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2. music
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4 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
IN THIS ISSUE
I
Wife Swap TV
I get hooked on the weirdest shows.
I am not usually hooked long, but often,
I end up thinking, ‘Why did I give up an
hour of my life for that?’
I remember many, many years ago I
was caught up in “General Hospital”
when Luke and Laura were on the run.
You may not have a clue what I am
talking about; if you do, you were caught
up in it, too. It was a daytime soap and I
don’t remember why I was not working
or at work, but I obviously wasn’t.
Television is such a big part of life
today, and I admit I struggle with it.
The first clue my wife might have had
started when I flipped on “COPS” as we
sat eating a pizza on our wedding night
in a hotel, waiting to leave for Italy.
She always tells people about that for
some reason.
We got hooked on “Melrose Place”
for a while. We planned our weeknight
around that show. We talked about what
was happening and the characters. Most
recently we got involved in “ER.” We
again talked about the characters and the
storyline. That show, for me, has slowly
faded this last year and I can’t remember
much about what happened last.
For the most part, there is not a lot
of redeeming values or moral directives
that I believe in on these shows. The
ones we watch are not off-the-chart
suggestive, but they also, for the most
part, do not lift up the values I want to
live by. I know I live vicariously through
some parts in an unhealthy way. I am far
from perfect.
I was flipping the channels tonight
and stopped on “Wife Swap” — the
show where one wife goes to another’s
home and visa versa. They are always
complete opposites and to the extreme.
Tonight one family was very rigid and
structured, the other free and flowing. I
was thinking, ‘If I could just show my
kids the rigid family parts and tell them if
they don’t keep their rooms clean I will
ship them away to that family for a week,
no a month, no a year – yea, a year.’
When the show was over and I knew it
would end with minor concessions on
both sides, I realized I wasted an hour.
Going into a mind-numbing stage
or transition after a full day of work is
not a bad thing. I believe you should
transition into home through time away
from your computer and cell phone.
Water the flowers, play with the dog,
read the newspaper, watch “nothing” on
television.
F
F E AT U R E S
album spotlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
robert plant & allison krauss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
2nd largest corn crop in u.s.history . . . . . . . .15
DEPARTMENTS
Nashville Music News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Texas Music News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
’Round About Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
by Sandra Greaney
on the trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
by Kendall Hemphill
Homespun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
by Shirley Baker
horsing around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
by Laura Haugh
The Texas Outdoor Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
by Larry LeBlanc
Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
by Don Gordon
w w w. c o u n t r y l i n e m a g a z i n e . c o m
5 1 2 - 2 9 2 - 1113
MAILING ADDRESS
9508 CHISHOLM TRAIL • AUSTIN, TEX. 78748
LETTERS & COMMENTS
TJ@COUNTRYLINEMAGAZINE.COM
OR MAIL TO ADDRESS ABOVE
PUBLISHER & EDITOR |
T. J. Greaney
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Don Gordon, Kendall Hemphill, Larry LeBlanc, Sandra
Greaney, Sheryl Bucsanyi, Shirley Baker
COVER PHOTO
Katie Garcia
One of the worst culprits brought to
us recently is the Blackberry handheld
phone, which immediately retrieves emails. People are addicted to immediately
reading their e-mail and responding. I
have had people in an intimate
conversation who will pull out their
Blackberry and check it while we are
talking; that makes me mad. Recently I
had a dad tell me he took several days
with his kids camping and he was so glad
he could stay in touch with his office from
his Blackberry. I told him his kids knew
he really never left the office and was not
there fully — he knew it, too.
I am not perfect, I said that already,
but I am trying everyday to do better, to
get closer to God. I do know that if I had
one hour left to be with my wife and kids
before I died, I would not check my email. I would not pick up a buzzing
Blackberry. I would want to touch and
listen to them. I would be wishing and
praying for one more hour, one more
minute of time with them.
Watching those shows with my wife
was time well spent with her, in my
opinion, and we have fun with it. It is
something we did, do, together and it
makes us happy. I get more selective
these days and watching things with
questionable moral value bothers me
more than ever. But I have learned to
turn off the Blackberry when I am at
home. I am learning not to talk on the
cell phone in the car when riding alone
with my wife. I am learning to be with
my kids when I am with them. It is a
process at almost 50 that I am just
beginning to figure out. I figured this is
when I get the extra hours, not later.
God bless,
T. J. Greaney
Publisher
tj@countrylinemagazine.com
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 5
BRAD PAISLEY IS
READY TO RUN
AND PLAY
Come Election Day, Nov. 4, West
Virginia may be the pivotal state as
reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year,
two-time ACM Top Male Vocalist, and
West Virginia native Brad Paisley
releases his new album, Play. Currently
on the road with his Paisley Party Tour,
the man who won his first GRAMMY
Award earlier this year for Best Country
Instrumental Performance is running on
a platform of “more music, less talk” with
Play, which promises to increase axes
across the board, alongside some of the
guitar world’s great heroes.
A 15-track collection, with 11
written or co-written by Paisley, Play
delivers an all-out guitar celebration
with only four vocal tracks which feature
Paisley singing and picking with guitar
titans B.B. King, Keith Urban, Steve
Wariner and the late Buck Owens.
The legendary King gets joyfully
bluesy with Brad, as B.B. and B.P. “Let the
Good Times Roll,” while Urban and
Paisley dish out the playful “Start a Band.”
“More Than Just This Song,”
written by Paisley and Wariner, is a
touching tribute to those first guitar
heroes who gave them their start on the
six-string. Paisley also salutes a friend
and hero, the late Buck Owens, joining
Buck on “Come on In,” an Owenspenned-and-recorded track that had
remained previously unfinished.
Among other selections are the
gently jazzy swing of “Les Is More,” a
salute to the great Les Paul; the lilting
beauty of “Kim” and the toe-tapping
energy of “Huckleberry Jam,” named for
Paisley’s wife and son, respectively; and
the continuation of a Paisley album
tradition, with the inclusion of a gospel
classic, this time a beautifully rendered
acoustic performance of “What a Friend
We Have in Jesus.”
Fans will also enjoy the return of
friend, collaborator, and elder statesman
“Little” Jimmy Dickens, who plays
“Grandpa Paisley” in the comic “PreCluster Cluster Pluck Prequel (Prelude),”
which sets the stage for the all-star guitar
jam, “Cluster Pluck,” featuring guests
James Burton, Vince Gill, John
Jorgensen, Albert Lee, Brent Mason,
Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner.
Throughout his career, Paisley has
earned well-deserved acclaim not only
for his skills as a singer and songwriter,
but also as a virtuoso guitarist — featured
on past covers of Guitar Player and
Vintage Guitar, among others.
HAL KETCHUM’S
FATHER TIME
Hal Ketchum recorded his new
album, Father Time, without a net. He
amassed more than a dozen new original
songs plus a dream team of musicians and
entered the studio to record the album
live to two-track. There were no overdubs
and only a few second takes. “When I
went into this project, my mentality was
that this is either going to work or not,”
Ketchum says. But at the end of the first
day, with nine songs finished, he knew the
experiment was a success.
The album, which contains 13
Ketchum-penned songs plus a cover of
Tom Waits’ “Jersey Girl,” will hit stores
on Sept. 9. It is the album that Ketchum’s
talents have promised since he burst onto
the country music scene in 1991 claiming
the #1 spot with his very first single,
“Small Town Saturday Night.”
The recording of Father Time as a
live, direct-to-tape album originated
from a conversation he had with some
fellow musicians about how recording
had lost some of its creative edge in this
high-tech era in which players record
apart from each other in separate rooms
and booths. “By the end of that
conversation, I said, ‘OK, I’m going to
cut live to two-track.’ I went home that
afternoon and got a yellow pad and put
together a wish list of players. And
almost everyone I called was available for
the two days I had blocked out.”
Reared in upstate New York in a
musical family, Ketchum played drums in
R&B bar bands at a young age, but
discovered his real calling upon his move
to New Braunfels, Tex. — just a stone’s
throw from the legendary Gruene Hall.
He didn’t know about the venue at the
time, but one day followed the sounds of
live music up a hill. “And there,” he says,
“was Gruene Hall in all its glory, with
Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel
playing.” Ketchum became a mainstay of
the hall and later released an indie album
(Threadbare Alibis) that brought him to
the attention of Curb Records. Since his
first Curb release, 1991’s Past the Point of
Rescue, he has distinguished himself as a
bona fide hitmaker, with 15 Top 10
singles to his credit and five million
albums sold.
6 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
The songs on Father Time include
some of Ketchum’s recent compositions
— most of them road-tested before
audiences at his live shows — as well as
the first song he ever wrote (“The
Preacher and Me”) and even one
number (“Surrounded by Love”) written
on a lunch break on the first day of
recording, plus some of his favorite
collaborations with fellow songwriters
that had yet to be recorded. As the title
implies, the songs focus on life’s essential
matters, with characters that resonate
with the believability of real people
living (and dying). In “Yesterday’s
Gone,” “Surrounded by Love” and “The
Day He Called Your Name” family
members face mortality with an
enriching love and sweetness, and there
are cinematic tales about everyday
people (“Invisible” and “Ordinary Day”)
as well as the vividly unique characters
that make life a rich pageant
(“Millionaire’s Wife,” “Million Dollar
Baby” and “Continental Farewell”).
“It’s a coming of age,” he says of the
new album. “This is what I do. I have a
desire to be remembered as an artist, and
whether somebody discovers this record
today or 25 or 30 years from now, I want
them to listen to this album and go ‘Yeah,
I understand.’ The motivation here was
to leave a little trail all my own.”
Ketchum’s friend Neil Diamond
wrote in the liner notes, “I find it
impossible to listen to it without smiling
at the sheer exuberance of these tracks.”
HANK WILLIAMS, JR.
ON MONDAY NIGHT
FOOTBALL FOR
20TH SEASON
This fall ESPN will crank up the
volume and cue the rowdy friends the
only way Monday Night Football knows
how — with Hank Williams, Jr. For an
unprecedented 20th season, the
legendary singer will perform the anthem
that ushers in the NFL’s weekly
primetime showcase game, a ritual that
has earned him four Emmy awards
(1991-1994) and national acclaim
among legions of football fans.
Williams first performed “All My
Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday
Night” — based on his hit song “All My
Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over
Tonight” — in 1989 during the 20th
anniversary season of MNF on ABC.
Through the years, the MNF open has
featured Williams in a variety of settings
— cruising the highway in a convertible
with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders,
tapping with famed dancer Savion
Glover, even flying through outer space.
After performing alongside an all-star
band the past two years on ESPN,
Williams will be a solo act this fall,
welcoming fans to the weekly MNF
game with a house party theme.
Williams has become synonymous
with sports television’s signature series, but
ironically the gig almost went to another
well-known entertainer. “The leading
contender was actually a song ‘20/20’ by
George Benson,” admits Bob Toms, Vice
President, Production Enhancements for
ESPN, who was the producer for ‘ABC
Sports’ on-air promotion in 1989. “It had
a pretty good vibe but it wasn’t quite right.
It didn’t really talk football at all. We
called Hank Williams, Jr. and spoke to his
manager, a great guy by the name of Merle
Kilgore, and we asked if Hank would have
any interest in working on MNF. We
asked if he knew anything about football,
and Merle’s reply was, ‘Does Hank know
football? Hank is an American. He knows
football.’ And ever since then, that was it.”
Williams added: “The story I got was
that the son of one of the producers of
MNF had my tape in his tape player. The
producer said, ‘What is that?’ The truth
is usually stranger than what you can
make up and that is how it went down.
When it comes on for that 60 seconds, it
hits you right in the face and makes you
go, ‘WOW!’ It really gets people in a
good mood and pumped up and ready for
the game. It has been a wonderful ride. I
have had a lot of fun doing it and I'm
going to have a lot more fun.”
The new MNF open will debut prior
to kickoff of ESPN’s season-opening
doubleheader on Sept. 8 — Minnesota
Vikings at Green Bay Packers (7 p.m.
ET) and Denver Broncos at Oakland
Raiders (10:15 p.m.).
KENNY CHESNEY:
48,000 POETS &
PIRATES
The morning and mid-day rain
should’ve put a damper on the parking
lot partiers at Kenny Chesney’s Poets &
Pirates Tour stop at Houston’s Reliant
Stadium, yet the faithful could be found
in ponchos, flips flops with radios
blaring Saturday when Chesney hit the
Bayou City.
“It never ceases to amaze me how
committed my fans are to having a good
time,” laughs the man who’s currently
vaulting up the charts with the Calypso
feeling “Everybody Wants To Go To
Heaven” from his fall release Lucky Old
Sun. “Rain or shine, they’re gonna have
a good time … and they don’t let stuff
like a little rain get them down.”
And with Reliant Stadium being
covered, once the fans were inside, the
only weather was the sunshine and
beaches that are the foundation of
Chesney’s music. With 47,669 people on
hand, it was another huge day of friends,
laughter and music.
“Houston is a great place for country
music,” Chesney says. “I remember
when we set the attendance record at
the Rodeo and Livestock show … and
the year I’d hurt my foot and played it
any way … Those are the kind of crowds
and moments you never forget — and
Reliant Stadium was another.”
Ironically, Chesney — who trained
with the New Orleans Saints last week —
didn’t have any of the NFL’s Houston
Texans on hand. Was it a protest over
Chesney’s joining forces with their rivals?
Some kind of good-natured, “Oh, yeah!”?
Actually, with the Texans in New
Orleans for a game against the Saints,
both teams showed up at his New
Orleans Arena show. It was a lot of huge
guys in the hallways backstage, but — as
is the always the case — the kind of
camaraderie you’d expect when it was
time for them to join Chesney for Mac
McAnally’s “Back Where I Come From.”
“That’s the thing about sports,”
Chesney says. “You compete as hard as
you can … you dig in and you fight, and
you give it everything you’ve got. But
when the game’s over, you know you
played the best game you could, and
that’s that. Why not hang out and laugh
about it?”
MONTGOMERY
GENTRY DELIVERS
FIST-PUMPING FUN
ON “BIGGEST &
BADDEST TOUR”
Montgomery Gentry’s new album
Back When I Knew It All is packed with
“hell-raising, hard-partying sound”
(Country Life) and “surefire, get-thisparty-started crowd-pleasers” (Philadelphia
Inquirer) and their live show delivers the
same energy.
Currently on tour with Toby Keith
on his Ford Trucks-sponsored “Biggest &
Baddest Tour,” the duo is receiving
praise nationwide:
Eddie Montgomery recently told the
Las Vegas Review-Journal, “It’s been
unbelievable how it’s been going. If
you’re wanting to hear a sad song or a
crying song, this ain’t the show to come
see ’cause it’s nothing but rockin’ from
the time it takes off til it ends.”
Montgomery Gentry’s new album
is out now on Columbia Nashville; the
duo are on the road until the tour
wraps Sept. 18 in Albuquerque, N.M.
montgomerygentry.com
RANDY OWEN’S ALBUM
DUE OUT NOV. 4
Broken
Bow
Records
has
announced the release date of the debut
solo album, One On One, from the lead
singer of the legendary group Alabama,
Randy Owen, has moved up to Nov. 4.
In addition, HarperOne, publisher of
Owen’s memoir Born Country, has
moved the release of the book up to the
same date.
“Randy has made a fantastic album,
and radio and fans are really reacting to
his ‘Like I Never Broke Her Heart’
single,” said Broken Bow General
Manager Brad Howell. “Having the
book and album hit stores the same day
gives us great synergy between the
products at many key retailers.”
The “Like I Never Broke Her
Heart” single is featured in People
Magazine’s special Country Music issue,
which recently hit news stands, and the
single also hit iTunes’ Top 100 in its first
week of release.
Produced by John Rich, of Big &
Rich fame, Randy wrote or co-wrote
seven of the 11 cuts on One On One. In
addition to the numerous music industry
awards Randy received as a member of
Alabama, he recently received The Paul
G. Rogers Public Service Award for his
work with St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital and the prestigious Ellis Island
Medal of Honor. On June 9, he will
accept the NAB Service to America
Award on behalf of Country Cares for
St. Jude Kids. Randy played a vital role
in establishing the Country Cares
radiothon program in 1989, and it has
raised an astounding $340 million for
the kids of St. Jude.
Randy wrote Born Country with
Allen Rucker, who also co-authored
books by country stars Gretchen Wilson
and Big & Rich, among others. The
book chronicles Owen’s life from his
humble beginnings living in extreme
poverty and hardship as the son of share
coppers in Northeast Alabama to his
fame with Alabama. randyowen.com
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 7
HEALTH ALLIANCE
FOR AUSTIN
MUSICIANS
CORPORATE BATTLE
OF THE BANDS
Health Alliance for Austin
Musicians (HAAM) will host its firstever Corporate Battle of the Bands
fundraising contest and concert on
Wednesday, Sept. 3 — featuring eight
bands made up of Austin lawyers,
doctors, high-tech workers and other
business professionals who perform live
music on the side, to be judged by a panel
of celebrities.
From 6-11 p.m. on Sept. 3 at
Antone’s, 213 W. Fifth St., the bands
will compete for such awards as Best
Cover Band, Best Original Band, Fan
Favorite and Grand Prize Winner.
Audience tickets are $5. 512-320-8424,
antones.net.
Judging will be veteran music writer
Margaret Moser of the Austin Chronicle,
musician and Asleep at the Wheel
bandleader Ray Benson, and 93.7 KLBJFM DJ Jeff Carrol. Event emcee will be
Kevin Connor of Austin’s ME
Television.
HAAM’s Corporate Battle of the
Bands is intended as a preview of the
city’s 3rd HAAM Benefit Day, set for
Tuesday, Oct. 7, and as a reminder to the
entire community to join businesses and
individuals on the annual day of giving
by giving back to support musicians’
health.
“The tremendous response from the
business community shows that the
passion for making music extends
beyond Austin’s live music scene and
goes into the boardrooms of some of
Austin’s most successful companies,” said
Tim Taylor, partner at Jackson Walker
LLP and second-year chairman of the
HAAM Benefit Day Committee.
“HAAM thanks them for recognizing
the importance of and supporting
musicians’ health.”
contest
entry
HAAM’s
requirements were few: bands with three
to ten members, hobbyists and Austinarea residents only, performing covers or
originals, any musical genre. Each band
chosen for the showdown made a
donation of $1,000 to HAAM.
Proceeds from bands’ donations and
concert ticket sales will help uninsured
Austin musicians gain access to medical,
dental and mental health care provided
by Seton Family of Hospitals, St. David’s
Community
Health
Foundation
Leadership Dental Program and The
SIMS Foundation through HAAM.
For more info or to make a
donation, visit myhaam.org or
healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org.
ZONA JONES’ DEBUT
SINGLE “YOU
SHOULD’VE SEEN
HER THIS MORNING”
Zona Jones hit country radio
recently with his new single with “You
Should’ve Seen Her This Morning!”
This song is the southeast Texas native’s
first single release from his upcoming
studio album Prove Me Right. “We are so
excited about this song,” says Jones. “It
just became available for digital
download and stations around the
country have already started playing it! I
was in Houston for a show recently when
I heard it on the radio for the first time!
I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it was
on the radio!”
Zona signed with Tracy Lawrence’s
Rocky Comfort Records earlier this
summer. “Tracy and I have been friends
for several years and I have been a huge
fan since the Sticks and Stones days,”
says Jones. “I have always been impressed
with his keen sense for a great song.
Tracy is one of those rare country artists
who has consistently recorded albums
that fans can listen to over and over
without skipping a song. Working with
him on our music has been a very cool
experience!”
BMI OFFERS ROOTS
MUSIC TORCHBEARERS AT 2008
ACL FESTIVAL
Roots music with a distinct Texas tilt
will dominate BMI’s intimate stage at
the 2008 ACL Music Festival, slated for
Sept. 26-28 in the live music capital of
the world. Now in its seventh year, the
BMI-sponsored stage near the main
entrance to Zilker Park has built a
reputation amongst roots music fans for
its mix of auspicious newcomers and
Austin-area talent. The three-day
8 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
ZONA JONES
festival casts a broad, genre-less net with
130 bands on eight stages over three days
in Austin’s Zilker Park.
While the majority of artists gracing
the BMI stage claim Texas roots, those
hailing from elsewhere boast an eclectic
artistry right at home in the state’s
historically rich musical climate. The
free range sounds on the stage span Ryan
Bingham’s gritty storytelling and
Donavon Frankenreiter’s funky folk to
American Bang’s jaunty southern rock
and the stringed jubilation of The South
Austin Jug Band. aclfestival.com.
“TROUBADOUR” VIDEO
The World Premiere of George
Strait’s music video for his hit single
“Troubadour” was on GAC’s Top 20
Countdown on Friday, Aug. 8.
The King of Country Music is the
first to admit that “Troubadour” is one of
the most autobiographical songs he has
ever recorded. There are some songs that
long to be recreated visually and
“Troubadour” is one of those gems.
Two years ago, Strait made a music
video for “Seashores of Old Mexico”
with award-winning video director Trey
Fanjoy. After hearing “Troubadour,”
Fanjoy knew that she wanted to direct
Strait’s autobiographical story in a music
video. Fanjoy captured the essence of
Strait as an entertainer, husband and
father with a nostalgic mixture of old
photos as well as new footage that was
shot near his home in San Antonio, Tex.
JASON BOLAND AND
THE STRAGGLERS
It was a week of extreme news for
Jason Boland and the Stragglers recently.
The first single and title track from his
upcoming album, Comal County Blue,
was at number 4 on the Texas Music
Chart after only 4 weeks.
The news comes the same day that
Jason Boland and The Stragglers
regrettably announce that Jason Boland’s
recent vocal injury is going to require
minor surgery. After what was hoped to
be a brief sidelining in early July when
Jason Boland discovered that he had a
polyp on his vocal chord, specialists have
determined that Jason Boland should
and will require an operation to have it
removed. Ironically, the surgery date has
been set for the same day as the new
album’s release date.
After visiting his personal physician
in Oklahoma City, Okla., Boland was
referred to a specialist in Nashville,
Tenn. It was then that he was officially
ordered to postpone his tour dates for the
immediate future. Upon a follow-up visit
on July 31, it was determined that
surgery was going to be needed for a full
recovery of the singer’s voice. Jason
Boland and the Stragglers will return to
the road later this year, as soon as he is
cleared by the doctors.
In the days leading up to the
outpatient surgery, Boland looked
forward to making a few nonperformance appearances such as the
one planned for College Days festival in
Stillwater, Okla. Boland also recorded a
radio special to talk about the new
album, Comal County Blue, as well as to
personally assure his fans that as one of
his songs on the upcoming album states,
“the party’s not over.”
Due to the incredible outpouring of
well wishes and support for the band in
this time, the band wanted to assure
everyone that the length of the down
time is a necessity of the recovery time
and should not be seen as a function of
the degree of the injury. Stated Boland’s
manager, Cory McDaniel, “It could have
been much more serious, however it’s
being treated properly, and we are
assured by the specialist that this will
guarantee a full recovery, it’s more of a
matter of giving his voice ample time to
heal following what should be regarded
as nothing more than a minor surgery.”
The band’s studio album, Comal
County Blue, was released Aug. 26. It is
Jason’s fifth studio album and his first
release on his own label, Proud Souls
Entertainment. thestragglers.com
JESSICA SIMPSON’S
HIT SINGLE TO BE
FEATURED IN CMA
CHRIS KNIGHT’S
MUSIC FEST PROMOS HEART OF STONE
magazine and the August cover of
Nashville Lifestyles-The Hot List issue.
jessicasimpson.com
Jessica Simpson’s Top 20 hit single,
“Come On Over,” will be the featured
track in all of ABC’s on-air promotion
spots running in advance of the
television special CMA Music Festival:
Country’s Night to Rock airing Sept. 8
(9-11 p.m., ET) on ABC. Filmed in
Nashville , the special will be hosted by
Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler and Julianne
Hough. Featured performers include
Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Bucky
Covington, Billy Ray Cyrus, Faith Hill,
Hough, Alan Jackson, Jewel, Miranda
Lambert, Pickler, Rascal Flatts,
Sugarland, Swift, Josh Turner, Carrie
Underwood, Keith Urban, Gretchen
Wilson and Dwight Yoakam.
Simpson, a Dallas native, has been
on the road playing select fairs/festivals
and visiting radio in support of her
highly anticipated country debut, Do You
Know, to be released Sept. 9 on
Epic/Columbia Nashville. Look for more
great ink on Simpson as she graces the
cover of the October issue of Elle
The release date for Chris Knight's
fifth album, Heart of Stone, has been
moved to Sept. 2 due to production
issues. The album was produced by Dan
Baird (of Georgia Satellites fame, as well
as producer of Knight’s widely-praised A
Pretty Good Guy and The Jealous Kind
discs).
Knight, who’s been compared to
such legendary songwriters as Steve Earle
and John Prine has finally conquered his
most demanding critic: himself. “Right
now, this is my favorite record,” Chris
Knight. “It might just be my best. For
some reason, there’s a cohesiveness here
that’s not like anything I’ve done before.
But at the same time, it’s not real
predictable. There’s a lot of texture to it
as well, but it’s a simple record. I don’t
know how that happened. But I know it
when I hear it.”
Heart of Stone is being released by
Knight’s label Drifter’s Church.
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 9
ALBUM spotlights
ELI YOUNG BAND
Jet Black & Jealous
Coming out of Denton, the band
was formed by James Young and Mike
Eli as an acoustic duo (Eli & Young)
when they attended the University of
North Texas. After Chris Thompson
and Jon Jones joined the band, they
dropped the ampersand and became
Eli Young Band. Their signature sound
is a mix of powerful vocals, hardhitting guitar and a driving rhythm
section. This sonic blend appeals not
only to country fans, but to pop
audiences as well.
With one of the fastest growing
fan bases in the country, the Eli Young
Band grossed over $1.7 million, sold
over 100,000 tickets and played well
over 200 dates in 2007, including
ACL Music Fest in Austin — all
without being signed to a major label.
But with their independent single,
“When it Rains,” charting and being
added to CMT and GAC’s rotation,
major country and pop labels from Los
Angeles to New York took notice.
While touring, the band also made
songwriting a top priority, and made
time for writing trips and retreats at
the Young family ranch.
Earlier this year, the band signed a
joint agreement with Universal
Republic and Universal Records
South and “When It Rains” continues
to be well on its way to becoming the
longest running single in the history of
the country chart. The band has
opened for John Mellencamp, Sheryl
Crow and Jason Aldean, and hit the
road this August with the Dave
Matthews Band, prior to the Sept. 16
release of their major label debut, Jet
Black & Jealous. eliyoungband.com
10 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
RANDY ROGERS BAND
Self-Titled
Named by Rolling Stone as one of
the “Must-see tours of summer,” the
Randy Rogers Band is one of
Mercury Records’ hottest new acts.
The band takes the stage over 220
dates a year, playing to sold-out
crowds night after night. The buzz
out on the road has helped the band
to develop a cult following of college
students across the country. That
combined with a focus on viral and
online marketing landed the band
their first #1 album when they
surpassed country super group Rascal
Flatts as the #1 most downloaded
country album on iTunes.
Randy has come a long way since
his first days of musical discovery.
Born in Cleburne, Tex., he was just
six years old when he learned to play
the piano from his greatgrandmother, and later learned to
play the guitar. He wrote his first
song at age thirteen. Later, Randy
joined a backing band, before
deciding to form his own band.
The Randy Rogers Band’s rabid
fan base has been anticipating a new
album for almost two years now. The
long wait is almost up as the band’s
new self-titled album hits stores on
Sept. 23. They got a taste with the
release of single “In My Arms
Instead” last month. The project was
produced by industry veteran Radney
Foster and remains true to the Randy
Rogers Band’s signature style —
traditional country music with a
twist. randyrogersband.com
Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
an unlikely pairing produces magical results
From its embryonic, conceptual
stages — well before any music
materialized — the mere idea of Raising
Sand held infinite fascination for both its
creators and those around them. As word
spread of an impending musical
collaboration between Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss, imaginations ran wild.
Two artists, each at the pinnacle of their
respective pantheons, Robert and Alison
have seemingly little in common. But
just below the surface, an elemental
understanding flowed between them,
waiting to be tapped.
Mutual admirers for some time,
Plant and Krauss first performed
together at a concert celebrating the
music of Leadbelly. That great man’s
sound — spry and playful, yet marked by
an undercurrent of torment and loss —
is a keyhole into the sound world
unlocked on Raising Sand. After their
initial collaboration proved promising,
Plant and Krauss brought producer T
Bone Burnett into the fold to help them
investigate a more sustained, full-scale
project. Charged with selecting both
supporting musicians and material that
would illuminate the connection
between these two unique artists,
Burnett succeeded wondrously. Built on
a shared core of modal blues and country
soul, filtered through alternating layers
of unadorned tenderness and thick,
shifting textures, the sounds on Raising
Sand extend well beyond anyone’s
expectations.
It all began quietly, in Alison’s
Nashville home. Sitting side by side,
with Burnett quietly lining out chord
changes on guitar, Plant and Krauss
sang. There were no microphones, no
effects — nothing to hide behind or
escape into. “The idea was to take them
both out of their comfort zone,” Burnett
reflects. “To take us all out of our
comfort zones.” As one of the finest
harmony singers in any style of music,
Krauss worked carefully with Plant to
develop a blend, telepathically following
the contours of his phrasing. New to
such intensive two-part harmony, Plant
pared down his vocal style to its most
basic components — resulting in some
of the most affecting, soulful singing he
has yet captured on tape. “I don’t get
nervous really,” Plant said of those early
sessions. “But I realized once I started
sitting down on that couch, I was in for
a ride.” As they grew more comfortable
with the songs and the way their voices
complimented one another, they
stepped into the studio.
Burnett had assembled an intriguing
group of musicians, with a core of
guitarist Marc Ribot, bassist Dennis
Crouch, and drummer Jay Bellerose
occasionally augmented by guitarist
Norman Blake and multi-instrumentalist
Mike Seeger. Caution and trepidation
gave way to an amazingly fruitful run of
sessions, spanning only ten days but
resulting in almost the entire album.
Burnett nurtured the music endlessly,
encouraging the musicians to disregard
the past and simply play the songs their
way. The sound gelled quickly, as a
roomful of strangers became an
empathetic, organically telepathic band
in a matter of hours.
And the music? The combination of
Krauss’s silken interpretation of
American roots forms with Plant’s
defiantly, globally-informed mélange
could have turned down any number of
sonic byways. Yet Burnett’s relentless
focus and the selfless dedication of the
two principals has resulted in an album
that defies genres in favor of a wide open
brand of seismic soul music. Pitched
three steps beyond some cosmic
collision of early urban blues, spacious
West Texas country, and the unrealized
potential of the folk-rock revolution,
Raising Sand is shockingly evocative —
an album that uncovers popular music’s
elemental roots while sounding
effortlessly, breathtakingly modern.
The material selected by T Bone is
the fulcrum on which Plant and Krauss’
delicately disarming harmonies balance
and pivot gracefully. Roly Salley’s
underground folk gem “Killing the
Blues” is as bittersweetly chilling as a
grunge rockabilly race through the
Everly Brothers’ “Gone Gone Gone” is
invigorating. Psychedelic country-rock
lightening rod Gene Clark is tapped
twice: once for Krauss’ devastating
treatment of “Through the Morning,
Through the Night” and again for
“Polly,” delivered tenderly by Plant with
a dreamy harmony from Krauss
emerging in the second verse. Surprises
abound, from a darkly grooving take on
Brit-beat standard “Fortune Teller” to
the closing “Long Journey,” a timeless
country standard beautifully performed
in a strict, solemn Carter Family style.
As much as Raising Sand is a
revelation for the listener, the artists
involved were even more profoundly
affected. “When we got 75 percent of
the way down the line,” Plant explains,
“I realized we’d created something that I
could never have dreamt of.” Krauss
shares his enthusiasm and wonder.
“There’s so much romance in contrast,”
she summarizes. “It was a real lifechanging experience.”
S E E P L A N T A N D K R A U S S AT A C L M U S I C
F E S T, S AT U R D AY, S E P T. 2 7 F R O M 8 : 1 5 9 : 3 0 P. M .
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 11
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12 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
by Sandra Greaney
E
F
Each year, Labor Day falls on the
first Monday in September. In 1894,
President Cleveland signed a bill
making it a national holiday. Although
it usually is though of as the holiday that
ushers in the new school year, the reason
we celebrate it is to celebrate the
working class of people in America.
And although it is a wonderful reason to
celebrate, we here in Central Texas
don’t really need a holiday to have a
good time, am I right? In this month’s
’Round About Texas you will find many
celebratory events scheduled and winds
up with ACL Festival along with the
Ultimate Kids Fishing event being held
on National Hunting and Fishing Day.
in town
ALL YEAR ’ROUND H I L L C O U N T R Y
O U T D O O R S If you are an active adult,
love to meet people and be outdoors,
check out hillcountryoutdoors.com.
EVERY SATURDAY A U S T I N FA R M E R S
M A R K E T Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and
Wednesdays, 3-7 p.m. at Republic
Square Park (4th and Guadalupe). Buy
fresh fruits, vegetables and more from
local growers. austinfarmersmarket.org
S U N S E T VA L L E Y FA R M E R S M A R K E T
offers fresh local fruits and vegetables
at the Tony Burger Center. 512-2801976, sunsetvalleyfarmersmarket.org
SEPT 1-14 D A L L A S : P O W E R &
PA S S I O N O N P R I M E T I M E T V at The Bob
Bullock Texas State History Museum.
thestoryoftexas.com, 936-8746
P L A Y I T B Y E A R at the Austin
Children’s Museum. Make sound-art
objects and learn about the scientific
properties of sound. austinkids.org,
472-2499
SEPT 6 F R O M F I E L D TO FA B R I C , A
TA L E O F C OT TO N at Jourdan-Bachman
Pioneer Farms. We all love cotton
clothing, especially in the Central
Texas summers! But did you ever
wonder how it came to be clothing?
Visit Pioneer Farms, pick some cotton,
comb it, and try your hand at spinning
and
weaving
the
cotton.
pioneerfarms.org
SEPT 6-NOV 30 D I N O L A N D E X H I B I T
at Zilker Botanical Gardens. More than
30 life-sized dinosaurs will reside in
their “natural habitat,” the new
Escarpment Trail. Zilker Botanical
Gardens hosts a special weekend
festival during the three-month exhibit,
which includes fun and educational
activities and entertainment for the
entire family. zilkergarden.org
SEPT 20-21 THE PECAN STREET FESTIVAL
Musicians, food vendors, artists and
craftspeople turn Sixth Street, into a
lively street fair. A perfect place to
start your Christmas shopping right
here!oldpecanstreetfestival.com
SEPT 26-28 AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC
FESTIVAL at Zilker Park. This is one of
the country’s top music events held
right here in the heart of Austin. The
ACL Music Festival has a reputation
for bringing the world’s top artists to
Austin to rock eight stages on the
shores of Town Lake. aclfestival.com
SEPT 27 THE ULTIMATE KIDS FISHING EVENT
Celebrate the National Hunting &
Fishing Day fishing at Festival Beach
on Lady Bird Lake! The event will run
from 8:30 a.m.-NOON. Free and fun
prizes for all fisherpersons under the
age of 17. kidsoutdoorzone.com
outside of town
ALL MONTH LONG DEVIL’S WATERHOLE
CANOE TOUR at Inks Lake State Park in
Burnet. Take a guided canoe tour and see
many of the unique geological and
natural features. Reservations required.
tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/inks/
512-793-2223
SEPT 1 SCULPTURE ON MAIN in Marble
Falls. A large-scale sculpture event
that includes a wine- and food-tasting
artist reception, 6-8 p.m. Enjoy music
at 8 p.m. at the Uptown Marble
Theatre. historicmainstreet.org, 830693-9544
SEPT 11 FREEDOM WALK in Canyon
Lake. Celebrate freedom by walking
across the dam with hundreds of
patriots. Also enjoy a fly-over and
watch the Coast Guard in the water
below. The gathering begins at 8 a.m.
and the walk begins at 9 a.m. at
Canyon Dam. canyonlakerw.com
SEPT 13 DRIPPING WITH TASTE WINE
& FOOD FESTIVAL Head out to Dripping
Springs and enjoy music, purchase fine
art, participate in “bucket” auctions,
observe culinary techniques by area
chefs, and visit with various Texas
authors and wine makers. Creekside
Pavilion,
18315
RR
1826.
drippingwithtaste.org
SEPT 13-14 FIFTH ANNUAL TEXAS
METAL ARTS in Gruene. Celebrating
metal artistry with goldsmiths, tin
smiths, silversmiths, blacksmiths and
sculptors, demonstrate the wide range
of techniques and methods used to
create
works.
903-852-3311,
zekeandmarty@netzero.net
SEPT 24-28 COMAL COUNTY FAIR &
RODEO in New Braunfels with nightly
dances, rodeo and bull riding, carnival,
barbecue cook-off, parade, children’s
activities, exhibits, livestock show and
antique tractor pull. 830-625-1505,
comalcountyfair.org
SEPT 26-27 UP THE CHISHOLM TRAIL
CATTLE DRIVE & CHUCKWAGON COOK-OFF
in Georgetown. Sample authentic trail
cuisine, watch cowboys drive longhorn
cattle along the San Gabriel River and
more! Western music, trick roping
show and ranch rodeo, Western craft
demonstrations
and
children’s
activities. See Web site for cook-off
rules, prize schedule and entry form.
upthechisholmtrail.org, 512-943-1670
SEPT 26-28 RENEWABLE ENERGY
ROUNDUP & GREEN LIVING FAIR in
Fredericksburg. Includes exhibits,
lectures, demonstrations and family
activities on renewable energy, organic
growing,
green
building
and
alternative fuels. theroundup.org, 512826-2055
next month
OCT 4-5 TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE EXPO
Spend the weekend outdoors enjoying
nonstop outdoor fun and learning at
the state’s largest all-outdoor
recreation festival. There’s something
for everyone and it’s FREE! Fish,
shoot, kayak, rock climb, mountain
bike, see wildlife and more. Our very
own TJ Greaney will be MC at the
big tent each day, so go by and see
him! tpwd.state.tx.us/expo.
I F Y O U AT T E N D A N E V E N T L I S T E D H E R E ,
P L E A S E S H O OT M E A N E - M A I L A N D L E T M E
K N O W H O W I T W A S . I W O U L D L O V E TO
H E A R F R O M YO U !
SANDRA@COUNTRYLINEMAGAZINE.COM
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 13
by Kendall Hemphill
Snakes Alive
W
F
When I was a kid (1965-1978),
Jerry Clower was THE comedian. His
jokes were clean, loud and, for the
most part, funny. I’m convinced most
of his jokes would still be funny, if
you could find someone in the
United States who hadn’t already
heard them (statistically unlikely).
My favorite Jerry Clower story
was the one about some large steel
balls his brother gave him. The best
part of that story is how Jerry started
it. He said, “My brother, Sonny,
played hooky from school. Helped
’em build a highway one year.”
Which is probably what my 14year-old son, Paden, would do, if he
could get away with it. He did, at
least, get a job for the summer, and
he’s learning construction. Most of
the time.
Last week he was working at a
house next door to a fellow who feeds
birds. This fellow, who we’ll call
Jerry, keeps a pellet gun handy to
perforate snakes when they come
around to eat the birds. Like it or not,
higher
on
the
are
birds
Human/Animal Compatibility Scale
than snakes.
So one day last week Paden
looked over and saw Jerry with his
pellet gun, about to use it on a rat
snake that was currently trying his
best to hide about 15 feet up in a
huge oak tree. Paden decided he
wanted to save the snake, and maybe
skin it later and save the hide. So he
asked Jerry to let him catch it. Jerry
didn’t mind, so long as the snake left
his birds alone.
So Paden climbed the tree after
the snake. His immediate boss, a
fellow named Bob who doesn’t seem
to care much for reptiles, came over
to help. Bob’s help was not what you
would call extensive, but he did run
his tape measure out and try to run
the snake toward Paden, so it
wouldn’t get away.
That worked just fine, and the rat
snake went toward Paden as planned,
which was what he wanted. Sort of.
Sitting 15 feet up in a tree with a 3foot snake coming toward you sounds
like a desirable event, I guess, until
it’s actually happening.
But Paden wanted to catch the
snake, so he got ready to grab it, and
then it cheated. It had a hole in the
tree, and started into its lair. Paden,
being a quick thinker, realized the
snake was making his escape, so he
grabbed at it, caught it about the
middle, and started pulling.
Of course, snakes don’t like to be
pulled backwards out of their holes
just when they’re going in them, and
Paden knew that. He figured he’d get
bit when the snake’s head came back
out of there, so instead of trying to
secure the critter while sitting up in
the tree, as soon as he got it out of
the hole he pitched it toward the
ground.
Unfortunately, he threw it on
Bob. Later, Bob told me he thought
the snake looked like a boa
constrictor, which is considerably
more dangerous than a rat snake.
Granted, this one was only a few feet
long, so even if it had been a boa it
would not have been all that deadly.
But if you already aren’t too fond of
snakes, having one thrown on you
from a tree is not a pleasant
experience.
So Bob did what you would have
done. He grabbed the snake and
threw it, without regard for which
direction it was going. He just
wanted it to be somewhere else
besides on him.
Unfortunately, another fellow,
who we’ll call Ronnie, had come by
to see Jerry, and was standing nearby,
leaning against Bob’s Suburban.
When Bob threw the snake, he threw
it directly at Ronnie.
Ronnie has professed no
particular aversion to snakes, but that
doesn’t mean he wants to wear one
any more than Bob does. So when he
saw the snake coming, he moved out
of the way. Which left the way clear
for the snake to go right in the
window of Bob’s Suburban and crawl
under one of the seats.
Bob, for some reason, was
opposed to sharing his vehicle with a
snake of the reptile persuasion,
especially since he evidently still
harbored doubts that this one was
harmless. He had that boa constrictor
thing still in his head, I think. So he
told Paden, who was still sitting in
the tree, to come down and force the
creature to vacate the premises.
A Suburban is a fairly large
vehicle, with lots of seats, and lots of
places for a snake to hide. Plus there
are lots of little things for a snake to
wrap itself around, under the seats
and such, when it doesn’t want to be
evicted. But Paden finally got it out
of there, although he was bitten
several times in the process.
Which just goes to show you,
things never change. Snakes hanging
around in trees have been getting
man in trouble since the beginning,
and they still are …
KENDAL HEMPHILL IS AN OUTDOOR
HUMOR COLUMNIST AND PUBLIC
S P E A K E R W H O S E W I F E T O O K T H E R AT
S N A K E TO T H E I R H O U S E A N D T U R N E D I T
L O O S E . I T P R O M P T LY C R A W L E D U N D E R
T H E I R V E H I C L E A N D U P I N TO T H E
E N G I N E C O M PA R T M E N T. I T ’ S P R O B A B LY
S T I L L T H E R E . W R I T E T O H I M AT P O B O X
1 6 0 0 , M A S O N, T X 7 6 8 5 6 O R
J E E P @ V E R I Z O N. N E T
?
by Shirley Baker
G R A N D M A’ S H I N T S
?
So quick, easy and so good!
11/2 cups instant rice
2 Tbsp butter
1
/3 cup catsup
4 drops Tabasco®
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3
/4 tsp salt
11/2 cup water
11/2 cups light cream
1
/2 lb shrimp, cooked and peeled
To restore old paint brushes, soak brushes in hot vinegar,
then wash them with warm sudsy water. A fabric softener may
also be used to keep them pliable and soft.
A mixture of egg white, cornstarch and coconut
can be used to dip raw shrimp in then fried.
Need to clean copper? A rock salt, vinegar
and flour combination can do the trick!
Sauté rice in butter. Add catsup, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt, water and cream.
Blend with fork. Bring to a boil, fluffing with fork. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Add shrimp, heat 1 minute longer.
Discolored antique linens? Put rock salt and
water in bathtub, then soak, rinse, dry and iron.
?
?
14 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
SEAFOOD IN A SKILLET
Place on decorative platter, add parsley touches if desires.
Second Largest Corn Crop
in U.S. History
T
F The U.S. Department of Agriculture
has raised the nation’s corn production
estimate to 12.3 billion bushels, an
increase of 573 million bushels over the
July crop estimate, according to data
released Aug. 12.
The report indicates the crop is on
pace to be the second largest in U.S.
history, according to agriculture officials.
But for many Texas producers, it’s a
different story, said Dr. Mark Welch,
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
economist. Many areas in Texas have
experienced extreme dry weather the last
few months, and the corn crop has
suffered, Welch said. “A lot of Central
Texas and Blackland region yields have
been disappointing,” he said. “We just
ran out of water. Some ears never fully
developed and others were unable to fill
properly, resulting in very disappointing
yields. That 126 bushels includes the
High Plains irrigated crop. There have
been many areas where yields have been
a disappointment in Texas. ”
F o r Te x a s , t h e a g r i c u l t u r e
department estimates an average corn
yield of 126 bushels (based on total
harvested acres in the state), including
both dryland and irrigated acres.
Nationally, Welch said, Tuesday’s
report showed a “remarkable recovery”
from Midwest flooding earlier this
growing season.
“Nationally, we had a late crop going
in,” he said. “It was so wet, so cold. On
today’s rating, that (yield projection for
the area) of 155 bushels to the acre is just
amazing. What’s interesting in the
report, they lowered planted acres and
increased harvested. That tells you they
got the crop back in, replanted it, or the
crop survived on some acres that weren’t
expected to.”
The higher corn harvest estimate
will likely increase demand by ethanol
production facilities, some of which had
scaled back production due to rapidly
escalating corn prices, Welch said.“This
will give incentive to feed more and
convert more to ethanol,” he said.
Find summaries like the following
compiled by AgriLife Extension district
reporters at agnews.tamu.edu
(CENTRAL)
August:
Most
counties only received traces of rain; not
enough to help the drought. Livestock
producers continued to supplementally
feed cattle to maintain their condition.
Stock tanks were getting low, and trees
were showing signs of drought stress. Hay
production was minimal. The harvesting
of grain sorghum and corn was nearly
completed. Cotton was opening bolls,
but low yields were expected.
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 15
by Laura Haugh
T
F This summer, I had the pleasure of
working with Emily Dany, a student at
Texas A&M University. She is
studying to become a veterinarian and
spent her summer interning at the
Texas Veterinary Hospital in Austin.
As I got to know her, I found out that
she owns a mare, blinded by Uveitis,
named Fancy. However, even though
she couldn’t see, she was still able to
run clover leaf barrel patterns and
work in an arena. She did this by using
her other senses and trusting her rider.
I wanted to share her story with our
readers to show how we can overcome
any hurdle that falls in our laps, and
commend Emily for her consistency in
caring for a horse, which cannot see.
Emily bought Fancy nine years ago
when she wanted to compete in
barrels. When the vet came to check
on the health of the horse, he
discovered that Fancy was half blind.
However, Emily realized the bond she
and Fancy had, and decided to buy her
anyhow. Over the years, she and Fancy
competed in local playday shows and
won several hundreds of dollars. It was
not until about a year and a half ago,
when Emily was interning at another
veterinary office, that she found that
Fancy’s blindness was progressing as a
result of reoccurring Uveitis. Her eyes
would continually swell and secrete a
milky discharge. Fancy had a hard time
adjusting to being blind and began
bumping into walls and scraping
herself. If it was not for Emily’s
patience and consistency Fancy would
have become more nervous and would
not have been able to perform at the
level she does today. Fancy learned to
paw at the corners of her paddock to
determine where the walls meet in her
stall. She uses her whiskers as feelers
and her nose and ears to move around.
Recently, Emily bought a goat named
Rigby, to keep her company in her
paddock. The goat wears a bell around
its neck so that Fancy can hear where
Rigby is at all times.
Uveitis is also known as “Moon
Blindness.” It is a leading cause of
blindness in horses and affects
approximately 10% of the horse
population. Uveitis is inflammation of
the uveal tract, which is “ composed of
the inner pigmented structures of the
eye, which are the iris, ciliary’s body,
and choroids.”
How do you look for this disease in
your own horse? The eye will often
appear to be “ cloudy” or “blind,” and
will look red or be painful to the horse.
Leptospirosis and Onchocerciasis are
the most common causes of Uveitis.
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease,
which enters the skin through the
digestive tract, mostly by drinking
contaminated water. The eye reacts to
the disease by becoming hypersensitive
to the proteins released by the disease.
Onchocercias is a small, “worm
that lives in the connective tissue of
the neck.” These worms create
microfilaria, which enter the eye and
cause inflammation when they die.
Topical anti-inflammatory antibiotics
are used to decrease the inflammation
in the eye and de-worming your horse,
will help. However, Uveitis can still
cause blindness, because there is a
chance of the “secondary involvement
of the cornea, lens, and retina.” So
keep a close watch on your horse, to
prevent blindness.
I asked Emily if she would have
changed her mind on buying Fancy, if
she knew she would eventually go
completely
blind.
She
said,
“Absolutely not! Fancy has taught me
to become a better rider and person, I
wouldn’t change the bond her and I
have for anything, even if it did take a
lot of sacrifices.” Rolling Dog Ranch in
Montana, a blind animal rescue,
helped answer any questions and
concerns Emily had about her horse. If
you have a blind animal and are not
sure how to care for it, you can visit
their Web site at blindhorse.org. I hope
you are inspired by this story as much
as I was. Take care of yourselves.
I F Y O U H A V E A N E V E N T, S H O W, C A M P,
O R C L I N I C , E M A I L T H E I N F O TO
LAURA@COUNTRYLINEMAGAZINE.COM
8th Annual Gathering of Friends
Benefit Trail Ride
October 10-12 the Hill Country
State Natural Area Partners will host the
8th Annual Gathering of Friends Benefit
Trail Ride at the Hill Country State
Natural Area in Bandera, Tex. All net
proceeds will benefit the Hill Country
State Natural Area Partners to be
utilized for park and equestrian camp
improvements. The Hill Country State
Natural Area Partners (HCSNAP) is a
non-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to the
promotion and preservation of the Hill
Country State Natural Area.
The Hill Country State Natural
Area, located approximately ten miles
west of Bandera, was a gift to the State of
16 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
Texas from Louise Lindsey Merrick.
Being a modern day equestrian, she
realized that there were few public places
in Texas where riders could enjoy their
horses on the trails and decided, after her
husband died, to donate the 4,753 acres,
known as the Bar-O Ranch to the state
of Texas.
She began turning the land over to
the state of Texas in 1976. By 1982, the
transaction was complete. Louise deeded
the land to the state of Texas with the
provision that the Parks and Wildlife
Department convert it to a state natural
area and it was written into the deed that
the land is “to be kept far removed and
untouched by modern civilization,
where everything is preserved intact, yet
put to a useful purpose.”
The state natural area is home to a
wide variety of hill country wildlife, two
known endangered bird species and
varied vegetation. There are 40 miles of
well maintained trails on the park for use
by equestrians, hikers, and mountain
bikers. The mission of the park staff and
the friends group is to conserve the
current and historic Ranch layout, and
to protect the existing flora and fauna,
thus providing a natural area as intact
and historically accurate as possible for
future generations to enjoy.
For more information on this benefit
trail ride, fees, and schedule please visit
the
Partners
site
at
hcsnap.org/trail_rides.htm. Or call the
park headquarters at 830-796-4413.
C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 17
Outdoor tales
that are seldom
heard
I
F
I was participating in a high
level, highly technical, conference
last week and some information
came to light that I feel those deeply
seated in the love and lore of outdoor
activities would find interesting.
This high level conference involved
fishing guides Wayne Whitehead,
Billy Mills, Tex Bonin, Carl Bostic,
Glen Gillis from Lakeside Marine
and me.
This impromptu to meeting was
held at April Plaza Marina primarily
because Ron Werner, owner,
tolerates us.
Catfish can be hard to handle
because they are slimy and have
dorsal and pectoral fins that are long,
sharp, serrated and when they
puncture the skin the wounds will as
regularly as not become infected. As
fishing guides handle so many catfish
it is not unusual for them to get stuck
often, but normally not badly. Tex
was saying he carries a bottle of
alcohol in his first aid kit and when
he gets stuck he just washes the area
with the alcohol and keeps on
fishing.
Tex brought to the forefront an
experience he had with a small
catfish he had caught which was just
under the prescribed length of 12
inches. Fishing guides do not want
to be too rough on those small fish
and use any of the commercial
devices available with which to hold
them because they want to put them
back in the water in good shape as
these under size fish are next years
keepers.
There is a method used by many
where the angler will grip the shank
of the hook with a pair of pliers, pull
the fishing line tight and flip the
catfish over and they will come off of
the hook and land back into the
water. One drawback to this method
is the catfish on occasion can end up
in your lap or back in the boat so one
must be careful. On the occasion
Tex was relating the catfish flew
18 • The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E
Holding this catfish I have one
finger on each side of the
pectoral fin on the left and my
thumb under the fin on the right
side. The dorsal fin is nowhere
near my hands.
backwards and buried the dorsal fin
to its full length in the muscle of his
right arm just below his elbow.
Naturally, as Murphy’s Law is
alive and well, the infection set in
and the poison from the wound
settled in the joint of his elbow and
he was in a sling for about six weeks.
Not to be outdone Wayne told of
the time he had caught a good size
hybrid (a man made cross between a
white bass and a stripped bass) and
when he removed it from the hook it
flipped out of his hands and landed
on his foot. He had shoes on, but a
hybrid has a pointed, rigid, spike in
the anal fin and that spike went
through his shoe, the toenail of his
big toe, and into his toe. He said it
did not want to heal with time and
one day he got to looking at the area
and found a piece of the fin had
broken off in his toe. He removed
the broken fin and soon was back on
both feet.
Not to be out done I offered the
tale of when I was fishing on the
Sabine Lake once, was in the process
of removing a hook from a black
drum and it flipped and I ended up
with the hook stuck almost
completely through my left hand
between my thumb and index finger.
It was buried deep so there was no
option but to push the hook all the
way through until the barbed point
came out of the top of my hand, cut
off the barb and then pull it back out
the way it went in.
So folks things can happen when
you are playing in Mother Nature’s
backyard and you need to be
prepared. Always have a first aid kit
with you complete with wire cutters
and keep your tetanus shots up to
date.
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y L A R R Y J. L E B L A N C
by Larry LeBlanc
O
F On July 26th and 27th, Skeeter Bass
Champs hosted the Dodge Mega Bass
tournament, the world’s richest two-day
hourly
big
bass
tournament.
Approximately 1,500 anglers from across
the nation flocked to Sam Rayburn for a
shot at one of twelve Dodge trucks given
away. In addition to a truck per hour,
nine additional cash prizes were also paid
per hour. This is the second year for the
Dodge Mega Bass and it just gets better.
The overall winner was Steve
Rutledge. His 11.68lbs hog won him a
new Dodge Mega-cab Truck with a hemi.
Steve began his morning at 3 a.m. by
going to his first stop and waiting for the 6
a.m. starting time. Steve and his brother
fished for a while with no luck. They then
moved to Ayish Bayou where they caught
a few small fish, and Steve’s brother
hooked on to a freight train that broke off.
While he retied, Steve pitched a jig in the
same area and hooked his winning fish.
The event was filmed and will
appear on “Bass Champs TV” on the
Outdoor Channel. Master of ceremonies
professional announcer and bona fide
“cut up” — Fish Fishburn gave Steve a
good ribbing while he was on stage to
receive his award. He discovered that
Steve had caught his fish from a pontoon
boat and from then on deemed him
“pontoon boy.”
Dodge Truck Winners:
Steve Rutledge, 11.68lbs . . Mega Cab Truck
Billy Gatwood, 9.52lbs . . . . Dodge 1500
Lonnie Stanley, 9.26lbs . . . Dodge 1500
Stan Burgay, 8.68lbs . . . . . . Dodge 1500
David Harvey, 8.52lbs. . . . . Dodge 1500
Dustin Day, 8.32lbs. . . . . . . Dodge 1500
Jay Bray, 8.20lbs . . . . . . . . . Dodge 1500
Mike Metcalf, 8.12lbs. . . . . Dodge 1500
Jerry Heintschel, 7.72lbs. . . Dodge 1500
James Stricklin Jr., 7.68lbs . Dodge 1500
Mick Baston, 7.28lbs . . . . . Dodge 1500
Roy Belknap, 6.28lbs . . . . . Dodge 1500
Sixth place overall and the winner of
a Dodge truck is Dustin Day, a fellow prostaffer at Grande Bass. He gave me a little
insight into his strategy for a Big Bass
tournament. He weighed his fish on a
digital scale so that he knew that his
weight was right on. He then held the
fish until the time was ripe for perhaps
winning a truck and his gamble paid off!
Max Hawthorn was leading the 10 a.m.
on Sunday with an 8.22lbs fish. Dustin
rounded the corner in the closing second
to beat Max by a tenth of a pound to win.
Dustin was fishing the Canyons area
of the lake. Fishing a main lake ledge
that had both timber and hydrilla on top,
he concentrated on a ditch that drained
on to the ledge in 27 feet of water. He
only had two bites on Sunday and the
winning fish was one of them!
Dustin asked me to thank Skeeter
Bass Champs for such a well-run and fun
tournament. —DON GORDON
Falcon is Hot!
Fellow TOZ team member Robby
Crabb and I went to Lake Falcon August
14-16 with a few members of Austin Bass
Fishing. We had heard fishing was on
fire, so we decided to brave the $4 diesel
prices and head south- way south.
Having been to Falcon many times
before, Robby and I had high
expectations. Though no giants were
caught, we caught them from literally
inches of water out to almost 30 feet
deep. Forty fish days per boat were
common. If you have never been there,
you will not believe how these fish pull,
and I swear they have teeth! In fact we
all got a kick out of sharing “the one that
got away” stories around the cook pit,
and showing off our bass rash for the day.
Austinbassfishing.com
site
administrator and tournament director
Eric Austin made the trip, and even
filmed an excellent video of the fun that
can be seen on their site. Austin said,
being my first time on Falcon, I was
really amazed at how easy we were able
to locate, and catch quality fish. I am also
still trying to figure out why they fight
ten times harder than any other bass I
have ever caught. It is like they have
never seen a lure before, and are shocked
that they are suddenly being pulled
towards the boat. Truly an amazing
fishery.”
Texas Outdoor Zone’s Robby
Crabb added, “The trip down to Falcon
was amazing, although I didn’t land the
“fish of a lifetime” the fish in the 4-7
pound range were plentiful. What
makes Lake Falcon such a great lake is
that you can apply your fishing
strengths and catch them.
I fished points littered with huisache
trees, willow trees, and hardwoods in the
one- to eight-foot range. Pitching
Grande Bass soft plastics in the trees, or
throwing spinner baits and Academy
H2O crank baits around the trees seemed
to be most effective.
If you prefer the deep bite, we also
fished rock piles and old village
foundations in the 12-20 foot range and
ledges that dropped from 20-40 feet.
Primary baits were 1/2 Texas-rigged baits,
Carolina rigs, deep running H2O crank
baits, and 3/4 football head jigs.
The weather and the fishing at
Falcon were HOT, even with lake on the
fall. I highly recommend you get down
there as quick as possible. Just remember
these fish pull like freight trains so don’t
come with anything lighter that 17 lb
Vicious fluorocarbon!”
Well, said Robby. You know, in these
days of finesse fishing in tournaments and
seeing who can out-small the other guy, it
was so refreshing to throw big bulky baits
on braid and heavy fluorocarbon and still
get bit early and often.
Have we convinced you yet?
Following is a little info that may help
if you’ve never been down to bass
fishing paradise. Also, you can reach
any of the TOZ fishing team through
texasoutdoorzone.com and we can help
you out.
We stayed at Falcon Heights motel,
which is located near the dam. The
owners are as friendly as anyone you will
ever meet, and it is built with the
fisherman’s needs in mind. At $40 per
night, you can’t beat it with a stick! They
can be reached at 956-848-5229.
Also when at the lake, I recommend
visiting the folks over at Lake Falcon
Tackle in Zapata. They can fix you up
with anything you need to wrestle these
beefy border bass. Their Web site,
tackleandrods.com, is full of great
reports, an e-store, and methods for
obtaining a Mexican fishing license if
you want to fish the Mexican side. Give
them a call or stop by and they will let
you know the latest patterns on catching
fish down there.
Good luck, and eat your Wheaties!
—BRIAN BOOKER
FALL TOURNAMENTS
The Ultimate Kids Fishing Event
Sept 27 • 8:30 a.m.-NOON
Lady Bird Lake, Festival Beach
512-292-1113 • kidsoutdoorzone.com
Fishers of Men Open Tournament
Nov 8 • 6:30-10 p.m.
Lake Travis
512-413-4178 • fomcentex.com
HHJ Wednesday Night Tournaments
6:30-10 p.m.
Lake Austin
austinbassfishing.com
CHECK OUT THE
TOZ BASS TEAM BLOG
FOR NEWS AND TIPS AT
TEXASOUTDOORZONE.COM
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C OU N T RY LI N E M AGA Z I N E The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine • 19