Flanfire

It is really nice when people call you up to get together - especially when they have been out of town for quite a while. So it was that I got together with songwriter (and screenwriter) Chris McCarty, who was last in Austin sharing his songs and styles with the likes of Carolyn Wonderland, Guy Forsyth, Papa Mali, El Goins, and others on the Hotel San Jose CD (they were listed as a collection of saints and sinners). Chris, of course, wrote songs like Serenade and Swingtown for Steve Miller and You Baby You for one of our favorite monkey movies. We chatted about some of his current projects and about his young singer-songwriter friend, Aaron Hamre, who is bringing his wife Jennifer here in May at Chris' high recommendation. Don't miss this guy!

Meanwhile, I spent much of the evening at Antone's, where Guy Forsyth was the headliner. Guy put on (no big surprise here) an outstanding show, which featured him singing one entire song without a mike (except for a few lines with his harmonica mike) and mostly out in the audience on the floor - while George Rarey blew first-timers away with some awesome guitar riffs and Ann-Marie and Nina kept the time and set the mood. Superstar stuff, to be sure.

But I was at Antone's really to see The Gene Pool - on the night my longtime friend Harmoni Kelley was getting her Gene Pool official band shirt. [She is their new bass player, and stands out with her strawberry red hair. funky clothes and hot licks. Her friend Stefano Intellisano, formerly of Milan, Italy, is the band's keyboardist. It was my first time seeing this band, which was not all there -- as one of the three singer-songwriter-guitarists, Jorge Castillo, had injured his back earlier in the day. No prob - these Saxon Pub seasoned musicians had a couple of horns on the side wailing away as they spun their web of songs - penned by Geno Stroia II and Jackie Hibbard - to a hungry audience. I especially liked a song (now being played on KLBJ-FM) "you won't get to heaven FLYIN' STANDBY" Some of the time during their set I thought I was back in Baton Rouge -- funky, soulful stuff these guys are putting out. For the record, their current website is at www.thegenepool.tv (not .com) -- check them out if you haven't already. They're playing at the Saxon next Saturday, opening for George DeVore.

Today - do not miss (if you are NOT at Old Settlers' or the Marley Fest) the FREE show by Charlie Robison at the State Capitol at SIX PM -- featuring my bud Kim DesChamps on pedal steel and stuff.