Flanfire

Erin Ivey was excited to be playing a show at Flipnotics Triangle partly because her mom was in town. The rest of us in the audience were just glad to hear her sing -- and, yes, even in FRENCH! Erin and a couple other folks from Austin are working on a super secret project that they may announce to the world in the not too distant future -- from what I hear, it could be the precursor of many good things for the Austin music community. MEANWHILE, Erin's jazz duo, Grand Hotel, is playing at the French Legation Museum TONIGHT!

After a little other running around, I headed to the Hole in the Wall for the Lonesome Heroes Alt-Country Showcase (a Wednesday regular) -- and soon ran into MOM NO> 2 for the evening -- Rich Russell's college professor mom, down with 25 students from Hunter College and lots of other faculty types for a BIG EVENT IN TOWN. Now Rich's folks are big-time music supporters whom I hear have actually put up starving Austin artists in their NYC area house on more than one occasion.

But -- the night was really about the music. Opening act -- Brennen Leigh with Silas Lowe and bassist Justin Kolb. Rumor is this trio sometimes (with Matt Downing) plays as The Fundamentalists -- and indeed they did a Fundy tune during their set. Brennen's voice has never been better, and her guitar picking has advanced so that her brother Seth can keep chasing airplanes (though it is good to see him around now and then). My faves were the very old "Burlington Northern Line" and "Famous for Being a Fool," a co-write with Sunny Sweeney.

Both Brennen and the McMercy Family Band did their own unique versions of "Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)," which Silas calls Zombie Gospel. The BAND -- sisters Kristen and Lindsey Verrill on vocals (Lindsey on bass, too), brothers Dan Grissom on banjo and guitar, Ryan Conlin on mandolin and guitar, and Adam Rader (who was AWOL, I think), the Reverend Ted Hadji on snare and water bottle with popcorn in it (no washboard or tambourine this night), and cousin Michael Rubin on harmonica -- and everybody sings! Gospel tunes done their own innocent but irreverent way -- the band even says their music is like "A good old fashioned tent revival except without the conversion at the end." But why not? The fact is that this group - which plays every Sunday morning at Maria's Taco X-Press - is NOT a bunch of rank amateur hicks (despite their outward appearance) -- their numbers are carefully scripted and arranged, and their show is very professional [OOPS -- I may have told a secret!]

Darwin's too-short set was a major highlight -- not just of the evening, either. Last I had heard him was at Aimee's Scoot Tuesday a while back, but that was solo -- this was with Kim Deschamps on pedal steel, Kevin Fox on bass, and Josh Freniere (sp??) on drums -- and on most of the songs, Aimee (who is just too beautiful for words on stage) sat in on vocal harmonies. And, yes, Darwin coaxed Michael Rubin to join the band for a few of the songs. Now one of Darwin's early influences was Townes Van Zandt, and the band did a soulful cover of "Two Girls" (with Rubin) -- and a Neil Young cover. But Darwin's OWN songs were the highlight -- including "Blue Hollow Tune," written about 15 years ago, and "Calling on the Way." Darwin, BTW, also produced Aimee's forthcoming (It's IN THE MAIL!) CD, "The Safety Match Journal," which from early outtakes promises to be one of the best debut CD's ever in Austin. Darwin also produced Craig Marshall's last CD (Craig has a new one out soon, too!) -- and, fittingly, Craig was in the house for this wonderful show (as was Chris Brecht -- see below).

Rounding out the evening were The Lonesome Heroes themselves -- with Landry sporting a "super rad" new jacket she still had to finish sewing for a class project due early the next day and the whole band up in the clouds over their SATURDAY (folks - this is a special event!) BIG SHOW at Longhorn Caverns State Park with Sarah Stollak on violin and Jim DeGregorio and Doodle Cox of American Graveyard on banjo and upright bass -- and a cast of (well, who knows unless you crawl down into the ground to find out). Tickets are just $15 -- but $25 gets you dinner as well, and the whole gang will be camping at Inks Lake after the show. Early birds can pay another 12 bucks and get a full tour of the cave. Dinner check-in is before 5 pm and the show startes promptly at 6:15 pm. Last I heard there were still a few tickets left.

Well, THAT was WEDNESDAY! Now on to Thursday -- another whirlwind that started with the Free Radical Social Hour at Club 115. The very earthy Stefanie Fix (sans Ms. Synodinos) had as her special guest the aforesaid Craig Marshall (who played some fine lead lines for her in addition to blowing everybody away with his great pop tunes) and new regular Brad Houser on bass (sorry, guys, no baritone sax or bass clarinet tonight). I missed half the show (traffic and chores) but still got to hear TWO very new Stefanie songs plus the great "No Reason Now" and three from Craig, including "Stop and Go" and "Vegas."

Then it was on to Flipnotics (the real one) to hear Jenny Reynolds (with my favorite left-handed guitarist, Andrew Nafziger). Jenny, too, has a new CD in the hopper, but the short-term BIG NEWS is her Sunday night (8 pm) MOMO's full band show with special guest Warren Hood. Jenny's finger picking is just wonderful, and her singing seems to have reached a new level. Lots of great songs -- "Ain't No Reason Not to Love Me," "I Forget Myself," "Exhale," and the title track from the work in progress -- "(Not the) Marryin' Kind." Jenny also did a Scrappy Jud cover tune and Duke Ellington's "Gee, Baby," plus yet another new song, "One Red Light Town," a true New Hampshire story.

Didn't have to leave the chair (though I did -- but that's a long story!) to catch even MORE great music at Flip's -- and to learn that Chris Masterson and the lovely Eleanor Whitmore will soon be embarking on a new adventure in Noo Yawk City (leaving Austin in the Texas dust). The lovebirds along with neighbor Chris Brecht sang sans microphone to the burgeoning (and very enthusiastic) crowd -- quite a feat for Masterson, who says he first met Johnny Winter at the age of 8 and early on turned onto bands like Bubble Puppy and the 13th Floor Elevators.

This story is all about Eleanor playing her daddy's Martin guitar through the whole set and singing "Shaken from the Rain," "I Am Strong (because you made me so)" and others (well, I had to leave and only caught three each) that are just so honest and raw and captivating. Okay -- the boys are good songwriters, too -- and I have chronicled their talents elsewhen -- but Chris admits he put Chris Brecht in between them so he would not be tempted to sing harmonies or play lead lines and instead just let the audience her Eleanor as she is -- the way he sees her -- and the way he is TRYING to record her debut CD (out early next year, I think).

Now about the FINAL stop for the evening. I was sad that I had promised to go to Antone's for the 9 pm Adam McInnis show (only because CC&E were on at that very same time), but went there anyway ONLY TO LEARN that Adam had been pushed back to 10 pm because the fates had moved Ruthie Foster and Taj Mahal to Antone's from the Glenn at the Backyard. So I raced back to Flip's for what you just read about, then back to Antone's to catch MOST of Adam's BIG SHEW! Recognize that Ruthie and Taj had totally sold out the venue, and most of the crowd stuck around to hear Adam -- which meant some of his OWN fans had to wait a bit to get into the building. Not me -- by being late I could walk right in. But the crowd for this relatively unknown former film student and "The One" contestant (well, all two weeks of that failed ABC show) was MASSIVE -- and so was the show the band put on.

Adam is a pretty fair city singer, but he is wise enough to bring to the stage two women with POWEFUL voices -- Julie Foster and Candy Sanders. Guitarist Jason Miller also sings -- other band members include Michael Blake (from The Illustrated Band) on keyboards, Darwin Keys on drums, Cole Hanson on lead guitar (really nice licks, too), and Steve Bernal on bass. I have reviewed Adam's songs before -- but just note that he ended the set with his testimony song (quiet and soulful) and the song currently playing on my homepage -- "Not Alone." Of course, Adam hardly had time to revel in the glory of the evening - he was off to a two-day event in Ohio early today. But he will be back soon! And, oh, yeah -- props to Monique and Melanie! May they get great parts once the writers' strike is finally over!

Flanfire -- Bringing LIFE to Austin music.