Riffs: Cameron Wrinkle
Thanks to Carl Rabenaldt’s Wimberley Valley Live Music Calendar in this newspaper, it is a breeze to find musicians who are playing in the Wimberley area. This week, I took one of the tall Adirondack chairs next to the stage at the Hays City Store in Driftwood to hear Cameron Wrinkle perform.
Take note of this classic country performer. He captivated the crowd early on with Garth Brooks’ “I’m Much Too Young to Feel this Damn Old.” Gifted with a beautiful vibrato and a warm baritone reminiscent of Mark Chesnutt, this singer knows who he is and what he likes.
“I’m old-school, and I love ‘90s Country,” he told the crowd. “I was raised by older folks, so I like black and white movies and, on the highway, I’m the guy in the slow lane.”
He ought to know, he’s from Tuscola in Taylor County near Abilene, population 742.
According to his bio, Cameron began playing the fiddle and, at the age of three, played contests with his older brother, father and grandfather. Later, he picked up the guitar and began writing songs. Shortly after high school, he was discovered by Tracy Byrd’s managers (“Holdin’ Heaven” and “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo”) who took him to Nashville to help him develop his songwriting skills. Cameron spent three years in Nashville writing songs with hit writers and getting to know many of the artists that shaped country music in the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s.
Today, as an independent, he splits his time between Nashville and playing live shows in Texas.
He’s currently working on his first album. The first single, “I Wasn’t Through Lovin’ You Yet” came out last September. To learn more, visit cameronwrinkle. com. He’ll be back at the Hays City Store in May.
Roams: Building Towers to the Sky Last weekend, the Llano Earth Art Festival drew hundreds of participants to Leonard Grenwelge County Park on the banks of the Llano River. Just a block from the city’s downtown square, the event drew artists, some of them international contestants, to participate in a rock stacking competition and show.
Skeptical that the main attraction might be as scintillating as watching paint dry, I quickly became a convert as I reviewed the competition rules and witnessed artists at work. This is not just cairn stacking but, rather, engineering upright balanced structures that defy gravity.
Competitors participate by using rocks from the banks of the Llano River within a 25-minute window. Depending on the competition category, solo, team or junior artists may use footstools or ladders for construction, but adhesive or outside support is not allowed. Shims can be used, though, and each stack must have a single moveable rock as its base. The height of the tower is measured from the bottom of the lowest moveable rock to the top of the structure. In an impressive and enlightened accord with minimum impact standards, the rock towers are dismantled, and the rocks dispersed after each competition heat is over.
Besides tower building, the festival has competitions for the biggest and longest arches, tallest columns and a speed balancing race where competitors have three minutes to balance a set of rocks selected by the judges. One of my favorite competitions was the artistic rock stacks. Artists could use other materials found in the area like branches, grasses and husks and other organics for their creation. The results were breathtaking. If you love the textures and colors of the natural world, this event is for you.
Away from the festival, there are several collecting options in town — for example, Stuffology and Whimsey, both antique and collectible stores more on the funky side than the precious. The Trailblazer Grill on the square filled up early, as did Fuel, a coffee shop, and Gino’s Italian food. One of the Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que restaurants is in town with an impressive menu of meats besides the standards that include cabrito, prime rib, turkey and sirloin.
Llano has very few hotel options, so the festival makes room for tent and RV camping. Hotels must be booked very far in advance and prices go up closer to the event. Hotels in Burnet, about 30 minutes away, take the overflow.
Next month, Burnet will host their Bluebonnet Festival April 7 through 9. It promises to be heavy on the music with bands like “All Hat No Cadillac” from Austin and will feature a Weiner Dog Race on the Burnet square. For more information, visit bluebonnetfestival. org.
If wildflowers are still on your radar, follow US HIghway 290 through Johnson City to Llano, and continue on US 281 north to Round Mountain. From Round Mountain along Farm Rd 962 is a spectacular stretch of wildflowers. On your return trip home, stop at Fat Boy’s Burgers in Johnson City for lunch.
Raves: Texas Hill Country Passport
An excellent travel and learning activity for young people interested in a series of road trips is the Texas Hill Country Passport. Museums, visitor’s centers, nature attractions, forts and other interesting tourist destinations are featured in 13 of the 25 counties that make up the Hill Country.
For each destination, passport holders receive a stamp in their passport. It’s a worthwhile bonding activity for families and perfect for newcomers and novice travelers learning to navigate their world.
It’s an economical summer vacation activity, too. Once the passport is filled, participants mail it to Austin where it is verified and returned, and the traveler is entered into a quarterly drawing for a Hill Country Weekend Getaway. To get a Texas Hill Country Trail Passport, email info@txhillcountrytrail. com
