Thinking about Fitzhugh Andrews (and Hogwash)

I know the easiest thing to do is hire a bland, non-offensive rock band few people have ever heard of to headline the first — but what the City hopes will become an annual event — Hogwash Festival that’s scheduled to take place Oct. 21-22 at Gregg-Clarke Park. And that’s exactly what the City did.

At the time the band was hired I wrote an old time fiddler’s contest might have been more appropriate, but the more I’ve thought about this (I think about these things because … well, gee, somebody has to) the more I’ve been thinking an even more appropriate feature of the festival would have been to stage a performance by the winner of the Fitzhugh Andrews Songwriting Competition.

Perhaps you’re not familiar with the Fitzhugh Andrews Songwriting Competition, which is understandable, because it doesn’t exist. Perhaps you might not even be that familiar with Fitzhugh Andrews, which is also understandable because I haven’t seen that many references to this late Kyle resident in the almost two years I’ve lived here.

So, first, for those not familiar with Fitzhugh Andrews, he was a teacher, composer and performer of both classical and popular music, whose family moved to Kyle shortly after Fitzhugh was born (in Buda in 1873) and where he lived until his death in 1961. You can read more about him here.

Now for that non-existent, but should exist Fitzhugh Andrews Songwriting Competition. The individual at the City assigned to hire the bland, non-offensive rock band few people have ever heard of to headline the Hogwash Festival should instead, beginning next year, put out the word through state, perhaps ever national, music channels that the City is soliciting entries for the Fitzhugh Andrews Songwriting Competition. The entries should include recordings of between one and three compositions songwriters have composed that, in some way, involve a piano. It could be anything from a concerto to a pop song in which the singer/songwriter accompanies himself on the piano.

Judges are selected from among the Texas State music faculty, Austin music industry officials, area music critics, etc., and three finalists are selected to participate in the second stage of the competition, which takes place on the first day of the two-day festival. On that day, all three composers get to perform their compositions live and those attending the performances have the opportunity to vote for their favorite. The winner of the contest is awarded $1,000, the second place winner receives $600 and third place gets $400 (the bland, non-offensive rock band few people have ever heard of is being paid $2,000). The winner also gets the opportunity to perform a more extended concert on the second day of the festival.

This makes sense to me because it honors both a Kyle composer who has shamefully gone terribly unrecognized in his own hometown and it might be well promote the career of an up-and-coming composer.

Or you could just stick with the bland, non-offensive rock band few people have ever heard of.