Texas singer-songwriter John Baumann makes a return appearance Wednesday at the Golden Light Cantina—on one hand, a return home, and on the other, a return to a city that helped him realize that he was making it in the music biz.
I interviewed him before one of his first shows in town and recently got to catch up with him about his Amarillo ties, the milestone that is his fifth full-length album, and why he thinks he’s been able to last in an unforgiving industry for nearly 15 years.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Chip Chandler: It’s been a while since we’ve talked, so remind my readers of your Amarillo connection.
John Baumann: I was born there almost 40 years ago, I only lived there till I was probably 3 years old, but my parents loved Amarillo. I think a big part of them really wanted to stay there. They had great friends, and I think it was really hard on my folks leaving Amarillo. I don’t remember a whole lot, but I have some pretty vivid childhood memories of growing up there, and sometimes I think about, you know, if we’d stayed there, my life might be different. But anyways, my dad (Bill Baumann) was an attorney who ran for district attorney of Potter County. I think he lost by like 10 votes.
CC: What has coming back to Amarillo meant in your career as a singer-songwriter?
JB: I think one of the coolest things about doing what I do is going back to different towns and having friends come out who’ll put you up or host you for a private show or say, hey, I want to take you out to dinner before the show. That’s such a nice feeling, and Amarillo’s like that to a T. I’ve got some friends from college that live there. And I love the Golden Light. Like, if anybody’s passing through Amarillo, I [tell them] you’ve got to go to the Golden Light and get a greasy burger. I mean, that’s kind of one of my favorite things.
CC: Was getting to Amarillo, as you started touring, kind of a goal. Was it a milestone?
JB: Definitely. I mean, for a guy who was looking for gigs on Craigslist in 2011 and driving to make 50 bucks to play a farmer’s market a little south of Waco, Amarillo was like world-tour level for me at one time. Not to say that it isn’t anymore. It’s an amazing feeling to know your musical travels and to be supported in different places.
CC: You put out your fifth album last year, right? What does having five albums out now mean to you?
JB: It felt like a little bit of a milestone. I felt like it showed some testament to some resolve. And ironically, I think it was probably my least well-received album or my least buzzed-about record, but I also weirdly, deep down, feel like it’s my best one. That feeling’s kind of a microcosm of what I do sometimes, you know? You really feel like you put your best foot forward, but maybe it doesn’t feel like the reward is there, or the accolades are there, and that’s kind of the music business, and in a lot of ways, that’s kind of just life, too. We’re gonna keep doing it, whether it’s successful or not.
CC: Am I right that it’s more of a full-album experience than a singles driven? Was that the thought?
JB: Totally. My thought was, I don’t have any infrastructure or budget or fancy marketing plan to roll it out in singles, and I also wanted to believe in a record that can just stand up on its own. I just put the whole record up on the internet on the same day. And that may have been a bad idea. But hey, we live and learn, and I wanted to try it. Shoot, you know, this whole thing is just about throwing stuff at the wall to see if it’ll stick.
CC: So this is, what, 14 years now since your debut?
JB: Yeah. I left my job 11 years ago, and every few months, I think, oh my god, the margins are thin. We need to go back to the working world. But I’ve been able to eke it out. Fourteen years of this. It’s crazy.
CC: What have you learned in those 14 years?
JB: Oh, too much, too much. Man, I’ve learned a lot about self-preservation and taking better care of myself. I’ve learned that things are gonna go wrong. They’re just gonna go wrong. And you gotta be cool about it. I’ve learned a lot about logistics and getting around the country and time and how valuable it is on the road and how there’s not a lot of it. I’m still learning to check my ego at the door. That’s a constant issue for me, but it’s gotten a lot better as I’ve gotten older.
CC: With everything that you have to think about all the time, why still do this? What’s pulling you to this career still?
JB: That’s a wonderful question, and the answer is probably a three-part answer. I want to see the country. I want to go out and perform. I want to show improvement over the decades; I want to get better. I want to see myself just improving every couple years, I think showing yourself that you’ve gotten better is such a wonderful thing.
The show kicks off at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave. Cover is $20, plus fees. Call 806-374-9237.
The Route 66 centennial celebration continues Monday with the arrival of The Great American Road Rally.
The celebrity edition of the CW reality show will tape in Amarillo during a 5 p.m. Monday stop at Arts at the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.
Host Ian Ziering and a handful of stars (the list hadn’t yet been released by press time) will take part in a car show during their trek across the Mother Road for the show, set to debut Sept. 2.
“We’re excited to welcome The Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition to Amarillo as our Route 66 Centennial celebration continues all year long,” said Luz Aguilar, tourism manager for Visit Amarillo. “Being featured as a stop on this incredible journey and on The CW Network is a great opportunity to showcase Amarillo’s authentic Route 66 heritage and Western spirit to audiences across the country.”
This week’s other can’t-miss options:
Starlight Theater with Touching Voodoo and Mia Spidel: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; free; 806-378-3036
Wibby Wednesday with Ansley Jane Beedy: 7 p.m. Wednesday; Six Car Pub & Brewery, 625 S. Polk St.; 806-576-3396
Music in the Gardens featuring Cameron James Smith: 7 p.m. Thursday; Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; admission $10 nonmembers, $5 members; 806-352-6513
First Friday Art Walk: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; free; 806-354-8802
Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Juan Gabriel: 6:30 p.m. Friday; Amarillo Little Theatre Allen Shankles Mainstage, 2019 Civic Center; ticket prices vary
Black Tie Revolt: 7 p.m. Friday; Stoex Design Gallery, 723 S. Georgia St.
Geezers Gone Wild: 8 p.m. Friday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Candlelight Concert: Coldplay and Imagine Dragons: 8:45 p.m. Friday; Amarillo Little Theatre Allen Shankles Mainstage, 2019 Civic Center; ticket prices vary
Insufficient Funds: 9 p.m. Friday; Blind Pig, 609 S. Independence St.; cover $5; 806-412-4251
Bad Decisions: 9 p.m. Friday; Western Horseman, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
Matt Martindale and Charlie Shafter: 9 p.m. Friday; Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-374-9237
System of a Clown: 9 p.m. Friday; Atomic Yellow, 3701 Plains Blvd.; tickets $20, plus fees; atomicyellowict@gmail.com
Canyon Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 26; Fourth Avenue and 15th Street in Canyon; 806-567-0746
Sunset Marketown: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 19; Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; 806-354-8802
West Texas Collectors Expo: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; Amarillo Civic Center Complex Regency Room, 401 S. Buchanan St.; 806-378-3096
High Plains Piano Extravaganza: 3 p.m. Saturday; Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall at West Texas A&M University; free; 806-651-2840
Jamarillo Tribute to Jerry Garcia: 7 p.m. Saturday; Old Tascosa Taproom and Brewery, 3100 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-681-4050
The Repeat Offenders Classic Album Series: 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday; Chalice Abbey, 2717 Stanley St., Suite A; $15 suggested donation; 806-576-2480
Blake Nation (Blake Shelton tribute) and Kaitlyn Sparks (Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood tribute): 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151; cover $20 plus fees in advance, $25 plus fees day of show; 806-335-5644
Muscadine Bloodline: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; The Lumberyard, 850 N. 23rd St. in Canyon; tickets $43.30; 806-804-3000
Next to Kin: 8 p.m. Saturday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
The Obvious Few: 9 p.m. Saturday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
Kickback 2: 9 p.m. Saturday; Broken Spoke Lounge, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover; 806-373-9149
The Stray Sons: 9 p.m. Saturday; Blind Pig, 609 S. Independence St.; cover $5; 806-412-4251
Starlight Theater with Insufficient Funds with Gas-Station Sushi: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11; Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; free; 806-378-3036
Amarillo Sod Poodles vs. Midland Rockhounds: 6:35 p.m. Aug. 11 to 15 and 1:05 p.m. Aug. 16; Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St.; ticket prices vary; 806-803-9547
Email submissions to info@brickandelm.com.
Movie options:
Opening Thursday: romantic comedy One Night Only and comedy sequel Super Troopers 3 (Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square)
Special engagements: The Bad Guys (Tuesday through Thursday, Cinergy); Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory 55th anniversary (Wednesday, Hollywood 16); Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie (Wednesday and Thursday, Hollywood 16); concert film Ateez: Light the Way (Thursday and Saturday, Hollywood 16); DCI: Big, Loud & Live (Thursday, Hollywood 16); Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie early access (Saturday, Cinergy; Tales from Earthsea 20th anniversary (Saturday and Monday, Hollywood 16); Only Yesterday 35th anniversary (Sunday and Aug. 11, Hollywood 16); Secret Movie Series (Monday, Hollywood 16); Nimrods early screening (Aug. 11, Hollywood 16); Practical Magic (Aug. 11, Cinergy and Hollywood 16)
