by Phil Houseal | Dec 14, 2017 | All Articles, Events, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Dec 13, 2017–I came face to face with steampunk for the first time in 2010. Literally. It happened during my tenure as director of Club Ed community education program. As a marketing hook, I would adopt various personas to make my catalogs stand out. Over the years, I...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 30, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Nov 29, 2017–For Michael Martin Murphey, changing up his Cowboy Christmas Show would be “like coming to town and not singing Wildfire.” “The audience would kill us if we changed it,” said the American music legend during an interview about his Dec 2 show at the...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 9, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Philosophy, Venue
Nov 8, 2017–I was at Ground Zero for the birth of eSports, and didn’t realize it. The year was 1982. The location was Ottumwa, Iowa. More specifically, it was inside a storefront video game arcade called Twin Galaxies. After a challenging day teaching at Evans Junior...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 27, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, Venue
As published in the Kerrville (TX) Daily Times Spotlight Oct 19, 2017–The big, bright, brash sound of the seminal rock band Chicago had such an impact on Mason Swearingen, he remembers clearly the first time he heard it. “My earliest childhood memory is sitting in my...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 5, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Food, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Oct 4, 2017–When we first moved to the Hill Country, there was a small rodeo arena on Hwy 16 south of Fredericksburg. I remember pulling in with the kids and letting them experience the dust, grit, and bellowing of bulls, broncs, and barrel racing. There is no greater...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 21, 2017 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Sept 20, 2017–The first time I heard about Fredericksburg’s Rockbox Theater in 2005, I confess I did not grasp the concept. I had no idea how a community would receive a permanent music venue, offering a new show every week, year round. Apparently everyone else “got...
