San Quilmas is an old slang term for the Alamo City commonly used by local musicians over the years. It's fitting then, that photographer Monte Adams dubbed his collection of live-music shots "Sounds of San Quilmas," because it unobtrusively and adeptly captures the unspoken vernacular of local musicians.
Adams is a local blues and roots music enthusiast who began taking concert photos 20 years ago and became particularly attached to the vaunted West Side Sound. Most of the eight pictures in this collection - showing along the back wall at Casbeers - deal with either some configuration of the West Side Sound, or with friends that they have been associated with over the years. We see a black-clad Doug Sahm wailing into the mike, while a professorial Rocky Morales blows sax at his side; Sauce Gonzalez hunched over the keys; Augie Meyers and a host of friends, including accordion legend Ponty Bone, the late Randy Garibay, and recently deceased R&B chanteuse Lola Wilson sharing a musical moment with Morales.
| MONTE ADAMS: SOUNDS OF SAN QUILMAS 11am-11pm Tuesday-Thursday, 11am-midnight Friday, 5pm-1am Saturday Through July 31 Call for price Casbeers 1719 Blanco Road 732-3511 |
Beyond Adams' obvious affection for the West Side Sound, the unifying theme of this series is its focus on musicians hard at work, deeply absorbed in the moment, nearly oblivious to the audience in front of them. •
