"Loretta" on Norah's Birthday

Norah Jones, the daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, grew up in Grapevine, Texas, and attended UNT. Today happens to be her birthday, so why not celebrate it by listening to her cover a Townes Van Zandt tune? Here she is singing "Loretta" with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D35zZkxA9PQ 

Wayne "The Train" Hancock

Austin musician Wayne "The Train" Hancock sounds so much like Hank Williams that it is nothing short of scary. Folks sometimes compare Hancock to Tricephus, the hellbilly grandson of Hank Williams. Hank III has even covered some of Hancock's songs. Check out Wayne "The Train" Hancock on youtube (below) and then out on the road. He'll be in Fort Worth on Friday, in Roscoe, Texas, on Saturday, and at the White Horse in our fair capital city on tax day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY5QqvMkFpc  

Easter, Texas

Texas indeed has a town called Easter, though it was not named for an oversized bunny's favorite holiday. It was named after a gentleman by the name of William Frank Easter. In a lot of countries, a place with a population of thirty would not qualify as a town. It would be called a village. In Germany, for example, it would be called a "dorf" or in the Czech Republic a "vesnice."

Here is a link with information about the tiny town of Easter, which is up in the Panhandle.

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/Easter-Texas.htm 

Wildcatter Exchange

The third annual Wildcatter Exchange is underway in Fort Worth. Martina and I attended last year, and the lineup was fantastic. This year should prove to be just as fantastic. The Wildcatter Exchange, if you have not had the chance to attend, is a celebration of the written word. This year's speakers will include fiction writer Joe R. Lansdale of Hap and Leonard fame, historian Richard Selcer, poster artist Danny Garrett, and musician/historian Tom Reynolds, who will be talking about the incredible importance of Fort Worth's segregated I.M. Terrell High School in the history of jazz. I am happy to report that I played a small part in the creation of the book, Fort Worth's Giants of Jazz, which will be on sale at the event.  

Click the link for the location and schedule of events:

WildcatterExchange 

 

Texas Artifacts in the Autry Museum

Last week Martina and I were visiting friends in Los Angeles and had the opportunity to go to the Museum of the American West, formerly known as the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. The museum not only has a great collection of movie memorabilia and costumes but also has a fantastic collection of western artifacts. For folks interested in Texas history, one glass case includes John Wesley Hardin's .45 caliber 1873 Peacemaker and his .41 caliber 1877 long Colt; the pistol of lawman/outlaw John Selman (who killed Hardin in an El Paso saloon); and also the gun of US Marshall George Scarborough (who later killed Selman). An interesting fact about Scarborough is that he could very well have been hanged for killing an unarmed man had a thief not later confessed to stealing Selman's pistol after Scarborough shot him down.

Although John Wesley Hardin was reputed to have been so mean that he once killed a man for snoring, he claimed to have never killed anyone that didn't have it coming. Curiously enough, folks that knew Hardin said that he was a gentleman. Here's Bob Dylan singing his ballad about the famous gunslinger, which seems to have been written from the viewpoint of someone in the "gentleman" camp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUX4DTkC4g&list=PLknidvzcLCRHDmB5A4hr4vBDxCqUvs3Et

Texas Tornados

The tornado sirens were singing this morning, and a lot of us in North Texas were passing our time in interior closets, bathrooms, and other safe places. For those of us raised in Texas, duck and cover is just a way of life. Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that I like tornadoes. By no means do I have an affinity for howling meteorological beasts that spin around and tear up people's houses and eat their trees. The kind of tornadoes I tend to like perform in Gruene Hall. Here is Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers, and the boys live in 1992. I think one of the guys in the audience is Jimmie Dale Gilmore (or at least his stunt double).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tXhAYl173U 

115th Anniversary of Bluebonnet as State Flower

On this day in 1901, the Texas legislature opted to wake up and smell the roses by proclaiming the bluebonnet the state flower. Our favorite little lupine, the Lupinus subcarnosus, has been known by many names. It has been called wolf flower, which, of course, makes sense considering that it is a lupine, and it has also been called buffalo clover as well as el conejo, or "the rabbit," in Spanish. I think I am going to make a proclamation today. I proclaim that I will now start calling the bluebonnet "buffalo clover" because I like the ring to it.

Interestingly enough, the highway department, which is not always known for its aesthetic sensibilities, started spreading prairie clover on our roadsides in the 1930s. This year, I am told, should be a fine year for prairie clover. In the coming weeks I anticipate puttering along through Texas enjoying the spring bloom.

We Texans can also be happy that our state flower is not the Rafflesia, a Southeast Asian flower that can measure more than three feet across and weigh up to 22 lbs. Although we like things big in Texas, the Rafflesia may not be the flower for us. You see, the Rafflesia is also known as the "corpse flower" because it smells like rotting meat, a fine evolutionary adaptation that helps the plant attract flies. I think I'll remain content with our fragrant little prairie clover.

Texas Monthly Barbeque Finder

We all know that barbeque is serious business here in the Lone Star State. When I am on the road, I am always sure to consult the Texas Monthly Barbeque Finder on my cellphone. It is the oracle of the holy brisket and the sanctified pork rib. With the aid of the aforementioned app, I discovered Mumford's Place in Victoria, a barbeque haven I would have never found without the aid of BBQ technology. Mumford's sides, by the way, are of the same high quality as their sensational barbeque. The app also led me to Longoria's in Fort Worth, the home of some of the finest sausage around. The quality of Longoria's 'que and sausage should come as no surprise since the owner was raised in prime Central Texas barbeque country, and he brought that tradition with him to Fort Worth.

Here is the link to the infallible oracle of Texas barbeque, where one can with a single swipe of a thumb know exactly how far he or she is from the fabled Franklin's Barbeque in Austin or any other purveyor of smoked flesh in the state of Texas.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/about/tm-apps/ 

Hayes Carll and Hemingway

The first time I heard Hayes Carll's song "It's a Shame" I was reminded of Ernest Hemingway's breakthrough novel, The Sun Also Rises, which was published in 1926. The last lines of the novel read as follows:

     "Oh, Jake," Brett said, "we could have had such a damned good time together."
     Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.
     "Yes," I said. "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

"It's a Shame," in my opinion, could easily be added to the conversation. At the very least, I could see the words of the song inside the mind of either Brett or Jake during this exchange. Here is a live version of "It's a Shame" which, in my purview, more closely resembles the Flowers and Liquor version of the song than the one on Trouble in Mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mj6XcRNxCU

Charlie Robison: A Song for Bandera

These days our population is increasing at a mad, mad clip, and back roads have become major thoroughfares in my part of Tarrant County. Consequently, the folks around here seem to be losing their minds. We're not used to bumper to bumper traffic on what until recently were country roads. Bonds Ranch Road, which is just beyond my doorstep, is now less ranch than road as a local newscaster put it. My hometown is barely recognizable any more, and I truly lament it. In an attempt at escapism, I decided to watch Charlie Robison's "My Hometown" video clip. The footage is a valentine to Bandera, and the song is an antidote to "coulda shoulda woulda." It is a story of missed chances presented without varnish. But, you know, I reckon much worse things could happen to a fella than to be stuck in Bandera, "The Cowboy Capital of Texas."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg1pYtoWL6c

    

Texas Independence Day

On this day in 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Of course, Mexico had only gained independence from Spain in 1821 after Spain had been significantly weakened during the Napoleonic Wars. The newly minted nation of Mexico was extremely large, politically volatile, and low on funds. Having a breakaway republic or two was perhaps inevitable.

Luckily for us, Texas did become its own country, and today Texans can celebrate independence day with a complimentary rattlesnake chili pie at one Dallas eatery, with live honkytonk music at multiple venues, or by attending a full-on Texas extravaganza near the barn-like structure on the Brazos where Texas became its own nation.

Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed, is holding a grand celebration this weekend. Not only will they be celebrating the 180th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence but also the 100th anniversary of the state park itself. Folks in costumes will be firing cannons. There will be a medicine show. There will be a play about Texas independence, and folks on horseback will be delivering William B. Travis' letter from the Alamo. The Fightin' Aggie Band will be doing their thing as well. It should be a fine time indeed.

http://wheretexasbecametexas.org/events/texas-independence-day-celebration/ 

This is a map of Mexico in 1823. Mexico extended all the way south to Costa Rica at that time.