Riffs, Roams and Raves:
Riff: Shelley King If you saw the show at Susanna’s Kitchen last Thursday, May 18, you would have met Texas Royalty in the person of Shelley King.
In 2008, Shelley was the first woman to be named a Texas State Musician by the Texas Legislature — a title a solitary musician holds for an entire year. She shares that distinction with the likes of Ray Benson, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, George Strait, Marcia Ball and others whose names you’ll recognize.
Shelley is a one-woman party. Her rich, full-throated vocals alone are enough to make you hop on the party bus and never look back. Coupled with her song writing phrasing, her stage presence and deep warmth, she is a vibrant tornado of talent.
Described as a blues, roots-rock, gospel singer-songwriter, she performed original songs from her latest album, “Kick Up Your Heels,” her ninth independent release to date. She drew in listeners with tales of attending Lee Hazelwood’s birthday party with Nancy Sinatra, opening for drummer Levon Helm of “The Band,” and receiving a Gibson J200 – the Elvis Presley King of Rock Guitar – made especially for her by Gibson after being named Texas State Musician. The handsome, all-black guitar bears a crown that, in my mind at least, is for this Texas Queen of Rock and none other.
Her musical running buddies include Marcia Ball and Delbert McClinton who either play on her album or contribute to the songwriting chores. Scribe this icon in your music diary for keeps.
To learn more, visit shelleyking.com.
Roam: Testicle Festival The tiny town of Castell, of which there are no more than six to eight permanent residents, hosts a most unusual festival each spring.
At the wide spot in the road just 20 miles west of Llano on FM 9522, RR 152 West, hundreds of visitors converge in May for the Testicle Festival at Castell’s General Store. The brainchild of the unofficial master of ceremonies, Randy Leifeste, the one-day event forks over fried bull testes to anyone willing to give rein to an old west tradition.
Leifest purchased the general store in 2000.Tostave off the town’s decline into an honest-to-goodness ghost town, he adopted the idea of serving up tendergroins from a cowboy who told of huge parties in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Canada that celebrated the practice. He embraced the nutty idea and single- handedly turned Castell into a tourist destination. This year’s festival marks its 15th year.
Known as swinging beef, prairie oysters, cowboy caviar and other less mannerly names, the alleged delicacy is the severed jewels of young bulls. After the outer membrane is stripped away, the tender insides are soaked in beer before being dredged in a wet batter and deep fried in oil. Chefs have tinkered with the basic recipe, but for a smooth $20 bill in Castell, you could get them, cowman style, in a flat box with French fries and a shake or two of hot sauce.
If calf fries didn’t trip one’s trigger, visitors could buy boiled crawfish, corn dogs or a tame chicken sandwich and wash it all down with plenty of icecold beer. More fun perhaps than the dish itself, were the jokes, smirks and general titillation that came with chomping on bull bits and uttering the word “testicles” in mixed company. Event signs and t-shirts proclaimed, “Castell’s Testicle Festival – Where Everyone has a Ball” or “The Testicle Festival – Nuttin’ but Fun.” Aside from a couple of roughtalking cowgirls, guys seemed genuinely amused by the concept. More than a few of them brought first dates to the event.
Music and bar games were also part of the fun. Aeryk & The Smokin’ Nuts took to the stage and serenaded guests as they sampled and sipped throughout the afternoon.
Bar games that included the oh-so-entertaining balancing beer contest kept the mood light as competitors tried to drink a beer suspended from ropes on a pulley contraption they wore. Adroit winners were able to lock a lip on their glass and sip until the contents were gone. Although it sounds simple enough, it posed a real challenge for most contenders.
Kids tried their hand at swinging and securing washers onto hooks in the big oaks over the picnic tables, and raffles kept the crowd alert in case a winning number was called.
Families with kids, couples in fancy western gear, bikers and the curious indulged for several hours, with breaks from time to time to visit the Chick Shack next door and to peruse the vendor tables set up across the street.
Kayakers and other water enthusiasts paddling on the nearby Llano River joined the party to fuel up before putting in again. Bikers Against Child Abuse drummed up support for their cause, and the sale of t-shirts with colorful slogans were brisk.
Everyone, it seemed, wanted something besides a belly full of nether nuggets, to commemorate their afternoon walk on the wild side.
Rave: Stars Over Wimberley Concert Series A huge shoutout goes to the genius partnership of Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance and the Wimberley Players for their Stars Over Wimberley Benefit Concert Series. Their guest artist last Friday was Slaid Cleaves who played his unfaltering brand of Americana to a sold-out playhouse.
The first of four concerts scheduled for the year, the performances support WVACA’s Robert Moreman Memorial Scholarship. Proceeds are shared between the artist and the scholarship fund, which provides awards to art and trade-oriented graduates from Wimberley High and the Katherine Anne Porter School.
The lineup of stars includes Blueswoman Ruthie Foster, eclectic musician Alejandro Escovedo and four-time Grammy award winner Sarah Jarosz. For more information and tickets, go to wimberleyarts.org > Programs > Stars Over Wimberley.