Whelan’s Pub, Dublin, February 1992.

It was my very first night in Ireland and one of the most mesmerizing gigs I’ve ever seen.

In a near empty club the tall lean figure of UP Wilson appeared in the spotlight as the band got comfortable behind him in the shadows.

UP Wilson thanked the small audience as he stood behind his  Fender Stratocaster guitar, which sat propped up vertical on a barstool at waist height next to him, like a ventriloquist’s dummy, the strings facing the audience.

With his left-hand fingers on the frets, UP Wilson casually took a long draw of his cigarette before slowly raising a whiskey glass to his lips. That point of contact was his cue to unleash an explosive one-handed Texas blues lead guitar solo as the band kicked in simultaneously with the loose assuredness and tough precision only a group of well-seasoned musicians can bring. The showmanship, innovation, style and sound were exquisite. I was an instant devotee!

I peeled this poster off the front window as a treasured memento on my way out. The next night I was in Galway on the west coast of Ireland….and incredibly so was the Texas Guitar Tornado and posse, so I saw them again! The third night I was in Cork and on a roll, and so were UP Wilson, Paul Orta and The Kingpins! By this time, I was talking to the band while they were taking a break in between sets out on the street. And what a wonderful group of Texan gentlemen they were to boot.

This poster has stayed with me for all these years. It has lived in kitchens, hallways, bedrooms and loungerooms. And while I’ve thought about putting it behind glass, I never have.

It’s just too wild, The Texas Guitar Tornado can’t be tamed, let alone framed.

Stereo Story #772

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Robert Lastdrager is a Melbourne based writer, children's author and drummer. He is the author of the 2016 children’s book Ghost Tram, illustrated by Richard Cox.