The Lofts have their own history dating back to the 1930’s when it was built as a hotel for oil workers in and around Conroe. Its changed hands a few times since then, becoming a business center, then a restaurant, then back to a hotel. These days it’s owned by Rodney and Joyce Poole (of Corner Pub fame) and has been renovated to contain business on the 1st floor and apartments on the 2nd.  You’ll fine em at www.oldstatelofts.com and even with the renovations, the Pooles have tried to maintain the characteristic charm inherit in much of downtown Conroe.

The patio on the 2nd floor looks to be the scene of a monthly house concert complete with pot luck and BYOB. Lisa has teamed up with Matt Matthews (www.waymorefm.com) to produce these shows. To find out who’s playing next, call the Conroe Corner Pub at 936.788.2390 or Lisa Rogers at 832.768.6193.

The stage tonight belonged to Jubal Lee Young, lock stock n barrel. Jubal sounded better tonight than I’ve heard him in a long time. Comfortable in his own skin and believable in song. We had some time to catch up a little before the show over some tamales and chile, which was perfect fare for this chilly but comfortable night where he told me he just about had the material down for a new album. In fact, his 2nd set was scheduled to be the entire new record from 1st track to last. He said there was a couple songs I’d likely heard before, but he was ready to spring a few surprises on us.

Playing entirely acoustic, the 1st set was “My idea, in my own world of a best hits set taken from CDs past” starting out with Boom Boom Boom. The autobiographical I Refuse came next and the stage was set for classic Jubal clearly in his element as a songwriter.

No Jubal Lee Young show is complete without some protest music and around mid-set he didn’t disappoint with the Last Free Place, Greedy Old Men, Window Song trio. As an old protest song junkie I was more than happy with that series.

The set wound through all 3 current CDs with my two personal favorites Wood & Steel and As I Lay Dying highlighting the set.

We took a short break and gathered up a few more tamales and chile and came back to the 2nd set. As promised it was entirely the new CD and led off with what I hope is the lead track Texas Pirate Radio. Texas Girls came next which is a kind of tour de force of Texas as seen from the eyes of a traveling musician. I remember those days (from another life) and I will say I enjoyed that song.

Overall, I’d say the new CD will reflect a more settled songwriter, more seasoned and confident. One song I thought was a great one was Ghosts of the Buffalo which is a song he wrote while at the scene of Custer’s Last Stand in Montana. Jubal and his dad, Steve Young, had toured together and took a few days off in and around the battlefield. The song had depth and a sense of mature songwriting realism in it that smacked of the emotional overdrive Jubal must have been experiencing on several fronts at the time.

It’s always a pleasure to see Jubal play and this time wasn’t any different..in fact it was better. He’s deep south outlaw, nuff said and I hope he comes back around soon.

1st Set                                     2nd Set

Boom Boom Boom                  Texas Pirate Radio
I Refuse                                   Texas Girls
Someday                                 Under a Rock in Arkansas
Wood & Steel                         Careful With Your Heart
More Than Anything               Where You Been Lately?
Last Free Place in America      They Call It Love
Greedy Old Men                     My Kind of Crazy
The Window Song                  Ghosts of the Buffalo
As I Lay Dying                        Fearlessly
Falling For You                       Moonlight
East Virginia                            Snake in the Barn
The White Trash Song