Traveling across the vast country side of Texas, you are
never far away from the sound of Texas, its unique vibrant troubadours
can be heard at any number of cross road venues, local town honky-tonk
saloons and dance halls. While many travelers may be reluctant to
venture inside, those that do are treated to an experience that is truly
Texas, and unique in the rest of the world. A place may outwardly appear
to be a "real dive" at first glance, but once inside you will
usually be welcomed as if an old friend and made to feel at home. What
may have started out as a brief respite from the road, often turns into
an afternoon or evening of engrossing entertainment. A case in point is
the Frieheit Country Store located off I-35, a stone throw east of exit
191, near New Braunfels.
Frieheit appears on few maps, but twice a month, its the
home of a entertainment phenomenon known around the world, the
"Humble Time" radio show. The host of the show and its driving
force is an affable dynamo known to his friends as Mo Humble. Mo and his
wife Leslie recognized that the local Texas talent was a vast resource
that was going largely un-noticed by the corporate behemoths that were
homogenizing the music and broadcast industries. Assisted by his
recording engineer brother-in-law Captain Ace, Mo undertook a project
that many felt would be short lived and doomed to failure. Humble Time
is now in its sixth year of existence with over 200 shows to its credit!
Moe's dream was to have a platform to showcase the Texas
song writing talent in a relaxed down-home atmosphere without all the
glitter and artificial production that the artist would find
intimidating. Humble Time has certainly achieved this goal. The Frieheit
Country Store is the ideal setting for the show and has become a
stopping point for the who's-who of the local music industry. Within its
walls you will find the remnants of a typical old time country store
which has evolved into a country roadside restaurant with reasonably
priced simple bill of fare including award winning hamburgers, fries,
chili, country fried steak. Of course, this is Texas, so a cold
long-neck bottle of the local favorites Lone Star and Shiner Bock as
well as soft drinks and Ice tea are also available. The wait-staff
assures food and icy-cold drinks will flow throughout the shows typical
4-hour taping on the second and fourth Saturdays from
February through
November. Seating is available at numerous tables and chairs crowded
into the open areas where merchandise and wares were once displayed. A
small bar lines the south wall and a verandah is available outside in
the rear of the building. First time visitors to Frieheit are often
amazed at the transformation of the store from a room full of local
ranchers and families enjoying a late lunch at 1 o'clock into a state of
the art digital recording arena less than an hour later. During the
transition, Mo, Leslie, and Captain Ace talk with the crowd and get them
warmed up for the afternoons activities so that the crowd is ready for
the performers when they take the stage at two o'clock, sometimes
sooner, but usually minutes later. The term stage as used here is really
a misnomer as there is no such thing as a stage at Frieheit. Center
stage at Frieheit is really a primary mike location in the corner with
lighting provided by a beer sign that probably was used to illuminate a
long departed pool table. That same mediocre looking light now brightens
the homes around the Texas hill country tuning in 6-7PM Saturday nights
for the edited Humble Time Broadcast on KFAN-FM (107.9) and KEEP-FM
(103.1), stations of the "Texas Rebel Radio" network.
Listeners around the world tune in to hear Humble Time via KFAN's
streaming audio feed at www.texasrebelradio.com on broadcast day.
Listeners can also hear a complete archive of most of the shows at the
extensive Humble Time website, www.humbletime.com 24/7. The program you
hear will be an 1 hour edited version of the 4 hour taping experience at
Frieheit as prepared by Mo and Captain Ace at his studio, the Sonic Deli
in San Marcos, Texas (www.sonicdeli.com).
Who will be performing at a Humble Time taping? That is
a very good question and one not usually answered until the taping on a
given day is completed!
Ray Wylie Hubbard, Susan Gibson, Cory Morrow,
Terri Hendrix, Steve Fromholz, Ponty Bone, Fred Eaglesmith, Eric Mol,
Jimmy La Fave, Slaid Cleaves, Rusty Weir, and Shake Russell to name just
a few of the hundreds who have appeared. To appear on the show, all that
is required is that you show up on Saturday afternoon, and that you must
perform your own original material. Although, mostly Texas type music is
presented, any genre of popular music is welcome, solo or group, novice
beginners or seasoned pro. The show usually has at least one featured
artist, but you never know who will drop by and sit in on a taping. The
taping last for about 4 hours and audience participation is encouraged
by the antics of both Mo and Captain Ace. If the crowd gets too noisy
during an artist performance, you won't find a "quiet please"
sign flashing, you will see Mo holding up a piece of cardboard reading
"Shut the Hell up!" Likewise, when a performer has finished Mo
will encourage the audience to make as much noise as possible to show
their appreciation, jokingly encouraging "bustin up the
furniture".
To get to Frieheit, take Interstate 35 exit 191 to the
northbound service road (East Side of highway). Go a short distance to
FM483 east about a mile to stop sign, then right on FM 1101 about a
half-mile and you will see the store on the right side. Parking is
available in the lot next to the store, but big rigs are probably better
off parking on the wide shoulders of FM1101. There is no corporate
sponsorship as yet, so to offset expenses, A $5 per person donation is
requested, although as Mo says, if you only have $5 in your pocket and
you have to choose between the donation or buying a beer, "Enjoy
your Beer!"
Visitors to the nearby Camping World RV store and the
Rip Griffin Travel Plaza are less than 5 minutes from Frieheit. Numerous
RV parks and RV service facilities are available nearby along this
section of Interstate 35. Also nearby are the Canyon Lake region,
historic Gruene, and the water parks in New Braunfels and San Marcos,
which is also home to a large outlet complex. If you have never visited
this area, don't miss it, you will be sorry if you do.
What: Humble Time Radio Show Taping
When: February through November, second and fourth Saturday of
month, 2-6PM (arrive by 1:30 for best seating)
Where: Frieheit Country Store, FM 1101, near Interstate 35
exit 191 near New Braunfels, Texas
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and made to feel at home. What
may have started out as a brief respite from the road, often turns into
an afternoon or evening of engrossing entertainment. A case in point is
the Frieheit Country Store located off I-35, a stone throw east of exit
191, near New Braunfels.
recognized that the local Texas talent was a vast resource
that was going largely un-noticed by the corporate behemoths that were
homogenizing the music and broadcast industries. Assisted by his
recording engineer brother-in-law Captain Ace, Mo undertook a project
that many felt would be short lived and doomed to failure. Humble Time
is now in its sixth year of existence with over 200 shows to its credit!
February through
November. Seating is available at numerous tables and chairs crowded
into the open areas where merchandise and wares were once displayed. A
small bar lines the south wall and a verandah is available outside in
the rear of the building. First time visitors to Frieheit are often
amazed at the transformation of the store from a room full of local
ranchers and families enjoying a late lunch at 1 o'clock into a state of
the art digital recording arena less than an hour later. During the
transition, Mo, Leslie, and Captain Ace talk with the crowd and get them
warmed up for the afternoons activities so that the crowd is ready for
the performers when they take the stage at two o'clock, sometimes
sooner, but usually minutes later. The term stage as used here is really
a misnomer as there is no such thing as a stage at Frieheit. Center
stage at Frieheit is really a primary mike location in the corner with
lighting provided by a beer sign that probably was used to illuminate a
long departed pool table. That same mediocre looking light now brightens
the homes around the Texas hill country tuning in 6-7PM Saturday nights
for the edited Humble Time Broadcast on KFAN-FM (107.9) and KEEP-FM
(103.1), stations of the "Texas Rebel Radio" network.
Listeners around the world tune in to hear Humble Time via KFAN's
streaming audio feed at www.texasrebelradio.com on broadcast day.
Listeners can also hear a complete archive of most of the shows at the
extensive Humble Time website, www.humbletime.com 24/7. The program you
hear will be an 1 hour edited version of the 4 hour taping experience at
Frieheit as prepared by Mo and Captain Ace at his studio, the Sonic Deli
in San Marcos, Texas (www.sonicdeli.com).
Ray Wylie Hubbard, Susan Gibson, Cory Morrow,
Terri Hendrix, Steve Fromholz, Ponty Bone, Fred Eaglesmith, Eric Mol,
Jimmy La Fave, Slaid Cleaves, Rusty Weir, and Shake Russell to name just
a few of the hundreds who have appeared. To appear on the show, all that
is required is that you show up on Saturday afternoon, and that you must
perform your own original material. Although, mostly Texas type music is
presented, any genre of popular music is welcome, solo or group, novice
beginners or seasoned pro. The show usually has at least one featured
artist, but you never know who will drop by and sit in on a taping. The
taping last for about 4 hours and audience participation is encouraged
by the antics of both Mo and Captain Ace. If the crowd gets too noisy
during an artist performance, you won't find a "quiet please"
sign flashing, you will see Mo holding up a piece of cardboard reading
"Shut the Hell up!" Likewise, when a performer has finished Mo
will encourage the audience to make as much noise as possible to show
their appreciation, jokingly encouraging "bustin up the
furniture".