DJ Art Ranch News

The Cosmic Cowboy Returns

2010-05-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Bob is a showman to the nth degree, weaving songs peppered with outrageous stories that include real life characters such as -- 'the current governor of California.' The stories are so good and he tells them so well that you want to believe every word. He tells a story about picking up a German-Austraian hitchhiker on a dirt road in Los Angeles (that should be the first clue to his b.s. abilities). The hitch-hiker said he knew only one other Texan, and his name was Michael Murphy. The guy turns out to be Arnold 'The Terminator' S. and Michael Martin Murphy becomes one of Bob's best buds in L.A. Which parts of the story are true? Does it matter? He ends the story with a M.M.M. tune he wrote when they left California together and headed back to the Lone Star State.

Every one of his songs has a back story, rich with the history that only someone like Bob, or Willie, or Ray Wiley Hubbard can have. Speaking of Ray, Bob's got a great story about playing Ray's song Redneck Mother before some of Jerry Jeff Walker's shows. Of course, Jerry Jeff appropriated the song and made it his own on the classic Viva Terlingua album on which Bob played - being one of the Lost Gonzos and all. Bob's version of Redneck Mother is particularly palatable, considering the tired legs on that 'ol dawg.

I'll quit giving away all of Bob's stage secrets, after I mention a couple of more things. His rendition of fellow Gonzo-ian, Gary P. Nunn's London Homesick Blues really brings that old song back to life too. Although, if you head down to College Station, you'll notice that in the cowboy college circuit most of these Texas staples never get tired and will never die. It's like Ground Hog Day with booze and honkey tonks, some of these old Texas staples. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just glad I escaped College Station when I did and got to Austin as quick as I could.

I should have known that a Musical Ambassador from the U.S. State Department would not disappoint near the end of the set, especially since he played practically the same set last year and the same thing happened to me. I sat down with my camera and thought to myself, "I've got plenty of pictures of Bob. I don't need anymore photographs." Then he starts with the hilarious dead pan stories that make you think they're true, he tells tales of swapping tunes and stories with musicians all over the world on our tax dollars, and then the doozie comes. That's when I realize this whole time I should have had the Flip video, not the camera. Because when Bob Livingston raps a scene from the Canterbury Tales in Middle English -- that's right! -- MIDDLE ENGLISH - you know it's one of the most outrageous things you've ever heard. Then you wonder, maybe that German-Austrian hitch-hiker on a dirt road in L.A. WAS Arnold.

Bruce & Scrappy Jud this weekend at the Ranch

2010-03-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

There's an old joke in Austin that I remember lovingly from my college days there. It goes, "What do you call a musician who just broke up with his girlfriend?" In Austin, you can't toss a pebble without hitting a musician or his/her guitar as they are walking down the street to their next gig. The joke implies the itinerant lifestyle and other less desirable traits of the tried and true musician.

So what do you call a musician that just broke up with his girlfriend, or boyfriend? Homeless.

The only reason Bruce Hughes and Scrappy Jud are homeless is because they are always on the road. Bruce with Jason Mraz last year on his world tour and Scrappy Jud with everybody else. For the last so many years they've been part of The Resentments, a South Austin super-group founded by the late Stephen Bruton. No Depression magazine once said of the Resentments, "comparisons to everyone from Crosby, Stills, & Nash, to the Traveling Wilburys, the Texas Tornado, the official and unofficial versions of the Outlaws, and The Band can be justified." The group that started out as a few musicians playing for the love of their craft became an Austin Sunday night staple.

Last May, Bob Livingston, singer-songwriter and Music Ambassador for the US State Department (no joke), played a show here at the Ranch and then stuck around for a few days to write songs and relax. I found him one morning at the piano playing a melancholy tune. "I've got to cut my visit short, get back to Austin," he said, "Stephen Bruton died today." I searched my memory and it's limited knowledge of musicology for a Stephen Bruton. The name did not ring a bell. If it rings a bell with you then I do not need to tell you the influence his life and his music made on cinema this year with the movie Crazy Heart.

This weekend -- Easter weekend --Bruce and Scrappy Jud will be here at the Ranch filling the Great Room with sumptuous melodies, musical notes will surely drift, like freed balloons, into the heavens and soothe the ears of angels and maybe even an old bandmate or two. With Stephen gone, the Saxon Pub's Sunday night house band may be feeling a little homeless. Oh, that their music this weekend might mend the hearts of many a girlfriend who had to put up with lesser musicians.

Dana Cooper - Hearing the songwriter's songwriter

2010-03-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

I must admit, when a very excited Jimmy Baldwin called to tell me that he had booked Dana Cooper to play at the Ranch on March 13th I had no idea who he was talking about or why he was so excited. So I Googled him -- signed with Electra Records in 1973 ( I was 3 years old!), critic favorite, outsider in the record industry, "the songwriter's songwriter." Well that explained to me why Jimmy had heard of him and I had not. He's one of those guys that other songwriter's sit around in awe of saying things like, "Man, I wish I'd written that song," or "Hey Dana, what's the tuning on that guitar?"

Last night about four songs into the first set a local musician on the first row shouted out, "What's the tuning on that Gibson?" The analytical geek in me relished in hearing the words, "It's a D# with a C back." At least that's what I heard, and I loved it! All this talk of chords and sharps and flats, minute technical details of projection and movement, finger-picking only rivaled in highest backwoods of Appalachian Bluegrass. Dana's music is mesmerizing cocktail of words and songs played to a voice, a sweet sweet voice of melodic purity.

Funny what a little sun can do...

2010-03-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Frosty crisp mornings are melting into warm sunrises. The lone squirrel out here on the cliff braves the birdseed on the porch. I say braves because the dogs keep their one opened eye on him from the porch and the cats watch from the roof. He must be starved amidst the cactus and the rocky outcrops in the ground.

Jack mentioned that THIS SUNDAY is daylight savings time. I love it! Two weeks ago we were buried under a think patch of snow. It felt like winter would go on forever. Indeed there is still a chill or two left in the air. In three day's time the evenings will become noticeably longer as the sun makes it's toward longer days.

We've got a great spring line up of musicians, retreats, and events at the ranch. Lot's of time to relax and space to grow roots and create beautiful stories, poems, and songs with vibrant imagination. Don't be surprised if our squirrel pops up again. He's tenacious. He knows how to get what he want's. He doesn't fear those who want to see him dead. And he doesn't take "No" for an answer. Hmm. He sounds like a great teacher. Maybe even a master teacher. I'll likely be out on the porch a lot this spring learning from this Master.

Schedule

2010-01-13T12:14:00.001-08:00

Schedule

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New Year's Zen

2009-12-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

dj new year zen

Art Ranch Acoustic -- Chris Stern

2009-10-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Last night the Art Ranch was transported, Wizard of Oz-style, to the English countryside. The weather matched the mood in the Great Room. Temperatures outside hoovered around 50 degrees. Inside the fireplace burned as Chris Stern played a variety of British and American folk songs, adding his own beautiful tunes between them. The melodic songs set a quiet, relaxed tone, soothing the hearts and souls of the listeners that filled the room.

Many of the songs he sang I did not know personally, except the Simon and Garfunkle standards -- Julio down by the schoolyard, and Scarborough Faire, parsley, sage, etc... The songs I didn't know must be well-known folk or traditional songs in other places besides the states because a South African couple that comes to many of our music nights sang along to most of his songs. I also recognized many other tunes that I've heard in the past but I don't know the titles, only snippets of the lyrics. Even though I'm generally not a folkie and both bored and put to sleep by folksie lullabyes, I enjoyed this show. It gave me great pride that our country does have some songs we all know and share in common -- like the Woody Guthrie and Buddy Holly songs that Bob Livingston sang on Friday night.

I didn't know much about Chris Stern before he showed up. He has Facebook page but no Myspace page. A Google search of him pulls up a very limited and sketchy picture in a day and age where the internet as a medium is so necessary for an independent muscian. When I asked Chris about this issue he said he's just very disorganized. It is clear that he is a muscians musician. He's not into self-promotion or other worldly pursuits. Chris is here for the music. That fact is clear from his stage presence -- a graviational force that pulls the listener closer in. From here Chris headed to Austin and then Wimberly to close out his Texas shows. When he comes back to the states next year from Yorkshire, U.K., he will be on the bill here at the Art Ranch on the Brazos de Dios.

Art Ranch Acoustic -- Bob Livingston

2009-10-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last night Bob Livingston played an incredible set with a post party rehash in the courtyard late night. He revived old stories with the Lost Gonzo gang. Stories like the first time the Gonzos heard Gary P. Nunn sing, "Home with the Armadillo," after coming back from London. Jerry Jeff felt it's potential when he saw the crowd at Luckenbach breaking beer bottles over their heads and women taking their tops off. He knew they had a hit.
Bob played that Gary P. Nunn ode to Texas Friday night with his own twists and turns including a break away into the Bee-Gee's, "Staying Alive!" It was brillant. Though not as brilliant as his tryst into a Middle English-speaking rap a la the Canterbury Tales in the middle of another song, I can't remember which. He also charmed the crowd with Michael Murphy gems like, "Geronimo's Cadillac." Thank God, though, that he spared us from, "Wildfire!"
He finished the set with two more impressive covers, Jimmy requested a popular ditty from another Lubbock native. The Buddy Holly song, "Not Fade Away," which Bob recorded in a very admirable rendition with his equally as musical son, Tucker. Then he called Jimmy to the stage to finish out the set with a Woody Guthrie tune. He told a story about Woody. He said that when Woody went before the McCarthy panel in the 1950's, the senator said, "Mr. Guthrie, are you a communist?" To which Guthrie replied, "Well, I don't know about that but I do know I've spent most of my life in the red!" Then Bob and Jimmy rode off in Geronimo's red Cadillac convertible singing, "This land is your land, this land is my land..." as they waved to the crowd in the Great Room. A stellar set by a cosmic storyteller song smith extraordinaire.

My worst day ever... lo peor

2009-09-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the toughest days of my life. Whew! I'm glad it's over. Finito!

First the big dogs would not let me manga on my desayuno. They are such bullies. Fine.
So I went to pond to chase turtles. There's an old lancha in the pond, stuck in the mud like a beached whale. No one ever rides in that thing. If anyone got in it would probably sink! That boat does not float -- crazy lancha!
So I jumped on it (because I am curious) and what do you think met me face to face? A water moccasin! Stinky, scary snake. I tucked my tail and ran with my ears back, all the way down the dirt road until I could not see -- for all the dust my macho arms and legs had stirred up.

When I got back home I tried to tell the guys what was going on at the lancha!
"Loco mocoso" they called me.
That's not very nice. What did I ever do to them but play with them and try to make them happy? They are soooo grumpy, those big dogs.

So I went for a nap in the courtyard and here somebody comes yelling at me to get out of the courtyard, saying they don't like me relieving myself on the sidewalk where people walk.

"It's not me!" I try to tell them with my sad puppy dog eyes, "It's those grumpy big dogs that always want to spray their territory and everyone elses."

The people, they don't listen, they act like they can't understand me, can't tell what I'm saying with my body language and my staring. They shoo me away, send me out the side door and I bump right into a turtle sleeping next to a cactus. He snaps at me, "Outta my way, little booger."

Why is everyone calling me a booger today. I'd rather be called a loco mocoso than a booger -- it sounds much more distinguished.

By now I'm exhausted, I've been chased from every spot I've found all day. So I find Neilyoung, he's been here longer than me and he's about my size. "Neilyoung, how do you do it? Nothing ever gives you any grief," I say, "How do you maintain your zen state?

"You see this spot right here?" says Neilyoung, "I found my perfect spot and I never leave it. I'm so happy here in this perfect spot that I could not imagine not being in my perfect spot, always..."

Neilyoung's crazy. I think I just figured that out. That's why he's so content all the time, half his cabeza is missing the connection to the other half his cabeza.

My whole day went just like that until sunset when I found a nice spot on the edge of the porch with a view of the river and that puesta del sol that is so muy fabuloso.

I had just enough time to soak it all in when I smelled a familiar odor, and I am so very curious as you know. I stuck my nose up in the air and sniffed. The smell so intoxicating overcame me just as an opossum ran past the porch step -- and the hunt was on baby! Yeah!

Matagorda Bridge

2009-08-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Matagorda, Texas.
All those who know our beloved Matagorda and have been there with your family or with us, remember the old draw bridge. The draw bridge was the last of it's kind on the intercoastal waterways of the Texas gulf coast. From my time as a child there going to the beach house with my grandparents until my last trip there this past June with my own daughter, the old draw bridge operated much like an elevator attendant from the 20th century.

Cars piled up on both sides of the bridge, tug boats and barges lined the canal - each waiting for their chance at the crossroads between land and water. As the old gate opened, the asphalt road spread apart and lifted into the air making room for intercoastal commerce. Children watched with wonder. Parents took a breather, becoming aware of how everything slows down when the car stops idling everything magnifies -- the smells of the ocean, the sound of the sea gulls, and the sting of every single mosquito .

This is a picture of the new bridge - tall and stately, representative of progress, movement, and infrastructure. The 20th century has indeed been replaced. Analog is no more. Digital is almost a thing of the past. There is no more stopping at the canal. Boats whiz up and down. People fly over the top. Windows down - arms dangling out holding soda pops and swim suit tops to the tunes of Houston rock radio. But for those of us with a penchant for the nostalgic, grateful to stop our motors and enjoy a fleeting memory, we must get our kicks elsewhere.

Summer Comes Alive

2009-06-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

This summer Clark Gardens in Mineral Wells is hosting, "Sunsets in the Park." Opening night was one of those, "Yay! Summer's here," kind of nights. Three live music acts -- Jimmy Baldwin, The Lost Immigrants, and Salim Nourallah -- played well into the night. The music filled the night lit by fireflies and a waxing gibbous moon. It was a night of memories, one of those late May/early summer nights of cool breezes, and the delight of the summer ahead. Shows continue through the end of June on Thursday evenings and late Sunday afternoon into the evening. Clark Gardens is a great location and Sunsets in the Park is a great opportunity to be part of a thriving community surrounded by the beauty of nature and the wonderful creative energy of live performance.