Howard Kalish: "What they Hey"

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 May 2004 1:58 pm

What fun! Austin fiddler Howard Kalish has produced a great, fun CD of mostly original Texas-style country music, with lots of swing and shuffles. Backing Howard is Don Walser's Pure Texas Band, with Scott Walls featured prominently and playing a lot of great steel. Walser sings a few of the tunes as well.

Howard's a fine writer and singer too, especially when his tongue is firmly in his cheek, as in the best of western swing. My personal favorites are "I Will Never Change, So Why Don't You", the title cut, "What the Hey" (a great instrumental that features everybody), and "I Just Want You for a Friend" (which contains one of my favorite lines in country music: "I can be both helpful, kind and patient")

If you like Texas-style music (and who doesn't) you'll have a lot of fun listening to "What the Hey". Check it out at http://www.howardkalishmusic.com

Highly recommended!

p.s. I forgot to mention "Bonafide Bulldozer Man", which Howard wrote but sounds like a perfect setup for Junior Brown. Hey, Howard, have you tried renting this tune to Junior? I'm sure you have! Hope he covers it; he should![This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 26 May 2004 at 06:07 AM.]

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 27 May 2004 1:50 pm

Gee, thanks Jim. I'm so pleased to know you're enjoying my CD. We've been doing several of the tunes live with the Cornell Hurd Band and they get folks to dancing.

I sent Hank Thompson a copy last year. I saw Hank a few weeks ago and he said he really likes I Just Want You For A Friend and would like to record it. It's my tribute to him, so that would be really swell if he did it.

Thanks again for the endorsement and see you around.

Keep swingin'
HK

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 27 May 2004 4:09 pm

[This message was edited by Fred Shannon on 06 December 2004 at 01:34 AM.]

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 27 May 2004 5:18 pm

Hank Thompson could record Howard Kalish?
Love it

Jerry Bruner · Post by **Jerry Bruner** » 31 May 2004 6:01 pm

The Busgal gave me a copy of this fine CD as a gift and I love it, especially "South First Street Rag" (I can listen to that track over and over and over again). If you love real country music you must have this CD. It's the epitome of what's going on in the Texas music scene and what good country music can and should be. The steel on this record is great. Howard is one fine musician and songwriter. And if you like this CD you will probably like anything by the Cornell Hurd Band, which gets the two enthusiastic thumbs up.... way up.....

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 2 Jun 2004 6:29 am

Jim, Fred, Janice and Jerry - I sure appreciate the nice comments. I know you folks know good music, so it’s especially gratifying. Fred, you bet I’d like to sit in with Beats Walkin’ one of these days. Never can tell. And Jerry, do you have the new Cornell Hurd CD Cen-Tex Serenade? It's wild and has 28 tracks that covers the gamut and then some. All swingin' country.

Thanks again,

HK

Jerry Bruner · Post by **Jerry Bruner** » 3 Jun 2004 7:32 am

Howard,
I DO have Cen-Tex Serenade.
My two favorites are "Forever In the Texas Sky" (awesome tribute.... brought tears to my eyes).. and "Brother It's All Lunchmeat To Me" (I couldn't quit laughing...)

Another solid effort from the CHB.

Doyle Mitchell · Post by **Doyle Mitchell** » 5 Jun 2004 8:54 am

Fred, were you at my place in Colorado City,Tex. a while back when Don Walser and the Pure Texas band came to play? If you werent you missed one heck of a show!!! Howard and Scotty blowed them away! People talked about that night for months trying to get me to bring them back. That was before Don started having health problems and their busy schedule would not fit with mine. Howard gave me a copy of his new CD at Dallas and it is great. If you like great fiddling and great steel and for sure dont forget Floyd Domino on piano, you will love this CD. Best of luck with the CD, Howard! And tell my cousin Big Don we are coming to Austin soon to see him. Hope you guys are performing local while we are there.I hope Don's health has improved since we last talked. Doyle

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 6 Jun 2004 7:16 pm

[This message was edited by Fred Shannon on 06 December 2004 at 01:34 AM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 6 Jun 2004 7:36 pm

Thanks for that vote of confidence, Fred. Wish we had a few thousand like you over here in PA!

As for Howard, he'd better just leave his "gourd" in his pocket... [This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 06 June 2004 at 08:37 PM.]

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 9 Jun 2004 1:30 pm

Hi Doyle - Terrific to hear from you and I'm sure glad to know you're enjoying my CD. It was great visiting with you in Dallas. I sure remember that show we did for you, man that was back a few years. The folks in Colordado City were very nice to us.

Sad to say, ol' Don ain't doing too good and is bed-ridden. But he's mentally alert and still tells the same corny jokes. I go to visit him every few weeks. I usually try to take a friend or two along and sometimes we play music for him in his room. He's such a great guy and I miss playing with him. Let me know when you're in town and maybe we can get together. Scott and I play every Thursday with the Cornell Hurd at Jovita's. We may have something else going when you come to town, so let me know. Tell Debbie hi for me.

Now Fred and Jim - Let's leave my gourd out of this

.

But you know Western Swingin Pennsylvanians aren't too peculiar. Buddy Spicher, Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans come to mind. I know Beats Walkin' is carrying on the tradition in fine fashion.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 9 Jun 2004 2:35 pm

I didn't know about B. Spicher being from PA. Anyway, all the rest of those guys had the good sense to get out of Dodge...

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 13 Jun 2004 8:06 am

Hi Jim - I checked with our steel player Scott Walls. He says that Buddy Spicher is from Sabula in western PA. Scott's dad and Buddy have been friends since childhood and Buddy is Scott's godfather. Scott's dad is Hal Walls, who's a real good steel player in his own right. Some of the forum members know him. He was a friend of Curly Chalker's and plays in his style.

See ya,
HK

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 13 Jun 2004 6:49 pm

I think it was Howard who told me Buddy Spicher was raised a couple county's northwest of me. Last fall on one of the infamous roadtrips from Austin to Houston I got to know Scott a little better and the band was as surprised as I that Scott also grew up near me.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047