"Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin

"Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin

"Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin "The Austin Chronicle, it's just like, is so fiercely loyal to the local scene and willingly ignores opportunities to interview national artists in favor of a local artist. I think that means something in terms of where we put the quality of the people in our community in comparison to people in the national picture. You know, we wanna treat them on the same level, and I think it's important, you know?" (Kevin Curtin, 2021) This episode of Austin Roots features Kevin Curtin, music journalist at the Austin Chronicle, in conversation with hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard. They trace Austin's music ecosystem from the Armadillo World Headquarters era to the present, exploring how venues, journalism, visual art, and community identity have shaped the city's culture. Topics range from Kevin's origins as a hitchhiker/camper-dweller who broke into music writing, to the legacy of the Chronicle's music column, the East Austin blues tradition, the modern psychedelic revival, and the challenges of preserving a vibrant scene amid rapid growth. Content Warning: adult themes Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 02:00 - Hitchhiking to Austin in 2006, living in a camper, working at Planet K head shop 03:00 - How he wore down veteran journalist Margaret Moser to get his first writing opportunity 04:00 - Transition from musician identity to writer identity; attending 300+ shows/year 06:00 - Eddie's recollection of recognizing Kevin's "enthusiastic potential" 08:00 - The Austin Chronicle's 40+ year lineage; only 7 people have written music news column 10:00 - Chronicle's unique position as a "dedicated press corps" for the local scene 12:00 - Austin clubs having strong personal identities, traced back to the Armadillo 17:00 - Armadillo's diversity of programming out of financial necessity 18:00 - Word-of-mouth impact spread by touring national acts (Van Morrison, ZZ Top stories) 22:00 - Community trust in venue operators as cultural stewards 25:00 - Red River District History 27:00 - Eddie's restaurant "Raw Deal" and the area's early club history 30:00 - Bill Campbell as a legendary, press-shy Austin figure 33:00 - Austin's blues through-line from the East Side to Antone's to Gary Clark Jr. 35:00 - Austin's "boomtown" growth over the past 12 years 36:00 - Multiple distinct scenes coexisting: garage, honky-tonk, hip-hop, blues, psychedelic 38:00 - The modern psychedelic revival (Black Angels, Austin Psych Fest/Levitation) 39:00 - Tommy Hall's prescient belief that his music would endure 41:00 - Physical print vs. digital — the Chronicle's commitment to the printed artifact 43:00 - How Kevin uses video/social media to surface local and legacy artists 44:00 - Chronicle as a pipeline for young writers; optimism about the future of music journalism 46:00 - The value of telling stories of lesser-known contributors to the scene 49:00 - Gilbert Shelton and Jim Franklin's roles in establishing Austin's concert poster culture 57:00 - Clifford Antone and the blues scene 1:00 - Modern venue operators (Dennis Larkins: White Horse, Sagebrush) as successors Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch Guest: Kevin Curtin - artist, writer, and music journalist at the Austin Chronicle Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik

"Early Club Scenes" with John Toad Andrews

"Early Club Scenes" with John Toad Andrews Forming The Wigs with Boz Scaggs, The Chelsea with George Kinney, and joining Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, to his unlikely second career restoring and selling antique ceiling fans, John "Toad" Andrews' story weaves through some of the most important threads in American rock, blues, and country history. In this episode of Austin Roots, hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard sat down with guitarist John "Toad" Andrews for a sprawling conversation about Austin's early music scene. John recounts his arrival at UT Austin in 1964, the formation of the influential blues-rock band The Wigs alongside Boz Skaggs, and the rhythm-and-blues circuit that shaped him, from fraternity parties to Houston's legendary Black clubs. He traces his path through London, back to Houston playing with bandleader Grady Gaines, a stint in LA rehearsing with the Mike Nesmith-backed Armadillos, and finally joining Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth in San Francisco. The band's journey took them to Nashville, where they recorded with country legends. Along the way, John crossed paths with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, and the Doobie Brothers. He closes with the unlikely story of how he traded his guitar for a second career restoring antique ceiling fans, ultimately bringing the business back to Austin. Content Warning: adult themes Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 01:02 — Arriving at UT Austin in 1964 - Enrolling at UT after two years at University of Virginia 01:18 - Meeting Bob Arthur at Villa Capri; forming The Wigs 02:05 - Finding Boz Scaggs via UT bulletin board 02:29 - Angus Wynne, social connections & early gigs 06:36 - The fraternity party circuit in '64; party barns like Soap Creek 07:24 - Eastwood Country Club in San Antonio; Gatemouth Brown & Curly Mays 08:39 - The Wigs' repertoire: Freddie King, Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed 09:13 - The Wigs wind down; plan to go to London 10:56 - London, the draft, and escaping to Majorca 12:37 - Back in Austin '65; meeting George Kinney & Roky Erickson 13:17 - Forming The Chelsea with George Kinney & Daryl Rutherford 22:17 - Houston R&B With Grady Gaines 22:49 - Mike Nesmith recruits a Texas band (The Armadillos) to LA 23:36 - The Armadillo name — early precursor to AWHQ 24:07 - Connecting with Roy Gaines; auditioning for Little Richard 25:57 - Joining Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth in San Francisco 26:59 - Recording Living with the Animals; Dick Clark's American Bandstand (playing live) 27:34 - The Armadillo World Headquarters opening night (setting the record straight) 29:06 - Mother Earth heads to Nashville; recording with country legends 37:01 - Bring Me Home on Warner Brothers; Tim Drummond joins 38:16 - Newport Pop Festival 1969 — 200,000 people 39:05 - Bob Arthur fills in for Billy Cox with Jimi Hendrix 39:53 - Crossing paths with Jerry Jeff Walker & Jimmy Buffett 40:06 - The Pan American train ride; the origin of Railroad Lady 42:57 - Playing the Armadillo World Headquarters 50:38 - Second career: discovering antique ceiling fans in Nashville 52:02 - First big ceiling fan sale; road trip to Evansville, Indiana 54:53 - Opening a fan store in Austin 54:56 - Hunter Fan Co. Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch Guest: John "Toad" Andrews, guitarist and Austin music veteran Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik

"Pioneering The Family Traditions" with John Lomax III

"Pioneering the Family Traditions" with John Lomax III "So grandfather would lie in bed at night and hear the, uh, cowboys nearby. They would stop off and just spend the night nearby, practically in their yard, and he'd hear 'em singing songs, which they would do to keep the cattle calmed down. So sooner or later he started sneaking out of the house and hanging out with the cowboys and writing down the words to the songs that he heard. And somehow, without any musical training, without any books, … he figured out a way to remember the melodies of the songs that he heard, that he was writing down all these words for… and his first book came out in 1910." John Lomax III This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with John Lomax III, continuing the legendary Lomax folklore dynasty. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard explore John's family heritage—from his grandfather John Avery Lomax's pioneering cowboy song collections and the famous 1933 recording trip that discovered Lead Belly, to his uncle Alan Lomax's influence on the British Invasion and the BBC. John shares stories about his father managing Lightning Hopkins, his own career managing Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle, and the vibrant Austin and Houston music scenes of the 1960s-70s. The conversation covers the 13th Floor Elevators, Liberty Hall, the transition from folk to psychedelic rock, and John's perspectives on Nashville's country music evolution. Content Warning: adult themes Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 02:00 - The Lomax Dynasty Begins (1880s-1910) 03:00 - John Avery Lomax's childhood near the Chisholm Trail 04:00 - Recording cowboy songs and "Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads" (1910) 05:00 - Harvard fellowship and academic validation 09:00 - The 1933 Recording Trip, and depression era struggles 10:00 - Recording technology: acetate discs in Model A Ford 11:00 - 17,000 recordings deposited with Library of Congress 12:00 - Song rights advocacy: Lead Belly, James Carter, and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" 16:00 - Bess Lomax Hawes and the National Endowment for the Arts 18:00 - John Lomax Jr. as folk singer and Lightning Hopkins' manager 21:00 - Alan Lomax's decade in England (1950s) and influence on British Invasion 24:00 - Alan's work on song rights and royalties 26:00 - John Henry Faulk and McCarthyism 30:00 - University of Texas years and music journalism 31:00 - Writing for Space City News and underground press 33:00 - First hearing Townes Van Zandt at the 11th Door 34:00 - 13th Floor Elevators and the birth of psychedelia 36:00 - Austin Venues: Vulcan Gas Company, Jade Room 39:00 - Lightning Hopkins in Houston's Third Ward 40:00 - Houston music scene at Liberty Hall with Mike Condrey 44:00 - Bill Simonson and managing Austin venues 47:00 - The Ritz and Jim Franklin 48:00 - Moving to Nashville (1973) 50:00 - Working with Jack Cowboy Clement 53:00 - Austin vs Nashville Rivalry 54:00 - Texas songwriters in Nashville: Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell 58:00 - How Eddie became a manager for Shiva's Headband 1:00 - Managing Townes Van Zandt, and moving Townes from Colorado to Nashville 1:02 - The fan club letters and emotional impact 1:05 - Townes' humor and personality beyond the tragedy 1:07 - "Live at the Old Quarter" album (recorded 1973, released 1977) 1:13 - Managing Steve Earle 1:14 - Guy Clark and Minor Wilson 1:15 - Travis Rivers connection 1:19 - Concerns about modern country music 1:20 - Writing career and future projects Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch [https://armadilloworld.com/shop/] Guest: John Lomax III - Music writer, manager, and producer Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik

"Archiving The History of Austin" with Leea Mechling

"Archiving The History of Austin" with Leea Mechling "Prosperity doesn't always mean dollar signs. Sharing music and sharing art really expands your heart." (Leea Mechling) Leea Mechling grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where her earliest music experiences ranged from Czech dance halls to an Ike & Tina Turner backstage pass at age 11. After moving to Austin to attend UT, Leea fell in with the crowd at the Armadillo World Headquarters, where she worked from 1974 until its 1980 closing. She shares vivid stories from those years: the push to get women onto the main floor bar, and Henry Gonzalez's tireless creativity building stage sets and preserving posters. After the Armadillo closed, Leea worked with Asleep at the Wheel, Gregg Allman, and Stevie Ray Vaughan before channeling her passion for Austin music history into founding the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop) in 2004. What started on two folding tables next to Planet K on South Lamar has grown into a celebrated archive and exhibition space, with partnerships at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Wittliff Collections, and the Bob Bullock Museum. Leea sees AusPop's mission as essential in a rapidly changing Austin: not to recreate the past, but to inspire newcomers and young artists to build something authentic of their own. Content Warning: adult themes Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 01:06 - Growing up in Corpus Christi; family music influences, Czech dance halls 02:03 - First concert: Ike & Tina Turner, 1968 (with backstage passes at age 11) 03:03 - The 13th Floor Elevators connection explained 04:05 - A fake Tiger Beat press passes and crashing a band rehearsal 07:09 - "Cowboys vs. surfers": the South Texas counterculture divide 07:44 - Friends from Corpus (John Main, Ken Featherston, Houston Evans) already at UT 08:38 - Starting at the Armadillo World Headquarters (1974) 11:55 - Women at the Armadillo: the fight to work the main floor bar 12:44 - The black nightgown strategy; breaking the barrier 13:55 - Jan Beeman: the Armadillo's den mother and moral compass 15:15 - Jan Beeman charms Frank Zappa into changing his backstage demands 17:54 - Henry Gonzalez: artist, muralist, and Armadillo creative force 22:48 - Most memorable musical nights at the Armadillo 23:58 - Roy Buchanan: babysitting Ben, and heartbreak at the Armadillo's closing 26:41 - Bruce Springsteen: "a Yankee who thinks he can rock and roll" 28:46 - Post-Armadillo: life after the Dillo closes, including a job with Asleep at the Wheel 30:42 - Founding the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (2004) 31:01 - Henry's poster preservation mission starting in 1968 35:01 - AusPop's role in a rapidly changing Austin 49:54 - Collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch Guest List: Leea Mechling, Founder, Executive Director and Curator, Austin Museum of Popular Culture Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik

"A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton

"A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton "Chet Helms and Jack Jackson and some others, and then I bought a printing press. It was our idea to print rock posters. That was a big thing at the time. Nobody knew how to run our new printing press and our posters were really crappy, but then we discovered that printing on the comic books didn't have to be good printings. We shifted over to comic books at Ripoff Press. (Dave Morty) was running the small printing press and he had long hair. This is not a good idea for a printer. And the printing press caught him by the hair and pulled him in, but it wasn't powerful enough to crush him. And after 30 minutes, the postman came in with the mail. After a few minutes, Morty was able to instruct him how to find the off switch, and he was able to pull his hair, where that name comes from." Gilbert Shelton This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with legendary underground cartoonist Gilbert Shelton, creator of Wonder Warthog, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and Not Quite Dead. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard speak with Shelton from his home in France, where he's lived since the 1980s, about his formative years in Austin during the 1960s counterculture movement. The conversation spans Shelton's time as editor of the Texas Ranger humor magazine at UT, his role as creative director of the Vulcan Gas Company, and his eventual move to San Francisco where he co-founded Rip Off Press. Shelton shares vivid memories of Austin's underground press scene, including colorful stories about fellow artists Jack Jackson, Joe Brown, and Jim Franklin, as well as musicians like Janis Joplin and encounters with Bob Dylan. The discussion also touches on the Austin Police Department's surprisingly lenient attitude toward marijuana, the origins of the armadillo as Austin's unofficial mascot, and how the Freak Brothers became an enduring symbol of 1960s counterculture. Content Warning: adult themes, stories of drug use Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 02:00 - UT's humor magazine culture in the early 1960s 04:00 - Jack Jackson's artistic development and later historical work 08:00 - Early Comics as political and social satire elements 13:00 - Role as art director and poster designer for the Vulcan Gas Company 15:00 - Jim Franklin's arrival and armadillo artwork 20:00 - The armadillo as UT mascot movement 21:00 - Wonder Warthog and the evolution of the character through the decades 23:00 - First publication in Bacchanal magazine 27:00 - Billy Lee Brammer 29:00 - Drugs and artistic influence 31:00 - Early Influences: Dick Tracy and other comics 36:00 - The Bob Dylan encounter 40:00 - Musicians: PJ Proby and Tommy Hall 42:00 - Founding Rip Off Press with Dave Morty, Fred Todd, Jack Jackson 44:00 - Origins of 'The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers' in the Austin Rag newspaper 48:00 - Freak Brothers' cultural impact and resonance 50:00 - Rip Off Press, the warehouse space and legendary parties 54:00 - The Caswell House commune parties 59:00 - Living with Janis Joplin on East Ninth Street in Austin 1:03 - Final thoughts on the counterculture legacy Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch Guest: Gilbert Shelton - Underground cartoonist and creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik