Sunday, February 6, 2011

My "best of"...

Or Fav's...
*Songwriter Bars: Evening Mews (Charlotte, North Carolina), The Mucky Duck (Houston, TX), Casbah (Durham, NC) & Cheatham Street Warehouse (San Marcos,TX), Eddie's Attic (Atl., GA)
*Greatest drinking bars: Devil's Backbone Tavern (closest to New Braunfels, TX), Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon (Bandera,TX), Under The Hill Saloon (Natchez,MS)
*Most pretentious bar (to be in the middle of nowhere): Padre's in Marfa,TX. I was nowhere NEAR cool enough and there wasn't 50 people in the whole damn town and they were all dressed up like they were on South Congress in Austin,TX or somethin. It just felt weird. Went there twice (to make sure) and then got my happy ass back to my lil' tent.
*Cheapest beer: PBR. Damn, they need to start making cars that can burn THAT shit!
*Best Margarita: Guero's (Austin,TX). You ONLY get a shot glassed sized but it's still my fav!
*Best Beer: Capital Ale House (Richmond,VA). They EVEN had a "frosted rail" to sit your glass! "Starr Hill Amber" was my favorite! Rich, malty but without the bitter after/shit-taste of PBR.
*Dance Hall: Anhalt Hall (Spring Branch,TX). No question, my favorite and seemed surreal from the time I walked in there. 2nd: Quihi Gun Club (closest to Dunlay,TX)
*Favorite "Old School" Texas Dance Hall band: Billy Mata & The Texas Tradition
*Favorite happy hour "hangs": Luckenbach, TX (Luckenbach), Napoleon House (New Orleans, LA)
*Worst bar: Potbelly's (Tallahassee, FL). I'm STILL sticky from that damn place!
*Worst restrooms: Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon (it's like peeing in Satan's urinal. Really!.... O.K. I'm just guessing)
*Best bathrooms (by state): TEXAS! They consistently put "beer holders" above the urinals! I'd bet the quote of "God Bless Texas" came while a man was standing at a urinal looking for a place to sit his beer (somewhere in Texas!). Amen, brother. Come ON Amurica, catch up!!!
*Best songwriters per sq. mile: North Carolina.
*State with LEAST amount of female artists: Texas. In 9 weeks of trouncing around Texas, I don't think I saw 3. Bri Bagwell was my favorite female country artist (of my whole trip, actually).
*Best Music Scenes: 1st: Texas (original music stations, online music communities and fan interactions, 100's of original music clubs around the state, etc...). Texan's damn near demand it. In Austin on a Saturday night I heard THREE stations playing original music! Distant 2nd: Louisiana & North Carolina.
*Most disappointing music scene: my home state of Georgia. Hey, I even tried HARDER looking here than  in the other states :(
*Dancers (not as in "pole"): 1.Texas 2. Lafayette, LA.
*...As IN "pole", I'll have to guess at these #1-Atlanta,GA (it's a "gut" call) #2 guess- Greenville, Ms #3 Marfa,TX.
* Favorite bands to watch and "get all caught up in": Terry and the Bayou Bad Boys (Lafayette, LA) & Yojimbo (New Orleans, LA). Smiled the whole time watching both.
*Bravest band (by FAR): "Folk Soul Revival" playing 2 weeks after one of their lead singers had died. RIP Allun Cormier.
*Fav new songwriters (that I'd never known before): Chris Hendricks, Lizzy Ross
*"Ready for Nashville" (or not): Cody Johnson (Hunt,TX), Folk Soul Revival (Wise,VA)
*Most facial hair: #1 STILL reigning champ (until he shaves that shit) is Anders OOOOOOsborne! #2 Levi Lowrey (but he's half Quaker, so he gets a penalty from having a genetic "leg up") and a close 3rd (because of the penalty) is Ferd from the "Hackensack Boys"! Congrats fellas I'm sure your womenfolk are proud of ya!
*Best 2 hours of drinking: "Drinking 40's" on the sidewalk with the "Paulin Brothers" in New Orleans.
*Best drives: Marfa, TX to and around Fort Davis, TX. Hwy 61 ("The Blues Highway") from Vicksburg,MS to Clarkesdale, MS. Avery Island,LA (Tobasco tour ain't worth it but this drive IS!)
LEAST fav. drives: Nelson Street (Greenville, MS) & Young Street (Greenwood, MS). Both are good places (if there are) to buy drugs though.
*Best food: Opie's (Spicewood, TX), Prejeans (it's touristy but DAMN great!-Lafayette,LA) or Mulate's (Breaux Bridge,LA)

*Fav campground: Guadalupe River (don't remember the damn name but it's the locale). The one on the Mississippi "River View RV Park" in Videlia, LA was beautiful, as well. I mean it's the damn mighty Mississippi River that you're looking across!
*Worst Motel. Motel 6 ,Richmond (VA) Airport. ONLY place that I "bailed from" after 1 of 2 nights.
*Best Hotels (for price). Priceline does it every time but IGNORE their "suggested" bidding prices (cut it in half at least): Courtyard by Marriott-New Braunfels,TX  and the St. Louis Hotel in New Orleans BOTH for $45 "bids" a night (and usually you can add an extra night for the same price EVEN after staying the first night)

*Best "day spent": Festivals Acadiens (Cajun music festival) in Lafayette, LA. Indescribable atmosphere.
*Prettiest Women: Texas-good GOD, there's 25 mill to choose from, it'd better have the prettiest.
*Scariest moment: Eatin' Domino's pizza, watching "Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer" with a loaded  9MM on my T.V. tray (thanks Bart) as a SWAT team ran around outside my broken dead-bolted hotel room door (as if it really mattered at that point).
*Best last 6 months: Me :)

4 comments:

  1. There's a song in there somewhere!!!

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  2. I just had the supreme pleasure of catching Yojimbo the weekend of march 25th. Wholeheartedly concur.

    Such amazing energy coupled with deft craftsmanship, a great rapport with the crowd, and overall, just super FUN. They have a bright, bright future, and desrvedly so.

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  3. The Guadalupe River Camping spot that you stayed in was Rainbow Campgrounds.. 8690 River Road New Braunfels, TX 78132.. 800-874-3745

    Just so happens to be the campground we go to every July!! Watching the mountain goats with your toes dipped in the water...is priceless!

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