Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Riffs: Gary P. Nunn & Bob Livingston
The second season of the Stars Over Wimberley Benefit Concert Series kicked off last week with two lions of Texas music, Gary P. Nunn and Bob Livingston. After introductions, the performers took the stage at the Wimberley Playhouse, swept their eyes over the audience and declared, “it’s a good night for singing.”
Livingston, in great voice, wearing his signature round wire rim Windsor glasses and western gear launched into a dynamic performance with Nunn, who was similarly attired and sporting his own blue tinted spectacles, of songs and stories from their long careers.
Nunn began with the tale of the Lost Gonzo Band’s first record deal with MCA records. The band was presented with a 10-page contract in fine print legalese they later realized had no mention of money. Both men agreed that they “haven’t seen that money yet.” From there, they launched into Nunn’s 1984 song, “Give Me Some Money,” that elicited laughter and applause from the audience.
Saying that “We’re going to grab some songs from our past,” Livingston introduced the story of Miss Honey, his senior English teacher in Lubbock who required that the class memorize the prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It was there that he discovered that Buddy Holly was one of Miss Honey’s former students. He lobbied to sit at Holly’s desk and when he made contact, he found the desk “really vibey,” and got a supernatural message from Holly that amounted to “Get out of Lubbock.”
From there, Livingston told the story of recording Michael Murphey’s 1972 debut album “Geronimo’s Cadillac” in New York City at the Holiday Inn wearing a belt tooled with his then-nickname, “Cosmic Bob.” The pair urged the audience to sing along with the song’s refrain, “Whoa boys, take me back, I wanna ride in Geronimo’s Cadillac.” From there, they sang Murphey’s Cosmic Cowboy Part 1 lyrics, again inviting the audience to sing “I just want to be a Cosmic Cowboy,” which they were only too happy to do.
In the intimacy of the Wimberley Playhouse, the performance became a campfire singa- long and jam session with beloved family and friends who entertained us with our favorite stories from years of shared memories.
Nunn introduced the story of how his song, “The last thing I needed the first thing this morning,” made famous by Willie Nelson and covered by the likes of Chris Stapleton, Johnny Bush and Kimmie Rhodes, was written after a visit from Michael Murphey and his family who more or less moved in and stayed. As they sang, the song was made even more forlorn by Livingston’s sorrowful harmonica that pulled at the audience’s heartstrings.
The mood changed as Nunn told stories of playing with the late Jerry Jeff Walker. “Boy did we have a time with that boy,” he said. “He was inspired and so creative but hard to keep up with.” Both traded stories of meeting Walker for the first time, Nunn shivering and sick in a cold New York City apartment and Livingston recording “the Brown album” under primitive conditions in a derelict building in Austin.
And so it went with these superb entertainers and friends who have been playing together for more than 50 years. The audience enjoyed a rare front row seat into the heady times that served as the genesis of Texas country rock. The pair’s near stream of consciousness stories and memories painted a portrait like no other of Texas culture and music that only the most powerful songwriters can weave.
The packed performance ended with Nunn’s “London Homesick Blues” that became the theme song for the Austin City Limits live music television program for nearly 30 years. Stay tuned for another hit season of the Stars Over Wimberley concert series from wimberleyarts.org.
Roams: Milagro Springs House Concert: JohnSmith My roam this week took me to the Milagro Springs neighborhood of Wimberley to hear singer and songwriter Johnsmith, who stylizes his name as one word. Candy Spitzer and Rosie vonZurmuehlen sponsored the house concert on his behalf. Based in Wisconsin, Johnsmith is a frequent performer at the Kerrville Folk Festival where he has been named a New Folk Winner. He is also a house concert favorite in other parts of the state.
In no time, he established a warm, personal and mellow vibe in the room with original songs drawn from true stories. His audience became instantly invested in a deeply emotional song about “a murder of crows circling our twin white pines” that heralded a pair of nesting eagles. He sang, “it’s a blessing, an omen. Some kind of powerful thing. Time to walk the spirit between earth and sky. You don’t ask why. You just begin to believe — in the medicine.” Everything about the song inspired awe and respect that it made me shiver just listening to it.
He sang other songs in verse so clear that the portraits he spun seemed to leave a deep impression on the audience. I, for one, scribbled as fast as I could to capture what I heard. In “Family Artifacts,” he sang of “a bowl with faded roses on its side, of his mother’s rosary with Jesus taped to the cross, of packing up the effects of two good lives.” That made me shiver too.
The mood shifted with a song about growing old in which he observed “my hair is gray on the sides and there’s not much on top. My nose and ears are working on a bumper crop,” which made all of us laugh. “Inside I’m 17 but my body’s not,” he sang.
I decided that the gentle songwriter and poet that held the room in such a thrall must draw on his Irish roots to produce such funny and deeply affecting songs. In fact, he is a frequent visitor to Ireland and leads trips there, as well as to other destinations, with songwriters he hand picks to accompany him on the journey. I became an instant fan of this quietly powerful man and bought a CD that I can’t stop playing. For more information about this superb artist visit johnsmithmusic.com.
Raves: New Home for Bursiel’s Wildlife Gallery Rodney Bursiel’s Wildlife Gallery has moved to Pitzer’s Fine Arts gallery at 13909 RR12. Look for his award-winning photography in their back gallery. The Pitzer gallery is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
