Claude"Butch"Morgan

HILL COUNTRY HAPPENINGS
AUGUST 2008
www.hchappenings.com
~~~
Summertime in the Texas Hill Country brings thousands of visitors from across
the U.S. to rest, relax and enjoy themselves at camps and resorts all along the
Guadalupe River. For those in the know, Roddy Tree Ranch, owned and operated
by Keith and Gretchen Asbury, is a little piece of paradise for the summer tourist.
The pavilion at Roddy Tree is also a very happening spot for the locals to visit on Fridays and Saturdays to listen to some of the Hill Country’s finest music.
This year, Roddy Tree
Ranch is sponsoring a
summer concert series
in conjunction with Cabin
Productions (see ad on
page 6). The gate opens
at 6:00, so you have plenty
of time to eat and visit with
friends and performers
before the concert. Sundresses,
shorts, t-shirts
and sandals to boots and
jeans, the attire was summer
casual and cool. Jeff
Gavin, head of Cabin Productions,
along with his
wife Mimi, prepared some
super yummy burgers, chili
cheese dogs and chicken
sandwiches, and they
were priced to sell! There
are plenty of picnic tables
inside the pavilion--good
food, good friends, and
good music--definitely my
kind of gathering!
Attendance at the opening
night was far less than expected,
but Claude “Butch”
Morgan stepped up to the
mic with the seasoned demeanor
of a veteran performer and immediately had the audience in his hand.
Butch Morgan is not one of those performers that you can stuff into a box and tie a
neat little genre bow around. Both his life and his musical style defy conformity, and
his stories, like his music, require listening to it all before you can appreciate the
depth of his talent. I walked away with three of his CDs, including a signed copy of
his latest release, “Better Late Than Never” by the Buckboard Boogie Boys. Suffice
to say that he has another new fan.
As Butch Morgan introduces himself and his songs, his wry sense of humor and
poignant sense of life are shared abundantly, and before the evening is over you
have a true sense of connection with his life and his songwriting. Morgan still lives
in his hometown of Divine, Texas, and many of his songs are personal reflections of
people and events that occurred there. One of my favorite songs, “Eddie,” is about
a guy who rides around town on a bike with an 8-track on it listening to Tammy
Wynette and George Jones (Eddie likes George, but not Tammy). Butch has a
picture of Eddie taped on his guitar.
Sometimes, Butch’s reflections are laughter through tears. He dedicates some
of his songs to his 93-year-old father who he lovingly praises as a role model
and his best friend. However, Butch Morgan dedicated his concert tonight to Chris
Holzhaus who, sadly, passed away this afternoon (7/11/08) around 4:00 after an
extended battle with cancer. What a tremendous honor to a fellow musician and
friend.
Sixty-one-year-old Butch Morgan readily acknowledges that both he and his father
have overcome a serious alcohol addiction, and many of his songs, while seemingly self -deprecating, recognize powerfully the before and after redemption
of forgiveness. Anyone who has been there will immediately recognize
the experience; anyone who is there will find inspiration in his
words if they will only listen. However, Butch Morgan has been playing
guitar and writing songs since he was 13-years-old—that’s 48 years
of hands-on experience—and I guarantee he knows his way around
a guitar. At one point in his
performance, he shared the
story of how he got his first
guitar. To paraphrase it, he
signed up for a local talent
contest. When he told his
father what he had done,
his father wanted to know
what talent he was going
to perform. Young Butch
hadn’t really thought about
that, but he announced that
he would play the guitar.
Butch’s father brought it to
his attention that he didn’t
know how to play the guitar,
but that didn’t bother him at
all—he had two weeks to
learn! So Butch got a guitar
and proceeded to learn
“Malaguena.” Well, Butch
didn’t win the contest. In
fact, a 5-year-old girl wearing
a tutu and twirling a
flaming baton beat him. To
this day, he consoles himself
with the fact that she
can no longer wear that
tutu or twirl a baton, but
he’s still playing guitar!
After a brief intermission,
Butch Morgan was joined
on stage by local musicians, Keith Asbury on keyboard, Dr. Neil
Cassidy on bass, Steve Coppage on mandolin, and Dave Schlabach
on harmonica. It was a jam session like I’ve never heard before with
both a cohesive, impressive progressive jazz sound, and an eclectic, dynamic demonstration of individual talent. The good news is that you can hear this local bunch playing again at the Roddy Tree Ranch; the bad news is you missed Claude Butch Morgan. You owe it to yourself to check out the schedule for the remainder of the concert series at Roddy Tree Ranch, and mark your calendar. I had a fabulous time, and I - Hill Country Happenings

HIX
“Really Live”
Yea-Hawlleluja Productions
From the 70s of The Buckboard Boogie Boys, the 80s of The Blast and now in the 21st Century, Butch Morgan and HIX have exceeded their fans wildest dreams with this release of their most popular original and cover songs - all recorded live - really live - directly out of the PA with no overdubs, re-takes, smoke, mirrors and no net. This is HIX in honest audio glory.
Anyone who has any knowledge of Texas music in the last few decades is familiar with Claude “Butch” Morgan. He has been one step ahead of the musical pack - satirizing musical genres just prior to their being popular. The Buckboard Boogie Boys were performing great Americana - some tongue-in-cheek just before the Redneck Rock craze hit Austin. In the 80s Butch was already in the post punk era with his widely popular and critically acclaimed band, The Blast. Although Butch is a man of faith, there is no musical genre sacred enough to avoid his strong wit and musicianship. An ad hoc reggae version of a Hank Williams song may not be for the Country purists but it underlines something that most people don’t realize - sans dreadlocks, Hank Williams writes great reggae songs. Leave it to HIX to prove it.
Thought provoking lyrics are a Butch Morgan standard and one of the downfalls of HIX music is that listening to the music sometimes requires that you think to “get it” which is why Brittany fans avoid HIX like the plague. I think it is pretty safe to say that if you don’t enjoy a HIX concert, you aren’t “getting it.”
“Really Live” is an accurate description of the new CD as it was recorded in the environment closest to HIX hearts - before a live audience. The CD was recorded at the now defunct Esquire Tavern, Kerrville’s Watering Hole, Luckenbach, Casbeers and “Someplace Else.”
Claude and HIX have had a good run so far this year. Butch won the Wildflower Music Festival songwriting contest, was a finalist for the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award and HIX performed at Quiet Valley’s Threadgill Theater at this year’s festival. The HIX future is looking very bright indeed.
There is gold in them hills for all die hard HIX fans; whether gnarly old hippie fans from the 70s like myself or the newfound audiences HIX have won over up in recent years. The CD has eleven tracks - most of which are penned by Butch and a couple irreverent and rockin’ covers. Included are a three of my personal favorites from The Blast era - “WhattsaMatta,” “Dressin It Up,” and the nutty as a fruitcake “Slingin’ Language.” The covers are great renditions of evergreens, “I Got You (I Feel So Good)” and the perennial “Wooly Bully.” HIX approach the songs from off axis and put a great new twist on both of these tunes.
I suspect one of the reasons HIX are so popular is that the musicians are all world-class. The masked man on bass who has been joined at the hippest to Butch for years is Robert “Robar” Adams, RB handles all the keyboard work - which means every instrument known to man that can be sampled and Claude’s son Trevor providing the rock steady groove that is a HIX signature.
The CD was produced and mastered by a master - RB Blackstone who has some of the best ears in Texas. His skills are reflected in the sonic quality of this CD - that was not recorded in a sanitary studio environment but more challenging environments - Texas Honky-tonks. RB goes into production with, “the room we have” and makes it all sound great.
What’s coming up for HIX? Get down to Casbeer’s in San Antonio on Saturday September 15th for the HIX CD Release Party. Butch has been hosting a Wednesday showcase at Casbeers for over five years with the Happy Campers and this show is sure to pack the room to the rafters as a full-blown and formal HIX appearance is a relatively rare occurrence at Casbeers.
Singer songwriters that will be attending the upcoming Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (swrfa.com) in early October will find Butch back in residence and hosting pool side showcases for up and coming writers.
This long-awaited CD was worth the wait and will be a great addition to any music lover’s library - whether a HIX true believer or new found ears.
Visit Butch and HIX at the web site butchmorgan.com and keep an eye in Hill Country Happenings for more HIX Happenings.
****** 6 out of 5 Stars
Claude “Butch” Morgan

HILL COUNTRY HAPPENINGS - JULY 2007 - HCHAPPENINGS.COM
24 - Hill Country Happenings

HILL COUNTRY HAPPENINGS
AUGUST 2008
www.hchappenings.com
~~~
Summertime in the Texas Hill Country brings thousands of visitors from across
the U.S. to rest, relax and enjoy themselves at camps and resorts all along the
Guadalupe River. For those in the know, Roddy Tree Ranch, owned and operated
by Keith and Gretchen Asbury, is a little piece of paradise for the summer tourist.
The pavilion at Roddy Tree is also a very happening spot for the locals to visit on Fridays and Saturdays to listen to some of the Hill Country’s finest music.
This year, Roddy Tree
Ranch is sponsoring a
summer concert series
in conjunction with Cabin
Productions (see ad on
page 6). The gate opens
at 6:00, so you have plenty
of time to eat and visit with
friends and performers
before the concert. Sundresses,
shorts, t-shirts
and sandals to boots and
jeans, the attire was summer
casual and cool. Jeff
Gavin, head of Cabin Productions,
along with his
wife Mimi, prepared some
super yummy burgers, chili
cheese dogs and chicken
sandwiches, and they
were priced to sell! There
are plenty of picnic tables
inside the pavilion--good
food, good friends, and
good music--definitely my
kind of gathering!
Attendance at the opening
night was far less than expected,
but Claude “Butch”
Morgan stepped up to the
mic with the seasoned demeanor
of a veteran performer and immediately had the audience in his hand.
Butch Morgan is not one of those performers that you can stuff into a box and tie a
neat little genre bow around. Both his life and his musical style defy conformity, and
his stories, like his music, require listening to it all before you can appreciate the
depth of his talent. I walked away with three of his CDs, including a signed copy of
his latest release, “Better Late Than Never” by the Buckboard Boogie Boys. Suffice
to say that he has another new fan.
As Butch Morgan introduces himself and his songs, his wry sense of humor and
poignant sense of life are shared abundantly, and before the evening is over you
have a true sense of connection with his life and his songwriting. Morgan still lives
in his hometown of Divine, Texas, and many of his songs are personal reflections of
people and events that occurred there. One of my favorite songs, “Eddie,” is about
a guy who rides around town on a bike with an 8-track on it listening to Tammy
Wynette and George Jones (Eddie likes George, but not Tammy). Butch has a
picture of Eddie taped on his guitar.
Sometimes, Butch’s reflections are laughter through tears. He dedicates some
of his songs to his 93-year-old father who he lovingly praises as a role model
and his best friend. However, Butch Morgan dedicated his concert tonight to Chris
Holzhaus who, sadly, passed away this afternoon (7/11/08) around 4:00 after an
extended battle with cancer. What a tremendous honor to a fellow musician and
friend.
Sixty-one-year-old Butch Morgan readily acknowledges that both he and his father
have overcome a serious alcohol addiction, and many of his songs, while seemingly self -deprecating, recognize powerfully the before and after redemption
of forgiveness. Anyone who has been there will immediately recognize
the experience; anyone who is there will find inspiration in his
words if they will only listen. However, Butch Morgan has been playing
guitar and writing songs since he was 13-years-old—that’s 48 years
of hands-on experience—and I guarantee he knows his way around
a guitar. At one point in his
performance, he shared the
story of how he got his first
guitar. To paraphrase it, he
signed up for a local talent
contest. When he told his
father what he had done,
his father wanted to know
what talent he was going
to perform. Young Butch
hadn’t really thought about
that, but he announced that
he would play the guitar.
Butch’s father brought it to
his attention that he didn’t
know how to play the guitar,
but that didn’t bother him at
all—he had two weeks to
learn! So Butch got a guitar
and proceeded to learn
“Malaguena.” Well, Butch
didn’t win the contest. In
fact, a 5-year-old girl wearing
a tutu and twirling a
flaming baton beat him. To
this day, he consoles himself
with the fact that she
can no longer wear that
tutu or twirl a baton, but
he’s still playing guitar!
After a brief intermission,
Butch Morgan was joined
on stage by local musicians, Keith Asbury on keyboard, Dr. Neil
Cassidy on bass, Steve Coppage on mandolin, and Dave Schlabach
on harmonica. It was a jam session like I’ve never heard before with
both a cohesive, impressive progressive jazz sound, and an eclectic, dynamic demonstration of individual talent. The good news is that you can hear this local bunch playing again at the Roddy Tree Ranch; the bad news is you missed Claude Butch Morgan. You owe it to yourself to check out the schedule for the remainder of the concert series at Roddy Tree Ranch, and mark your calendar. I had a fabulous time, and I - Hill Country Happenings

review in The Current - 9/12/2007

By Gilbert Garcia/Serene Dominic

The H!X are a good example of what happens when baby boomers go nuts.

If Claude “Butch” Morgan and his band of rootsy pranksters were in their teens, their healthy absurdist streak would manifest itself in loud, fast, aggressive dissonance and maybe a bit of onstage auto-destruction. But while they’re more than a little bent, the H!X are also traditional and sentimental (not to mention musically accomplished), so they sneak their strangeness into a semi-acoustic package that inevitably pleases alt-country regulars at Casbeers and Luckenbach.

Any H!X fan will tell you that you have to see this quartet in the act to understand them, so it makes sense that their new CD, Really Live, documents the loose, madcap nature of those shows.

Morgan’s humor rears its head on “I Hate Music,” a plea for silence with some ironic guitar heroics in the middle. He also hams it up on “WhatsaMatta,” a slender hook masquerading as a song, by bragging about an amazing guitar lick he’s learned, and then supposedly playing it so fast that everyone misses it. Only slightly more serious are “Eddie,” the tale of a “self-appointed security guard” who spends his life riding around town on a bicycle, and “Blubberball,” in which Morgan invites listeners to watch his body decompose.

The flipside of Morgan’s comic shtick is his earnest singer-songwriter persona, which he showcases on “G-Pa” and “Kingdom.” But he and the H!X are most appealing when they bring levity to their sincerity and determination to their hijinks, as with their cover of James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good).” Clearly in love with the song, the band nonetheless refuses to aproach it with reverence, giddily recasting it as an accordion-driven, conjunto dance number. Without a doubt, these clowns understand their roots.

— Gilbert Garcia - San Antonio Current

review in The Current - 9/12/2007

By Gilbert Garcia/Serene Dominic

The H!X are a good example of what happens when baby boomers go nuts.

If Claude “Butch” Morgan and his band of rootsy pranksters were in their teens, their healthy absurdist streak would manifest itself in loud, fast, aggressive dissonance and maybe a bit of onstage auto-destruction. But while they’re more than a little bent, the H!X are also traditional and sentimental (not to mention musically accomplished), so they sneak their strangeness into a semi-acoustic package that inevitably pleases alt-country regulars at Casbeers and Luckenbach.

Any H!X fan will tell you that you have to see this quartet in the act to understand them, so it makes sense that their new CD, Really Live, documents the loose, madcap nature of those shows.

Morgan’s humor rears its head on “I Hate Music,” a plea for silence with some ironic guitar heroics in the middle. He also hams it up on “WhatsaMatta,” a slender hook masquerading as a song, by bragging about an amazing guitar lick he’s learned, and then supposedly playing it so fast that everyone misses it. Only slightly more serious are “Eddie,” the tale of a “self-appointed security guard” who spends his life riding around town on a bicycle, and “Blubberball,” in which Morgan invites listeners to watch his body decompose.

The flipside of Morgan’s comic shtick is his earnest singer-songwriter persona, which he showcases on “G-Pa” and “Kingdom.” But he and the H!X are most appealing when they bring levity to their sincerity and determination to their hijinks, as with their cover of James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good).” Clearly in love with the song, the band nonetheless refuses to aproach it with reverence, giddily recasting it as an accordion-driven, conjunto dance number. Without a doubt, these clowns understand their roots.

— Gilbert Garcia - San Antonio Current