This man and several others keep a constant video stream on two jumbo trons and inside the V.I.P. metal tent backstage.

Lots more photos will be posted next week. For now, here’s a few: Thursday photos

First off, let me repeat what I kinda alluded to before — it’s the staff here at LJT Texas Music Festival that makes it work. And makes my life easier. The Allsup’s stage crew, Aaron Underwood, David Byboth, Ray Summy; all-around everyone’s helper Joe Honea and Keith Canabiss; wait staff Elizabeth and Cassandra; security guards Curtis, who has the same gate every year, and Scooter and… well, too many to name. Thank you so much!

I was so tickled to see Willy, who is moving band equipment from buses to stage and back to buses again— maybe one of the toughest jobs on the grounds ‘cause it’s all up and downhill. Willy was the first, years ago, who made this all easier for me. And I can’t ever forget the back massage lady, who is amazingly good at her trade, a former event photographer, and really friendly… no bad inference intended at all!

This is the way to get around this festival! Anyone got one for giveaway?

Thursday was a pretty day, and by that I mean NO rain whatsoever! (But just wait for Friday’s recap!)

First time to hear Luke Wade, who made such a great showing on last season’s The Voice. He is quite the songwriter, with a voice of perfection. … Terri Hendrix, who sat on the sidelines listening to every word he had written, later told him he was a master wordsmith (paraphrased).

Zane Williams brought his full band to the Allsup’s (aka cloned TMR hippie) stage, and had largest crowd waiting afterward for signatures on their newly-purchased CDs and the obligatory cell phone photos with him. Dang it, he autographed mine “For sweet Mary Jane!” and so all the rest of the day and into Friday I had to be “sweet.” Tough job indeed!

(Can you tell where my love still lies — the acoustic and songwriters and more local acts are the cream.)

Kevin Fowler, tho, also showed his true creamy colors when I told him this story: A staffer asked me to send him a photo of Kevin Fowler (before Kevin was even on stage). I said sure, but asked why. His daughter just joined the military and she’s a big Kevin fan, and he wants to give it to her. Kevin said I’d better just give it away —  no charge. Of course, heck yeah!

Night-time — Bud Light BIG stage, six acts and I’ll post lots of photos from some of those later. I quit each night when the crowd gets unruly enough to begin slinging beer everywhere, and (sorry, but…) I won’t have my camera ruined by drunk vandals. (When I was drinking, one of my main objectives was to drink every drop in the can. I would NEVER have wasted it slinging it in the air.)

My phone’s personal hotspot (and everyone else’s I have heard) won’t connect to the wifi, so having to wait to post all this and upload photos. It’s OK, it’s ALL GOOD… it’s frustrating!

For more photos, click on the link below —

Wow! The big concern of the day was the weather… what with all the radar system, weather systems, and television stations’ websites, Larry Joe Taylor Fest was destined to be demolished by heavy rains, hail, and possibly even a tornado. Music started (Dolly Shine opened up and The Turnpike Troubadours closed it down Wednesday), 45 minutes late, but they made up for it by letting ALL musicians have their designated time allotments — that was only fair.

But then, as we all stayed glued to the radar, the storm headed this way seemed part like the Red Sea. Just went around us. Some rain, not enough to put a damper on the fun here.

The rain is beginning to come now in the form of beer slung toward the stage. I posted a photo last year of my beer hair, after 7 days here without shampoo.

Dolly Shine graduated from the Allsups stage to the Bud Light stage — and well deserved! Adam Hood played as a trio. Cody Johnson was, and in

This marks a tree planted in Steve Fromholz’ name.

addition to Zane Williams who is playing Thursday, my favorite band of the festival. Of course, Jason Boland & the Stragglers ain’t shabby!

And, it was Cody’s band who broke down and used the new steps on both sides of the expanded stage. They advanced quite often to the front of it, and then when they threw out koozies, a couple of them went down and handed koozies to those hanging over the fence.

Hayes Carll, Cooder Graw, Richard Leigh (who has written almost as many country hits as has Dean Dillon and yet remains so down-to-earth and real) — so much good music here it’s hard not to just wallow in it. For instance, while backstage at the smaller Allsups stage (comparable to the hippie stage at Texas Music Revolution), while one band was on stage tearing it up, another stood behind me getting their harmonies down. Stereo — even tho they were two entirely different songs, it was fun.!

‘nuf said. More tomorrow.

For more photos, click here — and more will be added next week.

For more photographs, click on the link below.

Delbert McClinton

Four bands tonight, Clay McClinton, Delbert McClinton, Casey Donahew, and opening was the trio of Deryl Dodd, Dave Perez, and Larry Joe Taylor. All were, as one might expect — greatness. But my personal favorite was Delbert McClinton, maybe simply because it had been a decade or more since I heard him. And simply because he’s still got it!

Clay talked a little bit with me about his wreck and the subsequent recovery, and what a toll it took on them all. But, he maintained, his wife Brandy was beside him every step of the way, stalwart in her caring and not letting him give up. And, now, he said, he’s working out and taking really good care of himself. And it shows!

Really, these are where two huge limbs almost meet.

I woke up in my good ol’ hippie van to watch the leaves from two different branches of the same tree, shaking as if being blown by two different winds. Calming and hypnotizing at the same time. After a breakfast sandwich of peanut butter and sugar-free jam on whole wheat bread, washed down with my first Diet Coke of the day, I got to relax… no, make that chillax… the word used around here.

My friend Houston got here, flew in from California, and stopped to pick me up some deodorant. And the festival-goers breathed a collective sigh of appreciation!

I’ve set up my own little ‘media’ table in the permanent metal building used for VIP (on the other side and closed to li’l ol’ me), musicians, and media.

The Diet Cokes are free. And Houston just bought dinner for us — fried alligator meat. It was delicious!

The crowds are still sparser than they will be later on in the week, and that makes it easier to be friendly with them all. And they all want their pictures taken — so I take them.

And thanks to Joe Honea, and Keith, I am being spoiled rotten with golf-cart rides to and from H.V. to wherever I need to go. Basically, it’s still “The answer is no. No, what is the question?” But I’m surviving.

For more photos, click here — and more will be added next week.

Gary P. Nunn, Mary Jane Farmer, and Randy Brown

For more photos, click on the link below. Arrived at Melody Mountain Ranch (Stephenville) at nearly midnight Sunday, and guard at entrance gate said they weren’t letting anyone in yet. So, pulled the hippie van up right beside that guard shack (with permission) and snoozed the night away.

Woke up this morning to the startling realization that I had left ALL my Scene In Town T-shirts at home. It was a good thing that I hadn’t settled into my camping spot yet, because I turned ol’ H.V. around and went to Walmart to buy some shirts. Nothing happens by mistake… (1) If I’d settled in to camping spot, would have had to unsettle in for a trip to town and (2) mistakenly picked up two of the T-shirts in a size that I used to wear, and the rest in my (hopeful at the time) new size. Sure ‘nuf, that used-to-be-right-because-it-is-larger size is TOO big!

Last night, Gary P. Nunn and I had a good visit, plus a good interview (catch that feature story in the upcoming May issue of Buddy Magazine.) And a visit and an interview are two completely different things.

Gary P. and I go way back, into the early 1980s, and Kerrville Folk Festivals and the Kerrville On The Road tours. Collectively, we remembered one particular favorite which included at least two musicians who are no longer with us — Steve Fromholz, and that was the trip in which the motto “It’s Fromholz’ Fault” was coined; and Bob Gibson, who became one of my truly best friends. If you didn’t know Bob, look him up, but I’ll give you a little heads up… he wrote the popular “Abilene” and popularized the 12-string guitar in the folk era. Look (maybe into the far future) for a lot of photos from that and other Kerrville on the Road pix in perhaps a photo book— only from Gary P.

He and I also got to reminisce some about his producing Chance Cody & Spur 503′s CD. He was really proud and excited about the results of that project! Are ya listenin’, Chance?

Met some new people — Natalie, from Kansas City and a first-timer to LJT, and Sterling, a really smiley guy on the production crew; already seen several regulars — Red Dirt Randy, Larry Francis from Whitewright, and of course many of the sound crew returned — David Byboth, Ray Summy, are a couple of them.

Waiting to see old friends Houston Hall, Beth and Jimmy Moon, and Keith, who as a staffer here has a golf cart and makes all this so much easier for me! Along that line, I am camped in a secure spot, but it triples and quadruples the walking distance.

Larry Joe has made improvements to the front of the (already) huge Bud Light stage, and this allows musicians to step out or go down steps to get nearer the audience. For us photogs and media, it also means better access to both sides of the stage.

Got a free shower Monday — they cost $5 later in the week — and that’s when I realized I also forgot my deodorant. Oh, well… I have plenty of baby wipes.

The little frog in one photo was caught in between the wall and slab. I got him out and carried him to safety… well, at least until he hopped out of my hand. So then, I herded him like a sheep dog herds cattle, to a nearby fence which he hopped under to a waiting green meadow! Yea me! (Insert smiley face here. 🙂 )

I don’t usually write blog style, but this festival is just screaming “make it more personal.” So I am.

‘nuf said for today.

For more Monday photos, click here

Bentley, Ridge, and Brooke

Many, many photos linked below.

Held April 11, 2015, the 8th Po Boys Picnic was held at RWR Arena in Denison. Benefits from this event go to help with medical expenses for young Bentley Seymour of Durant, who is almost 7 years old. Bentley is recovering from major surgeries necessary to correct his short-bowel syndrome. The Texoma Blood Bank was on hand to accept blood donations, which will be on credit for him if he uses a Texas hospital for transfusions. Texas Vital Care kept an ambulance and two paramedics on hand through the rodeo, as their donation to the cause. Musicians Russ Lowry and Tommy & the Dee Wops provided entertainment during the horseshoe tournament. There were silent and live auctions, a concession stand, and T-shirts for sale to help raise more money. Children of all ages participated in several Little Britches rodeo activities and it was the first time Po Boys has included bull riding.

The Po Boys Picnic IX is now already in the planning stages and will be sometimes in late autumn. Details forthcoming, and can be found on its Website PoBoysPicnic.com or Facebook Po Boys Picnic.

For photos of volunteers, click here

For photos of kids and other people, click here

For photos of Bentley and the previous recipients, click here

For photos of the stickhorse races, click here

For photos of the mutton bustin’, click here

For photos of sheep sacking contests, click here

For photos of the “get the ribbon from the sheep” contests, click here

For photos of boot scrambles, click here

For photos of bull riding, click here

For photos of horseshoes, music, and other activities, click here