Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines at Courville's

Tonight we saw another terrific show at Courville's. I know what you're thinking. Does Laurie ever eat a disgusting meal in a lousy restaurant or go to a bad concert? Yes, I do. However, unless people are mean to me, you won't read a bad review here. You'll have to find those places on your own.

That being said, I've never had a lousy meal or seen a bad concert at Courville's. Tonight was no exception. The gumbo was hot and delicious and the music was fantastic.

The opening act was Erik Ellington and Spencer Marks of Beaumont. They play around town a lot and you should definitely try to catch their shows.

The main act consisted of Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines. The crowd was much smaller than the usual Courville's crowd and all you people who stayed home missed an incredible show. Terri and Lloyd are amazing musicians and Terri has one of the most amazing folk/blues/jazz voices I've ever heard.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Check out the Courville's calendar and go to their concerts. The food is always good, the music is always terrific and nobody is ever mean to you.

Coming Up at Courville's

We went to Courville's the other night for another outstanding show by Hayes Carll with the fabulous Kaiser Brothers as the opening act. The food was delicious and I was thrilled to find that the gumbo was back.

Call Courville's now for your reservations for upcoming shows. Ticket price includes dinner and the show and the sooner you call, the better your seat. The number is 409-860-9811 and you pay by credit card when you make your reservation. Ticket price is usually $30, though Billy Joe Shaver was $50 in the past.

November 19
Bruce Robison

December 17
Walt Wilkins

January 27
Fred Eaglesmith

February 10
Ray Wylie Hubbard

Coming Soon
***Well, not "soon," actually. He'll be sometime after Ray Wylie Hubbard. ***
Billy Joe Shaver

Crystal Beach - Stingaree/Crab Festival

Also, there will be a kick-off party/concert at Courville's Thursday night with John Evans and Hayes Carll. $20 a ticket and it includes dinner.

Billy Joe Shaver at Courville's

Friday night I joined my friend Steve for another memorable night at Courville's. This night, however, was more than memorable, it was surreal. The night would consist of the first ever five minute drum solo I've ever seen at Courville's, a mini set by Donnie Courville of the Courville's Courvilles and an opening act of two country music Australian women.


One of the things I like most about concerts at Courville's is that the main performer goes on at around 8:00 p.m. and I'm home by 10:00 p.m. The top act Friday night was Billy Joe Shaver and he didn't really understand the concept of an 8:00 p.m. start time and was two hours late getting to Courville's.


I knew something was up Billy Joe Shaver-wise when the opening act seemed to be going a little long. The opening act was Anne McCue and Audrey Auld playing a combination of blues, blue grass, rock and Australian bush music. They were fantastic and great sports about the whole thing.


When they finished their set at around 8:30 p.m., Donnie took the stage to try to fill some more time. I've never heard him play or sing before and he was terrific. After about five songs, Donnie told the crowd that he was running out of songs, because he can only remember about five songs at any given time. That brought Ann and Audrey back to the stage.


Things began to get really interesting, because Ann and Audrey had been drinking Shiner Bocks and Merlot during their show and then during Donnie's set and Rich Courville started selling $1 draft beer to everyone.


Ann and Audrey were a lot of fun for their first set, but were a riot during their second set. They played a little bit of everything they knew and we were all beginning to feel like we were in some weird parallel universe and that Billy Joe Shaver would never show up and we would all be there forever all taking turns playing instruments and trying to sing and drinking $1 draft beer for eternity.


Suddenly, behind Audrey and Ann a guy with a drum kit appeared. Everybody was overly excited about a drum kit until the drummer told us Billy Joe Shaver was the inevitable "ten minutes away." So, Audrey and Ann sang another couple of songs and, by God, Billy Joe Shaver showed up around 10:00 p.m.


There he was, a tall wispy 70 year old version of the legendary Billy Joe Shaver. He immediately stood in front of the mic while the band continued to set up and started a stream of consciousness explanation of where he and the band had been and instantly, all was forgiven. Just like that exboyfriend or exgirlfriend you always forgive because they make you smile, we were all in deep like again.


Billy Joe has an amazing band and his voice is still wonderful. He only performs songs he's written and that is a beautiful thing. If you have an opportunity to see Billy Joe Shaver, do it.


Also, I've told you this before and I'm telling you again. Go to Courville's!

Book of Days

I forgot to mention the opening band last night at Courville's. The band was Book of Days, a local group of local guys and I really enjoyed them.

Their music is sort of Eagles-ish, which I love. Although the band was one member short due to illness, they still put on a great show. I'm looking forward to seeing them with their whole crew.

This and That

Whoopsie
For the second time in as many days, while pulling out of a parking space I've thought my car was in reverse and it wasn't. Word to the wise, if you see me starting my car in a parking lot, don't stand in front of me.

Wii
I finally played with my Wii Fit. Cory and Jamie and I laughed until we cried. I suck at 90% of the games/exercises. However, I did kick Cory and Jamie's asses "running" and hula hooping. Jamie rocked the step class scenario and Cory couldn't be touched on the ski jump. In other news, according to that Wii bastard, I gained 3 pounds between Friday night and Sunday morning. WTF?!

Fred Eaglesmith at Courville's
Tonight Jack, Steve and I saw Fred Eaglesmith at Courville's. Fred is hilarious and, yes, Jack you have seen him before. I'm a big fan of the corny joke and I'll leave you with one that Fred told tonight. (Oh, yeah, he sings, too.)

A man walks into a 24-hour dentist's office at 10:00 p.m.

The dentist asked, "What seems to be the problem?

The man said, "I think I'm a moth."

"Well, I can't help you," said the dentist. "You need a psychiatrist."

"I know," said the man.

"Then, why did you come here?" asked the dentist.

"Your light was on."

What Should Laurie Give Up For Lent?

It's Mardi Gras time which means Lent is just around the corner. Lots of good Catholics and semi-good Catholics like me, give up something for Lent.

Selfishly, as is my way, I try to give up things that will force me to either save money or cut back on calories and sometimes both at the same time. A couple of years ago I gave up unnecessary shopping and created a small movement known as N.U.N.S. (No Unnecessary Needless Shopping). For the forty days of Lent, I didn't purchase CDs, books, DVDs, junky junk, video games, clothes, etc. It's more difficult than it sounds.

Last year (or maybe it was the year before), I gave up drinking. That was much easier than the no shopping thing. This year, I'm considering giving up something which will probably be the most difficult of all and which will likely make me extremely unpopular among my friends: no eating out for lunch during the work week.

Exceptions will be made to the no lunch thing for family gatherings, however. There are no exceptions to the no drinking thing...not even Courville's concerts. The only exception I allow myself to the no shopping thing is that if my one pair of black pants or brown shoes or black flats gets ruined for some reason, I can replace them.

I'll let you decide. For those of you who vote for "all of the above," God will get you and keep in mind that karma is a bitch.

And you thought I couldn't do it

A week or so ago, I did this post and there were doubters (Steve) who thought I wouldn't be able to conquer such an intensive schedule of events. With the exception of "The Rat Pack" which Mary Beth and I never got around to and Mardi Gras and the February alumni gathering which haven't happened, yet, I rocked them all.

All of Dick's bands (Badfaith, Longneck Road, Madison Monroe) were terrific, as usual. Ray Wylie Hubbard was great in the newly remodeled Courville's. Check out the Courville's schedule for upcoming shows.

As fantastic as all of that was, the highlight of my week was the discovery of the band I saw tonight. Evidently, they've been around a couple of years, but I had never seen them before. The band is called Simple Logic and the lead singer is the best I've ever seen locally and I've seen lots and lots and lots of incredible local talent in my day.

His covers of Maroon 5, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton, Train, Dishwalla, Matchbox 20 and so many others that I can't even remember were perfection. Then, as if all that weren't enough, to top it all off, he did Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

Upcoming: Kinky Friedman at Courville's and Simple Logic opening for Billy Bob Thornton's band at Whiskey River. I'll keep you posted.

Also: Thank you, Beaumont, for being non-smoking. Four bars in four nights would not have been nearly as enjoyable drenched in smoke.

Bar/Club/Cafe recommendation: You should check out the Logon Cafe. Good food, nice people, interesting beer and wine selection. Ever had a Hoegardden beer or a Tercos Malbec wine? You can get both at the Logon and I highly recommend the turkey melt.

Faron Gilbert

I forgot to mention that Faron Gilbert opened for Charlie A'Court at Courville's last night and I really enjoyed his set. He said he hadn't picked up a guitar in about two years and, by the way he had to shake out his hands after every other song, I would guess that's true. I can't imagine how good he is after he's more warmed up by playing gigs on a regular basis. He only did one original song but it was great. I hope he starts performing more.

Courville's and American Idol

Tonight as I sat at Courville's with Jack watching the fabulous and indescribable Charlie A'Court (okay, I described him in this post the last time I saw him at Courville's), my mind briefly wandered to American Idol. It's not as much of a stretch as you might think.

This year, American Idol, has left me feeling a little, how shall I put this? Blah. It's a little...um...yeah, that's it...blah. I miss Bo Bice and Constantine. By God, I even miss Bucky. Remember George Huff and Jon Peter Lewis? Last year there were so many that I enjoyed: Ace, Elliott, Chris, Taylor. Oh yeah, there are girls on this show, too, aren't there? Stay with me. I'm trying to make a point.

Maybe it's because it's so early in the season, but I'm almost certain that I'm usually far more enthusiastic about the contestants than I have been this year. Then, to top it off, I get home from Courville's after watching the aforementioned incredibly talented Charlie A'Court and find out that freakin' Sanjaya is still around to torture me for another week.

The reason my mind wandered to American Idol while watching Charlie A'Court was because, as I watched this wonderfully talented man sing his heart out, I thought about all the talent all over the country that I still don't know about. Yet, American Idol can't come up with twelve people to grab my interest and excite me after auditioning hundreds of thousands of people.

Something is very wrong with this picture. I think next season, American Idol should skip the ridiculous audition process and head out to the small music venues across America and find the real talent that is out there. With some of that Coca Cola money, I'm sure they could even coax some of the "I wouldn't be caught dead on American Idol" crowd to give it a shot for one season.

Mardi Gras Update: I fought the cold and the cold won

Pokerboss was right. I couldn't go all weekend without blogging. The reason I have time to blog is that the cold weather has put a big dent in my Mardi Gras spirit. I fought the cold and the cold won.

I know my friends up north will think I'm a big sissy, but the temperature in Port Arthur last night was 33 degrees with 15 to 20 mph winds. That's too damn cold for me. We didn't even stay for Pat Green and it's hard to catch beads when you're huddled up behind the beer tent trying to suck some of the heat from their portable heaters through a small crack in their tent.

Here's an update from a post I did about my Mardi Gras plans:

• Wednesday, 2/14 – Ray Wylie Hubbard at Courville’s: Wonderful food, wonderful show, wonderful friends
• Thursday, 2/15 – 9 Station Drive and Cross Canadian Ragweed on Crockett Street in Beaumont: Temperature at 11:00 p.m. when Cross Canadian Ragweed would have taken the stage was going to be about 28 degrees. Bonnie and I blew it off.
• Friday, 2/16 – Pat Green in Port Arthur: Too cold, left without beads or Pat Green.
• Saturday, 2/17 – Satisfaction (Rolling Stones Tribute band) at 3:00 p.m. in Port Arthur
  Saturday, 2/17 – Robert Earl Keen in Port Arthur (or Jazz Innovators on Crockett Street…haven’t made up my mind on that one): Did I mention that Bonnie fell last night and hurt her elbow? I'll probably be skipping all of this stuff, too.
• Sunday, 2/18 – Scott McGill at 5:00 p.m. on Crockett Street: I might be able to salvage Sunday by taking my niece downtown for the day.
• Sunday, 2/18 – The Neville Brothers at the Beaumont Civic Center (I JUST GOT ME A FRONT ROW SEAT!): Canceled.

Since today might be a bust, I'm leaning toward watching portions of my DVD box sets that arrived last night: The Complete Monty Python Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset and Seven Samurai 3-Disc Remastered Edition.

I will fill my intermissions with trips upstairs to check out the New Orleans webcams and perhaps do a little online karaoke. Who says you can't have a party by yourself?

I Went to Courville's and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

Actually, I got a lot more than this fantastic t-shirt. The gumbo was delicious on this chilly night and the music was hotter than the gumbo. I was going to write a review as soon as I got home but I knew I wanted to post pictures of the t-shirt and properly link to all the amazing performers so, I fell asleep on the couch in my office watching Letterman instead.

For the real review, go to Wang Chi's House of Pancakes where Jack will tell you all about it. It was without a doubt one of the best shows I have ever seen anywhere. I feel like I got a glimpse of Waylon, Willie and Tompall Glaser in the days right before they released The Outlaws in 1976. To add extra spice to the musical gumbo, these guys were hilarious.

Big John Mills even had his little tiny dog with him that wandered around through the crowd during the show. So, while eating gumbo and watching an 8-man acoustic jam, I was also petting a dog. Man, I love Texas.

I've never wished I had my camera with me so badly. Well, that's not true. Today, one of the women in my office put a blue Walmart bag on her head with the front fastened back with paperclips, like barrettes, because the vent in her office was blowing on her head. But, tonight was a close second. I sure missed some great picture taking opportunities.

Dang nabbit.

(For some reason Blogger keeps blocking out the bottom of the t-shirt. The name that isn't showing is Ryan James.)

My Evil Side is Showing

I'm the person in our group who likes to go early to a club to get the best table, geometrically speaking, for view and sound and, if I can swing it, restroom proximity. (I scored big on the restroom thing at Courville's last time, not so big on view or sound though.) While I wait for everyone else to arrive, I drink and chit-chat with the staff and watch all the other poor suckers come in looking for a good place to sit.

Where's the evil in that, you ask? I especially like to watch the people who come in two hours after me who look at me and my primo table like I'm a pork chop sandwich and they haven't eaten in a week. That makes me happy. I actually had one girl ask me last night, in a somewhat snotty tone as I sat with my three saved chairs, "Are people SITTING with you?"

I wanted to say, "Yes, dear. They're invisible and they don't like you either," but I didn't.

Last night I got an unreasonable amount of joy out of watching several different couples wander around aimlessly trying to find a place to park their derrieres. I had to feel bad for the men because their martini glass carrying dates did not look pleased that they were going to be standing all night. Granted, it was Jive Train and every chair and table in the place was taken by 8:30 p.m. but I still felt superior to the rabble below me and my excellently perfect table.

See what I mean? Evil.

Fred Eaglesmith at Courville's

Last night Jack and I saw Fred Eaglesmith at Courville's.

Every time we've tried to see him he sold out the place, so this time Courville's booked him for two shows. We saw the 5:00 p.m. show and, I must say, seeing a concert at 5:00 in the afternoon and still being home in time for Desperate Housewives made for a pretty cool Sunday afternoon/evening.

The gumbo was hot and spicy and so was Fred. No particular song stands out because they were all great. He is also one of the funniest performers I've ever seen. He did as much stand-up comedy as he did music but that wasn't a bad thing. I especially enjoyed watching Willie, his back-up singer/mandolin player.

Don't miss the Big Damn Acoustic Jam (click on the Courville's link and go to Events) on November 15th. You can call to make a reservation which I highly recommend because, if it isn't sold out, it will be soon.

Kemah Boardwalk

I have had a pretty busy weekend for someone who usually spends about fifty percent of any given weekend laying on the couch.

• Mom and I went to Houston to bring Cory and Jamie some tables for their garage sale next weekend.
• Cory and Jamie were both working Saturday morning, so mom and I went to Kemah. It's a beautiful place with lots of fun family stuff to do. However, I can't wait to go back with my drinking friends because there was also a lot of not-so-family stuff to do.
• At lunch I found out there is a drink called a Michilada which is described thusly: Habanero sauce, lime and draft beer served over ice.
• The Michilada is served at Cadillac Bar and Restaurant and it was some of the best mexican food I've ever eaten. Try the fish tacos. Excellent margarita also.
• We left Kemah and drove to Alvin and unloaded the garage sale stuff at Cory and Jamie's.
• We all went to dinner at Zio's for italian food - delicious!
• Came home Sunday morning and "helped" my cousin load up my old bedroom furniture which I sold to him.
• Going to Courville's shortly to see Fred Eaglesmith.
  
  

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Another Night, Another Concert at Courville's

I just got back from another fine evening of food and Texas music at Courville's with my good friend Jack. The gumbo and fried catfish were outstanding as were the ever present cheesy mashed taters.

The main act was a guy named Brian Burns who is as fine a guitar picker as I have ever seen. Strange as it might sound, my favorite song of the evening was a lovely ballad about cockfighting.

He also does an interesting musical rendition of the letter William B. Travis wrote at the Alamo. Anyone who had to take Texas history remembers it as that damn letter we had to memorize in the seventh grade.

There was an odd coincidence for me associated with that song. The opening act, which I enjoyed very much, was a guy named Scuddy Loupe on guitar and a lady on fiddle. (Sorry, can't remember her name.) The coincidence is that I went to elementary school with Scuddy's younger brothers. The name of the school: William B. Travis Elementary.

Another Great Courville's Concert

Tonight was another great show at Courville's with Jack. As you know, Jack is the better reviewer of this live music obsessed duo so I will leave the meaty review to him. (I'm still waiting on his Hell's Bell's review but my guess is he can't read his notes.) In the meantime, following are my highlights of the evening.

First of all, this isn't exactly a highlight but I've added a link to Courville's over on my sidebar. Check it out regularly. For $30 you get dinner and a concert. The concerts are during the week but they always end at about 10:00 p.m. The acts are top notch and always include an entertaining opening act. Some of the better known performers who have played and are scheduled to play: Rusty Wier, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Hayes Carll. However, even if you've never heard of the scheduled performer, you should make your reservation early (the place is small) and just go to the show. It's always a great evening of live music and good food.

The opening act tonight was a girl who is originally from Beaumont named Glenna Bell . She had a great voice and was a genuinely nice person. That's a big plus in a small room.

Tonight's headliners were Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez. Chip is famous for writing Wild Thing, Angel of the Morning and for being Jon Voight's brother. Carrie has a great voice which harmonizes perfectly with Chip and she plays a kick ass fiddle. They were joined onstage by a guy who played a standup bass, a drummer and a guitar player. The guitar player was very talented and has also played with Van Morrison. They were all fabulous musicians and we had the best seats in the house.

Favorite moment of the evening:
Audience sing-a-long to Wild Thing (Jack, I always knew you were groovy.)

Favorite lyric (I'm paraphrasing because, although I tried so hard to remember it exactly, it's already gone from my Smirnoff addled brain):
Their hearts are so full of rain, I can't believe they haven't drowned.

Promises of Greatness

Last Thursday, I coaxed Jack out of the house on a Thursday night with promises of greatness from Leon Russell. This Thursday, he returns the favor with promises of greatness from Ray Wylie Hubbard AND a dinner buffet at Courville's. No promises were made with regard to the buffet.

Reviews will follow (eventually).

Edited to add:
I couldn't wait until I post a real review to let you know how great this show was. Ray Wylie Hubbard is not only a wonderful musician/singer/songwriter, he is hilarious. I haven't laughed that much at a live act since I can't remember when. Great show! Oh, and the gumbo and pork loin were also delicious.

Charlie A'Court

I just got back from Courville's (yes, Zina, there is a Courville's in Beaumont). Zina is my cousin and our mothers were Courvilles. It was sure strange to see that name up in lights. The Courville's of which I speak is a Beaumont restaurant which has live music about once a month for $10 - $30 (depending on the act) including dinner. From what I hear, the acts are always top notch. They should really advertise more.

Tonight's entertainer was Charlie A'Court. He is a blues man out of Nova Scotia Canada. Imagine if you will, Gary Busey channeling an old black blues man (and a little Joe Cocker) with a Jose Feliciano vibe. This guy had an amazing voice and his guitar playing was nothing short of magical.

Opening for Charlie was Wang Chi's favorite soon-to-be-famous local band 9 Station Drive playing an acoustic set. I really enjoyed them also.

I'm going to bed now (after watching my DVR of Rock Star INXS to see who got kicked off tonight) so I will fix up this post with links and pictures and stuff tomorrow. I'm sure Wang Chi will have his review up shortly.