You ever have those nights or days when you just have the strongest sense that something cool’s going to happen? When I get that feeling it’s usually centered around two things: sports events and concerts. Since this is not a sports board (even though General Discussion turns into one at times), I’ll spare you the story about my Alamo Bowl trip last month (Hook ‘Em Horns). Over the course of a year, I attend a great number of live shows and only a handful are truly memorable, great, or special. On this website and with society in general, we have a tendency to label something as “fantastic” or “AWESOME” when in fact it was much of the same drivel we’ve seen numerous times before. The theory of the rare live show that is truly greatness was put to the test and proven in the early days of Galleywinter/ToreUp From the Floor Up with the Trifecta runs. Trifecta’s are hitting the same artist’s show up on three consecutive nights. You gain a great perspective on an artist by catching them in front of a different crowd and on a different stage on consecutive nights. It is unlikely that any of three shows are going to be “amazing” just based on the law of averages. I’ve only seen maybe twenty awe-inspiring shows in my lifetime. One example being the Jack Ingram show I detailed in my “Jack Ingram: An Essay” that can be found in Jack’s forum here on Galleywinter. It was a truly transcendent evening. Jack played for over 3 and a half hours; was moved to tears by the audiences appreciation of his songs, and a young Randy Rogers stood beside me as we both guffawed at the brilliance unfolding in front of us. Jack played another mesmerizing set at LJT’s a couple years later. Under a full moon on a big stage in the middle of a field in Stephenville, Texas in front of 15,000 rabid fans, he did “Goodnight Moon” solo with just his acoustic guitar; and if you didn’t have goose bumps midway through the song, your pulse is on par with Kurt Kobain’s these days.

My point is not to ramble on at length about the greatness that Jack displayed on those two evenings, but rather to point out that I’ve seen Jack over one hundred times and only two of the shows were magical. Not that any of them have ever been horrible, it’s just that it is impossible to maintain a consistent display of mind-blowingly great shows every night. Everybody has bad days at the office and our favorite artists are no different in that respect. Where they are different from a great number of mainstream acts is that our guys and gals hop onstage usually over 200 times a year. Even when they’re having an off night, they’re still having a real night. That genuine nature is what connects us to them. We identify with the long road-trip to get there, the possible hangover from the night before still rattling in their temples, and a general willingness to share a little bit of your soul with the others gathered around you at the end of the night. They’re not on a giant stage going through the motions of choreographed routines and cheap wrestling pops. At the end of the day, this scene is still about the live show and the songs. These guys are onstage because they want to showcase their songs. Therefore, while all shows may not always be in the “amazing” category, they inevitably leave you wanting more. And the coolest part of all is that it can happen on any given night in Texas and beyond. You’ll know it when it’s happening…there will be an electricity in the air, a definite vibe in the venue and satisfying smiles all around. So, whether you are planning your own Trifecta or just planning on hitting that song swap next week, take heart in that you’re attending something genuine that’ll keep you coming back for more and always has the possibility for genius.


Minor Chords:

-I had some severe writer's block this month, so sorry if this isn't up to par! We're busy planning GreenFest and our LJT's involvement, GWE Awards etc. Hectic.

-Doug Moreland has been a friend and an underrated songwriter from the minute I met him on the back porch of Joe’s Crab Shack on a Monday night back in 1999. The latter part is about to change with the release of his latest project. Doug has finally honed his Roger Miller/Bob Wills thing into a Doug Moreland thing. This new album finds him re-recording some songs from his previous albums such as “Dallas” and “Houston, We’ve Got a Problem” along with fantastic new cuts such as “Boy Like Me”. Moreland has finally risen above the drunken clown prince of Texas Music label he achieved early in the decade. His live band, known as The Doug Moreland Show is a fine accompaniment to the tunes. The Derailers made their name by putting their own spin on Buck Owen’s Bakersfield sound and now Doug has done the same with Miller. Pick up the new album and go catch a show soon. He’s going to be one of the hottest acts in Texas by 2008.

-People seem to be joining me on the Josh Grider bandwagon lately too. I’m elated this is happening; just wish it could’ve happened sooner. The performances that caught a lot of people’s attention took place in Steamboat at some after-party jam sessions. That momentum has carried over into some support gigs for Brandon Rhyder where G-Ride was able to showcase himself to sold out crowds!

-Paula Abdul needs to endorse her own line of booze.


-Whataburger needs to deliver. That way they could cut in on some of the business drunks give pizza places after closing time.

-The Grammy’s are this month. I’m sure we’ll all be under whelmed. They were great in 2004 when Outkast won and Prince had a surprise performance. That was before Prince overexposed himself and became this generation’s go-to artist for performances that appear edgy, but are in fact safe for Middle America. Evidence: he’s playing at the Super Bowl half-time show.

-The White Rapper show on VH1 cannot be serious. It’s a bad SNL skit gone horribly awry. Scratch that, a bad MadTV skit. This piece of trash is so horrible, that Lorne Michaels wouldn’t put it on his show, and it probably wouldn’t even make it on as a fictional skit on a show about his show.

-It’s been a while since we had a whole slew of 20 Questions interviews; I plan to change that this year. Please let me know whom you’d like to hear from.

-This month’s recommended film: American Dreamz. Written and directed by Paul Weitz, the man behind the American Pie franchise, it is a great farce that takes aim at America’s obsession with pop culture. Based around an American Idol type-singing contest it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in recent months. A great cast is headlined by Dennis Quaid playing a very George W-esque bumbling president, Willem Dafoe as Dick Cheney-esque puppeteer, Hugh Grant as a smug Simon Cowell-esque television/music producer and Mandy Moore as the conniving wannabe starlet willing to do whatever it takes to become famous. The scene-stealer among the bunch is Chris Klein as Moore’s long-suffering paramour.

This month’s recommended album: The aforementioned The Doug Moreland Show by Doug Moreland…pick it up ASAP!

-“Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.” –Mark Twain