A 16
Island Moon
March 20, 2014
Three Chords and the Truth By Ronnie Narmour ronnienarmour@gmail.com
Spring Break debriefing… So far, spring break has been on the slow and marginally pesky side. Schizophrenic weather patterns haven’t helped. Everyday is a new adventure. It’s either cold and raining or hot with gale force winds or so foggy you can’t see the front of your car. From my observations, it seems like Port A really only got three strong days when the big crowds hit us last week. The majority of Texas colleges all let out at the same time this year. It used to be that we’d get three good weeks of strong business with just a few out of line knuckleheads to deal with. Now it seems they’re all knuckleheads. I blame hip hop… and stripper poles. One bright note: I noticed that the cops weren’t as rabid this year. At least I didn’t see DPS pulling as many locals over as last year when Port A felt like a war zone. There were some horrible car wrecks and some big chase scenes on the beach and down 361 and plenty of fight calls on the beach, but in town, the cops pretty much left us alone. Several taxi drivers told me that they were actually called by DPS during the week to take some drunk people home, rather than arresting them. But it’s not over yet, this weekend is still officially spring break with a million and a half college students on break around the country (Texas Tech is the only big Texas school getting out this week). Still, I wouldn’t completely let my guard down just yet.
didn’t have much time to spend with us. He had big gigs to get to… one of which was playing the huge spring break show at Concrete Street with Randy Rogers and Cody Johnson. I’ve always known Cody to set a good example and keep his nose clean. It will be fun watching how well he’ll do in the coming years. Keep it up, son. You get a well deserved ATTABOY from me. I couldn’t be prouder. Good job Randy and Mary Angel… yall get an ATTABOY too!
Thank you ladies…
Chris Knight will play a show with Folk Family Revival tonight at Brewster Street
Della Mae played the Back Porch last Friday
Matt Hole and the Hot Rod Gang will play the Back Porch on Saturday.
SandFest 2014… So what’s next? For one thing, the 18th annual SandFest 2014 hits the island in three weeks. Starting on April 11- 13 an army of professional and amateur sand sculptors from here and around the world will occupy the beaches of Port Aransas to create some of the most amazing sculptures your eyes will ever see. This festival is the shining star of Port A and every year 100,000 visitors flock to our island for three fun days of sand, music and food. The music lineup this year will include Jared Clark, Mike Stites, Melissa Brook, Rae Ann & the Ride, Triggerfish, Mike Milligan & the Altar Boys, Passing Strangers, The Sand Band and Kara & the Dam Band.
Cody Angel…
Cody Angel, Antone Perez and Mike Guerra played the Back Porch on Thursday
Jul and the Chrome Wheels with Bron Doyle on congas played Shorty’s last weekend Also last weekend I attended shows by Cruise Control and Della Mae (Nashville, TN) at the Porch, Lyrical Bynge (Corpus Christi, TX) at Giggity’s and Jul & the Chrome Wheels (Austin, TX) at Shorty’s. This string of shows was one dominated by the talents of women. Three of the finest female singers on this green earth all hit Port A at once. Jul Jolley (Chrome Wheels), Edna de la Garza (Lyrical Bynge) and Celia Woodsmith (Della Mae) can all claim ferocious chops. In short, these gals wail with the intensity of a hurricane. I was completely in awe of them. They were absolutely on fire. And the rest of the ladies in Della Mae also put on a show that I won’t forget soon. There was enough frenzied picking on that stage to kill a normal man. I’m talking about fiddles and mandolins and big box acoustics that were just smoking. I sat as close as I could get to the stage with a big goofy grin on my face the entire time. Let it be said, the gals of Della Mae are as good as it gets. Period. Thank you ladies!
DO NOT MISS LIST
There were some fine shows around Port A last weekend. My boy, Cody Angel (San Marcos, TX) stopped by his old stompin’ grounds to grace us with a show at the Back Porch with his local blues trio (Antone Perez and Mike Guerra). Cody has the world by the sting these days. He’s just turned 21, moved to San Marcos, graduated from college and nailed a steady job playing pedal steel with one of the upcoming Texas music big boys (Kyle Park) and gets to travel all over the country in a nice big bus where somebody else is driving. He
This weekend… Tonight, Thursday, March 20th, a band that I’ve been gushing about for weeks, Folk Family Revival will play Brewster Street Ice House with Americana hot shot Chris Knight. This will be a killer show boys and girls. Then tomorrow, Friday, the 21st, another Texas Music star, Pat Green will take the stage at Brewster. I gotta say, those guys at Brewster Street got it going on. I usually pass on the cheesy Spazmatic-Metalachi-Metal Shop shows, but I think pound for pound Brewster
GIGGITY’S RESTAURANT & BAR
Free Beer Band (7-10)
March 20
90 Proof (9-1)
March 21
Mike Milligan & the Altar Boys March 22
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Antone & the All Stars (8-12)
March 23
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March 24
Mike Williams (5-9)
March 26
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Merle Haggard will play Selena Auditorium on March 30 hosts the weekly pickers circle in Luckenbach and is a regular at Gruene Hall. We haven’t seen Bo in a while and this will definitely be a show to catch. On Saturday, the 29th, blues master J.T. Coldfire will return to Giggity’s, the Reverend’s Daughter will play the Porch and the 60’s psychedelic band with ties to Port A, Bubble Puppy will play the Executive Surf Club with Bushbullit. And on Sunday, March 30th, country music legend Merle Haggard will play Selena Auditorium. Haggard has had 38 number one hits since recording his 1966 hit “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”. He is in the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Grammy Hall of Fame and the Nashville Singer Songwriter Hall of Fame and has received numerous awards including the Kennedy Center Honor (2010), a Grammy for “Best Vocal Performance (“That’s the Way Love Goes”). 13 awards from the Academy of Country Music (9 or which were for Top Male Vocalist) and 6 CMA awards. Haggard has a staggering body of work. Since 1965 he has recorded 76 studio albums, 48 compilations and 96 singles. At 77, Mr. Haggard still tours constantly.
Street puts out some of the best live music schedules in our area. Also on Friday, my favorite string band, Independent Thieves, will return to Shorty’s, blues master Hamilton Loomis (Houston, TX) will be at Dr. Rockits, John Eric will be at the Back Porch and hard rockers, 90 Proof, will be at Giggity’s. On Saturday, the 22nd, the party will be at Giggity’s with the always jumping Mike Milligan and the Altar Boys On the horizon… (Austin, TX). And rockabilly wild Briefly, on the near horizon man, Matt Hole and the Hot Rod Gang will be at the Porch, singer- Pat Green will play watch for shows by Mandy songwriter extraordinaire, Slaid Brewster on Friday Rowden & Billy Abel, Jake Ward and the Coastal Riders, Cleaves (Austin, TX) will be at the Shelley King, Gary P. Nunn, Third Coast Theater and Americana pretty boy, Mark McKinny will be at the South Patrice Pike, Larry Joe Taylor, Joe Mack & Carter Sampson, The Sisters Morales, Texas Ice House. Hold Fast Fables, Austin Heat, W.C. Next weekend… Clark, blacktopGYPSY, Jesse Dayton, The Next Friday, the 28th, our buddy Todd Dorn Derailers, The Tejas Brothers, Uncle Lucius, and the Sea Drifters (San Antonio, TX) will The Whiskey Sisters, Shinyribs, Joe King return to Giggity’s, Another Level will play Carrasco, Stewart Mann & Statesboro the Porch, Five Card Draw will play Brewster Revue, Max Stalling, Two Tons of Steel, The and the great honky tonk hero, Bo Porter will Dirty River Boys and the Rankin Twins. play Shorty’s… that’s where I’ll be. Bo is a ♫ ♪ And that’s the truth! ♫ ♪ mainstay around Austin and the hill country and
Live Music Tonight
Thursday, March 20 Free Beer Band @ Giggity’s Chris Knight, Folk Family Revival @ Brewster Street Robert Brown @ Scuttlebutt’s Tiffany @ Shorty’s Stevie Start @ The Sandbar Barnyard Stompers @ Dr. Rockits Friday, March 21 90 Proof @ Giggity’s John Eric @ Back Porch The Shakedown @ South Texas Ice House Pat Green, Hudson Moore @ Brewster Street Independent Thieves @ Shorty’s Hamilton Loomis @ Executive Surf Club Fortunate Youth, Ashes of Babylon, Aisle of View @ House of Rock Chris Saenz @ Scuttlebutt’s Dave’s Duo @ Katz 21 Red Giant @ The Sandbar Aisle of View @ Dr. Rockits Saturday, March 22 Mike Milligan & the Altar Boys @ Giggity’s Matt Hole & the Hot Rod Gang @ Back Porch Ron Baker @ Shorty’s Slaid Cleaves @ Third Coast Theater Mark McKinney, Kris Gordon @ South Texas Ice House Nick Gaitan & the Umbrella Man @ Executive Surf Club Oso Bay @ House of Rock Kevin Hill @ Scuttlebutt’s Another Level @ Brewster Street Double R Nothing @ The Sandbar Green Party @ Dr. Rockits Sunday , March 23 Antone & the All Stars @ Giggity’s Blood of Our Brothers, Revisions, Fortunes, Goliath @ House of Rock John Eric @ Scuttlebutt’s
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(361) 460-4365 John Eric March 21 Matt Hole & the Hot Rod Gang March 22 Another Level March 28 Reverend’s Daughter March 29 The Ones April 4 Melissa Brooke April 5 132 W. Cotter St. Port A On the Waterfront
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March 21 March 22 March 28 March 29 April 4 April 5 April 11
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Sunday , March 23 continued Dave’s Duo @ The Sandbar St. Wailers @ Dr. Rockits
Monday, March 24 Open Jam w/ Stevie Start @ Giggity’s Open Mic @ Scuttlebutt’s Open Jam @ Dr. Rockits Stevie Start @ Scuttlebutt’s Open Jam w/ Antone Perez @ Dr. Rockits Tuesday, March 25 Open Mic @ House of Rock John Eric @ Scuttlebutt’s Tiffany @ Docs Run Down Legend @ Dr. Rockits Wednesday, March 26 Mike Williams (5:30) @ Giggity’s Wolfjaw @ Flats Lounge Fabian Rivera @ Scuttlebutt’s Jimmy Wilden Band @ Dr. Rockits Thursday, March 27 Free Beer Band @ Giggity’s Bart Crow, Reverend’s Daughter @ Brewster Street Voodoo Boogaloo, Blacksmith, M9 @ House of Rock Robert Brown @ Scuttlebutt’s Stevie Start @ The Sandbar Starlite & the Moonbeams @ Dr. Rockits Friday, March 28 Todd Dorn & the Sea Drifters @ Giggity’s Another Level @ Back Porch Cruise Control @ South Texas Ice House Five Card Draw @ Brewster Street Bo Porter @ Shorty’s Scarecrow People @ Executive Surf Club Fall, An Eaters Curse, Infestation of Maggots @ House of Rock Kevin Hill @ Scuttlebutt’s Now & Zen @ Katz 21 Rock-O-Holics @ The Sandbar