Jerry Jeff Walker Birthday Bash

As usual, Jerry Jeff Walker returned to Gruene Hall to celebrate his birthday.  Just like last year, we had a table near the front of the hall for the great show.  For all those who wonder how we get such "preferential" treatment for these sold-out shows, the secret is to log onto the JJW website the minute that the virtual ticket window opens.  It's worked two years in a row.

The "man"  ambled into the hall just as I was checking out the tee shirt table, and I was able to get a close-up shot:

As I wrote last year, Gruene Hall is the perfect venue for Jerry Jeff's music: it is old, funky, and loaded with posters and pictures of performances over the years--not to mention neon beer signs of all the favorite Texas brews. Here are some of the satisfied patrons:

All eyes, of course, were on center stage, where there was great music--and two stepping in the aisles.

Yes, we will be back next year--and as long as Jerry Jeff chooses to celebrate his birthday at Gruene Hall.

Texas Dance Halls

I have written before about Gruene Hall, located about 10 minutes from our home, which bills itself as "Texas' oldest dance hall." Though I have deep roots in Texas, I always thought of Gruene Hall as one of a kind.  After all, I never saw dance halls while growing up in Dallas.

What I needed to do was to adjust my sights to Central Texas, the land settled by Germans and Czechs in the 19th century.  Those Central Europeans did not only bring sausage and beer to Central Texas, they also brought their love of dancing.  And today, though the two step has replaced the polka, a number of the dance halls still survive.

I never thought the Central Texas dance halls would make it to the exalted repertoire of National Public Radio until yesterday's story on "Morning Edition." I almost swallowed my toothbrush when I heard John Burnet 's story about the most recently-renovated establishment, Sengelmann Hall in Schulenburg, Texas.  Burnet reports that at one time there were about 1000 such dance halls operating, largely in the Central Texas region settled by Czechs and Germans; today there are only half that number, and most of them are rotting away in rural areas.  Sengelmannn got a million dollar makeover, thanks to a Houston philanthropist, and it appears to be as impressive as the date it first opened.

One fact is certain:  after a million-dollar makeover, Sengelmann must seem like a palace.  Come to New Braunfels, and we will take you to Gruene Hall:  screens instead of walls on two sides, a hardwood floor that dips and weaves, the smell of spilled beer and 100 years of tobacco smoke in every fixture, a potbellied stove near the bar pumping out heat to take the chill off  (for at least a radius of 25 feet) and you will know that you are in the real deal, not a makeover.

Doing the Texas Thang

We had visitors from Connecticut (Sue and Kim from N's running group) and they got the full Central Texas tour--the Hill Country, Austin, San Antonio (including a chance to spectate at the Rock 'n Roll Marathon), the outlet mall (of course) and, the piece de resistance, Gruene Hall. There is no place to view and participate in Texas culture quite like Gruene Hall. The occasion was a concert by Tanya Tucker, and my only question is when will we cease having the tune "Delta Dawn" running through our heads? A night to remember!

Return to Gruene Hall

Last night we went to Gruene Hall to spend an "intimate evening" with Brandi Carlile. At least that's how the concert was advertised. Maybe the Gruene Hall administration doesn't know how popular Brandi Carlile is and thought only a few people would show up for the performance--hence, an "intimate" evening. Let me tell you, the place was packed, and at least half the audience had to stand for the performance. And what a performance!

We first heard Brandi while watching the Olympics last summer on television. General Motors (remember them?) used one of her songs in a commercial that ran several times during the games, and we tracked the commercial down on Google and found out who the artist was. And promptly bought her album, "The Story." Just think, if the Olympics were this coming summer instead of last summer, there would not be multiple ads by a General Motors in bankruptcy, and we might not have heard this talented singer! While standing in line waiting for the doors to open, we asked others how they had heard of Brandi. A number of people had heard one of her songs on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy." I guess there are all kinds of ways to get your songs before the public.

Brandi has a great website (http://www.brandicarlile.com/) that plays her music while you are reading about her tours. A new album will appear in the fall, and I will be on the lookout for it.

Gruene Hall

As the brochure for Gruene Hall says, “Come dance with history.”

Gruene Hall’s legacy is more than being the oldest, continually operating dance hall in the State of Texas. It has had fun making history. Known throughout the world as a music venue, Gruene Hall has been instrumental in starting the careers of Lyle Lovett, George Strait, Hal Ketchum and many others. The stage has seen the likes of Bo Diddley, The Dixie Chicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks, and Willie Nelson.

The Hall hosted baseball great Nolan Ryan’s 50th birthday party and it has been featured in numerous music videos and movies. Of special note is “Michael,” starring John Travolta, whose dance scene was filmed in Gruene Hall.

It’s also the place Jerry Jeff Walker celebrates his birthday.

Gruene, Texas

To appreciate Gruene, first of all, you need to remember that what is “old” in Texas is not so old in New England terms. Our first New England posting was to Plymouth County, Massachusetts (home of Plymouth Rock). Bridgewater, Massachusetts (where we lived) was established in the mid 17th century. That town made our second sojourn in New England—in Canton , Connecticut—seem like we were in a “new” town; after all, Canton was not settled by Anglos until the early 19th century.

So when the “old” town of Gruene (whose motto is “Gently Resisting Change since 1872”) is compared with new England locales, it doesn’t seem very old at all. But then, of course, when we compare any locations in the United States with settlements in Europe, everything in the US seems fairly recent indeed. Which is all a way of reminding us that “old” is certainly a relative term.

Gruene (pronounced “green”) is a little town wholly within New Braunfels, settled in the mid 1840s by a German immigrant, Ernest Gruene. Gruene and others built a number of buildings—homes in the Victorian style, shops, and other buildings, but the center of life in the little community was a dance hall and saloon, Gruene Hall. The town struggled but never prospered, and was completely done in by two very different disasters, the boll weevil and the Depression. Everything went under except Gruene Hall, which never closed. By the 1970s the “town” was just some empty buildings and was to be razed, but new owners of the buildings saw potential for Gruene to rise again. New businesses were established, and all of Gruene was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today Gruene is thriving. Tourists come from all around to walk the streets of the 19th-century town, but especially to visit Gruene Hall, which has attracted every famous country and western artist, who want to perform in such an authentic venue. It has even been featured in films such as “Michael” (1996) in which John Travolta plays an angel who, coincidentally, performs in Gruene Hall.

Gruene is eight minutes from our house—definitely on the tour for visitors who drop by.