by Phil Houseal | Jul 4, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
July 4, 2018–The first thing you notice when listening to Suzy Bogguss do a song like Night Rider’s Lament is the bluesy tinge to her strong clear voice. Now I grew up in a small town in the Midwest just 75 miles from the small town in the Midwest where she grew up....
by Phil Houseal | Jun 28, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
June 27, 2018–I’m going to write about guns. More specifically, the training to get a license to carry a gun. This is not advocacy. If you have strong feelings about this issue, on either side, you might want to skip this one. For context, I, as did anyone growing up...
by Phil Houseal | May 31, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
May 30, 2018–Twenty-five years after starting out as a “weekend warrior,” Pat Green is a weekend warrior again. Only now it pays much better. “I’m the luckiest fool that ever walked on two legs,” said the Texas singer/songwriter during an interview about his June 2...
by Phil Houseal | May 24, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Venue
May 23, 2018–No matter which political primary you prefer, you can’t deny Ann Richards brought a true Texas persona to the Governor’s office. That is what actress Libby Villari portrays in the nationally-touring one-woman show ANN, by Holland Taylor, presented at...
by Phil Houseal | May 3, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Music
May 3, 2018–I was surprised when Kathy Mattea told me that to find her voice, she had to stop being “Kathy Mattea.” What did that mean? “It’s what I tell my students: do people feel something when you sing this song? Can you just be honest as a singer and that be...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 22, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country
Mar 21, 2018–During the mid-1800s, the Texas Hill Country produced talented men and women, particularly in the fields of ranching, industry, cattle, and the military. Yet many still don’t know it was also the birthplace of a classical music composer who became a...