The Tribe

I learned my lesson last summer, and just like when I came to NYC for a show with Brian Langlinais this past February, I booked us a hotel over the river in NJ for our 2 night stay in the NYC area. Our first night was night off and I finally got a workout in as well as some hot tub and pool time. The hotel was really nice, but the restaurant there was pricey so I took the boys to my old upper west side haunt for some spanish / asian food and a bit off jazz. Yes I said spanish / asian food. When I used to play gigs in the neighborhood there was a great place that we frequented called La Tasita De Oro. The served both spanish and asian fare and it was all really good. I couldn’t find de Oro on this trip and think it might be closed for good, but there was another similar joint down the street that was just great. I ordered the Dominican Chicken, which was served in a piping hot pot filled with yellow rice, peas, onions and chicken. Along with a beautiful plate of fried plantains, I ate way too much and loved it! We stopped at “Smoke”, which back in the day was a place called “Augies” where I played many a show. We just sat for a beer and a quick listen and then headed back out to NJ to rest up for our Hill Country BBQ show the next night.

Our second trip to Hill Country NYC didn’t disappoint. We were treated well, the BBQ is still pretty darn good and we had a really nice crowd. A before show walk around the block allowed my to snap a pic of the nearby flat iron building. It’s always fun for me to get back to NYC for a day or 2. I really appreciate how much time I spent as a young person there, learning my way around. It comes in handy.

We were back on the road the following morning, stopping at the airport to drop off WW so he could fly to a one night gig in Houston and then heading down to DC. Back home to the Mansion. I truly love it here and will refrain from rambling on about it. Let’s just say I feel quite at home. It was Marcus’s first time at the hotel, so we spent some time exploring and watching the amazed look on his face and then the three of us headed out to a pick up gig at Kybecca Wine Bar in Fredericksberg, VA. I don’t think they get a lot of experienced touring artists at Kybecca. Upon entering we were kind of assaulted and a bit put off by head chef and co-owner Kyle’s attitude and list of do’s and don’ts. We were also told that the microphone and stand that were supposed to be there, had walked off. Something it would have been nice to know yesterday! Being Mystiqueros and professionals, we weathered the storm long enough to start playing a few songs and by the end of the 3rd tune we had the place won over. It was a bit stressful at first, but it all worked out and we had a really fine meal there as well.

It’s a treat to be in the same city for a few days, especially one I like as much as DC, and Ray chose a great spot for lunch the next day. Panos Gourmet Empanadas. It reminds my of a Chipoltle or something. You order at the counter and then take your food, but what food it is. we tried as many different types of empanadas as we could manage, but for me the stand out was the Chipoltle Steak. Really well seasoned, tender steak inside a perfectly baked shell. Along with their spicy Aji sauce and a really nice mixed green salad, we were all fat, happy and ready for our show at the new Hill Country BBQ location in DC.

They might still be working a few kinks out in the new DC Hill Country, but all in all it’s a great place. The staff was excellent to work with, the BBQ pretty consistent with NYC and it was packed! Our show was packed with people. It was a really fun night and we let our hair down a bit. The stage doesn’t sound quite as good as the NYC location and I got some complaints about the front of house sound, but the production staff is doing a fine job and with a little support and a couple of adjustments to the stage and the gear, they’ll have a great sounding little room. Our last full band electric show of the summer tour went swimmingly and I’m already looking forward to coming back.

When WW and I started putting this trip together, our friend and chief support in the Northeast came up with a plan to get the Wilkins family together in Cooperstown, NY on Father’s Day. I mean what baseball loving family wouldn’t dig being at the Baseball Hall of Fame and seeing a Hall of Fame Baseball game? Well, the rest of the band wanted in on it and we figured we might as well try to find a gig in the area as well.

We pulled into Cooperstown still reeling a bit from the beauty of the drive down highway 28 south from the NY Thruway. Lush and green valleys. Picturesque farms, beautiful homes, and a little lake that made me want to stop and jump in. Main street in Cooperstown was packed with families enjoying Father’s Day baseball getaways. Did I mention that we got scheduled to sing at the Hall of Fame Classic that day? We did alright. They had passes the game and lanyards to get us on to the field when we got there.

I got to watch one of my favorite all time ball players take the mound in the first 2 innings. Goose Gossage. When I was 12 he was a big part of the 1978 Yankees World Series winning team. I wanted to pitch just like him. It was really cool to see him out there again. And of course no game is complete without a hotdog, so with dog in hand we watched the first 2 innings and then I headed back to the car to change clothes and get ready for our 5th inning stretch song.

As we stood in the tunnel waiting to go out to the field, hall of fame ball players were passing by and the excitement began to mount in all of us. We took the field at home plate and sang “God Bless America” in all of our Mystiquero 4 part harmonic glory. The crowd went crazy and my heart was beating so fast when we got back into the tunnel I couldn’t stand still and Ray, Mertis and I took off for the nearest bar to celebrate our singing victory.

We all met up for an early dinner, where I had a really fine knockwurst sandwich with bacon and a homemade spicy relish, sow more beers and a recap of the days fun. After a good night’s rest, a visit to the Hall of Fame and a bit of shopping, we headed out to the Ommagang Brewery for our Monday Happy Hour show. What a beautiful place. The first thing we were told upon arriving was that it looked like we were each missing a beer. We were treated very well and played a nice set on the new patio behind the cafe at the Brewery. Surrounded by forested hills the sun went down and I think we all knew we found yet another new home in upstate NY. So now it’s on to Pennsylvania and then up to NYC ……  se ya there

MQ’s at the ballpark:

From the moment we pulled up behind the stage at the Abilene Bar Americana Stage for the Rochester International Jazz Fest, we were treated amazingly well. Having played the Abilene before, I was looking forward to seeing Danny and the crew we already knew and the folks they had working for the festival were great. Professional all the way.

I was shocked at the crowd for both our sets. The tent was full for the first pretty well full for the second. We were revved up and ready to play. WW, Ray Mertis, Brian Tina and I delivered two real good sets of music, at least they felt good to me, the crowed yelled for encores. I’m pretty certain we made a whole bunch of new fans. Shows like that make the whole trip worth it and I hope to asked back again next year.

Thank you to everyone at the Abilene and at the festival. I’ll be carrying that one in my heart for a long time.

WW was kind enough to chronicle our journey through the Carolina’s, but he did leave out one important thing…..  at least it’s something important to me…..  the FOOD! I know I tend to talk about food more than music, but the road becomes a collection of meals even more than a collection of gigs for me. So……

As we were leaving Tennessee, we had a late breakfast/early lunch at Cracker Barrel and they offered some granola pancakes that were pretty awesome. The only thing better that morning were Danny Shirley’s stories. That guy is a great story teller. It’s a good thing I ate a big hearty breakfast, cause our drive ended up being a bit longer than expected and by the time we arrived, played our show and got somewhere to eat it was 11 pm. That’s not a good thing for me to do and I was so hungry I could barely read the menu at the sports bar we ended up in. So I ordered a burger. It was some special Carolina thing. Blackened with slaw on it I think. I wasn’t very excited about it to be honest and as my food arrived I watched WW receive his order of a chicken and vegetable stir fry with rice. I was so jealous I almost couldn’t eat! I didn’t even see that on the menu! I got out ordered. I felt like I needed something good for me and I got a burger. It may have been a great burger, but I wouldn’t have known.

With the exception of the fine homemade Kolaches that WW’s buddy Barry Ray made for us, the whole next day I ate salads. Big salads with fish on them. One with ahi tuna and one with salmon. Both really good. I ate the second one, the salmon, in an Irish pub in Winston Salem, NC as I watched WW and friend eat fish and chips. I stole a few fries, but satisfied myself that I was doing the right thing eating a salad. It was pretty good and not at all what I expected in a pub.

Eating in Charlotte was all about home cookin. I got some time to visit with one of my oldest friends and musical mentors, Lou Mondelli. Lou sat in with us at Puckett’s and had me over to the house to visit with the family for a bit and I was treated to sausage and peppers like only my old friends from NJ and NY can make. It was wonderful.

After our run through the Carolina’s, WW and I had a day off to make as many miles as we could between Charlotte and Buffalo. We decided that Pittsburg would be a good place to stop and I used my considerable Priceline skills to get us a really nice hotel for our destination. We decided to stop for lunch just inside of West Virginia and as we were turning into a hilly driveway leading to the Cracker Barrel we figured would offer the most “real” food we’d find, I spied a sign for a Japanese food restaurant right down the road. We made a quick u-turn and sat down in a nice little restaurant that offered WW the curry dish he’d been craving and me one of the best bento box lunched I’ve ever had. The minute my lips touched the miso soup I felt better than I had for days. The Gyoza was perfect. Hot crispy and porky. The highlight of my bento box was the hibachi grilled vegetables and although the chicken was just a little bit dry, the california roll was perfect as was the fired rice. I packed away just about every bit of my food, before I could even take a picture, and it got me all the way to Pittsburg.

Every time I say the word Pittsburg people say “Eat at Primante Brothers!” Well honestly I didn’t think we’d have time. We checked into our hotel at about 9:30 and when I asked the front desk where we could find some food, it turned out that Primante Brothers was the closest place! So we got back in the car and headed over. Since everyone was talking about the sandwiches that this place is famous for, I figured I had to go for it. Corned beef with provolone, tomatoes and french fries on fresh, soft italian bread. That’s right the fries are on the sandwich! It was good. Very good. I was wishing I had ordered pastrami instead because I think it may take a more full flavored meat to stand up to the fries in the sandwich, but all in all in was fine. WW ordered spaghetti with meatballs and it’s good to be back in a part of the world where you can get a goos marinara sauce almost anywhere.

After a big sandwich and a good night sleep it was off to meet up with Brian on the road, pick up Ray and the airport, eat at Joe’s pizza again and play the Sportsman’s Tavern in Buffalo again. It was a great day and overtime I visit the Sportsman’s I love it all the more. And Joe’s too…….

El Guapo & I spent 3 days in the Carolinas this week, having left Charlotte, NC
this morning, after a wonderful night at a place I’d been hearing about for years, Puckett’s Farm Equipment, which is was as cool as I expected. Thanks to Brian Deal, a gentle semi-giant of a man who made us feel at home from the moment we met him. Thanks as well to Rob Mullis, who drug a bunch of his friends out on a rainy Wed. night.We were joined by Lou Modelli, a percussionist extraordinaire, and friend of Billy’s for 20+ years, from NYC days in bands. During the day, we were given a tour through the Muzak Corporate Office there in Charlotte-  mo’ defly not yo daddy’s muzak anymore. Very very cool.

On Monday, we played the very cool Handlebar in Greenville, a city we both kinda fell in love with, on account of it has all manner of pubs, bars & restaurants downtown, a minor league field downtown, and another place where it still rains. Rain, children… I had almost forgot what it felt like.  apparently, it makes trees & flowers grow, and there are lots of those in this area.  We made new friends in Greenville, and were hosted throughout our stay by my old friend Barry Ray, who had homemade kolaches for us Tue morning.  yes, homemade. To get to Greenville from Chattanooga, we passed through the southern section of the Appalachians, a magnificent drive.

Tuesday took us up to Winston-Salem, NC, where we played The Garage, a classic live music venue that I had played with Pat Green back in the day as the kids say, back when those kids were still watching the Flintstones.  A fun night there, and my dear old music/seminary/travel compadre Tommy Swinney fixed an NC breakfast, grits, eggs, sausage. We are not losing weight on this trip.  In fact, Billy popped a button on his road-shorts today, at a gas station in West Virginia, as we made our way to Buffalo.

Today, we are joined by our fellow Mystiquadres Brian, Ray, Tina & Mertis, as we begin the 2nd leg of the journey, this time plugged in & ready to make some Rumble across New York, and down to DC.   Adventure!! Romance!! (well, for me anyway since my baby’s here for the weekend) and more local cuisine, and more new friends & old friends. As you might expect, this is fun & its good to be a Mystiquero.

-Big D

The Chatanooga Market

WW and I arrived at WSKZ in Chatanooga with a few minutes to spare for our radio appearance. WW was scheduled to play a songwriter in the round show in the Riverbend Festival that night and the radio show was part of it. We had good time on the air and shared our time with Nashville songwriter, and co-writer of “Trains I Missed”, Nicole Witt. And then we had to hustle into town so I could get ready for my show in the Chatanooga Market with Jimmy Daddy and Walt could go on to a meet and greet lunch show for the festival.

If you’re ever in Chatanooga in the spring or summer, get to the Chatanooga Market on the weekend. Filed with locally grown produce, arts, clothing and other products, the Market is environmentally focused and really cool. I’ve had my eye out for a good road food experience and I figured the Market might be a good place to find one. After getting up early and being on the run, I was pretty hungry when we got set up for our show and the closest booth to me was Good Dog hotdogs. So I went over and just got a simple old beef hotdog with mustard. Hit the spot for me and I jumped up on stage with Jimmy for the first set.

On set break I was hungry again, so I went back and asked the Good Dog folks to make me whatever they liked. I got their version of a Chicago Dog. Hot, cool, spicy and really good. It was the perfect fuel for my second set. WW came by during our last hour and joined Jimmy and I onstage. By the end of the show I was hot and worn out. A short nap at the Chatanooga Choo Choo Hotel, really…. and I was ready to rock again. We had to make our way to the Riverbend festival so we decided to go to the hotel lobby and call a cab. You’d think that that would be easy, but as it turns out the lobby was several hundred yards from our room and not at all easy to find.

We finally made it and called a cab. As we waited and sweated in the shade, we were approached by an interesting looking gentleman with a string tied around his head and a sheriff’s star on his shirt. He said he was from Iowa and stuck there in Chatanooga and that he used to roadie for Stevie Ray Vaughn and that he could sing like Elvis and on and on. It was the best homeless guy show I’ve ever had. He sang us a few lines of an Elvis tune and proclaimed that if he had a Honer blues harp it would be like teaching a man to fish, he could make a life. My favorite line was when he told us he played Mississippi style blues harp, like Arlo Guthrie!(?)

When our cab arrived we hugged and blessed eachothers day as a woman ran to the cab and said that she had call and it was her cab. So we shared put ride. We stopped at the Chatanooga projects to drop off our other traveler and then made it to the entrance of the Riverbend Festival. Of course the entrance is about a quarter mile from where we had to play, so we set off in the full heat of the day to find our stage. We arrived drenched in sweat but didn’t have to wait long to play. I sat in the back and played guitar for Walt and for our friend Liz Rose in the songwriter in the round show. As you might imagine we left the show hungry, hot, tired and wobbly. The only place we could find to eat at 11pm on a Sunday was TGI Fridays and I don’t think I’ve ever liked a Fridays as much as I liked that one. We had dinner and a beer with songwriter Jeff Black and then road in Chtanooga’s only Heavy Metal Cab back to the Chatanooga Choo Choo.

5 shows down and we’re off to South Carolina……..

I know I’ve sung the praises of Jimmy Davis many times on this blog and I’m going to do it again. I love Jimmy Davis! And I love Memphis. I’ve been looking forward to playing at the Otherlands Coffee Bar in Memphis again since the last time we had a show there in February. I was in no way disappointed. The place filled up nicely and they have Shiner Bock. So we set up, had a beer or two, ate a bowl of a pretty fantastic Indian Lentil soup and took the stage with the Reverend, Uncle, Cousin, Jimmy “Snake Daddy” Davis. We rocked, if I might brag a bit. We were excited to see each other and on Walt’s first turn around our circle of three he led us through “Outdrink the Truth” and we sang in full Mystiquero style. I found out that my song “This Old House” is a bit of a hit in Memphis as the whole crowd sang along with me. It was a magical night and the only hard part was shutting down early enough to make the Drive to Atlanta the next day.

House Concerts are quickly becoming some of my favorite shows to play. Always hosted by rabid music lovers, I mean who else would host musicians and a bunch of folks in there house on a regular basis, they provide one of the best environments to do what we do. The Bowman House Concert Series in Atlanta is a perfect example. Nestled in a beautiful neighborhood north east of the city, the Bowman’s house is surrounded by lush greenery and because of the mild temperatures they set us up out on their deck for the show. We had some old friends and fans show up and made some great new friends as well. WW was in fine singer songwriter style and we really hit our groove. House concerts are usually a pot luck affair and one of the dishes we were treated to was an amazing cold rice and vegetable salad out of one of the Moosewood cookbooks. It was fantastic and if I had anyway to carry it with me on the road I’d eat it everyday and be much healthier I’m sure.

We stayed with my good friend Bob Doyle and family who lived a few minutes in the right direction for us and once again the hardest part was leaving. We had to get going early again to make it to Chatanooga for a morning radio appearance. So we said goodbye to our friends and hit the road again.

And so it begins……

We’re off. The Mystiquero summer 2001 east coast tour has begun! 18 shows, 22 days and …..  I don’t actually want to know how many miles. WW and I packed the van and headed off to Tomball, TX for our first show at Main Street Crossing. Austin musician Patterson Barrett joined joined WW and I onstage for a one hour live radio broadcast and then another hour of music. Great crowd, great beer selection and a fine way to start our trip.

We stayed with MQ guitar player number uno, Marcus Eldridge and loaded up some of his gear for the trip north. Mertis and Ray will be meeting us in Buffalo / Rochester for our shows up there and in NYC and DC. After a fine meal at Goodson’s Cafe, we headed for Ruston, LA and Monty Russell. Monty Russell is one of my favorite people and an real deal honky tonk singing dude.

We took the scenic route to Ruston and I got to see some beautiful parts of Louisiana that I’ve never seen as well as this thing I heard about called rain. We haven’t seen it in central Texas ion so long I forgot what it looked like! We pulled up to the Sundown Tavern just in time for some catfish and a beer before taking the stage. Although it was hard to tell whether some of the crowd was cheering for us or the NBA finals, there are always some fun music lovers in Ruston. As usual, we were treated to not only late night chicken and biscuits, but a fine breakfast. There’s always great food at the Russell house, including something called breakfast rice. (looks like we liked it huh?)

We head to Memphis today to meet Jimmy Davis for a show and then on to Atlanta. I’m looking forward to being back in Memphis today. So thanks Monty and all the good forks in Ruston. See ya down the road.

Hola tribe!

I know, I know it’s been awhile. I hope you jumped over to my blog at billsmallmusic.com/blog in February and March to follow my east coast adventure. I think blogging is most fun for me on the road, so get ready, cause another east coast adventure is on the way.

The MQ’s took a much needed slow down towards the first of the year and I took off for 3 weeks of travel and shows. Of course there were shows with fellow MQ’s WW, Jimmy Davis and Brian Langlinais. I love my musical family! Over the last 2 months we’ve played some really fun gigs all around our precious Texas with an ever shifting line up that includes original MQ Marcus Eldridge, Jimmy Davis, John Inmon, Corby Schaub, Kim Deschamps and Brian Langlinais and the always lovely Tina Wilkins. (who has a new record coming out soon!)

Ray and I had the pleasure of playing on tracks for the upcoming release by our young brother Mystiquero Corby Schaub, who spends his non MQ time out on the road with Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses. WW has produced a few projects already this year and we all just had a few beautiful days in the studio with Tina. Spring has been good. We could of used some more rain, but it’s been good.

As summer approaches so does our time to head out of state and expand the tribe a bit. WW and I will be heading out the second week of June playing duo shows, as well as hooking up with Jimmy Davis and Monte Russell, as we play our way thru LA, TN, GA, SC, NC, then up to Buffalo, NY to meet Ray and Marcus for a return appearance at The Sportsman’s and a headlining spot on the americana music stage at The Rochester International Jazz Festival. Then to NYC and Washington DC for shows at both Hill Country BBQ locations and also the Mansion in DC. WW and I will wrap it up with a Bluebird show in Nashville on the way home and before you know it we’ll all be tipping back a cold one at Luckenbach for the Wilkin’s Family “Live Free and Fly” 4th of July Festival. (and listening to tina’s new record!)

I’ll be blogging my way from here to Buffalo and back again, so come June check back regularly!

Until then, see you at the show!

Peace,
-El Guapo

As some of you know, we’ve been playing a regular 9pm show on Wednesdays at the Saxon Pub in Austin for quite some time now. Just shy of 2 years actually. We’re there most Wednesdays and it’s really become a great hang. It’s never the same show 2 weeks in a row. Being easily bored and knowing that a regular show is NOT the place to repeat yourself, we regularly invite friends to come play on a Wed.
This fall, with Ray in Lubbock for a bit, WW and I have been showing up with acoustic guitars and inviting amazing folks to come make noise with us. It’s been a blast and I look forward to it every time. 2 weeks ago, we were joined by Band of Heathens drummer John Chipman, Corby Schaub, guitarist for Ryan Bingham (and part time Mystiquero) and this falls regular guest Steel Guitar man extraordinaire, Kim Deschamps.

Here’s a little video of this fine crew…..

-El G

I know, I know, bad blogger, bad…..  I have been quite remiss in my MQ blogging duties of late, but to be honest, we’re in the slow season for all things MQ. Spending time with family and playing a few shows close to home. So, not much new news here. Don’t worry, come next spring, you my get tired of all the activity!

The Divine Jessie Scott and the Music Fog folks have released another video from our shoot at the mansion on O street last August. At this time of holiday reflection, I am truly grateful for the amazing people that surround our little music tribe. Thank you all.

-El Guapo

Enjoy…..

On Saturday I actually woke up well rested. We weren’t planning to leave La Jitas early, so everyone got to sleep in a bit. The ride to Alpine was  quick and before I knew it we were pulling up in front of the newly remodeled Holland Hotel. We had come out a few weeks earlier to play a show and check out the new version of the Hotel. They did a really nice job updating the place. We got our stuff settled in the rooms and then I met the boys to get over to Railroad Blues for load-in and set-up.

I love this bar. Really. I know, I know, I’ve said it before and there are, in fact, other bars that I love. But, I don’t know any place quite like Railroad Blues. Even when we don’t bring a bus load of our fans to see us we do pretty well there and have been playing out there a couple times a year for a few years now. I used to play at a club in Austin back in the early nineties that was owned by the now owner of Railroad Blues, Richard Fallon. He got out of the big town and opened up this place not long after. Anyway, it’s a great beer bar with homemade sangria (be careful) and a great honkytonk feel. So I had my first beer of the day (tastes like true love) and then maybe one more (I couldn’t help it) and we headed back over to the Holland to catch the end of Tina Wilkins and friends in the lobby.

I could hear Tina’s angelic voice floating on the mountain breezes as I approached the front door and was kind of surprised to see that the hotel lobby had been turned into an intimate house concert like venue. Really cool. What a wonderful bunch of people we had on this trip. Music lovers all! It rained as we ate dinner and the bus came over to pick us up so our folks wouldn’t get soaked on the 4 block walk to the club. It wasn’t raining hard by then so I walked to the show. It was cool and nice. Lori Mckenna opened the show solo. Any one who can stand up in front of a rowdy Saturday night bar crowd with an acoustic guitar, and not only hold their own but captivate, is alright with me. She was awesome as always. Ray, G and I joined her for her last 3 songs and all I can say is “Lori, If you ever need a band……” Sublime, really.

Then we did that loud rocking thing we do. With Jimmy Daddy and a mid set appearance by Michael Hearne, we did what we came to do and made sure that a good time was had by all. There was dancing and drinkin and the hot dog truck in the parking lot did a bang up business at the end of the night. Sounds like fun huh? It was. And so our three nights of music were through and I think we had a bunch of satisfied customers to pile into the bus in the morning and ride back to Luckenbach. But you know, the bus ride home is half the fun……

I don’t know if I woke up so much as came to on Friday morning. The sun was slanting thru the blinds of our hotel room and all I could think about was not missing breakfast. We left Marathon about 9:30 am friday morning to get on the road to the LaJitas Resort. Once again a nap on the bus was necessary and I might have MC’d one more trivia game on the ride as well. We were treated to a great lunch when we arrived at the LaJitas Resort and afterwards, as people went on a 1/2 day river trip on the Rio Grande, or went for ATV rides in the mountains or spa treatments, I once again opted for a nap. I knew I was booked to play the cocktail hour set at the Thirsty Goat and was still really worn out from Thursday.

I played the Thirsty Goat once before. Last year on a scouting trip with Johnny G and Ray. It’s a good bar. I like it. It was a fun set to play even though I was still tired and had to play in front of some of my favorite songwriters in the world. I can tell you I was really ready for dinner when it was that time and it was really good. Oddly enough I didn’t take any food pictures on this trip, you’ll just have to imagine long tables on the veranda, over looking trees and gardens and surrounded by brown desert and purple mountain peaks. Very cool.

Our show that night was in the little theater they have at the resort. Like last year, we played an acoustic set and then had all of our guests come up and play songs with us. It was intimate and cool in a totally different way than the night before. The bar was closing when we finished, but that didn’t stop the midnight poker game or the chicks with their feet in the pool. I decided to get caught up and went to bed fairly early after communing with the stars in the enormous sky of the border. We didn’t have to leave till late on Saturday so everyone got to sleep in a bit.

below is an excerpt from our closing number…. once again all pics and video courtesy of our fabulously talented trip photographer Robbyn Dodd.

This is the first of 4 posts about our trip out west this year……

It’s not usually my idea of a good time to sleep four hours, get up at 6 a.m., drive an hour, drop off the dog, drive another hour to Luckenbach and get on a charter bus full of people for a 7 hour ride to west Texas. But, this is no ordinary bus load of people and no ordinary destination. I remember the apprehension we all had last year about being stuck on a bus full of people for a day and then kind of trapped in west Texas with all of them for 3 days. We were all a bit nervous about it, but it was so much fun we had to do it again.

I slept some until we reached our first stop in Junction, TX for lunch at Cooper’s BBQ. When we got rolling again it was time to resume my roll of bus MC that I somehow fell into last year. We watched a movie and then started the afternoon off with a Tequila tasting. The most poetic description of the wining Tequila was awarded a prize. Then we were off into Bingo and Trivia with the beer and Tequila flowing a bit. I picked up a couple of cans of Silly String at a rest stop out by Fort Stockton. I forgot to use them this year, but who can resist a convenience store that sells Silly String?!? By the time we reached the Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX, I would venture to say we were all fast friends. If you’re going to spend the afternoon on a bus, this is the way to do it and the people you want to do it with.

Now of course we all know most of the people on the bus. We had some folks come again this year and most everyone is a fan, a friend or a relative. But, we don’t generally get to spend so much time with each other. Now, I don’t know about everyone else, but I went straight to a nap when we reached the Gage. Lovely. I got to be an audience member at the show that night. It rained, so we put everyone under the covered space on the courtyard and created an intimate little spot. The show was really amazing. Two sets. Jimmy Davis and Michael Hearne and then Tina Wilkins and Lori McKenna. All swapping songs and inspiring us all. Beautiful.

Then of course we had to shut down the White Buffalo Bar at the Gage, and when we were done there we sat around the courtyard fire pit as the night sky began to clear. It was a really long day but a good day. Next stop, La Jitas…….

photos and video by Robynn Dodd, official WATX2010 photographer.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, while we were in Washington DC in August we had the honor of traveling with and being filmed by Jessie Scott and the Music Fog crew. If you don’t know about Music Fog, I highly recommend checking it out on a regular basis. Jessie writes about all manner of Americana Music artists and they create some really beautiful, intimate videos.

Here’s the first of the 3 songs we taped at the Mansion on O Street in DC on August 15, 2010. Enjoy, we did.

-El Guap0

A late summer evening. The humidity rises as the sun begins to dip towards a chance of evening rain. A rapt audience watches the final throws of a washer throwing competition and leaps to their feet as 2 successive 5 point shots are made! There are cheers and laughs. Pictures to be taken and a show still to be played but the end of the tour is as clear as the end of the game. It’s going to be a good one.

On Friday I didn’t drive. After DC, Baltimore, Philly and 2 days in NYC I was worn out with driving and we had an easy highway cruise to Buffalo. John and Walt did the honors. This was to be our anchor weekend. If it weren’t for our friends Gary and Christie Colvin we wouldn’t have been on this run at all. Gary helped me put these shows together upstate and worked really hard to fulfill my request of “asses in seats”, so these were the shows we built the tour around. We arrived in Buffalo and walked into the Sportsman’s Tavern. What a great bar! The opening band was rockin and had one hell of a crowd. The air was crisp and cool outside and the bar was hot and sweaty. We ate at Joe’s, a pizza joint across the street, and continued our run of NY pizza joint Italian food as well as maybe the best buffalo wings I’ve ever had. Kinda makes sense I guess.

Sportsman’s is on my short list of favorite bars ever. They bring in a lot of Texas acts from Asleep At The Wheel to Gurf Morlix and other Americana music folks like Paul Thorn. Owner Dwain Hall used to tour the U.S. in a country band and welcomes you with open arms and a great beer selection. My choice of the night was local beer Genessee though my first of the day was a PBR (tastes like true love). As evening descended and we smiled back at familiar faces in the crowd, all the way from Texas, we took the stage and did what we do. And it was good.

We spent Saturday afternoon with the Colvins and a few friends in Le Roy, NY. It was beautiful and what a treat to be in someone’s home for awhile after all the bars and hotels. It was funny to me that all the New Yorkers spent the afternoon drinking Shiner beer from Texas while the visiting Texans drank NY’s Genesse and Canadian LaBatt’s. After a great sufficiency of food, beer, conversation, a nap in a hammock and a very exciting washer tournament, it was time to play our final show of the tour. The Abilene Bar in downtown Rochester is in an old house right across from a Ballroom that used to be the Jewish Community Center. Another great bar! I love this part of the country! We really hit our stride at the Abilene. The place was good and packed with folks of all ages and we really did rock the house. We had planned to play outside on a beautiful deck, but the weather didn’t allow it and I have to say there’s something about a little bar packed with people and a rocking band that I really like.

So we ended on a high note and when the last CD was signed and our goodbyes said, we headed to our hotel for a few hours sleep. Actually I think Ray and Johnny went to the bar, but I hit the sack. I dropped the boys off at the airport in Buffalo this morning and as I travel back towards NYC and eventually home to Texas, I’m really proud of our trip. We made new fans, some new friends and played well from the halls of the O Street Mansion to the 36th floor of Sirius Radio to The Sportsman’s Tavern. Thanks to all who joined us on this adventure and helped make it possible. See you next year New York.

Looking forward to being back in Texas,

-El Guapo

I should know better. I’ve been here before. I know what the energy is like. 2 days in NYC with the band and I feel like I’ve been up for 4 days straight. We pulled into Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. A run up to Inwood to pick up backline for the show and then downtown to the venue. Load in. I hop a cab and go to 48th street to get a part for my new bass. (I needed a thumb rest). Got that done. Ate sushi next door to the club and then played a 3 hour show. Oh yeah,  did I mention that I drove the van up from Baltimore that day with a stop in Philly for lunch? Have you ever driven in south Philly?

After the show, which sounded pretty good, I dropped the boys at their hotel and proceeded uptown back to Inwood where I parked the van and stayed with my good friends Felix and Lisa Hendrickson. Felix and I met in New Jersey in the 80′s and moved to Texas with our band, Heavy Weather. He’s a fine drummer and one hell of a cabinet maker as well as being a great human and one of my best friends. He gave Ray his drums to use for our time in New York and found us some amplifiers for our Tuesday night show at Rodeo Bar as well. We played alright. Not our best work but people seemed to dig it. So I get the boys settled, the van parked and finally shut it down around 3 a.m. At 8. a.m. I awoke to the sound of someone drilling a hole into the outside of the wall. Repairs to the building. Argh. Very tired. It seemed like no time at all and I needed to catch the 1 train downtown to meet the boys and Jessie Scott for our appearance on Sirius Radio’s Outlaw Country Show.

When they told me it was an hour long show I knew I was in trouble. I was tired and grumpy so I asked for some coffee and ended up having a good old time wondering the halls of Sirius Radio on my way to the break room. With french roast in hand I plugged in my guitar and put on my headphones for the show. It was a blast. With a view from the 36th floor, we played a few songs and talked a bit for a show to be aired sometime in September. It really was fun, but by the end of it I was totally spent and all I could think about was getting a nap. Luckily Felix was already downtown and picked me up so I didn’t have to ride the train back up to Inwood. NYC, traffic, etc. No nap. Just a beer (the first of the day; tastes like true love), a bit of food and then change of clothes, pick up van, drive to venue, load in, eat a bit more, set up, drink another beer, say hey to all the great folks who have come to the show from all over the place and then play.

We had a good set. Hill Country on 26th street in NYC is right up our alley. It’s a good place for us to be and we had a bunch of folks come out to see us. (thank you all!) They have really good food (the brisket is for real), a great sound system, and more of a Texas vibe than even the Lone Star had back in my day in the 80′s. We played well. It felt good, but I have to say I was delirious with exhaustion. Maybe that helped me play well, I don’t know. Load up the van and off to Inwood and bed. I got a bit more sleep last night and had a nice morning with my friends. Then fought traffic to pick up the boys and meet our record company owner for lunch. After, I drove the boys out to Jersey and showed them the house I grew up in. We arrived in Kingston New York tired and dizzy. The great spinning, ever moving energy of New York City is just now beginning to fade after a few beers, some good Italian food and a really fun hour long webcast where we played and sang mostly for friends and family back home. What a great way to reconnect with our world when we’re so far away.

-El Guapo

The Mystiqueros exited the honky-tonk road aka i-95 for an expeditious lunch in mid-town Philadelphia.  Jesse Scott, our resident tour guide on loan from Musicfog.com, suggested a pair of ‘cheesesteak factories’ caddy corner from each other. My MQ brethren looked to me to decide, as they often do, when it comes to food/restaurant choices.  I instinctively gravitated towards Pat’s, as it has the less flashy facade of the two. The line in which we queued was undoubtedly healthier than the fare on the menu, but it moved with the speed of a famished cheetah in hot pursuit of a gazelle on the Serengetti.  Detroit auto executives would be wise to recruit their work force from this kitchen.  Before you could assimilate the indigenous attitude they dish out, the culinary creation was ready. We did our best to blend in, betrayed only by our Chippewa boots, while scarfing down our respective works of art. Alas, as I took my last bite, the Gino’s beacon beckoned, stared me down & ultimately summoned me over.  I had to know which had the better ‘wich’.

Having learned the lingo from my earlier experience, I ordered with the false confidence of an adolescent male asking out his first cheerleader. “One mushroom steak, wit (this indicates the appearance of onions), no cheese”, with a slight tremor in my voice, as I repeated the ‘no cheese’ part. As I feared, my novice approach had revealed my presence as an interloper,  or worse, a tourist.  “I heard you the third time” he barked out a verbal whipping along with my change. El Guapo, having grown up in these parts, explained not to take such quips to heart.  Still, it must have left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth as I found the latter sandwich to be void of the seasoning of it’s counterpart. I retraced my boot steps back over to Pat’s to let my compadres sample the offering to mixed but also lackluster reviews. In all fairness, we were more famished than the aforementioned cheetah when we arrived at the first eatery, which quite possibly diminished our hunger by the second.  But I still have trust in my ‘buds’, both of taste & of the Mystiquero brotherhood.

Final tally: Pats over Gino’s by an attitude.

- By G/mq5 food critic

We only left an hour late today. Considering how fun it was to stay in DC I think we did really well. For lunch I had a burger from a place in Dupont Circle that rocked my world. I should have taken a picture. It was the Cuban burger form a place called The Burger Joint. Pork on top of beef with swiss cheese and pickles pressed on the grill. Wow. Unbelievably good. It was hard to leave our new DC friends, but the road was calling and when she calls, it’s time to go.

On the drive to Baltimore I heard the best radio station ever. Jessie Scott’s Ipod. Now known to us as KJES. The most amazing, random, rocking bunch of songs pop up on this thing. I have no idea how many songs are on there, but something makes me think it’s close to full. From the 60′s band Love to Al Green and BB King. There’s a lot more but I heard so much music today my head is spinning a bit. As we pulled into downtown Baltimore, Al Green came on with Love And Happiness. Perfect. We arrived at Cyclops Books and met owner and true music champion Andy Rubin. I was having my mid afternoon slump but it was nice to catch the vibe of the place. Very chill. And we met the opening act. Two 14 year old boys, Jeff and Brian, who we would later find out, are really really good. (I kind of wanted to take ‘em out back and beat ‘em up a little bit) The J & B Blues Project.

To combat the afternoon slump, we checked into our hotel and had a beer at the bar. (tastes like true love) Then a fantastic sushi dinner at Joss on Charles St. At the venue the young dudes entertained a small crowd and I was happy to hear them. The first thing they did when we walked in the door was “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. And they did a great job of it. Since the crowd was small and the space appropriate, we decided that a fully unplugged show would be best. So we pulled everyone in close and did what we do. It was fun. Hell, it’s always fun to play. Thats’s why we’re out here. That’s what we came to do. We had some fans who drove an hour to be there and WW had an old friend from his school daze show up as well. Once again we were treated like the young princes of Texas we think we are by people we just met. It was good.

We closed down the hotel bar with Jessie holding court and telling stories from her amazing life. There’s a book in there somewhere I’m sure of it. I’m struck by how lucky I am to be here with these people. My musical brethren and one of the original high priestesses of rock-n-roll rolling up the east coast of our great nation in the August heat. Tomorrow we head to my old stomping grounds, New York City. We’re leaving early so I’m out.

Peace,

El Guapo