Austin, TX
October 31, 2002
~ Anne
Suffice it to say, Reckless Kelly is THE pivotal band of my mid-life. Their
music has elicited not only tears of joy but also something akin to the
purity of love itself. The experience of what music can do is a very
personal thing, sometimes impossible to explain but I can honestly say that
RK has become the musical light in my life.
I'm not on anyone's payroll. I'm just a fan, an admirer, an appreciator of their talent. I don't know them personally, don't really need to. What I do know is that like me, all other RK fans have an unspoken connection to Reckless Kelly....and quite possibly that makes us more in tune with our own hearts.
That being said...
I had caught a rumor in the wind that Reckless Kelly was planning something
exciting and unique for their Halloween show at the Backyard. Something
having to do with Nudie suits and a pedal steel. Knowing that RK has
numerous Gram Parsons tunes in their repertoire, I knew it was going to be a
show not to be missed. Little did I know just how powerful and transcendent
RK as the Flying BurritoBros. would be...
I should preface this by saying that The Flying Burrito's were THE pivotal
band of my musical maturity. From them all else flowed. Because of them my
musical tastes were broadened from the folk/bluegrass influences I grew up
listening to, to include The Byrds, Eagles, Poco, New Riders of the Purple
Sage, Country Gazette and George Jones to Elvis Costello... and then of
course there was Emmylou, and she led to Rodney Crowell and Ricky Skaggs and
Albert Lee, and on and on...
It seemed like modern music itself grew from the dream that Gram had envisioned... the melding of country with rock.. I was never the same once I heard his voice...once I heard the words he wrote, and the way he sang.... once I heard Gram Parsons, my whole world changed.
On September 19th, 1973 Gram Parsons died and his legend was born. On October 31st, 2002 a legendary band, The Flying Burrito Bros, were revisited in the form of Reckless Kelly. David Abeyta in a long fringed buckskin coat played the part of James Burton, the extraordinary guitarist from Elvis Presley's band; Jimmy was Chris Ethridge the ever-steady bassist; Brian Rung was "Sneeky"
Pete Kleinow long-time session pedal steel player; Earl Poole Ball was
himself on piano; the historical/musical significance of having him on stage
was not lost on me, nor was it lost on the boys, they knew that he had been
there; actually playing with Gram. I'm not quite sure who Jay Nazz was
supposed to be, so Jay was sitting in as Jazz.
When RK road manager came on stage to drop off water and towels, he was introduced as the infamous "Road Mangler" Phil Kaufman (from all I've read he was Gram's "nanny", he tried to keep Gram as together as possible, whenever possible.) Cody, decked out in an embroidered cowboy shirt and his favorite cowboy hat was Chris Hillman, the partner and a creative force behind FBB. The radiantly beautiful Kathleen O'Keefe was the famous "chick singer" Emmylou Harris. And looking like he stepped out of the cover of Gilded Palace of Sin, Willy was GP himself. This night, Willy seemed to be the personification of Gram Parsons in both looks and demeanor. One thing is for sure though. both young men had/have a musical mission and WB (along with his brothers) cannot be denied. It wasn't the real FBB but it was an authentic RK doing their best to pay tribute to THE seminal band of all time. Believe you me...they did a damn fine job.
It broke my heart that more people weren't in attendance, because this wasn't just a concert, it was an event. A musical homage of grand proportions. RK played as if they WERE the Flying Burrito Bros. for 16 songs, running the
gamut from the slow and sad "Hickory Wind" to the balls to the wall rocker
"Boni Maroni". The guys kicked it off with: "My Uncle", which set the tone for the evening. It sounded so good, so rich, so full. There was an added dimension because of the piano and pedal steel. From the first note to the last, I knew every word to every song and couldn't help but sing along... "now, I don't know how much I owe my uncle, but I suspect it's more than I can pay...". The next song brought out Kathleen to duet with Willy on "Return of the Grevious Angel". Just as Emmylou balanced Gram's lonesome vocals, Kathleen augmented Willy's mournful voice with beautiful harmony. Thankfully, she stayed on stage and contributed her backing vocals to 4 more songs. Kathleen's voice is just as ethereal and luminous as Emmy's.
I can never say enough about RK's musicianship. Their musical ethics are above reproach. Their standards are high...way high. Together as one, yet individually they each possess their own musical pearls/diamonds. This was a wholly unique musical experience. It wasn't flawless, it wasn't perfect, but they sounded wonderful and it was so much fun. They got it right and there is a special TRUTH to that. If the boys looked out at me they would have seen the admiration in my eyes. And truth be told, they probably always will... I am forever respectful and... Grateful.
Anne E. Diamon