Crossroads Music Co. & Listening Room: Blog

Friday nights can be a tough-sell for Winnsboro nightlife, and tonight was no different, despite the fact that it was the Eve of SpringFest in the Downtown area.  Quite a storm planted itself overhead, and a couple times I thought 2-Bit Palomino might be doing an unplugged version of their show by candlelight!  It never came to that, but they were certainly prepared to make it happen for the folks that ventured out to see their performance.  The band is made up of Andi & Ren Renfree, along with Bill Ward, who has graced the Crossroads' original stage prior to hooking up with Ren & Andi.
 
[L to R: Andi Renfree, Bill Ward, Ren Renfree] www.facebook.com/2bitpalomino 
Together, they really light up a stage.  Plenty of great guitar work, keyboards, and percussion, backing three part harmonies that'll knock your socks off---after all, they DID win the TMA [Texas Music Award] for "Best Vocal Group of 2011"...Shot too Nabby!!  I'd really like to have [...]

Well, I have to say, from a music standpoint, the Wildernest Treehouse MusicFest [WTM] delivered in a BIG way!! Over 20 different acts graced the awesome stage, built to blend into the rustic setting that is Wildernest.  The real MAGIC happened, when members of different groups joined together, in support of one another's songs--of course, the only way to catch this kind of magic is LIVE, and that's what we're all about---Helping keep LIVE MUSIC aLIVE, here in East Texas!  Being out amongst nature, on a full-moon May weekend, seemed to enhance each and every performance that took the stage--what a delight!!
Below is an example of impromptu MAGIC!  In support of Lindsey Gail, & in order to create a bigger sound to go along with her powerful vocals, you have [from L to R]:
Jim Cobb [Diddley Squat Blues Band], Lindsey Gail & that VOICE, Gus Gustafson [Crossroads], Chris McCaa [Professor Porkchop], and Rodney Beal [Diddley Squat Blues Band]...unscripted, un-rehearsed, [...]

Tonight at Crossroads, Rhett Butler picked up a few more fans, for sure!!  When I was setting up the room for the show, and rehanging the stage banner, there was a big ol' cricket perched on the curtain at the place where I was going to hang the first hook.  Those who are familiar with Rhett's past know that there were crickets involved, prior to his switching over to pursue his passion full-time.  I smiled BIG, brushed the cricket away, finished hanging the banner, and just somehow knew that this was going to be a great show, AND IT WAS!! Rhett is the epitome of the one-man show, especially when he uses both hands, which he totally did when he dusted off an old crowd favorite, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"~Gus 

 
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Southern Living Magazine, April 2012, in the "Texas Living" section of the magazine, is where you'll find this great article highlighting Winnsboro, Texas as a destination for wonderful Music, Art, and good food, too!  Winnsboro was originally known as "Crossroads" prior to 1854, and Crossroads Music Company & Listening Room is doing its part in keeping the LIVE music ALIVE in East Texas, for sure!  When interviewed for the article last Fall, the main question that begged answering by all the extraordinary establishments in Winnsboro was, "Why THIS small town?"  The answer that everyone seemed to agree upon was the "magical energy" that seemed to flow through this quaint little community, while continuing to attract more like-minded individuals tuned into that very energy!
It is quite appropriate that this particular photo was chosen by Southern Living to represent the article, since Lindy Hearne & Lynn Adler were the original founders of Crossroads Music [...]

 

First off, Emily Elbert and the gang got their first "YEEEEE-HAWWWW" from the Crossroads crowd Saturday night during the concert, and Emily made a point of sharing that fact with all of us...It turns out that the group Emily was travelling with---the Devon Yesberger Band and Hannah Read--- had heard stories of Texas, but now they were getting a first hand feel for what it was all about.  What Hannah is used to in Edinburgh, Scotland is a bit different from what she was seeing and hearing here, in and around Emily's stompin grounds.  Bottom line was that Hannah & the entire Yesberger band were really diggin Texas, and the folks residing here!!  This came across nicely in their music, as they performed individually, as well as everyone onstage together, giving  the crowd a wonderful musical variety, while exposing all of us to so much young talent...Big smiles were commonplace throughout the night, with much enthusiasm for these Berklee College of Music students [...]