#thmf

MAGIC TOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015, BOB DYLAN, SHANNIE, LUCKENBACH PICKERS CIRCLE, THMF AND APRIL, AND MORE

Writing this as I head to San Miguel de Allende, my favorite road trip. Or maybe that West Coast trip each June. I just can't decide so will begin with a quote by Catherine of Sienna (where I visited her thumb (a relic) in her church there in Sienna with cowgirl Paula Reynolds.) Enough parenthetical pauses??  Now for that quote:  "All the way to heaven is heaven." That aligns with other words I love, "Bloom where you are planted," and "It's the journey, not the destination." And these words do not contradict each other, although ostensibly they could.

OK...enough word play. Just sipped my last Heavenly Pho soup from an adventure in San Antonio last night. Jim Chesnut was performing at a Vietnamese restaurant. I walked in hearing a gorgeous smooth voice singing many songs I knew and liked. Beyond country, he also ventured into classics and an original by Ron Young, who was sitting at a table in the restaurant. I first met Ron when he was writing for the now defunct paper, San Antonio Light. He was already in the writing about music game as I was just thinking about it. Jim Beal (now retired) was at the Express News. Along with Sam Kendrick at Action Magazine, celebrating 40 years on April 12, these guys wrote the music scene in San Antonio. It was good to hear Jim, an veteran musician with years of experience both in Texas and Nashville and a smart business consultant as well, sing a song by Ron. Everything connects in my world.

Great March coffeehouse behind us, with stellar performances by Lisa Beck and Susan Gibson. The house was full even as the temperature dropped outside below freezing. And the booksigning for HER TEXAS was a success, with old friends showing up and TPR setting up with us. Ahead is the April 7 spoken word cofffeehouse with Thom World Poet hosting a slam poetry contest and the Schreiner music dept. and English dept. as featured guests! Mike Kasberg will bring a sax group to the stage, and we never know who will read from the English Dept.

Paul Hilliard and Boone Holding have offered to host another THMF coffeehouse for students and community on April 28. The format is open mike so bring it on! 7-9 p.m. in the Lion's Den again. Great ending to the semester. Where did that semester go as I was out on sabbatical? I have over 15 new interviews for a book as I write this in March.

April 10-12 is the annual Texas Folklore Society meeting at the YO Ranch Hotel. Join us at 8 p.m. Friday night for the Hoot. Local musicians pay attention!  And consider joining the organization! And important part of Texas history, for sure. Lee Haile and Jean Schmidt always represent them at the Texas Heritage Music Day the last Friday in September. We are open to new volunteers and sponsors. Contact me for more information. [email protected] or 830-792-1945.

Saying goodbye to Sarah at the office and hello to Adrianne. Change is often hard, but we are thrilled to have the support of a Cailloux labor grant to keep this position going. Lots of folks benefit, including the students and teachers in our Hill Country schools. This year the THMF is adding an educational DVD for teachers attending. A student project in the office.

I am happy to have a video blog twice a month with Jim Leavell. See www.the-hill-country-calendar.com and our own website at www.texasheritagemusic.org Leavell is a permanent sponsor for THMF, along with about 15 others in the community. Consider joining the organization. We need members to continue raising money for our projects. And, remember, we have no paid staff. Surprising to many.

Now for an invitation to the 40th blowout for Action Magazine, held at Texas Pride Barbecue from noon until the cows come home on April 12. Performers include George Chambers, Johnny Bush, Johnny Rodriquez, Darrell McCall and Ron Knuth. And many more. Augie Meyers is emcee, and his new CD is all about roots country music. Augie is a keeper of the history now! Roy Holly, veteran DJ, hosts a weekly show in KKYX at 680 AM from 9-10 each Saturday called Talk About Texas. Roy and I have often talked about the THMF September event too.

SHIFT:  adding this section after the road trip to San Miguel.

My adventures on the road this month include a week in San Miguel de Allende with THMF board member, Janice Kennemer Ballard, and THMF member Etain Scott with friends GaryAnn Lord, Mychele Lord and Wendy Sachs. The purpose of the trip was to attend the Magic Town Music Festival. THMF has a commitment to cultural exchange, and our sponsorship of this event also supported the TExas music on the lineup. Stephanie Urbina Jones, a spokesperson for us on many programs, was a highlight on Sunday afternoon. Red Young, from Austin, Texas, also played Sunday with a band and with his wife, Sylvie from Switzerland. It seems each conversation I had somehow pointed back to Texas. Carrie Cameron, Rusty and the entire team hit a homerun with  this event.

Saturday the show started about two hours late due to rain complications, but the show did go on. And the silent auction was a huge success, raising money for Casa de Los Angeles, a non-profit that supports children and families in need in Mexico. Sunday  we filled the area under the tents, dancing to "Quiero Bailar" with Stephanie. I had a Stephen Bruton theme going as Friday night at the VIP party I suddenly heard Bruton singing, "Give it up to the bigger wheel." I looked around, saw a man in a Rolling Stones jackets, and asked him, "Who played Stephen?" He smiled, saying, "I did." His name is Johnny Starbuck, and he was director of the program as well as emcee. One of the last bands Sunday, Oh Whitney, played a strong version of "White Freightliner" by Townes Van Zandt and then Red Young played with Austin guitarist, Dave Sebree, who has a summer camp for kids called Rock Camp USA. Red, from my hometown of Ft. Worth, even played a Ray Sharpe song for me. He didn't know it was for me. www.redyoung.com

A surprise guest was Marcia Ball. She appeared at the Thursday night pre-party at Cenntani and the VIP party at Sollano. She was on stage when musicians jammed, representing a chapter in both books I donated for the silent auction. Connections abounding!!! The THMF is already planning a fundraiser for 2016, and it will involve a trip to the Magic Town Music Festival 2016. Space will be limited to let me know if you are interested. We will go down for the music fest the second weekend in March and include some special events and a great meal or two. In the works.

Marcia Ball played the Broken Spoke to celebrate a reunion of Freda and the Firedogs as well as her birthday Month on Sunday, March 22, the last day of SxSW. THMF had an evening of boogie woogie piano on Saturday, March 21, with Non-John, a scholar and performer. Jeff Ballard joined him on drums as they created a night of music for the 290Texas  Series. John put some video up of his educational entertaining performance! Go to the THMF group on Facebook and check him out. John Tennison. Brilliant stuff.  Kevin and Barbara (Cosmic Dust Devils) are next on the bill May 9 for that series. Check out 290texas.com for details. For our second year collaborating with Paul Sumrall and Walnut Spring Preserve, we will be presenting music in the city park in Johnson City this summer.

Dalis Allen has announced Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris for May 23 and David Crosby for June 6 at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Never too early to get your tickets! I have plans to hear Bob Dylan in Texas at the Majestic on May 7 and in Austin on May 6. I am even considering Granada, Spain, in July to hear Dylan play at the city Lorca loved. And Leonard loves Lorca, arranging Take This Waltz from a Lorca poem. The basic threads of my life come together as Dylan plays in Granada.

Research going well for next book. I plan on interviewing Azul in San Antonio, Al Gomez, Joel Guzman, Sarah Fox and Los Lonely Boys. Soon. Hispanic Heritage in TExas Music:  Stories of Texas and Mexico. OR some such name.

Driving up 16 on March 31 for my mom's 91st birthday. I listened to "Sacred" by Los Lonely Boys and heard many songs that inform my research. And that rock music. I was at the Willie Nelson Picnic in Austin when he introduced them as a new favorite band. Hispanic heritage, San Angelo Texas, a dad who sings country music and this band! All one rocking package. I was also at the Willie 4th in Ft. Worth when the Boys brought out their dad to play some country music. Right at midnight.

I also have the 2014/new cd by Shannie, "Blame It On The Moon." "Mi Destinos" on that CD just might be my favorite. This duo, hosting a Thursday night pickers circle at Luckenbach, also participates in the THMF nursing home program called the Music Connection. We hope to get them in schools as well, talking about writing and performing. Walt Wilkins produced the cd, and he and Tina perform for a house concert on April 16 at Bill Worrell's studio on the Llano River in New Art, TExas. Call me if you want a special invitation. Private party. Bet we see Shannie.

THMF adding events to the plate with THREE in April. Yikes. April 7 is the spoken word coffeehouse at Schreiner in the Lion's Den,  April 18 at 3 p.m. Paul Hilliard and Boone Holding will host a pickers circle at Hastings in Kerrville, and April 28 the same two will host a special OPEN MIC coffeehouse at Schreiner in the Lion's Den, 7-9 p.m. Loving April. I will be at a booksigning on April 18 in San Antonio for the new HER TEXAS, a book of poetry, art, photography and writing by 60 Texas women. I am proud to be in there with Sandra Cisneros and Naomi Nye among the many others who also make me proud. Bryce Milligan and Wings Press published the book. Go online and get your copy.