LOOSENOTES - September, as usual, has come and gone too fast... Perhaps we are tired of the dog day summer heat, perhaps we long for a winning baseball team, perhaps we're ready for autumn. Nonetheless, the live music SCENE in September was utmost throughout and we hope you got a healthy dose. Here's a quick run down on some of what went down...
BOOGIE, BLUES & BREWS - Much needed rains failed to dampen spirits at the 2nd Boogie, Blues & Brews held at Walter Hall Park. An impressive effort by the entire stage, audio & lightening crew brought Friday nights outdoor shows by the ever popular Mambo Jazz Kings and Wayne Toups under the roof saving both shows and providing the hearty music fans a much needed does of get down, get honky, funky groove & sizzle earning a first ever over the top mention to the show production crews. Excellent job! Sunday, the skies cleared long enough for us to catch Runaway Sun, a musically pleasing young group from out of Houston, and Marcia Ball, a veteran soul pleasing mainstay from Louisiana. While the the Texans game kept many away on Sunday, it was awesome seeing these two groups catch on to the true music lovers who came out and respond with what these ears consider as highly inspired passionate professional performances - The good stuff....
CRAZY AL'S SWAMPSHACK - Full moons are bright moons and two full moons in a month make a Blue Moon which is what we had on stage at the Swampshack with John (JD) Doyle and Jeremy Bradshaw, two veteran Gulf Coast Musicians whom I've never seen before share the stage as, of course, The Blue Moon Band. Boy was it good! The two mixed up a Kemah breezy jam of familiar covers soothing to the ears and soul. I highly recommend keeping an eye out to catch these two if you can. Heads up, JD's full Blue Moon Band will be opening for the upcoming Molly Hatchet show at 18th Street Fishing Pier which should be a burner. It's been awhile since we've crossed paths with Jeremy and delighted hearing how his entire family has moved to higher grounds in Sante Fe and has recently added the title of "Grand Dad" to his resume. Cheers!
T-BONE TOM'S - One of the first bands I ever covered on The SCENE were the Navigators at T-Bone Tom's and followed up with the two during the month of September. The consistency and quality of both never cease to amaze me throughout the years. The Navigators have performed shows all over the world and one of the area bands who care enough to bring their own dedicated sound crew. You can always count on an enjoyable Navigator experience - Keep them on your watch list!
Fight Like a Girl - Was the mantra at Jackie's Brickhouse for the Benefit for K.K Sheaves, a long time presence of the the local service industry. A huge army of volunteers helped make this event a dandy with an abundance of fun for all ages and the excitement sincere. Running the mic was area favorite, Mama Cass who kept things rolling throughout the afternoon. The staff at Jackie's were ever utmost hosting this heartfelt event. Nice job to All!
"A GOOD THING" - In last month's issue of The SCENE, we ventured into town to catch one of the final Kozmic Pearl and felt it relevant to follow up the transition into the Myrna Sanders Band at the Cockeyed Seagull. Wow!!! *This*, good readers, is a band to put on your watch list as Myrna has probably one of the most diversified play lists happening. Listening through an evening with the Myrna Sanders Band, it's clear she's assembled the talent necessary to pull off this incredible eclectic playlists including Lynn Raggio on lead, Laura Magers on keys, and Greg Barr on bass. Joanne Stone is her regular drummer however we caught Jason Padilla on the kit filling in. Jason is relatively new to the Texas Gulf Coast having arrived from Baltimore and getting around the live music SCENE playing and already play with an assortment of local bands. While I've no doubt he could front his own band, the cat is totally at ease with whomever he plays with and appears to be able to play it all. The entire band on stage displayed something not often witnessed in unison, and that was having fun - Which comes through in the music, resonates through your spine, and leaves you feeling good - And *that's* a Good Thing!
SCOUT BAR - One of the growing shows there is whenever Metalachi comes into town. In the midst of their Jagermeister tour, Scout Bar was the perfect stage for this fun band from Los Angeles when we saw them in September. Also last month, we followed up a hot act from Lufkin called Downfall Rising. Their new front lady, Rachel Peloquin, caught our eye back then and earned another look. Tighter as a band and energetic as ever, this band has similarities to Epica sans the opera and theatrics. This is a good sounding group that in my opinion, will keep on getting better. Scout Bar has some big events lining up on the horizon - Stay tuned!
PAPA BLUES MEMORIAL - About the time I started covering the local live music SCENE, Ike came by and whacked the area pretty hard - A very pivotal time when musicians came together helping out musicians flattened by the storm, through the efforts of GBAMA. One of the striking mentions we made back then was of a young metal rock band, Cymblem, who got washed away, showing up at a local open mic with nothing but a bunch of acoustic guitars, and the generosity of Papa Bluez, who gave the young lads his personal amp to start their rebuilding process. Pretty cool, eh? The music scene lost Papa Bluez recently and a huge turnout of musicians gathered for a Memorial Celebration up the road at Neon Moon, a super little music hangout in LaPorte. Memorials for a fellow musicians are always abundant with inspired music and this day was no exception. It's been at least a couple years since we've been up to the Neon Moon - It was great seeing everybody up there and hope to cross paths again!
IT'S A WRAP - We've been following lots of changes happening out on the live music scene and pretty much like where things are going. Time will tell how things actually turn out which is why we'll be out there with you catching up and taking it in, out on The SCENE. Thanks for talking with us and we'll see you out there!
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