by John Morthland
Top Music Events--Mid July
Antone's 21st Anniversary
The pace-setting Austin blues club throws its birthday party July 10 to 20, with highlights being a tribute to zydeco master Clifton Chenier and a "We Three Kings" evening honoring blues guitarists B.B., Albert, and Freddy.Brave Beat
Greg Burk, formerly of Ten Hands, has signed on as the new drummer for Denton polkaholicsBrave Combo. He replaces Alan Emert.H.O.R.D.E.
This "alternative to the alternative" Lollapalooza rolls through the Metroplex (Texas Metroplex) July 19, Austin (Southpark Meadows) July 20 and Houston (Woodlands Pavilion) July 21. Organizing rockersBlues Traveler brings along fellow jam-bandsDave Matthews, Lenny Kravitz, and more.San Antonio Conjunto Shootout
More than twenty accordion-squeezers will be facing down in Market Square July 19-21. The big guns are Mingo Saldivar and Nick Villarreal, with the emphasis on emerging local conjuntos.David Ball: Starlite Lounge (Warner Bros.)
Ball, who was one-third of the legendary Uncle Walt's Band of Austin in the 1970s, positions himself smack in the middle of contemporary, commercial country, albeit with a little more kick than most.Bobby Bland: That Did It! (MCA)
This is the third, and final two-CD set in a series reissuing the nonpareil soul-blues squaller's entire output for Duke Records of Houston. At this point in his career, he offered few stylistic surprises, but was at the peak of his powers. All three volumes are must-haves.Roger Brown & Swing City (Decca)
The Menard western swinger's debut is only an EP, and swings rather polite by Texas dancehall standards. But it's not every day that Nashville acknowledges the genre at all, and Brown is no slouch as a writer.Johnny Rodriguez: You Can Say That Again (Hightone)
He doesn't have quite the vocal range he displayed in his 70s glory days, but he still sings a country ballad straight from the heart.Texas Tornados: 4 Aces (Warner Bros.)
From Doug Sahm's loping title song, a weird piece of music even by his usual standards, to Freddy Fender's wrenching reading of the country ballad "The One I Love the Most," this is the most well-rounded and committed effort yet by the resuscitated Tex-Mex quartet.Rick Trevino: Learning as You Go (Columbia)
Trevino is the progenitor of a new country genre: bubblegum honky-tonk. This is a smooth, clean, catchy album, packed with potential hit singles.
