"we're gonna have us a time..."

i read an interview w/ray wiley hubbard a while back & he listed "choctaw bingo" as the one song he wished he'd written. i'd never heard it but filed it away to find later & promptly forgot about it. then, i saw mcmurtry at the hardly bluegrass festival 3 years ago & was jolted by one number in particular. i couldn't make out a lot of the words but the beat stuck w/me & when i got around to searching it on-line work, you guessed it: "choctaw bingo". the song is peopled w/characters from out of denis johnson's jesus'son & is propelled along by a thumping bass that just keeps things moving.

james mcmurty is the novelist larry mcmurty's son. james writes some of the best political songs of anyone around. he announced at the hardly bluegrass festival that he & his band could be found playing every tuesday night at a certain bar in austin texas. i don't think ray wiley hubbard has a regular austin gig.