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Flanfire (Duggan Flanakin) is bringing LIFE to Austin music -- and telling the world how sweet it is!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Our Man Flynt! Still Rocks!
Ron Flynt with Penny Jo Pullus
Kudos to my pals Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Penny Jo Pullus (and Emcee Cleve Hattersley until it was past his bedtime!) for a wildly successful tribute and fundraiser for 12-year Austin icon (and native Okie) Ron Flynt! And pats on the back to the many who brought their talents to the stage (and to the mixing board, the donation table, and the cookie jar and more). For those who do not already know all the details, Ron Flynt (even today of the LA and Tulsa-based "power pop" band 20/20) came to Austin in 1994 with his lovely wife and three kids, set up Jumping Dog Studio and eventually put together a new band, the Bluehearts, as a vehicle for his own songs. Friends tell the story that Ron has recorded, produced, engineered or help "literally hundreds of musicians" in Austin with their own recorded music projects, "often giving special deals and too-generous payment plans to those who could barely afford to record with no label support."
But last September, Ron had just settled into his new, smaller (kidless) home and was hanging drywall at his new rented space recording studio when he slipped off a ladder and badly shattered his elbow on the concrete floor, such that the bones between his elbow and shoulder were pulverized. After two surgeries and (ugh!) physical therapy, Ron is able to play and record again (his vocals were always strong!), but as fate would have it, the lovely Brooke lost her job and thus the family health insurance at about the same time when her company picked up and left town -- and the bills just piled up waist to armpit deep.
As they have done for so many others (including this writer) in the past, Ron's friends circled wagons and set up shop at the Continental Club -- but not before wiping the dust off a 2003 CD of 22 songs by Ron and some of his myriad friends -- "Justamusician: Burnt Gold and Crushed Diamonds." The CD is replete with the memories of psychedelia (including some digital cover art and hippie children in a golden field). Highlights from this CD (which I would suspect is still available for a reasonable contribution -- check out the website, www.ourmanflynt.com for details on how to contribute if you missed the show) include Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers with Gene Clark's "Why Not Your Baby?", Sandy Allen doing my favorite Moby Grape song ever -- 8:05, Kevin Carroll (who introduced ME to Ron one night at Flipnotic's when he was serving as Kevin's sideman) on Fred Neil's "The Other Side of This Life," and and Ron and the Blue Hearts doing "Chimes of Freedom." The CD closes with "A Day in the Life" as performed by The Back Pack (recorded in Berwick, Maine) -- a fitting ending to a CD dedicated to John Lennon and George Harrison -- and, yes, The Beatbabies cover "Bad to Me."
But I digress. The "Big Break Event" began a little before I got there, and when I walked in Scrappy Jud had climbed on stage with Stephen Bruton and Malford Milligan, and the great one sang two Bruton songs -- "Teach Me How to Stay" and "Too Many Memories" -- I knew I was in a wonderful place already. Then it was a song apiece by Kevin Carroll, Jon Notarthomas, and Becca Jones (who had donated a Fender guitar that was raffled off to help the cause and who really got the crowd going). And then it was Michael Hall with Jud and Don Harvey -- and Julie Lowery on backing vocals -- doing a song written just for Ron, "Out Where the Highways Roll," and then "Amelia."
It only got better -- Craig Marshall (what a crooner! doing his "Desperately"), Darin Murphy (cracking us up with his Aunt Biddy voice in a backup role and then doing one of his own), and Billy Harvey (who sang the LEAD on "Beautiful Man") -- and then it was PETER CASE (who goes back with Ron all the way to LA and whose son Joshua Case of Austin played lead guitar for a very very rocking set with the Promise Breakers that included an awesome rendition of "I Shook His Hand" (about JFK).
Then a regrouped 20/20 stepped up to the stage (with Cornbread on bass, Rob Lee on drums, Steve Allen on guitar, and Ron himself on keyboards and some vocals) with a KICKIN' version of their old hit "Yellow Pills" (and more). The lovely Penny Jo insisted then that Case get back on stage with 20/20, and so he and Allen jammed out on the old Plimsouls hit, "A Million Miles Away." The crowd was going BERZERK!!!!
And then Miss Pullus stopped the truck with a haunting rendition of Sylvia Fricker's "Someday Soon" -- and just as quickly melted back into the crowd to make room for her bandmates -- Chip Dolan and Marvin Dykhuis along with Don Harvey and Charlie Irvin just blew the place apart with Guy Clark's "Baton Rouge" and Chip's own "Bucktown," written in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Then it was Walter Tragert (backed on "An Additional Glass of Wine" by Penny Jo and the lovely Bonny Holmes) .. and folks, we were not through!
Julie Lowery assembled her colleagues in the Fire Marshals of Bethlehem (which will be in studio soon, she promised!) -- and those who still had energy to stick around were blown away. Bandmates include the Robbie Eriza (The Way Outs) on lead guitar, hubbie Hunter Darby on bass, John Ratliff on keyboards, Steve McCarthy on drums, and the amazing Jenny Smith on fiddle (but she's really a classical violinist!). After opening with an old 20/20 hit, Julie and the band burned down the house with "Rabbit" and "Lawrence" -- two originals that will soon be available for listening live at the Carousel Lounge (we trust).
And still there was MORE! From Austin's (by way of Reno) Small Stars -- Guy Fantasy and Buddy Llamas leading the pack with Godfrey McCambridge and Brick Masterson and a red-coated keyboardist whom I think is new to the ensemble again recharged those exhausted by five hours of musical bliss and lots of big smiles from Our Man Flynt! Folks, you have to see these guys -- maybe at FronteraFest at the Blue Theater on January 27, 28, 30 or February 4??? Songs for the evening - "Let's Hit the Town," "Miss You," and "21" -- all featuring Llamas' fine tenor sax and great looks!
Closing out the evening -- appropriately -- was a rare performance by Loose Diamonds -- Scrappy Jud and Troy Young Campbell (with Ian and Mike as the rhythm section) opened with Stonewalls and Steelbars (Troy) and then "How Much I Lost" (Jud) and by this time I was too tired to take any more notes. But who cares? Once again -- you can still help out Ron and his family -- just go to www.ourmanflynt.com
