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Flanfire (Duggan Flanakin) is bringing LIFE to Austin music -- and telling the world how sweet it is!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Skeletons, Phrenologists, Modestos!
Wicked Wednesday and Flanfire was on the prowl. First to Threadgill's Old No. 1 to see Marshall Jones and the Frontier Phrenologists; then to Trophy's for Grub Dog and the Modestos; and finally to Headhunters for part of the Lonesome Heroes' weekly showcase featuring The Skeletons. Familiar faces, totally new (for me) bands. But that's what Austin music is all about!
Phrenologists Stollack, Broeshe, Sproat, Jones,
and Hinojosa at Threadgill's.
Marshall Jones back in the day was the front man for Dark Holler, the strange collection of souls performing music from far-back yesterdays (or that had the feel of those days before women had the vote). Dark Holler played regularly at the Carousel and sometimes did gospel brunches back when the Nutty Brown only had the little stage. This night's collection of phrenologists included longtime Jones sidekick Garreth Broeshe on mandolin and vocals, Austin newcomer Sarah Stollack (Lonesome Heroes) on fiddle and vocals, classical and flamenco guitarist Aaron Hinojosa on banjo, and Jes Sproat (Jesse Dayton, Nash Hernandez Orchestra) on slap bass in his first show with the band. KUT's Folkways Saturday shows should love this band, which opened its second set (I missed the first one) with "Red Clay Girl" before moving to Jones originals "Slow Down," "Long Gone Daddy," and "Out on the Avenue." There were a couple of old Dark Holler numbers thrown in for good measure, plus a very cool duet with Sarah and Marshall on the Italian folk tune "Bella Ciao." I confess I am waiting for Marshall and the gang to cull together a real minstrel show replete with longer solos, various combinations of singers and instruments, and maybe even some old soft shoe thrown in -- there is enough talent here to give the Spankers some local competition. But Marshall -- you will have to quit those 4 am visits to your next door neighbor for what at that hour might pass as bad karaoke.
Next up was my baptism into Grub Dog (drummer to the would-be stars here in town since arriving from Sacramento a while back) as singer-songwriter -- a role he has long played back in his hometown. Indeed, the jacket to 1998's "Grub Dog and the Amazing Sweethearts" tells us that Grub began breaking drums for his dad's country and western band when he was just 7 years old - and writing songs on his guitar by age 13. The Sweethearts were a little bit punk, and the Modestos (home to Boone's Farm, which Grub did not provide) included Pete McPherson on lead guitar and vocals, the fabulous Miss Darlene on fiddle, Omar on bass, and Jamie on drums - and lots of Pearl and Blue Ribbon to keep the juices flowing. Grub opened the set with "Heartbreak
Grub Dog with Miss Darlene; Pete McPherson.
on the Bandstand," then after a drunken bar band song (the kind that sounds better the later in the evening you hear it) pulled out "100 Blues" and later quieted all of Trophy's (an amazing feat!) with the stunning "Red Heart" - which was followed by Pete singing his own "Etheline" and then "Whiskey Straight." This band will make you buy more beer on one song and then want to sober up on the next one -- and did I mention Pete plays some pretty fair country guitar? Grub and the band fill up the Hole in the Wall on December 5.
Rich Russell and the amazing Landry have found a home away from home at 8th and Red River with their weekly country showcase at the tiki bar (with karaoke outside on the patio at the same time) Headhunters -- and there was a raucous crowd around this night, many of whom had come to hear The Skeletons, the most minor-key oriented country band I have ever heard. It was hard to know what to expect -- the female drummer with the tats and Julia Roberts smile - Amanda, or Manda Lynn, is wed to lead singer Old Blue (aka leather-jacketed Jeremiah); the female keyboard player Joy (the serious one); the Asian
The Skeletons Crewe!
beauty Patricia with her green silk dress on fiddle (lots of tremolos and notes that sound like they came from the score of "House of Flying Daggers" but sometimes like the soundtracks of some high-grade horror movies); and the almost too quiet rhythm (acoustic) guitarist (Jocko?) and mugging bassist (Vince, aka Chinzo?).
It was mid-November, but early on you thought it was Halloween all over again, as the band led off with one minor key number after another -- "Phantom Train," "The Devil's Arms" (not the actual title), and "Spiderwebs and Mist" (about a cemetery man, the last rebel angel who fell) -- folks, this band even turned Ernest Tubb's "Thirty Days" and Elvis' "Blue Moon of Kentucky" into minor-key songs and closed out with a minor-key "God Bless Johnny Cash" (which brought back memories of "Ghost Riders in the Sky"). The lead guitar sometimes sounds a little like Duane Eddy, but we have also learned that Manda Lynn took her spouse up to Graceland for the pilgrimage not long ago (yes, I believe they have also been to Tupelo). To get a better idea of this band, you have to check out their myspace page -- musictheskeletons -- and gawk at their Halloween show photos (maybe also check out the Evil Patricia pages, but that requires a little digging). Wish I could announce the band's next gigs, but we are clueless on this point. But they have found a special niche - with a really cool sound - and deserve to be heard by anyone with an ear for the eerie. Or for that matter, by anyone who likes good music.
Okay -- it is Saturday morning! So sue me. I took off Thursday to go hear Wendy Colonna open for Suzanna Choffel at the Cactus and stuck around (as planned) for two sets of some of the most amazing music I have ever heard in Austin (or anywhere). John Thomasson and Jeremy Brook (bass and drums) and Stephen Orsak (guitar, xylophone) melded with Suzanna and her electric guitar on a journey to the center of her heart that was so very properly introduced when Wendy offered up Leonard Cohen's wonderful "Suzanne" (takes you down to a place by the river ....) And Friday night I went bar-hopping (Hill's Cafe and Maria's, really) with my 3-1/2 year old grandson Caleb - who is already working the crowd to make new friends and learn more about music.
Wicked Wednesday and Flanfire was on the prowl. First to Threadgill's Old No. 1 to see Marshall Jones and the Frontier Phrenologists; then to Trophy's for Grub Dog and the Modestos; and finally to Headhunters for part of the Lonesome Heroes' weekly showcase featuring The Skeletons. Familiar faces, totally new (for me) bands. But that's what Austin music is all about!Phrenologists Stollack, Broeshe, Sproat, Jones,
and Hinojosa at Threadgill's.
Marshall Jones back in the day was the front man for Dark Holler, the strange collection of souls performing music from far-back yesterdays (or that had the feel of those days before women had the vote). Dark Holler played regularly at the Carousel and sometimes did gospel brunches back when the Nutty Brown only had the little stage. This night's collection of phrenologists included longtime Jones sidekick Garreth Broeshe on mandolin and vocals, Austin newcomer Sarah Stollack (Lonesome Heroes) on fiddle and vocals, classical and flamenco guitarist Aaron Hinojosa on banjo, and Jes Sproat (Jesse Dayton, Nash Hernandez Orchestra) on slap bass in his first show with the band. KUT's Folkways Saturday shows should love this band, which opened its second set (I missed the first one) with "Red Clay Girl" before moving to Jones originals "Slow Down," "Long Gone Daddy," and "Out on the Avenue." There were a couple of old Dark Holler numbers thrown in for good measure, plus a very cool duet with Sarah and Marshall on the Italian folk tune "Bella Ciao." I confess I am waiting for Marshall and the gang to cull together a real minstrel show replete with longer solos, various combinations of singers and instruments, and maybe even some old soft shoe thrown in -- there is enough talent here to give the Spankers some local competition. But Marshall -- you will have to quit those 4 am visits to your next door neighbor for what at that hour might pass as bad karaoke.
Next up was my baptism into Grub Dog (drummer to the would-be stars here in town since arriving from Sacramento a while back) as singer-songwriter -- a role he has long played back in his hometown. Indeed, the jacket to 1998's "Grub Dog and the Amazing Sweethearts" tells us that Grub began breaking drums for his dad's country and western band when he was just 7 years old - and writing songs on his guitar by age 13. The Sweethearts were a little bit punk, and the Modestos (home to Boone's Farm, which Grub did not provide) included Pete McPherson on lead guitar and vocals, the fabulous Miss Darlene on fiddle, Omar on bass, and Jamie on drums - and lots of Pearl and Blue Ribbon to keep the juices flowing. Grub opened the set with "Heartbreak Grub Dog with Miss Darlene; Pete McPherson.
on the Bandstand," then after a drunken bar band song (the kind that sounds better the later in the evening you hear it) pulled out "100 Blues" and later quieted all of Trophy's (an amazing feat!) with the stunning "Red Heart" - which was followed by Pete singing his own "Etheline" and then "Whiskey Straight." This band will make you buy more beer on one song and then want to sober up on the next one -- and did I mention Pete plays some pretty fair country guitar? Grub and the band fill up the Hole in the Wall on December 5.
Rich Russell and the amazing Landry have found a home away from home at 8th and Red River with their weekly country showcase at the tiki bar (with karaoke outside on the patio at the same time) Headhunters -- and there was a raucous crowd around this night, many of whom had come to hear The Skeletons, the most minor-key oriented country band I have ever heard. It was hard to know what to expect -- the female drummer with the tats and Julia Roberts smile - Amanda, or Manda Lynn, is wed to lead singer Old Blue (aka leather-jacketed Jeremiah); the female keyboard player Joy (the serious one); the Asian The Skeletons Crewe!
beauty Patricia with her green silk dress on fiddle (lots of tremolos and notes that sound like they came from the score of "House of Flying Daggers" but sometimes like the soundtracks of some high-grade horror movies); and the almost too quiet rhythm (acoustic) guitarist (Jocko?) and mugging bassist (Vince, aka Chinzo?).
It was mid-November, but early on you thought it was Halloween all over again, as the band led off with one minor key number after another -- "Phantom Train," "The Devil's Arms" (not the actual title), and "Spiderwebs and Mist" (about a cemetery man, the last rebel angel who fell) -- folks, this band even turned Ernest Tubb's "Thirty Days" and Elvis' "Blue Moon of Kentucky" into minor-key songs and closed out with a minor-key "God Bless Johnny Cash" (which brought back memories of "Ghost Riders in the Sky"). The lead guitar sometimes sounds a little like Duane Eddy, but we have also learned that Manda Lynn took her spouse up to Graceland for the pilgrimage not long ago (yes, I believe they have also been to Tupelo). To get a better idea of this band, you have to check out their myspace page -- musictheskeletons -- and gawk at their Halloween show photos (maybe also check out the Evil Patricia pages, but that requires a little digging). Wish I could announce the band's next gigs, but we are clueless on this point. But they have found a special niche - with a really cool sound - and deserve to be heard by anyone with an ear for the eerie. Or for that matter, by anyone who likes good music.
Okay -- it is Saturday morning! So sue me. I took off Thursday to go hear Wendy Colonna open for Suzanna Choffel at the Cactus and stuck around (as planned) for two sets of some of the most amazing music I have ever heard in Austin (or anywhere). John Thomasson and Jeremy Brook (bass and drums) and Stephen Orsak (guitar, xylophone) melded with Suzanna and her electric guitar on a journey to the center of her heart that was so very properly introduced when Wendy offered up Leonard Cohen's wonderful "Suzanne" (takes you down to a place by the river ....) And Friday night I went bar-hopping (Hill's Cafe and Maria's, really) with my 3-1/2 year old grandson Caleb - who is already working the crowd to make new friends and learn more about music.
