by Phil Houseal | Mar 30, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country
Mar 29, 2017–She’ll be singing Gedenken-vergessen, a lieder composed by Frank Valentine Van der Stucken in 1892. But truth be told, mezzo-soprano September van der Stoel would feel just as comfortable singing jazz. “Jazz is my first love. I absolutely love...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 22, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
Mar 22, 2017–Cause that’s what makes her happy. That is the top reason Sloan Ruth gives for creating The Backyard behind Fritztown Cinema. The new outdoor music venue will open April 7 with its first of many regular concerts. “I’m not musical, though I took piano for...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 16, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
Mar 15, 2017–Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson calls them the “Carnegie Halls of western swing.” But if you are old enough to have waltzed across Texas, you know them as dance halls. When I wrote about these two-stepping temples in 2013, Stephen Dean of Texas Dancehall...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 8, 2017 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Uncategorized
Mar 8, 2017–About eight years ago I was invited to be a guest at a writer’s group. As they discussed and critiqued each other’s writing, I was drawn into the process. For the first time I felt that I, too, could get a book into print. (I did, too. It’s called Finding...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 10, 2017 | All Articles, Philosophy
Feb 8, 2017–With New Year resolutions safely behind us, you can stop worrying if you didn’t meet all your goals. In fact, if you didn’t reach them, you might want to celebrate. Because goals are for losers. That is the counterintuitive argument put forth by Scott...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 1, 2017 | All Articles, Food, Venue
Feb 1, 2017–You couldn’t get much more “out of the box.” That overused phrase is the perfect description of the new Münch Food Park now open on Highway Street. “We’re not in a box,” said owner Justin Armes. “Heck, we’re not even square.” They’re more “tubular.” The...
