January on the road.............

this is the column I wrote for January. Last night I took Rod Kennedy to Auslander for his 82nd birthday. Drew Kennedy was performing, and perform he did with three hours of original songs! Rod was impressed with the writing, as was I. I invited Drew to be part of the THMF Bard Project and to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary. He has written a novel that chronicles the songs on a CD. A unique creative project. As you read his story then see the song as poetry, you also see the story that led to the song! A crowd of lovebirds filled the place, leaning on each other and singing along on the songs. Drew obviously can entertain at a rowdy party, but this evening was also filled with pure listening! I invited him to my creative writing class as well, to tell his story. I will be giving a program on stories that feed us in Albequerque at the Pop Culture Conference in FEb., then a program on the stories of women in Houston in March at the Texas Historical Association Meeting. yep......On the road says it all for me! Drew's last song last night was "I've got some leavin' to do." His one "obligatory" cover was a Johnny Cash song, "I still miss someone." "Songbird" might be my  new favorite, with lines like "She laughs like she cries." and "Songbirds can't help but to fly, and she don't know why." About songwriting, Drew said, "If you can't imagine doing anything else, then do it." Rodney Hayden was there, and he gave us a couple of songs. He and Drew co-wrote one in Europe after seeing a beautiful women in a beautiful dress playing accordion in the square in Hamburg, Germany. I met Rodney out in Alpine at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering when he was about 17. He confirmed playing at the Sept. 28 Texas Heritage Music Day.
Not regular with this blog thing yet. Will include my column monthly, then send out some short ones on my musicial journey On The Road!

On the Road

Jan. 2012

Kathleen Hudson

Some fragments for the new year, a la David Shields and Roland Barthes.  A music lover’s discourses:

If you were waiting for the ship to come in, it did, and now it’s heading out again. We seem to still be here in 2012, but I do know the Mayan prophecy includes far more ideas on transformation than the literal end of this world. What about the end of the world as we know it? And what better time to think ahead then the beginning of a new year. So…it’s the hour that the ship comes in, for sure. Some say we can come and go at the same time,  that reality exits at many levels around us, that everything happens at the same time. TS Eliot says at the end of all our exploration we shall arrive at where we started and know the place for the first time.  Amen.

I begin teaching a new course at Schreiner on January 18 called The Literature of American Music. Our first coffeehouse is February 1. We have invited  Ruben V and his trio playing hot blues and rowdy danceable music. They blew Pampell’s  away in December. Yes, I did some dancing.  See texasheritagemusic.org for confirmation.

My memories of 2011 include a sweet annual Christmas house concert at Jack Fields’ with Cary Cooper and Tom Pradaso-Rao. We heard their class Christmas song, “Christmas in the Ashram,” as well as songs from a new cd by Cary, “Pink Umbrella.” I was smitten with the song “Suzanne,” about a women who ran off with the circus at age 43 and returned at age 44. “You can’t have everything,” is the line repeated, but Cary sings it with such whimsy that I don’t believe that for a moment!  Hey, I can have everything. She also mentioned “Troubador, Texas,”  a show I have not seen yet. Tom played a haunting violin on several songs. Heard a new love son that said, “The truth about the acorn is the tree.” The evening was sweet and delicious.

 A soft grey light was stealing in through the curtains in this upstairs room that has been home to many a wonderful concert since that first one, years ago, with Shake Russell. Jack Fields is also president of Texas Heritage Music Foundation as well as an officer working with the Kerrville Folk Festival. Yep, Jack and Barbara Fields have pioneered house concerts in Kerrville. Paula and Marty Reynolds have been presenting  great music at the Hilltop House Concerts, and Robert Himmer has Western Trail House Concerts. Paula also worked with Sherry and Ken Wardlow at River Bluff in Center Point showcasing Stephanie Urbina Jones in December.

Stephanie, radiant as always, accompanied by Florin Sanchez and her band, gave us an evening of Christmas songs, love songs, and love! She is love wherever she goes. The River Bluff on the Guadalupe River in Center Point is a perfect gathering place for many groups.

 The THMF will host one this spring at the Faculty clubhouse at Schreiner University. The small audience brings a fee for the artist, food to share, and a heart open for listening.  An intimate evening of stories and songs!

I also attended a fundraiser on December 18 at Jovita’s on South First for a true Texas dame, Traci Hancock, a member of the Texana Dames. These women are a permanent part of Texas music history, beginning in Lubbock, Texas, as the Supernatural Family Band with Tommy Hancock. Traci always invited me up to join them on Sunday afternoons at Guero’s in Austin. I carried my own shaker egg or castanets for some percussion.  They are feature in my book on the women of Texas music.  I followed the Dames around Europe once, writing a story on their travels for the Express News in San Antonio. Frutigen, Switzerland and Austria were our two big festivals. This family, Charlene (mom) and Conni and Traci are beloved by all who know them. Joe Ely, Marcia Ball and others will play a fundraiser for them at Antone’s sometime soon. Keep alert. Go to texanadames.com  to read Traci’s story and to donate. I saw her in Austin at the debut of the Texas Music Hall of Fame. Her wig was purple, and she told me this news, “I have a rack of colored wigs, and they all have names!”

Sunday night, December 12, I went to Hondo’s in Fredericksburg to hear the return of an Italian Texas music lover and a performer, Fabrizio. He has recorded with Texas musicians, performers with many of them here, provides opportunities for Texas music in Italy, produces Texas music and has written a book on Texas blues.j Paula Reynolds, THMF board member, Bard coordinator, and all-around cowgirl says, “He has a way of transcending borders while reaching down to get the heart and soul of the blues.”  He speaks to us through his harmonica and his passion. We had an evening with a choir of voices  adding to his rhythmic take on music. Chris, daughter of Hondo Crouch, the Texas Imagineer, could be seen standing on a chair at the table next to me, dancing.  She reminded me so of the spirit of Hondo, her father.

Ahead in January:  Mike Blakely at River Bluff present by Hill Top House Concerts on January 20; Blues Festival at Luckenbach on January 28 featuring Ruthie Foster y mas.

In honor of the red sweater that become my Christmas symbol, and the red shoes that took me out to hear the music, I want to point to Elvis Costello and his song, “Angels wanna wear my red shoes.” More music to define the way I choose to live my life. James McMurtry also says, “Where’d you get that red dress?” as he moves people out on the dance floor. Let’s keep dancing. Ils sont partis………….KH