Live music, football, and trains

The Return of Hayes Carll

At least they spelled his name right this time...

When you see the blue marquee, it means just one thing... Whiskey has been to a show at Dan's in Denton. Last Friday, I caught Hayes Carll, the first show I've been to since last month's Old 97s show in Dallas. This was my second time to see Hayes -- I caught him at Dan's back in June but didn't get any pictures. Last time around, the Sidehill Gougers opened; this time, it was Corb Lund -- who I would liked to have seen, but I didn't get off work until 2230 and didn't make it there in time. I did catch all of Hayes' set, though. Hayes and his band started playing around 2315 and played til 0100 or so. They opened with "Hey Baby, Where You Been?", the same song they opened with last time. They had a guest guitarist with them this time -- Jesse Dayton, a rockin' rockabilly player from Austin who really, well, rocked. I'm gonna have to get a hold of some of his cd's. As far as the Hayes Carll set, they played most of the songs from both of their albums -- Flowers and Liquor and Little Rock.

Hayes Carll at Dan's in Denton - Friday, Nov. 17

Jesse Dayton and Hayes Carll

They sounded great, I'm glad I went, and I'd highly recommend catching one of their shows if you have a chance.

Game of the Year?

The Dallas Cowboys had a lot of "big games" on their schedule this season, but possibly none bigger than their matchup against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Nov 19. It so happened that K and I were able to attend that game. After several seasons of disinterest, along with an unfavorable work schedule, I have managed to attend one game per season during the past 3 years. In 2004, we caught the Cowboys' loss to the Saints (well, what do you expect when Vinny Testaverde is your starting QB); last season we caught an overtime win against the Giants; and this season it was the Colts. I calculated that even if the Cowboys didn't bring their "A" game, at least we'd be seeing ONE good team. And I'm reasonably familiar with the Colts; our local networks seem to pick up quite a few of their games... I've probably seen almost as many Colts games as Cowboys games on tv during the past two seasons. Of course I was hoping for (but not necessarily expecting) a Cowboys victory. It was nice to see them pull off the "W" though.

Anyway, it's always fun to take in an NFL game between two powerhouse teams. Between the rowdy fans, the tailgaters, and the teams themselves, it's quite a spectacle -- a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

tailgaters outside Texas Stadium

Brokeback Manning?

home of the Dallas Cowboys - for a few more years

the Cowboys take the field


Peyton Manning gesturing wildly before the snap



Time running out... 21-14 would be the final

Our seats were in the third row of the upper deck on about the 25 yard line... a great view! It was cool to be able to attend such a high profile game, featuring an improving Cowboys offense led by Tony Romo, against an unbeaten Colts team. The crowd was loud enough to be a factor during the Colts' possessions, and Dallas played well enough to hand the Colts their first loss. With the Eagles' loss of Donavan McNabb decreasing Philly's likelihood of reaching the post season, and the Giants recently exhibiting poor showings against the Bears and the Jags, could Dallas really be the top team in the NFC East? I guess the prudent thing to do would be to wait and see how they do against the Bucs tomorrow.

Another Monday, another day by the tracks

For the second Monday in a row, I spent some time shooting trains. After a couple hours in Saginaw, I headed over to Dallas to see what was running. It was a great day to be out (full sun all day and a high in the 60s), and I caught quite a few.

coal load at Saginaw. 11/20/06

UP westbound, west of downtown Dallas

Whiskey's World Series of Pop Culture

No correct answers were received for question # 8 (Name the characters played by actor Brian Doyle-Murray in the movies "Waynes World" and "JFK". )

Answer: In "Wayne's World", Brian Doyle-Murray played Noah Vanderhoff, the owner of a chain of video arcades. In Oliver Stone's "JFK", Doyle-Murray played Jack Ruby.

I'll post another question next time.

WSC

nr: Ted Conover - Coyotes

np: Devil in a Woodpile