STEAM Magazine South Texas Entertainment Art Music volume 8 issue 2 May 2019

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314 E AVENUE G, PORT ARANSAS 361-290-7143

2 NEW MOVIES & MUSIC 4 COMICS 5 QUICK READ 6 ALBUM COVER OF THE MONTH 7 CD REVIEWS 8 STEAM GUITAR: THE GIVEAWAY! 10 ERIC LUPLOW: SUREAL-FOLK ART 12 GARY MC ALEA : NEW ART SPACE 14 AUGIE MEYERS: TELLING HIS STORY HIS WAY 16 C URT I S G RI MES: CHART CLIMBING MUSIC 17 C HARLES MI C HAE L BOUDREAU: NEW MUSIC 17 T AN KED ON N PADRE I SLAN D PUBLISHER RUSTY HICKS EDITOR TAMMA HICKS COMICS EDITOR ALLENE HICKS STAFF WRITERS STEVE GOLDSTEIN, TAMMA HICKS, RUSTY HICKS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS ALLENE HICKS, RUSTY HICKS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J MICHAEL DOLAN, DEREK SIGNORE, ROB DICKENS, RICK J BOWEN, DEBBIE NOBEL Alternative Weekly Network

May 2019 VOL.8 ISS.2 #86 ON THE COVER...

AUGIE MEYERS

BY GENE. GARAND

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LifeIsCoffeeComic.com lunarbaboon.com theawkwardyeti.com

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EASY STREET J. Michael Dolan It’s easy to follow the centerline.

It’s daring to be divergent.

It’s easy to say, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

It’s bold to say, “I need more time to decide.”

It’s easy to get distracted by pointless, Internet clicking.

It’s ambitious to disconnect and remain focused on your master plan.

It’s easy to cave in.

It’s gutsy to stand tall.

Important because it’s easy to take the easy way out. It’s worth it to remain resolute.

TIRED, FED UP & BURNT OUT! THEY DON’T CARE! J. Michael Dolan

Sorry to tell you this…

They don’t care that you’ve devoted hours, days, weeks, months and years practicing your trade, perfecting your art and building your independent creative career.

They

don’t care about your manager/agent problems, legal challenges, all the money you’ve invested in yourself and your project or how much you owe the government.

They

don’t care about your staff worries, partner problems, investor concerns, startup attempts, exit strategies, customer complaints or band dilemmas.

They

don’t care that you’ve been doing this for such a long time.

They don’t care that you worry and fret so much about getting it right— even when it’s for them.

J. Michael Dolan

Some artists & treps give up in quiet despair, believing that surrendering is the easiest way out of a disheartening situation. A situation where they’ve banged their head against the wall so many times they no longer have the passion to continue… they’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’.

Then there are those who when faced with similar distress or adversity finally begin to realize that the only way to break through the stalemate is to loosen their tight grip on how they think it should be and open up to the fact that there are many other ways it could be.

Once

that happens they rediscover their determination and enthusiasm to reinvent, rewrite, reimagine and re-adjust their course until they find an alternate route that will get them back on track toward the pursuit of their goal.

Important because

while both options have their pros & cons only one will take you further down the road toward that ultimate vision you see for yourself.

And

they’re certainly not interested in your excuses, justifications, apologies, alibis or tales of woe.

Important because

the only thing they really care about is that you continue to entertain them with your incredible talent, wow them with your “must-have” products, enlighten them with your brilliantly crafted words, knock their socks off with your extraordinary art and provide them with worthy services that far exceed their expectations. As long as you keep doing that, you can count on them to love you and follow you to the moon .

THE TORTOISE & THE HARE J. Michael Dolan

A plan of action that’s too small will continue to grow slowly, as it sets an intelligent pace for the future. A plan of action that’s too big is more prone to collapse.

Important because

in the popular children’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, the determined tortoise always wins the race. And one of the essential lessons in that story tells us to think BIG, but take small, smart steps to get there.

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET MAY 2019 STEAM MAGAZINE

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For the better part of a half a century, there’s always been underlying feelings of animosity that has all been part of the glorious harmonies and brotherhood of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It still goes on today.

At some point in their long history, Young hated Stills, Nash hated Young, and everyone hated Crosby. Of course, when they got along, the music they made transcended all of that. At a time when hard rock and guitar heroes ruled the day, these guys brought their voices together with acoustic guitars to create something totally unique for time. But it was always their intention to have solo careers, which they all credit as the reason for using their names for the band. Other than Neil Young who had released two post Buffalo Springfield solo albums, this was new territory. When it came time for Stephen Stills to release his first solo effort, he titled it with his own name, used his own songs, but brought in some of the heaviest hitters of the day to help him out. Vocal assistance on several tracks is given by the likes of John Sebastian, Rita Coolidge, Mama Cass Elliot, and his two band mates, David Crosby and Graham Nash. Their tight harmonies on the mega-hit “Love The One You’re With” are unmistakable. Ringo Starr is billed as “Richie” on “To A Flame,” while Booker T. Jones supplies his trademark Hammond organ on “Cherokee.” Both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton are guest soloists respectively

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on “Old Times Good Times” and “Go Back Home” which close out side one. Stills goes it alone with just his soulful guitar on a live recording of his “story about a card game,” “Black Queen.” The 10 original tunes all stand strong and mark a fine beginning to a solo career that has had its share of highs and lows. Over the years, Stills has gained renown equally for his guitar virtuosity as he has for his singing and songwriting. This album has it all. The recommended deep track to seek out is “Go Back Home.” When Clapton’s lead kicks in, it becomes his.

It’s a worn-out cliché, but in the case of Jeff Beck, it’s true; the man was born to play guitar. He became infatuated seeing and hearing the instrument in the hands of Les Paul at a young age.

Young Jeff knew what he was meant to do and he pursued it head on. When BLOW BY BLOW was recorded in 1974, Jeff Beck already had an impressive resume that included a stint with the legendary Yardbirds and a few albums with various versions of The Jeff Beck Group. He had most recently played a major part with the powerful super-trio, Beck, Bogert & Appice. Before work began on this album, he’d auditioned for the Rolling Stones. This is the second album Beck released under his own name, but signaled a giant leap off the

rock and roll path that he’d been faithful to until now.

He brought on keyboard wizard and former band-mate Max Middleton to collaborate, recruited legendary producer George Martin who was fresh off his work with John McLaughlin’s Mahvishnu Orchestra, and created one of the finest instrumental jazz/rock fusion albums ever recorded. The nine songs each seem to effortlessly flow into one another. From “You Know What I Mean” that starts side one, it’s clear that this isn’t the Jeff Beck that rocked just a few years earlier with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood on TRUTH and BECK-OLA. Beck literally makes his guitar sing on The Beatles’ “She’s A Woman,” which George Martin originally produced 10 years earlier. Stevie Wonder contributed two songs to the album; “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” and “Thelonius” which features an uncredited appearance by the acclaimed singer/ songwriter/musician on clavinet. George Martin’s string arrangements are exquisite, but that’s to be expected. Every song works well in the context of this album and it’s easy to see why this remains Jeff Beck’s biggest selling record. It also indicated the sonic direction that Beck was heading towards. The driving groove on Max Middleton’s “Freeway Jam” is timeless; Beck’s guitar screaming out the melody over Phil Chenn’s driving bass and Richard Bailey’s diligent beat on drums makes this a favorite track to seek out.

AUGIE MEYERS I KNOW I COULD BE HAPPY, IF MYSELF WASN’T HERE (EL SENDERO RECORDS)

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN

EDITOR’S NOTE: Read STEAM Magazine’s interview with Augie Meyers in this issue!

New music by Texas legend Augie Meyers has always been a good thing. I KNOW I COULD BE HAPPY, IF MYSELF WASN’T THERE is no exception. Augie sounds at ease and having a great time on the six originals and four covers on this latest release. Lot’s of horns compliment Augie’s distinctive brand of Tex/Mex rock, county and blues, with everything else mixed in, that has come to be known as South Texas Soul. George Morgan’s classic “Candy Kisses” starts things off and sets the stage for the fun times ahead. Even the bluesy heartache of “Just You And Me,” featuring fine guitar licks from Ruben V has a deceptively cheerful feel. Al Gomez gets a blazing trumpet solo in on the jazzy upbeat shuffle, “I Don’t Know Why I Love You.” “Gotta Find My Baby” is a blues boogie with soulful harp added by none other than Benny Harp. Jimmy Clanton’s 1959 hit, “Just A Dream” sounds right at home here, as it would’ve by Augie’s old band, The Texas Tornados. Augie and

JOHN GAAR ROLL LIKE THAT (JANGO BLEAUX RECORDS)

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN

John Gaar is an Austin guitar stalwart with a well traveled track record spanning over 35 years, from Northern California’s Bay Area to Nashville, and everywhere in between. He has been bringing his own brand of rootsy rock with smokin’ hot guitar licks to Austin’s legendary Saxon Pub every Sunday for over seven years.

With his latest release, ROLL LIKE THAT, Gaar delivers his trademark Louisiana born and bred boogie meets Texas blues brand of infectious music. All 11 tracks, either written or co-written by Gaar, cover a lot of territory. There are fitting nods to Louisiana’s culturally rich music scene, kicking things off with “Camilla,” and hot Creole soul on “Zydeco Party.” “Hold On” is a funky throwback that sounds like it could’ve been covered by the 4 Tops. Gaar’s gritty vocals are matched with his equally gritty guitar solos on the rockers that fill up the majority of tunes, with Gaar’s stellar guitar work and tone throughout.

The title track is a pure Texas, jamming, partying, keeping it real in Austin, road song. The final track is “Memphis,” an acoustic guitar/dobro duet that quickly builds into a fitting gospel tribute to everything that is great about the historical musical Mecca on the Mississippi. The tight band and soulful backup singers that accompany Gaar are a huge part of why this collection is so much fun to listen to.

It’s all inspired, innovative music that is at home anywhere, from the Saxon Pub to the Moody Theater. ROLL LIKE THAT is a great addition to John Gaar’s legacy and ongoing reputation as one of Austin’s prized singer/songwriter/musicians JOHNGAAR.COM STEVE GOLDSTEIN: STEAMMAGAZINE.NET EDITOR’S NOTE: Read STEAM Magazine’s interview with John Gaar in the March 2019 issue!

company are flat out rocking with an R&B groove on the selfdeprecating title track. Hank Ballard’s familiar driving boogie, “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go” closes the album with the same good time feeling that it all started with. As always, Augie Meyers is supported by a firstrate group of musicians. Augie’s trademark Vox Continetal organ that we first heard with Doug Sahm and The Sir Douglas Quintet never sounds out of place. I KNOW I COULD BE HAPPY, IF MYSELF WASN’T HERE finds Augie Meyers in his comfort zone with good humor and fun music in tact, and there’s not a thing wrong with that .

AGIEMEYERS.COM STEVE GOLDSTEIN: STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

BENNY TURNER & CASH MCCALL GOING BACK HOME (NOLA BLUES)

BY RICK J BOWEN Blues legends Benny T ur n er a n d Ca sh McCall’s friendship began in Chicago over 60 years ago. The pair reunited to revisit their roots and the songs they once played nightly in South and West Side nightspots for the new album Going Back Home on NOLA Blue Records. The 10 songs each hold a special place for Cash and Turner and are a collection of Chicago-era favorites and rare gems from the treasured songbook of blues standards.

The horn-infused soul stomper “Got to Find a Way” opens the set with Turner’s daughters adding backing vocals, creating a Staples Singers vibe and making the track a true family affair. The straight forward reading of “Spoonful,” pays tribute to both Howlin’ Wolf and Freddie King.

Turner shows off his charms on the playful shuffle “Poison Ivy.” McCall then spells out the root of all evil on the blues sermon “Money:” the album’s only original tune is a statement of real truth. NoChicago blues party would be complete

without the Elmore James bar room anthem “Shake Your Money Maker,” and Billy Branch adds his renowned blues harp to the emotional cover of the Tampa Red staple “It Hurts Me Too,” with the old friends celebrating their brotherly love and vowing to stick together through life’s trials and tribulations. The oft-recorded song is given even greater weight after it was revealed that McCall had been battling lung cancer during these sessions. Billy Branch is on hand again for the album’s finale, the revival of Sonny Boy Williams “Bring It On Home,” as a joyous celebration of Chicago blues and the reunion of two of the Windy City’s finest son.

BLINDRACCOON.COM/CLIENTS/BENNYTURNER-CASH-MCCALL RICK J BOWEN: WABLUES.ORG

STEAMMAGAZINE.NET MAY 2019 STEAM MAGAZINE 7

TO CELEBRATE STEAM MAGAZINE’S 7TH ANNIVERSARY! WE ARE GIVING AWAY THIS ONE OF A KIND, CUSTOM BUILT GUITAR TO ONE LUCKY READER! WINNER WILL BE DRAWN ON MAY 22, 2019 AND ONCE HE/SHE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED AND SWORN TO SECRETCY A GIVEAWAY PRESENTATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED! YOU’LL WANT TO BE THERE AS WE’LL BE HANDING OUT OTHER GREAT PRIZES! HOW DO YOU ENTER? JUST ASK! IT’S THAT SIMPLE! HOW DO I ENTER TO WIN THE STEAM GUITAR?

NOTABLE NOTES ABOUT THE STEAM GUITAR…

Was donated By Kit Gutherz & Aransas Music Emporium…

Built By Tony Saracene… Original Artwork Is By Mitzi Webb…

Has Been Signed By—Zane Williams, Augie Meyers, Malcolm Bruce, John Wills, Kofi Baker Are You A Poser? We Are Making A Poster of All The People Posing With The Guitar! If You See It—Pose It!

HOW TO ENTER...

ALL ENTRIES MUST INCLUDE: FIRST & LAST NAME, AGE (OR DOB), CITY & STATE, EMAIL, PHONE NUMBER, AND (POST OR SUBJECT) LINE: HOW DO I ENTER TO WIN THE STEAM GUITAR? LIMIT OF 5 ENTRIES PER PERSON ENTER VIA FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR EMAIL (SUBMISSIONS@STEAMTX.COM), AT SPECIFIED LOCATIONS, AND AT STEAM EVENTS. (LOCATIONS & EVENTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON FACEBOOK) 8 STEAM MAGAZINE MAY 2019 STEAMMAGAZINE.NET

RULES! BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS RUELS...

WINNER MUST BE WITH IN DISTRIBUTION AREA (AUSTIN TO MCALLEN, 20 COUNTIES) WINNER CANNOT BE EMPLOYED BY OR RELATED TO STEAM MAGAZINE. WINNER MUST BE AGED 18 OR OLDER AND HAVE VALID PROOF OF ID AND AGE WINNER DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT DURING WINNING DRAWING. WINNER MUST BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE PRIZE. WINNER MUST AGREE TO NAME AND PHOTO BEING PUBLISHED VIA PRINT, RADIO, INTERNET, AND VIDEO/FILM (STEAM MAGAZINE, STEAMMAGAZINE.NET, STEAMMAGAZINERADIO.NET, FACEBOOK.COM, TWITTER.COM, AND OTHER MEDIA SOURCES).

ALL ENTRIES AGREE TO RECEIVE EMAILS FROM STEAM MAGAZINE. LIMIT OF 5 ENTRIES PER PERSON ENTER VIA FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR EMAIL (SUBMISSIONS@STEAMTX.COM), AT SPECIFIED LOCATIONS, AT STEAM EVENTS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAY 21 2019.

Written By Katheryn Jager Mc Alea , Photos By Gary Mc Alea for STEAM Magazine

Come for the Beach.

Stay for the Bistro.

Texas’ Coastal Bend is one of the most beautiful regions in the state. It is also home to an incredibly diverse collection of wildlife on land, in the air, and in the ocean – the inspiration behind Gary Mc Alea’s new “The Padre Collection.”

This exclusive fine art photography collection is housed in a dedicated art gallery in the recently renovated Black Sheep Bistro and The Barrel Wine and Tapas Bar. Under new ownership, the space is now home to art as chic as its menus.

Owner and Chef, Glen Mier, started his career in one of America’s most renowned art centers, Santa Fe. The city lives and breathes art, adding an energy you can feel everywhere. He brought that inspiration to his first local restaurant, The Angry Marlin, but it wasn’t enough. He dreamed of bringing a gallery dedicated to local art to the island. “I wanted to bring a piece of that art and my culture here. I saw the opportunity to showcase the beauty of the island with a local photographer. It’s what people want to see when they come. Showcasing art with the restaurant is ambiance - a way to show local style, culture, spirit, and expertise,” said Mier Conservation Through Art When asked why he selected Gary Mc Alea Photography for the dedicated gallery, Mier said, “Gary was the perfect choice because he shows off the local beauty in a way that inspires others to help the turtles and local sealife.

When they experience the natural beauty he shares in his art, it motivates them to care – to stop using straws and other things that are destroying and polluting. They want to protect our wildlife and our island.”

Mier encourages “other local entrepreneurs to embrace our culture, our artists and their art, and the atmosphere that they bring while helping to protect our local environment. It’s good for the arts, good for the island, and good for the planet.”

About the Gallery Walking into Black Sheep Bistro, patrons are welcomed into this intimate, elegant gallery by the cool blues of the ocean on a sunny day. On this backdrop, Mc Alea dedicated a

collection of local Black and White photography celebrating our Texas Beaches. From pregnant dolphins frolicking in Corpus Christi Bay and pelicans flying over Padre Island, to modern takes on Bob Hall Pier and captivating vignettes of shells and sand dollars, Mc Alea curated a sophisticated beach collection worthy of the most discerning collectors.

Continuing into The Barrel Wine and Tapas Bar, colors transition to the warm corals of a summer sunset. In this more relaxed space, Mc Alea curated a collection of colorful pieces for beach enthusiasts and wildlife lovers alike. From warm sunsets with towering palm trees to newborn sea turtles journeying to the sea, this full-color collection will brighten every beach home and urban oasis.

With hand-signed, gallery-wrapped pieces ranging from 16x20 to 40x60 on display, there is something for every art collector.

You can also commission custom pieces.

About the Art Mc Alea explained, “When Glen (Mier) first came to me with the idea of having my own art gallery in a new restaurant concept of his, I jumped on the idea. It was everything I was looking for to showcase my art and conservation efforts. I’ve been working on this island and taking pictures here for over 15 years now. My wife and I have always loved the island, so we want to do whatever we can to give back locally. I knew that the more presence we had on the island, the more we could do for the Texas Sealife Center and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle program with Dr. Donna Shaver at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS), and to bring more attention to them.”

“This was a great marriage of minds, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. I’m very

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proud of ‘The Padre Collection’. I’m particularly proud of the black and white collection. It’s very elegant, very thought provoking, and really highlights some of the wonderful animals we have on the island and in the surrounding area. A percentage of sales will go to support the Texas Sealife Center, which is just up the road from the gallery. They are responsible for the rehabilitation of many of the wonderful species we have in the island, including our beautiful sea turtles. They work with the dolphins, all the birds, reptiles… you name it – they will try to rehabilitate it if they can.

So, we put a lot of time and effort into working with them. My wife and I are also a part of the sea turtle patrol program at PINS, so we provide a lot of photographic support for Dr. Shaver and team. This year, we expect to provide even more. It’s one of my favorite things about photography. It’s a way that I can give back,” said Mc Alea.

About the Artist Award-Winning, International Wildlife Photographer and Conservationist, Gary Mc Alea, spent his childhood in Dublin, Ireland. He then spent nearly twenty years in South Africa learning to love nature and animals

and developing a love of capturing their incredible moments to share with others. He has lived in Texas for over sixteen years, which is where he met his lovely wife, Katheryn. A driving force behind his work is conservation of animals and their environment.

The amazing conservation organizations Gary works with are critical to wildlife in their given areas, and the most rewarding part of his work. Opening this gallery dedicated to our local Coastal Bend and Padre Island has been a dream come true for him.

Take Home Your Own Gary Mc Alea Photography Today See and Purchase Gary Mc Alea Photography’s Art for Yourself May 22, 2019 – Public Grand Opening GARY MC ALEA PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY & SALES @ Black Sheep Bistro and Barrel Wine Bar (15201 SPID, Ste 120, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 WWW.GARYMCALEA.COM

By Tamma Hicks & Rusty Hicks, STEAM Magazine Grammy-winning Texas music legend, Augie Meyers' new CD release, I Know I Could be Happy, If Myself Wasn’t Here, finds Augie in his comfort zone with good humor and fun music.

Rolling out of San Antonio, Texas in the early '60s, the Sir Douglas Quintet, a musical partnership formed with childhood friend Doug Sahm, brought such hit tunes as "Mendocino" and "She's About a Mover." By fusing Tex-Mex, Conjunto and soulful rock together along with the power of Meyers' distinctive Vox organ, he has created an impact that is still being felt in rock 'n' roll today. The Sir Douglas Quintet never broke up and never succumbed to the lure of the oldies circuit. When Meyers and his musical cohorts decided they wanted to do something different, they did, which led to the formation of The Texas Tornados and a Grammy awardwinning South Texas sound. Meyers worked steadily with Sahm until the kinetic guitarist/vocalist passed away in 1999. Augie has always pursued projects that interest him as an individual and as a collaborator and has long refused to lock himself into one style of music.

Augie's keyboard style and his Vox Con-

tinental has become one of music's most distinctive keyboard sounds around. Echoes of his style and sound can be heard in the music of the Doors, the Kinks, the Animals and the Beatles, just to name a few. Along with the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados Augie can also be heard on landmark albums by Bob Dylan (”Time Out of Mind” and “Love and Theft”), Tom Waits (“Bad as Me”), John Hammond (“Wicked Grin”), Tom Jones (“Praise & Blame”), Townes Van Zandt (“Texas Rain”), and Big Bill Morganfield (“Blues With a Mood”), as well as on his 20+ solo albums.

Sitting down with Augie is one of the most enjoyable interview experiences we’ve had. We talked about everything and nothing in Augie’s natural setting: drinking coffee on the porch of Blue Cat Studio where he’s recorded a number of his albums with Joe Trevino (5 time Grammy winner).

I hope you don't mind that we're just sitting here talking. We’ve found that it's more interesting and we find out more when you just feel relaxed and talk. Joe was saying that out here on the porch is where you guys would just hang out and jam at Blue Cat Studio.

Oh yeah, us Tornadoes, the Mavericks, and oth-

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ers we’d BBQ out here, record some, just have a good time. I've cut 4 or 5 albums here and Joe and his wife are longtime friends.

Thanks so much for meeting with us Augie.

How are you doing today?

Well, three weeks ago someone put on Facebook that I was dead. I'll tell you Sara answered the phone at 7 in the morning and it’s Flaco (Jiménez) asking if it was true that I’d passed away and she said, “No, he’s sleeping.” That day we had calls from everywhere and some of these people were calling about a 14-day tour to Europe we just booked for August. A few days later Flaco called and said, “Tell you what man. Tell me when you're going to die and I'll die with you, and we can squeeze it all the way to heaven!”

Yeah, you know that's my buddy.

Let’s talk about your new album and it’s a very strange name.

Oh, I am just thrilled with this one. Lots of people are asking me how I came up with that title. I was somewhere one time and I was thinking I'd be real happy if myself wasn't here. I come up with those kinds of things all the time, that’s why there’s going to be a book.

Ah, a funny way of saying I wish I wasn’t here. I get it now.

So, the first song on that album is Candy Kisses.

Johnny Olenn was a mentor to me. He's from San Antonio, used to date Jayne Mansfield, ran around with Elvis, and used to play at the Hacienda in Las Vegas before they tore it down it; he

was the main attraction there for years. Every time I’d see him he’d ask “when you going to do my song” and I'd say, “I will, I will. I got it in line, don't worry.” So I got it cut and it sounded really good so I thought I’d call Johnny and let him know but he didn't answer, for 4 days in a row, so I wrote him a letter and couple weeks later I got a letter back from his son saying that his dad had passed. He said he hadn't called me because he didn't have my number. Anyway, I've dedicated this album to Johnny Olenn.

What a sad story, but a very loving way to honor your friend. I see that you wrote a majority of the songs on this album.

I write 3 or 4 songs a week and I use a cassette recorder to record. I’ve also been writing a couple of books, an autobiography and a second book called Lots To Think About. It's a fun book that looks at life with some honesty like, “How come everything breaks when I'm broke?” and “Have you ever noticed that it doesn't matter what nationality or race a baby is, they all cry the same?” It’s about the little things I think about like, where does olive oil come from?

Olives.

OK, where does baby oil come from? See, things to think about.

You get up early in the morning work on your books, write songs, and then go back to bed. You write three or four songs a week on a cassette recorder no less; that's crazy!

It's not your age that matters, it's how you mat-

ter! I've got another album that I'm working on right now that's Country Tex-Mex but I keep all my songs in a stack so I know this album’s next and after this and after this.

albums are all different. I have a country album, a blues album, a Funny album, and so on.

ally, we still do but it gets awfully hot there during summer.

How often do you put out an album?

At least two a year, if I can. You know back before my mom had passed I'd take her the 45s and she would package them all up so I could mail them out. Yes, this is way before CDs.

I think that's good because one genre is quite often one too many for some artists and definitely not enough for others and they become boring.

Yeah, and for that reason, I just can't go to a concert, because I just want to get up there and play.

What was your first big hit?

In 1965 Doug and I had She’s About a Mover.

The not so funny thing about it was we were going to Corpus to play a benefit for the hospital there. Well, we got busted for two joints and we were facing 7 to 10 in the pen. We were in the Old Courthouse and the judge told me, “You can't come into my courtroom with long hair.

Get that hair cut! But before you do my daughter

Exactly how I feel too. I just want to be up on that stage.

You know Bob Dylan’s been a friend of mine since the 60s and I've done two albums with him.

Bob’s a real intellectual person who doesn't like time off he likes to keep working you know, so when he comes to town he’ll call me ahead of time so we can get together and that quenches my concert thirst.

They have a saying there, “if we can last through two summers, you’re considered natives.”

Well, it's the same thing in Sweden but you have to last through two winters and of course, it could get down to 35 below zero. We had a hit record over there, it actually went platinum, and I told Doug I was going to move over there, so he moved with me. But about a month-and-a-half later he left and when he did he said, “Man, there’s no enchiladas here.”

Before we forget, Happy Birthday!

I know it’s not until the end of May, but you only turn 79 once!

Which leads me to ask, how is your health?

Well, I don't drink I don't smoke don't do any of that stuff anymore, I'm just on a natural.

is a big fan of yours so I get your picture first?”

So our manager, who also happened to be a barber, brought in his barber chair and cut our hair and the judge was happy. We didn't go to prison although we couldn't leave Texas for 3 years, so there we were with the number 7 record in the US and number 5 in Europe and we couldn't leave Texas to tour.

That's really interesting, not good but an interesting look at how some things have and haven’t changed.

Yeah, you know a few years later Jason Luby, the mayor of Corpus Christi, gave me and Moe Bandy a key to the city. Are you guys originally from Corpus Christi?

No, we’re from Seattle.

I spent a long week there one night. You know, me and Freddy Fender, we used to tour in that area all the time; Columbia River, Portland, Seattle. Freddy and I, we’d known each other since we were 14 and Doug Sahm and I had known each other since we were 12. You know really I miss those guys, they were my brothers. When we were 12 years old, Doug and I used to talk about all the things we were going to do when we got older and, you know, we did them.

Including writing hit music like Hey Baby Que Paso and performing all over the world.

That’s an amazing feat.

Did you know Que Paso was recorded in 14 different languages and was a success world over?

We wrote Hey Baby Que Paso in 1986 and everyone kept telling me to write another one like it, but I can't do that thing, you know where you just repeat what you've already written. So my

I don’t do any of that stuff either.

Sometimes it seems scarier being on a natural though.

Yes, it is, but then I've almost died three times.

When I was a kid I had polio in my legs and it left me an inch and a half shorter my left side.

They say that once you've passed 70 you liable to get post-polio syndrome. I've got some good musician friends in Louisiana, like piano player Michael Murphy whose post-polio is hitting him really hard. So I do a lot of exercises and walking to hopefully keep it at bay. I’ve had cancer operations, a kidney transplant, and I was in a motorcycle wreck that tore my ear off in a barbwire fence, but you know what? I'm blessed, I'm still here.

Your next tour is in August and you're going to Sweden and Norway, right?

Let's see. Next month me and Flaco are going to Vancouver for 5 days. I am with Rick Trevino in June, and then Flaco and I are going to Las Cruces New Mexico and Arizona. At the very end of July is when I leave for Europe I get back on the 9th of August and the next week I go to the northeast, New York and Massachusetts for a two-week tour. I think in October I go to San Fransico and then down to San Diego. November 9th I'm going to be on one of the river floats for Fiesta. There will be me, Billy Gibbons, Christopher Cross, Sunny Ozuna, a bunch of San Antonio people.

Do you remember Abba? Well, I use their backup band when I’m in Sweden and Norway.

Whoa, you are one busy guy! We have friends in just about every place you just mentioned, so hopefully, we'll get them out to some shows. We used to live in Arizona and I played all over the Phoenix-metro area.

Oh yeah? We used to play all over Arizona, actu-

Let's talk some more about your books. Have you ever written a book before?

Nope, never have. Well, you know I've been writing for well over 50 years and a lot of my friends have written books but they tend to use ghost-writers and I think I can do better on my own. The first one is my autobiography and I have been working on it for about 2 and a half years. I talk about my life. Right now I have about 200 and some-odd pages written and I get reminded of stories that I should put in there by people I know. I'm going to do about 20 to 30 pages of pictures and whatnot.

Then I’ve got the funny book that I'm writing.

There's a song about Velma from Selma. I had gone to the bank to deposit some money and the lady asked what I did for a living and I told her I write songs. She said nobody's ever written the song about her and that her name is Velma. I walked out of the bank and thought what the hell rhymes with Velma? So a few days later I'm on the bus, we're headed to Dallas for a show, and the driver calls out. “Hey, they just busted a house of ill repute in Selma,” and I said Velma from Selma! I had a song written before we got to Dallas. So the funny book that I'm writing is about Velma from Selma who married Auto who is 91 years old but it's real risqué.

I can only imagine all the pictures you have.

I save just about everything. I've got newspaper articles and pictures and I think I've got about 400 t-shirts, one from every concert I've ever played. I figure when I'm a hundred years old I'll open a store and sell all my stuff for a hundred bucks each. You know we played with the Rolling Stones back in the 60s. It was us, the Stones, The Kinks, and the Righteous Brothers and you know what the ticket price was? $2.50! Universal traction had booked us on this tour because we played a lot of Blues, me and Doug.

They thought we were a black group before he saw us, so yeah we were with on tour with Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, King Curtis, and Little Richard.

That was when Jimi Hendrix was Little Richard’s guitar player; he was a great blues player.

Tell me about growing up and how you started playing the piano?

Growing up I lived with my grandparents for about 10 years, my dad traveled and my mother worked in her business; she had ice hous-

es grocery stores. We lived on a farm in St Hedwig Texas with no electricity, no running water.

As I said, I had polio when I was a kid and I couldn’t walk, I crawled. There was a guy down the road, who worked the fields with my grandpa, and he would take me there and tie my legs to the piano so I couldn’t get too far. I still have the rope. Grandpa and I listened to the Farm Report in the middle of it they took breaks to play a song or two. Anyway I took to tapping out a song on the table and that's how I learn to play piano A few years later Mom took me to see Liberace and I said I wish just wanted to play like him. I still wish I could read music because even now I can listen to his music and not be able to pick out everything. Anyway, my mom took me to a teacher one time to learn piano, I think I was 12 or 13, and the teacher asked me to play something. I start banging out a song and she tells me, “Stop playing like that. I will not have that music played on my piano.” Well, mom grabbed my hand and we left. That’s about the time my parents bought me a piano.

The other day we were at Costco and they have these pianos on display, so I sat down and started playing a little and the guy comes over all excited.

He asked if I wanted a piano and I said, “No, I got six at home. One in every room or close to it.”

How did you pick up the Vox? Wait, I'm learning that I need to watch my words with you. What I mean is how did you choose the Vox to play?

I saw it in a magazine and I liked it because the black and white keys were the opposite. I am the first person in America to own and play a Vox. I went to Chuck Wood at San Antonio Music and said I want one of these. He told me that since it was out of England he’d have to order it, so he wrote a letter asking them for information. When their answer came back and he said, “Okay I can get you one but it's going to be very expensive.”

It was $285, which in 1963 was a lot of money, so I saved up all my money from a paper and grass cutting and I work at my mom stores; mom gave me $10 a week for working and then she took $5 back for room and board. Anyway, I saved my money and I bought it.

In 1965 Doug and I went to England, before we got busted in Corpus, and John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney came to see us.

They said they couldn’t get that sound out of their Vox, their Reverb was echoey. It all had to

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STEAMMAGAZINE.NET MAY 2019 STEAM MAGAZINE 15

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To hear Curtis Grimes sing is to take a trip through the heart of country music. A Texas native, Grimes was raised on a steady diet of George Strait and Alan Jackson, and he possesses the everyman charm of both his heroes; along with a refreshingly mature voice that truly stands out.

After a successful career as a collegiate baseball player, in 2011 Grimes was given a chance to appear on Season 1 of a new reality TV show called “The Voice”. Having nothing to lose he auditioned for it and ended up finishing in the Top 10.

Following success from the show, Grimes hit the ground running releasing new music and performing shows all across Texas and other states in the U.S. In 2014, Grimes and his hit single “Home to Me” was picked up

by National Salon Chain “Supercuts” and placed in mainstream spotlight.

Not only was the song featured across the country but Grimes got to put on his acting boots and star in the National Commercial. That same year Grimes started to see the hard work pay off when he was awarded “New Male Vocalist of the Year” at The Annual Texas Regional Radio Award Show.

In 2018, Grimes was named “Male Vocalist of the Year” at The Texas Country Music Association Awards Show and also received the honors of winning “Country-Christian Artist of the Year” and Country-Christian Song of the Year”.

With 7 #1 songs on The Texas Country Chart, a newly acquired #1 song on The Power Source Christian Country Music Chart, and his current hit single “Had A Thing” climbing the Texas Country Chart, Curtis is proving to be a force on the scene.

Sorry, I’m a little late. I was helping my dad out doing grout work on some tile.

Hey not a problem, that’s a pretty nice reason to run late. I was doing my research and there isn’t a lot of information out there about you or your new album; which was released last August.

Yes ma’am, my gospel album, so that was kind of like a sad project if you will. I started putting Motivational Monday videos, like a gospel song or a hymn, something like that, and people kept asking if I was ever going to do a gospel album. Well, I don’t have money to record an album lying around, so I started a go fund me account and we made enough to do the album and I had some left over. So I started up a ministry where I go buy Bibles in bulk and get them to missionaries and I have some that I keep at my merch table to hand people. So that’s where all the money and all the proceeds from this gospel album and anything related to that go. Anyways, it was a pretty cool project I got to do.

Number three, there you go! Hopefully, it will jump up there to number one here soon and then the next song we send out will be one of these four new ones. So, that’s kinda the turning of the guard there and we plan on releasing singles so we’ll already be touching radio and then I’ll pick another one of the four in a couple of months. Right now I think we’re just going to go the Spotify route and kind of just get the music out there.

Wow, that’s very cool.

As far as artist material the last album I put out was a little over two years ago, but we recorded four new songs in February. I recorded these songs with Trent Willmon, who’s been my producer for about the last four records. Right now I have a single out, Had a Thing, that is climbing the Texas Regional Radio chart.

Sounds like a good plan. Of course, I have to ask you about being on the Inaugural Season of The Voice. You were on Cee-lo Green’s team and I’ve got to ask why? I mean I personally would have gone with Cee-lo and I think that’s awesome that you did, but I think people would assume you would have gone with Blake Shelton because he’s country.

Number three, I just read it.

Cool. Will you be going back into the studio soon?

Yeah, I’ll go record four more songs in about six or seven months and just take that route as opposed to recording everything at once.

One, it lets me get stuff out sooner than later and Two it allows me a little more time to write songs and after we do that three times or so we should have a pretty good compilation. That’s when we can put it all together and package it up as an album and that’s the point here.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Away at Texas State University I pursued folk-rock and helped support myself singing Cat Stevens, Loggins and Messina, John Denver and (wait for it) Led Zepplin. Back home in Corpus Christi something was lost. I tried to do a club gig but got tired of being lost to the clatter of drink glasses and loud conversation. What brought me back was Contemporary Christian music and a calling to be part of a youth program.

I have written several songs in that vein but also several that are strictly secular.

This new album is about those songs.

By Tamma Hicks, STEAM Magazine

Perfect timing; tell me about your new album, Passing By. If ever there was a cross-over artist, that's me. So many influences, so many styles... it might just be my A.D.D. I wrote these songs in spurts and one of those spurts was country and another was "drop D" and let's just throw in some bossa nova and swing blues for flavor. They are all singularly special songs.

There are ten songs and I was blessed to find musicians who fleshed them out in spectacular fashion. We worked very hard on this album. You are going to hear some real talent in all the musicians who helped put this together, especially Daryl Eason on sax, Mason Matern on guitar, Ray Paz on keyboard, Steve Cortinas and Frank Newell on drums and Kurt Baumer on fiddle, and Jackie Heath, Katy Hansen, and Carissa Reyes on background vocals. It is an enjoyable listen. One of my close friends said that this album sounds like a "best of" album.

Photo credit: unknown

Tell us a little bit about you. Are you a natural entertainer or were you the shy kid?

I was the kid in elementary school who always led the national anthem and was in all the school music productions.

At some point I realized that I wouldn't always have someone around to play a piano while I sang and decided to learn guitar. I was not a very good guitar student mostly because of the material I was given to learn and the classical guitar that seemed out of touch with what I heard on the radio. Then my older brother bought a second hand Sears electric guitar.

Ah, I think the first time a kid gets their hands on an electric guitar it’s all over.

My friends and I started a garage band and I remember learning "Little Red Riding Hood" and "House of the Rising Sun" and I was in love. The Beatles and

other British invasion groups were my first influences. Later, at Deer Park High School I joined a band that played a lot of Buffalo Springfield and early BeeGees. My high school buddy and I would occasionally do a little busking on acoustic guitars at public places around Houston. He was Jim Morrison while I was Donovan.

Del Mar College held "coffee shop nights" every month and I performed there and met Willis Alan Ramsey and other traveling singersongwriters. While at Del Mar College I joined The Flying Goat Brothers as lead singer and we did TRex, Joe Cocker and big band rock songs with a five piece brass section (Joe Sublet went on to be a respected session sax player with some top name artists). After that I sang in what was essentially a Black Sabbath and Grand Funk cover band called Urchin Alley.

Any lessons learned that you’re willing to share?

One thing I learned the hard way, from money spent with nothing to show, is that you absolutely need a producer. A producer is someone who has a depth of knowledge of recording as an art form, and "gets you" and shares your vision as an artist. I needed a benevolent collaborator. I found that in Mason

Shirley at Sound Machine Studio here in Corpus Christi.

Where is Passing By available?

They will all be available online through iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and pretty much everywhere beginning May 3 and in traditional CD form at our release party on May 10.

I heard there is a story behind Take Me Sailing. It’s referred to as the “proof song”?

My beautiful wife Elizabeth (Betty) Boudreau is the best wife a singer/ songwriter could have. But, she is a professional accountant which means she needed to see the numbers and a plan. One minor hurtle to overcome was what I would call a "proof of concept." Before any work was done on the other nine songs, we completely finished the first song "Take Me Sailing" and released it as a single on iTunes, etc. It has gotten nothing but positive reviews and most of all... she really liked it. Then, for the next year I booked studio time in two to four hour blocks and rounded up the best musicians I could find.

What inspires your music?

There would be a story for each song.

Some come along after noodling around on my guitar and finding a cool chord progression. Some come out of a challenge to myself, like Savannah Sunrise, which was a deliberate attempt at a "road song." Sometimes I just channel a mood and it turns into a melody and lyrics.

If you could put together the perfect concert, who would play and in what order? Would you perform?

I would like to tour with Bob Dylan. I would do the warm up set and then just sing backup. I do a very good impersonation of early Bob Dylan and as bad as he sings these days maybe sweeten up his performances (can I say that?).

Where can people find you?

A search for Charles Michael Boudreau will find me on most sites.

Look for Take Me Sailing or Passing By titles. We are kicking off this new chapter at the Rockport Art Festival on July 6 from 1:30 to 3:30pm. New dates will appear on my website.

SHOWS CD Release Party! May 10 @ Cassidy's Irish Pub/ downtown Corpus Christi TX/ 5:30-8pm Rockport Art Festival! July 6 @ Rockport Festival Grounds/1:303:30pm

www.CMBSONGS.com STEAMMAGAZINE.NET MAY 2019 STEAM MAGAZINE 17

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He would have been my first choice if I got to pick, but unfortunately, Cee-lo was the only one who turned around. So that was my team that fall and to be honest, I was just happy that any of the chairs turned around.

And they had me sing a Blake Shelton song so I don’t know if I put myself in the best position to impress Blake.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 o with the amp. I had the first Super Reverb, it was actually a bass amp with reverb in it, and so John Lennon played my organ and told me, “This is bloody fantastic!” A few weeks later Super Reverb amps were all over England.

I remember hearing a story about a group from England whose Vox had broken and you came to the rescue.

Yep, Dave Clark Five. They were playing in San Antonio at the Colosseum and I open the show with Doug. Well, all of a sudden, they said the Dave Clark Five canceled because their organ broke. I told them that I had an organ they could use but they insisted that it was an English organ and nobody here had one. I told them again, “I have one. It's in the Green Room,” so they came in and looked at it and said, “It's a bloody Vox!” and so they used it that night. You know the thing about Vox’s is that they are weather sensitive, so I might be 85 here in San Antonio and then we’d go to Washington to play and I’d have to lift the lid to tune it; usually during the first song or so.

Now I have three Vox organs; one is just for Studio work and the other two are for parts.

Besides the Vox and piano, you also play the accordion. Actually, you're a very talented accordion player. Do you play buttons and keys?

I play keys and I do have a button one as well.

I also play fiddle and guitar. I was really a fan of Freddie Prinze. I was in Arkansas when he passed and so I got an accordion and that's when I learned to play.

I know the music business has always been a tight group. I believe you know a good friend of ours, Ron Baker. He was Charlie Pride's lead guitar player for 11 years.

Oh yeah, Ron Baker. Okay, I'm going to go back very late 50s, early 60s Ron used to play with me and Denny Esmond. Denny and I had a band together called the Goldens and Ron was our guitar player. He was married to the background singer for the opening act. Uh, Dave and Sugar and the wife’s name was Vicky.

Did you know I’d auditioned with Charley?

Before Preston Buchanan was Charley’s bass player he had played with me and Denny.

Preston calls me one day and says Charlie is looking for a piano player and wants to know if you'll come up to Dallas to audition. So I go up there and Charlie looks right at me and says, “You're going to have to cut your hair and shave your beard,” and I said why. He said, “Because I want everybody clean shaven,” and I said I can do it. A good friend of mine out of San Antonio, Randy Reinhard, went up to Dallas and got the job. He played with Charlie for a few years. Randy passed away a couple of years ago.

I heard that you wouldn't fly for a long time. Were you afraid of flying?

No, I just had that feeling that I shouldn't, so for about 10 years I didn’t. Now I’m fine with it. It’s not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens.

Here in America, I traveled on trains. I went from LA to Vegas to Colorado to Chicago to Philadelphia. One time while switching trains in Vegas we had a bar car with a piano. so I just went in and played and all of sudden we had a big crowd, so the bartender tells me

Oh, okay.

It wasn’t a song I would have chosen if I could pick, but it worked out and I got to be on the show quite a while. I finished in the top 10.

That’s very good. Do people still recognize you from the show?

They do and mostly out of state because we play enough in Texas that my artist side has taken over, but when we go out of state that’s when we meet people that came because they remembered me from The Voice and that was in 2011, so that’s a ways back to remember.

Yes, it is and nice to know that you made an impression. I was looking at your schedule and I think you're going to Nebraska and Kansas in the next month or so but you play all over Texas. Are you thinking of heading out on longer tours or you more home based?

We’ve gone to Europe, UK, Scotland, Ireland, and we did a little festival in France.

Every once in a while we drive out to Connecticut where there’s a venue called Mohegan Sun Casino do some shows. We also go to Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming quite a bit. We have one out that way in July and that’s one market we definitely play a lot and have a pretty good following.

that if I keep playing drinks are the house because he’s doing good business.

So you played piano that whole time; did anyone know who you were or recognize you?

No, I don't think so and I played all the way to Colorado. I didn't tell anybody my name or much about me. But all that's in my book.

Well, I’m really looking forward to reading it! How long until you think it’ll get released?

Well, you know I started writing it 4 years ago. Quite honestly it took me 76 years to be an overnight success. Anyway, that's my life and my story and I'm sticking to it.

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Nice. Do you have a dedicated band or do you use hired players?

Actually, my band is based out of Austin. On drums is Phil Medina, our bass player is

Andy Carrell, Austin Lowrance is our lead guitar player, and I play acoustic rhythm guitar.

Do you play lead at all?

Not much; there’s one little section of one song that I memorized.

I was just thinking about your song being on the charts and remembered that you had a number one hit last year, didn’t you?

Yeah, last year my single Born To Die was the number one song in Texas and then we sent it to Christian country radio stations and it was the number one song there as well. It’s a pretty good message; the lyrics are more of a worship song and the melody and music were country enough to be played on country radio.

Have you always been more on the Gospel side than on the country side?

I have not. I mean I grew up in church when I started doing this. Then I started doing what I thought I should do to make it and I just lived the lifestyle. So then I kind of parlayed that into, “Well, I’ve been giving this platform, this opportunity, and this reach,” and I just wanted to make the most of it.

That’s where my passion is How often do you play down here in Corpus Christi area?

Well, lately we’ve been there quite a bit and that’s good because my wife is from Corpus originally; I met her at Brewster Street.

Neat, I didn’t know that. I brought it up because you’re playing at Billy Joe’s Craft House Memorial Day weekend.

Yes, ma’am. This will be our third time to play at Billy Joe’s.

The food there is amazing, isn’t? Oh and he just switched up his menu so make sure you enjoy some.

Will do, it is good!

Written By Katheryn Jager Mc Alea Photos By Gary Mc Alea for STEAM Magazine

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