Whitney and I took in Midland’s annual Fourth of July celebration in Centennial Park Friday night, along with thousands of other West Texas folks who love live music, food truck food, and a good fireworks show. We had a great time, of course–the Whitster and I always have a good time. But I was pleasantly surprised–no, blown away!–by the young guitar player who fronted the evening’s second act.

Leon Carrasco is my new favorite thing about Midland.

This 19-year old phenom owned the stage for his 45-minute set, wowing us with his blistering guitar, his impressive vocal range, and his unabashed joy. He’s just so much fun to watch! A local Midland kid, Carrasco played baseball at Legacy High and still lives in town. When he talks, he sounds like Chris Rock, kinda funny, in your face, not angry, just high pitched and committed. But when he plays, he sounds like Stevie Ray. Oh, man, this kid can play guitar. It’s deep Texas blues. A lot of soul. Depth. Intense and easy at the same time. And it’s infused with such joy. He’s just happy to be on that stage doing what he’s gifted to do.

Here’s a video from Friday’s show. Watch the whole two minutes. What else are you doing right now?

I don’t know anything about him yet. After three songs, I started texting people I knew who were somewhere in the park with me. “Are you watching this?” “Who is this kid?” “I don’t think the crowd knows what they’re seeing.”

Whitney and I left our seats to get closer and ran into a couple of people who’ve known Leon since he was a kid. They just gushed about Leon’s attitude, his personality, and his extraordinary gift. I was mesmerized. This guy’s good.

He hasn’t cut an album yet. I don’t know where to get his songs. But I’m on the lookout for the next time he’s playing around here.

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We’re all in Tulsa today, counting down the hours until the births of our twin grandsons in a scheduled C-section tomorrow morning. There will be a family dinner this evening with our side from Texas and David’s side from Virginia, and then I’m assuming a massive gathering at Hillcrest South tomorrow for the arrival of these two highly-anticipated boys. God bless Valerie and David with his divine comfort and peace. And God bless Elliott and Samuel with a safe delivery and good health.

Peace,

Allan