Listening to a few stories by Hayes Carll

Hayes Carll's concert at Threadgill's was more like a campfire experience.

He didn't pad the lyrics with more than the essentials. And, along the journey, he shared honest stories that inspired the songs. 

And, for sure, he was adored by his followers and completely invested.

Watching him perform was like sitting alongside a campfire with a bunch of old friends.  Carll lifted stage barriers by inviting a super-fan on stage to help him sing Another Like You. But, even with the lyrics on her phone and years of watching Carll tour, the super-fan missed "the main part." Carll joked and let her have it as if they'd been friends forever. The crowd roared with laughter. It was the most united moment in the show.

In between songs, Carll was real about the hard work it took to make it as a musician. He told this Croatian shower story. He had spent time in Croatia and he said much of the country at that time was out of work, so he and a few others, had a lot of downtime for sports. At one time, he ended up in the showers with a group of big Croatian men. He said that it didn't appear things were going to go in any right direction. He said all of the men lined up and asked him, in their towels, staring right at him with expectation, "So is everything really bigger in Texas?" Carll laughed and said after that moment, he made a non-team sport commitment. 

He joked about a job with the Census team. He saw that was helpful to at least have work every ten years. And, it gave him time for his music.

And, he shared stories that not only inspired him as musician, but as a songwriter.

He said The Magic Kid song was about his son who would not give up on his dream to become a magician, even when everyone- -even his own dad, was telling him to move on. 

And, Carll wouldn't let things get too serious. He went on to brag about his son being invited into an Austin "magician not-musician" academy. He added they meet Mondays at IHOP (just in case anyone wanted to join them). 

After the song, Carll's son showed off his cards. Between songs, he shared a trick with the audience. 

At the end of a song or two, the magic kid, age 11, would make gun pointing gestures at the stage as if directing the end of a song. He was a shy clown in the back rafters in his own little world.

Hayes Carll

Carll not only had depth and comedic timing, he had a real warmth in his performance style. You got the feeling after the concert, he was just going to go home like the rest of us, put up his feet and just hang out. He was the first musician I've seen in a long time that seemed to check his ego at the door.

He invited audiences into a journey to hear his story and yet to become a part of those stories too.  And, you got the feeling anyone was invited.

He appreciated the audience genuinely as much as they appreciated him. He said, “It’s nice to play with less people, but when a lot of people come, it’s nice too.” 

I found him refreshingly cool.  

Bob Schneider concert at Threadgill's

This was my first impression of Bob Schneider. I met his dad and thought his dad was so cool that I thought his son might be cool too. I heard one of Bob (jr.'s) songs once and just HAD to see him live. The journey became even more interesting while working on a book with his dad. I saw every concert through the eyes of his father and the stories he shared about raising a rock star. Turned out to be a neat adventure in creative studies inspired by generations of music.

It’s just something when it's the third time you hear your favorite song, and you get to hear it live.

And, he somehow drizzled Oz inside of that story?

Last night, I had my first, yes, my very first dance with the live music scene in Austin.

I’ve lived way out in sticks for three years now, a native Houstonian for 35 years and yet, I’ve hardly ventured into the city I dreamed about living in since high school.

Bob Schneider

I was inspired by a new friend to see Bob Schneider perform. And, I wasn’t bored.

He does this tango with lyrics and daring musical arrangements. It’s like he’s not afraid to push PUSH the limits and say oh, yeah, we can add that and that and that. Rap. Yes. Latino-make-you-have-to-dance music. 

Yep. Accordions and trumpets- - what? You never thought they were cool in high school? Well, they’re cool now. He just mixes it all up. And, the talent on the stage, oh my. 

The drummer, the other two musicians were amazing, but perhaps the member of the band that got most of my attention was Oliver Steck. He was a mime. He was a pop-in-lock eighties dance move artist.  He was a ghost. He was a spazz. He was a comedian. And he had the multi-music talent of Stewart Copeland. He’d sneak off of the stage and grab a tambourine. Sometimes you wondered if he was stoned or just a goofball.

Oliver Steck

Bob played music to a very diverse crowd. And, I could see a lot from my very first front-row spot. 

Inside Threadgill's, we were packed. There was a woman in front of me who was trying to find some way to charge her phone with an outlet on the side of the stage. I laughed as she was texting "Daniel" ironically about her phone being only on 22% and she wanted to save her battery. She continued to obsess about it. The standing room was so tight, I felt like her worries spilled over into my tiny two inches of space. I was so close to telling her to tell Daniel to stop texting about his power point and let her and her phone enjoy the show silently.

There was this one woman in her mid-50s with a red, red, red dress. Her dress was very tight and she had the boots to go with the dress. But, when she got to dancing so much, her skirt revealed too much. 

Then there were more super fans watching. One even did the Molly Shannon superstar routine lifting up her arms up high. The fans here had no shame. Superstar fan made sure she attempted to make friends with everyone on the front row. One groupie passed out and was carried away by some friends.

I only had to hear two of Bob’s songs to be hooked. It’s not all gooey-fan hooked, but, it's more like if I passed him on the way to the gym class, I'd probably say "What's up" with a head nod. 

He ended the show with more dance music, more lyric instruction and a little more grooving. 

The show closed with an introduction and cheers for the band. The tambourine/accordion man in a workman’s jumpsuit and gray Converse really showed off. He smiled and waved and he looked me in the eyes. I gave him a curtsy and a bow (I was actually wearing a dress, so it worked), and he laughed.

Oliver Steck

To be honest, kindly, Bob sometimes seemed bored. But, to beat that, there were genuine times when he just digged it. I got the sense that he needed to be challenged musically and he needed to be able to suddenly change the script in an instant. And, I wonder, like most writers, if he is too hard on himself some days too. I mean a blank page is terrifying.

At one point in the concert about mid-way, I saw him just connect - -and, finally, a big smile. Finally. He was in his groove. All the planets aligned.

And, it seemed like every type of instrument was at full blast.  And, on our feet- -he was pushing us past our barriers.

We got there too—inside his groove.  

And, everything was emerald.

And, yes, it was worth the journey.

Update on the story: A year later, I had become one of those crazy fans. Thirty plus Bob concerts later, I wear my "Bob Nerd" shirt around town. Fans ask me where I got it. They want one too.  I say, I made it.

Yep, I know. . . I know.