So Weds. at the LCC was packed! Sooo many hippies and what looked like a bunch of college studes too. Young folks. I saw several musician friends and I also ran into my ex-boyfriend who was playing bass with the featured band, Pot Roast. He was not in a good mood when I got there so I just said "See you on the dance floor" and split to find Aaron and Co. I found him in front of the stage jamming out to the opening band, then I found the girls. Philipo and Migl had said they'd be along later. After a couple drinks and a couple smokes Aaron disappeared and then all of a sudden commandeered the stage away from the featured band and announced that me and the fiddle player girl were to get up there. I just stood there b/c my bass was in the car and my ex was not looking happy onstage about Aaron's shenanigans. But then he slowly unstrapped the bass and so me and the fiddle player headed up and I was sure to thank my ex very sweetly as I passed him and put on his bass. Then we ROCKED OUT! I had a cigar in my mouth and I just left it there since everything happened kinda suddenly. We played 2 songs and the whole place was dancing and loving it. It was AWESOME!
After the 2 songs and we left the stage dudes were high-fiving me as I went back to our table. A few minutes later Philipo finally showed up, 20 min. late! I only hung out w/him and his friends for a short time b/c I was exhausted from lack of sleep all week and I absolutely had to get home and get ready for N'awlins since I was gonna be gone all day on Thurs. I went home and tried to get as much done as I could (had to dye my roots for example, ugh, get my clothes ready to pack, etc.) and got to bed close to 3. Drunk Aaron and girls wanted me to come over and drink champagne but I just couldn't.
So Thursday I worked a 1/2 day and left work at 1pm, wearing a black sundress which I thought would be comfortable to travel in and also serve nicely at the church. Before meeting my dad I had to make a liquor run for us and a beer run for him. Then I met him and Little at my dad's girlfriend's house where for traveling inspiration we watched my dad's footage of Steve Jordan at Canto al Pueblo in 1977, where he did "Squeezebox Man" which I to this very day still remember seeing! Then we hit the road.
My dad Laszlo was in rare form. Tons of stories, tons of bad jokes... it was a lotta fun I have to say. He started in on the beer immediately and after we stopped for a gas/bathroom break I got my typical cup with ice and Coke Zero, some Cheetos to snack on, and cracked open the Crown. I was also busy in the backseat texting a bunch of dudes, from Aaron to Leo to Migl. Aaron and I spoke for a bit and he offered me a free motorcycle, a 1200 CC Harley Roadster. He's so nuts. By the time we made it to the west side of San Antone I was a little buzzed. We got to the church plenty early and I spotted one of Steve Jordan's sons outside, so my dad approached him and asked/reminded him about videotaping everything. (He'd already been in phone conversations with them about this previously.) It was ok'd, my dad got his cameras ready, I went into the church to get a choice pew seat behind the family, and I lit a candle in honor of Esteban.
My dad Laszlo was in rare form. Tons of stories, tons of bad jokes... it was a lotta fun I have to say. He started in on the beer immediately and after we stopped for a gas/bathroom break I got my typical cup with ice and Coke Zero, some Cheetos to snack on, and cracked open the Crown. I was also busy in the backseat texting a bunch of dudes, from Aaron to Leo to Migl. Aaron and I spoke for a bit and he offered me a free motorcycle, a 1200 CC Harley Roadster. He's so nuts. By the time we made it to the west side of San Antone I was a little buzzed. We got to the church plenty early and I spotted one of Steve Jordan's sons outside, so my dad approached him and asked/reminded him about videotaping everything. (He'd already been in phone conversations with them about this previously.) It was ok'd, my dad got his cameras ready, I went into the church to get a choice pew seat behind the family, and I lit a candle in honor of Esteban.
I had my drink with me in the church, but it's ok b/c it was a Catholic church. As Wendell Holmes is fond of saying, "Jesus made water into wine, not the other way around!" Later my dad's associate Carmela showed up--since she moved to SA a couple yrs ago we all miss her so it was good to see her. We predicted the church would be SRO and we were right so I'm glad we got there early enough to get choice seats. My dad indeed filmed everything, including the scene outside (which I missed b/c I was guarding our pew) of the family walking from the house to the church. The sons had set up their instruments and the band played a few songs. I was worried I'd start crying, even though my dad had said that this event was going to be a celebration, and sure enough I did tear up during one of the damn songs. I kept looking around to see if there was anyone there I'd recognize, such as famous Tejano musicians, and my dad said Mingo Saldivar was there, who I LOVE!!!
After the memorial mass we repaired to the adjacent hall for food and camaraderie. The food was tuna sandwiches on white bread, bags of chips, veggies and dip, bean soup, and soft drinks and beer. I got some for me and my dad. My dad said later that this is exactly the kind of post-funeral food for Chicanos in San Antonio. Little Bitty said he'd thought they might serve mole or something but my dad said that's what high-spanics would serve; these people were salt of the earth people! I was excited to get my picture taken with Mingo; also I met Esteban's longtime bass player, this rich white guy from Rochester NY who abandoned his life of wealth and Yankee privilege to move down to San Antonio over 30 yrs ago to play with Tejano musicians. He took a shining to me and I took a pic w/him too.
Finally we headed east, towards home. I was still soooo tired and managed to catch a few minutes of sleep. We arrived in Houston around 1:30 am, I got to Stefano's house close to 2, and we tried to sleep but we were both kind of wired up. I think we nodded off close to 3 and the alarm went off at 5 freakin' AM since Stefano was determined to be in N'awlins by lunchtime!!!
We grabbed kolaches on the way out of our neighborhood and I was still a little wired up, telling Stefano about the rest of my San Antonio adventures, but I managed to nod off for about an hour. Then we began drinking a little of the leftover Crown and there was no way I'd be able to sleep anymore b/c now the party was ON! At one point we made a pit stop so I could get my cup of ice/Coke Zero and I bought a black cowboy hat w/flower design on it; I knew J2 would be so proud! Unfortunately we hit some bad traffic due to an accident after Baton Rouge, annoyingly b/c that's soooo close to N'awlins we could taste it, and the Crown was making me have to find a bathroom which there was no obvious one on our detour, so I told Stefano to pull over and I'd venture into a cornfield. Normally I would never do such a thing but the Crown made me drunk and desperate and plus, I pretended I was James Jamerson needing to take a leak on one of his many road trips to gigs far and wide. Stefano joined me and said "I hope there's no snakes around here" and I said "No way would any snakes have the nerve to bite the legendary James Jamerson!" forgetting momentarily that I was not, in fact, James Jamerson.
Ok, to be continued next post. I am still beat this week but now it's just b/c I've been shedding seriously all week on Aaron's purple 5-string Fender bass, which I took home and have named "Henry" after Taj Mahal (real name Henry St. Clair). I have to do some serious shedding and learn several songs before Sunday and I have to learn some of Aaron's 17 songs he gave me on CD as well. I've no time for much else, including sleeping.
After the memorial mass we repaired to the adjacent hall for food and camaraderie. The food was tuna sandwiches on white bread, bags of chips, veggies and dip, bean soup, and soft drinks and beer. I got some for me and my dad. My dad said later that this is exactly the kind of post-funeral food for Chicanos in San Antonio. Little Bitty said he'd thought they might serve mole or something but my dad said that's what high-spanics would serve; these people were salt of the earth people! I was excited to get my picture taken with Mingo; also I met Esteban's longtime bass player, this rich white guy from Rochester NY who abandoned his life of wealth and Yankee privilege to move down to San Antonio over 30 yrs ago to play with Tejano musicians. He took a shining to me and I took a pic w/him too.
Finally we headed east, towards home. I was still soooo tired and managed to catch a few minutes of sleep. We arrived in Houston around 1:30 am, I got to Stefano's house close to 2, and we tried to sleep but we were both kind of wired up. I think we nodded off close to 3 and the alarm went off at 5 freakin' AM since Stefano was determined to be in N'awlins by lunchtime!!!
We grabbed kolaches on the way out of our neighborhood and I was still a little wired up, telling Stefano about the rest of my San Antonio adventures, but I managed to nod off for about an hour. Then we began drinking a little of the leftover Crown and there was no way I'd be able to sleep anymore b/c now the party was ON! At one point we made a pit stop so I could get my cup of ice/Coke Zero and I bought a black cowboy hat w/flower design on it; I knew J2 would be so proud! Unfortunately we hit some bad traffic due to an accident after Baton Rouge, annoyingly b/c that's soooo close to N'awlins we could taste it, and the Crown was making me have to find a bathroom which there was no obvious one on our detour, so I told Stefano to pull over and I'd venture into a cornfield. Normally I would never do such a thing but the Crown made me drunk and desperate and plus, I pretended I was James Jamerson needing to take a leak on one of his many road trips to gigs far and wide. Stefano joined me and said "I hope there's no snakes around here" and I said "No way would any snakes have the nerve to bite the legendary James Jamerson!" forgetting momentarily that I was not, in fact, James Jamerson.
Ok, to be continued next post. I am still beat this week but now it's just b/c I've been shedding seriously all week on Aaron's purple 5-string Fender bass, which I took home and have named "Henry" after Taj Mahal (real name Henry St. Clair). I have to do some serious shedding and learn several songs before Sunday and I have to learn some of Aaron's 17 songs he gave me on CD as well. I've no time for much else, including sleeping.
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