by Phil Houseal | Sep 20, 2023 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country
Sept 20, 2023–My recent column about my One-Hit-Wonder song Rocky Mountain Oysters caused an unexpected and un-merited surge in interest about my songwriting career. While attending a recent dance hall night, several fans requested that I sing The Fredericksburg Phone...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 13, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Sept 13, 2023–The world is a giant maze and we are all rats. I came to this conclusion while sitting in my car watching people navigate. We are very predictable in our behavior. Opening Doors People entering buildings with double doors do three things every time: 1)...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 6, 2023 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Sept 6, 2023–As is my wont, I was browsing through another yellow-paged, broken-spined, remaindered paperback–1,500 Literary References Everyone Should Know–when it became evident that, well, we don’t. Too many of us communicate via memes and giphys and LOLs. If I see...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 6, 2023 | All Articles, Music, Venue
Sept 7, 2023–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 | Aug 30, 2023 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Aug 30, 2023–More and more I am convinced the secret to life, longevity, health, growth, vibrancy, use of endless descriptive nouns… is simply this: Keep doing stuff. And not just menial stuff. Although you have to do that. Just as we are–again–purging clutter...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 23, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Aug 23, 2023–No matter how many times you snake along Farm to Market Road 1376, a small tingle rises when you turn off on Luckenbach’s Town Loop. I vividly recall my first trip here in 1978. It was like a pilgrimage to Lourdes. The song Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 16, 2023 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Aug 16, 2023 “Yes, young girls need role models. But whether these are male or female is irrelevant. We admire other people for certain qualities. For me, these are honor, courage, talent, kindness, intellect. Decency.” Claire Lehmann This quote got me...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 9, 2023 | All Articles, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Aug 9, 2023–Here’s a life lesson for aspiring musicians: “The more you play, the more you play.” That’s the motto of a recent Hill Country resident, who also, oh, happens to have been the fiddler for Asleep At The Wheel for eight years. “I still feel like a student,”...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 2, 2023 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country
Aug 2, 2023–In one of those anomalous alignments of the universe, I’ve been asked several times recently how I came to live, work, and write in the Texas Hill Country. There’s a romantic version, a Hitchhiker’s Guide version, and a screenplay version of my origin...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 27, 2023 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country
July 26, 2023–From time to time I tire of “real” news and turn my hand to “Not Newz.” It’s outrageous, obtuse, and yet, increasingly plausible. Camels Return to Texas Hill Country The U.S. Agricultural Research Station has received federal funding to reestablish...
