7 Best Moments at the Curing Cancer Music Fest 2011 on Video

Chris Knight

The performances at the Curing Cancer Music Fest held last weekend (Apr 8-9, 2011) were strong. Saturday was the big day with full band performances, while Friday night was an informal acoustic jam session. I didn’t attend the acoustic sessions.

The LIVE! Cam was active all day Saturday. Now, I need to explain to you that rendering video in Final Cut Pro is an arduous task. So, before rendering, I had to make sure that these performances were worth my time rendering and your time viewing. I picked out the six best moments, and added one more recorded by CrazyWater band’s Jeff Zuelsdorf, which pretty much lays out why the event took place in the first place.

Here are my picks of the best performances at the fest, and why, with the best at the bottom of the page:

7. Crossing Tyler. These guys are quickly becoming one of my favorites. Although I must say that their songs are way too Texas Country genre-ish. I wish they’d break it more out of the box. You know, they need to get more voice inflection. Not everyone has to sound like Wade Bowen to make it big. But for most of the new Texas Country Music bands these days, that’s what they’re doing. And Crossing Tyler does it well. Here, they perform “Trip to the River.”

6. Buckshot Bradley. Clete Carrillo (lead singer) really does drink one for Texas in here. I missed part of it, but near the end of the video, someone from the audience throws him a Keystone Light beer. Astro Clete, as in Houston Astros, dropped the can of beer, missed a verse of the song, but redeemed himself by downing the entire can quicker than I’d ever do it.

5. Krysi Worley. That girl’s got some pipes! And the band, Flincher’s guitarist Miles McMillan and Old Hat Band keyboardist Richard Ramirez, gave her probably the most seasoned backup at the festival. Here she is with “Two More Bottles of Wine.” (Who can really drink “two more” bottles of wine? Well, maybe Clete can.)

4. Larry Joe Taylor. This guy has the biggest, baddest music festival in Texas and every video of him on YouTube.com sucks. I hope this changes that. In the video, Larry Joe starts by playing a tribute to Gary P. Nunn, the song “Home With the Armadillo.” That’s one of those songs they play at the Dixie Chicken just before they kick everyone out (when they’re kicking you out, they play “Goodnight Irene). Right in the middle of singing the song, Larry Joe tells the story of how the song “Luchenbach, Texas” became a hit. He’s an excellent entertainer…and storyteller.

3. Mark McKinney. Rita Ballou says all of Mark’s songs are formulated to mention one subject, and no matter what the subject was, the hook line always ends with drinking lots of beer. Well, okay. I mentioned “formula” Texas country earlier, and how some of these new guys need to get out of the box and inflect their voice. Well, Mark McKinney is out of the box. It’s primarily because of his high energy. I saw him when he re-started touring heavily in 2007. Back then he was crooning to a Graham Central Station crowd of (I kid you not) seven, but he lit up that dark room like a battery of roman candles. When Mark McKinney is on stage, you know it. He has that likable charisma. And his singing is pretty good too. This is “Home” from his just-released record titled the same.

2. Bleu Edmondson. If there is one performer with whose music I connect with the most, it’s Bleu Edmondson. His record “Lost Boy” was so good that it got “lost” in my 6-disc CD player in my truck. It’s probably still there, all worn out from listening to Bleu sing about my life. Bleu is one of the hardest-working artists out there. I remember seeing him at Blaine’s Pub four years ago, back when he was an “old has-been.” His set was finished, and his band was packing up. He stayed on stage for two more hours with his acoustic guitar. I think he played every song written until that date. He pours his soul out every time he performs. This year, Bleu’s just released a new record, The Furture Ain’t What It Used to Be, and assembled an all-new band. To watch here is lead guitarist Carson Alexander’s rendition of the harsh guitar licks of “Finger on the Trigger.” Someone told me that kid was only 19 years old. Man, you never can get enough Bleu.

1. Terry Hucks, general manger of Kickin’ Country and KGKL likes to ham it up as emcee at these music fests, like I do. I always think he talks too much, especially when things aren’t to schedule. But this is his best performance to date. He tells us why the Curing Cancer Music Fest happened.

I know someone is going to ask why I don't have a video of the headliner Chris Knight's performance. To be truthful, someone jacked Chris Knight's beer stash before he got on stage and, mindful of his concert rider, I spent the better part of the first half of his performance looking for it. I ended up "borrowing" a keg out of the VIP tent and was in turn accused of jacking the VIP's beer. Besides that, Bleu Edmondson consumed the entire tape and, after chasing beer for an hour, I didn't feel like going to the car to get another tape. Sorry Chris Knight. I am sure the beer was good though.