I’d seen TH a few times by her lonesome with a guitar only and was looking forward to the expansion of her music. I was not disappointed at all. The lady was a ball of energy from the get-go and never stopped groovin’ all night with her harmonica and guitar. Early on she stated that “Saint Christopher is still a saint to me and considers him a friend of mine. I keep a cross with me always” Nice.

She spoke of her early influences of Johnny Cash and tipped her hat to the likes of Stubb’s BB-Q and Clifford Antone in Austin for giving her some great breaks in her career. Lady has been putting out albums (12 to date) since 1996 and is a tad strange in her live performance. She is a storyteller more than a singer and her delivery is both a spoken type and sung type with a soulful country delivery. That coupled with the awesome talent of Maines though tipped the scale of enjoyment to me.

Maines is flat out an awesome musician. He had with him guitar, mandolin, and a lap steel and played all three with equal badassness!  ‘You Belong in New Orleans’ was stellar. His name gets associated with his daughter, Natalie, of the Dixie Chicks, but his talents far outweigh those of his offspring to this reviewer.  Highlights included’ Soul of My Soul’, ‘Hole in My Pocket’, ‘Sing About Forgiveness’, and ‘Don’t Pet the Dog’ with a great ending where she showcased her ample lungs to the adoring crowd.

Hendrix does one thing quite well and that is play to the audience. Hell, I bet she would’ve dove into a mosh pit if there was one.  For that matter though seeing Maines alone was worth the trip this school night for me…….The opening band was worth it also this night.

‘The Lost and Nameless Orchestra’ out of Austin brought a dancin’ and jammin’ presence to the park that made me want to catch them again down the road in a more intimate setting. Catchy tunes were “Rabbit Heart’, ‘Counting Stars’, ‘I’m in Love With a Girl’, and ‘Red Apple Juice”.  The blues sound with rockin’ guitar and piercing fiddle wrapped around bluegrass was most interesting.

In closing, I’d like to comment on the rumors swirling around Conroe about the fate of this First Thursday series. To cheapen this fine event by watering down the talent would flat out be a big mistake. People like myself are not going to come to Conroe to see a cover band, but will come and stay in hotels and eat the food at local places to see the likes of Paul Thorne, Carolyn Wonderland, and the band this night to name a few. The people are so friendly and likable and it would be a shame to cut the cord on this event as it exists now.  DON’T fix something that ain’t broke folks!

That’s my take and I hope y’all have a damn nice day!