Dueling Keyboards

I have never been much of a handy man. For the most part, the shop class kind of stuff that guys usually learn in their teenage years didn't register. I don't know how toilets work, or what that kerchunk, kerchunk sound under the hood of my wife's van is. But, for years I've prided myself on being able to write a good story, snap a good photo, and strum a good tune on the guitar. It was those creative talents that balanced the scale; that is until I was given a banjo for my birthday several months ago. The five-string banjo. It looked so easy when the Darlings cranked out some earthy bluegrass tune for Andy and Barney in the hills between Mayberry and Mount Pilot. How hard could it be if that kid from Deliverence could do it? After all, I've picked the guitar since I was 12-years-old and made Hotel California and House of the Rising Sun sound pretty doggone good. But this thing is a beautifully designed, highly polished, perfectly balanced chromed pain in the patuddy. I have the Mel Bay Method "You Can Teach Yourself Banjo". I have Austin-area banjo extradinaire Eddie Collins' "The Basics of Bluegrass Banjo". I have sat on the floor for hours reading the books, listening to the instructional CDs and watching a woman play her mother of pearl inlaid instrument effortlessly on the DVD. The fingers of my left hand sting from the strings, and the first two fingers and thumb of my right hand smart from picks that are way too tight. Still, I push on through pitifully performed versions of Camptown Races and Boil 'em Cabbage Down. I won't admit that I've been bested by a banjo, but my ego has certainly taken a hit. You would have thought that a five string banjo would be one string easier to play than a guitar, but it just ain't so. I'll keep at it and who knows . . . maybe someday I'll be good enough to pick a tune during open mic night at Hickory Hollow Barbecue. Until then I'll keep shooting the photos, strumming the guitar and banging out the words on my dueling keyboards. www.baxwrtr.com

ARTICLE - Mother, Mentor and Honky-Tonk Maven

MISS LESLIE: MOTHER, MENTOR AND HONKY-TONK MAVEN On-stage, Leslie Lindley of “Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers” is fulfilling her dream, singing the old honky-tonk tunes with a style and confidence originally reserved for the likes of Patsy Cline and Connie Smith. But, beyond the spotlights and late nights, Lindley is more than a retro Country crooner. She is a college-level instructor and stay-at-home mom on a mission. “It’s challenging to juggle work and family, as almost anyone can relate to,” she said. “I have my concerns about trying to juggle one more thing in my life, but I feel like I need to try to satisfy this dream that I’ve always had.” Married for almost 11 years to husband and guitar-playing Juke-Jointer, Randy, Lindley spends her days rearing their children, Hannah (5), Ethan (3) and Caleb (2), with an old-fashioned ethic instilled in her by her own folks. For the past four years Lindley has taught evening classes for the North Harris Montgomery Community College District, specializing in computer-related programs from Keyboarding and Introduction to Word Processing, to Intro to PC Operating Systems. Most recently she has been teaching two nights a week at the main campus of North Harris Community College and the Parkway campus. “My favorite thing about teaching is working with these students who are trying to go back and get a degree, or gain skills to advance to a better career,” she said. “I hope that I instill confidence in my students and help them realize that anything is possible if you have the will, the drive and the determination.” When Lindley puts on her Miss Leslie persona it’s undeniable that she practices what she preaches, and that anything is possible when you passionately believe in your dream. Nominated in 2004 for Houston Press Music Award, Lindley is pleased, but not surprised, by the growing success of Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers. “This is really the first band that I’ve ‘fronted’,” she said. “In the past, Randy played music professionally and I was being supportive of him. Today we perform together. It’s a part of our hearts and souls, and a way of relating to each other that is different from most other ways.” Next up for Miss Leslie is a performance on the Texas Stage at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on March 3, and several other shows in Willis, Webster, the Heights and downtown Houston in the coming weeks. The band is also featured in a soon-to-be-released DVD documentary about the career of Country Music Legend, Tammy Wynette, available nationwide through Wal-Mart. Their new CD, “Turn Around”, is scheduled to be in the market later this summer. “As an instructor at North Harris, it’s definitely inspirational to me to see how hard these students work -- some working one or two jobs while going to school and trying to raise a family, all to fulfill some dream,” she said. “We’ve found that to be true in our lives, too. For us music is another way to go through life with that special person. It’s like an additional fulltime career, but we love it.” copyright 2005 Michael Baxter