It’s hard to explain. Performances in every room on 3 floors. Hallways jammed with people coming in, going out, loitering, listening, networking, laughing, talking, playing singing and shushing. I got to enjoy a few minute of Austin’s own Betty Soo in the Jenni Finlay Promotions Room and then WW, Jimmy and I got up to do our 30 minutes and Brian joined us for our closing version of Big Shiny Cars. We made another stop in the Memphis Music Room and played for beer and then  found that we were all a bit overwhelmed with the swimming, swirling music madness so we hightailed it back to Casa Davis and spent one more night staying up too late and talking.

After a good sleep in, for me at least, we embarked on our last day in Memphis. The plan was to visit the Stax Museum and then go back to Gus’s Fried chicken so Walt could experience the beautiful fried goodness. Stax was amazing. There’s a 20 minute movie they show at the beginning of the tour and it was moving and cool. The foundation they have there does great work with kids and you really get a sense of the sheer talent that converged on that spot in Memphis in the 60′s. The museum is really well done and it will take me another visit or two to fully digest all the information they’ve compiled there. It’s all about american soul music. It’s also always more fun to visit places like this with Jimmy as he was lucky enough to meet and spend time with many of our soul music heroes in his life growing up in Memphis.

Gus’s was packed at 5:30 on Sunday. We should have known. Walt will have to wait until we come back this summer to get all up in some World Famous Gus’s. After a beer and some grub at The Blue Monkey, we headed back in midtown to Neil’s for our evening with The River Bluff Clan.

The last time we played Neil’s there were three people and the sound man there for our show.This time, the place was packed. It’s good to hang with the River Bluff boys. Just like last Thursday at Murphy’s, we got to sit and listen to them burn up the bluegrass for a set and then Walt, Brian and I joined in for the second set. Fun. Magic. A perfect way to end my Memphis stay. Friends new and old playing music together and people digging it.

I pulled myself out of bed after very little sleep, yes we stayed up talking again, and Brian and I packed my car and headed for his house in Nashville. It’s going to take more than the little nap I managed this afternoon to have me feel caught up again. Food, beer, world class musicians, great welcoming warm people……  I love Memphis. Thank you for a great week.

Now we rest up and get ready to head to DC for the weekend.

See you on the road.

Peace

Here’s a little taste of the mighty River Bluff Clan…. terrible video, sorry…

I ordered an unsweet tea, and as usual the iced tea here in Memphis is really good, and a 3 piece dark plate. Kathleen had the forethought to order us some fried green tomatoes and fried pickle spears which came out quick and started my fried food frenzy. They were hot and fresh and had this perfect chewy crusty goodness on the outside. When my plate arrived it was actually too hot to eat right away. The smell was amazing and the slaw and baked beans held my attention for a few minutes while my chicken cooled enough to dig in. Perfect brown, crispy, spicy crust and hot, juicy, steaming inside. Amazing. So right and so good. Enough spice to heat you up just a bit, but not too much. Exactly the way fried chicken is supposed to be.

Then we were off to the Buccaneer Lounge where we had a couple of beers and got to hang with a Chef Fitz and a few of his famous Cookin Hookers band that I got to see play in that very room last year. Good fellows all and many a groan and grunt of appreciation when we told them we just had lunch at Gus’s.

We then arrived at The Otherlands to set up and wait for Walt and Brian Langlinais to arrive from Nashville. I had some time before the show and with the three piece dark and the beers making my eyes droop and my brain fuzzy, and since I was at a coffee bar, I ordered myself a lovely double espresso. I learned long ago while playing the 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM slot on Bleeker Street in NYC that a well placed espresso can make all the difference. I found a quiet place to sit, and while Kathleen Haskard’s voice drifted through the air, I sipped my coffee and got my head together for another night of music madness in Memphis.

We had a full house at The Otherlands and for me it was like coming home having Walt and Brian onstage with Jimmy and I. We ran the night like an “in the round” and each took our turns playing songs with everyone joining in to play and sing. I had a great time singing with some of my favorite musicians in the whole world. It was family and it was cool. The crowd was attentive, and as always in Memphis, sending lots of love back to us all night long. And they sent us beer too! Shiner Bock no less! Drinking Texas beer and playing music with my Texas compadres. A good night indeed.

Ok, I’ve already had BBQ again today and it’s time to rest up before we infiltrate the Folk Alliance Conference tonight.

Onward……

Lindsey managed to capture this song “We’ve All Got Our Marks To Make”, written by Drew and Walt Wilkins, in such a simple and fun way. I hadn’t heard this song before, and I really like it. I don’t get to see Drew play very much. That’s part of the working musician thing, you don’t gee to see your friends play very often. I got forwarded an email with a link to this video. It took me a few days to sit down and watch it. Worth the wait.

It may not be the next “Thriller” video, but it’s fun, creative, it sets a mood for the song that I really dig, and as far as I’m concerned Drew is right; Lindsey is and 11 year old super-genius.

I was really excited to spend some time in Memphis with Jimmy. Get some of the real stuff. So after a stop at Jimmy’s house, which was wild because he’s like a real person and not just a traveling gypsy sleeping outside and playing shows with no shoes on, we headed out into town. WW suggested a stop at Sun Studios. Yes! A must see. But first, BBQ.

JD took us to Central BBQ. We might have hit the Rendezvous, but it was Sunday and they’re closed, and Central BBQ was no slouch. Love the signage in the front window. Now here’s where I usually take a picture of my food, but I was so hungry and my plate of slow roasted pork with slaw and green beens went so fast that I couldn’t get the camera out in time. You’ll just have to picture it for yourself. Nothing fancy here. A paper lined plastic basket full of pulled and chopped pork that was cooked seemingly forever and topped with a vinegar based spicy ass BBQ sauce. A cup of cole slaw and another of green beans side by side. Fantastic!

Ok, now I’m really full and can’t get enough iced tea in   me as we make our way through the fairly oppressive heat and swampiness to Sun Studios. We took the tour and were treated to a fun time by our tour guide Cora. It was just cool to stand in that space. The cutting room itself hasn’t been changed in 60 years. To think that I was standing in the room where Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters both began their careers. Not to mention Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee and oh yeah….. Elvis. Too freaking cool! After t-shirts and chachkies were purchased we headed to our next stop.

Off to see a band that Jimmy knows and sings with sometimes, The Hookers. I can’t remember the name of the bar right now, but it was, well…. a bar. Dark and cool on a sweltering afternoon. The one thing that really stood out, besides the musicianship of the band which was terrific, was the guy cooking on stage. Yes, “Chef” was cooking up some venison quesadillas for the crown right there in front of the bass rig! Only in Memphis. I was too full to sample the fine cuisine. Maybe next time. The Hookers were solid and Jimmy sat in on a mind blowing version of “Helter Skelter” and off we went to our show.

Murphy’s Bar. I can’t say I walked in to the place and thought, “Wow what a great place to play a show”. It’s a bar, plain and simple. A dive really, but I like dive bars in general and I liked the feel of this one. Jimmy’s old band, The River Bluff Clan, played many a Sunday here and he assured us that people would show and a good time had. He was right. G had flown home for his first Father’s Day so we did a WW, JD, BS song swap with Ray on the drums and Eric Lewis on Steel. Jimmy brought Eric in and WOW, great player. He really made the night. So indeed a good time was had. From WW’s first song to our closing rave up rendition of JD’s “Sanctuary”, the crowd was hoopin, hollering, clapping and happy. I don’t know how they did it since I was having trouble just breathing the heavy air, as was WW, but I guess they’re used to it. It was a blast. As I sat behind the wheel of the van and headed us towards Little rock and then home, I felt like I finally got some real Memphis on me and I’m ready for more.

As show time approached I began to let go a bit. I’d been in the studio that day playing bass on a project that WW was producing and everything was lined up as far as I could see. But would anyone come? I knew a couple folks would be there, (like my girlfriend) but would it be full? I didn’t expect it to be as full as the MQ release show, though that would be cool, but would the club have a good night? Luckily, the show was booked at The Mean Eyed Cat and after a year or so of monthly Monday nights with Sam Baker back in 2007, I felt very comfortable there. I knew I had MQ sound sensei Mike Horn running the show and making sure everything was handled. But, I was still nervous enough to slam a couple of ice cold beers in the first 20 minutes of set up. ( so good)

Show time arrived as it always does and there was nothing for it but to stand up and sing. I managed to call the first tune in the wrong key and after a re-start we began to play the new record. I decided to just play the record in order start to finish. Some of the songs have been around for awhile and some are newer. Some I’ve played many times and others not so much, so I wanted to see what the flow would be like if I just stuck to the sequence of the record. Frankly, I just couldn’t bring myself to come up with another plan at that point. Even though I broke a string in the second measure of the title track, (we re-started that one too!) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed playing those songs. It was really fun. And what a band. Those guys were stellar!!

The crowd dug it. And yes there was a crowd. Even the folks who just came to the Cat for a drink, having no idea who I was, stayed and listened. The audience actually moved in closer as  the show went on. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time to have everyone paying close attention, but that’s what we do this for isn’t it? That nervous exhilaration. That rush of energy passing between you and the audience. That’s what live music is all about.

So where does all this lead me? I want to play with that band again! I can see that show as  a step in re-awakening a part of myself that’s been resting for a bit. As I performed that night I was once again, “Bill Small”. Not just El Guapo, bass player of the Mystiqueros, but also the old singer songwriter, the guitar slinger, the artist that I have been, as well as the artist that I am becoming. I felt it all bubbling up that night.

So next time I may be nervous again. Next time I may have a different band, a different crowd. Next time I may reach some transcendental state of live performance bliss or fall flat on my face. But there will indeed be a next time.

p.s. This is kind of what the show looked like to me: