Hot on Thursday, with increased spiciness on Friday

The last half of July is really chock full o' shows! This week it was Storyville at Antone's on Thursday and Del Castillo with Monte Montgomery at Floore's Country Store in Helotes on Friday.

Storyville is a band that I had never seen before but was listening to before moving to Austin about 5 years ago from St. Louis. Texas was calling me (as Texas will do) and the variety of CDs I packed around with me at all times had been filling up with more and more Texans: Eric Johnson (of course), Monte Montgomery, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, SRV, Patty Griffin, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Asleep at the Wheel, the list keeps going. But back to Storyville, I'd seen everybody in the band numerous times on their own or with other bands. They are all really good: David Grissom is a great guitarist, he takes most of the solos and plays the most prominent leads. David Holt is no slouch either. Malford Milligan is always fantastic, one of the most passionately soulful singers around, and of there's the legendary Double Trouble rhythm section of Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton who are most famous for playing with SRV. Tommy also played with one of my old top favorite guitarists back in the day, Johnny Winter. They put on a hell of a good show, although it was way too loud. My husband was front and center, but switched places with me because Malford was dripping sweat on him, and that doesn't bother me any. The pics from the event will be on my concerts page.

Friday afternoon I drove down to San Antonio, and I am always ridiculously early for stuff. I like being first in line and wanted to afford traffic snarls in a strange town in rush hour. I got to Floore's a full 2 hours before anyone else showed up for it, and camped out in the tiny patches of shade cast by parked pickup trucks. It was blistering hot under a big blue, nearly cloudless sky. Scorching and humid, and the show is going to be outdoors but luckily after sundown.

It turned out that the show was not crowded at all and a "line" never even actually formed. Wake up Dorothy, you're back in Kansas where Del Castillo is an opening act and there's no line for them (back in OZ-ten they had to start booking them at La Zona Rosa because Antone's was always selling out and LZR is twice the size) (and they will have acts opening for them that will headline in other Texas towns). The crowd made up for it in enthusiasm, it was a great crowd!! I had room to dance, which never usually happens, and I will use whatever I can get. I move when I'm at shows. It's impossible for me to not dance or play air drums, or just tap my foot if it's a slow folksy one. I have to express myself. They played a 90 minute set. I went over to say Hi to everyone and get my setlist signed. There were two things that more than one band member said:

"You're sweatier than I am" (OK, very true. I looked at myself in the mirror at break and my hair looked like a freshly-dunked string mop. I need to get dreadlocks like Malford, but with this extra-fine hair...ah well...love me or leave me. I get sweaty when I dance, and I dance at shows. )

"I saw you dancing". (There's nothing like an old rocker to stand out in the front row, but lots of others were dancing too. I think I am just the oldest, dancingest one)

Monte is a great guitarist. his songs are very melodic and memorable; one listen and you're already humming them. I saw him for the first time back in St. Louis at Mississippi Nights before I moved down. I wore my Alien Love Child t-shirt and he surprised me by giving me a hug. He must have thought I had come up from Austin. Alien Love Child consists of Eric Johnson, Bill Maddox, and Chris Maresh who used to be Monte's bass player and still records with him.

At the Friday show, he brought out the del Castillo brothers, and the DC percussion section to play on "Took Too Long". It was a great choice, and man the guys were in an all-out battle to outplay each other! It was absolutely fantastic!! Then for the encore, he brought them out again, this time with Bert and Alex. They played "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (and who doesn't love love love the Beatles?). I have to say that this was really an unforgettable night!!

Next week, it's Nickel Creek and the Greencards (three times!!) so the fare this month is intensely acoustic.
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