On Sunday, October 29, my new band The Go Aways will be playing its first real show at 13 Celsius, one of my favorite wine bars in my adoptive city.

We play one set at 5 p.m. Two other Houston-based bands, Londale and Golden Cities, follow.

The Go Aways came together earlier this year when I met the new food editor at the Houston Press, Gwendolyn Knapp, a widely celebrated author of non-fiction, including the memoir After a While You Just Get Used to It: A Tale of Family Clutter. As the weekly rag’s unofficial wine writer, I made a point of greeting our new fearless leader, who moved to Houston to take the position, by taking her out for a glass of wine (go figure!).

Over conversation, she mentioned that she was also a songwriter. That led to a jam session where I discovered that she has a truly unique and utterly compelling songwriting and guitar-playing style. It didn’t take long before we decided to start a band and make a record based on her songbook (in my home studio). The Americana-psychedelic-country tracks are often dark and darkly humorous. And they all rock. We hope to release our debut album by Christmas of this year.

In the meantime, Gwendolyn’s become a great friend to me and to the family and our girls, ages 4 and 5, always look forward to our sessions and her songs.

We also have a couple of Christmas songs that we’re working on. I can’t wait to share them.

In another time in my life, music was a central focus for me. And in certain periods when I was much younger, it was even the way that I made a living. Performing for live audiences and hearing my songs on radio, TV, and in films has always been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I miss it a lot and I’m so glad to be playing and recording with someone whose music I dig so much. And I’m so glad to have found a bandmate in Gwendolyn, who is as simpatica and kind as she is talented.

Please come and check us out this Sunday, Oct. 29 at 13 Celsius, where the wine will be flowing and the tunes jamming.

Hope to see you there! Rock on!