New cd’s adorn my desk, and the most disturbing cover just might be “A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C)” I am not sure about using this name, but the upper right hand corner of a foggy white cd that shows a man with a sword in one hand and his head in the other is the name Ray Wylie Hubbard. Disturbing until I read the Rumi quotation on the back: “Behead yourself. Dissolve your whole self into vision: become seeing, seeing, seeing.” Now I understand! That Ray Wylie.

Ray Wylie once visited my English class at Aledo High School after an all night gig at the Rubaiyat in Dallas. He pointed to my Flannery O’Conner book of short stories, remarking that she was a favorite of his. Years later, sober, telling his story, and writing, he visited my class at Schreiner, talking about Joseph Campbell and sharing information on Rilke. Always the literary conversation with him. I believe he said that he was an English major who did not finish because of some Spanish requirements.

With those memories, I put together this column. Fresh off a week of awesome musical experiences that include an evening with songwriters and musicians I love honoring Rod Kennedy and raising funds for the Center for Texas Music History; an evening in Comfort with Rex Foster and Peter Rowan (with Rod and sister Carolyn in attendance); and a trip to Maui Wowi in Wimberley with Tony Galluci and Sam Skeist to share some poetry. That week, February 1-5, has left me wondering about my choices to be on the road. Wondering about balancing the joys of the journey and the needs of the body.

And that was just one week. Ahead in March is SxSW, our own Texas version of a world-wide music conference; a week with Tim Hazell, visiting artist from San Miguel de Allende who will be at Schreiner March 22-26; a coffeehouse on March 3 with Shelley King. Looking back, looking ahead, as I sit in my kitchen staying warm on a Sunday night next to the wood stove.

Now to condense this rich month of adventures. First, the Rod Kennedy concert. The lineup was a list of people who played the festival, played for other Rod Kennedy events, and also happen to be in my book on Texas music. Thus, memory reared her head song after song as I fought to keep quiet and enjoy the music. Yes, I did want to tell my brother John, and his wife, Linda, all my own stories with these folks. Just take my word for it, the lineup giving us “music from the heart.”

We heard stories about Kerrville Folk Festival, about Rod, about the songs, and about the music. Ray Benson shared a new song, jazz and folk in nature. The Flatlanders sang songs they wrote together and each took the spotlight with personal stories. We heard several tributes to Townes Van Zandt, as Butch Hancock gave us “Snowin’ in Raton,” and Ray gave us “If I Needed you.” I also heard that Steve Earle won a Grammy for his cover album of the songs of Townes. All this made me happy, with stories from Joe Ely, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt in my book on songwriters! I, too, pay tribute to Townes at each coffeehouse the THMF produces by putting a flyer on each table that says, “Quiet, for the sake of the song.” A Townes line.

Cyd Cassone brought her percussion accompaniment to Ruthie’s songs, Terri Hendrix whaled away on harmonica and mandolin, Marcia Ball still makes that piano playing look like a dance. And these three women have been generous with their time, Ruthie and Terri both visiting my classes at Schreiner. Marcia is the interview that bridges both my oral history books on Texas music.
Lloyd Maines led line of musicians behind the featured performers. Brady Black (a regular with Randy Rogers) added some fine fiddle leads; Lloyd Maines took many a lead, along with Paul Glass on Mandolin and John Inmon on guitar.

We heard Jimmy LaFave do two Dylan songs, dedicating “Forever Young” to Rod. Robert Earl sang a New Folk winning song, looking great in a hat and boots. Eliza Gilkyson sang a new song in Spanish, documenting the long hard road of immigrants heading north. Ray Benson sang a new song that did not swing in the Ray way but rather gave us some words to carefully digest.

Even as Rod loved the lineup, he was quick to add that there were others missing. That list might make the next concert! I know he and sister Carolyn went to a Randy Rogers show at Cowboy’s in San Antonio the night before heading out for a month in Hawaii. Then he returns to a knee replacement. Not keeping this guy down! Happy 80th Rod.

The show with Rex Foster and Peter Rowan in Comfort also took me back to Folk Festival moments. I have heard Peter sing the “Trail of the Buffalo,” when the music bounced off a big sky full of stars as we all sat transfixed out at Quiet Valley Ranch. And my first year in Kerrville was working for the Kerrville Music Foundation. Rod took several of us to a Peter Rowan concert in Dallas my first month on the job. I’ll never forget one moment in the show when I looked across the room and saw Rod sitting along, also transfixed by the songs of Peter Rowan! At that moment, I got it in a real way, the depth of Rod’s love for the music. No wonder the concert in Austin was called “Music from the Heart,” an allusion to his book as well as to his heart!

Peter gets Rex to sing a song he wrote about Townes, and he told of a time that Townes needed money to pitch pennies, and Peter asked him for a bridge to a song in exchange. I keep seeing that Townes thread in my life.

Peter also sang some bluegrass favorites, telling us stories of his time with Bill Monroe. We heard “Walls of Time,” “Panama Red,” “In the Pines,” and we heard Rex start off with “Angel Eyes,” by Willis Allen Ramsey. And as Rod Kennedy was present, we also heard a few Kerrville stories. Glad I went even if the road was getting long for me, and I was getting weary. Just changed my story about that!

Now for those cd’s: Ray Wylie’s is on his label, Bordelo Records, and the words to the songs are online at raywylie.com The spare production celebrates his words, voice, and rhythm with emphasis on percussion. I was tapping my foot and moving around to each song! Produced by Ray and George Reiff, the album contains these songs: A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C), Drunken Poet’s Dream, Down Home Country Blues, Wasp’s Next, Pots and Pans, Tornado Ripe, Whoop and Hollar, Black Wings, Loose, Every Day is the Day of the Dead, Opium, The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Now that list makes you want to listen, right?

Ray said, “Muddy Waters is about as deep as William Blake.” How many Texas songwriters allude to the poets! Blake, a pre-romantic writing in England, gave us a vision, a new world, and a way seeing. He did write about the doors of perception….and The Doors used that line.

The new Rex Foster album, “That Extra Mile,” was a favorite of my companion, Charlie Gray, as he played it for me on the way to the gig. Two songs moved him in big ways, and they both were stories of family. That is one characteristic of these Texas songwriters; they do tell stories about family, real ones. This album was produced by Peter Rowan, a compadre of Rex’s for many years, and several of the songs were co-written. Smooth and easy to hear, Rex created his usual magic, with this collection of good songs. And when I say “good,” I also mean solid.

His cd is also on his label, Agarita Records. I also enjoy wearing my Rex Foster bracelet, a reminder of the connection between art and music! I know that each of us has a creative spark just waiting for the right friction to light. I do know that.

The third cd in the stack is the new Gary Nicholson, “Nashville Songbook,” and it opens with a Vince Gill hit from 1993, “One More Last Chance,” and Vince and Gary both sing on that. The rest are co-written by Gary and a cast of characters including Richard Leigh, Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton, Chris Knight, Tim O’Brien, and Wendy Waldman. A beautiful connection of hits, performed by the man who wrote them. And I have my own Ft. Worth connections with Gary and his work with Delbert McClinton. I love the little songbook that accompanies the cd. I thank Neal Brown for his work supporting musicians, He not only helped with the Rex Foster event, but he also handed me the Nicholson cd. We all need someone to point things out!

Closer to home, Harry and the Hightones had a cd release at the new Hill Country Music Store in downtown Kerrville. Not only has the owner, Randy, created a store to satisfy any music lover’s needs, he has also created a warm space to showcase music. The packed house listened (and I danced a bit) as the swing of this local group was enhanced by the stories of each song. Keep you eyes open for “Harry.” Where is that guy?

After that local event, shared again with sister Carolyn and Rod, Carolyn and I headed up the road to Austin to attend the one-man show by Vince Bell at the Frontera Festival. “One Man’s Music: A Monologue with Song,” is based on his book and cd by the same name. I had the privilege of writing a forward for that book, the story of one man’s personal journey of rehabilitation after a devastating car wreck. I went on that journey with him as I read his book; I shared it again as I listened to his show. Sitting alone on the stage, flanked by two guitars, Vince gave us three scenes: “My guitar and I began like a storm,” “And then I died,” “My Rough old Texas hands.” Hope that makes you want the book! And the cd contains his songs about that journey. Go to the blog of Tony Galluci for an in- depth response.

Many threads weave my story together. I can look back on this one and see my life inspired by the Kerrville Folk Festival, the power of stories, the impact of one man’s life, the courage and love in the Texas music scene, and the reoccurrence of my response to a song. Maybe it’s all one song? I’ll put one of my Dylan cd’s in the car stereo and head out I-10 for another day with students at Schreiner. Inspired as the road calls out to me to keep “seeing, seeing.” - KH