Rod’s chair left in memoriam of the man who created a world for thousands to claim.

Sunday morning started off with about 30 minutes of rain. Now, to most folks, that wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, but those who know Kerrville Festivals’ founder and producer Rod Kennedy, know he was known as Rod the Rainmaker by the Kerrville townspeople. So often during the festivals, it would rain. A simple explanation of that. Then, when Kennedy died, 4/14/14, it was early that Monday morning, and a downpour hit the Hill Country only minutes after his death. It stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the great day.

Sunday, at this year’s festival, marked the last of several memorials being held in Rod Kennedy’s honor, and some of those wondered, even suspected, that the person they were all still grieving over had announced, again, he was still on the grounds.

In fact, at the memorial concert, one songwriter wrote a song about (I can’t remember the words exactly) turning around once heaven is reached and coming back to earth as rain. Me? I’m remembering the words that David Halley wrote decades ago in a song, “Rain don’t fall for the flowers when it falls… rain just falls.”

There were poems read and songs sung, some humorous and some more serious, but all tributes in their own styles.

For photos of the Rod Kennedy Tribute, click here:

The evening concert was incredible. Chuck Pyle opened it up, and he’s always a treat to listen to. Such an artist. If you don’t know much about him, look him up. You’ll be amazed at the hits he’s written.

For Chuck Pyle pix, click here:  (P.S. There’s a few also in the Larry Joe Taylor pic file)

Bobby Bridger pulled off a set without a single pause in his tribute to the Native American Indian and their unique culture. Bobby told me that incredible guitar picker with him was the legendary John Inmon.

For Bobby Bridger pix, click here:

David Amram, perhaps the world’s most versatile and talented musician EVER in the history of music. At 83 years of age, this New Yorker who put a Texas-sounding name on his homestead, is still as talented as he ever was. And a regular each year at the Kerrville Festival, as he is at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Okla., each year. He brought a young, extremely talented band with him, four men from across the good ol’ U.S.A. and calling themselves simply The Amigos. What a combination of talent on stage.

For David Amram & The Amigos pix, click here

And lastly, Larry Joe Taylor closed it all out with the North Texas style that he features throughout his own festival. It was the first time that this band has played this festival, although they had been there a few years before at a Kerrville fall festival. Also, Larry Joe Taylor was a former New Folk contestant, something he remembered well. After the night ended, and when asking several people who their favorite new-to-them-band was, it was this LJT band mentioned most often. In other words, they garnered a multitude of new fans that Sunday night. Way to go, guys!

For LJT band pix, including Dave Perez and Chuck Pyle, click here

And just a few pix for the road.

For this festival goer, the highlight of the day was the staff concert. This began about 30 years ago when the festival producer, Rod Kennedy, and some others involved realized just how many talented musicians come to the festival to work as volunteers, and were giving their all in their various positions. The staff concert gives a chance for the audience to also see this side of these amazing people.

Near the end of the concert, Saturday afternoon, a special volunteer was recognized as the best on his or her particular work crew, nominated by their various crew chiefs. Most were on hand to be recognized, and most had been there all three weeks of this year’s festival.

For photos from the staff concert, click here:

Albert & Gage

Albert & Gage, a duo for the past 17 years, brought with them a bass player and drummer to round out a full band sound that closed out Saturday’s main stage. Christine Albert began working with Chris Gage when he joined her band temporarily 17 years ago, and from there they have continued to grow and expand their artistic accomplishments to also record production, writing, and much more. For a band who has traveled the world together to come back home to Kerrville Festivals was a full circle trip, as this wasn’t their first time on the Kerrville stages.

For Albert & Gage photos, click here.

For photos of other bands and a few crowd shots, click here

First event for the day was the ever-popular Ballad Tree. This event is hosted on Chapel Hill every afternoon of the festival, and hosted by musicians of renown. Friday’s host was blues picker Graham Warwick who, with his band, has won enough local and regional blues competitions that they will be traveling to compete in a national blues contest in January 2015. (As soon as I get the details, I’ll revise this note.)

The Ballad Tree is completely acoustic, and by that I mean, there are no mics, no hook-ups for guitars, nothing, except instruments and voices. And the breeze that cooled the afternoon down on the hill couldn’t silence those. Some stand nearer the crowd to be better heard, some stand a little farther away. And as I sat there and listened, I could only think two things: “There are some house concert promoters who should be here listening to these incredible musicians/songwriters/singers,” and “The music on the main stage tonight will be great, better amplified, under lights, and with a bigger audience, but the music tonight won’t be any better than it is right here.”

It opened with Graham and his guitar-picking sidekick, Emmett Smith. They, like all the others who followed, performed two songs. Then, after all 15 who signed up had performed, they each got another short second set.

Zoe Lewis

For photos of the Ballad Tree, click here:

The even concert was filled with bands I’d never heard of, and for me that is always exciting. Before the evening was out, I’d become a huge fan of the British-turned-American singer/songwriter Zoe Lewis.  Zoe had three other musicians with her: fiddle, drums, and doghouse bass.  She brought the crowd to its feet with her zany combinations of jazz, scat, funk, well, basically you-name-it-and-she-can-play-it genre. She was a 2002 Kerrville New Folk winner who now tours worldwide with her brand of energetic and outrageously entertaining music.

For Zoe Lewis band pix, click here

For a few other pix, click here:

Butch Morgan

Arrived on the ranch about 3:30 p.m., and excited to be here. Camping near old buddy Dorothy Hammond and her hubby, J.C. Dorothy worked the office as a volunteer decades ago, when I was here with the festivals, and she and J.C. just returned this year and are living on Quiet Valley Ranch. Of course, both are working as are hundreds of others here.

Also saw three old friends for the first time in ages, Steve Caruthers, who used to work in the office throughout the year while I did, too. He was bookkeeper and lots more. Good visit and plan more with him. Also Radar… not even sure what Radar’s last name is… but who cares, he’s really Radar, still smiling and happy. And Susan, my friend Susan Roads, still taking the best photographs of them all. And if you read this in the next day or two, stop and say a short prayer for her dad, who is having surgery Friday.

The music tonight was on the Threadgill stage, a 4-person song swap. Libby Koch from Houston, Ken Gaines also from Houston, Jaime Michaels fr0m Santa Fe, and Butch Morgan from Divine (according to his song about Eddie). What fun it was, and the crowd was singing along with their songs all through the 2-hour set. Great harmonies all around me. Libby has a voice and a smile to knock your socks off, Ken shows a lot of humor blended with other human emotions in his, and Jaime was a really pleasant surprise, and perfect blend for all of them. Of course, a lot of people in North Texas are already familiar with Butch Morgan, having played at the Pawless Fest and Wildflower! Fest over the years.

I’m going to try to keep up daily with this, but already think it’s going to be hard… there’s so much going on all the time, and so many incredible people to visit with. Some I’ve met, some I’m going to meet.

Still getting familiar with all the new ways this festival works, so don’t know if these performers have any CDs or not, but I’m for finding out.

Tomorrow (Friday) starts out with me trying to find a golf cart I can rent. I’d forgotten just how hilly this Hill Country ranch is, and just how much harder it is for me to negotiate these days.

For photos of the Thursday 4-some song swap, click here