Groupies, Zen cowboy and Supersuckers

The Supersuckers return to the Abbey this Friday

by Chris Aaland

This is a story about how Woody, the Longhorn and the lovers hijacked the Lyle Lovett concert. Shelly and I packed up our RockyGrass camp at 7 a.m. Monday morning and scurried across the state so we could catch Lyle at Fort Lewis College that night. A seven-and-a-half-hour drive is a long time in a car; with a 2-year-old, it’s an eternity. Still, we were able to unpack, shower (for me, the first since Thursday … gotta love the festival world), feed Otto and hire a sitter. We were in our seats in time to catch most of Bob Livingston’s opening set.

Once Lyle took the stage, we immediately knew the rush home was worth it. The Large Band simply put on one of the finest concerts I’ve seen in Durango, blending jazz, blues, big band, folk, country and Western swing as only they can do.

But for those of us sitting in rows HH through LL near the aisle on stage right, the real show, sadly, was Woody and his pals. The foursome apparently had been drinking all day and didn’t slow down after entering the gates. Woody was a portly painting of thirtysomething glory, loud, proud and plowed. From Lyle’s opening number, “The Blues Walk,” Woody felt obliged to argue with ushers about not being able to dance and heckle the rest of us for sitting and listening. The statewide ban on smoking in public gatherings apparently didn’t apply to him, the Longhorn or the lovers, either. They were chain smokers, exhaling in any direction they saw disapproving glares.

Not to be outdone, the lovers groped and kissed each other throughout the concert and shared with anyone within earshot – including several children – what they planned to do to each other after the music ended … although, according to cell phone conversations they broadcast, fornication would have to wait until a stop at the bar for a nightcap.

The Longhorn? He kept busy egging on Woody and the lovers and stumbling toward the Porta-Potties and the beer line every song or two.

The moral of the story: Don’t be a jerk at concerts. People pay good money to see the artists they love.

On the heels of Lyle Lovett, another Lone Star legend comes to town in Ray Wylie Hubbard, who kicks off Durango Acoustic Music’s 20th season at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Smiley Auditorium. Hubbard, best known for writing “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,” is a true Zen cowboy master. After being one of the ringleaders of Austin’s progressive country scene of the ‘70s, Hubbard hit hard times, thanks mostly to years of hard partying. He was reborn, musically speaking, clean and sober in the ‘90s and has released a string of albums the past 15 years that stand up to the output of anyone in the Americana world. Newer songs like “Snake Farm,” “Conversation with the Devil” and “Loco Gringo’s Lament” put him in the same league as Guy Clark and Steve Earle.

On Friday, the Supersuckers and Brent Amaker & the Rodeo bring their Seattle brand of honky-tonk country-rock to the Abbey. The Supersuckers are no strangers, having played here several times before. They’re touring in support of their latest effort, “Get It Together,” which has gotten a lot of spin the past year on KDUR. Amaker had a Summit gig not too long ago. His deep bass vocals are reminiscent of Country Dick Montana and Johnny Cash.

Salem plays smooth, jazzy hip-hop at Steamworks at 10 p.m. Saturday. It’s Ladies’ Night, so anyone dressed as a girl gets $1 wells and draws of Steamworks beer.

A new local rock band, Motivator, makes its debut at 7 p.m. Saturday on the back docks at Durango Brewing Co. They mix high-energy originals with tasty covers by the likes of Gov’t Mule, the Smithereens and Alice Cooper. DBC, incidentally, is brewing a new beer by the same name.

The Kirk James Blues Band plays the 8th Avenue Tavern on Friday and the Schank House at Vallecito on Saturday. Both nights start at 8 p.m.

The Starlight has added a few new twists to its regular lineup this week. A dub rock band plays an FAC at 6 p.m. Friday, while Jonezy brings Club Meds each Wednesday.

The Summit’s bill this week includes Electron Deception tonight, Frontside Five and Pitch Invasion on Friday, and Warsaw on Wednesday.

This week’s free show in Telluride Mountain Village is the New Orleans funk, R&B and jazz of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Music starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Sunset Plaza.

I was fortunate enough to interview Ray Wylie Hubbard for KDUR’s “Your Music Lesson,” which airs at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Ray shared stories about the crazy years at Armadillo World Headquarters and the humble beginnings of his most famous song. This week’s Top Shelf list looks back at some of the recorded highlights of Austin’s progressive country scene:

1. Jerry Jeff Walker, “¡Viva Terlingua!” 1973’s classic live album introduced the world to Luckenbach.

2. Gary P. Nunn, “London Homesick Blues.” Nunn wrote and sang one of Terlingua’s highlights, which has been the theme to Austin City Limits for more than two decades.

3. Ray Wylie Hubbard, “Off the Wall,” 1978. His own version of “Redneck Mother,” plus “Freeway Church of Christ.”

4. Michael Martin Murphey, “Geronimo’s Cadillac,” 1972. The title track and “Backslider’s Wine” make this one essential.

5. Willie Nelson, “Shotgun Willie,” 1973. Still my favorite from the Red Headed Stranger.

6. “The Lost Gonzo Band,” 1975. Nunn, Livingston and crew supported Ray Wylie, Jerry Jeff and Michael Martin. You can find their eponymous debut and its successor, “Thrills,” on a single CD reissue.

7. Kinky Friedman, “Sold American,” 1973. The future Texas gubernatorial candidate turned heads with songs like “Ride ‘em Jewboy” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed.”

8. Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen, “Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas,” 1974. After relocating to Austin, Commander Cody, Bill Kirchen and company captured the spirit of the Armadillo World Headquarters on vinyl.

9. “Asleep at the Wheel,” 1974. A cover of Louis Jordan’s “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” marked their first country hit.

10. B.W. Stevenson, “My Maria,” 1973. His lone hit (ironically on Top 40 radio, not country) is timeless. •

R is for Redneck? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.