June 14, 1999
TNC was fortunate to have Ray Wylie Hubbard perform on our deck last November for our opening show. Those of you that were here know the rain failed to dampen the spirit that infuses his music. We are proud to present Ray’s return to our stage for a fantastic afternoon show to kick off our Summer ’99 series.

Ray Wylie Hubbard has demonstrated a critically acclaimed musical resurrection during the past decade. His 1997 release, Dangerous Spirits, rich in texture and thought provoking lyrics, solidified his place among the Texas greats. Last year’s release, Live at Cibolo Creek Country Club, recorded in San Antonio, July 3, 1998, captured Ray at his finest…live. Poised for the release of his latest project this summer, Ray continues the sojourn “loading up his saddlebags out on the edge of wonder. One is filled with music and the other is filled with thunder.” Experience the best that Texas has to offer at the most intimate venue in the Houston area.

Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys open
After years of silence, the Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys will finally reunite to grace the TNHC stage with a rare performance. Rex (Wrecks) Bell and Mickey White, long time backups for Townes Van Zandt, performed together as the Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys back in the 70’s. The real die-hards may remember their performance at the 1975 rain soaked Kerrville Folk Festival. Wrecks, now the owner of The Old Quarter Acoustic Café in Galveston, conceived the idea for the reunion and Mickey agreed to join him. We were able to hear their first performance back together at the Old Quarter last month. These guys are proof that Townes knew how to pick his friends. This is sure to be a treat that you simply can’t experience anywhere else.

Concert Review

Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys Opened
Special Guests Included Ray Younkin, Paul and Jay Cesak, Bob Campbell, and Gary Regan

What a weekend!!! Thanks to all of you that were able to join us for Melanie & Alan’s wedding. All of you helped make it an extra special occasion for us. Yesterday’s concert was a wonderful way to celebrate the event with our friends and family from out of town that normally don’t get a chance to see our shows.

We want to give our sincere thanks to Ray, Judy, and Lucas for taking time out of their schedule to join us for the weekend’s activities. Although we had to watch the skies yesterday, the rain held back and the clouds sure kept things a lot cooler than we expected. Other than the soggy grass and a few sprinkles before we got started, we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. Thinking back, the only other concert we’ve had rain problems was when Ray performed here last November…and as we recall, it rained the night Ray recorded his live CD at Cibolo Creek last year…hmmm…do the dark clouds just follow him around?

After a late start due to rain, we were treated to “The Wedding Song ” by a very close friend, Paul Cesak. Paul sang that song at the wedding on Saturday, and we just had to hear it again. Then, his son, Jay of Two Guy Trio, joined him on bass for a couple more tunes. Paul looked almost as proud of having his son play with him as we were to have a new son-in-law in the audience. We remember “Jay Bird” when he wasn’t big enough to grab your knee…it’s a good thing he grew tall enough to handle that stand-up bass as well as he does. Thanks, guys, you kicked off the afternoon in style.

Next, we had “Big Bad Big Leg” Bob Campbell do a few songs. All that were here now know that not only can Bob bar-b-que a mean chicken leg, but he can find his way around a guitar pretty well, too. We started to get worried when Bob hadn’t arrived by the time we started the music. But, when we found out that he was running late because he & his son had been fishing, that explained everything. Bob, we’re glad you finally did make it in time to show us your stuff & we hope we’ll be able to get you back on stage for a few more at some future shows.

Ray Younkin was next in line, and as always, was in fine form. We really appreciate Ray providing the sound system for yesterday’s show. Ray and Betsy showed up here at noon to get everything set up. The more we get to know musicians, the more we realize how gracious they are as a group. Ray fits that mold to a T. Although Ray has only been performing solo for a relatively short time, it’s obvious he has what it takes. If you liked what you heard, come back on June 26th when Ray will be doing a longer set opening for Chris Buhalis. If you missed Ray yesterday, don’t miss him again!

True to form, The Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys rolled in late, but just in time. Wrecks & Mickey opened with an old Chinese melody called “Tu Ning”. Once they figured out how to control the strings in the heat and humidity, they launched into a set of pure gold. Mickey has some truly amazing guitar licks while Wrecks has…well…some pretty sick jokes. Just kidding…Rex is one of the nicest, most sincere guys you could hope to know. It was great to see Mickey and Rex performing together again after all these years. They had to cut out before the end of the show to make it to Austin in time for a radio spot they had scheduled for last night. They have another gig in Austin together tonight. Rex said they were on tour…three cities in one week…Galveston, Friendswood, and Austin. YOU GO BOYS! The blues is knowing the Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys set is over. Don’t forget that you can always catch more of Rex at his club in Galveston, The Old Quarter Acoustic Café, the only club in the area that is strictly for the music.

Finally, it was time for Ray Wylie Hubbard to take center stage. Those of you who had “never appeared before” Ray now know why we’re in love with the man. Although we’ve heard the stories time and time again, it’s fun watching the faces of people that haven’t had the pleasure before as Ray drops the punch line. Song after song, Ray wove a tapestry of vision and wonder as the sun set behind overcast skies. It was also a real pleasure to have Gary Regan jump in there with some great lead work on a few songs with Ray. Melanie, Alan, Beverly, and I are sincerely grateful for all you did this weekend, Ray. Thank you for sharing the time with us, friend.

And, yes folks, yet another Ray Wylie Hubbard CD to be released on July 6th, “Crusade of the Restless Knights”. Join us again at the Mucky Duck on July 23rd for your first chance to pick up an autographed copy of the new one.

A special thanks to Judy and Lucas for coming with Ray this time. We really enjoyed having both of you at our home, and you know the door is always open for you. It was great to see Lucas out of the cast, and other than a slight limp, looking no worse for the wear. At one point I asked Lucas how on earth was he able to sleep with that big ol’ cast on? He immediately took the shape of the body cast and proceeded to demonstrate all the strange and contorted positions he was able to rest in. It was priceless…where is the video camera when you need it?

We also want to thank all our friends from out of town that were able to stay for the show & help make it such a special afternoon. Bruce & Vickie, Mark & Marylee, Patricia, Peter, Chris, Chuck, we’re so glad you were able to be here! Thanks again to all our terrific friends who hung around and helped clean things up so quickly. That makes it so much easier to recover from these things.

For the love of the song,
Barney & Beverly Goodman

Visit Ray Wylie Hubbard’s website
https://raywylie.com