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: Austin Lounge Lizards
If you’re in the market for some seriously funny satire set to music, don’t miss the Austin Lounge Lizards when they come to town on Thursday. The Lizards have been building an enduring fan base for decades by spoofing politics, religion, romance and most of all, themselves.
The Lizards, who proclaim to be the “Most Laughable Band in Show Business,” deliver songs with wickedly pointed lyrics. Their blend of progressive bluegrass and satire will make you tap your toe and laugh at yourself and the absurdity that life can be. While all the band members contribute to the songwriting chores, Hank Card and Conrad Deisler do the heavy lifting.
Card’s off-beat and sometimes poignant narratives poke fun at life and love. His song, “The Dogs, They Really Miss You,” brings home the futility of pining for someone who doesn’t pine back.
In “Shallow End of the Gene Pool” Deisler lampoons himself for his genetic failings. “My daddy was a man of letters, my mama was a head of state, and when they got their chromosomes together, they gave me all their recessive traits.”
Card, Deisler and Tom Pittman founded the band in 1980. In 2011, Pittman retired and Tim Wilson and Kirk Williams joined the band.
The Lizards are fivetime winners of the Austin Music Awards. Their version of Irving Berlin’s “C-U-B-A” was used in the Michael Moore film, “Siko.” They’ve been featured several times on NPR’s ”Morning Edition” and on the radio programs, ”Mountain Stage,” distributed by NPR, “E-Town” the nationally syndicated radio broadcast out of Boulder, ‘CO and KPIG-FM’s “Please Stand By” from Freedom, CA.
Their performance is part of the Susanna’s Kitchen Coffeehouse Concert Series at the Wimberley United Methodist Church. Tickets are $20. Doors open at 7 and the concert begins at 7:30 pm. Get there early.
Roam: Lone Star Camp and Ranch in Driftwood Last week’s roam took us to the Lone Star Camp in Driftwood where kids and teens can try out ranch life, Texas-style, and learn to ride and care for horses. The camp is part of Lone Star’s mission to keep Texas heritage and culture alive, by “building Texans, one child at a time.”
There are two camp tracks: one is for kids who are trying to figure out if horses are their thing or who can’t commit to weekly riding lessons.
The other track, the ranch adventure track, plugs kids into outdoor activities and teaches them to ride and care for horses. The ranch adventure track is a good value for parents with young kids who are just figuring out what they like. Besides riding, kids can try archery, shoot BB guns, learn how to cast a fly fishing rod, coexist with wildlife, handle themselves around livestock and get out in nature.
There is a camp every month of the year, even during the school year and holidays. Any day now, the Lone Star Ranch and Camp will post their Fall Launch at lonestarridingclub. com.
The Lone Star Ranch is owned and operated by Hill and Kristina Adams. Not only do they own their private working ranch and run a Pony Club Riding Center, they also operate a guest ranch on a beautiful property near Austin. Geared to adults, the guest ranch hosts corporate banquets, company teambuilding and recreational activities, private parties, company picnics, weddings, rodeo shows and offers film and television locations.
LONE STAR CAMP KIDS LEARN TO INTERACT WITH FARM ANIMALS. PHOTOS BY TERESA KENDRICK
Their Pony Club Riding Center is a certified local chapter of the United States Pony Club and the only one in the area. In operation for more than 15 years, the riding and training program is developed by the USPC and includes instruction in all kinds of equitation. For riders who want to learn horsemanship but don’t own or have access to a horse or pony, the Pony Club fits the bill.
But how do they manage it all?
While I didn’t meet Hill Adams, I spent a morning with Tina. A high-octane thinker and doer, Tina grew up riding horses at her grandparents property and joined and rode with a Pony Club. At 16, she worked as a veterinarian technician and after college, worked in corporate wellness for 14 years. The daughter of a native Texan, she is all about preserving the Texan lifestyle and culture.
Buoyant and warm, Tina showed me around the ranch, introducing me to her staff and volunteers and her young son, “Little Hill.” Everyone I met appeared cheerful and several told me they were “lucky” to work at the ranch. In the middle of getting the details about the whole Lone Star enterprise, Tina said that the camp is a project that’s especially close to her heart. “If people don’t have land to enjoy or to own and ride horses on, it’s hard to pass on the Texas lifestyle.” Fortunately for local kids and teens, Tina and Hill Adams have created a solution to that.
Raves: Soul food at Communion in Seattle If you find yourself in Seattle, be sure to make your way to the Communion Restaurant and Bar. Located in the city’s Central District, it serves up Seattle-style soul food by chef Kristi Brown. In 2024 she was nominated for Best Chef in the Northwest by the distinguished James Beard Foundation. Brown owns the popular restaurant with her son, Damon Bomar, who also plays a key role in her catering company, “That Brown Girl Cooks.”
The food is served family style to share with the other people at the table. It’s a good thing since everyone wants a taste of what you ordered. The menu is especially friendly for vegetarians with a Lima Bean Stew and sides like sauteed pea vines and a Grilled Mushroom Po’Mi, which is a cross between a Vietnamese Bahn Mi and a New Orleans Po’Boy.
We loved the Watermelon Salad, a perfect blend of flavors with watermelon, pickled watermelon rinds, shaved red onion and feta cheese, and acorn squash stuffed with quinoa and cranberries. For meat eaters, the menu includes shrimp, pork chops, catfish, fried chicken, trout, chicken and dumplings, gumbo and other toothsome entrees. The menu changes all the time, so expect the unexpected.
We got a kick out of their drink menu which included “Brown Liquor” which is described as “Honey Mint Old Fashioned Brown Liquor is a smooth criminal that’s not too sweet and not too boozy.”
Service was great and prices were in line for the pacific northwest with entrees between $17 and $25. The restaurant was on the cozy side so reservations are crucial.
AUSTIN LOUNGE LIZARDS POSTER
