TEXAS SUMMER HEAT, THE LONG GUN AND PACKING SMALL PISTOLS

My friend Johnny, another friend from college of Billy Ray's that I've been friends with now almost as long as Billy Ray. Johnny wasn't from a gun family, having originally hailed from the mid-west then graduated from a Texas college and he moved to Houston. He and I hung out quite often, whenever he was in town, back throughout our 20's. I was a cop back then,

Whenever we'd go out to eat or on the town, Johnny would ask me ask me if I was carrying a gun off duty but would use words and terms from movies from the 30's and 40's:

* Do you got your roscoe?
*What?
*You know, your heater, your heat, your gat...your rod, your piece, your artillary, your ordinance?
*WTF are you talking about?
*You know...your pistola, your Sam Colt, your "God made all men but Sam Colt made them equal", your firepower.
*Oh, why didn't you just say gun? It's in an ankle holster.

And so on. Johnny knew all the old timey words to refer to a pistol, and I'm only remembering about half of them. The first time he asked me if I had my heater, I said yes, my car has a heater. I know he was trying to be funny but in those way pre-internet days, he had a good memory from movies he watched about the 20's and 30's gangster era.

Which is my segue into carrying heat while it is very hot and very humid in Texas in the summer/early fall?

So when you need some heat to carry discretely, comfortably and concealed in very hot and humid Texas weather, there are some considerations as to size and thickness.

Now let me paraphrase Texas Ghost Rider here. A pistol is just for getting yourself to "the long gun". A shotgun or a hi capacity rifle is far more effective in any kind of non-close range gunfight or for multiple attackers. A shotgun is the superior weapon for home defense, even for many experienced pistol shooters. So remember the words of the wise old lawman TGR. If necessary, use the pistol to get to "the long gun".

Do like the man in the photo above and carry a long gun in your car. It can be a lever action or a Remington autoloader or pump with extended magazine or an assault rifle. A cheap AK makes a nice car gun that won't break you if it geist heisted. A shotgun is also a great long gun for self defense. Extended capacity is a plus, but one good friend has carried a short (and legal) double barrel 12 gauge under his truck seat for decades. His leather gun sling holds extra rounds like an ammo belt attached to the weapon. He put a small but powerful flashlight and mount on the gun, sighted in like a bit laser for targets at night. I prefer a Remington 870 with a wood stock and extended mag in a parkerized finish, but for years I carried the folding stock version with the 20" barrel and extended magazine, also in a parkerized finish.

Even a SKS or other older semi-auto rifle is great as a defensive weapon under the proper circumstances, that is, if a rifle is called for. This is particularly true if you live in the country or if you were carjacked or hijacked while traveling in rural areas. You might want a high power rifle with the ability to shoot through car doors in your backseat. The new electronic sights that put a diode on the target via the "open" sight make target acquisition very simple and effective, so long of course as the weapon is sighted in.

But for the small gun to enable you to get to the long gun in your house or car, summer clothing may dictate a smaller gun than the 1911 or other full size or even compact gun you prefer.

There's quite a few guns out there that qualify as ultra small and concealable in or under a t-shirt/shorts combo. In my book, the upper end of ultra small guns hovers around the venerable S&W J frame snubnose, the Colt D Frame snubnose, the Walther PPK series, the newish Walther PPS in 9mm, the Kel-Tec single stack guns from 9mm down, older Berettas and Brownings, the now discontinued Sig .380 DA/SA, and other smaller guns by other makers. Kahr may have some thin guns that fit this description. The interesting but "for me the the jury is still out" on the Rohrbaugh 9mm and .380.

Certainly, Taurus, Smith and Wesson and other makers have semi-autos that fit the thin criteria. I just don't care for them at all. I do like me some Taurus revolvers and 1911's, but unless it's copy of a Beretta M9, I'm not interested in it. Likewise, one step up from the ultra small guns I'm talking about here are the S&W autos that are derived from the orginal Model 39 series, but that falls into the compact and not ultra compact size range.

So I'm talking about guns smaller than the Glock and Sig and Beretta and other sub-compact guns. Ultra small guns.

I don't think that .22 caliber bullets and guns, at least in the ultra small sizes, are good for self defense. One could shoot any number of calibers smaller than a .38 Special and do lots better than a .22. This is not to say that .22's don't do instant kills, because many times they do. But sometimes they don't. Whereas rarely does the person shot with the .45 (or 9mm or .40 or .357 Sig or .38 Special, etc) live through it.

There are some .22's I'd consider for self defense (Ruger, Walther, S&W, Browning) and if that is the biggest gun that someone can deal with to shoot, then put a laser/flashlight combo on that rascal and have extra ammo on or with the weapon/holster in case it takes a few shots to put an intruder or predator down.

I myself prefer J frame airweight revolvers for self-defense in summer months, although the idea of a .32 or .380 that weights 6 or more ounces less than a 14 ounce Model 38 is very attractive in theory, as it the smaller size and flatter profile. The Ruger LCP and the small caliber Kel-Tecs have gotten good reviews from the friends of mine who have them. Many of my friends owning these pistols opt for pocket carry and go for an add-on laser that sort of squares the gun print. Special pocket and belt holsters are made for these laser equipped pistols and I've thought long and hard about getting a Ruger LCP.

I've owned several Rugers and every one has been a champ. Most have been designs in production for decades (or produced decades ago like the Security Six). Although my Kel-Tec toting friends like their guns and swear as to reliability of their guns, I'm not totally convinced. I think the Ruger is a few bucks more than the Kel-Tecs, but it's not much.

Any tiny gun like this is going to have some serious bite in it's recoil and will be difficult for some folks to shoot. Having shot a lot of chopped down .45's and various .44 and .357 magnums in my days, I'm no stranger to a pistol kicking like a mule. Of course, in larger guns you have more control via a much better and bigger hand grip, whereas the .32's and .380's in these ultra light pistols are rumored to be quite lively, jumpy with a bite to the kick and VERY LOUD when shot.

As evidenced by Texas Governor Rick Perry's recent elimination of a threat to his lab puppy in the form of a coyote with a Ruger LCP with a laser, these pistols are capable of defending ones self against a variety of predators.

In looking at these guns online and for holsters for them, I came across a sort of lanyard device designed to suspend the .32 Kel-Tec the neck of the wearer. I hope they have enough sense not to have a round in the chamber if they choose that rig. That rig might be good for some but I'm not sure that's a great idea for a novice.

I recommend several concealment holsters. The High Noon Bare Asset and Mr. Softy are cheap, made of cowhide and despite the near 100 degree and certainly dang near 100 percent humidity lately, I don't sweat around the holster even when I'm sweating elsewhere. It is finished very nicely and does not stick to my skin in any way, since I'm usually wearing it under a t-shirt or polo.

I also have used for nearly 30 years a Bianchi single layer suede out IWB holster with belt clip for snubnoses. Highly effective, very comfortable and very secure. Inexpensive, as far as holsters go. Stay away from the synthetic black material IWB holsters, they're just not comfortable like a good old leather holster is.

COMMENTS AND THANKS

I've been getting quite a few comments on old posts lately. Thanks to all those who are writing in. And I must whole-heartedly agree that Rod De'Ath is indeed a madman on the drum kit. His work with Rory influenced me (I'm not near as good or fast as he was but I stole whatever my chops would let me, pretty much beginning in my junior high years and continuing to this day. I'm always hearing nuances or phrases I had not heard before in different Rory tunes that Rod plays on, and the IRISH TOUR '74 remains one of my favorite all time DVD's out there.

I write a lot about material objects that go along with fishing and shooting and playing drums and guitar, but really my life is not about all that stuff. I've been blessed with great friends and great family and a great childhood, and material things come and go. The friendships endure, many for 40 years.

But I have stumbled on some cool things in my life that make my favorite pursuits more enjoyable, reliable and and with some good memories of past conquests with these reels. My tips on reels and rods and guns and holsters and guitars and amps and drums and cymbals and music and more are just opinions of mine.

Everynow and then I have a political rant that I usually delete soon after writing it.

I pretty much don't write about what I do for a living, and really shouldn't be broaching religion or politics. That's not what I'm about anyway. Most politics is local, Tip O'Neill once said, and I'd add that damn near 90% of politics is bullshit.

So thanks for stopping by!

THE CALIFORNIA SALT SURF TRAVEL FISHING RIG REFINED

I've written before about the various travel fishing gear I might take on any trip to L.A. When I'm there, if at all possible, I like to do some surf fishing in Malibu or pier fishing at Santa Monica or Malibu. Malibu is closer to where I stay and much less traffic hassle to get to, but at night the Santa Monica Pier isn't bad to get to from where I stay.

I'm making a vow to travel light, since on my recent trip to the Pacific Northwest I once again did not travel light. I took plenty of fishing gear, since I was going to be checking a bag with a suit, shoes, dress shirts in it. As always, even the little big of lugging a big bag is a huge hassle, not to mention having to check a bag. And nowadays, paying plenty to check a bag each way.

Usually I'm a carry on and small backpack kind of guy when I go to L.A. From now on, I'll just be taking one travel rod and two reels. A small selection of tackle and whatever else I need I can buy out there and mail back to myself.

With all the rules against flying with knives and other sharp objects, I started taking the USPS priority mail boxes, the small ones, with postage pre-attached. They fold flat until you need them and don't take up any more room than a magazine. When I'm getting ready to leave town, I just load up knives and weights and liquidy baits (i.e. Berkley GULP!) and any thing else that will cause me to be delayed at TSA with my carry on.


When I get to L.A., and I'm headed west to Malibu to do some fishing, I'll usually stop at the K-Mart on Third in town or a nearby dollar store. I can pick up a cheap, sturdy knife for a dollar or two, and some fingernail clippers and some Berkley Gulp! baits. Since GULP! baits are semi-liquidy in the package, I've heard from flying fishing friends that the TSA won't let GULP! on in carry on luggage, so I have not even tried to travel with it.

So when I get there to L.A., I buy whatever GULP! the folks on the California Pier Fishing and Surf Fishing forums have to say about what the fish are hitting. If the fish seem to be hitting live or cut bait, I'll stop somewhere near the fishing and get the bait and my temporary license, otherwise I'll get it at a K-Mart or like store on the way there.

About half the time, the TSA folks wanna look at my fishing bag, so usually I have it in my backpack for easy access. Weights and certain objects with lead like jigs just attract their attention. So usually I buy a few weights when I get to LA and just mail them back.

The one price priority mail boxes can also mail stuff I don't have room for, like t-shirts or clothing or books or anything else I might buy out in LA. And since it's one price for what fits in the box, postage is easy to figure out. I leave it at the hotel when I check out and they take care of getting it off to me.

So I'm planning on buying a carry on sized Pelican 1510 roller case and use it as my carry on. This will limit, of course, stuffing an expandable carry on to the limit but it should be much easier to deal with. I'll have my backpack for any stuffing I need to do.

So here's my checklist for the reduced load travel fishing gear to California for surf and pier fishing. If it seems like I'm missing anything, let me know. I'm strictly catch and release out there, unless there are folks nearby who are fishing to eat and want my catch.

You'd be surprised at the number of folks, particularly elderly, not so much fishing for fun as fishing for food to supplement meager incomes. I've seen it in California time and time again. As I once posted, I was the belle of the ball on a late 90's ocean bound fishing trip with a bunch of retirees happy to keep my catch. All were living on low fixed incomes and the fish they caught was the protein they ate.

CHECKLIST


-ROD-a four or five piece rod in case; casting at this time

-REEL AND BACKUP-a Shimano Curado and a back up reel like an Garcia AbuMatic 290 or Daiwa Silvercast 210 RL

-PAIR OF SMALL COMPOSITE NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS OR METAL HEMASTATS-I bought a pair of these in the early 1990's at Cut Rate Sporting Goods in Houston as a point of sale item. Went back a few months later and they didn't have anymore, and although I've searched all over the internet, I've yet to find another pair or something even similar. I don't think hemastats are prohibited either.

-PLASTIC DE-HOOKER TOOL

-NIPPERS-the ones that cut braided line

-SMALL SHOULDER CREEL-(LIKE THE ONE SHOWN IN PHOTO ABOVE) one of the inexpensive shoulder creels sold by department stores and on ebay. It's thin and flat but ideal for carrying some light tackle at the beach and it has a shoulder strap. I've been seeing them around since the 1970's, but have not seen them in Texas for about 15 years. I have seen them in other states at stores and on ebay, they are about 14" wide by 8/10" tall and are expandable. They have a few pockets on the front of them. I plan to cut off the built in strap and sew some heavier duty strap rings onto the existing non-removeable strap ends so that I could use a better shoulder strap, like one of the foam springy kind.

-2 SMALL PLANO CASES CONTAINING =

-HOOK ASSORTMENT

-WEIGHT ASSORTMENT

-SPOONS

-JIGS

-2 TOPWATER AND 2 MID RUNNING PLUGS

-SNAP SWIVELS

-A FEW DOUBLE AND SINGLE DROP LEADERS

-A FEW STEEL LEADERS

-A VERY SMALL KEYCHAIN SIZED TAPE MEASURE

-1 PAIR UNPOWDERED RUBBER GLOVES FOR BAIT HANDLING

-SOME TOWELETTES IN INDIVIDUAL SMALL PACKAGES

WHAT AM I FORGETTING?

1911 ITCH THAT ONLY A REMINGTON 1911r1 CAN SCRATCH

THIS IS A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE ORIGINAL REMINGTON RAND 1911 PISTOLS FROM THE WWI ERA.

I can't seem to find a good picture that'll fit sizewise of the Remington 1911r1, but just google it and you can see pics of it. The only real exterior differences between the new one and the one shown above is that the new one has better sights and no lanyard ring. But you can see a picture of a new Remington 1911r1 here

http://www.1911r1.com/.

Those of you who follow handguns likely know that Remington is now making a Model 1911 handgun after 91 years or something like that. Called the 1911r1, I don't know what the retail price is in my area yet but I've heard forum claims they were going online for as little as $519.

It's as close as you can get to the real deal from way back when, with the addition of a Series 80 transfer bar safety to prevent accidental discharges. Purists say that optimal trigger tuning cannot be accomplished on a gun with this type of safety mechanism, but I disagree, at least for myself. I prefer a gun that doesn't have a hair trigger, rather, a smooth trigger pull is what I like. I've owned and shot at least several dozen 1911 Colts and variants which all had this safety feature, and mostly found the triggers to be excellent. The Commander I owned that had been tuned for combat had an exceptional trigger.

I've been wanting a basic 1911 to school El Fisho Jr. in the fine art of shooting the 1911, and this gun might just be the ticket for a great gun at a great price. And, it's made in the USA!

I've never had any bad luck with any Remington product, be it rifle, shotgun or ammo. El Fisho Jr. and I had been looking at the military models from Rock Island, Taurus and Springfield, and had pretty much decided on the Springfield MilTech for him, but this Remington throws a major wrinkle into the mix. Mr. WWI and WWII history man, El Fisho Jr. already knows about Remington Rand 1911's from way back when, so all I had to explain was that they had stopped making them after WWI and that they were now making them again.

El Fisho Jr., like his father, is largely sold on the .45 ACP as a defensive caliber. Having recently shot a lot of full moon clips out of the family Model 1917 and lots of mags out of my Glock Model 36 has enamored El Fisho Jr. with the cartridge itself. He likes the lower recoil of the caliber compared to other big bore handgun calibers, and finds it more pleasant to shoot than a 9mm Nato round. He's shot a box of shells each from a Sig model P250 and a Sig P239, both in 9mm, and prefers the Glock M36, even though the 36 has a bit more umph to it's recoil.

I'm glad to see the gun isn't being made in some other country, particularly one in asia. I'm glad it's made in America. I hope most or all of the parts are made in the USA as well. It's time for the American people to bring America back and bring all of the businesses American companies farm out overseas to America. We'll have to pay more for what we buy, but it's time we were doing the selling to foreign countries and not the buying.

I've been thinking strongly about buying an American car for our next ride. It's been a while since we've owned one. Perhaps this pistol will be a another step in the right direction as well. Buy local, and buy American!

REMEMBERING RUSSELL TINSLEY: FRESHWATER FISHING IN TEXAS, A BOOK

A few months ago I briefly wrote about the late Texas outdoors writer Russell Tinsley here at The San Marcos River.

Recently, I just re-read his tome on Texas freshwater fishing, aptly titled, well,

FRESHWATER FISHING IN TEXAS. It's a great little book, and in addition to great photos of boats, lakes, rivers, boats and fishing gear from "back in the day", it's actually packed with good information for any freshwater fisherman.



Most telling, I think, about Mr. Tinsley was his love of his dear friends. For example, the cover of FRESHWATER FISHING IN TEXAS features a picture of a fellow named A.W. McLaughlin. Mr. Tinsley also dedicates that particular book to his friend A.W. Mr. Tinsley's photo, holding a nice bass rod with Ambassador reel in one hand and about a five pound bass in the others would have been a fine cover shot, but based upon reading hundreds of his articles and several of his books, I can tell you that he was more interested in paying tribute to his buddy A.W. than he was in stroking his own ego.



I first became aware of Mr. Tinsley's writing when I was still in elementary school, about the time I discovered the holy trinity of fishing magazines for fishermen in Texas to buy: Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field and Stream. Then, sometime in the early 70's a monthly magazine published out of an office on Bingle Road near U.S. 290 in Houston started up called The Texas Fisherman. It was a great magazine as well.



Through these magazines, I read articles by Mr. Tinsley. Later, as I was older, when visiting Austin I always made it a point to look for his columns in the Austin American Statesman, which was quite a good newspaper back then. Mr. Tinsley was my kind of fisherman, in that he used casting, spin-casting, spinning and fly gear to land his fish. That was rare in Texas back then, and is still somewhat rare when someone embraces all the methods of casting in their fishing reportiore, particularly in Texas.



I bought several of his books at stores or through the Texas Fisherman. FRESHWATER FISHING IN TEXAS is one of those books. There has been a serious amount of outdoors magazines, fishing magazines and books on the subject of fishing, camping, hunting, boating and the like that have passed through my clutches over my lifetime, and very few were kept until now. FRESHWATER FISHING IN TEXAS.

My copy is from 1973, but although lots of lakes have been added since then, the basic theories remain the same. The rivers have undergone changes, and there have been population explosions and shifts all over the state.

Still, any chance you get, read a hunting or fishing article or book by Mr. Tinsley. He'll make a great sportsman out of you, if you aren't one already.

I found a great article by a younger outdoor writer online about the last years of Mr. Tinsley's life. You might find this interesting if you're a Tinsley fan like I am:
http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2008/apr/legend/

The book in the top picture was a successor book to Mr. Tinsley's Freshwater Fishing in Texas, called Fishing Texas: An Anglers Guide.

The bottom photo shows a middle aged Mr. Tinsley, happy as he can be, with a turkey shot with bow.

THE DRUMMER DILEMNA: IT AIN'T HEAVY, IT'S MY DRUMSET

As a drummer who has gigged off and on for the past 30+ years, I've learned a lot in hauling drumming gear around. Just a few tips about what I've learned and what makes my life easy when I'm gigging. Over the years my live gear, has varied from large acoustic sets to Simmons drum sets to electric/acoustic sets and back to smaller acoustic sets for live drumming.

For many years, I carried WAYYYYYYY too much drums, cymbals and hardware and stuff. I was young then, and the packing of all the gear was a big time consumer when you're under the gun to get off the stage for the next act or to get home. But I had energy and strength and stamina to haul large heavy bags and cases in and out of gigs and venues and home.

In the late 1980's, I bought the first of several Tempus drum kits. Made of Fiberglass by a great guy named Paul Mason, they are not only lightweight but louder than similarly size wooden drums. They are also very toneful. They weigh a lot less than regular drums and project at least 30% to 50% more.

That was step one in lightening my load.

Just think about it. I had to load my drums in my ride at my house to go to a gig, unload and setup from car to club, take down and unload from club to car, and then unload at home from car. Sometimes, I played multiple gigs a night, meaning an extra set of load in/load out of a club if there was no house kit or no drummer playing that night who would let me use his kit.

In addition to trying to lighten the load I was carrying, I wanted to lesson the trips in and out for each load. In other words, I wanted not spend all night loading and unloading my gear from my car/truck/suv/jeep, depending on the time period and what I was driving.

Step number two was buying light weight hardware. I use the following items:

-One Gibraltar AX series aluminum cymbal stand (early 90's);
-One Gibraltar AX series aluminum HH stand (early 1990's);
-One Sonar Protec aluminum cymbal stand (early 90's);
-One Ludwig Atlas tubular cymbal stand (1970's);
-One Pearl lightweight but sturdy throne base;
-One Yamaha Mesh Throne seat;
-One DW red 5000 pedal;
-One Tama single-braced snare stand, lightweight (late 1980's);
-One Collarlock tom holder and T-rod for the bass drum mount and
One modern DW Tom Mount on the RIMS attached to the mounted Tom;
-Three aluminum Collarlock floor tom legs;
-A Beato drum rug.

Step number three was buying an SKB lightweight plastic stand case with wheels.

I use a rolling hard stand case from SKB that is 4' long, long enough to leave the hi-hat and cymbal stands extended to their perfect height. Just fold the feet and in they go. Likewise with all other stands, tom arm and floor tom legs.. The bass pedal and removable bass drum spurs go in a small padded ice chest bag that fits it perfectly, and that bag is then placed in the top part of the stand case. The drum rug is placed in the bottom portion of the stand case on top of the stands and that keeps them from rattling.

By going to some of the lightest hardware I could find, I lessened my load by about 30 lbs. Plus, Tempus drums are very lightweight, so that was a big decrease as well.

Step four was buying a collapsible dolly for the Tempus drums. Stack them and strap them down and away we go, loading in and out of a gig in two trips, or one trip if you've got a helper.

Instead of five or six or seven trips to load in and out.

This came in handy when I played a gig at Johnny Fins at Lake Travis in 2003. The golf carts that the parking attendants drive took me from my car to the place, with me sitting on the back holding the drums/cymbals on the dolly in one hand and the stand case in the other, towing them right along.

BECKY'S SISTER TO RIDE AGAIN!

The most long term band I've been in is an outfit called Becky's Sister. Named after the sister of Becky (Ricky Ray's wife), we were smitten with the image of Becky's sister Jennifer in the late 1980's, whilst about to head to a Led Zeppelin Laser Light Show at the Burke Baker Planetarium in Houston.

We were about to do our first jam together as this band, which included Billy Ray and Ricky Ray on guitars and the occasional percussion or bass. Although we didn't have a name, since I was currently gigging in many working bands at that time, I thought it a must to have a name for our soon to be recording band. I, of course, played drums, as I'm a drummer. Mostly, Billy Ray and Ricky Ray play dual guitars and I play drums, and when we have a guest one of us might move to bass. I've been trying to learn to play the bass for years, and can stick with the easy keys and I'm not bad.

While at Ricky Ray's Southwest Houston abode that evening, Becky's younger sister, the late Jennifer, came walking in the room. I think I said "Who's that chick?" and Billy Ray said, "Oh, that's Becky's Sister."

And hence the name of this recording band was decided. Back then, I was the only one who played out live in bands, and Becky's Sister was designed from the start to be not only a song writing band but a jam band as well. Completely for fun.

Fortunately, I began to record these jams, held at family places in Fairplay and Lane, Texas, a barn and workshop and field in Lane, Texas; a cabin in Flatonia; musicians rehearsal facilties in Austin; a great place on the shores of Lake Fork in Yantis, Texas that yielded some of the best recordings we've ever made; and a very cool modern log cabin set in the Twin Sisters mountains south of Blanco, overlooking a monestary that rings it's large bells at sundown. Lots of these locales were visited more than once or twice.

Some folks, well most folks actually, might take issue with what I term "our best music ever". But we actually have theee bonafide fans: Our longtime (30 + years) friend Smitty, R.J. MacReady and Stuntman Joe. R.J. has only heard recordings of us but Stuntman Joe and Smitty have seen us several times.

We also have several guest members. The Evil Dr. K is a frequent guest and sometimes co-drummer at numerous jams, and has filled in on tons of occasions when I wasn't able to make Dallas area jams with The Rays. As far as we're concerned, he's a full fledged member, the fourth sister.

Woody Oakes, a bass and guitar playing buddy of mine for 25 years, graced us with his very talented presence back at one of the Twin Sisters weekend jams. Not only does he kill on bass, he can plays great blues, rock and country on the six string. Not a bad drummer either. Woody raised the talent level of our band of fools immensely and he's a great guy. I played in various working bands with Woody since 1985, We've worked in blues pickup party bands on the circuit in Houston, and played more clubs that I know we both care to remember. We became big friends early on and he's a hoot.

Woody's old friend Uncle El Bar Jones has been invited to many of our recording sessions, but one conflict or another kept us from getting together. I'm planning on seeing if we can host our upcoming recording session and jam at Uncle El Bar's spacious and nice country place deep behind the Pine Curtain of East Texas.

Ricky Ray's old friend Dr. Scott joined us one time for a Twin Sister Cabin jam on bass, and Woody just did some great guitar playing that weekend. We'd set the DAT recording rolling, and get a decent tape of of a stereo mic in the middle of the room. The acoustics of the Twin Sister's cabin was excellent, as it was made of glossy cedar and had a very high ceiling in the living room. Although not made for playing and recording music, not only could the players hear each other well but the recordings were above average.

But to us, it's a hoot and a holler. We were long friends before the band, and in the twenty plus years since we began this outfit, Ricky Ray and Billy Ray have gone from having moderate talent to having an awesome ability on their guitars. We play some cover songs, where I actually do what I refer to as "singing" (note: almost no others agree with this description) of tunes like "Hey Joe" and "Jane Says".

If anything, my drumming ability in terms of chops and riffs has declined, since back twenty years ago I was playing usually in three working bands working from 4 to 7 nights a week. Everything from jazz/r&b bands to blues bands (mostly) to hard rock bands to original bands that blurred lines between genres. I also played in a couple of cover bands and did a fair amount of substitution work for drummers who had conflicts between acts.

But what I've lost in tricky and showy chops I've gained in groove and time. My time has always been pretty cool, and since playing in a band with Little Screamin' Kenny in 1984, well, I've been working on grooving ever since. After being a guy who had quite a bit of chops during my youth, it took a long time to work through that and become a groove drummer. By 1989, after the first set on a sub gig with a hard working Houston blues band, Dogman Miller gave me the biggest compliment ever when he told me I was "grooving like Al Jackson."

So by the time me the the Rays (Billy Ray and Ricky Ray) had decided to start Becky's Sister, I had already changed from a hard rocking, lick-throwing-down drummer into a groove drummer. Yes, I'm still capable of cool fills and some tricky licks, but I ain't what I was in my twenties when I was playing daily for hours. If not gigging, for fun at all kinds of inner loop jam sessions that took place.

My experience in bands has kept the Rays grounded. I had over 9 years of formal music training beginning at age 11, and they had none. I had played in marching and symphonic and concert and stage bands throughout junior high and middle school, all the while taking private lessons. I also took piano lessons to learn how to play tuned percussion better as well as learning some keyboard skills.

So my talk of song structure and resolutions and time signatures helped us get a direction to our musicial madness. We've had some great moments, especially in the early part of this decade, when the ForkFest Jam Sessions occurred over a several year period.

Ricky Ray moved to the East Coast in the middle of the last decade to further his College Professoring career (or should I say, Dr. Ricky Ray), so our get togethers have been less frequent since then. Ricky Ray's been to Texas a few times since then, and we did the Twin Sisters Cabin a couple of times and and the Musiclab rehearsal studios in Austin once.

Since moving to the East Coast, Ricky Ray has taken to playing out live, and now is an old hand at being a gigging musician. He's an excellent player and has highly inventive leads and riffs. He took Billy Ray to a gig recently and they did an East Coast Farmer's Market acoustic gig together. Now we've got Billy Ray out playing.

He'll be here for several weeks in the early part of next year, with plenty of time for taking off to the hinterlands and doing some playing and recording.

One final word. Becky's Sister Jennifer, passed away some years ago. In tribute to her, and with approval from Becky, we have continuted using it as our band name. Jennifer went to Sul Ross and lived a great life, but we're all sorry she is not with us. I'm not sure how she felt about the music we make, but I'm pretty sure she was at least a bit flattered we named our silly band after her.

I'm ready to have some fun with my friends!

It's about damn time, boys!