Published: July 05, 2008 03:00 pm            

On the Road

Amid months of heavy touring, Terri Hendrix stops to play at San Marcos Plaza Park

San Marcos — After arriving in San Marcos at 4:30 a.m. earlier this week, Terri Hendrix is back at home enjoying some much deserved rest.

It’s been a busy year thus far for the folk singer/songwriter.

She has just returned from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C., where she represented Texas singer/songwriters in a festival honoring, among other things, Texas food, music and wine.

“It was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. For me it was the equivalent of the Olympics of music,” Hendrix said. “We played twice a day for the whole week, performing right by the Washington Monument.”

But Hendrix will be performing in her home town this Thursday, playing at the San Marcos Plaza Park as part of the ongoing Summer in the Park Concert Series. And she’s looking forward to it.

“Playing at home is always great. I consider San Antonio my home, and San Marcos my home,” Hendrix said. “We’ll be keeping it up-beat, trying to make it a fun, family friendly type of deal.”

Hendrix arrived in San Marcos nearly 20 years ago when she transferred to then Southwest Texas State from Hardon Simmons. She was thinking about majoring in music, but after immersing herself in the local music scene, decided to make a go of it.

Hendrix was soon hauling her own PA all over the state of Texas playing wherever she could.

In 1990, Grant Mazak, owner of Mazak Music in San Marcos, introduced Hendrix to her mentor, musician Marion WIlliamson, at Grin’s restaurant. Marion had a couple of goats she needed help with in Martindale, and in exchange she began helping Hendrix build her guitar chops.

“She was really integral in me doing music for a living,” Hendrix said. “I would get rejection letters from labels and she would tell me ‘ you can also sign yourself.’ She really just put everything in a positive light.”

Hendrix also, with the help of fellow songwriter Todd Snider, found Kent Finlay’s Wednesday night songwriter night at Cheatham Street Warehouse.

“I went in and just pretty much got hooked,” Hendrix said. “It was a great introduction to the scene. Within a year or so (of attending these songwriter nights) I was playing live. It was pretty hard work, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

And then, her career began to really take off. In 1996 Hendrix was recording some demos at the Fire Station studio in San Marcos with engineer Bobby Arnold, when she met famed Texas musician/producer Lloyd Maines. The two became business partners and Maines still performs regularly in Hendrix’s band.

Throughout, Hendrix has remained fiercely independent. Her breakthrough 1998 sophomore album, Wilory Farm, and 2000’s Places in Between earned great radio support. But after nine self-released albums, she continues to “own her own universe.”

“Had I been on a major record label, I would have been out of this (business) a long time ago,” Hendrix said. “I play with the musicians I want to and I can pay them. I own my own music. And after 18 years of doing this, I’m really just now feeling like this is a good idea to do this, to be this independent.”

Her new 2008 release, The Spiritual Kind, spent several weeks on the Americana Chart, topped the Roots Music Report’s Folk chart and even landed her a cover spot in Texas Music magazine.

While enjoying the album’s success, Hendrix will continue to do what she’s been doing: Jitting the road to support it.

“This is the most touring I’ve ever done,” Hendrix said. “It’s pretty much been non stop... But I love it. I feel fortunate just to be able to play.”

        

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