BRAD JOWERS REMEMBERS .......

I stumbled upon your web-site and was intrigued to see among many other things, that Bob Galindo played little league with Tommy Thrailkill. Tommy's band, the Traydwinds, was one of the many that Bob and his brother Danny filled in at bass in the years 1966-67. The original bass player, Sam Goldfarb, was attending Univ. of Texas, Austin at that time when Tommy and the rest of the band were still based in San Antonio.

The Traydwinds formed sometime in 1964 when Tommy and the rhythm and keyboard player Alan Funk were sophomores at Jefferson High School. The first drummer whose name I have forgotten, left in the summer of 1966 because he was not able to move with the band to Port Aransas where Tommy's folks had a summer beach house. Tommy stayed at the beach-house and the rest of the band now including Brad Jowers; the replacement on drums, moved in to a small motel called Dusty and Kates. This fleabag was across the street from the original Island Food Store and is remembered best for it's less than professionally molded ceramic animals that took up space in the yard. It was also next door to Harry's Chicken Shack whose tacos I lived on in those days, along with the shakes from "Custer's Last Stand" (now an Italian Restaurant).

This was the summer of 1966 and the house band playing in Port Aransas at the Dunes was Max and the Laughing Kind, (the band that Max formed after the Lingsman left him to form the 13th Floor Elevators). I can confirm most of Bob's (Bob Galindo) references about this band, (as well as his story about the guy who played for the Chayns who on Easter weekend in 1967 decided to have his own Easter pageant). I would add that the cover version of the Coaster's "I'm a hog for you baby" was the highlight of Max's set and almost overcame his complete inability to play a note on blues harp. (Though he had a lot of stage presence and "blew" a good beat).

The Traydwinds befriended a guy named Norman "Gordo" Nelson who lived on the Naval Air Station in Corpus and was able to get them booked at the NCO club regularly. Gordo was a rock in roll roady of sorts and knew members of the Bad Seeds, Zachry Thaks and other hot Corpus bands of the day. He owned and played a 1955 Les Paul Gibson for which he was teased regularly. Of course after Clapton and Cream, Gordo had the last laugh.

The Traydwinds moved back to San Antonio after the summer of 66 and played their share of Teen Canteens, Jefferson High School dances, Mule Stall gigs, etc. It was during this time that Danny and sometimes Bob Galindo played bass for the Traydwinds. They also played frequently in Galveston, Texas for A&M's Maritime Academy where Tommy's brother Bobby Thrailkill attended and managed to book them regularly.

The Traydwinds went back to Port Aransas for the summer of 67 and took over as the Dunes house band playing three nights a week. Ralph Plumley aka Blue Marlin enterprises owned the Dunes and just about everything else in Port Aransas that summer but apparently wanted no part of Max.

Max's loss was our, the Traydwinds, gain as being paid (well for that time) to live in Port Aransas, surf all day and play rock music three nights a week at the beach (then considered about the wildest place in Texas), was as close to Nirvana as I've ever been. Road bands that the Traydwinds shared the stage with that summer included "The Music Machine" and "The Zombies".

The Traydwinds also played at a place down the beach called Cody's. This place was literally a pit dug out of the sand dunes and anyone who knew anything about the beach at P.A. realized it would wash away with the first storm of any note. Of course it did.

The last gig the Traydwinds (now known as the Luv Light) played at the Dunes was the following Easter weekend in 1968. That weekend followed true to form for that era, as a riot (more closely a drunken brawl as there was no discernable political agenda) broke out on the beach resulting in the float shack being torched and the local police getting to try out their tear gas and riot gear. The Traydwinds cut their set short after what must have been an influential cover of the Doors "Light My Fire" as the management was fearful that the Dunes itself would be the next to go.

The Traydwinds all moved to Austin after the summer of 67 and played the usual Frat gigs, Wednesday nights at the New Orleans Club, and on one occasion to their surprise a gig at what must have been one of the first openly gay clubs in Austin. (Not that there is anything wrong with that).

Sometime in 1968-69 they became the Luv Light and had a personnel change at bass with John Moon taking over. John and Alan Funk were wrote a great deal of material that they began to include in their sets. To my knowledge none of it was published and probably remains today with Tommy. 1970-71 the first draft lottery resulted in Brad Jowers, the drummer, enlisting in the navy and Alan Funk graduating and moving to Chicago to work as a Geologist. Tommy and John Moon continued in the Austin music scene until Moon was tragically killed in an auto accident while driving to a gig.

- Brad.... Jan, 2002