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Tom Ross

Tom Ross' column appears Tuesdays and Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 970-871-4205 or tross@SteamboatToday.com.

I'll take my Bethlehem and Eggs scrambled, if you please.

We made a little raid across the border into New Mexico earlier this month so that I could continue researching my new book on the health benefits of a diet rich in green chilies.

It was in a funky barbecue joint on Guadalupe Street in old town Santa Fe over a humongous platter of huevos rancheros that we encountered Bill and Bonnie Hearne and the band called Bethlehem and Eggs.

We were having a lazy Sunday morning after spending an entire Saturday poking around Santa Fe in the 97-degree heat when we pulled up to a modern strip mall cafe. We weren't looking for anything more elaborate than a big mug of Rio Grande mud and a muffin. Fortunately for us, the joint was closed Sundays.

As we paused before exiting the parking lot, a man with thick black whiskers riding a bicycle signaled us to roll down the window.

"Are you looking for breakfast?" he inquired. "You ought a give Cowgirl a try. It's right down the street. They have live music on Sunday morning."

I've never been one to ignore a bearded prophet who seeks me out in the middle of a road trip, so we took his advice and motored a few blocks south on the avenue. We quickly found a parking spot in front of a secondhand Western wear store called Kowboyz Used Boots and Western Apparel.

As we got out of the car, we could hear the siren song of rambling Tex/Newmex geezer hippie music emanating from a shaded plaza. I figured there would be a long line for huevos, but we were seated immediately and given a great view of the little stage.

The band was in the middle of a set, and there was no advertising poster in sight, so I didn't catch their name right off. The quartet included a strawberry blonde in a cowgirl hat playing a beat-up old Fender bass with a surf green finish, a drummer using brushes, a woman on electric piano who had a great singing voice, a long-haired dude playing a viola upright between his knees as if it were a cello and a front man who could play all kinds of tasty licks and chords up the neck on a beautiful wine-colored Fender Thinline Telecaster.

After a few tunes, it occurred to me that they were singing a lot of old timey songs with religious references. How appropriate for a Sunday morning spent in a "church" of green chili, I thought to myself.

Finally, just before the break, the band members introduced themselves to the audience, and I finally caught on. They hadn't been proselytizing between songs, but there was a reason they were singing that Bob Dylan song "I Shall be Released" (any day now) and the old Hank Williams classic "Drifting Too Far From Shore."

It all added up to a very pleasant morning: tapping our feet to the music and feasting on brunch New Mexico style while rubbing shoulders with a crowd that was about half locals and half tourists. But the best part was yet to come.

During breakfast, I noticed an older couple sitting in front of us, plainly getting a kick out of the music. I could infer from the dog lying by the table wearing a leather handle attached to a harness that the woman was sightless. It gave us a warm feeling to see individual band members come over to the table and greet her by name.

However, I was a little surprised when they pulled up a chair for her in front of the bandstand and handed her a microphone.

Bonnie Hearne sang a version of "Amazing Grace," in a confident, pure voice before transitioning into an up-tempo jazzy version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

The crowd loved it.

I only had the opportunity to exchange a brief greeting with Bonnie, but her husband, Bill, confided that his wife gave up singing professionally about six years ago.

Bill, on the other hand, still has a regular gig fronting the Bill Hearne Trio at the historic La Fonda hotel.

"We play Americana music like Lyle Lovett," Bill said.

You should catch them next time you're down Santa Fe way. Alternatively, swing into Cowgirl and order a plate of Bethlehem and Eggs.

Afterward, you can waddle down to Kowboyz and purchase a bigger belt. You're gonna need it.

- To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205 or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com