Taking a scan at the lineup was eye-popping as usual. In the words of the immortal Sammy Davis Jr. “If this don’t turn you on, you ain’t got no switches” and it’s totally true. Music lovers everywhere will be talking about this one for a long long time. Around here The Friends of Conroe were excited to host all the fine musicians and guests and we’re looking forward to seeing you next year.

Somebody’s Darling

This Dallas band led off the Texas Stage and rocked us with their own style of country flavored with Americana and a touch of R&B. A long time favorite in Conroe, this band has matured and grown musically by leaps and bounds both in songwriting and live performance.  Led by Amber Ferris’ stunning vocals are David Ponder on guitars, Michael Talley on bass and Nate Wedan on percussion, they soared through a mix of tunes from the first CD and the new EP. We also got a sampling of a bit of the material for a CD in the very early stages of production.

I was backstage when I heard Bobby McGee start up and I was sure it was Janis. It stopped me in my tracks so Matt Matthews and I took a listen to make sure it wasn’t. I could and couldn’t say it was a cover song, it was totally stunning but Amber was being just..well..Amber. They’re coming back to Conroe Oct. 23rd at the Corner Pub and you don’t want to miss this band whatever you do.

Dustin Welch

Also from the Texas stage, Dustin Welch came on after Somebody’s Darling. Another long time favorite of us here in Conroe, Dustin blew me away (again) with a full band. I’ve heard Dustin before and I’ve never heard him play like this, this was the best show I’ve ever seen him do and I can’t say enough about it. His material sounds as good as his duo with Steve Bernall at the intimate venue of the City Café in downtown Conroe as it does with a full band at the outdoor amphitheater just down the road from downtown.

Dustin comes from a musical heritage, his father is non other than Kevin Welch and his sister is Savannah Welch of the Trishas, so it’s a natural for Dustin to move into his own with his very successful Whiskey Priest CD and continuing with Tijuana Bible due early 2011. I’ll go on record as predicting this CD will be critically acclaimed and popular success also.

About half of Dustin’s song list came from Whiskey Priest with the other half from the upcoming Tijuana Bible CD. Led by Dustin were Eldridge Goins on Drums, Jeremy Nail on guitar, Steve Bernall on bass and Trisha Keefer on violin.  Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Savannah Welch, Liz Foster and Kelley Mickwee from The Trishas joined Dustin onstage for the title song Whiskey Priest and I don’t think Conroe will ever be the same. As usual Dustin delivered so watch for him to be back in Conroe soon and put this solidly rising musician on your calendar.

The Trishas

Rounding out this spectacular evening was yet another Conroe favorite, The Trishas. These are 5 very talented women who bring their veteran talents together for one of the most compelling musical experiences we’ve seen here in Conroe for a while. I don’t think it’s appropriate to say there’s one leader, it’s better to say that the lady who wrote the song (they all write) takes the lead and the others very ably support her. Forming the Trishas are Trisha Keefer, Kelly Mickwee, Jamie Wilson, Liz Foster, and Savannah Welch with John Ross Silva on drums.

But Conroe isn’t the only place in which they’ve become favorites. Ask around their hometown Austin  or Nashville or Telluride, Colorado or Dallas..or..or. Watch for them because it wont be long you wont have to ask anymore, except to ask your friends if they’ve seen them yet.

The set list that night was taken mainly from their newly released EP which has the characteristically soft spoken title ‘They Call Us The Trishas’.  Effortlessly, songs like the traditional Trouble About My Soul, Give it away, Rise Above carried us away in a way that’s totally unique.  They ended their set with a very special song that Savannah’s and Dustin’s father Kevin Welch wrote called ‘Till I’m Too Old To Die Young’.  It was one of those rare moments in a show that touched all of us when Dustin came onstage to sing beside Savannah. ‘Til I’m Too Old To Die Young’ appears on their EP and echoes the sentiments of all parents towards their children in four part harmony.

If you haven’t seen The Trishas yet shame on you. You can expect them back to Conroe often, so be watching but in the meantime get that EP!

Ok, lets get on to day 2 here at the Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival.  Lots of great music coming off of all 3 stages and yours truly couldn’t get enough and I bounced from stage to stage all day. I did take a mid-day break at the City Café for some great Cajun style Catfish  (IN A CHAIR!!) and some A/C.  For those who aren’t already aware the festival has 3 stages, namely The Texas Stage, The Cajun Stage and Willie B’s Pub stage. One cool thing is that the stages are far enough apart so they don’t interfere with each other. A drop into the Corner Pub is always a great stop for some great music and one of Siegleman’s fabulous Chicago Style Sub Sandwiches.

Wayne Toups

Over on the Cajun Stage was Wayne Toups, who takes the stage here in Conroe at least once a year. He always plays for the Festival, but has played the Conroe First Thursday Concert Series in the past. I’ve got to say Wayne won’t let you down in any venue, but the festival venue is where Wayne shines because he enjoys interacting with his audience so much. He’s even gotten his son into the action on percussion!

Traveling the world playing his own brand of music which he calls Zydecajun which is a blend of Cajun and Zydeco and Rock, Wayne can touch your heartstrings or get you on your feet dancing with an ease seasoned by his many years performing. His last CD was in 2008 with the single “Free Me” in 2009 so we’re all looking for another CD sometime, somewhere. His song list was taken from the best his multi-album history. Wayne always draws a large enthusiastic party crowd fit for young and old. So if you’re into one of the most popular American Cajun Singers, you don’t want to miss Wayne Toups the next time he hits town! I know he’ll be here again for next year’s festival.

The Fab 5

Moving on over to Willie S’s pub stage we ran into The Fab 5. What can I say about these guys? To us who survived the 60’s and moved into the 70’s The Fab 5 was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. These guys don’t just cover songs, they bring the songs back to life word for word, note for note from Elvis to The Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Moody Blues. It’s totally uncanny how the band can make organ can cry on Whiter Shade of Pale then turn around and make the horns kick in on Sam & Dave’s Hold on I’m Comin. This is another don’t miss next time band…or for shame, for shame.

Willie B’s Pub was the center of some great music Saturday, but so was The Cajun Stage and the Texas Stage and getting around toall stages took a lot of fast walking.

Jubal Lee Young was the first up on Saturday at the Willie Bs pub stage and I’ve already told ya allll about him, so I won’t say anything more here except to say that this guy is goin places and you can pester him at http://juballeeyoung.com.

Dustin Ray & The Southern Groove

I’d seen Dustin at Gatorfest not too long ago, just long enough ago to remember it was hot, hot and more hot. Fortunately Dustin came on before it got really hot so I remember him very well and when I found he was scheduled for the Festival I made it a point to get over to the Cajun Stage to check him out.  I wasn’t disappointed either.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Dustin Ray grew up around a musical family already entrenched in the Zydeco scene. He picked up the accordion at age 11 to honor his late father and at the urging of his grandfather learned to practice and keep playing. His grandfather taught him to sing in French and from there Dustin took off and at age 14 began performing in front of crowds.

Ever sit and listen to someone and figure out they listened to and who influenced their music? I’m telling ya, I’d have to say that if I closed My eyes I could hear  Wayne Toups with a tinge of Tony Joe White and The Rolling Stones. Point is that Dustin has created his own sound and obviously it’s working out for him.

Most of the song list came from the first CD ‘Out da Box’ released in 2004 and his second CD ‘Southern Grooves’ released in 2009.  By the way, Hunter Hayes appeared on this 2nd CD. Hitting the stage right around dinnertime, his brand of energy driven accordion and strong voice backed up by a solid band held the crowd together while they ate gator, mudbugs and burgers washed down by a good cold one.

I’d look for this young and talented musician in the future around here. If you like the Zydeco, this young man knows how to deliver.
Stoney LaRue

Ok, back over to the Texas Stage for Stoney LaRue. I was looking on from backstage with my  friend Jubal Lee Young. He says “yea Man..if I’m in town he’ll bring me out for a song. I’ll do the same and we been doing that for years”. Well ok, I took that as a pretty solid endorsement because Jubal doesn’t climb up onstage with just anyone. Unfortunately I sprinted to another stage about half way through the show and missed Jubal’s appearance, but such is the life… Also turns out another wonderful musician I’ve seen lately named Kristen Kelly got her start in Stoney’s band.

I can tell you the crowd was ready for Stoney though. I was able to take a look at the crowd from the stage and it was standing room only as far back as I could see. His beer driven country flavored red dirt outlaw music rocked the huge crowd for the next hour and a half. You could almost hear the growl of a Harley headed out to Luckenbach from his native Oklahoma in almost every song and you knew you were in the middle of Red Dirt country. The sea of hands and faces in the crowd were nothing but totally into it.

Although he’s been appearing as a guest on more CDs than you can count, Stoney led his own road band The Organic Boogie Band to it’s very successful 2002 release of Downtown which was recorded live and established him on the national scene with over 300 dates per year. It wasn’t until 2005 when his next CD ‘The Red Dirt Album’ was released. The 2007 release of “Live at Billy Bob’s” CD & DVD was his last CD, but judging by the enthusiasm of the crowd I’d look for another CD coming out of Red Dirt Country.

Mark May Band

Back over to the Willie B’s stage was Mark May featuring Miss Molly.  Mark is one of those guitar players that can make his Gibson cry and moan the blues tempered by time and the road. Led by Mark May are Dan Cooper on bass, Paul Ramirez on guitar and Greg Grubbs on drums and were some of the finest blues musicians I’ve heard in a very long time.

When I got to the Pub, Mark’s set had begun and I listened to some of the smoothest, most soulful guitar I’ve heard for a long while. In fact I think the last I heard like this was Mark May from about a year ago. Funny how time flies. What I didn’t expect was a cover of “Ohio” by Neil Young. Southbound by the Allman Brothers didn’t surprise Me really, but it gave Me a sense of the music that influenced Mark.

Miss Molly was introduced and joined the band onstage and hit the ground running with tunes like Standing on Shaky Ground and Rock Me All Night Long. Familiar songs delivered in Miss Molly’s dynamic style which had the crowd up and belly-rubbin in no time.

The Mark May band tours across the country, but Houston is home and if you’re ready to see this fantastic band bring R&B alive, catch this seasoned, veteran and find out the music is alive and well. You’ll be hooked.

Reckless Kelly

Hitting the Texas stage after Stoney Larue was Reckless Kelly who come to us from Austin with their brand of rowdy Red Dirt and Country Rock. Between them and Stoney the three hours of music kept the Amphitheater packed. I don’t think you could have turned around without spilling a beer or stepping on someone’s feet.  In fact I have a case in point. I moved out to center stage to snap a few images and believe me those rose bushes don’t make it easy. Ok, so I was finally in position and ready to shoot when someone being pushed by the crowd decided to use Me to steady themselves and couldn’t help making their own contribution to the scratches I already had. Having thrown my body into the effort I got the shots.

Reckless Kelly has played Conroe in the past, and Conroe was wild to have them back. The Braun brothers, Willy on vocal/guitar and Cody Braun on fiddle/mandolin/vocals led David Abeyta on guitar, Jay Nazz on drums and Chris Schelske on bass to deliver a monster of a hard-driving crowd pleasing set as only Reckless Kelly can deliver.

We got a solid taste of RK’s newest CD ‘Somewhere in Time’ starting with the hard driving  ‘Ballad of Elano Deleon’ through the Western swing ‘You Cared Enough to Lie’.  On the songlist were tunes from the 2003’s “Under the Table and Above the Sun’ with ‘Desolation Angels’ and ‘Vancouver’.  2008’s Bulleproof CD rounded out the most of the rest of the song list.

Wildly popular and hard-driving Reckless Kelly leaves no room to doubt the impact they have on Country Rock/Country/Alt Country music. If you’re into real life, hard-driving party music you became a fan with the first verse, bought all the CDs and it’s all you listen to now.

Trudy Lynn

On Sunday, the 3rd day of the festival I was taking it a little easier and headed to Willie B’s to see Houston’s own Trudy Lynn. One of Charles Tullis’ (TUTS in Conroe) favorites Trudy plays the festival every year and carries a solid song list from the early Blues, R&B and Stax Soul music. Born in Houston’s fifth ward she cut her teeth on the blues, but pretty quickly began moving into the new sounds of soul. Other Houston luminaries Albert Collins and Clarence Green took her under their wing and helped propel her career into an established R&B performer. She never forgot her roots and looks to the real life, real people to keep her grounded.

It’s only lately she’s begun recording her own original work you can look for Trudy to keep going, and be one of those names that brings the greatness of R&B and Soul back to you in a huge way. Keep your eye on this Conroe favorite.