Celebrating at the M & S Showcase at the Scoot Inn

Sitting outdoors, drinking cold beer, and listening to music. The early summer months of Texas the high temperature flirts with the low side of 100 during the day. In the evening, a breeze picks up and the 75 degree night is perfect for outdoor events.

Driving along East Sixth Street, I heard the music long before I found a street that didn't dead end at the railroad tracks. Navasota took me all the way through to Fourth Street, to the Scoot Inn. I found parking on the street a long way down and around a corner.

As I got out of my car, the question “You buying?” seemed to come out of nowhere. Did that nice couple out walking their dog just ask me a question? Some areas just east of Austin’s well-lit downtown have a reputation for shady deals; was I in one of them? I looked so puzzled that the man stopped and reiterated his question, then explained he was offering to sell me the pit bull on the end of his leash, very clearly, as if I might be a few beers short of a six-pack.

Not the safest parking situation, maybe, but as I look down the block towards the bar, there are kind-looking people sitting on their porches. A group of people have gathered at an artist's studio to listen to the music overflowing from the Scoot Inn. I peek inside the open doors as I walk by the corrugated metal building to see the industrial machinery inside.

East Austin, near the railroad tracks, has a long history of working class industry. It seems there is an informal contest for "oldest beer joint in Austin." The new owners of the old Scoot Inn bid for almost continuous operation since 1871.
The building looks timeless, a red barn structure of indeterminate shape. Inside, it is small, dark, and friendly. There is a full-service bar, a pool table, a jukebox and a small indoor stage. A stuffed raccoon on the wall. At the far end of the bar, a hand-lettered sign on the door points the way to the outside bar.

The party is outside tonight. Sarah Fox and Joel Guzman are on stage. This is the second time I've seen Sarah and Joel, and I'm stunned, again. Joel plays accordion, but gently, carefully, fingers dancing on the keys while he makes tiny adjustments to pull air in and push air out. Imagine a concert violinist, bow dancing across the strings, coaxing each perfect note from the instrument. Joel plays with the same care and precision, giving his accordion a melodic voice that never wheezes or strains for breath.

Joel's accordion never overpowers, either. Sarah Fox's vocals are clearly front and center. Rich Segura's bluesy rocking guitar solos, reminiscent of Santana, work with the drum and bass to build a foundation of contemporary rock. Their latest CD, Latinology, opens a whole new chapter on the Tejano sound; try the track "Isla" on MySpace.

As they finish up, I look around the spacious back yard. The large covered stage in the corner is paneled in wood. Tables and chairs are scattered about, pulled this way and that as groups coalesce.

Kids, celebrating the start of summer vacation, play in a grassy back corner. A small metal carport provides a bit of shelter from rain or sun. Friends tell me that in the wintertime, people continue to use the back patio, warming their hands around two fire pits. Today, the temperature is dropping into the comfortable range as the sun sets.

The evening showcase was put together by M & S Artist Development, which is celebrating the release of the Mother Truckers album Let's All Go to Bed. Between sets, the CD spins. Each year a few albums have all the elements to hit it big: lyrics that get more interesting each time you listen to them, melodies that are varied enough to keep you spinning the CD again and again, great guitar work ... a complete album of tunes that complement each other and never get old. Their high-energy live shows are a treat too; check their schedule for a show near you.

When the No Show Ponies take the stage, we immediately start trying to place their members' accent. Musically, they seem somewhere within the Austin-Americana continuum, but drums set a rhythm that is a bit different. When they speak ... "Louisiana?" "New York?" "Metairie? Folks from there have an almost Brooklyn accent ..." Brothers Ben and Jeff Brown are from New Jersey and northern Pennsylvania, and are now making their home in Austin. Towards the end of the set, "The End of Feel Good Music," the title song of their forthcoming debut album, catches them in their pop-rock groove.

The evening wraps up, with congratulations all the way around. The two principals in M & S Artist Development, Mark and Sarah, are also celebrating the almost one-month birthday of a healthy baby boy. His Cinco de Mayo birthday will generate a lifetime of festive celebrations. Reviews have been filtering in; the release of the Mother Truckers' CD release is well-received. The musicians pack up their instruments, and in some cases their kids. I'm scanning the schedule looking for my next visit the Scoot Inn for cold beer and live music.

Wyldwood concert series

The sun is slowly setting, families are settling into blankets and lawn chairs. Musicians are setting up speakers on the back deck of a low ranch home of Texas limestone. About 60 people have gathered tonight for Suzanna Choffel, joined by Eldridge Goins on drums. The fourth show in the fourth season of the Wyldwood house concert series is about to begin.

My first ever visit was just at the beginning of May, to see Rod Picott and Amanda Shires. Amy and Andrew Murphy work their network of contacts to book great music into Wyldwood that we may not often have a chance to hear in Austin.

Rod is from Maine; he has shared both school bus rides and songwriting credits with Slaid Cleaves. Two Austin radio stations keep Slaid in regular rotation, so I'd heard some of the songs they collaborated on before. It's easy to learn about the music as Rod introduces each song, gives its name and a brief history of how he came to write it.

Amanda shone on the fiddle (yes, I checked her website, it's a fiddle, although some prefer to call the instrument a "violin"). I am still enchanted with one of their collaborations, "Drive that Devil Out," which you can hear on the myspace site they share.

Two weeks later, I was in the audience again to hear Will T. Massey on guitar and Mike Meadows on his "cajón." Cajón is the Spanish word for a wooden box; it's also a drum, a drum that is, well, a resonate wooden box. Mike turns his whole body into an instrument, perched on this box with jingles tied on his arms and legs, tapping all sides in different ways, making a wide variety of rhythms come to life to complement Will T's soulful folk about angels and demons, love and war.

I've been pondering what makes this venue such a perfect place to hear music. One is, of course, that you can truly hear the music. I asked Will T. how he felt after playing at Wyldwood, and he said that "house concerts are going a long way towards keeping folk music alive."

One Wyldwood patron said "You find good people, good music, professional, the artists are on top of their game, and  you can feel good knowing all the money is going directly to the artists." I got a chance to ask Amy and Andrew about the biggest joy they've received from holding four years of shows at their home. They replied that "Our venue creates an intimate connection between the performers and the audience that creates such a different show than you're going to see anywhere else."

It's time for Suzanna and Eldridge to begin. During their introduction, they explain that they have been selected by the state of Texas to perform as ambassadors of the "Texas modern pop sound." Listening, I can understand why they laughed a bit as if thinking "whatever Texas modern pop means ..."

Like a lot of music in these post-label days, it doesn't easily fit into any genre. Suzanna's voice has a richer quality to it and the songs have a more grounded, adult viewpoint on love and relationships than I usually associate with "pop" music.

The rhythm and arrangements aren't quite "folk", it's more blues than bluegrass. Her first set is all originals, some old, some new, and many from her current CD, Shudders & Rings. It's definitely hitting some of the same notes and heartstrings that made Norah Jones, Kirsty MacColl, and  other female songwriters with a distinctive sound break out from the crowd.

From the audience, my friend Sondra calls her daughter during the set. She holds up the phone to send the music over the airwaves to San Diego, and agrees to buy her a CD too. Today, we are more likely to hear of a new band from our friends and family, and then go seek their music online before we hear them on the radio.

During the break, there are s'mores at the campfire in back. The table at the entrance to Amy and Andrew's backyard has a pickle jar for the suggested donation. The jar filled up quickly, and the stack of sky blue CDs is about half its original size. Suzanna is busy autographing the CDs and taking a moment to talk to each of her fans. Suzanna says that among musicians, the word is: "Oh, you're doing a house concert? Take a lot of CDs with you ..." We make plans to meet up after her second show of the night, at one of my favorite downtown venues, Momo's and take our seats for the second set.

The two covers in the second set help show her range. The first is a slow and sultry version of "Ring of Fire" with a distinctly feminine flair. She points out it was actually penned by June Carter Cash and made popular by her husband, Johnny. The other cover is a Brazilian tune, with half the lyrics sung in Portuguese. She closes the set with "Hey, Mister," a tune about the bad-but-beautiful boys who take a dollar and return a dime, the most highly rated song in iTunes from Shudders & Rings.

As the show closes, Andrew says "It makes me so happy to see lots of babies in the audience tonight."

The Wyldwood is especially kid-friendly. There is ample space for children to run around. The children near the stage respect the silence of the audience without any questions; the children in the back areas run and kick soccer balls without disturbing anyone.

But Wyldwood, technically, could be called a yard concert. Check the rules and expectations for each house concert series before you go. Will kids be comfortable and welcomed? Will you be inside or outside? Should you share potluck-style or take just your own supper? Each house concert is unique to the home of its hosts.

We say a quick thank you to our gracious hosts, Amy and Andrew Murphy, and learn about the next show, the Archibalds, on June 21st. Amy and Andrew update their own website, send out information to an ever-growing mailing list, do the yard work, set out the chairs, build a bonfire, cook hotdogs ... all as a labor of love to present good music in an environment that people can share with their families.

Our crew of four is off to Momo's, to see our second Suzanna Choffel gig of the night. We start comparing and contrasting the two gigs. Momo's is a relaxed environment, on a rooftop in downtown Austin; the drinks are good, and we're having fun. But how does the music compare? Mike says that at Wyldwood, "you hear her voice so clearly, and that's amazing. Wow." Sondra points out how the club environment is distracting, so you can't focus on the music. At Wyldwood, Suzanna introduced each song, its name, if it on the current CD or a new song, and something about the inspiration for writing it. At Momo's, each song blends seamlessly into the next.

The contrast between the two presentations is especially strong during Suzanna's song written during a rainstorm. At the house concert, she tells the story of last summer's rare rainy July and we all remembered it together as the song started. With a saxophone and second guitar added to the band, the drip, drip, drop of the raindrops become a powerful rhythm. We agree that some songs are better with the full band, with the hard-driving rhythms and energy. The saxophone brings jazz notes out in the arrangements that the sparse guitar and drums arrangements can't match. However, intimate pieces with delicate harmonies, such as "Stumble," are better at Wyldwood.

Suzanna joins us for a late dinner or very early breakfast after the show. I gain some insight into a new genre of music; audio foreplay, perhaps? "My biggest goal", she says with a laugh, "is for everyone to go home and get laid."

Asked about the difference between the two gigs, she points out they are "literally, day and night." At a venue like Wyldwood, they are all there to see music, and to see you, and you are more exposed. "When people are listening so carefully you become acutely aware of everything you are doing on stage." She describes how she has to be "very in the moment" at a house concert.

At a club, people are talking, watching TV, drinking, meeting each other ... they aren't there specifically to see a band, and may hesitate to pay a cover. Sometimes it is difficult just to be heard. However, the upside, playing with the full band allows her to dance more, play around more, and it becomes more interactive.

The three shows I heard this month, Rod Picott, Will T. Massey, and finishing up with Suzanna Choffel were each outstanding in their own way. I am glad I heard about Wyldwood, and look forward to more shows in the intimate setting.

Stumbling across an impromptu jam in Shiner, Texas

On the day my boyfriend and I visited Shiner, Texas, 17,000 cases of beer rolled off the assembly line at the Spoetzl brewery. The hospitality suite allowed us four small plastic cups of beer; after that, we were on our own. We knew there was more beer to be found nearby.

Where is the Friday night scene in this small town of just over 2000 residents? The tour guide recommended Howard's. As she gave us directions, she told us that, from the front, it's a convenience store with gas pumps; out back, they have Shiner beer on draft and a beer garden.

When Howard Gloor opened his convenience store in 1984, he went beyond the usual "beer, bait and ammo" by taking the extra step of getting an on-premises beer license. His store follows in the tradition of the "icehouses" that once dotted the Texas landscape. Icehouses offered ice, beer, and other items to take home, but also provided a place to visit over a cold beverage. He lucked into a keg cooler and started with two taps, serving the original Shiner brew and Lone Star.

He now has nine taps, including five varieties of Shiner. Out on the back porch, the brick-and-steel facade of the convenience store gives way to the weathered wood of an old barn wall. Howard's wife keeps an artificial Christmas tree up year-round. This week, it is festooned with red poppies and U.S. flags in honor of Memorial Day.

When the sun starts setting, the tables in the beer garden fill up quickly. Families gather for hand-scooped Blue Bell ice cream cones, popcorn and beer after the kids' softball games. One woman explains she often strolls up to visit on Friday evenings. She lives three houses away; her friend lives just a few blocks away. They agreed that when people purchase houses in Shiner, they consider whether or not it's walking distance to Howard's.

A few people start checking with Howard:
"Should we play tonight?"
"You wanna?"
"Looks like there's enough of us here."
"OK, I could go get my ..."

Instrument cases start showing up. Troy and Dustin Shimek are sitting on a bench, quietly swapping a few licks on an unplugged guitar, which has a beautiful flame maple top on the wooden body, and conga drums. Howard brings out speakers, a sound board and amps, and then sits down with a bright red electric guitar.

Soon a band is plugging in and tuning instruments to treat us to an evening of live music. Marty Shimek plays the 'harp' (the harmonica) at one of the two microphones. Ruben Torres takes the other microphone, playing his button accordion, and taking the lead on most of the vocals. Dustin starts out with conga drums, and is soon playing a full drum kit. His brother Troy ruefully tries plugging in his guitar, although he has already told us something blew out the last time he plugged it into an amp, and takes Dustin's side at the congas.

At one of the tables, a woman explains that she has been listening to Marty and the Shimek family play music all her life. Her parents went out to dance the polka, and would take her along. Marty was one of thirteen kids, and they all played in the most popular polka band in the area.

On break, Marty Shimek tells more of the story. Like many Shiner residents, his Czech-speaking family came to the U.S. from Bohemia. His granddad started the Rudy Kurtz Orchestra in the 1940s, and his parents, Wence and Helen, kept it going into the early 1990s. During the day, they worked hard each day on their family farm, 50 acres of terraced cotton fields that surrounded their house.

When Marty's parents had a Friday or Saturday engagement at one of the local dance halls, the kids could choose to stay home and continue working the fields and watch the smaller children, or come out and play in the band. This gave them a strong incentive to pick up an instrument and play, Marty says.

Sunday was respected as a day of rest, the one day when the Shimek family didn't have farm work. Marty and his seven brothers and five sisters would play music all afternoon. Neighbors would listen from their yards, as much as three or four miles away, and call in requests on the party line telephone.

Playing music as a family is a tradition he has kept going. Marty and two adult sons, Dustin and Troy, are joining in this impromptu night of music. His one-year-old grandson is just barely walking and is already keeping time on Dustin's drum kit.

While three generations of the Shimek family take the stage, other families are teaching their children to dance along. There is only a tiny area between the tables, but one or two couples dance at a time. One mom dances with her little boy, just knee-high and also learning to walk. Halfway through the song she picks him up, then another woman from their table joined them and helped twirl the baby around. As he giggles and dances, I realize this baby was literally following in his parents' footsteps.

Howard also grew up in Shiner, in one of the German families sharing this small town with the Czech-speaking polka-playing Bohemians. Howard spent the 1970s listening to and playing music in San Antonio and Austin before moving back to his hometown. He has played with Marty in several regional bands, most recently backing up Bill Pekar as they played the South Texas party circuit down to the border at Cuidad Acuña.

Their latest project is a collaboration with two new compadres, Carlos and Ruben. They bill themselves as Los Kolaches, poking good-natured fun at the combination of the influences from their Bohemian, Mexican, and German roots, with a large dose of both country and rock.

Howard describes how rock and country music are easy to play, you can generally tell where a song is going and which chord progressions to use. However, the progressions in Tejano music and Texas Swing are very different from the simpler ones in rock and country. They are deceptively complex to play. Marty explains the harmonicas come in major keys, and he's often bending notes to get the sounds the music demands.

Tonight's impromptu band brings together three members of Los Kolaches: Marty, Howard, and Ruben. Tonight, Ruben Torres is the sole representative of the "Los" portion of the band. His uncles taught him to play accordion when he was a young boy, but he hadn't done much with it until Howard encouraged him to start playing with this group. Ruben's fingers dance over the buttons of the pearly white accordion. When he sings, he deftly switches between English and Spanish lyrics, his white teeth flashing.

The band covers country standards and party favorites. There is no set list; they each suggest a song, and agree on them as they go. They take requests, and Marty gamely makes up lyrics when no one in the band knows them.

Howard sits near the back of the stage. After a few songs, he makes space for a young woman to join them with her black acoustic bass. The streaks of blue in Brea Guettner's black hair shine in the lights of the stage. Her tank top shows off an ornate tattoo collar that gracefully frames her neck and another floral design snaking its way up her right arm to the shoulder. She went to school with Troy Shimek, and still works in town, but goes to Austin and San Antonio as often as possible to hear music. She cites punk rock as one of her major musical influences.

About 11 PM, the evening starts to wind down. The store closed at 10, and the one person who thought ahead and bought a cold twelve-pack of bottles is very popular. He hands out the last bottles as the band puts away their instruments. Children nod off to sleep, and families gather to take their kids home. We suddenly realize our quick stopover stretched into five hours of fun and make our way home to Austin.

Getting there: Howard's is on the west side of Shiner, Texas. It is on Alt US 90, at the intersection of Boehm Road.