Del Castillo at The Live Oak Listening Room...

 I often find myself (yeah, you, self) mystified when excellent music that me (and many of my friends, yeah, you know who you are) hold in high esteem is not well known to the average Joes (yeah you know if you Joe) of the world. Last night the  Del Castillo Trio played the Live Oak Listening Room in Nacogdoches, Tx. and it was a fantastic show to a full venue.    

The Del Castillo full band played at Stephen F. Austin State University a bit over a year ago and that was my first time to see them. Last night was the first time to see the Trio format which the only difference from the big band might be a bit of electronic trickery on the guitars that adds delay, spacy ambiance and violin type sounds to blazing fast flamingo style fret work. 

In the course of audience interactions, which the band enjoyed because this is a cozy space and made fine gig encouragement on their end of the show they mentioned playing Europe, releasing music sung in Italian with musicians from that country and the age old joke of being "big in Japan." Del Castillo is an Austin, Tx based band and it seems that they stick to a circuit of clubs in Texas that I am very familiar with visiting, many of which are close enough I could attend a gig at and then drive home afterwards. Probably where that average Joe listener most likely may have encountered their music is in the movies of director Robert Rodriguez.

If you haven't been to the Live Oak Listening Room you should go. Last show they had was the Denton, Tx based polka band Brave Combo which is another band I think should be world famous along with Del Castillo and have their music blasting out of everybody's radio. The order of business the night of a concert is cook some good food to share at the pot luck which begins at 6pm. Get a comfy seat as these are civilized shows starting at 7 where you get to sit down unless you want to get up and dance and there's plenty of room for that. I might mention there is no admission ticket but you know how much a show costs so just drop your money in the tip jar or scan the handy venmo code to assist with operating expenses.

A great band, playing in your neighborhood is a treat. What if everyone went to see that? It would create some logistical problems for the venue but it might be the start of a transition from average Joe to something else and that's what's good for the world.  

         

        

Brave Combo at The Live Oak Listening Room....

Well it's October and in the polka world that means going to a Brave Combo gig is a good way to spend an evening which is what we did last night at the Live Oak Listening room. The show was hosted by the Texas Folklife Salon Series, pot luck was on point, the band was great, John Lomax III opened with cowboy songs, the slide show projection added much to the atmosphere, I saw lots of friends and I met an internet friend.   

Brave Combo plays a mash up of polka, cumbia, salsa, jazz, rock and more. They have contributed music to films by David Byrne of Talking Heads fame, PBS shows and appeared on the Simpsons. I probably saw Brave Combo for the first time in the 1980s. I have made it a point to see them every time I could for the last decade or so as I feel like they are a national treasure.  

I met one of my internet friends in the band the tubist Carl Kleinsteuber. He's a famous guy playing with many ensembles. I guess we became facebook friends because it's easy to be such in the tuba universe but I also note that hailing from Denton, Tx as he does we have another friend in common, Jim Hardy, who I knew from the dorm at SFASU way back in the day and who taught at University of North Texas  in Denton which would be the connection between him and Mr. Kleinsteuber.  

The photos don't do the projection show justice. Pat Casey is the man behind the art form and it really added much to the show. I hope we see more of it at performances in the future.  

John Lomax III is the grandson of the great folklorist John Lomax who recorded obscure American folk music for the Library of Congress before the encroachment of modern life disappeared those cultures. He sang Acapella and you should catch his Lomax on Lomax show if you treasure folk music. Cathy sang along with all his songs as they were the tunes her mother sang to her when during her childhood and when she was learning guitar. You will know them also. 

Thanks again to the Live Oak for hosting a wonderful show. 

 

When the Illuminati Calls...

It's been a busy week around here with Cathy's shoulder surgery, then visits from home health therapists, her sister Margaret, brother John and Mary, brother Matt and the usual parade of our family including grandkids to eat up the spaghetti Pam made and the chicken chili I made. Also I managed to squeeze in a Christmas concert with The Angelina Civic Band. 

The concert went well with the theme "Yes Angelina, There is a Santa Claus." Probably the best attendance we have had. We perform in Temple Theater and the large expanses of seating can look barren but that's the only stage that will hold the growing band size. The Civic band combines with the college band and last year we only had 2 music majors playing. This year there were 12. 

I snapped this selfie of the tuba section and we got some international attention when the Illuminati  noticed us and commented on the photo. Handsome guys in concert black holding shiny gold and silver instruments fooled someone's AI algorithm into thinking we were filthy rich and this was actual precious metals we possessed instead of my rejected jr high horn and confusingly decided we were way above percentage wise on our wealth out of the other 8 billion people in the world.         

Never to not take a shot I immediately asked for more information though I do know that any club that might have me for a member might be suspect. 

Civic Band resumes January 14th. The theme for the spring concert is "Folk Fantasy and Fairytales" or something very similar because really titles do not matter all that much to tuba players. If you can put together a horn, you belong. See ya there Ms. Rothschild!   

 

Honk!Tx 2024...

Yes there were tubas. Lots of them as well as all other kind of instruments at the Austin Honk!Tx street band festival this past weekend.  It was our second year to attend and I love every minute. Though I do get plenty of opportunities to play music with good people all the time I do wish there was something like this in my home town with wacky dress up sensibilities which in many cases with these groups also combine with community purposes to make the world a better place. 

Here's the Honk!Tx Mission statement:

HONK!TX is a nonprofit, community-driven festival that brings street and brass bands from around the country to perform for free in the public spaces of Austin, Texas. Mobile and unamplified, HONK! bands transform everyday locations into spontaneous stages, dissolving the line between crowd and performers and inviting everyone to celebrate the joys of music and community. A range of genres will be represented: New Orleans second-line brass, European Klezmer and Balkan, Brazilian, West African and more. HONK! is a celebration of community, collaboration and creative expression. Join the revelry!

Above is pictured and you may guess their name, The Neon Brass Party from the clothing style. They come to the festival from Seattle, Wa. The traveling bands are put up in the homes of volunteers, preferably located on public transit or bike lanes. Food sponsors, Restaurants, Caterers and individuals feed everyone. 

9th Avenue Brass from Pensacola, Fl. One of my favorites. 

Bramaya West African Music and Dance from Austin.

Generally not real crowded for a free festival but I could not get real close to the Minor Mishap Marching Band. 

Black Sheep Ensemble from Atlanta.  

Greenbelt Honk! Situation from Greenbelt, Maryland. 

Cimarrona La Original from Santo Domingo Costa Rica. Great group, good drums and tuba. 

The Human Band from New Orleans. Not your typical New Orleans thing but a bit of Balkan and other stuff thrown in. 

I think a lot of Honk groups, many cities have Honk Festivals, meet in the park or other public space on a weekend afternoon, rehearse an hour and then perform an hour. I'd love to do something like that. Maybe I'm not too old to have this much energy I just wish I had the arranging skills to put it together. I'd certainty hold down the tuba line.  

 

Brave Combo at the Museum of East Texas...

 I think I saw Brave Combo the first time about 40 years ago at the old Crossroads bar in Nacogdoches, Tx. I last saw them at Octoberfest in Crockett, Tx in 2021. I saw them again yesterday at the Museum of East Texas as the last show of the season in their Sights and Sounds Series that has brought free family oriented entertainment including chamber ensembles, gypsy jazz and now a show of what Brave Combo calls Nuclear Polka.

I thought the group, which had been scheduled to play on the plaza outside but was moved inside due to the rain sound great with the acoustics of the Museum's chapel. 

Nuclear Polka is when you start out playing polka but then suddenly everything from jazz to salsa to rock to cumbia to movie music and more becomes twisted into one great big polka dance old party. How good is a Brave Combo Party? They have won Grammy awards, they were the band that David Byrne of the Talking Heads hired to play his wedding and the music has appeared on TV shows and movies. Not too bad for the best little polka band out of Denton, Tx that even managed to get half the crowd of 25-30 people that attend on a rainy Sunday Mother's Day afternoon up and dancing. It was obvious who in the audience knew what the band was about.  

The Sights and Sounds Series of Museum was new this year. It's made possible by the Angelina Arts Alliance in partnership with The TLL Temple Foundation, National Endowment of the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Angelina College, and the City of Lufkin as well as this seasons corporate sponsors Georgia Pacific and Brookshire Brothers. When I visit my daughter's family in Chicago I can't tell you how many shows I have seen in Museums, parks and sometimes in clubs that were free shows sposered like this for the education and betterment of the citizens of the city. It makes me proud that my little home town can offer something like this. 

Reportedly next season there will be local talent included in this program. I left them with my name and number.   

I own a Brave Combo Cd, Polkas for a Gloomy World and after the show, which was free although I'm sure the series paid the band I decided I'd add a little gravy to the pay check by purchasing another. I was surprised to find them only charging $5. The merch girl said, Oh, we have thousands of these." Try to get out of an Eagles or Rolling Stones show where you only spent $5. I went ahead and bought a t-shirt to go with the CD because polka is timeless. I collect lots of old polka records from Chicago thrift stores by the local bands there that had TV shows in the late 50s and early 60s and when I put the record on I never have to say, "here's some old old music from way way back."  Polka is a timeless thing. 

Keep an eye out for next year's schedule.   

  

    

An Old Cassette Tape and the Memories...

 

We've been decluttering. I know everyone does that and you thought I was way cooler than to worry about the krap the kids find in my drawers, cabinet drawers that is, and way too cool to do something everyone else is doing so I'll talk about lost treasure found.

In a pen holder, office desk krap holder, you know what I mean on the kitchen counter near the old phone jack when you had a phone on the counter and needed something like this to take down a note instead of just consulting the information from the text you received Cathy found an old homemade cassette tape labeled Harlem Jazz. I still have a cassette deck as a part of my home stereo and the tape plays well to be probably alomst 40 years old.  

I remember this tape well. It was made from a friend's album and back in the days when I cruised around in the Rockett 88 it was in heavy rotation. There is no track listing so I can only guess at the artist but I'll go out on the limb and say maybe the 40s because it swings, there's no bebop and I've listened to some cuts from an album on youtube called Harlem Jazz 1930 and it's a later style than this. 

If you recall an old blog post I did visit the National Jazz Museum in Harlem on a New York City trip in 2019 so I have been to the source.

  I don't have photos on this cassette so it was possibly made from a collection of albums. I don't recall all these years later but I would say these are all African American singers and players. 

I have written many blog posts on my collecting of thrift store records. One particular category that is easily and cheaply collected with the records being in good shape is the Readers Digest Box Sets. I look for the 20s, 30s, 40s, swing and polka sets but there is something in the collection for everyone. Well most everyone. Seems if you were to like, let's say Harlem Jazz, in my collecting ventures I've found none as part of this series.  

Now I know Readers Digest is not know for a particularly edgier style of journalism so we should expect nothing different from the records but where are the records by the black jazz musicians? Sure there might be a Duke Ellington or a Billie Holiday or an Ella Fitzgerald  here and there on a 9 record set but certainly nothing like this:

Or this:

From record collecting I can tell when a family member has died. The bins at the thrift will be full of all the records made by the country singer they like the most and the family brought them by the box to the drop off. . Or when someone's mom decided it was time to clean out Jr's room and tossed all his Grand Funk records. I would imagine there is some who easily fill out incomplete collections like this but maybe some people don't discard the old records. They stay in the family collection. Hopefully that's where the Harlem Zazz records are but I would not mind finding at least one old compilation disc.  

Those were fine days driving in the Rockett 88 or listening on the big home unit with a state of an art tape deck. Today Sirus Radio called and I did not pick up because I use the USB drive in my cars and I made a new drive today. It has 4500 songs on it. If you bring a zip drive over I'll make you one also. We call it Carl and Cathy Radio.  

Don't worry I'm not tossing the records. Someday someone at the thrift store will wonder what kind of guy had all this? 

            

The Marian Anderson String Quartet at The Museum of East Texas...

I wrote about how there is so much music and so little time in my last blog. I finally made it to the Museum of East Texas to see one of the Sights and Sounds Series performances. These concerts feature performances sponsored by the Musuem and the Angelina Arts Alliance by jazz classical and bluegrass musicians and coming up in may is the polka group Brave Combo which is always a good time. The group I saw was the Marian Anderson String Quartet.

The Quartet takes it's name from the famous contralto singer Marian Anderson. She sang opera to spirituals and was influential in leading the way to recognition for African American artists.

I have often thought that we leave too much history to be written by the politicians, the generals, the scientists or the very rich. I think we would do better if we let the artist write the history through their lens of understanding. The Marian Anderson Quartet presents folk music influenced by folk music, old spirituals, western swing, European classical and pieces that drew inspiration from the songs of Native Americans. The groups' outreach is education and if we believe there is a place in history to tell the story of all people why not use music to do it? If anyone does not agree to the beneficial aspects of music they are not going to agree to anything. 

Check out the Sights and Sounds Series. It's bringing good things to our town. It's free but there are contributions you can make to help further education and excellent events such as these. 

You can bet I'll be there to see Brave Combo. 

              

  

 

Halloween, Marching Saints, Tuba, It's Some Kind of Doctrine...

 I don't think anyone has invited me to a good Halloween party in a long time. I'm talking about a party like the ones they used to have 45 years ago at that big old house out in Woden, Tx. There might be reasons for that lack of invitations and after all the house did burn down but it has not keep me from costuming. Maybe the last real Halloween party I was invited to was one I threw myself.  

Halloween is kind of a high holy day for us and I have written about all that stuff before. I asked Cathy to marry me this day. Granny Wallace was born on Halloween as was our daughter Rose, Cathy's brother John, cousin Tommy as well as several of our friends. 

Oct 31st this year as I was invited to zero parties but we did play at the Anticipatory Mass for Nov. 1st All Saints Day. Every year Cathy lets me play tuba for the Saints Go Marching In. Actually this year she also let me play tuba on "Dos Esta Aqui." I really appreciate my Pastor Father Denzil. He's unflappable when he comes into the church and sees a guy sitting there with a tuba. Instead of  being concerned that things are going to get out of hand Liturgically he says, "where's Mary with the drums?" I promise next year to work on adding a little more swing to Saints. 

This past weekend I played at another local church. The music was good, the people are my friends and I got to eat a good meal and socialize afterwards. 

I did see something yesterday that reminded me to forgive and keep my mouth shut which is what I did when the visiting pastor who gave the sermon got things all wrong about Catholics, Saints and relics. I mean there might have been some confusion a few hundred years ago on these subjects but failable human mortals who usually have more things in common than things different keep moving forward and trying to get things right. Who am I to get in a contest on who has said the right thing and the wrong thing. I might win. 

Just for the record, for All saints Day I'll borrow something my friend Deacon Gary whose birthday also happens to be on Halloween wrote:

Why do Catholics ask the saint to intercede for them? Isn’t this just a false doctrine created by man? Why would we ask a “dead” person to pray for us, instead of just asking God directly? Jesus is the only one who saves us, so why do Catholics do this?

Many non-Catholic Christians believe that it is wrong to pray to the saints, claiming that our prayers should be directed to God alone. True worship (as opposed to veneration or honor) does indeed belong to God alone, and we should never worship man or any other creature as we worship God. But while worship may take the form of prayer, as in the Mass and other liturgies of the Church, not all prayer is worship. When we pray to the saints, we’re simply asking them to help us, by praying to God on our behalf, or thanking them for having already done so.

Now some may take this as a grain of salt being that the good Deacon also thinks that the Dallas Cowboys are the best football team but anything you want to know about what a major faith or religion believes is on some kind of official website that just sits there ready to educate and inform with out making big headlines or lots of noise. Even if you are a non believer it will not hurt you to know stuff.

November is a month that the Catholic Community traditionally remembers those who have died. My mom has been gone three years this month. Undoubtedly she is a Saint in Heaven. My dad, a pretty good guy even though prone to occasionally do what we called "cussing and rarin" is probably in Heaven and who would not want a guy "cussin and rarin" on their behalf to the powers that be. Cathy's parents, Linda and Bill were people of faith and despite all Bill's banjo playing they did good things all their lives. There I said it. Banjo players are good people.

I didn't get invited to a party last night but I got away with playing tuba at Mass. With all that's going on in the world I think we should work on swinging our tunes a little more, getting Mary playing drums for Father D and find out why in the heck there is a town in east Texas named after the The Germanic chief god, distributor of talents and god of wisdom and war. 

 

  

Cleaning Up in the Record Room...

This is my recorded music room. There's also a musical instrument room but that's another blog post. 

If you are 2 years old and yea tall you are just the right height to stand dead center of the CD shelf on the left hand side of the photo below and to easily sort through all the titles listed alphabetically K thru M and after a brief examination toss them on the floor. Yesterday I tasked myself with cleaning this up and after a donation of a pile of old records by my friend Will and the revelation it was a bucket list destination experience my friend John set as a goal I thought a little organization never hurt anything.  

I think this room might have once been a back porch that was framed in. In my time it was used as a kid bedroom. Long and narrow I think they threw lots to establish who would be confined in here on some kind of rotating system of exchange. After all the kids moved out we put the records in here and I can't remember exactly where all this was set up before that. Back in those days there were not any cds for 2 year olds to toss and there were probably only about 400 records so relatively compact storage was adequate. 

Starting about the year 2000 the cd collection really exploded with us beginning downloads using emusic and purchasing from mostly obscure bands we saw play live. By 2010 we became dedicated used record store and thrift store hounds saving obscure music from the landfill as if on a mission of mercy. 

Since retirement and the institution of the old fixed income I could probably count on one hand the brand new cds I have purchased. Thrift store records have become my main intoxicant. 

Another feature of this room is the concert posters. If we saw a show, usually in a club Cathy lifted the poster, but only after the band finished and advertisement was no longer required so not really stealing but a form of recycling.     

The paint job on the walls was by Cathy and the kids. There are lots of hand prints, footprints and original art that needs scientific interpretation about the walls and I try to gauge the importance of all works so the are not obscured.   

Click the photos to make them bigger. 

You won't find any Springsteen or Stones. 

That's a late 60s/early 70s Harmony guitar. I think I paid $40 for it and then took out the original pickups, installed a lipstick pickup, used only three stings and made it into a drone blues guitar. I still have the original pickup and maybe I'll find another $40 guitar that needs them.  

I mentioned there was a musical instrument room but this room also serves as a drum room. Are drums musical instruments? I don't know how I accumulated so many. I consider myself a terrible drummer even and I turned down a invitation to play a set on cajon with a guitar bass duo this past weekend.  I already had two gigs in that day and also worked in a voter registration booth  

Maybe this gives a bit of indication of the variety of music. I'll always need a Musical Mysteries of the Andes for those special ambient moments. I don't normally collect Steve Miller Band albums, most specifically anything later than 1976 but his second album from 1968, Sailor is the last one featuring Boz Skaggs and is listed as the 353rd on the 1000 best albums of all time. It was made at a time when everyone wanted to put out the next Sgt. Pepper's. Actually I had two of these records and last week I let one go to the thrift store. I should have kept that one because I think the cover was in better shape.    

The box is my favorite swing and polka records and boxed sets so I can find them easily. There's also about 50 cassettes of music that is mostly recorded from the albums belonging to friends that was the coin of the realm in the days when cars had tape players.   

So kids, when I'm gone if you really want to hustle there are probably some titles that might be worth $20 each in this collection. If you happen to feel like quiet quitting is your thing and you sell all cds and records for $1 each which should be pretty easy I think those profits would purchase your old dad a very nice cremation package including urn and everything at one of the more modest funeral homes in town.  

I don't know what ya'll going to do about mom. 

 

Forest Festival, Lufkin Brass, Multicultural Fiesta, Did I Miss Anything...

It was a busy weekend. On Sunday our band The Lufkin Brass played the Texas State Forest Festival for the second year in a row. Our Bilingual choir played the music for Mass for St. Patrick's Catholic Church Multicultural Festival. Me, Cathy and her brother Matt worked booths, helped set up and take down and Cathy assisted with the money counting duties. Proceeds from the Festival will fund a renovation of the old church building, now called LaSalette Hall. It's where me and Cathy were married when it was the old church and word on the street is that more than enough was raised.    

The Lufkin Brass gig went well. Morgan sat in on drums. Two funny things happened in the course of this gig. While setting up for the church festival Saturday evening a young curly headed fellow with a fade hair cut answered a call for set up volunteers and after a bit he said, "ok I have to go because I'm going to the Forest Festival with my grandma." I said , "great, thanks for the help and if you are at the festival tomorrow catch my band the Lufkin Brass." He looked at me and his eyes widened as he said, "yeehaw, That's you?" I affirmed it was. 

The next day right before the Brass began to play another young man comes up and says, "how are you, good to see you!" I don't recognize him but as I'm a local personality I chat him up and he says, "I'm still playing that cigar box guitar you made me." I've made and sold close to 100 cigar box guitars but probably not made one in about 3 years. I asked so its holding together and playing well? He said, "still plays great!" That's good feed back to hear.       

The church festival was great with food musical entertainment, dance groups, games and people many countries represented and working together for fun, fellowship and purpose. 

This is a Salvadorian Dance group. 

Mexican Folkloric Dancers. 

Plenty of good food at the festival. Mexican, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, and the Philippines and if there were others I hope to try them next year.  

Here's the judge and High Sheriff working the jail booth. For some reason no one wanted this job. The way it works is you pay the judge $5 and you point out the person you want arrested to the HS. He locks them up for 15 minutes. All the prisoner's friends make pictures. Someone can bail you out for $5 or you can buy a get out of jail card for $10. That's what I did since I worked the voter registration booth and had the forest festival gig. No time to get locked up.  

Another word on the street is that this festival will be on a date next year not to conflict with the Forest festival or the Diboll church, Our Lady of Guadalupe which had a Fiestas Patrias Celebration yesterday.   

Next gig for the Brass is The Stonewall Jam Fest and M.D. Anderson Cancer Benefit on Oct. 15th. 

My grandson Cullen gives Ross a few pointers on the ins and outs of drumming while we set up for the gig. Only problem was when we started playing he was out on drums and his dad was in. He was disappointed but he will be big enough to sit in before you know it. 

  

 

The Lufkin Brass at Uncle Doug's BBQ

This past weekend The Lufkin Brass, our polka band/brass quintet/dixieland/ragtime outfit played at Uncle Doug's BBQ in Douglass, Tx. If you don't know the venue check it out sometime. There's something for everyone if you like BBQ, chocolate factories, community gardens, a coffee lounge and plenty of outside room for the kids to run. 

I recommend the ribs. They melt in your mouth.

Our music went well. It's our second gig in as many as many months and our set is traveling well. The guys set up quickly and with just five horns there not much muss, fuss or sound check required. Everyone just does the thing they do and we have fun. I think the spectators and Victor, the owner of Doug's did too. They indicated they would have us back. We did not push our luck or anything and ask if we could leave our stuff set up but we look forward to a return.

Best part of the gig was toward the end of our second set my grand daughter Parker, who had come to see me play shouted from the picnic table area "bye Pop-Pop." Nothing like fans watching you.       

We even got our name up in lights. 

You can see from this photo they let our cornet player, Dwain, park his car behind the stage. 

Whether the Lufkin Brass is playing or not check out Uncle Doug's. It's great.  

 

Brave Combo at Octoberfest...

 Cross another thing off the retired man bucket list. Every year for some time now the Pineywoods Fine Arts Association in Crockett Texas has hosted an Octoberfest and the Grammy award winning polka/rock/worldbeat Brave Combo from Denton, Tx has played. I have never been as I was always working, had a gig of my own, the fish were biting or some other such distraction. We went this year as did our friends John, Janet, Ross and Beverly.    

I have seen Brave Combo. They have been on the Texas music scene for close to 40 years. You might say to self "I'm not a polka fan" but it's the great American song book from polka to Dike Ellington to blues, the twist, cumbia, the chicken dance, a conga line and the hokey poky. As they say, "this will be your last chance to dance the chicken dance, this set." Be sure to bring the kids. You can't do that at every concert. I mean I have but you might not or I might not should have. 

What most folks don't realize is that Octoberfest is not really much in October. I mean I'm glad around here it goes on all month because I am busy selling this band I'm in that plays polkas and it gives more opportunity for gigs but the real Munich, Germany Octoberfest takes place from mid September to the first Sunday in October.  

October Fest began around since 1810 and soon became important in promoting Bavarian culture. It's estimated that about 7.7 million liters of beer is consumed at Octoberfest. For USA readers a liter is 33.184 ounces or not as much as I had with my morning 40 to get the day started.  

They had some German beers available at this fest and I'm pretty sure that the people sitting at the table beside us all went off and swam in the river after the show. 

Just to give you an idea the band did a great rendition of Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk."  

Be sure to check out Brave Combo. It is after all, still October.