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I got an interesting e-mail last week from KXT Radio (Dallas) concerning a free event they were putting on for their members just south of down town at The Loft. The shindig was set up just in time for a nice sunset on the patio Thursday night, featuring The Hope Trust, and RTB2. As a member, I figured that I needed to go and check it out. I have listened to The Hope Trust on the air, and I have heard that RTB2 was a performance that was not to be missed.

The Radio- This event was for KXT (91.7)- Music to the Core. KXT is the new listener funded public radio station for the Dallas area that has been taking up most of my radio time lately. They play a lot of independent and local musicians that you usually won’t find on pop radio stations. Many of the talented musicians who play at small venues around town (Jessie Frye, Vanessa Peters, Becky Middleton, Morning Elephant, Iris Leu, Salim Nourallah, The O’s, The Slack, Sarah Jaffe and many others) can be found on the KXT radio waves. A lot of the folks that I’ve had to find or stumble onto over the years can now be heard by anyone who chooses to tune in. They also regularly broadcast live performances in their studio, and post the recordings on their YouTube channel. Plus, another nice perk is that public radio doesn’t have any commercials. For me, it is a great break from the “Billboard” driven radio stations, and a chance to hear new music. Step away from Radio Gaga a little bit, take a bite of this and see what you think. You might like what you hear.

The Show- First of all I was really impressed with the venue. The Loft is above Gilley’s on S. Lamar near Southside on Lamar. They have a really large outdoor balcony that has a great view of downtown Dallas, and they pipe the music from inside out there as well. Inside there is a large stage with a great sound/light setup, and plenty of room to enjoy a show. The Hope Trust started off the night and played a great set. Their sound was kinda rocky but on the mellow/easy going end of the spectrum (take a listen here. There is a little bit of a Texas Country feel to their music with the steady rhythms and pedal steel. Next up was RTB2, and all I can say is….Damn! I didn’t realize that RTB2 is just 2 people, and even with just the duo, they absolutely kicked ass. The show was a kick you in the teeth, “rip your face off”, display of heavy and extremely talented guitar work with a kickn’ bass drum following along. Ryan Thomas Becker and Grady Sandlin (who was also the drummer for The Hope Trust) did more with two people on stage than a lot of four and five piece bands can pull off. If you heard this show, you would have never guessed there were only two guys on stage. A must see display of music for sure!

The night was a lot of fun, and I look forward to more events like this from KXT. Give the station a listen and support public radio and our local musicians! Your ears will thank you, and I won’t tell Ke$ha or Gaga that you have been cheating on them.

These last few weeks have been pretty stressful for me. My luck hasn’t been the best, and I’ve had several expensive things come up that I have had to pay for that were not in the budget. Like most of you guys out there, my income isn’t what it was a year or so ago, and these unexpected costs have me dipping into my already low savings. So I’ve been stressed trying to figure out how to save some money, and how to pay for all of this stuff. I was in a pretty crappy mood today. I spent all day doing repair work on my house outside, and as soon as I started this morning I knew that I would probably require all day Sunday as well. I don’t get in bad moods often, but today I was in a bad mood and my brain was stuck thinking about what a bad day it was and how crappy my luck had been, and having a little pity party for myself. Woe is me!

The next thing I knew it was almost 6PM, and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. On my way back from the hardware (6th trip?) store I ran up Taco Hell to fill my belly. When I pulled into the drive through I saw a man in the parking lot struggling to walk on crutches; I only saw him for a few seconds because the drive through was taking me back behind the building. After I placed my order they asked me to pull out front so they could bring me my food in a couple minutes. When I pulled around front, the man was still struggling to make his way, and had probably travel less than 15 feet in those 4-5 minutes. Allow me try to paint this picture for you: The man was in his late 60’s and probably around my height if he was standing upright. He was walking with the arm brace style crutches where your forearms go through loops, and your hands then hold on lower down the crutch (not the under the armpit type). It was obvious that his legs were pretty much out of order and that he could not move them or put any weight on them. Because of this he was leaning forward probably close to 30 or 45 degrees making a triangle with the ground, his crutches and his body, with all of his weight on his arms. He would shift all of his weight to one arm/crutch, pick the other crutch up and move it forward a few inches and then slide his legs to maintain his balance. Each movement was anguish and strained. Each step probably took 10-20 seconds and only advanced his position maybe 6 or 8 inches.

the type of crutches he was using:

So as I am sitting there waiting on my volcano burrito to be delivered to me at my private little pity party, I watch this guy struggling to walk and think to myself… you konw, my bad day isn’t such a bad day after all.

The way my truck was pointed, I was driving away from him. So I did a quick 3 point turn in the parking lot so I could exit by where he was walking. I asked him if I could lend him a hand, and as he struggled to look up at me from his deep forward lean, he told me that he could use a lift a few blocks down the road to his apartment. I helped him to get into the truck, and we talked a little bit as we drove the mile and a half or so back to where he lived. I asked him if he had another way to get around and he told me he usually uses the bus, but it doesn’t always run where he wants to go. When I asked him about a scooter or electric wheel chair he looked at me and said, “I’m sixty seven years old, and I have to stay strong. I’m afraid if I start using one those I’ll never regain enough strength to get around on my own. I have to stay strong.” He said he had Multiple Sclerosis, and he had too many friends with the same condition who were were not able to get out of the chairs after they started to use them. His attitude was upbeat and positive and seemed to be a very nice guy.

Even before he got in the truck, I was getting upset with myself. I had the nerve to complain about my bad day and my bad luck? Take another look at that guy Zach, and tell me again how f*cking hard your life really is, and how bad your day is. My good days and bad days were not even on the same astral plane with his good days and bad days. I am healthy, employed, own a home, have a nice car and an old truck, have great friends and family. I really don’t have any justification to bitch about how bad my day is. I might be healthy, but I think I can take some lessons from him on being strong.

I dropped him off at his apartment and said goodbye. He thanked me for the lift, and I thanked him as well. I’m sure he thought my thanks was just perfunctory or polite, but it wasn’t. He helped me more today than I helped him.

Dear Joe:
Merry Christmas Joe Cates! I hope you enjoy the new outfit, bracelets and hotel room the citizens of Texas and New Mexico have given you as a reward for being on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 most wanted list. It took them 2 years to find you so they could deliver your gifts, and I hope you didn’t think your deeds had been forgotten. Thank you for being there in so many of the great memories I had of my teenaged years. Some of my favorite memories like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, building homes form scratch for the poor in less than a week, ski trips to New Mexico and Colorado….as the youth director you were right there in all my great memories from that time in my life. Thank you for not selecting me as one of your victims. Actually, you should probably thank yourself for that decision; you see, I may have reacted a little differently than some of your other victims reacted. Some of those other victims are friends of mine who were on those same trips when you were generous enough to abuse them and do damage that will never be undone.

I’m glad they found you Joe. If you were washing my dishes at your fancy job in New Mexico, and I realized it was you… I am pretty sure it would end up being a bad day for both of us. So enjoy your stay in prison Joe. As one of the tax payers footing your bill, please enjoy all of the prision slop you can handle. If your cell gets a little chilly at night, don’t be afraid to tell the guard that Zach said it was ok to turn the heat up just for you. I want you to be comfortable there Joe; after all it will be your home for a long time. I hope your new roommate is hospitable to you, and bestows some of the same blessings upon you that you bestowed upon so many others.

Yours Truly,
Zach Lewis

Photo: Joe Cates

PS, is this the picture you are going to use on your Christmas Card?

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