Wolf, I drove to Austin with my bass player partner in 2008, to see what the housing market was like. We were thinking of moving there and hiring ourselves out as a rhythm section (but ended up not doing it). We checked into a fleabag motel and went downtown to get a beer. The bar we went into had a small stage (I don't think there's a bar in Austin without one ;-), on it a drumset and a couple of amps. The band was on break, but soon returned to play another set. To my utter surprise, the guitarist was Redd Volkaert! For those who don't know, Redd was Merle Haggards' guitarist for many years, including 2008. I assume Haggard was off the road, and Redd was living in Austin, doing casuals around town.
Arbert Lee (Emmylou Harris, The Everly Brothers) use to play this little bar in Ventura (on the coast between L.A. and Santa Barbara), and on those nights the place was always packed with guitar players, coming to watch, listen, and learn. He always closed the night with "Country Boy", a real showpiece for his abilities. By the way, Alberts' current drummer is a friend of hi-fi retailer Brian Berdan (that's how I met him), and his speakers are stacked Quads!