Just Do It!
As much as I love music, I’ve come to realize that my blog doesn’t accurately reflect as much, so I want to start changing that. Today’s blog will be a bit on the long side, reason being it’s part trip report, part music review, and hopefully part inspiration. I want to tell you about my weekend, but first I’ll need to give you a little back story so bear with me.
I took my first trip to New Orleans back in 2011. I had a ball, and I absolutely fell in love with the place. The food was good, but to me, the music was even better. I was so glad when I was able to visit again this past March with some friends who’d never been before. We came, we saw, and we ate. On our last night there, I left the hotel with one friend in tow with two goals in mind: see some Mardi Gras Indians, and visit Frenchmen Street to hear some live music. Long story short (and fodder for a different blog post), we were “kidnapped” (in the most positive way) by a really nice local couple and my ‘mission’ went sideways. Although we did see some Mardi Gras Indians, we never made it to Frenchmen street. To help put this in perspective, for me, going to New Orleans and not hearing some live music is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower.
When I got home, I immediately starting thinking about going back, specifically to see a live, ticketed show. And the first band that came to mind was Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Hold tight, I’ll tell you more about TSOA in a minute. Not only did I want to see TSOA, but I wanted to see them in an intimate venue. I’m talking where you can see the whites of their eyes. I checked their tour schedule and I see a show in June that is very close to my birthday. And the venue sounded perfect. Enter Gruene (pronounced “green”) Hall in New Braunfels, Texas….
I Googled New Braunfels and found out it’s in the middle of nowhere, an almost equal distance from Austin and San Antonio. My thoughts were: I’ve already been to San Antonio, but not Austin. And, it’s the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World” which is right up my alley. I visit the Gruene Hall website, and it sounds intimate, but it gives me pause. I’m not good at being politically correct, but I am good at speaking my mind, and I try to do so without intentionally offending anyone. I say that to say this: the website gave me pause because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me.
To be frank, I saw a lot of white folks dressed in cowboy garb. Now white folks don’t bother me (some of my best friends are white! Sorry, the joke was too easy, I couldn’t resist), nor does gaudy cowboy garb, but put those two things together with a small town in Texas, and I admit I was a little leery. I’m not one to perpetuate racism, but I’m also not so naïve to believe that it no longer exists. You also have to remember I travel alone, and my personal safety is always my number one priority. So I Googled pictures of Gruene Hall, and I felt a little better when I saw pictures from their Sunday Gospel brunch, which contained people who look like me, along with others, not just white folks. 🙂 I finally said to hell with it and pulled the trigger. I booked my plane ticket, got a sweet deal on a rental car and a room in Austin, and I bought my non-refundable ticket for the Gruene Hall show. And two weeks later, TSOA booked a show at Emo’s. Which is in Austin. Not far from my hotel. For Sunday, June 15. I admit I was a little ticked at first, but I quickly got over it because I believe everything happens for a reason.
I flew into Austin Friday morning, June 13th, and went to the counter to pick up my rental car. I guess I haven’t rented a car in a while because I was greeted by a video kiosk, where a gentleman helped me digitally, over a video terminal with a phone attached. It actually kind of felt like a scene from a prison movie, but I digress. He asked me: How’s the weather there? I told him it was a balmy, sunny, 73 degrees. “How about a convertible? I have a Mustang available,” he offered. “Not if it’s going to cost me $3,000,” I quickly countered. “It’ll be $40 extra,” he said. “Per day?” I asked. I’m cheap y’all, I like to get the best bang for my buck, cause I work hard to earn them bucks. “$40 extra total.” He pulled up an itemized receipt on the kiosk screen to assure me there were no hidden fees, and the total (including tax) was still less than a one day rental of said Mustang convertible. And a grin spread across my face. “Let’s do it. Happy birthday to me.”
Although I enjoyed the car, I later found out it had something called “MyKey” activated on it. It’s a parent/child type safety feature that allows you to set certain limitations on the car. The two limitations that were set on my car: it could not exceed 80 MPH, and the radio was limited to a certain volume. I will admit the speed thing probably kept me out of trouble (and away from the gas station), but I had quite an embarrassing moment trying to pass a car. Picture a dog on a chain, chasing after a cat, and getting yanked backwards once he reaches the limitation of that chain. I pretty much hung out in the right lane with my tail between my legs after that.
Before I left home, I was trying to find out what kind of live music I could expect in Austin when I found out the Republic of Texas (ROT) Annual Biker Rally would be in town the same weekend. And a quick Google search told me not to expect the young, hot type of biker crowd, and to expect a lot of country music (and Google was right). I’m not a big country music fan (I could stay in Nashville for that), so I searched for some alternative entertainment and ‘visiting 6th Street’ came up as a suggestion. It’s a historic district with a mix of shopping, restaurants, bars, and entertainment. So I ventured down there later that evening, and ran right smack dab into the biker rally. The picture below does not do it justice, there had to be a least four city blocks full of bikes (and their riders). I have nothing against bikers (insert ‘some of my best friends are bikers’ joke), I just really didn’t want to get caught up in a huge crowd of people. For the most part they were well-behaved, but just like any crowd where the alcohol is flowing freely, there were some ‘special’ people. I had to get downright rude with a few (no really does mean no), so I decided to change direction and head towards the capitol building instead.
Making my way down Congress street I discovered the ROT holds a parade, which was set to kick off at any moment, so I took a seat and waited. It was well worth inhaling the exhaust fumes and temporarily losing my hearing to watch, I just wish I’d managed to snap a few pics because there were some really nice and unique motorcycles out there.
The day of the TSOA show, Saturday, June 14, I took a trip early in the day to check out New Braunfels. I admit I still had a few misgivings about the location, so I wanted to see it in the daytime. I also wanted to get a good feel for the drive. The hall was smaller than I imagined, and I was kind of surprised by what I saw. I mean, I knew this was the oldest dance hall in Texas but I guess when I Googled pictures, I was so focused on the people that I didn’t really pay attention to the actual structure.
It’s kind of like a barn with a tin roof, with open sides covered with chicken coop wire, and an old, unfinished, wooden floor. There isn’t any air conditioning but they do have ceiling fans. I guess surprised isn’t the best word, I was a little thrown off is all, and I was glad I checked it out ahead of time. It’s definitely not a place for cute shoes (I left my wedge sandals back in the room and opted for my comfy tennis shoes instead), or even makeup for that matter (I wore a little anyway and brought face wipes, why not look extra cute for my birthday trip!).
**As a side note, this is an example of why I like to travel alone. I would not have been able to stomach anyone complaining about me talking them into coming to such an awful “backwoods” place. I need an open-minded free spirit who can go with the flow to be able to hang with me on my adventures.**
Satisfied with the venue, I started checking out the little mom and pop stores located within a stones throw of the hall. I stepped inside an antique shop and I happen to look up and see the sign below:
Actually, this didn’t bother me. It’s a part of history, and if it wasn’t so big, I might have asked how much it cost (IF it was even for sale). I don’t think there was anything to it, but when I saw it, in all seriousness, it was the first time I noticed there wasn’t anyone else wandering around those stores who looked like me. Not even close. I don’t even normally notice things like that, because I’m usually in my own little world, but seeing that sign suddenly made me acutely aware of my surroundings (in relation to diversity, or lack thereof). However, I didn’t feel ‘unwelcome’ so I didn’t let it bother me. Besides, I’d come too far to turn back now. I was going to see me some Trombone Shorty come white hoods, hell, or high water! 🙂 I left a short time later, satisfied that I knew what to expect (from the venue at least).
I returned to the hall about an hour before the opening act. I went inside and sat down, and kept myself busy with my cell phone as I waited. Not long afterwards, I met a couple. Whenever I travel solo, I always meet couples. And I’ve figured out why. The women are usually the type that would never imagine even going to the movies by themselves, let alone traveling, so they always want to pick my brain and figure out how come I’m not afraid and why I enjoy doing it. And the men are always thinking one of two things: if that was my woman, there’s no way I’d want her <out here> without me on her arm, OR, they wonder why an attractive woman like myself is single, so they want to talk to me to find out if I’m crazy or otherwise “un-datable.” They’re always surprised to find out how nice, normal, and outgoing I am. In this particular case it was the woman who chatted me up first, followed closely by her husband. They were high school sweethearts who’d been together 23 years. Although they were both big fans of New Orleans like myself, it turns out the husband was the big Trombone Shorty fan.
After everyone was made to leave the venue and show a ticket to re-enter, the wife managed to snag our prime location with the bench near the chicken wire windows, the husband kept me well hydrated with bottled water, and the three of us bonded like peanut butter and jelly. And even though buying me bottled water is a really small gesture, it’s small gestures like this that always renew my faith in the fact that there really are nice, courteous, decent people in the world. There are people who know me who wouldn’t bother to buy me a bottle of water! 😀
As for the show, it was completely worth it! The only time I sat on that bench was during the opening act, and that old wooden floor was incredibly conducive to bouncing, because I danced and bounced all over it the entire show. The crowd was full of all walks of life, and was as diverse in race and color as it was in age. I saw teenagers all the way up to senior citizens. In fact, I saw an elderly, white-haired woman, with a cane, making her way from the bathroom and carrying a pillow to keep her butt from getting sore when she was seated.
Trombone Shorty has been playing trombone since the age of 6, and plays other instruments as well (you’ll see him pick up a trumpet on stage too), so as you can imagine he’s incredibly talented. He’s also quite the vocalist. I sometimes wonder why more people don’t know who he is, especially when TSOA has played at major venues like Bonaroo and Lollapalloza. But then I realize why: TSOA doesn’t fit neatly into any particular genre, so they get pigeonholed into “jazz” when they’re so much more than that. They’ve played all over the world, and have three albums available; Backatown, For True, and Say That to Say This.
If you’re into R&B, especially old school, get your feet wet with Something Beautiful (featuring Lenny Kravitz), or Long Weekend (produced by Raphael Sadiq of Tony! Toni! Tone! fame). Like hip hop? Check out Buckjump (it’s one of my favorite workout songs). If rock is your thing, check out Suburbia. Just because the front man happens to play horns (backed by two sax players, Tim and Dan), don’t let that fool you. The drummer (Joey), guitarist (Pete), and bass player (Michael) all handle business too. I would encourage you, if the opportunity arises, to see them live. The energy they bring to the stage is amazing, and they give as good as they get, so you have nowhere to go but up. That “backwoods” venue (Greune Hall) in the middle of nowhere Texas was SOLD OUT, with people desperately trying to buy tickets (both online and on site). And ladies, he is definitely easy on the eyes. 🙂
If I haven’t convinced you this is a band you need to hear (live or not), do yourself a favor and search YouTube for a few videos. One of my favorites is this version of St. James Infirmary, which is really close to the version they played Saturday night. And the old school flavor in this video always makes me smile and want to get up and dance.
I know this was a long one, but if you’ve hung with me so far, I just want to say that life is short and sometimes you gotta say to hell with it and Just Do It. There’s a difference between the hair on the back of your neck standing up (a ‘don’t do it girl!’ vibe, or your instincts trying to tell you something’s wrong), and simply being a little hesitant about the unknown. I’m so glad I booked this trip because I had a really good time. And I even got a little color to boot, riding around with the top down on my “limited” edition Mustang.
I’m just a girl with an adventurous spirit, trying to find a way to fill my Four Simple Pages to overflowing,
Angela