Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Back from Big D

Back from Big ‘D’…

I’m back home in Dripping Springs and very happy to be here.
I have a little time off from gigging, and I’m just taking care of business
around the homestead.  I’m catching up since we’ve been gone most of the
summer touring Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and California promoting our new CDs,

Last week was another great  successful week of music . We played in Dallas at
Poor David’s Pub last Friday night.  It was a fantastic turnout of friends and fans,
old and new, quite a few of Michael Hearne’s old high school mates even
showed up to cheer him on. Our audiences seems to be growing every time we play
at ‘Davids’.  I think perhaps radio airplay @ KNON of  CD’s is helping bring people
out to the shows.Thank you all for coming out and supporting live music in the Dallas area.
Thank you David Card! We’ll return to Poor David’s next March, along with Michael’s Uncle Bill Hearne, to help David celebrate 40 years of bringing music to ‘Big D’. Don’t worry I’ll remind you again early next year.

Saturday night we headed South and played in Pearland, TX.  Mona Cabler and James Adams  hosted their first house concert  to benefit  United Against Human Trafficking. We played outside and it was
a beautiful night with perfect fall weather. Folks showed up to give their support to the cause.There was food, wine, desserts, dogs, pumpkins, and inside their home was an ’art gallery’, drawing for prizes, and of course…music. Everyone had a good time and there was talk of us returning next year for another house concert on the lawn benefiting www.Rescuedpetsmovement.org.  Now that is what I call  grass roots music.

To top off last week….Last Monday night I came home after performing with George Ensle
at Poodies Hilltop Saloon.  Dee had a big old grin on her face, and she looked like she was
about to bust out of her chair from excitement!  She said Miranda Lambert had recorded my song
“You Wouldn’t Know Me” on her new CD “The Weight of These Wings” coming out in November!
Wow! Talk about one heck of a birthday present…Thank you, thank you Miranda!!  I’m waiting to hear the story of how and where she heard the song, but I’m just glad she did, and she liked it enough to put it on her new record. I can’t wait to hear her version of the tune! I bet it kicks butt!  Hey, check it out and pre-order your copy today!

Stay tuned,
Peace
Shake

Friday, October 21, 2016


Camp Leaky@H.E B.Foundation Park  Saturday, October 15, 2016

Last night we played a show out in Leaky,TX.in beautiful Echo Valley, for a re-union of hundreds of counselors whom had volunteered and served at the camp,one time or another, over the past 40 plus years.There were folks there my age who had volunteered at the camp back in the 80’s, along with their 18/19 year old sons and daughters who are now counselors themselves.  My song “Deep in the West” has been the camp’s theme song over the past several decades. It’s always, always, played as the last song of the camp dance.  It’s even in the camp’s song book. Throughout all these years of performing around Texas, every now and then someone will come up after a show, somewhere, and say they know my song ‘Deep in the West' from the time they had been camp volunteers at Laity Lodge and had sang the song or danced to it.  It’s always nice to hear that and their thank you’s for having written the song.  This has been going on for years…Well last Saturday night it all came together and the stars aligned….

I was the  ’surprise guest’ for the end of the party and dance.  I think the kids were hoping the guest was Justin Beiber or Miley Ctrus,
but their parents thought it might be me.   We were to perform my song and their song, “DEEP IN THE WEST” and then carry on into a set of music for everyone.  As we began to play the song people gathered in front of us.  Some danced and some stood or simply sat and sang along.  As we finished the song the crowd went… WILD….  I mean CRAZY….
Bananas!… W I L D!!!   It was like I had scored the winning touch down at the super bowl;  As if I’d just hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th, game 7 of the world series!  The steady roar and cheers from everyone seemed to go on and on, for over a good very long  while. Michael Hearne turned to me, laughed and said, “It’s just like the Beatles!”  WOW!

Thank you Brian for asking me to be there for the event,  and all of you who love the song so much!  It’s a moment I’ll long remember for the rest of my life.  What an awesome tribute to the song, and how much and for how long it has been an important song to all of you at the camp. I thank you all for such a unbelievable opportunity   I'm so proud to be a small part of your group of wonderful, good hearted souls, who help so many young people along their way in life.

God Bless you all and may you carry on the good work for decades to come.


Peace,
Shake

Sunday, October 16, 2016



‘TAKING IT EASY'……
GETTING MY KICKS… @ 66…. ON ROUTE 66!

I’m back home and glad to be, recovering from our meandering trip home from California. We had a great time seeing the sights… the Grand Canyon, Sacred Sedona, and all the points in-between.  What a memorable journey it was. The Grand Canyon was a jaw dropping magnitude of wonder and beauty Sedona…a valley surrounded by gigantic mountains of red rock shooting up from the earth. 

We stumbled upon an historic restaurant called “The Relic” where I enjoyed a delicious birthday 
di nner with Dee.  After wards we took a tour of the historic building. The place was built in the thirties and even has an in house ghost happening there.  Back in the day, many Hollywood stars, while in Sedona area making movies, dined there and downed a few cocktails in the saloon in next room over from the dining area.  If anyone is ever in Sedona check it out.  I highly recommend the food, and the warm ambiance  of the establishment.  You’ll  enjoy the hospitality of the owner,  Mr. Jerry De Salvo. as he greets you at the front door when you  enter the restaurant. Google it and check it out online!  It’s a very cool place.

 I’ll tell you, with all the panoramic vistas, red rock cliffs, and painted desert, I felt like I was riding in an old John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart western movie.  I could see the wagon train rolling and the Calvary riding in the distance. Many of the old westerns were filmed out in this neck of the country. This is the heart of the Navajo Nation, encompassing an area equal to the size of West Virginia. The home of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni people. We were traveling through the middle of it.

On up the road we pulled into a little whistle stop called Winslow, Arizona.  I  even stood out on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, looking for the girl in the flat bed Ford. I didn’t see her, but I did see a lot of other people. The corner I was standing on was right on Route 66 which runs through the heart of  the town.  There was a classic car convention/congregation partying in town while we were there.  There were a bunch of ‘baby boomers’ ( like myself ), with all the beautifully restored and refurbished early 1960’s Corvettes.   Other vintage automobiles were also parked on the side streets.
There was quite a crowd gathered all there celebrating Route 66, and waiting for a photo op next to a statue of Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.  ‘The Eagle’s Greatest Hits ‘ album playing from a corner souvenir store providing the perfect soundtrack for the surrealistic moment. Yes, I was definitely …’taking it easy.’

As the sun was sitting in the West we headed on up the highway towards New Mexico.  We circled the wagon for the night in Gallup, NM then we galloped out of there bright and early the next morning, making our way home to the Texas State line.

So Adios California,  Bye, Bye Arizona! and Howdy Texas!
 
Now it is time to re- string and polish the guitar, get back to work and get ready for the upcoming show.  Next one is Poodies in Spicewood this Monday night, Oct. 17th with George Ensle.  So please stay tuned!  I’ll see you all soon, somewhere in Texas.
Thanks

Shake

P .S.   On arriving home, I received more updates and good news on airplay my new CD: “” This Little Bright Band of Light”, and my new CD with Michael Hearne, “Only As Strong As Your Dreams” are getting in Germany.  My solo CD is also number three out of top ten CD’s being downloaded on www.CDTex.com music website.  The Original Texas and Red Dirt Country Music Source.

Onward and upward we climb.

Monday, October 10, 2016



BY THE TIME WE GET TO PHOENIX…We still have a ways to go!

I must admit at my advanced age…I’ve never driven to California.  I’ve flown over that part of the country many, many times, but never put the pedal to the metal on I-10 West or checked out route 66…you know…really see this part of our country. Since we had a couple of dates booked in California, I thought it’s time to scratch one off the ‘bucket list’. So, we left Spring, TX. and we took off and landed in Las Cruces, NM the first night and into Arizona and through the Sonora Desert  and then on to the California state line the next day.  Friday morning we made our way across the desert and… v e r y…. s l o w l y… through Los Angeles and up highway 101 (VENTURA HIGHWAY).  It felt like… if you can imagine… like driving from Houston to Dallas in bumper to bumper traffic, stop and go  on I-45 all the way!  “If I can just get off of this LA. freeway without getting killed or caught…”

We made it!!  Well, here I sit on a cliff overlooking the mighty Pacific ocean in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. We arrived in Santa Barbara Friday evening, just in time for a barbecue  dinner “at the point” and watching a wonderful sunset
settle over the ocean.  After dinner we built a bonfire and Michael, Don Richmond and I picked a few tunes around the  campfire. Good food and great people!  I’ve only been in California for a day and I swear my hair’s turning blonde.
I woke this morning humming beach boy songs!  Yep…I’m California dreaming.

On Saturday night we played  a venue in Thousand Oaks, CA, hosted by old friend Steve Brogden.  And it was magical.  We had a decent audience  for a couple of unknown Texans. Saturday evening we played  a sunset, house concert on ocean front property in Santa
Barbara hosted by Suzanne and Ross. What a magnificent home estate they have overlooking  the Pacific.
Thanks you for your hospitality and making us feel welcome.

Monday we are heading  home to the place I love best!  TEXAS!!!  On the way back we’re going to check out the Grand Canyon, and also that corner in Winslow, Arizona that I’ve heard so much about, then down to Sedona, for a little ‘spiritual awakening’ sacred place and then over and through the painted desert and the petrified forest on our way back thru to New Mexico and Texas.

Going back to Houston, Houston, Houston.

See you soon.
Shakecopolo