Tales from the Cole Mine Terry Cole shares his stories
Page 19
Hakuna Matata No worries, and awesome summer treats
A Journey Down The Colorado I flipped my kayak, twice
Page 4
Page 8
Making Magic The Patrons create a unique sound
Page 16
Treenware Local artist creates function and beauty
Page 11
elgintx.com
NEW BUSINESSES We welcome our new businesses on HWY 290 to Elgin! Panda Express, Mattress Firm, Great Clips, Beyond Nails and Spa, and AT&T
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@MakeElginYours Here’s my Elgin. We want to know what makes yours!
My Elgin is late Sunday afternoon, when all the shops have closed down and the only sound on the streets is the light humming of a few cars and the gentle noises of nature. I love the quiet interludes in these otherwise hectic times. I’ll often head out around 5 p.m. on Sunday for a drive. Some days I’ll head up through the Pleasant Grove area and wind my way through the rural landscapes towards Taylor. Other times I’ll head immediately north and snake my way through Manda. I really like the lay of the land out towards Littig. Then I’ll generally come back to downtown Elgin and walk a few miles around Main Street. You rarely see anyone aside from the occasional car driving by in those silent moments when the sun begins its descent. That’s my Elgin, but we want to hear about yours. The idea for this magazine came from a desire from our staff to create something different, something that shows what a place like Elgin really means to the people that make it what it is. It became clear to us quickly that Elgin is the wonderful place that it is because its people make it so. That’s where “Make Elgin Yours” comes from. We wrapped the theme of this magazine around this concept and wanted to write the stories of the people who make things. Nancy Lou Webster makes amazing and functional art that has earned her a place in The Smithsonian. Lew Andre Mathews and The Patrons make music that belies the number of people in their band. Hakuna Matata makes summer treats that often has cars overflowing into Main Street. Terry Coles makes memories come alive, and I was able to make my own adventure during an ill-conceived kayaking trip down the Colorado River in Webberville. Now that we’ve gotten the first issue of Gin Magazine off the ground, we want you to show us how you Make Elgin Yours. We’ve launched a Twitter page titled @MakeElginYours, and we want to use this new outlet to
showcase what Elgin truly means to everyone who lives here, and to share that with the world. So what’s your Elgin? We’d like to hear about it, and we’d like to include your stories and your inspiration in the upcoming editions of Gin Magazine. We hope you enjoy this first issue, and we look forward to hearing how you Make Elgin Yours. Best wishes and warmest regards, Dan Kleiner Publisher, Gin Magazine
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A journey down the Colorado River I flipped my kayak – twice – but I wouldn’t have had it any other way
BY DAN KLEINER dan.kleiner@elgincourier.com
M
y first experience paddling down the Colorado River reminded me why people do this in the first place. Just a few minutes before heading down to Webberville, one of my friends remarked to me on the telephone, “You’re doing this for fun?” That Saturday afternoon was fairly warm, and I laughed without responding as I thought about what most people nowadays refer to as a relaxing weekend activity. “It gets me out of my workout for the day,” I finally responded. 4
“Don’t lie to me,” was the response, along with a laugh. “I know you don’t work out.” The drive from Elgin down to Little Webberville Park on the banks of the Colorado didn’t seem like the 20 minutes that it actually was. The park didn’t seem all that “little” either. There’s a small grocery store right at the corner of FM 969 and Water Street, surely a final destination for many outdoor enthusiasts before they put their canoes in the water at the park right behind the store. A giant playscape welcomes visitors to the park with a boat ramp down a gentle slope towards the back of the park, where I met up with my friends that afternoon. Most of us www.elgincourier.com
had kayaks, however, the leader of our pack had a large canoe with a small on-board motor to power him and his girlfriend on our journey. We didn’t let them forget that the rest of us were using man- and woman-power at any point during our excursion. It took us about three hours to navigate our short journey. You could ride the Colorado all the way down to Bastrop if you wanted to, but we took out at a second park downriver, known simply as Webberville Park. In between our entry and exit, we paddled and talked about learned more about each other. It’s so rare nowadays to have an opportunity to simply visit, and I discovered very Gin Magazine
LEFT: Erik McGowan navigates the Colorado River during a recent excursion. There are several local businesses that can help you, or you can create your own adventure just minutes from Elgin by putting in at Little Webberville Park on FM 969. Photo by Valerie Reddell
Gin Magazine
early in our trip that I really didn’t need to paddle a whole lot if I didn’t want to, what with the pace of the river and all. I did flip over – twice in fact – setting the record for our group of around 10 people. The first time was when we were in a swifter moving part of the river and one of my friends advised me to unscrew a certain contraption of some type on the back of my kayak that apparently lets out water. I never did get it unscrewed, due to the fact that as soon as I turned around I threw my balance off and swiftly plunged into the river. Several friends came over to assist me with getting my kayak over to the bank and emptying it of water. I don’t remember why I flipped over the second time. But it didn’t really seem to matter. In between my various mishaps was some of the most amazing and
unspoiled stretches of riverfront I’ve seen. We all commented numerous times throughout our trip how shocked we were to not see more boat ramps, or more development in general. I don’t think we saw five other people during our three-hour trip. After the first time I flipped my kayak, a new friend I had just met earlier that day paddled over to check on me right after I got back on board. “You good?” she asked. “Yup. Good to go,” I said. “Spirits still high?” “Oh yeah, I said. It wouldn’t be an adventure without a little struggled mixed in.” She just laughed, turned around, and continued downriver. I did the same, no worse for the wear. Looking back on it, I’m actually better off.
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MAKE A SUMMER FASHION STATEMENT BY LAUREN JETTE lauren.jette@elgincourier.com
Summertime is here, meaning it’s time for backyard barbeques, meeting up with friends and taking trips. Here are some trends that you can find right here in Elgin to add to your summer wardrobe.
SLOGAN TEES
WESTERN CHIC
Wear your thoughts on your sleeve this summer with slogan tees. With sayings and phrases ranging from motivating to sassy, let your shirt do the talking for you. The tees or tanks pair well with shorts and flip flops for a casual day, or over yoga pants for the gym. For a nicer look, wear with lace or printed shorts and add chunky jewelry.
Who knew steer skulls could be cute and fashionable? It’s a perfect fit for small town Texas. Feminine details like bright colors and florals brighten up the skull print on dresses, skirts and tank tops and look great paired with sandals or boots. For a classic statement, pair a tank with denim shorts and a lace bralette for a fun, summery look.
ACCESSORIES
KIMONOS
Delicate chain necklaces with stones go with anything and are light enough for the hot summer months. Turquoise and silver bracelets add some punctuation to a casual outfit or can make a statement in layers over a t-shirt and boots or a nice dress. Bags and purses with fringe are a fun, playful addition to an outfit, whether it’s running errands a ro u n d town or hitting up an evening concert in the park.
Adding another layer to an outfit during summer in Texas sounds like the opposite of what you would do, but with all the different lengths, fabrics and prints kimonos are available in, it can be a finishing detail, not an added weight! Throw a sleeveless Aztec printed kimono over a plain tank top and shorts, or belt a brightly-colored lace kimono over a dress for a nicer occasion.
6
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Gin Magazine
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Hakuna Matata
No worries, and delicious summer treats
BY LAUREN JETTE lauren.jette@elgincourier.com
As the temperature rises this summer, the best reprieve from the heat will be to grab a cool treat to enjoy in the shade. Hakuna Matata Fruit and Snacks in downtown Elgin offers unique treats to cool off with, from sweet and fruity to frozen and spicy. “It just depends on what you’re craving,” said Brenda Guzman, who owns Hakuna Matata along with husband Edgar Lopez. “A lot of people ask us, ‘we don’t know what to get’. We’re like, ‘what are you craving most of all?’” Once they know that, then they can whip you up a treat to best satisfy your craving. “Honestly, Hakuna Matata means ‘no worries’,” Guzman said. “We did hear it on Lion King, of course, but it is Swahili, and it means no worries,
Brenda and Edgar and their family pose for a photograph in front of Makuna Matata on Main Street in downtown Elgin. They opened the drive-through business in 2014 and have been serving up cold, fresh drinks ever since. Lauren Jette photos / www.elgincourier.com
so if you are craving anything, don’t worry about it, we will take care of it and kind of create what you want.” A large menu on the outside of
Hot sauce in a frozen drink stand? Absolutely! One of Hakuna Matata’s most popular concoctions utilizes Chamoy, but don’t worry, many of their frozen treats are sweet, not spicy. 8
www.elgincourier.com
the building, painted in a tropical theme that Guzman hand-painted the details of herself, offers ideas for patrons and includes sweet and frozen treats, to hot and spicy fare that is typically found on the streets in Mexico. Lamenting the fruit stands she missed back in her hometown of McAllen, Lopez suggested they open their own version here in Elgin, where he spent most of his childhood. “Of course no one will give you their recipes, so we had to create our own versions,” Guzman explained. Some of the more popular menu items are fruit cups or frozen concoctions, such as freshly-cut strawberries with cream or the Mango Paradise, but Hakuna Matata Gin Magazine
TOP SELLING TREATS 2 | Strawberries and Cream
Freshly sliced strawberries with cream.
3 | Heavenly with Strawberry and Mango
Mango and strawberry puree swirled together with cream, topped with a scoop of ice cream.
1 | Mango Paradise
Homemade chamoy sauce mixed with mango puree and topped with gummy bears and fresh mango pieces and a sprinkling of chile powder with two mango gummies.
we love them! It’s still unbelievable also offers street corn, nachos, frito and patient,” Guzman said. “They are learning that it’s fresh, to me how many customers have pies and hot Cheetos with nacho because so many of these things we grown to love us and accept us,” cheese. When they first opened in April of could have ready to go in the freezer, Guzman said. “I was very scared 2014, Guzman distinctly remembers but then we wouldn’t Hours are 1 p.m. because what if it doesn’t serving a customer street corn have customers.” Most of the frozen/ to 8 p.m. Monday go well?” with cream instead of mayonnaise, Thankfully, the business because items weren’t well drink items are offered – Saturday has been embraced by in different sizes and organized. “It was a disaster, I’m not going to prices range from less than $2 to the community and has been going lie. It was all over the place,” Guzman the most expensive item on the strong. “Elgin is amazing, they’ve been menu, a hollowed-out pineapple said with a laugh. Now, the work space is neatly filled with candy, gummy bears, fruit, really fantastic to us. It’s been a organized so Guzman and her slush, “whatever you want to add” blessing,” Guzman said. “Every single year, we keep employees can quickly find the Guzman said, for $8.50. The stand opens the first Monday growing a little more and a little items they need to create their treats of March every year, but more. I would have never guessed as soon as a customer Hakuna Matata is closes during the winter that we would continue to be open orders it. Fresh fruit is brought located at 101 S. months because of the four years after we started.” The best part for Guzman and lull in fresh fruit. in daily by Guzman, but Main Street Due to personal health Lopez is hearing how much their cut up in small batches so it maintains its freshness and issues, Guzman and Lopez almost customers enjoy their treats. “I love it and I love that even though consistency, which means it can shut down the stand last year, but be a few minutes wait time before decided to rally and open up again this is a snack you find in Mexico, I love that everyone tries everything this year for their customers. customers get their order. “I love that they love us because and they love it.” “All of our customers are so nice Gin Magazine
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Artist in the Woods Treenware, and Nancy Lou, tell a story BY MARK L. SMITH mark@mlsfineart.com
Some of the most interesting things in life are combinations of two seemingly different things. Nancy Lou Webster is one of those. She is well known as a world-class wood carver. A Mississippi native, Nancy Lou “got to Texas as soon as she could”, as the saying goes. She has kept her deep Southern roots well-watered, and Texans would be hard-pressed to find evidence that she was not born here. Webster, in her Levi’s and her leather work boots, is by now as Texan as it gets. And she is not only a Texan — a long-time resident of Elgin — but she is a “country gal”, and proud of it. But then there is the other side of Nancy Lou that hides way behind her very charming, downhome personality: She is a collegeeducated artist. She may carve wood that is functional, but rest assured, this woman is first and foremost a serious artist. She grew up going to art museums with her mother. She is not just a craftsman or an artisan. Her handcrafted kitchenware may be very useful, but it is usable sculpture. When one first sees her work in person, it is obvious that one is observing something way above a mere tool. So, there is the unmentioned part of Nancy Lou Webster — the highly-educated artist — and there is the well-known part of her, the homespun, superb woodchopper. She blends together those two parts 12
Sawing Wood: Nancy Lou Webster gets to work on one of the initial stages in producing a piece of her famous Treenware. Her work is on display at The Smithsonian Institution and available locally at The Owl Wine Bar and Home Goods Store. Mark Smith photos.
of herself seamlessly. Her carving technique is called “treening.” “Treen” is an Old English word that means, simply, trees. What it has always referred to is the method of making wooden tools. When our ancient ancestors first started using tools, they were either rocks or sticks. As Nancy Lou explained to me, “One day, some cave man took his dead rabbit, and said ‘I’ll hold it over the fire by poking it onto this here stick’.” Treening eventually evolved into wooden spoons that helped get the rudimentary stew out of the turtleback bowl. And so, treenware was born. It was not until about the 17th or 18th century that people started to create metal kitchen and dinnerware. But gradually, the art of treening www.elgincourier.com
faded into the background. Few people have heard of it, and fewer now know how it is done. As Nancy Lou said, “How many women in Texas make spoons?” She has been doing everything she can to make sure that this endangered art form does not become extinct. First, she taught her own children how to do it. They grew up watching her make treenware. Even her granddaughter, Clee, got into it, and 3 year olds would say, “I makin’ a ‘poon”. Her son Fielder remained highly involved with the craft, until he eventually transformed his knowledge of woodwork into an equally expert — and parallel — knowledge of stonework. Nancy Lou has trained a small army of treeners through her demonstrations and workshops at Gin Magazine
Above: This original chisel that Nancy Lou Webster made from her father’s screwdriver is just one of several tool of the trade. Left: A “Limber Jack” is a form of “jig doll,” a traditional wooden toy for adults or children. The doll can be made to dance a jig by manipulating the stick at the end. Jog dolls date back to the 16th century.
the Institute of Texan Cultures Folklife Festival in San Antonio, and at the Christmas in Winedale celebration in Round Top, as well as at many other venues and craft festivals around the U.S. It was in San Antonio at the Institute of Texan Cultures that her work was discovered by Claudia Ball, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Nancy Lou’s work is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian, as well as available for purchase in its shop. The attention she has received for her work, and the articles written about her, are so voluminous as to be too much to list here. I will, however, recommend one of the latest articles about her: “No Cottoning To Convention”, by Lorie Woodward Cantu, Round Top Registry, Winter, 2016. It is unique because it consists mostly of a transcription of Nancy Lou telling her stories about her history with making treenware. And as everyone who knows Nancy Lou is aware of, she is a consummate storyteller. Her stories are so intriguing and entertaining — and educational — that I had a hard time leaving her living room and getting to her home workshop. But the truth is, her whole Gin Magazine
house is her workshop. Even in her living room/den, she has treening tools at hand, and carves and sands wood when she is watching the Spurs on TV. She is almost never not working. A long time ago, when she found herself alone in her home, she made a commitment to herself that she would make at least one wooden item every day. And she has kept that promise to herself. She even keeps a written record of every one on her printed calendars. But somehow, she makes a lot more than just 365 works every year. It was her primary workshop that stole my heart. Having grown up with a carpenter father and paternal grandfather master carpenter, I became familiar with wood and with its hand tools. So, seeing her small but very efficient workspace, and her exquisite hand tools, kindled many memories for me. She even took the time to splint and saw some wood for me, using the chisel she made out of her father’s antique screwdriver, and the “skip-tooth band-saw blade” hand saw that her son, Fielder, custom made for her. She used her self-made mesquite mallet to wham on that chisel, like a woman half her age. But Nancy Lou does much more
than chop, split, and saw wood. She meticulously sands each item for hours with several varying grits of sandpaper, moisturizing the wood as she goes, to bring out the wood’s natural grain. Her final treatment is to rub on a little Texas peanut oil, to give her objects their smooth finish. So, even when she is sitting in her lounge chair, she is sanding wood. That gives her home a wonderful fragrance of cedar, but can also supply household machinery with an excess of sawdust. There is something so inspiring — and so rare, in our world — about observing a person using their hands with such devotion and skill. She makes it look easy, but that seeming easiness comes after many years of dedicated practice and selfeducation. There is nothing digital in her shop; it is as analog as it gets, and as old as time itself. Nancy Lou — and if that name is not Southern, I don’t know what is — loves telling the story that the Egyptian pharoahs included their treenware — i.e., their wooden kitchen tools — in their tombs, to take with them to their afterlives. As she points out, they had plenty of gold and silver, but in the desert, wood was a precious and rare material. Her treening demonstrations often involve five working assistants whom
www.elgincourier.com 13
she has trained. So, the rare skill of treening is being passed along to the next generation. But she is not slowing down yet, and I’m guessing she won’t be for many years to come. All of that daily handwork keeps her young and healthy. And the carving is only part of the work. She first must harvest the wood from the forests around Texas. Cedar is her preferred wood, but she uses many kinds: pecan, mesquite, walnut, maple, crape myrtle, even huisache (which is very yellow in color). As it turns out, the latter is highly toxic, and must be used with much caution. But it is the way she relates to the wood that is so endearing. She notices the nuances of the wood’s grain, color, and shape. And she is devoted to letting each piece of wood be what it wants to be. She does not force it to do anything; she lets it be itself. For her workshop demonstrations, she even has chunks of wood that she has split apart while working on the heartwood, and has tied it all back together, so that people can see how the item was derived from the core of the branch. She doesn’t just make kitchenware, but also fly swatters, children’s toys, and musical instruments. Her spinning “rack jack” is used by a physics professor to instruct his students. Her “limber jack” — a percussion instrument that derives from Africa and became popular in the American Appalachians — has been used by orchestras. She is very prodigious, and makes pretty much everything that can be made of wood by hand. Occasionally, she will invent a new tool, like the “gitter” she created for a friend who needed a special fork for grabbing his bacon out of the frying pan. For another guy, she invented a custom “honey dipper” that efficiently gathers honey out of its container. For 19 years, Nancy Lou’s working space was in the building she owned 14
on North Main Street in downtown Elgin. It has since become a popular wine bar and antique shop known locally just as “The Owl.” Her work can be found there for sale. She now works in her home studio. Occasionally, she can be seen at The Owl on a Saturday, showing visitors how treening works. That is where I first ran into her one weekend, and realized immediately that I needed to know the story on this woman. Then, I saw her work, and recognized that I had found a very unusual artistic talent. Many people can carve a wooden spoon or fork. Very few can make one that works well, but also is a work of fine art. No wonder the Smithsonian wanted her work in its collection. It is an historic and cultural treasure, and it is extraordinarily rare, and getting rarer in our highly-digitized world. If you don’t catch Nancy Lou at The Owl, you can see her at the next Folklife Festival at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio this summer, or at the next Christmas at Winedale celebration at Round Top. She’ll be around somewhere, carving and sanding, and making beautiful and useful things. She says that her desire is to create “things that can provide care and love to one’s families and friends.” I don’t know of anyone who has achieved their desire any better than Nancy Lou, for there are now thousands of people out there who are members of her growing treening club. These kinds of clubs are getting rarer and rarer, and increasingly important to the survival of our hearts and souls. Nancy Lou’s advice to young artists is: “Don’t give up and don’t be embarrassed by your mistakes.” Mark L. Smith PhD. is an Elginbased Collage artist who operates a consulting business for galleries and serious collectors and is a frequent contributor to the Elgin Courier. www.elgincourier.com
Carved Hand Spoon
Cheese Plate & Knife
Fly Swatter
Salad Spoons Nancy Lou Webster is an official Texas Original Artist. Her treening can be seen at The Owl Wine Bar and Home Goods Store in Elgin, at the Institute of Texan Cultures’ Folklife Festival in San Antonio, at the Christmas at Winedale celebration in Round Top, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., and on her website at www.treenbynancylou.com.
Gin Magazine
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The Liberty Tree Tavern Making A Scene BY PATRIC D’EIMON patric@patricdoyle.com
Kevin Smith, owner and operator of The Liberty Tree Tavern and his effervescent partner, Jennifer Nilsson, have created something special on Main Street in Elgin, Texas. On most any evening of the week you will find the place packed with musicians and music fans that travel from all over Central Texas to play, sit in, or just enjoy the original acts that Kevin showcases. Americana artist and Texas favorite Chuck Hawthorne can be found on Troubadour Tuesdays, sharing the evening with at least one of his favorite artists such as Texas legend George Ensle, songstress Jaimee Harris, or the multi-talented Brian Kalinec, along with several artists who are welcomed to the stage to sing a couple songs during the evening. Renowned songwriters like Libby Koch, Kris Brown, Deanne Rene, John Gaar and Michael Cross take over Thursdays and full bands such as The Patrons, The Ryan Castillo Band, Chasing Gypsy and the Mark Ambrose Band fill the room on Fridays. Kevin has tapped into a stable of established musicians and songwriters that attract listening audiences and other accomplished musicians from the deep well of talent here in Central Texas. What Kevin has created can easily be described as the beginnings of a “music scene” here in Elgin. Being one of the “must play” venues that make up the music circuit in this part of Texas brings a steady flow of the best Texas entertainers eager to stop by the tiny Tavern on Elgin’s Main Street. Gin Magazine
Songstress Jaimee Harris shows off her tattoo of fabled Texas Songwriter Townes Van Zandt during a recent concert at The Liberty Tree Tavern.
Photo by Patric D’Eimon / www.elgincourier.com
He is not alone in building the music scene here. Molly Alexander and Gary Luedecke, owner/ operators of The Owl Wine Bar & Home Goods Store on Main Street, can be seen as pioneers in bringing a high level of music and arts to Elgin. The Music In The Park series also brings a steady flow of talent to the area. Kevin is no stranger to music, music venues or booking music. While attending Texas State University in San Marcos, Kevin managed and booked music clubs, working his way to graduating in 1992. One of his first clubs was a live music club in San Marcos called Roots, located in an old theater which has since become The MARC, where Ray Benson currently broadcasts his show, Texas Music Scene. “Back in the early 90s Austin really was ‘the Live Music Capitol of The World’,” Kevin said. “The bands were fantastic and given
that venue with its big stage, local garage bands were not going to fill it. I booked these well-known bands like Joe Rockhead with Bob Schneider and a young Patrice Pike with her band Little Sister, as well as Soul Hat with Barry ‘Frosty’ Smith. They packed the place.” Having made Quoffers (The Liberty Tree’s former name) a regular stop coming in from tending his cattle, one day a giddier-thanusual owner asked him if he was interested in owning the place. In 2009, Kevin began the process of buying the business. He worked his way through a myriad of obstacles and by 2012 he changed the name of the little bar on Main Street to The Liberty Tree Tavern. Both Kevin and Jennifer are regularly at The Liberty Tree. They are always up for chatting. Give Jennifer your email or send her a message on Facebook and she will let you know what is going on or coming to the Liberty Tree Tavern.
www.elgincourier.com 17
The Patrons perform at a gig in College Station in April. Percussionst Gilbert DeLossantos can be seen standing up with his cocktail drum set, one of the unique aspects of the trio that allows them to create an original sound.
Courtesy Photo
How to make ‘magic’
Local trio creating a sound larger than the sum of its parts BY DAN KLEINER dan.kleiner@elgincourier.com There was a moment just a few years back in East Texas when the members of The Patrons were relaxing with a friend after a gig. They weren’t necessarily looking for inspiration, but the muse that keyboard player and vocalist Kelly Wilkerson said can flitter off to inspire someone else if not properly recognized struck through a simple conversation. Their friend was having relationship troubles, and he said his significant other always gave him the blues. The muse struck, and Wilkerson and guitarist Lew Andre Mathews spent months trading song lyrics through text messages until they felt they had it. 18
Their song, “Red Head Blues,” was born that day, and many of the other original songs by this trio of experienced musicians were birthed in much the same fashion. Creating fun and memorable ballads is surely a main ingredient for The Patrons, but a unique mixture of musicians that do not have a bass player, and who utilize a nontraditional approach to percussion, have created a sound that each band member used the same word to describe again and again. Powerful. “Songwriting is something that sticks with you from the time you start playing,” Wilkerson said. “You may not even realize it. For me, every job I had as a kid, even though I was playing in high school, I was a delivery driver and I had a little notepad. You’d write www.elgincourier.com
down a line here and a little something there. I kept it. I still have a briefcase at the house full of spiral notebooks that I go back to now. If I’m stuck on a line I’ll flip through notebooks and say, ‘oh, that will fit!’” Mathews is likely the most recognizable member of The Patrons to local folks in Elgin. He’s been a regular on alternating Friday nights at The Liberty Tree Tavern with his wife, Sharon, and like the rest of the trio, is a veteran of the Central Texas music scene going back decades. The three had met through a mutual friend, and Wilkerson and percussionist Gilbert De Los Santos were looking to form a new group when they both decided Lew Andre would be the perfect guitar player for the project. It just so happened he was available, Gin Magazine
but the group still needed a name. “It was just on a whim,” Wilkerson said. “We were going to play a little bar in Round Rock, Texas, and Gil calls and said, ‘what are we going to call ourselves?’ This was probably September of 2015. We’re playing this little bar called The Railyard, doing an every Wednesday thing just to play and have fun. That first night we were going to actually be a band he calls me and says, ‘what do you want to call it?’ Out of the blue just comes out ‘Patrons!’ Later that afternoon that was on the little billboard out in front of the deal. It just stuck. That’s how the three of us came to be who we are now.” Who they are now is a band with a much bigger sound than you’d expect from three people. A big part of that is a decision De Los Santos made from the outset. You’d expect to see a standard drum set, with the drummer sitting down and banging out the rhythm, but that’s not how The Patrons handle their percussion. De Los Santos utilizes what is known as a cocktail drum set. There are only four pieces to it and the percussionist stands up as they play. Legendry musician Prince’s drummer played a cocktail drum set, but it’s certainly not something you see every day. “Since I’ve gotten off the drum set and actually decided to start standing up – back in the day I was never allowed to use a drum set, I had to learn how to play percussion instruments like timbales and xylophones and bells and triangles – so when I told the guys I’m going to get off the set and get a stand-up drum set they said, ‘what are you talking about?’ I said ‘there’s a drum set called the cocktail.’ They all researched and I pulled it out,” De Los Santos said. “With this style of playing and the way that they lay their music, I’m able to be a drummer and at the same time be a percussionist and add little knick-knacks and a lot of dynamics and crescendos and things to where I’m able to read and feel what their doing. I feel it here (points to his heart).” The “powerful” sound that members of The Patrons describe is in some ways derived from a simplicity that veteran musicians appreciate. While it is certainly a big sound from Gin Magazine
three people, understanding how to play with, and not against, other musicians is a big part of how the group has jelled in a fairly short time. “Every song is different and you feel it a little bit differently,” Mathews said. “I’m not of the school that 1,000 notes is better than 10. I’d rather play 10 good notes and really have them come out with long, bending feelings that push and pull in different directions for tone and effect than play a lot. One of the hardest lessons for any musician to learn is to learn when not to play. In order for something else to be heard there needs to be an opening. You want to hear all the music.” That sound that they’re able to create is no accident either. It comes from combined decades of experience both on the road and in the studio, where The Patrons are currently working on their third album in just under two years. “With the second album we concentrated a little more on getting The Patrons sound,” Wilkerson said. “On the first one we ran through the original tunes and the covers and we got it down on tape and things sounded pretty good. The second one came through and Andre tweaked it and he gave us a sound. It wasn’t just three guys recording in a studio with a generic deal. He actually tweaked what The Patrons are and how they should sound and honed in on that. This guy is not only a great guitar player but a heck of an engineer.” What that third album will bring is still not fully known, but what is certain is that The Patrons will continue to produce “powerful” music. Mathews had another word for it when everything goes right. He called it “the click,” and it’s something that can lead to something else that just about everyone is looking for in this life. “The click between the three of us – I’ve been in the business a long time, I’ve worked with a lot of people from way back – Lucinda Williams, Freddy Fender – but when we started working just as a trio, we had this energy, this click where we just sort of knew what everyone was going to do. “It’s magic when you get something like that.” www.elgincourier.com 19
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An Englishman in the Western Days Parade BY TERRY COLE colebrothers@att.net Terry Cole is a storyteller and an Elgin High School graduate. He is also the founder of the Wild Bull Party, and rumors have swirled that he is considering “walking” for Texas Governor.
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Western Days are over with for this year, but I was reminded of one years ago – seems like the nite before the parade I was in a saloon, bellyed up to the bar, hat tipped back, boot heel hooked on the rail, drinkin’ a Lone Star longneck – yessir – told y’all it was a long time ago. It was illegal in Texas to call a saloon a saloon, but that’s what it was, even had swingin’ doors. This feller comes up to the bar and orders a beer and we struck up a conversation. Said he was a disc jockey at the radio station and was going to drive a horse and buggy in the parade to advertise the station. Now I could tell from the way this feller talked that he was a full-blooded Englishman and straight off the boat. So I asks him, “Have you ever driven a horse and buggy before?” No, says he, but everything will be fine, the horse is tame, and he says it with a confidence that can only come with total, absolute, ignorance. As we were riding through the parade route I spotted his horse and rig – way up a side street in somebody’s front yard. Don’t think he even made it to the parade. The Englishman had taken off runnin’ and was nowhere’s to be seen. Never did see him again. Figured he kept runnin’ til he hit the coast and took the next boat home. Gin Magazine
Tales from the ‘Cole Mine’ Steer saddling, and a challenge from the Docs BY TERRY COLE colebrothers@att.net I guess we was tough. It wasn’t something we ever thought about. When the rodeo came to town we signed up for the steer saddling, we had done it before and more times than not we had won. It was pocket money and for a good cause, beer. For those of you that don’t know, a steer saddling works like this. They run a steer in the bucking chute, tie a lariat rope around his horns and run the rope outside the chute. Two men mug the steer, the third man saddles and rides him across a line. All under two minutes. Each team puts up five or ten dollars a man and the winning team takes all the money. Not much to it. Now the rodeo contractor this year was a fellow out of Bastrop by the name of Geary Towndsend. He and his brother, Tommy, used to come to our house and rope calves when they was just big kids and we were little kids. They were both top cowboys. Now being three-man teams and me having three brothers, I was odd man out. I didn’t feel bad about this as they was all three younger, stouter and quicker than me. It just improved our chances of winning. And then I would drink their beer. But now I needed two partners. The first one I run across was Joe Nelson. He wasn’t no cowboy, but he was always up for most anything, and there wasn’t no quit to him. Then I run into Russel Stevens, he was young and stout and said, “Shore T, I’ll get in it witcha.” So here we go into the arena. Six teams of three. Some of these boys Gin Magazine
was young vets or vet techs that Docs Graham and Cardwell wanted to take down a peg. All these boys seemed a little cocky. Only thing was, these wasn’t decrepit old ropin’ steers in the chute. These was big cows, and knowin’ Geary Towndsend, these were some cows he just got straight out of the pasture to pull the calves off of ‘em and these cows had never seen a man on foot before today. They were all walleyed, snortin’, and pawin’ the ground. They was out to kill somebody. When they open the chute gates all hell broke loose. The cows come out at a dead run. Half of those boys never knew what hit them. Some of these boys had their cow mugged and a loose cow would run thru and knock ‘em down. Joe and Russel never even slowed our cow down when she hit the end of the rope. I looked over toward my brothers and it was the damnedest mess I ever saw. Their cow had flipped head over heals and was rollin’ upside down with Lane underneath and looked like he was biting her on the ear. Kevin and Kyle both had ahold of some part of her and was rollin’ with her. Seein’ they
was okay, I looked for our cow that was at the other end of the arena with Joe after her. I was halfways down there draggin’ fifty pounds of Buck Stiener bronc saddle when I heard somebody hollar, “Git Her T, Git Her T.” I looked up and Russel had done jumped the fence and was at the top of the bleachers, and I just thought, the little SOB has more sense than what I thought. Now our cow looks up and sees me by my lonesome in the big middle, downs her head and charges flat out. There weren’t nowhere to go so I drawed my saddle back and when she got close I hit her in the head with it and rolled to the side. About this time my brothers’ cow had got up, hung a horn in the netwire fence, they saddled up and one of ‘em, I don’t remember which, rode across the line, taking the money. Word got out later that Doc Graham asked Geary Townsend to bring in some stock the Cole Brothers couldn’t saddle and ride. Now brother Kevin told me that if anybody sees Doc Graham, to tell him he owes Kevin for a new front tooth.
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