Texas Heartbreakers :: Chapter 2 :: Lubbock Texas

Our first stop! Lubbock, Texas! It wasn't dark out yet, but it was getting late when pulled up to the "free camp area" we had mapped in Lubbock. The "camp area" was a small grassy spot next to a parking lot right off the busy road across from a gas station. No one was there, but it looked legit enough. Our tent went up quickly, and we cooked dinner over a little propane grill we brought. We'd go to downtown Lubbock tomorrow and do a little exploring. We brushed our teeth. Time to sleep. Our first night away from home. We both forgot to bring a pillow. We were comfortable enough though.

Lubbock is a small college town in Texas. The home of Lubbock Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is bound to have some cool kids! Buddy Holly was born here too, so this town MUST like live music! He played all around this small town with his band back in the 50's. We decided to take a little tour around town on the city bus before hittin' the streets to sing.

Money was tight, so we had to be careful what we spent it on or we'd end up heading back to Austin before we even got to the west coast. So we set aside enough money for gas to get back home and penny-pinched our way around. The bus was $1 each, and I put in a $5. First time on a city bus, I guess. You don't get change. Don't argue with the bus driver. Luckily the waiter at the resteraunt we had lunch at didn't charge for our drinks. He must have known, when all we ordered was a taco each, ate 2 baskets of chips, and asked for refills to-go!

There was a small strip of bars downtown going around one tiny block that boasted a huge mural of Buddy Holly. We saw plenty of opportunity there, and went back with the guitar when the sun went down. 

We played in a bunch of different spots, feeling like a rival team at an away game. A few people stopped to talk, but mostly, we just didn't fit in. They weren't used to it, didn't know what we were doing, or what to do. They looked at us like street peddlers, or looked away rather.

It was a discouraging start to our street performing tour. I hoped it wasn't a glimpse of what was to come. We went back to our "campsite" across from the gas station that night feeling low. There wasn't a bathroom, but the gas station was still open. We got ready for bed, packed the jeep to leave in the morning, and went to sleep with the hum of an 18-wheeler nearby. 

I didn't like Lubbock, but we were still having a great time. Anything that replaced the memory of my broken heart was fine by me. And in the morning, we could keep running. Wherever we wanted to go; however fast or slow. I felt so at home on the road.

Texas Heartbreakers :: Chapter 1 :: Rebel Angel

My white v-neck was stained from the hustle and bustle of another noisy Friday night waiting tables at La Feria; 3 years of Thursday nights spinning trays of margaritas, making friends, then cleaning up the mess. I was working downtown Austin though, and learning Spanish, and mariachi night was always fun! That night, the music of SXSW was pouring in from the streets, and the customers were buzzing with anticipation, talking about bands they couldn’t wait to see, and bands they just saw. Then there were the bands, they were making plans, and talking about shows, and what kind of gear they were hauling. I was in love; in love with the buzz.

I missed my band... but so what if I didn’t book a show for SXSW this year. I could still play! After work, my best friend Hazel and I grabbed my acoustic guitar and set up shop on one of our favorite spots on 6^th Street, the corner right across from The Driscol. We’d done it a bunch of times, and made decent tips too. I’d play a bunch of songs most people know, and a lot of my original songs people love. Hazel knew all the words. She’d get brave enough to belt out the chorus with me most the time. People loved that. She really was a Hazel Angel. And I really was a Rebel Angel.

“Let’s just go. Let’s pack the jeep, and quit our jobs, and go on tour!” It was perfect timing.

“Ok!” She was always down for whatever. I loved that about her. She was also an excellent planner, and we didn’t waste any time. We counted our money ($220), we calculated the cost, we printed lists of free camping areas, and we plotted our route. We looked up all the big cities and pinpointed the spots that looked busy enough to make money singing on street corners. Then we quit our jobs, packed the jeep, and left town.

It was April 5^th, 2005. Lightening bolted back and forth across the sky as we drove away from Austin. Zippers on bags rattled in the back, and the windshield wipers screeched across the glass as the rain let up. We pulled over to adjust the straps of the cargo bag on the roof and smoke a cigarette.

“So, what did your mom say?” I asked knowing Hazel’s mom probably hated me for this.

“Uh… she just wants us to be safe.”

“Yeah, mine too. We will. Hey, check out these moves!” Then I showed her how I’d knee someone in the groin, followed by punching the air in self defense. Hazel joined in too, growling and cursing under her breath.

We drove towards Lubbock down those country roads that go from 50mph, to 30, to 25, then back to 50. We were taking hits out of our dugouts and blaring one of our new favorite CD’s we got from the band we hung out with the most at SXSW. We were flying g! But when I noticed the blue lights behind us in the rear view mirror my stomach turned upsidedown! I thought our trip was about to end with a bail bondsman. They don’t let a little weed slide in Texas!

I quickly sprayed the body mist I kept up front with us and we both shoved our dugouts back behind the emergency brake. My heart was racing, I didn’t like cops as it was. I always got over-emotional when I had to deal with them, for any reason.

An authoritative voice ordered, “Step out of the vehicle.” His flashlight blinded me, and I felt pressure building in my head. “How much have you had to drink?” 

“Nothing,” my voice trembled. “We haven’t been drinking!” My face contorted as tears of fear swelled up.

He turned to Hazel, “How much has your friend had to drink tonight? I can smell it.”

“We haven’t been drinking... this is probably what you smell,” Hazel showed him the body mist.

“Oh!” He chuckled. “Well then why is your friend so nervous?”

“She doesn’t like cops.”

We laughed as we drove off, relieved to be free, and kept our eyes peeled for speed limit signs. We were doing exactly what we wanted to do, exactly when we wanted to do it, and nothing ever felt better!

Thelma & Louise Vegas-Baby Beach Party Road Trip!

By Sharice Paris ©2011

Published in WHOOPSY Magazine’s Women Who Rock! Isuue – August 2005

The aftermath of SXSW this year left me with the inspiration to hit the road myself to get a hands-on-experience of what being on tour is like. I’d been playing around town and on the corners of 6^th Street for a couple of years so I knew I could make a little money doing it and the road was calling to me. In less than a week the plans were made and I set out for California with my best friend +Angela O  We quit our jobs, and with only a couple hundred bucks in our pockets, we knew we’d need tips for gas and food from here to the west coast and back.