by Phil Houseal | Dec 23, 2015 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, Music, Philosophy
Dec 23, 2015–On a recent trip to Iowa I took part in our family’s cherished holiday tradition–we burned a piano. That’s right. On a cold Midwestern night, with snow on the ground and stars overhead, family and friends circled the instrument and took turns playing it...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 10, 2015 | Music
It’s a hackneyed line: What is the difference between a fiddle and a violin? The question came up because one of the selections at this Saturday’s Pops concert with Symphony of the Hills is the Charlie Daniels string-burner The Devil Went Down To Georgia. Not your...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 3, 2013 | All Articles, Events, History, Music
July 3, 2013–When promoter Gene Wolf asked if I wanted to interview Larry Gatlin before his upcoming Hill Country show, I said yes. I had a question I’d been waiting 30 years to ask him. So when the phone rang and I heard, “Phil, this is Larry Gatlin. How are...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 12, 2013 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
June 12, 2013–All we wanted was to play classical music in a bar. We didn’t know we were part of a revolution. It started one cold, dark night back in February when our local string quartet–Theresa Britt, John Reeve, Tammy Widener, and I–stepped on stage at Hondo’s,...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 5, 2013 | All Articles, History, Music, Philosophy
June 5, 2013–Everyone should dance. I’m not in the habit of handing out advice to my children. First, I don’t have any advice. Second, if I did, they wouldn’t take it. I never did. But when my oldest son set off for college, I felt I should say something profound. So...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 14, 2012 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, Philosophy, Venue
Part II of my visit with Ray Price. Read Part I… Nov 14, 2012–When I first came to Texas, I was expected to learn a drumming style called the “shuffle beat.” I had never heard or seen the two-step, let alone been inside a real dance hall. That beat, my band...
