Flanfire

Canadian thrush Heidi Little made her South Austin debut (not counting the airport) at the Saxon Pub on August 31 - the last night people were allowed to smoke in the heralded club (and just about everywhere else indoors in Austin). On stage with her were longtime Austin guitarist Kevin Hollingsworth along with Steve Syxx on guitars and backing vocals and Johnny Latte on bass. That’s a totally different lineup than Heidi had initially expected to be playing the gig - but things change, often for the better.
To be sure, the set was far from tight, and indeed the band loosened up once Heidi unleashed Hollingsworth’s psychedelic sounds that made Mandy Mercier’s music ever more listenable for many years (not to mention many others he has played with here). Yet it was the VIBE that carried the night for Heidi, along with her strong songs and powerful vocals. Her own rhythm guitar plus the other players following as best they could generated a veritable wall of sound the whole evening that swept us along in the music.
The set was packed with songs from her Canadian acoustic release "Live in a ShuBox" and the as yet unreleased "Dreams of Grandeur," which was inspired by her six-month stint in Mexico a while back. Heidi reminds this writer of a younger Eliza Gilkyson - and in many ways she is more Eliza’s spiritual heir than the heir to fellow Regina, Saskatchewan, native Joni Mitchell, whose "Both Sides Now" Heidi was asked to cover for the Saskatchewan Centennial. "Living on a Prayer" and "Look at Me Now," both from Dreams, were especially nice on stage. Heidi and Kevin closed with her "Cowboy," from an even older self-titled EP.
In the short space of a few months, Heidi has moved to Austin (after her microbus broke down in Maine), found a husband, put together a recording session and begun to look for a regular band. She’s had a few false starts, but appears to be ready to get in the groove – and that’s good news.
Later that evening, those who stuck around were treated to the Billy Harvey Band, featuring Dony Wynn on drums. Bob Schneider himself, who stuck around for a while, says that Billy is the best in the business, and he oughta know having had Billy in his own band for years. There were also a couple of famous fiddler-mandolinists in the house, but who should tell.
Then Friday we stopped by my favorite North Austin BBQ place, Mann’s Smokehouse, and got to hear a fine singer, Brian Mullin, who also plays a nice jazz-style guitar and sings everything from old standards to his own compositions. Mann’s is one of Austin’s homes of Original Dublin Dr Pepper – you know, the stuff made with real sugar. Once in a while folks get free home made ice cream for dessert, and there’s always the bingo game drawing to win a free meal. And folks, we are talking real barbecue and veggie vittles. Hits the comfort level, too.
Earlier that day, I had stopped by Cheapo Discs (has it been THAT long since I darkened the doors?) to catch the first half of the CD release by the raucous Austin band, People Skills (featuring Tony Velasco on bass and vocals, Russell Beach on guitars and vocals, Grady B. Humble on drums, and Freddy Cruz on lead guitar and vocals. The boys have a six-song CD just out on Placentium Records dubbed "Use Your Words" (which featured former guitarist Chris Mietus).
At the gig, the guys were decked out in dress shirts, ties, and even suit coats. The music is testosterone rock and roll (birthed in venues like Room 710) - well, perhaps except for Velasco’s "Greasy Hair," which on the CD features him on banjo. I am reminded of John Hunt’s band Fivehead. "Hampton Bay" may be the most commercial song on the CD, but then what do I know? Really nice guitar solo in the middle, though. This is pretty good stuff!!!