I write this column on or about the 20th of each month for the upcoming issue of North of The Border, so my activities span 2 partial months. I kicked off my new month with a quiet weekend at home for Easter with my family. On Monday, Charlie Parker and I rode our bikes to Somerville to begin his setup for the Hawgs of Texas Rally. We rode out to Navasota and took the Bahia Scenic Highway 390 to 36 and rode up to the lake. Gail was pulling the trailer and got there before we did via the short route. You gotta believe that anyone that shows up on Monday for a Rally that starts on Wednesday belongs to a serious group of hearty partiers. Well, due to previous commitments, I was unable to hang around for the heartier part, but I enjoyed the trip, hanging with Charlie and Gail into the evening. As I rode home in the moonlight listening to 93.7FM, I was thinking about what it said on the sign that Charlie brought to hang on the stage with the now famous words of Lowboy: It’s all good!

     Saturday the 30th, Heated Frenzy played at the annual Field Store BBQ Cookoff and Destruction Derby. I gotta tell ya, I was just a little surprised to see about 5,000 people at this shindig. Texas Thunder and Chillin’ & Grillin’ were already going strong at their 2-tent setup, with Blue Flash winding up the afternoon entertainment. The BBQ judging had just taken place, and the awards were handed out at their tents. Chillin’ & Grillin’ took home a number of 1st place awards, and the 2nd overall trophy.  The ribs and brisket were nothing short of fantastic! Heated Frenzy set up and played the evening show. The show was supposed to end at 11 p.m. It ended at 1 a.m. with a good 50 person overflow crowd partying in the street. Mark Chad sat in for a song playing the shovel....don’t ask, just believe that he is the best at what he does. Everyone had a huge amount of fun. Texas Thunder and Chillin’ & Grillin’ were wonderful hosts!

     The 2nd weekend of every month, Heated Frenzy hosts a Sunday afternoon jam at Texas Thunder.  May 15th, the featured guest band was Soul to Soul with Alan Lee. Alan has been playing the blues longer than dirt has existed, well a long time anyway. He played with Gayle and the Hurricanes for years, and in some other bands like the Kingpins. I heard Alan play as far back as 20 years ago. He was good then, so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. These guys showed up at the last minute (like many of us do), having driven directly from San Antonio where they had done a show the previous evening. Heated Frenzy did a short opening set, and introduced Soul to Soul with this lineup:  Alan Lee lead guitar and vocals, Jim Rinke - alto & tenor sax, flute, and some lead vocals and backup vocals, Charles Murphy - bass & backup vocals,  Dennis Mack - drums, and Gary Lopez sitting in on harmonica. Gary is an original member of Soul to Soul. They cranked out some favorites like “T-Bone Shuffle”, “Let it Roll”, “Super Love”, “Born Under a Bad Sign”, “Tell it Like It Is”, and “Locomotive Breath” with Jim singing and playing flute. They performed two Alan Lee originals: “Bosco’s Blues” and “Destined to Sing the Blues” with Gary playing harmonica. Alan & Jim’s vocals  lead a very tight performance by everyone. Jim’s sax playing is as good as it gets, and Charles Murphy is nothing short of “remarkable”.  It is always fun to listen to the “Pros”.  If you want to dance or just be entertained, this whole band is great!    

     Texas Thunders’ proprietor, Vince LaRocca is opening Kruzzers Roadhouse (formerly Rays) on FM 1774 in early June. Vince and Dorothy will be hosting the next PRO JAM there on Sunday, June 12.  The Pro Jam, hosted by Heated Frenzy will continue as it has for the last year, on the 2nd weekend of every month at Kruzzers. June 18 will be the big kickoff for Kruzzers with Charlie Parker starting the full day of live music at noon, followed by Soul to Soul at 4-ish, and Texas Twister at 8 p.m. Charlie Parker will kick off a weekly Wednesday night open jam at Kruzzers Roadhouse on June 22. The start time will probably be 8-8:30 p.m..  It will be set up for a full band, so bring your instruments and guitar amps if you are a musician, and bring yourself in for lunch or dinner from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day. Expect a Grand Opening celebration on the 4th of July weekend.

     Friday the 20th, I jumped on the bike and rode a favorite route of mine from FM 249 and Spring Cypress to Rosehill, Field Store, Navasota, Carlos, Richards, Montgomery, Pinehurst, and back to the starting point. The exact route is posted at the bottom of this column. While on the route, I stopped at Yankees for a Gatorade, and Drifters for a couple of hours or more to see what was going on with the Drifters Annual Bash. The new proprietor, Eric, and has continued the tradition started by Tom and Denise Albritton, and added a few things. The usual Friday afternoon crowd was there, along with vendors that were setting up. The Riffters band cranked up about 6:30 p.m. joined a little later by Tony Jamal sitting in, who put on a good show with his signature style of blues. There was a stripper pole, a pudding wrestling ring, a mechanical bull, a tattoo booth, bike wash, and the landscape was dramatically cleared in the back to accommodate the new RV parking spaces that are going in. The showers were under construction in the back, and the new cooler installation had just been completed.  The kitchen is now being operated by Eric, so I had to try it out. Dinner was great.

     I had a commitment to play in College Station Saturday, so I missed Saturday at Drifters, but was able to return with the Heated Frenzy show on Sunday afternoon. Please welcome our new drummer, “Animal” next time you see us. Those are his girlfriends in the photo. The turnout was very good, and everyone  had a great time. The photos from the wet t-shirt contest and pudding wrestling on Saturday were interesting! Swervin Irvin volunteered to be the “water hose” man for them...(no surprise there) and naturally was in a good position to get the best photos. I couldn’t post them here. There were no broken arms from the bull riding, but there were some people that weren’t moving quite as briskly as normal on Sunday. We closed out the entertainment for the annual bash at 7 p.m., and there were still customers drinking ICE COLD beer. Eric is going all out to accomplish his goal of making Drifters the premier biker destination in the Houston Metro area and parts beyond. 

     Around town...seems that Delmer and Kristan from the Hawgstop might be taking over operation of Choppers at Louetta and Kuykendahl. If that materializes, count on some new opportunities for Biker and Live Music fun there.

#1 The West of Tomball Route

Spring Cypress west from 249 to Grant

Right on Grant

Right on Cypress Rosehill

Left on 2920

Right on Roberts Cemetery

Left on Nichols Sawmill

Right on Hegar

Left on Joseph/Hegar

Right on Kickapoo

Left on FM1488

Right on 362

Left on 105

Right on 6

Exit R on 3090

Left @ T (still on 3090)

Left @ 244 to Yankees

From Yankees L on 244

Right on 90

Left on FM1774

Left on FM2819

Left on FM1486

Right on 149 to Drifter

From Drifters R on 149 to Pinehurst

Left on 249 to Spring Cypress

     Ride safely, with Gusto!