Long Roads and Bigger Pictures
Houston's Ken Gaines by Mark Zeus
, copyright November, 2002
On selected Thursday evenings, one can walk into Anderson Fair,
the underpublicized jewel of the Houston music scene, and discover
the best this city has to offer. There are no flashing lights
or disco ball, no scantily dressed waitresses or rock stars, nor
anything that would, even in the farthest stretch of the imagination,
be considered trendy. Anderson Fair is a listening room.
There is music and an audience. The music has something to say;
the audience listens.
Although, since 1970, Anderson Fair has been continually presenting the finest in original acoustic music (the list is mind-boggling, but a few who cut their teeth on its stage: Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Clint Black, Guy Clark), the current Thursday series has seemed to rekindle the spirit of the Houston Songwriter scene. Lighting that fire is host and organizer, Ken Gaines.
The "songwriters-in-the-round" format is not a new idea. Songwriters sitting in a circle and trading songs is a natural occurrence. On all levels, local to national, the format has been used for performance, panel workshops, and just plain fun. The key to a successful "circle" is the combination of writers, and the presence of an effective host.
"I'm confident in what I do," states the often soft spoken Gaines, "99% of the time, if it needs it, I can make it work." Ken is far from a cocky new comer. That confidence and resolve have been fostered through many long years of perseverance, and experience. He is the kind of man who appreciates respect and more likely gives more than he gets. Lately, he has increasingly garnered more recognition and respect for both his enormous musical talent, and his contributions to the local and regional music communities.
In addition to his association with Anderson Fair, Ken is a longtime "Kerrvert," the term used for regular attendants of The Kerrville Folk Festival, the annual 21 day internationally known songwriters festival held on Quiet Valley Ranch in Kerrville, TX. He is the unofficial musical director at "Camp Stupid" ("I'm going back to camp, stupid!", and "What we have here is a failure to punctuate."). A dictionary has been published containing the lingo and various puns that have grown into the Kerrvert language.
Camps like Stupid are continually springing up throughout the festival campgrounds. A few friends decide to camp together. They meet another group and consolidate. Each camp has its song circle, and each circle has its own personality. Ken defines Stupid as a place where "anybody can play" and "feel welcome." There is a "spirit of sharing" and an understanding that no one should take themself that seriously. In a way, Ken brings "an order to the musical madness."
What happens at Anderson Fair is not that far removed from the Kerrville experience. The festival attracts songwriters from every part of the U.S., Canada, and beyond. Ken has made a conscious effort to bring many of those writers to Houston by including them on Thursday nights. Some Houston favorites that he first brought here include: Jack Williams, Caroline Aiken and Ruthie Foster.
As important as traveling performers are to the mix, the guts of the Thursday performances are represented by the burgeoning local songwriter scene, and, of course, Ken Gaines. "I look for contrast," he answered when asked about his booking methods. He is also "actively placing females" and looking for "young folks." No matter whom he puts up there, the audience has yet to be disappointed. There's an old saying:"The best songs are never heard on the radio." Perhaps some of them are being heard at Anderson Fair.
By the way, Ken is also a veteran performer and accomplished songwriter. He will be releasing his first studio CD on Dec. 21 at Anderson Fair. Most of his old fans have been waiting a long time for this. Most of his new fans are shocked to find out that he hasn't any previously released CDs. He did, however, release a live album on cassette in 92, before his move to the Houston Heights in 93.
Although Ken is considered by many to be the "dean" of the Houston songwriting scene, the roads that brought him here paint a much bigger picture. Having been raised in a military family, he was born in Washington, D.C., and spent his high school years in Wiesbaden, Germany and Wheatland, CA. After moving to his mother's hometown of Biloxi, he attended the U. Of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where he earned two degrees in Theatre and Art. He eventually settled for a while in San Antonio. In between, he spent four years in the Air Force, which stationed him in Southern England, where his first son, Josh, was born. There's more.
The Gaines family were singers- in the home, on picnics, or at the beach. Ken sang in church choirs and became "exposed to all kinds of music through the family." His brother, Erwin (Scooter) Gaines, is a performing songwriter as well. Ken's earliest performing experiences were in coffeehouse settings of service clubs in the late 60s, harmonizing in folk bands to the music of Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Upon arriving in California, he found himself swept up by the San Francisco rock scene of the era. Having met the likes of Big Brother, The Youngbloods and Jefferson Airplane, he remembers Grace Slick telling him to "come back in five years." He had a short stint as lead singer in a rock band before hooking back into an acoustic duo with Steve Green, who he credits as having significantly influenced his finger-style guitar playing.
Ken began performing solo in college. During the summers and breaks, he was a singing marshall for the 8 Flags Wild West Show in Biloxi, and also trained sea lions and dolphins at Marine Life. Upon entering military service in 76, Ken drifted a bit from music. He started becoming interested in the visual arts and reentered the U. of Southern Mississippi to get his second degree in 80.
During those years, Ken and his wife at the time, Therese, had there second and third sons, Jack and Niel. Therese, who took to the military life, enrolled in the university's ROTC program. She entered the Air Force in 84 and was stationed in Colorado Springs. Ken again found himself in new and influential surroundings.
Ken came back to music with a vengeance. Realizing he had become a much more mature writer, he literally burned all his old material. Established Colorado songwriters, Chuck Pyle and Phil Volan, befriended him and encouraged his career. He began introducing more of his original material into his sets and was becoming an extremely prolific songwriter.
The next assignment took them to upstate New York. Besides regularly performing at the area's festival and folk venues, Ken began touring out- Pennsylvania, Boston, Chicago, New York City. He cites Bernice Lewis as an important influence and contact. Through her, he met several other touring pros: Arlo Guthrie, Michael Smith, Townes Van Zandt. Although the music biz, in general, runs in tight circles, Ken found most in the Folk circuit were willing to advise and help out emerging artists. These earlier experiences could have contributed in fueling Ken's desire to bring the music of his contemporaries to our community.
Ken finally reached Texas in August of 89, after Therese was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. He attended his first Kerrville Folk Fest in the Spring of 90. It was a mecca he had been wanting to reach since he first heard of it from Chuck Pyle in Colorado. Ken says he's only missed three days since. He also became a regular at Cibolo Creek Country Club and Leon Springs Cafe, and began "hanging around Austin", where he took over hosting the popular open mike at Chicago House.
In 91, Ken hit the road again- throughout Texas, The West Coast, Mississippi, Alabama, and back to Colorado, Illinois and New York. He was also becoming popular on the house concert circuit. For those who are not familiar, house concerts are just that, intimate performances in private living rooms and backyards. Folk music, whether it be traditional or contemporary, has, for the most part, effectively been ignored by mainstream press. In response, fans have created grassroot networks and clubs. Due to a shortage of appropriate venues, individuals have taken it upon themselves to offer suitable stages, assemble interested audiences and book talent.
Ken enjoyed the intimacy of these performance experiences, and decided his first album would attempt to recreate that experience. Collaborating with Austin engineer, Lindsey Haisley, he accomplished his mission. No One Else, is a bare bones look at the heart and soul of Ken Gaines, as he lays his smooth yet exciting vocal upon the bed of his dynamic guitar playing.
Ken is a passionate writer. Whether it be in his own personal search for self-realization, as in "Red Moon," or his fascination for the metaphoric value found in a simple recreation, as in "Pool," passion is the underlying emotion guiding the craft. Although he seems to never overtly "step on the soapbox," Ken has his ways of making his feelings known. He challenges the audience. In his story of a fallen preacher, "Shakin' The Gates of Hell," he takes a unique look at the old cliche of "the end never justifies the means," allowing us to explore our own values and interpret his intent.
No One Else seemed, in some respect, to be a culmination. Ken is best as a live performer and his first album effectively captured him at his best. One may also view it as a stepping-stone into his future. He would take his talents and messages to Houston, where he would finally settle in, collaborate, and eventually lead a community of writers.
Ken met Sue Ezell at Kerrville in the Spring of '93. Sue has also been a long-time Kerrvert, and a volunteer at Anderson Fair. She and Ken immediately connected and proceeded with a whirlwind romance. Later that year, Ken moved to join her here. They have since married and are still living in the Houston area. Sue, a professional graphic artist, is doing the artwork for the new release.
Ken was not a stranger to this scene. Prior to the move, he appeared as a featured artist at the old Red Lion and McGonigel's Mucky Duck. It wasn't until he discovered the dimly lit confines of Anderson Fair did he find a home for his music. "It's intentionally set up to be intimate- like a house concert," chimed Ken when asked of his attraction to the venue. He was still touring and performing full-time until 96. He then began focusing his energies on the regional and local scenes.
Ken, who had increasingly become more attracted to the "in-the-round" format, hooked up with locals, Ron Perry, Phil Freeman and Mark Alan Threadgill. The diverse mix took their show out to several area locations. Eventually Ken and Ron got together to organize a weekly showcase. The Mystery Manor, which was a mystery dinner/theater on weekends, became home to a Tuesday evening songwriters night.
It was there that I, as a traveling singer/songwriter from Chicago, first saw Ken play. My initial reaction was, "What the hell is this guy doing here?" as his tenor voiced thundered out the first lines to his heart-felt anthem, "Biloxi." I was soon to discover the bigger picture.
When The Mystery Manor closed its doors in '99, Ken began searching for a new location. Bob Felder, a regular audience member on Tuesdays, convinced Ken to move it to Anderson Fair, where Bob was also a volunteer. Since then, regular Thursday night Songwriter Nights have been a staple of the the venue's schedule. For two years, Ken also presented a Sunday afternoon series, The Open Circle Coffeehouse, at a local Unitarian church. (Page 2)