What a difference four years make. This morning, the Austin American-Statesman threw in the towel and called for bringing the troops home from Iraq. Congress is busy raising the minimum wage, while Tom Delay hides out in an undisclosed location with Donald Rumsfeld. I’ve gotten so used to living in a bad dream that I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I’m awake and 2007 is actually looking like One Good Year.

            Speaking of “One Good Year,” 2006 ended with the news that Russell Crowe has turned it a video. It’s wild to think that a song I wrote around my kitchen table with Slaid Cleaves may end up as a DVD extra with his latest flick, “A Good Year.” In the meantime, you can see the video for free at:

            http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=87422485

              Russell’s not the only guy who’s been busy on the Web. Drop by www.stevebrooks.net and you can hear a bunch of new recordings. Click on the Song of the Month to hear “Yoga Lady,” in which a cowboy falls in love with a yoga teacher and the yodel will never be the same. Click on “Booking” and “Brooks & Held,” and you can listen to some of the best songs from my live shows last year.

            Live shows are the heart and soul of music, especially the wild, weird and wacky ones that take me places I never dreamed I’d go when I quit my day job. I like to wrap up the year by reliving some of my favorites. If you were there, you might enjoy reliving them, too.

February 13, Downtown Hilton, Austin

            When Dick Cheney had his hunting accident, little did he know that, 200 miles to the north, 1,000 folksingers were gathered in one hotel in downtown Austin, for the Folk Alliance conference. Folk DJ Bob Weiser called an impromptu songwriting contest, and within 24 hours, ten songwriters took the stage with valentines to the Veep. I barely made it, because my transmission died on the way to the hotel, and Seymour Guenther swept down to pluck me from an HEB parking lot. But “Deadeye Dick” took the honors, and ended up on the CD “Hail to the Thieves Vol. III,” next to Billy Bragg and Utah Phillips.

June 2, Cactus Café, Austin

            Sixteen years ago, I used to hang out at the Austin Outhouse with another Texas tenderfoot named Slaid Cleaves. These days, Slaid’s high on the Americana charts, but he’s stuck to his roots. In May, he released “Unsung,” in which he covers 12 songs by obscure friends like myself. My song “Everette” was one of them, and this night, I opened for his CD release. I still get a kick out of hearing his version on KUT, sounding like a ghostly Tom Waits carnival ride. The lyrics, about the late New Orleans poet Everette Maddox, also made it into a book about Maddox from Northwestern State University in Shreveport.

June 8, Texas Democratic Convention, Fort Worth

            Mama Brooks would have been proud. She was a city councilwoman back home in Pennsylvania, and a Yellow Dog Democrat. This year, Denton activist Jerry Earwood commissioned me to a theme song for the year’s state convention. On opening night, instead of singing the blues, I was singing to the Blues.

June 13-15, Coffeyville, KS.

            My favorite cover gig. The community college imports musicians to entertain at 11 different old folks’ homes in three days. Few rewards in this bidniz are sweeter than getting a whole Alzheimer’s ward singing “You Are My Sunshine.” By night, I shared a dorm with a crowd of high school football players. That’s where I was sitting the final night, when I got one of those calls you never forget – the call that my dad had passed away.

July 20, Sioux Center Public Library, Sioux Center, IA

            Fifty kids were dancing on the lawn while I stared into a prairie sunset and cranked out a Louisiana children’s song on a Cajun accordion. I did several children’s shows in the Midwest, and this was my favorite. The library had just been burned out of its home, and both kids and parents wanted something to celebrate.

July 27 – 30, Crested Butte, CO.

            I like to tour Colorado every summer, but Crested Butte was a new discovery. After Paula and I climbed Mount Elbert, the highest peak in the Rockies, we drove into a  dead-end valley ringed by fourteeners, with a wildflower vista in every direction. It’s not your typical Colorado tourist town. Not only do people tip, they’re friendly to Texans.

August 26, Austin Farmer’s Market, Republic Square

            The world premiere of the song “You Are What You Eat,” commissioned by the Sustainable Food Network. These folks run everything from farmer’s markets to school programs about childhood obesity. My job: make it sound fun to eat your fruits and veggies.

November 7, Liz Carpenter’s, Austin.

            It’s probably best that I don’t have a paying gig on election nights. The last time I did was 2000, and we all know what happened. Much better to watch the returns with Liz and her posse. Jumping up every few minutes to Yee-Haw and pump my fists in the air, it was even better than viewing the Rose Bowl. Come to think of it, a Bush got beaten on both nights.

December 1, Steve Brooks Karaoke, House Concert for Paula Held, Austin

            December’s a traditional time to run a 10K down Memory Lane. For this show, I looked back over 15 years, pulling together all the songs I’ve written since I came to Austin. I put 180 of the best into a notebook. Each listener called out a couple of requests, and I got to play obscurities like “Just Say No to Sex.” If you’re wondering what that song’s about, you can come out to a gig and request it. Or wait for my next Karaoke show.