Saturday, May 27, 2006

Gaylord Texan’s Swing Thing

By Blair Lovern

The gargantuan Gaylord Texan kicks off its SummerFest 2006 with three days of concerts celebrating the best of Texas music. Below are a few photos and videos to give you a taste of what's going on, but you'll have to head over there yourself to get a big belly full of everything and belch it out on your own. Say what? Man, I don't even know.

Anyway, fun's a poppin' all over the hotel the next few months, so head on over there. The Glass Cactus nightclub is supposed to open at the end of SummerFest. I like the nightclub name, but I also know that the English language sometimes contracts over time so I honestly wish they would just skip the next 500 years and combine the words and call it The Glactus. Again, Blair, what the hell are you talking about?

In Lower Texan Station you can stop by the traveling Austin City Limits exhibit. I cannot say if that is good or not, sorry. We did not stop by because we were doing other things before the show. But I did peek in the doorway and saw someone looking at some shirts. So all I know is that a.) They sell shirts and b.) The shirts are at least good enough to possibly perhaps consider maybe buying if you really, really, wanted one.

OK, on to the brief, very touching and heartfelt special (not really) photo essay.

Here are Texas Slim and Texas Hank in the Main Big Ass Space (MBAS) inside the Gaylord Texan. There is most likely a specific word for the MBAS inside this particular hotel, which will not be looked up by me at this time, for a number of reasons that will also not be disclosed at this time. Actually, the names for these dudes are not Texas Slim and Texas Hank. But to have asked their names would have destroyed the magic, and I will not go down in history as a magic destroyer.

Giant guitar-shaped train inside the MBAS (see above photo).

A grand stitched state on the carpet outside the ballroom where the concerts were. The photo below shows the cowboy with crazy unhallowed eyes of a demon from the pits of hell.

I snapped this photo right before the horse snorted hellfire out its nose. That's a cool feature with the carpet at the crazy Gaylord Texan, I'm sorry I didn't capture the magic in time because the hellfire only snorts every 4 hours like an evil geyser and I couldn't stick around. Hey, I've got an idea - how about we just stop this caption right now?

And now for videos of Dave Alexander's terrific band and a 15-year-old punk kid from Austin who can play circles around me on the fiddle. Honestly, I don't play fiddle so anyone can circle me, plus I use the term "punk" as a jealous but respectful and entertained audience member. Seriously, Damian Green has a great future in music and wowed everyone.

Dave Alexander and his Big Texas Western Swing Band do a swingin' medley.

15-year-old fiddle nut Damian Green plays "Orange Blossom Special".

And because this reporter could not sneak up and get the same seat up close to catch Lantana, click here to watch that group sing "Whiskey River" at TG world HQ recently.

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