnie Tyler impersonation singing, “I NEED A GYRO! I’M HOLDING OUT FOR A GYRO TIL THE END OF THE NIGHT!” I’m not sure if the Greek-looking food vendor, tongs in hand, gets that a lot or simply had no sense of humor because he didn’t even flinch.

* It started raining Saturday morning and pretty much rained on us until we left Sunday morning. In preparation for the bad weather, the Professor strung up extra tarps over our tent and dug a trench around it so water wouldn’t seep in. It worked! Thankfully our tent and bedding stayed dry because that was our only reprieve from being wet for pretty much 24 straight hours. We were drowned rats….but the music went on! It was actually pretty fun and hilarious how drenched the entire music park was, it actually added a lot to the overall weekend. One of the best times of the entire trip was our group huddled under our camp tarp during our makeshift pre-show happy hour.

* I was determined to see The Sarah Mac Band who I just learned about right before Springfest. Sarah Mac was recently voted #14 out of the Top 30 Female Voices in America by a very reputable magazine I am too lazy to look up and cite properly. Lucky for her she played at the only indoor stage (typically not a big draw at this gorgeous outdoor festival) but the rain forced people inside and she had a huge crowd. I am telling you….do not delay…..download some Sarah Mac ASAP!!! Go start with her song called “Satisfied.” Yall, this girl is part Aretha, part Janis, part Gladys Knight, and part Adele. NO KIDDING! Her voice was so incredible that  I literally burst into tears after she covered Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me.” That is not hyperbole, you can ask the Professor, tears were streaming down my face. Sarah Mac Sarah Mac Sarah Mac…

* The Saturday night headline act was Old Crow Medicine Show and I thought for sure the amphitheater would suddenly be filled with trout fishing guides decked in SIMMS. They may have all been there but it was hard to tell in the pouring rain and mud as people were covered in tarps and trash bags and hoods and umbrellas. It was a BLAST!! OCMS brought it big time. Highlight for me was when they played “I Hear Them All” with a little detour in the middle as they rocked Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

That’s all I’ve got. Can’t type/think any longer. I’ve just been informed I have to work on my taxes which is about the harshest re-entry nightmare I could have imagined. So I will just close by saying I love Springfest. And while I’m already looking forward to Springfest 2014, feel free to enjoy some slideshows from previous years…

Springfest 2008

Springfest 2010

Springfest 2011

Springfest 2012

Hasta.

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

In case I haven’t bumped into you recently let me go ahead and tell you what I’ve been telling everyone I encounter lately, “Did you know that I caught my first tarpon? Want to see a picture of my first tarpon? Yes, I actually did catch my first tarpon.”

You see, it’s been so long since I’ve been able to get out and fish that I’m starting to twitch like a crippled grasshopper on the water’s surface and chant to myself over and over again like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, “I caught a tarpon in Belize, I caught a tarpon in Belize. Three minutes to Wapner. I’m an excellent driver. Three minutes to Wapner. I’m an excellent driver. I caught a tarpon in Belize.”

Life is just so damn busy! I know what you’re thinking…cry me a river. And while you’re at it cry a river with 20” brown trout who like to sip dry flies. (Shoot, there I go again, the mind wanders all on its own.) The reality is I am in that slack tide time of year, fall fishing is drifting further and further behind me while summer fishing is slowly making its approach. In the meantime, I am just floating in between with less propulsion than a Carnival cruise ship. Suspended. Stranded. Starting to list.

I have been so swamped with real life, a part-time J-O-B, and full time writing that I barely have time to fish or even blog about not fishing. (You may have noticed it’s been quite still in here lately.) The good news is that I am really very excited about Book #2 which is unfolding as we speak. I am writing all hours and my head and heart are completely immersed. The subject matter is the history of honky-tonk music…intertwined with stories from my life. I have been researching like a mad woman for months and fine tuning the outline. I have had the pleasure of interviewing redhot musicians like Kelly Willis, Monte Warden and Cody Canada. And I can’t wait to share it with you — which of course will be awhile. My near term goal is to finish the first draft of the full manuscript by Memorial Day so I can head out to Montana footloose and fancy free and drive around with my iphone sticking out of the sunroof snapping pictures like this as we’re heading to the river.

God, I can hardly wait. I’ve taken to quoting yet another inspirational movie character, Lucky Day (Steve Martin in The Three Amigos), who was imprisoned in a Mexican jail and stretching through every last cell of his fingertips as he tried to reach for the key to his cell.

Gonna make it!

Gonna make it!

Gonna make it!

Hmm…ever notice how a self-help affirmation sounds a lot like the rambling of an idiot savant?

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

What’s the word? Who’s been fishing lately? Let the rest of us live vicariously through your stories. Don’t be shy…

After a quick dinner at the ever-delicious Woodland on hoppin’ South Congress, we cruised across the street to the greatest live music venue in all of history, The Continental Club. Venerable Austin musicians Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison (who are husband and wife in case you aren’t familiar) were playing a show as the CD release party for their new album CHEATERS GAME which is fan-tab-u-lous. If I could make up more words and add more nonsensical punctuation to convey my enthusiasm, I would. No kidding, it’s good, like listen to it and like it the first time good. It’s even #1 on the Americana charts and the charts don’t lie yall.

Okay so those sketchy charts are known to lead us astray now and again but in this case, they nailed it.

CHEATERS GAME is the first album that this musical powerhouse has ever released together. Understandably they’ve aimed to keep their individual careers in tact, but the world is lucky they’ve made an exception here because this is a rare case of 1+1=3. Kelly Willis’ voice is as off the charts as ever. And her voice pairs so beautifully with Bruce’s, it’s really hard to explain. I’m not musically informed enough to know how to describe it. I think they might be like the Louvin Brothers where one sings melody and one sings harmony and then they switch and the other sings melody and then the other sings harmony. I don’t know…it just blows my mind how cool they sound together.

And the songs…nothing less than you would expect from someone with the Texas songwriting chops like Bruce Robison. And that includes the ones they were keen enough to pick from other songwriters.

The Continental Club was packed with a great energy, the Lone Stars were flowing, and Kelly and Bruce brought it. I was nose-level with the pedal steel guitar player which was fun to watch up close and personal. The new songs sounded great and of course their standard hits are always a hit with me. If you are a Bruce and/or Kelly fan, make sure to get CHEATERS GAME. You won’t be disappointed. Decade after decade these two keep upping the ante. If you’re not yet a Bruce/Kelly fan….a little trust. CHEATERS GAME….go for it.

Just before Bruce and Kelly took the stage last night I was texting with my college roommate, telling her I was at the Continental Club about to see Kelly Willis, whom she heard on permanent rotation while we were roommates way back when. She downloaded CHEATERS GAME this morning as a treat to celebrate her 12th wedding anniversary. She and her husband already love the album and she texted me today to say she was “having a music moment.”

It’s fun spreading good music news.

The following video clips are not from last night but they are songs from CHEATERS GAME that were performed last night. Thought you might enjoy…

Trucker songs are always welcome but this one is above and beyond rollicking rockabilly good times, especially live. Here’s “Born To Roll”:

This song “Border Radio” is getting a lot of radio airplay here in Texas. You may have heard it?

This slow song “Waterfall” showcases Kelly Willis’ incredible torchy voice (sister has pipes) as well as Bruce Robison’s songwriter instincts. It is a sad, aching love song that grabbed me deep. I was so relieved to be there with my husband whom I adore, so thankful I am nowhere close to a heartache because this song was so powerful if I weren’t happily in love I would have been washing down Prozac with tequila shots and a beer back. Then again, I was awfully close to the steel guitar which probably added to the haunting romantic effect. You see what you think…

Big thanks to both Kelly and Bruce for a great night of music…at the Continental Club…with Lone Stars….about as Austin as a Saturday night can get.

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)

Already a Kelly Willis or Bruce Robison fan? Share some of your favorite songs so others can get to know their music!

Whew! I made it through this podcast interview with Trout Unlimited without developing a case of Tourette’s and accidentally blurting out an obscenity or random thought about how french fries are really better for you than baked potatoes. (I am always trying to convince my husband of this.) And of course we are ALL lucky this interview was recorded before Blake Shelton made those disparaging remarks about country music legends or I might have hijacked the entire podacst as a platform to wage war with Mr. Miranda Lambert and show my support for Ray Price.

But as it turns out, I was perfectly well behaved so they published the podacst yesterday. I am very honored that Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, invited me to be a guest on his podcast series, and we really had a great time talking – I think we could have gone on and on! I encourage you to take a few minutes and listen to our conversation. We cover:

1. How I chose the name FLY FISH CHICK for my blog

2. My book PADDLEFISH and the arduous river adventure, The Texas Water Safari

3. How to get more women into flyfishing; why it’s a challenge; what I think we should do about it

Really you should listen to the podcast for topic number three as we had a fairly interesting dialog about getting women into flyfishing. Unless you haven’t bought a copy of Paddlefish yet, in which case you should focus on the part in the middle. And then the part about women in fishing.

Hell, just listen to the whole thing…

Thanks to Chris Hunt and Chris Wood at TU for making this happen! And if any of you have additional thoughts on how to get more women to the sport of fly fishing, as always, feel free to shout it from the mountain top….or the comments. And maybe shouting is a bit extreme…all caps are so 90s. Regardless, we’d all love to hear your thoughts!

(Copyright 2013 by Christine Warren)