by Phil Houseal | Sep 17, 2026 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
September 23, 2026–Even casual and un-wizened fans will recognize Ray Wylie Hubbard as the guy who wrote “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother.” Every bar band from Nebraska to Namibia has covered that ode to hippie cowboy southern culture. Ray Wylie Hubbard, the Texas...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 5, 2026 | All Articles, Events, Philosophy, Venue
August 5, 2026–As the kiddos head back to school, they will face that deep and timeless question asked for decades by every classroom teacher: What did you do this summer? For most of those kids, there is a high probability they went on a family vacation. I...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 31, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Dec 31, 2025–What if your life were a sitcom? SCENE: Breakfast table, cluttered with opened cereal boxes, butter dish, crumbs and coffee. He: Good morning, dear. What are your plans for today? She: Plans? You think I PLAN my existence. I believe in foreordained fate...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 12, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
In 2019, Lee Ann Whatley set off on a scavenger hunt to track down all the original paintings done by her grandfather, Lee Ethel. Like every good treasure hunter, she uncovered more than she originally sought. Lee Ethel was a successful graphic designer in Dallas for...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 29, 2025 | All Articles, History, Music, Philosophy, Venue
Oct 29, 2025–Recently I had to embark on something I haven’t done, nor had the desire to do, for three decades: Travel. More specifically, I had to undertake a cross-country car trip. In my youth, traveling coast to coast and border to border was in my blood. In fact,...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 10, 2025 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Sept 10, 2025–How does it feel to take center stage at The Grand Ole Opry? “Well, it was wonderful.” So saith Gary Nicholson, who as a Hall of Fame Songwriter and Grammy Winner, got his first solo spot under country music’s biggest spotlight at the age of 75. Not that...
