Flanfire

The winning chili, by the way, came from Yvonne Coffee of the East End Craft Gallery, while Dustin Welch (raised in Nashville!) came in second.

The chili cookoff was just one highlight of a great day in the country (perfect weather, too!). The Fundamentalists (shown here at the Green Mesquite with special guest Seth Hulbert -- Brennen Leigh, Silas Lowe, Justin Kolb, and Matt Downing) opened the show with their rare and precious bluegrassy gospel tunes gleaned from a long-forgotten Americana. Next up was Leo Rondeau (shown here with Burton Lee at the Scoot Inn), whose songs come from North Dakota's Turtle Mountains and his Native American heritage.

Somewhere along the way, we had sets from Brennen Leigh and Shotgun Party -- and then it was time for a history lesson from local treasure (and world traveler) Steve James. Singing and picking (and story telling) with a single mike, Steve held the crowd of young musicians in awe -- well, except for Silas Lowe, who jumped at the chance to perform a mandolin duet with the man at whose feet he has been learning new tricks (and great stories). To this writer, Steve James is in a category of players that includes the late John Fahey and (what the heck!) Mambo John -- amazing on his instruments and larger than life.

I recall that Rosie Flores, JWW and the Prospectors and Mike and the Moonpies (led by Houston-raised songwriter Micheal Harmeier) all played fabulous sets (maybe I still missed someone), but I had to split for a while and got back just in time for Dustin Welch and his band. By that time the chili was long gone -- but the music lingered on.

In what quickly became a whirlwind week, I stopped by the Cactus Cafe to catch the beautiful Molly Venter at her CD release party (but to actually GET her new CD you will have to catch her in between road trips -- and wow what wonderful songs she has!). Later that evening it was the Hole in the Wall where Seth Hulbert noted he was playing geetar for current Delaware resident (and chili cookoff attendee) Jim Trainer. [Also on that bill was Tom VandenAvond, one of a growing number of Wisconsin natives gracing our fair city. I will have to write more about this guy, whose songs are just darn good!]

Suddenly it was Saturday night -- and Leo Rondeau time again, opening the show for the Lonesome Heroes CD release party. Here, Landry McMeans shows why her dobro is one of Austin's favorite instruments -- it provides the backdrop for songs like "Canary" and "Stardust" off the new seven-song release as well as oldies like "Oyster" and the band's ode to roasted tofu. Bandmates Sarah Stollak (fiddle), Jeff Johnston (bass), Chuck Fleming (drums), and of course super-hero Rich Russell never fail to leave their audiences crying out for more. Yet on this night maybe the bigger news (and noise?) was the return of Li'l Cap N Travis (marked by the return of Christian Braafladt, word is the band will be playing new shows besides this one!). [Yeah, that's Jeff Johnston playing Gary Newcomb's pedal steel on a couple of songs on which Gary sizzled on lead guitar. And BTW, does anyone else see Jeff playing the lead in the Kris Kristofferson Story?]

But back to the Shake'em Ups -- who of course also played at the Shotgun Party Chili Cookoff at the Oaks but ALSO played Monday night at the Hole in the Wall (and who will soon embark on a three-week East Coast tour). The very handsome bassist Andrew Thomas Austin-Petersen (who also plays dobro and is also a cellist), who hails from Wisconsin (by way of Iowa), offered me a slice of pizza on Monday night when I stopped by to finally get to hear cutie pie Suzanne Hall (who recently escaped New York City) at the Parlor (great pizza, too!). Noting that Vaughn was sitting in on bass with Suzanne (whose lead guitarist, Pal Moore, was pretty awesome for a Mississippi boy), Andrew mentioned that he and Vaughn had to rush over afterwards to the Hole (where I had already planned to stop by to catch a set from Maria Mabra and her wonderful band Corinne Rose). Well, naturally that meant another late night for me!

The boys had promised to play 30 songs in a 90-minute set -- and then they added a few. But wait -- I have to say that Maria's band has never been hotter -- Scott Stewart, Jason Enright, the amazing Billy Cook, and a new fiddler who hails from Chicago (it was also Jackie's birthday). For a Seattle punk rocker who grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio (and who is fighting the closure of her hometown Antioch College), this gospel-singing landscapist is one amazing singer-songwriter (I cannot say publicly just how good she really is on the drum kit -- while singing!). Some of Maria's songs (Corinne Rose, Goodbye) are just breathtakingly poignant, while others just knock you backwards -- more people need to get to know (and listen to) this amazing woman.

OKAY -- here is the kernel of truth. The Shake'em Ups may be the hottest quasi-bluegrass band to hit Austin since the Greencards, and they are certainly one of the most entertaining. And joyful. You should have seen the wonder the boys expressed at seeing their band name on the marquee at the Hole in the Wall. Sly and Vaughn also play (along with Burton Lee) in Horse Opera, and both write songs that come straight out of their Appalachian upbringing (Vaughn in West Virginia, Sly in rural Virginia). I am so looking forward to the night they first show up on stage with former Spanker Sick and his anticipated bluegrass on speed project.

In passing I will mention a nice set on Sunday at Nuno's on MOPAC by Blues Mafia (with Phillip Roach sitting in on guitar on one song), my first take on the BIG VOICE that I never knew Ally Means possessed (this woman has to get some jazz players to work with her!), and my brief visit to the Hole to catch part of a set from the Down Here Band (more cheeseheads -- well at least I know they are Schlitz drinkers). And with senility fast approaching I probably totally missed mentioning much more good stuff.

But I cannot sign off without noting the tornado night songwriter showcase at Flipnotics featuring the Oregonian Raina Rose, New Yorker Joanna Barbera, and our own freckle-faced Vanessa Lively -- all assisted magnificently by the afore-mentioned Sick on fiddle. Vanessa is getting better every week at building a community of songwriters -- and so she brought Joanna and Raina together for their very first time to hear each other's songs. Joanna also had help from singing partner Ann Sauder (who showed up with bunny ears and kept them on as she sang harmony on songs like "The Forgotten Trail" and "Beautiful Life." Vanessa charmed with "Leaving Salinas" and "Jesusa" and more -- and Raina -- GOOD GRIEF! -- with her new Baird Blaine guitar sang THREE songs about tornados .. and anthemic poems like "For the Good of the People" and "Badlands." Vanessa and Raina and FOUR OTHER WOMEN do it all again on Thursday night at Cafe Mundi!