In February of 1994 we were in Austin, Texas and, amongst other adventures, we saw James McMurtry perform at La Zona Rosa, a large club in the warehouse district of Austin (which has since been developed with high rise towers). Kate pulled out an old photo album in response to a posting on the Facebook James McMurtry Fan group which asked, "When was the first and last times you saw James perform?". Our last time would have been at the Continental Club Gallery in late January of 2020. The first would have been this gig in 1994.
Click on the image for more clippings and photos from the event.
James was performing solo every Sunday at La Zona Rosa that month with a "Works in Progress" title. He had released two albums already: "Too Long in the Wasteland" (1989) and "Candyland" (1992). The songs he was working on at the time became "Where'd You Hide the Body" (1995). We were familiar with his music and already fans so it was a treat to see him live.
There was a capsule review we had clipped and saved in our photo album. It was probably from the Austin Chronicle (a weekly entertainment paper) but may have been from the Austin American Statesman (the daily paper). The review reads:
James McMurtry, Texana Dames
La Zona Rosa, Sunday 6
Forget that people say he looks like a serial killer. Forget that he talks about as much as Tracy Chapman. And definitely forget that he's the son of Larry McMurtry. All you really need to know is that James McMurtry is one of the best Texas singer-songwriters around. If you see a little light in those who stare at the darkness, check out this quiet guy who keeps mostly to himself, weaving tangled webs about juvenile delinquents, lost love, doubt and trying to recapture ones past. Pick any Sunday in February to see McMurtry, who begins around 8:30pm while the Texana Dames pass the afternoons from 4-7 pm.
---- Doug Jenks
I suppose the album title, "Where'd You Hide the Body", may have come from this review and the comment about him looking like a serial killer. I recall James making a comment about the review and the serial killer tag. It's probably the hats that make him look that way.
Some comments about the show. He was working on a new album so we got to hear new songs and all were already quite polished. He seemed very focused on working out these new tunes in front of a live audience but didn't seem too concerned about pleasing his audience -- more concerned about these tunes and making sure everything sounded right. As he does today, he spends a lot of time making sure his instruments are in tune .. because he cares.
Some people like to see people play their "hits"; we're more impressed by getting beyond that and into new tunes. That's one of the reasons why we continue to see James when we're visiting Austin. There's always the treat of some new music we've not heard. As this was the first time we'd seen him play we were pretty much blown away by what he could do with a guitar. Since then we've seen him perform with a band but we much prefer these solo gigs -- just him, his lyrics and his guitar. We'd really like to see an album released that captures these solo performances.
La Zona Rosa was an important club. Lots of singers we know played there. Sarah Elizabeth Campbell had a regular gig on Tuesdays and played Sunday lunch, Doc Watson was dropping in on tour, Butch Hancock, Jimmy LaFave and others are shown in the monthly calendar. James played in the restaurant area. There was also an attached concert building where, later in our visit, we went to the "Emilyfest" -- a tribute to Emily Kaitz.
A final comment. The entrance fee for James was only $2!
[These memories were composed 2020/09/13 during Covid Crisis]
