Riff: Shake Russell
If you were fortunate to see Shake Russell at Susanna’s Kitchen last week, you were treated to a fine dose of Americana that was a whole lot of Shake sprinkled with a good measure of Mark Twain.
I’m hardly the first to make that comparison. Reviewers for decades have lauded Shake’s storytelling chops in his pursuit of “Chasing the Song,” which, by the way, is the name of one of his albums.
Within minutes of opening the show with lead guitarist and vocalist Anthony Klonaris at his side, Shake kicked off the evening with “You’ve Got a Lover.”
Between songs, he owned up to being born in Missouri, the son of a minister and the brother to a Baptist preacher still living in the “Show Me” state. He told the crowd his Missouri relatives were convinced he played only in low places and honky-tonks and relished the idea of having his photo taken on the Kitchen’s stage. The wall at the rear of the stage is hung with a large cross, which I suspect may be used to restore his reputation among the family Baptists.
Nearly all of Shake’s songs came with a story that brought his fellow pioneers of the Americana style into focus, such as the late Chuck Pyle, who, like Shake, expanded the folkrock- country genre with storytelling and lyrics reminiscent of Twain. Before long, he was telling us about Michael Hearne’s upcoming Big Barn Dance near Taos, about Dana Cooper and other musicians and songwriters who collaborated with him during his 50 years of performing. With 30 albums and hundreds of songs to his credit, there are many of them.
During the intro to “Angus Mustang,” he related a somber story about fellow musician John Vandiver who was killed in 1985, along with his girlfriend Debra Davis, in a home invasion.
“He was an outlaw, not a criminal,” he sang to the crowd. In an improbable twist of fate, the arresting constable on the scene was none other than Anthony Klonaris, his partner on the stage for the evening.
Claiming that only a few of his tales are true, he launched into the story behind his song “Loser’s Gumbo.” It reportedly took place at Jay’s Lounge and Cockpit in Cankton, LA.
A dancehall with cockfighting out back, the song recounts the tale of a 160-pound rooster from East Slidell who goes up against a rooster from Baton Rouge. Somewhere in the middle of the song he had the crowd crowing like roosters and enjoying every minute of it.
Getting your leg pulled by a Shake Russell story felt good, and I, like the rest of the audience, braced myself for each new one. But layered within the lighthearted storytelling and poetry are truths about being in the world that only a wise and experienced traveler would know.
His song, “Deep in the West” proved to be especially true. When he sang, “Together we walk, but divided we’re through,” I could hear the sounds of agreement all around me. As the evening came to a close, it was hard to bid farewell to this treasure as the evening ended. He left us all wanting more.
Roam: Marble Falls An internationally acclaimed masterpiece painted by an eight-year-old girl that was stolen, hidden and eventually returned, is being exhibited at the Belóved Gallery in Marble Falls, 60 miles north of Wimberley.
Akiane Kramarik’s painting, the “Prince of Peace,” is part of a larger exhibit of her work, “Akiane: The Early Years,” that includes ten original paintings, a short film and a portrait of Jesus, seen for the first time in two decades.
Kramarik, now 29, is an American painter and poet. Born to a Lithuanian mother and an American father and raised in the US, the girl began drawing at the age of four. She experienced visions, she said, and heard the voice of Jesus who encouraged her to paint what she experienced.
At the age of eight, the self-taught prodigy painted the portrait of Jesus. She shipped the large, 36-inch by 48-inch oil painting to an agent who stole it and then sold it to a buyer without her permission. For 16 years, the painting was locked in a bank vault. In December 2019, it was recovered and legitimately sold to a private collector for $850,000.
At age ten, Kramarik was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and, at 12, was featured on CNN. Other media coverage followed. By age 12, she completed 60 large paintings, some of which have been purchased by the US Embassy in Singapore.
Her prolific outpouring includes 200 artworks, 800 literary works and two books. She is the subject of the movie, “Painting the Impossible.”
This inaugural exhibit of the recovered painting and her early canvases can be seen by reservation only. The Belóved Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free with a reservation. For reservations, call the gallery at (830) 2710114. To read more about this painter, go to akiane.com.
Rave: Choccolatte’s
For a person not normally given to the delights of chocolate, I was impressed by a visit to Choccolatte’s last weekend. The company is an artisan, small batch producer of chocolates, candies and gelato that brews fine coffees in the downtown area of Marble Falls.
I was greeted cordially at the door and, within minutes, held an affogato with house made gelato and espresso in my hand.
For those not familiar with the light Italian dessert, an affogato is a scoop of gelato with espresso poured over it. Traditionally, the gelato is vanilla but can be any flavor. My scoop was of their toffee gelato, suspended with large chunks of their signature toffee that they sell separately by the pound. Mine was made even more delicious by their wonderful professional service. The chocolatier is housed next to a home décor shop called Third Street Treasures in the downtown area.
A trip to Marble Falls is a great excuse to visit both places.
