Tuesday, May 23, 2017



“GIVE ME THE BEAT BOYS…AND FREE MY SOUL”

Last night Michael Hearne and I along with Mike Roberts were Christine Albert’s
“special guests”at El Mercado Mystery Monday Show, with Bobby Callas on drums and                     Chip Dolan sitting in on piano and accordion.  It was a big band sound night and without a set list. This Monday night was different than usual because of Jimmy LaFave’s passing on Sunday.  The music community still in shock and disbelief that he was gone.  Everyone seemed to gather last night just to be together and share his memory and music a little.  The place was packed and all sorts of Austin’s best musical guests came by to sing a couple of songs and pay tribute to Jimmy. Butch Hancock and his son, Eliza Gilykson, Tish Hinojosa, Marcia Ball, Ray Bonneville, Slaid Cleaves, John Inmon, and others contributed to a fantastic, rousing right of music.  Everyone left a little lighter in heart than when they came in.

This Thursday night May 25th my old friend Clint black is rolling into Austin for a show at The Nutty Brown.  Clint has recorded several songs we’ve written together, PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES, ONE MORE PAYMENT, OUR KIND OF LOVE, MILK AND COOKIES (‘till Santa’s Gone), HEY HOT ROD, and YOU DON’T NEED ME NOW.  Thank you Clint.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him and his band. Clint invited me to come out Thursday night and sing a couple of songs with his band. This will be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it.  Clint has had the same core band all these many years and they are a tight, crackerjack band.  That says a whole lot about what kind of man Clint is.  (Clint and his band played on my CD “LET LOVE BE TRUE” when I recorded it in Nashville.)  So folks…If you don’t have any plans for Thursday night come on out to The Nutty Brown and catch Clint Black! Clint and his band will put on a rocking’ stellar show.  I guarantee it.

HEADS UP KERRVERTS’…..
Friday night we’ll head to The Kerrville Folk Festival for a visit to that music fest in the hills. American Dreamer kicks it off,  followed by ‘Trout Fishing’, ‘The Rifters’, then Michael Hearne, Mike Roberts and I. Due to Jimmy LaFaves’s unfortunate passing this past Sunday, the Friday closing set will be a tribute to Jimmy hosted by Ray Bonneville and will feature members of Jimmy’s band and friends.  No doubt there will be some jamming going on the stage that night.

After Kerrville, I’ll be heading up to Alamosa, CO to begin work on my next CD with Don Richmond producing and playing on the album. I am really looking forward to getting back into the recording studio with Don and creating some new material. It’s really one of my favorite things to do.  And, I’m not putting a deadline on this one.  I’m going to take my sweet time and work on it over the summer.

I’ll let you know how it goes and send you some pics and samples of what we’re doing up there.
So stay tuned.  There’s much more to come.  I’ll talk with you up the road.

Thanks,
Shake

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Monday May 15,2017


‘PLACES IN TEXAS….

Last Thursday night I was in Johnson City, TX. swapping songs and telling stories with singer songwriter George Ensle at ‘THE 290 WINERY’ The show was promoted by Mark Stevens who has already produced several shows at the new venue.  I want to thank my old friends and patrons of live music, Al and Kay Pratt, for suggesting George and I to Mark. It has been a while since I played Johnson City, not since Al and Kay ran The Silver K Cafe.  So it was great to hear of a new live music venue in town. The 290 Winery on the west end of town (just past the traffic light) is a beautiful setting for relaxing a bit and a enjoying a glass of Texas wine, and maybe hear a little music. Thank you Warren Vilmaire and wife Susan Kirchman,  and Alison Lanik for being great hosts and for opening yet another …one of a kind place… to see and visit while traveling through the hill country of Texas. Plenty of folks did turn out on a Thursday evening. We received a good, warm Johnson City welcome back.  I saw some old faces I hadn’t seen in some time and met a few new ones.  I sure hope to return again later this summer and bring Michael Hearne.  We look forward to a drive to Johnson City to have lunch with Kay and Al and visit the “Texcetera” Gallery as well as Susan’s “Kirchman Contemporary Fine Art Gallery”! 

Saturday I traveled east on highway 290 to Burton, Texas. I played a “surprise” birthday party for a long time, hard core fan from back in “The Houston Days” Cynthia Vancil , better known as ‘SuSu’  to all her friends and family who were there to celebrate her big “Medicare Birthday Bash”.  She and her husband Lloyd hosted the party on their gorgeous 86 acre ranch just a few miles off of 290.  SuSu was so excited I was there, and she knew the words to all my old songs from the 70’s, some I didn’t even remember! We got her up to sing on a song or two. She looked like she was having a birthday to remember! It was great fun and naturally topped off with a big beautiful Texas sunset to end the evening…but not the party…. Happy Birthday SuSu!  Thanks for making us a part of your ‘Surprise’ party.

This Thursday night, May 18,  Michael Hearne, Mike Roberts and I will
return to ‘SUSANNA’S KITCHEN’ in Wimberley, TX. www.wimberleyumc.org It is a long standing concert series we love to play. The series is presented by the Wimberley Methodist Church on 1200 County Road 1492.  The show starts at 7:30 pm.  Please save me some pie.   I hope to see you out for the show.

FOR ALL OF YOU IN THE DALLAS AREA…Saturday May 20,  the Trio will be performing at the ‘THE 25th WILDFLOWER ARTS and MUSIC FESTIVAL In Richardson, TX.  This is a highly coveted music festival of Texas. I haven’t performed at the festival in many moons. It’s a multi-billed/multi staged Saturday night. Michael Hearne and I will be playing at 10pm, final show of the evening, on ”The Singers/Songwriter Stage” in the Eismann Center. We’re excited at the opportunity to perform at the festival.  If you’re in the area come on out. For more info please go to www.wildflowerfestival.com.

The following Monday night May 22, we cruise into Austin for ‘Mystery Monday’ at the El MERCADO Restaurant on South 1st Street. Music starts at 7:30pm. Come early and have dinner. It’s always a fun experience and expect the unexpected. That is why it’s called “MYSTERY MONDAY”. You just never know.

This is what I’ve been up to the past week or so
 Also what’s coming up the road. We hope to see you at one of the upcoming shows.
Stay tuned for more info.

Thanks,
Shake





Wednesday, May 3, 2017



The Arkansas Travelers
The Texas Tornados

Well folks we are back from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

After I had posted the trio was heading up to Arkansas for a show, someone jokingly commented        they  couldn’t believe something or someone had enticed me to actually leave Texas and play music elsewhere,  outside of the Lone Star State. Come on now…let’s be fair …we go up to Colorado and New Mexico,  out to California last year and occasionally make it up to Pennsylvania!  We do cross the state line every now and then… when we want to.  Any way it had been many moons since I  last played in Arkansas.  And in Fayetteville, the home of the Razorbacks!

However when a music series called SUNRISE STAGE CONCERTS contacted,  us we immediately booked a show there. What a wonderful surprise and place to play!  SUNRISE GUITARS Music Store hosts the concert series.   Owner Don Nelms had this vision to turn a former car dealership building into a large beautiful music store with an attached custom built concert hall (with room acoustics given a top priority).  Michael Hearne, Mike Roberts, and I performed  two sets for an enthusiastic sold out crowd. Micheal Hearne’s Arkansas family was there, and a friend of mine I went to high school with, I mean we are talking way, way back in the day, Matt Maples was there with his wife Marsha!!  Another old friend, Randy Bulla from the Houston Days, dropped in to say howdy after about 35 years and joined us for a couple of songs and played harmonica on “Mr. Jelly Roll Baker” and added flute on “Deep In the West”.
Also….Special guest, Ezra Idlet from TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA  brought his new drums, set them up, and jammed with us.  That was huge unexpected treat for everyone and added a special touch to the show. Ezra has that songwriter sensibility and touch on the drums.  He just seems to know when and where and what to play.  We always enjoy jamming with him. Thank you Ezra!  We’ll be jamming again at the Michael Hearne’s  Big Barn Dance!   Please check out the pics from the show I included, I’ll tell you what, when I do decide to leave Texas I  sure pick a fine time!  There were storms, heavy rain, and tornadoes tearing  a destructive path across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.  After Friday night’s show, on Saturday morning we loaded up and made our way back through heavy rain, fog, high winds… no GPS signal to seek shelter.  I mean you name it and it was around the corner.  I am always happy and at peace and breathe a sigh of relief whenever I see the ‘Welcome to Texas’ sign…But this time even more so.

We drove down to "The Beautiful East Piney Woods "where Winnsboro, TX. resides.   The sun was shining down for a moment. It’s a historic old town where even Bonnie and Clyde settled down for a spell. We performed Saturday night at the Winnsboro Art Center on Historic Old Market Street. By show time thunder was rolling and a storm was moving in to Winnsboro. We were wondering if anyone might show up at all.  A room full of folks braved the ominous stormy night and pounding thunderstorm to attend the show. Thank you folks. While lightening split the sky and thunder was sounding over head, our friends Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne (yes, he and Michael are cousins) opened the show with a set of their well written original songs and beautiful vocals. They will be performing this year at MICHAEL HEARNE’S BIG BARN DANCE in Taos, so you’ll all get a chance to hear them perform.  As we hit the stage it looked and sounded outside like the end of the world was approaching and the building we were in might just fly away at any moment.  It didn’t and in spite of the deluge the show went on.

I must say we are truly blessed to be able to perform in such wonderful listening rooms, with wonderful sound systems, with fantastic audiences there for only one reason and that is to hear music and support what we do.  What more could we wish for?  Thank you Winnsboro for coming out.  Thank you Lynn  and Lindy for having us at the Art Center.

PLUS, our visit there was also highlighted by our stay at the Historic Hubbell House built in 1888.   It is now serves the community as a Bed and Breakfast with beautiful garden grounds and several “guest houses’ placed about.  We enjoyed our stay in such a serene peaceful setting the gardens provide. Thank you George ( the property manager) for your hospitality.  Sunday was a beautiful morning.  The storm had passed and before we hit the trail we had breakfast with Lynn and Lindy at their home just 10 miles outside of Winnsboro. They have a lovely place that sits on a private lake to come home to and wind down from the road.  We said our goodbyes to them and wound back down the country back roads and highways, through all the Sunday scenery to Houston. ALSO I found out…Being up in that part of Texas is in “Miranda Land” Miranda Lambert was born and grew up in Lindale, TX.  My old friend Debbie Porter who was at the show, who knows just about everyone and about everything musical thing going on around the area, told me that her friend guitarist John Defoore,  who used to run “The Picking Parlor“ in Mineola, TX. was the one who taught Miranda how to play guitar and used my songs, (one of which was “YOU WOULDN’T KNOW ME”) to teach her how to play and how to write a song. I had wondered how she first heard the song. It seems like she’s known my old song from her very first musical beginning  and for quite some time.   OK mystery solved. Thanks Debbie, thank you John. Thank you  Miranda for making my song part of your journey.

Now I am back home with a little time off before we work again.  I am working on new tunes for my next CD which I’ll begin to record next month.  So the down time will come in handy.

Stay tuned, I’ll keep you posted on upcoming shows and events. 





Thanks,  Shake


All of these photos were taken by Susan Idlet