GOIN' BACK TO TEXAS
CHARLEY CROCKETT
THE VOLCANIC THEATER PUB // BEND, OR
I first saw Charley Crockett the night I moved to Austin, TX. Tired and slightly delirious from a full day of driving, my friend and I got ourselves up from the camping chairs set up in my empty living room and decided to check out the neighborhood. We turned on South Congress, not knowing anything yet about the area, and stumbled into a little music club known as The Continental. We were naïve to the spirits that had once passed through those walls and were simply out in search of exploring my new city. We grabbed a couple of Lonestars and timidly sat on the benches underneath the neon lights of the “Speed Shop” sign that hung on the wall. As Charley took the stage, couples took to the dance floor and started two steppin’ to the energetic Western swing coming from the stage. It was all so new to me – the red hues from the curtain behind the stage, the carefree energy of the dancers swaying in tune, and the twang of the voice behind the guitar. As I took it all in, I sighed out a breath of relief – that night, Charley put my concerns of moving to a new city to rest and ignited the fire that became my inspiration behind taking in all of the music and culture that Austin had to offer me.
A few years and a couple thousand miles later, I find myself in yet another city – different from anywhere I have come from. Although Bend might not have the music and culture that thrives in Austin, it offers a heightened sense of nature and adventure, being nestled in the high desert below the Oregon Cascade mountains. Since moving here, my passion for live music has been more difficult to manifest, but my desire for exploration and the outdoors has been at an all time high. Despite my fulfillment of such adventures, I have been hungry for that feeling of belonging and vulnerability you can only get from being in the presence of live music. So when a friend told me Charley was coming to town, I couldn’t be more excited.
On the night of the show, the crowd slowly filled in the intimate room of The Volcanic Theater Pub, dressed to the nines in fringe jackets, bolo ties, and cowboy boots. Feeling under dressed in my Converse and jean jacket, my friends and I were impressed by the dedication of our peers. Abraham Alexander took to the stage right around 9 – just him and his guitar, accompanied by a few loop pedals. As soon as Abraham opened his mouth, you knew it was going to be special. His soulful voice along with his meaningful lyrics made you believe he’s going to make something of himself. Between songs, he gave the crowd glimpses of his history – from being born in Greece to meeting Charley at Leon Bridges’ birthday party, both his songs and his stories left us wanting more. After a handful of original songs and one soulful cover of Chris Isaack’s Wicked Game, he warned us he had one song left. He then shared a story of the animosity he holds with his birth father and proceeded to serenade us with a fresh written song called Blood Under The Bridge. During the last chorus, Abraham stepped away from the mic as the crowd came to a sudden hush. The stripped back version of his performance emphasized his vulnerability and passion – it was an honor to witness an artist sharing his deepest thoughts with a room full of strangers.
After a quick break, The Blue Drifters walked out on stage and immediately broke out in a western jazzy jam to warm the crowd up. The guitar player dressed in a snazzy blue suit jacket and pearly white cowboy boots approached the microphone and announced “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce to you Charley Crocket”. The crowd erupted in cheers as Charley emerged from the backstage door to the right of the stage. He plugged in his guitar, dressed in a perfectly pressed baby blue suit, accessorized from his head to his toes in attire that let you know that he just drove up from Texas. What followed was an hour and a half of boot stompin’ (or in my case Converse stompin’), good ol’ Texas music. With Charley on the acoustic guitar, and The Blue Drifters accompanying with electric slide guitar, drums, bass, trumpet, and accordion (the latter two at the same time by one talented instrumentalist), the crowd danced to song after song with favorites like I Wanna Cry and Lonesome As A Shadow.
About half way through the set, the old time microphone was brought to the center of the stage as Charley and three of his bandmates gathered ‘round with a mandolin, banjo, bass, and guitar. Songs like Single Girl were sung against the simplistic backdrop of just some guys with their instruments strumming behind one microphone, an intimate yet soulful set of songs that emphasized the bands’ roots. The Blue Drifters then left the stage to allow Charley to strip down to just his deep twangy voice and his guitar. He told stories of playing on the streets of New York City and selling his first record on the streets of the big Texas cities. In between his solo acoustic songs, he reminisced on his days hitch hiking along the west coast, taking Oregon farmer’s up on their offers of allowing him to stay and play music as long as he worked. “And you can guess what kind of farms I’m talkin’ about” he joked in his strong Texas accent. It was then Charley’s turn to take a break – The Blue Drifters were welcomed back to the stage and took turns highlighting their musical talents in a jam session that brought the energy back up after the slow and easy dynamic that came from the solo set.
When Charley came back to the stage, it was time to get down to the “Texas electric” part of the show. The rhythms of songs like Goin’ Back To Texas even got Charley rocking and shaking across the stage – carefully navigating the tangle of wires that covered the floor while the audience twisted and shook to the beat. As I sipped my Montucky, I was brought back to nights spent at The Continental and The White Horse and Broken Spoke in Austin – learning how to two step and falling in love with the guitar rhythms and accordion pulses of real country western music. The crowd danced and sang along, cherishing each word and holding onto each beat as the set came towards its end. Charley admitted that he was nervous no one was going to come to his first show in this city in the middle of Central Oregon, which made the energy and encouragement of the crowd even more special.
The band left the stage and the crowd cheered until they once again ran back out to finish the show with a two-song encore. The night of honky-tonk Texas swing concluded with the crowd favorite Jamestown Ferry. Charley Crockett and The Blue Drifters brought with them the heart and soul of Texas to this little mountain town of Bend, Oregon. I walked out of The Volcanic Theater Pub that night with a renewed sense of joy for the live music community – and the reminder that music has the power of bringing the memories and feelings of past experiences back to life, in the most unexpected of circumstances.