Hidden Village Music Festival...

That's a good name for a music festival. It's been held the past three nights at The Standpipe Coffee House and continues tonight. This gem of a fest is certainly hidden from some and I would know because other that Saturday night when I had my own gig somewhere else I have been there for all and I have not seen some of you music lovers in attendance. 

The place really rocked on Sunday night with the Feeble Contenders opening and then the rof was brought down by a band from Detroit Flint Eastwood. Here's a photo of them. It's a grainy phone photo but I think it catches the swirl of a hard working band with a very charismatic front woman.   

Just when I thought I had had as much fun as I could dancing to a great band along come a South Carolina band called Sol Driven Train. I don't know what to call their music other than dancing, party, soul, tropical, funk driven by great solo playing on guitar, sax, trombone, bass, keyboards and drums they definitely know how to get the party started. 

Really great vocals by the three guys across the front. Kind of people that come to play, sing, entertain in a completely natural way that makes you not just like the music but like the person making the music. 

Wish I had got a better picture of the drummer. Outside next door at the old Pines Theater he had me make is photo under the lighted marquee which announce a showing of the old Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles. I can't imagine why a drummer would be so thrilled to be in a photo like that.   

Back to the guitar player, the sax man and the trombone. In talking with these guys after the show they mentioned they had been playing music since they met in middle school band. The guitar player told me, " Our middle school director was a great guy and when we moved on to high school he did too and we got to have him as a director for 7 years." He was pretty excited telling this story to me, also an old band dude who could feel just where he was coming from. The drummer also mentioned high school band and some time spent as a music major in college. These guys are trained, disciplined musicians. In addition to those 7 years together in school band they have been a working band with 6-8 cds to their credit for 10 years. Once again and I have written about this before we see hard work and a long arch of creativity to become successful. 

Sol Drive Train is off to Austin for some SXSW dates. Tonight the music continues at Standpipe with Ben Caplan (lot of folks excited about seeing him, first time for me) and a group that has played Lufkin before the Howlin Brothers. I'm surprised and we are fortunate to have them back because their latest release has a big time producer and all that but they liked Lufkin and I'll be glad to see them tonight. 

I'll be late because I play the Lufkin State Supported Living Center monthly dance till 7:30. See you after that.