Bruce Hughes. Just right for the summer.

Bruce Hughes plays blues. He plays rock. He plays soulful love songs.

His best songs were when the words were simple- -when both his songwriting and guitar talent were celebrated inside a sort of soulful soothing tango tones.

And, it's obvious he's got a loyal following.  My friend Billy thinks Bruce is amazing too.               

Billy sits in the front row--smiling. He's mouthing all of the words. He keeps saying, "I missed this… oh man! This is it!"

Bruce Hughes at The Saxon Pub

I've seen Hughes with The Resentments and more times than I can count with Bob. This was my first Hughes headlining show. I liked that he could play anything. I also liked his honesty.

He clearly practiced and prepared for the show, but he didn't lean into a stage character when he played. It was all him honestly just playing for a few friends.

Without a script, he laughed when the drummer didn't know what song was next. There was banter about planning a two-hour show for a 90-minute window.

And, there were jokes about Austin- -the place you can hear great music, but you can't turn left. There was laughter about technology and checking texts while performing.

And, there was a moment or two when Hughes made personal friendly comments to members in the back of the room and even those that were not.

He said kind words about Jeff Plankenhorn, but also said, "Don't tell him I said that" with a smile and a smirk.

After the show, Bruce stayed true. He hung out with members of the audience, passed out sincere thanks, and just chatted for a while. It was like we were all outback in the greenroom sharing the same space.

Ending the show, he told everyone he'd be back the last Tuesday of every month. Audiences jeered and Billy wondered if he could wait that long.

As I left, Bruce thanked me for coming. I told him I loved his shirt.

But, I think even more, I liked his style.