by Phil Houseal | Jan 9, 2020 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Jan 8, 2020–I’m reading Willie Nelson’s autobiography. And it’s distressing me. Because everything he did in his journey to country music sainthood, I did the opposite. He was a rebel and a rounder. He would skip school. I was teacher’s pet. We both share a love of...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 29, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Music, People of the Hill Country
Nov 28, 2018–It was only a classroom off the Fellowship Hall at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. But for the students at Living Well Learning Center, a nonprofit program for adults with developmental disabilities, it felt like they were inside a...
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 | May 17, 2018 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
May 16, 2018–It is iconic. Especially for a door. Come back with me to 1973. A relative newcomer to the music scene named Jerry Jeff Walker decided to record a live album at a little town in Texas called Luckenbach. That record contained future classics such as...
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...
