Pody's BBQ

Originally produced on July 17, 2014 for Marfa Public Radio.

Israel “Pody” Campos

Tim Stone has known Israel "Pody" Campos since he became Reeves County Chief Deputy Sheriff, but there was one little important detail Campos seemed to have forgotten to tell him.

“He has never once told me that he owned a restaurant. Never once, until today,” said Stone.

That day was August 23, 2013. Natalie and I took a day trip through West Texas as a final hurrah to our Marfa Public Radio summer internship. I had been talking about doing a story about Pody's BBQ all summer, and we finally had the time to make it happen.

After stops in Alpine for Natalie's story on smart meters and in Fort Stockton for a back-to-school story with an original Freedom Writer, our last destination was Pecos to interview Campos.

When we arrived, we lingered a little longer than what constitutes as a complete stop to take a photo of the restaurant. We noticed a sheriff's truck on the other side of the road waiting for us to cross. The deputy waved us over, and covering the stories I've covered about the local sheriff's department, Natalie and I were a little nervous when the deputy that waved us over seemed to follow us to Pody's BBQ.

Turns out, it was Pody himself, the owner.

Just another example of how West Texans wear many hats. Cowboy hats that is.

Campos has owned the establishment for two years. Two years before Daniel Vaughn needed to stop for gas. Vaughn, the Texas Monthly BBQ Editor, was driving towards El Paso when he took a detour into Pecos. From the highway, his eye caught the words “Pody's BBQ” written in large white letters on the side of a building.

“Well, if I see a barbecue sign, I gotta stop,” said Vaughn.

He walked in without much exceptions really, but it was after that trip that he included Pody's BBQ on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints in June 2013.

“And it was really fantastic stuff. I was really surprised to find it out there and not have anybody talking about it,” said Vaughn.

That's because word hadn't gotten out just yet.

BBQ has always been a part of Campos' life. It's his favorite food. When he wasn't spending time training future law enforcement officers around the state, he would BBQ with his brother. After Campos was laid off from his job in Austin, he returned to Pecos, where he grew up. He drove by an old laundromat for sale and decided to start a restaurant as a way to invest in his retirement.

Since he's been on the list, there's always a line about 30 people deep waiting to try Campos' central Texas-style BBQ in West Texas.

“I've had folks from Houston. Folks from California. There's surprisingly a lot of folks from California. Just spread by word of mouth,” said Campos.

He said the restaurant usually sell out by 1:30pm on most days they are open.

“Every day. Tuesday through Friday,” said Campos.

It slows down on Saturday. When it comes to cooking his meat, he slow cooks it overnight. His brisket is wrapped in foil and smokes for 13 to 14 hours at very low heat.

“It's all slow and low as the BBQ experts call it,” said Campos. “That's the best way to do it.”

When he works as a chief deputy sheriff in Reeves County, his wife and mom run the place. Sometimes he gets recognized as the BBQ guy when he fulfills his badge-wearing duties.

“It kinda intertwines,” said Campos. “Either way, folks know me from BBQ or being a sheriff's deputy.”

His friends certainly call him when they head his establishment, usually to get a free dish.

“I don't know if they're coming for the free BBQ or to have lunch with me,” Campos joked.

Perks of being on the Top 50 list is that Campos got to participated in last year's BBQ Fest where he met the other pit masters he shares the honor with and will also participate this year. As part of BBQ Week that ends Saturday, he's offering the Three Little Pigs plate that includes three soft tacos with pull pork.

Vaughn said the proceeds from each restaurant’s specials offers during BBQ week will benefit Foodways Texas.

“Great organization here in Texas. It's entire goal is to promote Texas cuisine. BBQ being a big part of that,” said Vaughn.

Vaughn reflected on Campos’ participation at last year's BBQ Fest as Vaughn introduced his BBQ to a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise make the trip to Pecos. Campos' business has since changed.

“Anytime I'm on a big road trip like that, I like to stop at any decent size town along the way to at least snoop around a little bit for BBQ, even when I don't have someone particular on my list,” said Vaughn. “So that just happened to be a great day to stop in Pecos.”

All because he was running low on gas.

Halloween 2018

Trans-Pecos Festival 13th Annual Sandlot Baseball Game

This year’s annual game between Austin’s Texas Playboys vs. Los Yonke Gallos de Marfa was pretty fun. Los Gallos lost 20-10, but those last innings were pretty entertaining. Other highlights include St. Vincent throwing the first pitch, The Watson Twins singing “This Land Is Your Land," dogs running into the field, the Marfa High School Shorthorn band playing during “half-time,” and a post-game water balloon fight.

Hot dogs, beer, music and baseball. Doesn’t get better than that.

Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love 2018

Another year of Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love has come and gone. Here are some highlights.

The Couch

The Couch has been part of my life for quite awhile. I’ve interviewed them more than once and they were part of my return to college soundtrack. There were times when I would run into Taylor in Derrick Hall as I was listening to his album between classes.

I first met him when I interviewed him for Backbeat Magazine in 2011. As editor-in-chief, I was in the middle of production for the first (and only issue) and needed to fill a page. Someone suggested The Couch and told me to reach out to Taylor who was playing a show that night with his other band, Calm Blue Sea. I did and he made the interview happen. I rushed home as soon as it was done and wrote the article.

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The Couch
Originally published in Backbeat Magazine July 2011 issue

“I really don’t know what you’ll call us. A lot of people say you’re Blues, kind of like The Black Keys, but I don’t know,” said Taylor Wilkins.

While the similarities are noticeable in Wilkins’ voice delivery and bluesy guitar sound, it’s still hard to classify yourself when you’ve gone through changes like Wilkins has with his band The Couch. It’s cliché to say that, because most bands, especially in the local music scene, are always trying to figure out that sound that defines them and searching through the revolving door of musicians for that perfect line up. The Couch can be seen as no different. But still, the music from the three band members evolves with each change, no matter how big or small that change is.

The band started in August 2007 when guitarist/vocalist Wilkins moved in with drummer Jud Johnson in San Marcos, Texas. They had met through previous bands years before, but when Wilkins was moving to San Marcos for school and needed a place to stay, Johnson offered him a room. “We started The Couch in his garage that day,” said Wilkins. “We set up the drums and guitar and fooled around.”

The original bassist Matt Adams was also a roommate at the time. Having all three members spend their time practicing and living in one place together sometimes became too much. “We were bandmates, roommates and friends, so it was a triple threat to that relationship,” said Wilkins. “There were definitely crossovers. It was hard to keep thing separated, but we were really close, still are.” Adams has since left the band and Kyle Robarge had stepped in to fill the bass lines, but Adams is still around. “In fact, Judd and Matt are roommates now in Austin,” said Wilkins.

Wilkins and company relocated from their home base in San Marcos to Austin, motivated by the need to try something new. “We loved playing in San Marcos, but also love playing in Austin,” said Wilkins. “So we figured we give it a try and the only real way to make it in Austin is to move here and jump in.”

And jump in they did. Since the move, they’ve released a few EPs and went through a lineup change and a name change. For those that braved the Texas winter to check out some local bands during Free Week may have noticed Devil in the Drink, but on stage, it was still Wilkins, Johnson and Robarge better known as The Couch.

“We felt like we needed to change it. I guess maybe I did,” said Wilkins. “We all came with this decision that we’re moving to Austin, we should change the name.” However, months later, the band went back to calling themselves The Couch, which also pleased their fans. “We decided that wasn’t great,” said Wilkins. “We went back to The Couch, and it was like going back home.” Even though, the Devil in the Drink name didn’t work out, Wilkins thinks it was needed. “We needed to get out of (The Couch) for awhile,” said Wilkins.

Looking through their discography thus far shows that the band tends to release three-song EP, available as free downloads. Wilkins said that this is largely due to keeping listeners' attentions. “Just knowing myself these days, I feel like I have a small attention span,” said Wilkins. “That was our idea behind the three-song EPs was to make it easy to digest… It seems interesting. You want to know what the next three are going to sound like. It keeps people interested.”

The Couch announced on their Facebook page at the beginning of June that they are reentering the studio with producer Lars Goransson at Sounds Outrageous Studio. The same producer who produced the May release Close to You EP. Whether they are The Couch or Devil in the Drink, Wilkins said it’s hard to say if listeners will notice a change in the next recording.

"We did a three-song EP as Devil in the Drink in January. If you listen to those songs and you listen to the first Couch EP with us return to the name, there's a difference," said Wilkins. “Hopefully, we can break the mold, if there is a mold.”

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I interviewed Taylor again for UWeekly Magazine later that year when Sara Houser joined the band.

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And then I wrote an in-depth piece when Sara left the band and formed a new band in 2014. My originally intent was to write a feature about Löwin, but as I was interviewing her, I realized this is more about the story of The Couch. So it turned into a 2,000 word monster that took up my life for a few months. I’m really proud of it though.

Leaving The Couch: the story of Löwin and Otis the Destroyer
Originally published March 13, 2015

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I’m so excited to see The Couch reunite Friday night at the Hole in the Wall. I’ll admit that it’s been awhile since I’ve listened to the albums on repeat, so hearing some of these songs in a live setting will be a nice retrospective.

By the way, Taylor and Sara are still going strong. They’re getting married the day after the show.

Leaving The Couch: The story of Löwin and Otis the Destroyer

Originally published on March 13, 2015

“I feel like there (was) this whole new wave of fairly newer bands or bands that (were) rebranding themselves,” said Sara Houser.

Although, she did noticed that 2014 was the Year of the Horse in Chinese Zodiac, which meant change was coming. So it wasn’t a surprise that there seemed to be a shift in the Austin music scene as some bands changed their name, the line-up or just plainly moved on.

She was no exception.

Houser revealed her newest band, Löwin, months after she left her former band, The Couch, in late 2013. Some were surprised to hear the news, but the band knew it was coming.

Houser initially joined The Couch three years ago as an auxiliary player, providing background vocals and accompaniment on keys and guitar, but as she started taking on more lead vocals, she and lead singer/guitar Taylor Wilkins discovered they had a good writing partnership.

“It was like song demo tennis,” said Houser. “I don’t think I’ve ever worked with someone that inspired me to write constantly.”

With both of them turning out songs so furiously though, the band began to notice a division within their song list, whether it was songs written and/or sung by Taylor or songs written and/or sung by Houser. This became evident in the last album The Couch released, a self-titled in 2012.

“It started to feel like two bands, and we both were having to compromise on songs,” said Houser.

Wilkins realized it most when their publicist tried to promote the album. Writers would question if they were listening to the same band because of how different the songs sounded.

“There are really cool aspects of having people say that about your project, but from a success standpoint, it makes sense to be a band that has a little bit more focus,” said Wilkins.

Meaning, he wanted a brand of rock-and-roll that wasn’t two bands wrapped in one. Adding the fact that he was in a relationship with Houser, he felt it was becoming too much.

“I also realized she had a lot of great songs and I had what I thought was a lot great songs. We didn’t have enough room,” said Wilkins.

Houser thinks they both started craving more control and separate musical identities that contributed to the split.

“I will say us being in a relationship together was a catalyst for us deciding to split ways as a band, but I think it would have happened even if Taylor and I hadn’t been dating,” said Houser.

“The Couch was already a band for five years when she joined it, so it was a Frankenstein by the end of it anyway,” said Wilkins. “That’s why it needed to be put down.”

When it came time to share the decision with drummer Jud Johnson and bassist Nick Joswick, they met over beer as Wilkins and Houser shared the news that Houser was leaving the band. They were caught off guard. It hadn’t been a year since Joswick joined The Couch when this happened. He recorded the last Couch album at 5th Street Studios, where he works, and was asked to leave the soundboard to audition for the band.

“I was slightly shocked at first, because I loved The Couch and I loved what we were doing so I thought it was a good fit,” said Jowick.

Johnson was sad he wasn’t going to play Houser’s songs anymore.

“I loved doing that, but I completely understand for the forming of an unit. Maintaining a band like that, you can’t,” said Johnson.

The Couch becomes Otis the Destroyer

With Houser out of the picture, the remaining guys continued playing shows as a three-piece. Since Johnson and Wilkins had initially formed the Couch as a three-piece when they became college roommates in 2007, they were used to that dynamic. But for Joswick, it was strange and eye-opening. He hadn’t been in a three-piece band before.

“It helped me grow as a player,” said Joswick. “I think Otis (the Destroyer) realized the sound that we wanted once we decided to change and do our own thing.”

Moving away from The Couch wasn’t an easy transition. During The Couch’s tenure, the band briefly played under the pseudonym Devil in the Drink as a way to clean the slate. The name didn’t last long.

“That was a failed experiment,” said Wilkins. “We played a lot of really good shows as Devil in the Drink, but it was such a terrible band name change that it was like, even at this point, it’s laughable.”

Wilkins and especially Johnson had hesitations about starting a band from scratch.

“It’s daunting to have to start over again, but at the same time, the band was going through so many different changes,” said Johnson.

“It wasn’t an easy sell, and neither was the name Otis the Destroyer, but it was kinda like the name that we all felt the best about and I figured it can’t be any worse than The Couch,” said Wilkins.

The band name derives from Wilkins’ dog, who Wilkins named after a nickname given to his dad.

Before the band debut, Wilkins told James Taylor what his new band would be called. Taylor, who co-owns and co-manages Holy Mountain music venue, was also booking shows for The Couch at the time. Recalling that moment, he’s pretty sure he hated it, but not as much as he hated Devil in the Drink.

“I’m not a huge fan of the name, but now they own it,” said Taylor. “Now they’re such a good band that the name is just stupid. Like it doesn’t matter, you know? They reached that threshold.”

Houser forms Löwin

Meanwhile, Houser was gathering bandmates for her new project. She immediately knew she wanted to work with drummer Chris DeGeorge.

“I knew he had the chops but we also have pretty similar tastes in music, which makes writing really fun,” said Houser.

She reached out to bassist Nate Ribner who also plays in one of her favorite local bands, Young Tongue.

“He has a really unique tone/style and was into the demos we sent him,” said Houser.

Adam Mason, from Slomo Drags, was initially the second guitarist, but he had to back out due to time commitments. Kyle Durst happened to work at Houser’s day job at Guero’s Taco Bar when she was searching to replace Mason. He went to a show. She sent him some demos and it all just kind of clicked.

Lowin performs at Cheer Up Charlie’s on New Year’s Eve 2014.

With her band members in place, Houser decided on the band name Löwin, German for the word lioness. She felt the essence of a lioness— the mother that kills— was a good fit for the band.

“I love the lioness image/mindset because to me it’s the perfect balance of masculinity and femininity,” said Houser. “You can be the hunter and do the dirty work and then still come home and nurture.”

Houser added that on a personal note, she needed an image to inspire her.

“I was scared as all hell to front a band again and put myself out there,” said Houser. “I wanted to be confident in my songwriting and my ability to lead so I kind of adopted this alter ego/spirit animal mentality to help me.”

The bands debut

Otis the Destroyer debuted during Free Week at Holy Mountain in 2014, and added guitarist Anthony Rucci, who knew Houser when they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Rucci said he was initially intimidated to join an established band, but he got over it.

“They made me feel super comfortable and it was real easy to jump in with them,” said Rucci. “They just made me feel welcomed and at home. It’s been fucking awesome ever since.”

Otis the Destroyer performs at Empire Control Room & Garage at Ditch the Fest 2014.

The band quickly jumped into the studio to record an EP called Dark Arts that was released in May 2014. A month before the release, they had a Sunday night residency at Empire Control Room & Garage. Otis the Destroyer celebrated one year in January, coincidentally playing a show during Free Week at Holy Mountain and spent most of that year touring around the country. They opened for Bob Mould in September.

“I think it’s pretty good we survived this whole thing,” said Wilkins. “It’s kinda quite miraculous.”

Löwin’s first show was an unofficial show at Guero’s at South by Southwest Music Festival in 2014. Houser said it was terrifying to play in front of her co-workers, but when she played as part of Otis the Destroyer’s Sunday night residency, she went into it really confident and excited. It felt good and weird for her to play in Löwin without her Couch bandmates though.

“I wouldn’t liken it to being on a date with a new boyfriend and seeing an ex-boyfriend, but it’s kinda that feeling,” said Houser.

She added that she does get the most nervous at shows when she can see the guys in the crowd, especially Joswick and Johnson.

“I just really respect all of them musically and in some weird way want to make them proud,” said Houser.

According to all three guys, proud is what she made them.

“Going from seeing her in the studio to meeting her in the studio to then playing in a band with her, then seeing her doing her thing, it was awesome,” said Joswick.

“I was like a proud uncle or something, watching your brother’s kid run for an 80-yard touchdown… and you’re allowed to be a little louder than everyone else,” said Johnson.

Löwin has also gained attention in its own right, and has been written in several publications. They’ve already managed to play shows with bigger Austin bands.

“I feel very lucky to have people in this town that believe in Löwin and want to help get our name out there,” said Houser.

The future

Otis the Destroyer recently wrapped up a 12-day tour that included too much snow and a Daytrotter session. They are currently working on their full-length album at 5th Street Studios. Stewart Sykes is producing the album this time, so Joswick gets to take a break and just be a bassist. He and Wilkins were completely hands-on when the band recorded the Dark Arts EP.

“I love what we did,” said Joswick. “I love the product that we came out with but it was just getting way too close to everything. We know every single note of every single instrument of every single song in that record.”

Although, Joswick is working with Houser again for Löwin’s first EP, Royal Jelly, which is set to release on April 7. Houser said she knew she wanted to work with him because he’s one of her best friends and “an awesome engineer.”

“He knows his gear and makes the studio process very fluid,” said Houser. “I’ve worked with him before so I’m comfortable bouncing ideas I have off him. I hate being nervous in the studio and 5th Street has a very welcoming atmosphere.”

With SXSW around the corner, both bands have shows lined up around downtown Austin. Löwin is playing nearly every day with shows on March 14 at Red 7, March 15 at Hotel Vegas, March 17 at Guero’s Taco Bar and Maggie Mae’s, March 19 and 20 at Darwin’s Pub. Otis the Destroyer is playing a show on March 17 at Empire Control Room & Garage along with Shakey Graves and Gary Clark, Jr. and has an official showcase with Toro Booking on March 21 at The Javalina. And there’s a good chance you’ll see the Otis the Destroyer guys at a Löwin show or Houser at an Otis the Destroyer show.

“Band breakups are never easy and there are days I really miss what I had with those guys but ultimately we’ve all ended up in a better place because of it,” said Houser.