It’s good to be back in Texas for a few weeks. The weather here in Houston is breezy and mild, mostly in the seventies, and you can’t beat that at this time of the year, though a little snow for Christmas would be nice. Today (Saturday, December 4), I’m about to head over to historic Pizzitola’s Barbeque at Shepherd and I-10, where I like to sit in with my friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Jimmy Pizzitola, on Saturdays during the lunch hours when I’m in town. I’ll be there between about 1 and 3 o’clock this afternoon, singing for my supper, as they say, and it is well worth it, for the barbeque from Pizzitola’s original seventy year-old smoker is the best in Houston, according to the New York Times travel columnist and me!
On Tuesday, December 7, I'm looking forward to making a special appearance at one of my favorite neighborhood venues, Bohemeos, to commemorate the opening reception of friend and colleague, the artist Rudy Villarreal. The art opening is from 7-11 p.m., and I'll perform a few songs between 8-8:45. It will be a good seasonal event with a family-friendly feel—a highly recommended cultural evening on Houston’s east side.
And on Saturday, December 11, I’ll be driving a few hours west of Houston to San Marcos, Texas to do a special show—a song swap from 8-11 p.m. with two friends who go way back, Bob King and Gene Williams. Bob is an innovative musician and singer-songwriter, a committed artist who has carved out a place for himself on the river of this musical Texas hill country town, not far from Austin. I first knew Bob as a talented young composer and pianist and have enjoyed seeing him evolve through the years of playing bass in a punk band that featured Scott H. Biram as teenage front man and writing a body of songs on the guitar that have always kept me wondering what next? Gene Williams is an accomplished singer-songwriter I met years ago at SXSW when he was accompanying Jimmy Lafave on guitar. Gene lives in Oklahoma now, and is an active part of the music scene in the Tulsa area. He tours often in Europe and the U.S. with the Watchman and others. And Wake the Dead Coffee House in San Marcos is an intimate space with a lively Saturday night crowd of regulars and some room for more. All of the details are on the calendar page at www.glennabell.com AND I’ve posted a new picture of me singing and playing at the Living Room in NYC on the home page, as well as more performance pic’s on the photos page.
Y'all come!