JWW and the Prospectors

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We were at The Little Longhorn Saloon last night (Saturday January 25) and caught an early show 6-8pm of some western swing by JWW & the Prospectors (Facebook). We arrived early, the band was still setting up, and, as the evening progressed, the dance floor filled. The bar is a tiny spot, with a tiny stage and tiny dance floor but it was quickly jumping, with lots of dancers out to have a good time.

There were many tunes with a funny story line: e.g., there was a song about "Cheese Crackers and Pabst", another about "Insufficient Funds". They seemed to be mining their tunes, or at least the style, from the '30s and '40s. But doing an excellent job.

We didn't know the band and had never heard of them. They are local to Austin and we were pleased to see them; they were way more fun than we had expected. But that's often the case at the Longhorn. It's pretty authentic country; they describe it as "Classic Western Swing from Austin TX". Here's a sample YouTube video of "Happy Hangover". They have a CD "It's High Past Time" (2011) which you can find on many of the streaming services (it's on my iTunes) but it's long out of print. From their Facebook page I see they play around town but not regularly. That's a shame, they were certainly appreciated last night.

Over the years we've been to the Little Longhorn many times; we'll be back — especially for music and dancing like this.

See also JWW & the Prospectors (YouTube Channel)

I had fun taking a lot of pictures with my fish-eye lens; Kate was trying out her new phone/camera; there was another fellow there who took a few pictures on what looked like an old 4x5 film camera.

Hair of the Dog

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Since at least 2016 Kate's brother Gord and his wife Leslie have hosted a "Hair of the Dog" party on New Years day at their home in Ottawa. They move the furniture out of the way, set up some sound equipment (mic's, amps, music stands, keyboard, etc.), and invite their musical friends over to "jam it up". Some not so musical types, like me and Kate, take in the event as well. We drove up on December 30th and returned January 2. It's a party we wouldn't miss. Of course during the pandemic the party was on hiatus.

Kate can play a bit of guitar and I'm always after her to sing a song with me (like "Dirty Old Town" or "The Crawl") but she's usually reluctant. This year was no exception. She strummed along but we never took the mic. Gord has let us know that if he ever hears "Angel from Montgomery" again he may go postal. Dang, we love John Prine.

Of the many tunes played by the many musicians I'll mention some that stand out. Gord did a rousing version of "Auld Lang Syne" in a rasta beat with a spoken interlude thanking everyone for coming. That's Gord in the photo above. A musical friend, who plays multiple instruments, did a moving version of Steve Earle's "Goodbye". Leslie did a couple — "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey (apparently a big radio hit that none knew) and "Once Every Hundred Odd Years" by Silver Hearts (which I can only find on YouTube). There were some very accomplished musicians who must have put in their 10,000 hours.

We renewed conversations with guests we've met over the years and figured out some connections. Carolyn, an academic, is friends with Leslie (via CEGEP schooling) but also with our "neice" Kait through working on the homeless issue. Gord and Leslie gave a rough head count of 36 musicians and guests. Quite the gang!

As it's January 1 I'm starting my "Dry January" and kept the drinking to a minimum (unlike the night before). Our No.1 son asks if by "Dry January" I mean I'll only drink dry wines? No, Chris that's not what I mean.