Flanfire

October 6 -- 9 pm. The DAZE at Momo's. Be there.

Or just wait till their Halloween gig at Antone's (if you read this late!).

Okay -- it is my fault. We have been busy -- and yet ....

Okay. Forget that singer-songwriter and lead guitarist (he plays harmonica and keyboards here and there, too) Evan Butts is "just" a freshman in college (or that bassist and sometimes mandolin player Chris Ritchie is, too) -- and ignore that fact that drummer Aaron Lemke (still in high school) draws other drummers to watch his work.

The DAZE can play -- and more than just that, they are learning how to entertain. On a night a few weeks back at Ruta Maya, the DAZE headlined the monthly Sprocket Productions showcase -- and I highly recommend this series, which features bands whose members are 18 and under. Butts is a gifted songwriter who is tackling big picture themes -- as evidenced in songs like "Come, Child" and "Tide of Seasons," both of which remind old fogies of the best Led Zeppelin "ballads." The boys can play the blues (who doesn't here in Stevie Ray-land?), but they are also willing to stretch their own limits (and the audience's musical tastes) with sounds that perhaps Butts learned from guitar teacher Rick del Castillo. The highlight of the evening had to be an extended samba jam featuring guest performer Chris Sibley on percussion box in which every member of the band found a way to bang a gong or some other instrument to keep up with the incredible pace and energy Sibley was creating on stage.

But the Daze was hardly the only show going on at Ruta Maya that evening. Earlier (I missed them), Sprocket had brought out The Bubbles and Girl in the Closet, and the grand finale (before the kids were run off the stage for a reggae festival) featured Althea Soucie-Garza and her new band, An Even Three (or just AE3) -- Griffin on drums, Taylor on guitar, and Jackson on bass. To tell the truth, there is no way to review this show, because the band was rushed on and off the stage. But one thing is certain: the flanfire review of Althea's old band Joyride (featuring three members of Blues Mafia -- see July 2006 postings) was right on the money.

I did enjoy the work being done by her colleagues, but I am so eager to hear Althea in an acoustic set showcasing her folk-blues voice (as opposed to the rock-blues she has been doing). Fourteen months from my earlier review I for a second time pronounced that Althea is the second coming of Maria Muldaur (one of my lifelong personal favorites) -- and somehow it just feels that the louder players would tend to drown out her unique and mature beyond her years voice and (for that matter) musical sensitivities.

But so what? Althea is 14 years old and just learning how to deal with high school life. Let her have her fun with her age mate friends, and in time they, too, may be graduating (sic) to the acoustic music that seems made for this amazingly gifted person. We don't need any burned out over the hill teenagers in THIS town -- and Althea and all of the other very gifted and talented teen-aged musicians in Austin can just relax and develop their skills without all of that idiotic Hollywood pressure to make some old fat cats rich while they end up in rehab.

SO if you are a music lover, you might just trek on down to Ruta Maya on October 27th for the Sprocket Productions Halloween Bash.

And speaking of valuable gigs, another of my favorites - The Honor Farm - is having a CD release at the Scoot Inn on October 27th, and the big uncertainty is whether the band will be allowed to include their Prince cover song on the disc. [You will just have to go to the show to find out which Prince song they are covering.] I caught the band at Jovita's the other night -- and learned that vocalist-keyboard player Lacey Pipkin will be on hiatus for at least the next six months as she heads to Mexico City to work at a major film festival (and complete her master's thesis on Latin American cinema) -- but she WILL be back in town for the CD release party. Honor Farm features the songs and vocals of guitarist Jay (Boo) Tonne, a Colorado native by way of Berkeley and the LA music scene. Old Crawling with Kings players Zach Firnhaber (bass) and Doug Walseth (guitar) join drummer Yamal Said to complete the sound (which sometimes reminds one of Gram Parsons, other times of the Meat Puppets). [Photo: Boo, Zach, and the lovely Lacey.]

Flanfire -- Bringing LIFE to Austin music.