Announcements (which may not belong here)

- Marfa Roller Derby had a good showing on the slab today. Not taking credit or anything but why not announce again. 7:30pm every Sunday at Vizcaino park. Bring skates or a picnic or both. Kids love it too.

- What to do with kittens and dogs who follow you around all day? And why me? All (worthwhile) comments are better than what I've come up with...

- We need volunteers still to help serve beers for Marfa Lights festival in early September. You keep the tips, meet people, do some good and earn some love. Interested? Email: Marfa.Rotary@Gmail.com.

- Interested in what folks around town have to say - for 40 minutes of conversation? www.padresmarfa.com, left hand column, "padrecast".




"I am David Beebe and I approve of this blog post."

When I first started at Padres I was looking forward to Young, Local bands breaking free of their comfort zones and coming to play in the newest, best, live music venue in the world. They'd be excited to be in a public space with crowds of strangers milling about, they'd be nervous to be on stage, they'd be the first people who ever thought of tuning a guitar like that, who ever wrote a song so new or cool; they'd be writing their band name on their cloths and on the walls, maybe fighting on stage, inventing sex for the first time and all that. A young band is almost never a loosing proposition for me. They can be terrible and be great. If they're good they are savants. If they're bad they're rebels, cutting edge and beyond adult understanding. I love seeing young bands. And i haven't seen one since I've been here.
Now, when I say "young" bands I'm talking about groups from 14 to 20 years old, newly formed bands where it's a weak bet that they'll even being playing together in three months. The music genre doesn't matter. They can play country, hip hop or metal and yet it always sounds vaguely experimental. Where are these kids? We've been keeping an eye out for them at Padres and and haven't seen anything.
What's going on with our young people here in Marfa, Texas? I loved seeing S.P.I.C. play, loved very much seeing Black on Blond rock the house, but all those guys are almost in their 40's now. They're busy working their accounting jobs or whatever and yet it seems like those two bands were/are the last of their kind. They are the water's edge as far as youth rocking goes here in Marfa Texas and it seems like no one else is learning how to swim.
Now, when I was 12 years old I was staying out at Max's Kansas til 4am - that means 4am three days after I walked through the front door! It never occurred to me to make a big deal of it because I assumed that I'd be passing it on as I got older, that kids would always be getting together with friends and guitars and looking for places to play. But something is out of kilter here in Marfa. I've seen the occasional youngster walking the streets with some books or maybe a basketball or something, but almost never with a guitar or breathlessly lugging an amp. No kid rockers have marched into Padres with with homemade CDs asking if they can play for free some night. I worry for the Marfa youth. But, don't come down on me for being hard on Marfa young people. I worry for them but I don't blame them.
I blame their parents!
Yes, something seriously frightening is going on with the breeding system in this town! We need parents who can produce a more vibrant and rockin crop of youngsters. No idea if there are any secret foods or pills for this kind of thing - but at the very least we need to introduce our young people to the varieties of musical experience early in the game, before they're contaminated with distracting "ideas". 
Sure, we can find some promise in fellows like, oh I dunno, a young Campbell Black who can be seen scampering around the Padres stage and banging piano keys when he gets a chance. But, let's be serious: he's two and half years old. you need to have at least 150 words at your disposal to get a rock band together. No one else? 
Well, rather than curse the darkness I want to light this candle... Over at Madres South the other day I ran into a really lovely young lady by name of Dione who says she's picking up the electric bass. I estimate her age at 19 or 20. I was so thrilled to hear of her new pursuit that I offered her a gig at Padres this November. Let me say that again: I am so thrilled that there is even the slightest trace of the new Marfa generation picking up instruments that I offered Dione a gig - before hearing her music, before she even has a band or any songs, maybe before she's even learned how to play her instrument (not exactly true. JD tells me she's pretty good). I really think she's going to do great.