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Three Chords and the Truth The new Drop Anchor…
By Ronnie Narmour
September 25, 2014
Island Moon
ronnienarmour@gmail.com
Terlingua or Sharkey’s?
never a single moment when at least one guitar wasn’t being played. They live for music. Joe Mack showed up at Shorty’s last month with another Okie entourage: Carter Sampson (the Queen of Oklahoma) and Sky Smeed… and they tore it up. They played something like 29 cities in 30 days on that tour. And I gotta say, all these Oklahoma dudes really know how to rock a beard… must be something in that hillbilly water up there. Together, Thomas Trapp and Joe Mack work an exhaustive acrobatic display of guitar technique that is nothing short of a Fourth of July fireworks show. Watch closely folks, their fingers never leave their hands. This is the coolest deal around. Love me some Okies!
Randy McAllister to play Back Porch…
The ever so tempting Terlingua, TX I have several friends here that are squeezing me hard to go to the big chili cook-off and music festival they have every year in Terlingua (which is a hundred miles from the middle of nowhere.) I am considering it. It would be an easier decision if it wasn’t a 14 hour drive. All of my central Texas buddies, led by Al Barlow, will be there and I know it will probably be fun, though I’m not much of a camper. I’m told to take all your provisions with you since the place is so isolated. Someone said they have a beer drinking goat out there that’s good for a few laughs. Who am I kidding? It sounds like a living hell… driving all day and night through the desert to get to sleep on the ground and starve to death while watching an alcoholic goat. Am I missing something? Or, I could just stick around here and go to Sharkey’s 14th Annual Chili cook-off and Music Festival on Oct. 4. My old pal, the late Jody McCormick got this tradition started back in the 80’s when I worked for him at the Midnight Rodeo in San Antonio and it’s for a good cause (his vocational scholarship fund). They’ll have a bunch of bands like Todd Dorn and the Sea Drifters playing all day and night plus other fun stuff like the wiener dog races and lots of great chili. Hey Jason Towns, why don’t you fire your little airplane up and we’ll do both. Now there’s an idea.
Encore, encore…
Melissa Brooke will play Drop Anchor this Saturday. The new kids on the block over at Drop Anchor have been slowly slipping into the island music scene. They tell me that Rich Lockhart will play every Friday in October and Billy Snipes will play Oct. 11th and 25th. And on this Saturday, they are throwing a special “end of summer” party with food and drink specials and a performance by our own Melissa Brooke. Plus Melissa will have her Dallas buddy, Bo Brumble in tow, so expect a killer song swap. I like the direction these folks at the Drop Anchor are taking and see many of our old friends working there, like Johnny Bravo and Janet Wilks. Drop Anchor owner, Ashley Richards, tells me they plan to build a new stage downstairs and hope to have it ready for Melissa’s show. Check this place out. It’s on Cutoff Road where the old Rusty Jeep BBQ used to be. They did a pretty big remodeling job in there and the place looks great. And the food is good, too. I had one of their giant stuffed baked potatoes the other day and loved it.
DO NOT MISS LIST Okie invasion…
Coming next week…
Grammy nominee, Randy McAllister will play the Back Porch on Oct. 3rd. On Oct. 3rd, Grammy nominee, Randy McAllister (Paris, TX) will return to the Back Porch. McAllister is a remarkable blues singer in a unique class of drummers who front the band. I can only compare him to the late Levon Helm or Doyle Bramhall, Sr. Randy never ceases to amaze me with the musicians he chooses to accompany him on these yearly trips to the coast. A couple of years ago it was with blues legend, Andrew” Junior Boy” Jones, in tow. And last year (and you really can’t make
Get ready for another mad Okie hillbilly guitar invasion… Joe Mack and Thomas Trapp (Tahlequah, OK) will play both Friday and Saturday at Shorty’s this weekend. Just for the record, Tahlequah is in Cherokee County in the foothills of the Ozarks and the heart of the Cherokee Nation (just thought you should know.) These boys get together whenever they can and when they do, guitar necks smolder. They played Shorty’s last year for two nights and stayed at my house. I can attest, there was
Shake Russell and Michael Hearne will play the Third Coast Theater on Oct. 4th.
Also coming next week, there is a wealth of talent. Look for shows on Oct. 3rd by Hold Fast Fables (Galveston, TX) at Giggity’s and Ty Dietz (Corpus Christi, TX) at Shorty’s. On Oct. 4th watch for Larry Joe Taylor (Stephenville, TX) at the Porch, Michael Hearne (Red River, NM) and Shake Russell (Houston, TX) at Third Coast Studio and The Lavens (San Antonio, TX) plus The Rosellys (Bristol, England) at Giggity’s. More about all of these shows in next week’s column. I can’t wait to tell you about the Lavens and the Rosellys. They are way cool!!!
On the horizon…
On the near horizon, watch for shows by Whiskey Meyers, William Clark Green, Bo Porter, The 31st Annual Shorty’s Pig Party, Jake Ward, Jerry Diaz, Todd Dorn, The Cosmic Dust Devils, The Tejas Brothers, Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders, Buster Jiggs and Mike Stinson. WOW!!! Stay tuned…
Joe Mack and Thomas Trapp will play Shorty’s this weekend.
Mike Milligan and the Altar Boys played Giggity’s last Friday Last week was like one we’ve seen many times around here, but still, it was a goodern. The returning cast of characters: Mike Millilgan and the Altar Boys (Austin, TX) at Giggity’s, Billy Snipes (New Braunsfel, TX) at Shorty’s, Ruben V (San Antonio, TX) at the Back Porch, J.T. Coldfire (Austin, TX) at Giggity’s and Lyrical Bynge (Corpus Christi, TX) at Shorty’s once again entertained our little island with fervor and class. We had to work around the threat of rain all weekend but the good news is: the temperatures dropped and we got our first glimpse of fall… which, by the way, it officially is. I assume the color of some leaves somewhere will start changing, the foliage around here pretty much stays the same color all year long (except in August when the grass turns yellow).
this stuff up), Randy showed up with a group of young sidemen that was hard to figure out. The way Randy told it, he had moved from his home in East Texas to South Dakota to marry. Now Randy’s not a computer guy but he had a couple of vehicles to sell and decided to give Craigslist a try and quickly found an ad looking for a drummer. As it turned out, it was a Johnny Cash tribute band from Tennessee who was touring the Midwest. Randy responded to the ad, played a couple of gigs and then talked the band into ditching the Johnny Cash wannabee to hit the road with him The end result of what we saw was 16 year old Mya Van Nuys on fiddle, 18 year old Rob Dewan on electric guitar and 23 year old Matt Higgins on bass. These kids played like their hair was on fire. Randy is always his usual great self, playing drums, scrub board, harmonica, the pavement, a chair, a table, a bottle of water… anything he could find to beat on. I watched him break two drum sticks that night. Trust me, this is definitely a DO NOT MISS show.
♫ ♪ And, that’s the truth! ♪ ♫
Live Music Tonight
Ruben V played the Back Porch last Saturday
GIGGITY’S RESTAURANT & BAR Free Beer Band Every Thursday 90 Proof Sept. 26 Rip Tones Sept. 27 Antone & the All Stars Every Sunday Open Jam Every Monday Tiffany Tuesday Every Tuesday Ruben Limas Oct. 1 Open 11am-2am Daily. Kitchen open til 1am. 722 Tarpon, Port Aransas, TX
Keepers Horace Caldwell Pier (361) 749 - 5333 Fishing, Pole Rentals, Beer, Burgers, Wings
945-JUMP skydivesouthtexas.com
Lisabellas Bistro & Bar Casual Dining at it’s Finest Celebrating Coastal Cuisine
361-749-4222 Open Tuesday - Saturday at 5:00 pm
Nightly Seafood Specials
5009 Hwy 361 Port A @ Cinnamon Shores
Thursday, Sept. 25 Free Beer Band @ Giggity’s Granger Smith @ Brewster Street Passafire, Hip Abduction, Flatbroke @ House of Rock Robert Brown @ Scuttlebutt’s Duke E. Brown @ Doctor Rockits
Friday, Sept. 26 John Eric @ Back Porch 90 Proof @ Giggity’s Joe Mack & Thomas Trapp @ Shorty’s Hot Pickles @ Phoenix Five Card Draw @ Brewster Street Flashback @ Executive Surf Club The Independents, Nqa, Ave.Rockers, Tricounty Terror @ House of Rock Blake Sparx @ Scuttlebutt’s Starlite & the Moonbeams @ Doctor Rockits Ty Dietz @ South Texas Ice House Saturday, Sept. 27 Scarecrow People @ Back Porch Joe Mack & Thomas Trapp @ Shorty’s Rip Tones @ Giggity’s Melissa Brooke, Bo Brumble @ Drop Anchor Selfie @ Phoenix Passing Strangers @ Brewster Street Paul Renna, David Martinex @ Executive Surf Club Roadkill Ghost Choir, Eastern Sea, Modern Explorations @ House of Rock Fabian Rivera @ Scuttlebutt’s Ty Dietz @ Doctor Rockits Clarissa Serna @ South Texas Ice House Sunday, Sept. 28 Antone & the All Stars @ Giggity’s Women of Ink Model Competition @ House of Rock John Eric @ Scuttlebutt’s Open Jam @ Doctor Rockits Monday, Sept. 29 Open Jam w/ Jef Wilson @ Giggity’s
John Eric
Sept. 26
Scarecrow People
Sept. 27
Randy McAllister
Oct. 3
Larry Joe Taylor
Oct. 4
Jerry Diaz & Hanna’s Reef
Oct. 10
Cosmic Dust Devils
Oct. 11
132 W. Cotter St. Port A On the Waterfront
Joe Mack & Thomas Trap
Sept. 26-27
Ty Dietz
Oct. 3
Jef Wilson
Oct. 4
Bo Porter
Oct. 10
31st Annual PIG PARTY
Oct. 11
OPEN Till 2am • 823 Tarpon St. Port Aransas
Full Bar & Grill
Melissa Brooke & Bo Brumble this Saturday Rich Lockhart every Friday in Oct. Full Bar- Fresh Food-Family Friendly-Dogs Welcome
361-945-9595, 118 Cut Off Rd., Port Aransas www.dropanchorportaransas.com
Best Rates Call for special pricing
(361)290-7143 314 E. Ave. G www.bronsbeachcarts.com
The Gaff Beer ● Pizza ● Belt Sander Races (361) 749-5970
Monday, Sept. 29 continued... Open Jam w/ Ray Summy @ Executive Surf Club Open Jam w/ Antone Perez @ Dr. Rockits Brian Permenter @ Scuttlebutt’s Tuesday, Sept. 30 Tiffany Tuesday w/ Chad Smith @ Giggity’s Palms, Boyfrdnz, Resz @ Brewster Street Open Mic @ House of Rock John Eric @ Scuttlebutt’s Run Down Legend @ Doctor Rockits Wednesday, Oct. 1 Ruben Limas @ Giggity’s Fabian Rivera @ Scuttlebutt’s Stevie Start @ Doc’s Seafood Thursday, Oct. 2 Free Beer Band @ Giggity’s Wade Bowen, Scott Wiggins @ Brewster Street Marco Ramirez @ Scuttlebutt’s Brian & Diana @ Doc’s Seafood Friday, Oct. 3 Hold Fast Fables @ Giggity’s Ty Dietz @ Shorty’s Randy McAllister @ Back Porch Rich Lockhart @ Drop Anchor Spazmatics @ Brewster Street Out of Bounds @ South Texas Ice House The Groove @ Executive Surf Club Robert Brown @ Scuttlebutt’s Brian & Diana @ Doc’s Seafood Saturday, Oct. 4 The Lavens, The Rosellys @ Giggity’s Larry Joe Taylor @ Back Porch Jef Wilson @ Shorty’s Michael Hearne & Shake Russell @ Third Coast Studio Hip Hop Hooray @ Brewster Street Tommy Joe Wilson @ South Texas Ice House Hardwired @ Executive Surf Club