Texas Favorites Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines Return to the Bugle Boy Saturday

Rest assured that when singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix talks about how much she and her longtime musical partner Lloyd Maines are looking forward to playing the Bugle Boy this Saturday, she’s not just dutifully plugging just another gig in just another town on a long list of endless tour dates. She 100-percent really means it.

And no, it’s not a nostalgia thing, deeply rooted in her salad days: Hendrix already had a pile of critically acclaimed albums to her hame and well over a dozen years of touring under her belt the first time she and Maines — the widely renowned producer/ guitarist (Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Dixie Chicks) and future Austin City Limits Hall of Fame inductee — played the Bugle Boy in 2006. But there was just something about that recently opened little listening room in La Grange that straight away earned it top-shelf placement in both of their hearts — so much so that they’ve made it a point to return at least once a year every year since

“What keeps us both coming back and keeps us excited about returning is the fact that the Bugle Boy really is all about the music,” says Hendrix. “I mean it’s almost unheard of these days for a venue to exist solely on performing songwriters and truly original artists, but they do. And then you factor in how many great things they do for the community, and it’s a no-brainer to return and play music there and support their overall mission.”

By that she means not just performing at the venue but also working with the non-profit Bugle Boy Foundation on such programs the music workshop for young adults with learning challenges that she and Maines led earlier this year, culminating with a recital the students performed for their families from the Bugle Boy stage. Hendrix has long felt right at home doing things like that, having run her own non-profit arts center, the Martindale-based OYOU (or “Own Your Own Universe”) since 2012. As a successful recording and touring artist who’s maintained her career now for three decades while living with epilepsy — not to mention a more recent diagnosis of Dysphonia and an essential vocal tremor — Hendrix is nothing if not a firm believer in the healing power of music.

“I’m a walking, talking, living and breathing woman with neurological challenges, and in spite of this, I can still perform and do my life’s work and mission,” she says. “I still have my career and I’m still part of the Texas Commission on the Arts. But where and when I play these days is really key for me being able to do all of that, and the Bugle Boy, from the way the sound is set up to how respectful the audiences are, just makes it perfect.”

Last September, when the Bugle Boy was able to cautiously open its doors again to the public after a year of pandemic lockdown and livestream-only performances, Hendrix and Maines played the very first weekend. Although seating was strictly limited at the time to allow for social distancing, the night felt like a celebratory homecoming for everyone lucky enough to be in attendance (and even watching via live webcast). But with the capacity in the room now back to normal, allowing for significantly more folks to be there in person, this weekend’s Hendrix and Maines concert promises to be even more special. So much so, in fact, that Hendrix hints that they might even premiere a song or three from a brand new record she’s been working on. It will be her 20th release to date and first since completing her five-album “Project 5” suite with last year’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.”

For ticket and showtime info, please visit www.thebubleboy. org/tickets.