Live Music in Austin

THIS & THAT

2011-07-16T12:59:00.003-05:00

There are some other great shows I've seen since last October when I stopped writing about each and every concert. I will post some pictures from the more memorable ones. I still go out and see my favorites when I can but I wanted to get started on the new music I've found since I quit blogging. Below you will find them: Hadden Sayers, Liars & Saints, Johnny Nicholas and Jordann Mitchell.

JORDANN MITCHELL and the NEW USUAL at Threadgill's 6-24-11

2011-07-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

JORDANN MITCHELL

2011-07-16T12:52:00.001-05:00

Another stumble upon find. Went to a benefit and this Jordann came on and left us all with a blown mind. Just your basic indie singer/songwriter who writes such sharp lyrics you can't believe someone that young came up with them. Then again, I am getting too old. It's always the really young ones that get you. Always has been. Joni was what, 19 when she started writing great songs? Regardless, Jordann Mitchell is full of talent. I can't wait to see her again. On this day she was accompanied by a bass player and a percussionist playing a cajon.

JOHNNY NICHOLAS at Saxon Pub 6-10-11

2011-07-16T12:44:00.001-05:00

JOHNNY NICHOLAS

2011-07-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

Another one I stumbled onto by accident. Went to the Saxon Pub for a Jess Klein show and this guy was on ahead of her. We get there and the band is setting up and it's Scrappy Jud Newcomb on guitar, Bruce Hughes on bass, Cindy Cashdollar on lap and dobro! You gotta be kidding me! So we knew this guy had to be good if those musicians were playing with him. And it turns out he's damn great and I can't believe I didn't know of him because he's been around for quite a while. He has that voice born to sing the blues. He's got a new record out called "Future Blues" and all I can say is he floored me. Seriously terrific.

LIARA & SAINTS at Momo's 6-29-11

2011-07-16T12:31:00.001-05:00

LIARS & SAINTS

2011-07-16T12:29:00.001-05:00

This band is exciting! It's a super group of 3 Austin musicians and together, for my money, they are magic. They rock, harmonize like no tomorrow and come up with killer melodies. I hesitate to say catchy pop songs because some people don't understand that's a good thing. Then again, if you are reading this, you get it. I tell people who scoff at catchy pop songs, you know, it worked out alright for The Beatles so go educate yourself on what good pop is. Anyway, Liars & Saints is definitely my favorite new band in town. I hope they stay together as they are creating some great music. The three who write the music and sing the songs are Kacy Crowley, Johnny Goudie and Jeremy Nail. GO SEE THIS BAND!! I believe they are coming out with an EP soon. Sure hope so. They have a FB Page and also you can check them on ReverbNation.

HADDEN SAYERS at Saxon Pub 3-19-11 during SXSW

2011-07-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

HADDEN SAYERS

2011-07-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

Heard him by accident. It was during SXSW this past March. Went to the Saxon Pub to see BettySoo. Stayed for the next show and it was Hadden. Talk about a lucky break for me. Blues guy, heckuva voice and guitar player. Brought the house down. I think he has played lead for Ruthie Foster as well. She joined him for 1 song on this night (just one of those many reasons you love living in Austin). Anyway, he has a new album out called "Hard Dollar." Check the guy out. Mighty fine!

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

2011-07-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends. I see the last post was in October. Gave up talking about live music here in Austin but didn't give up going out to hear it. Just not nearly as much as I once did. Things change and you roll with it.
Decided to jot down some stuff because there are some new to me players that have knocked me out.
May also post some photos from other memorable shows I've seen since last fall.

SETH WALKER

2010-10-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

ROBERT RANDOLPH and the FAMILY BAND

2010-10-10T16:15:00.000-05:00

ROBERT RANDOLPH and the FAMILY BAND at Zilker Park 10-7-10 followed by SETH WALKER at Saxon Pub

2010-10-10T16:07:00.002-05:00

Seeing limited music these days due to a family situation. Anyway, did get free for 1 night and got to go to a very cool event. It was the night before the ACL Festival and Kirk Watson, a state senator, held an appreciation event, I guess you'd call it. Had friends with extra tickets so off a group of us went. Got wined and dined and then a concert from Robert, on one of the ACL stages at Zilker!
I really thought he'd put on a lame show, playing for a bunch of political hacks, not really his crowd, you know? He blew the roof off and had everybody up, dancing and rocking! Spectacular show and so intimate. Coolest thing. I even got to watch much of the show from the side of the stage. He has a fantastic band. A delightful chick singer who is very physical, so much fun to watch. He played a stellar set. Not a ton of jamming but mostly upbeat, bottom down rhythm and blues with a dash of Allman Brothers jam. Played almost 1 1/2 hours.
After Robert we hopped over to the Saxon Pub to see Seth Walker. My friends who were in for ACL had never seen him or heard of him so I knew this would be fun. Seth is great. Louisiana style blues. The poor guy, he played a great show even though his allergies were killing him. Had a drummer who was really good at harmony vocals along with an upright bass player. A heckuva trio. Miss Seth not living in Austin anymore. We were spoiled for so long. Now, when he comes to town, I always try to catch his show. Also, he did a terrific cover of "Jealous Guy," 2 days shy of John Lennon's 70th birthday. It was pretty neat. My friends loved him!

JIMMY LAFAVE along with his lead guitarist JOHN INMON

2010-09-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

JIMMY LAFAVE at Unplugged at the Grove 9-16-10

2010-09-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

What is there to say that you don't always say when Jimmy plays? Same old great show, once again. There were a couple of twists. He had Chip Dolan, a great keyboard player here in town, sit in and he added much, took several solos. Really sparked the music, I thought. Secondly, Jimmy added another Bob Dylan cover to his set, "All Along The Watchtower," only he did it Jimi Hendrix style and John Inmon, his lead guitarist who is GREAT, tore that thing up! They ended the first set with it and man, everybody was all wound up after that. Seriously killer version! Other than that, we got our usual wonderful dose of Jimmy LaFave blues, ballads and Bob D. covers we've come to expect. I don't believe we heard any new songs from Jimmy. I'm sure they're coming at some point soon.

GUY FORSYTH with KRISTIN DEWITT and WAMMO

2010-09-15T20:21:00.000-05:00

SCRAPPY JUD NEWCOMB and BRUCE HUGHES

2010-09-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

SHELLY KING with CHIP DOLAN, RICHARD BOWDEN and MARVIN DYKHUIS

2010-09-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

BETTYSOO

2010-09-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

JENNY REYNOLDS and KRISTIN DEWITT

2010-09-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

NOELLE HAMPTON and ANDRE MORAN

2010-09-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

DANNY MALONE with ANGELINA and JAZZ

2010-09-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

RANDY WEEKS with JESS KLEIN and RICHARD BOWDEN

2010-09-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

PATTERSON BARRETT and JULIEANN BANKS

2010-09-15T19:55:00.001-05:00

WILLIAMS NITE at Threadgill's 9-14-10

2010-09-15T19:53:00.001-05:00

This was the 4th annual, my 2nd, Williams Nite where local musicians get together and honor Hank and Lucinda by playing a song of each along with one of their own. I love these kind of shows because you get to see so many artists, different styles and just a bunch of good music and it's bang, bang, bang, one after another up on stage.
This was a $10 cover, all of which went to an emergency breast cancer support fund called b club. The musicians were playing for free, although there was a tip jar but with that many musicians, once it was divvied, couldn't have amounted to much each.
On to the show. A blast. At least 12 different acts doing 3 songs each. Patterson Barrett and Julieann Banks kicked off the evening with Lucinda's "Crescent City," a favorite of mine.
Richard Bowden, a violinist, played with just about everybody, I think. As someone said, he was the house band!
I'd never heard George Ensle before and I loved his voice. He also had Kristin DeWitt harmonizing with him and that was real neat because she hardly ever comes out and has a knockout voice.
Another cool moment, Randy Weeks played the song he wrote that Lucinda had a huge hit with, "Can't Let Go." Jess Klein harmonized with him. They sounded great!
Next came one of the big highlights, I thought. Danny Malone with 2 singers named Jazz and Angelina. He took Lucinda's "Changed the Locks" and really changed it up style wise and it was so good! Outstanding. This guy has a lot of soul. Jazz has one heckuva voice. Wish I knew her last name. She was terrific. The 3 of them did an a cappella number that was mesmerizing. It was one of Jazz's songs, I believe. Anyway, this trio ratcheted it up a notch, for sure.
Next highlight was Noelle Hampton bringing BettySoo and Jess Klein up to sing harmony on her song "Blackwing Butterfly." It's a good, little catchy number and all those voices sounded great!
Jenny Reynolds, who puts this show together, came up and brought Kristin DeWitt back up for "Drunken Angel." It was terrific!
Shelley King got to play 4 songs because whoever was up after her wasn't there yet, I guess. Anyway, they picked a good one to do the extra song. Shelley's 4 song set, along with Danny Malone, were my 2 favorites on this evening. She had her keyboard (Chip Dolan) and lead guitarist (Marvin Dykhuis) with her and Richard Bowden played fiddle, also. They started with "Still I Long For Your Kiss" and Shelley just ate that song up! Then she did Hank's "Why Don't You Love Me" and that was fantastic. Seriously honky tonking. After that it was her own "Welcome Home" which is so good. Marvin sings the heck out of that song. Lastly was "How You Make Me Feel" and then they were done. Could have listened to them all night.
Closing out the night was Guy Forsyth and he had a guy on harmonica named Wammo! They did a great "Ramblin' Man." Brought Kristen up for "Prove My Love." Really good.
Show started right at 7pm and it was after 10:30 when it was finished. This stuff doesn't happen anywhere else. You can't tell me it does. We're lucky.

RAY BONNEVILLE along with MIKE MEADOWS and JESS KLEIN

2010-09-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

RAY BONNEVILLE at Cactus Cafe 9-11-10

2010-09-12T19:32:00.001-05:00

Saw Ray about a month or so ago at the Cactus and he knocked me out so definitely had to go back for more.
Different show on this night as, instead of solo, he had Mike Meadows on percussion. Also brought Jess Klein up for several songs in the second set. It was another good show. The guy has that bluesy, swampy style I love. Writes great songs, love his voice, phrasing and guitar picking. Different. Plus, that harmonica. Ray doesn't sound like anybody else. No mistaking him. Mike on his Black Swan drum is a sight to see. Fascinating to watch, really. How he chooses which foot, sound, hand, shaker and everything else to use, is beyond me but it is something to see. Jess sounds great with Ray. Truthfully, she sounds great with whomever she sings with. They were fantastic on his "The Big Easy." Show was free which is ridiculous. I sure hope the tip jar was good to him. Had a pretty good crowd considering it was a UT football night. The streets were deserted but there were enough of us non-fanatics and we filled the room. This town is tough. Not only football to compete with but Leon Russell was at Threadgill's, Kevin Russell (The Gourds) was at Wyldwood House Concerts. Big night in Austin. As usual.

MARY GAUTHIER and TANIA ELIZABETH

2010-09-12T19:02:00.000-05:00

MARY GAUTHIER at Cactus Cafe 9-10-10

2010-09-12T19:01:00.003-05:00

Great, great show! Hadn't seen Mary in a few years, for sure. I was aware of the new record she recently put out, but hadn't bought it. Knew it was the story of her life; being given up at birth, the orphanage, adoption, finding her birth mother. Boy, you write it all in one sentence like it's so simple when it is anything but. The name of the album is "The Foundling." Enough said, right?
She played 7 or 8 songs off the new cd. Really, really good. Intense, most definitely. These songs grab you and don't let go, but in a good way. Great songs. Bought the cd after the show without hesitation. Singing the songs live, I'll tell ya, she was completely mesmerizing. And, she was accompanied by Tania Elizabeth on fiddle and harmony vocal. You know how some people get up on stage and play while others get up there and have so much personality that comes flowing into the audience? She's the latter. A joy to see and hear. Her voice really gels with Mary. The fiddle was perfect. Her emotion was all there. The two of them together make a wonderful duo. You don't need drums, bass or anything else. Their 2 voices, an acoustic guitar and a violin will take you around the world of song.
As usual with Mary, the writing is topnotch. There was a phrase and a line from 2 different songs that stayed with me as soon as I heard them:
"I'm gonna walk in the water til my hat floats away." What an image. I'll bet when she wrote that line she must have smiled, knowing she nailed one!
The second, a phrase, "another truly troubled troubador." Nothing like great alliteration! Love it!
So, for $17 we got an hour and a half of one of the best shows I've seen this year. Another cool thing, as far as being in Austin goes, before the show I looked around and there was Carrie Rodriguez! Great herself, she was there for the entire show. She has good taste : )

SAHARA SMITH

2010-09-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

SAHARA SMITH at Unplugged at the Grove 9-9-10

2010-09-12T17:16:00.000-05:00

Finally got to see Sahara in a full show plus her debut record, "Myth of the Heart" is FINALLY out. Just released and boy, go get it, really good. She has it all, voice, melody, words, words, words. A poet. And her band, stellar. Jake Owen on lead guitar, Mike Meadows (Porterdavis) on percussion and Will Sexton on bass.
We heard much from the new album and all I can tell you is the last time I heard someone this young write and sing like she does, her name was Joni. Not trying to be dramatic but this young singer/songwriter is scary talented.
Got a couple of decent videos and here is the link to one of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQdi1qUY7-0

If that doesn't grab you, nothing will.
By the way, her album was produced by T-Bone Burnett. No kidding.

PAUL THORN

2010-09-12T17:03:00.001-05:00

PAUL THORN at Unplugged at the Grove 9-2-10

2010-09-12T16:55:00.000-05:00

A wild night this one was. Love Paul Thorn. Exciting to see him at Shady Grove in a free show. They started about 8:15pm and no sooner did they start and it started raining. Never stopped. But, Paul is a trooper. He was rocking us up and down. There was a very drunk woman who was interested in dancing right in front of the stage. Problem was, the stage is so small, Paul had his guitar rack, which held 3 of his guitars, right in front of the stage where drunk girl was trying to stay on her feet while dancing. Plus, it was seriously pouring buckets of rain. He finally had to call security to get her out. I think that was a first for me at Unplugged, security having to be called from the stage. But the chick was so hammered, she fell onto the stage! Shortly after that, it started lightning so they ended up stopping the show after he had played maybe an hour. So, it wasn't the best of circumstances but I'll take Paul and his band for an hour any time I can.

NOELLE HAMPTON and ANDRE MORAN

2010-09-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

NOELLE HAMPTON at Momo's 8-31-10

2010-09-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

I'm getting so far behind on this blog I think it's about time to give it up. If I don't write about a show right away, I struggle with remembering the important details. To continue writing it/she/he/they are good, go see them, is boring and I know it.
That said, if you live in Austin and haven't seen Noelle, you're missing the boat. She writes good songs, some catchy, some bouncy, some heart breakers, some rockers, some ballads...really mixes it up. Great voice. And her band is cool. Her husband, the lead guitarist, has a unique kind of sound, I think. He just slips in and out of the spaces but when he wants to wail, like he did on this night to "Thin Line," it is a sight and sound to behold.
This was an early show, 6:30pm at Momo's on a Tuesday night, and she filled all the tables and had a very nice crowd. Usually, these shows attract about 8 people. Testament to how good she is. Think it was a $5 cover. Too cheap for that kind of talent. Plus, the AC was out. It was very hot and they still put on a heckuva show.

TERRI HENDRIX

2010-08-30T17:42:00.000-05:00

EARL POOLE BALL and the COSMIC AMERICANS

2010-08-30T17:40:00.000-05:00

TERRI HENDRIX at Saxon Pub 8-27-10

2010-08-30T17:35:00.003-05:00

This was a live broadcast for the radio show Lone Star State of Mind. Terri had Lloyd Maines on all things string, Glenn Fukunaga on bass and John Silva on drums. These shows at the Saxon for Lone Star can be tricky. The first hour is not broadcast. I would say 99% of the bands, that first hour, sort of use it as a warm up so they're ready and firing on all cylinders once the broadcast to the world starts. And that's understandable. It just makes for a different concert going experience. Once the broadcast starts, they all ratchet it up several notches. But it is only for an hour, plus there are breaks for commercials, etc...so it really is very different than going to a normal show.
We didn't get to hear much from her latest "Cry Til You Laugh" which is what I was hoping to hear a lot of. Only because the last time I saw her, the music from that record was unfamiliar to me. Now, I know it backward and forward as I can't stop listening to it! You know, it's always different when you're hearing something for the first time vs knowing it inside out. At least for me, I hear it much differently. Pick up on changes from the recorded version, listen for certain things, stuff like that.
It was still a fun show. She's written many good songs over the years and we got to hear almost 2 hours worth on this night.
Think the cover was $15. That included Colin Gilmore who was on after Terri. His first hour would be the 2nd half of the Lone Star broadcast. We left, darn it, and didn't hear him. I like Colin and he has a brand new record out. Lloyd Maines produced it, I believe. It was kind of late for us, so we did call it a night after Terri. Hopefully, we'll see Colin soon.
The Happy Hour show on Friday's at the Saxon is Earl Poole Ball and the Cosmic Americans. Got there in time to hear about the last hour of their set. Always a fun time. Rollicking honky tonk. Besides Earl, other serious all-star players are Glenn Fukunaga on bass, Casper Rawls on lead guitar and Dony Wynn on drums. Only in Austin.

AMY COOK along with JAKE OWEN

2010-08-30T17:16:00.000-05:00

AMY COOK at Shady Grove 8-26-10 Unplugged at the Grove

2010-08-30T17:12:00.001-05:00

Another awfully good show from Amy. This will be sorta brief as I recently wrote about her in what was a great, great show at the Cactus with Alejandro, David Garza and David Pulkingham.
Anyway, on this night, she had her regular band. The only name I know is the lead guitarist, Jake Owen. He's a favorite. Just like the way he plays, whether he's with Amy or Sahara Smith.
Suffice to say, I love Amy's writing, like this line from "Moonrise," "Some people wait for a flash of light. Some people wait for Jesus Christ. Well I guess I'm never satisfied. I'm just waiting on the moonrise." I love the way she can rock the heck out of ya with "I Wanna Be Your Marianne" or throw an achingly gorgeous "Hotel Lights" at you. Not to mention, a killer, kickass cover of Janes Addiction "Jane Says." She really, really does this song like she owns it. Need to get a video of it. Spectacular.

LintonMancilla

2010-08-22T17:25:00.000-05:00

LINTON MANCILLA at One World Theatre 8-20-10

2010-08-22T17:22:00.003-05:00

This is a first for me. Writing about a band after hearing only 1 song. But...that's how good the song was. Went to One World to see Paula Poundstone, the comedian. They serve dinner at these shows, you pay extra for it and we've never done it. They also have a bar set up. Anyway, we had dinner at County Line on The Hill (had pork ribs, great!) and by the time we got over to One World, it was close to show time for Paula. We walked into the lobby area and our friends were getting a drink at the bar. This delayed us long enough for me to key in on the music. They were just finishing one song and as soon as they started on the next one, it literally stopped me in my tracks. It had the most beautiful melody I think I've ever heard. The lyrics were so tender. The singer had the nicest, warmest voice. A love song - simply gorgeous.
The song is called "I Fall In Love" and the band is LintonMancilla. I bought the cd with this song on it. It's called "Into The Wind" and came out this year. Haven't listened to the cd yet. But I did listen to "I Fall In Love" twice today when I had a few minutes to spare. I'm still in love with it.

SUZANNA CHOFFEL

2010-08-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

SUZANNA CHOFFEL at Unplugged at the Grove, Shady Grove 8-19-10

2010-08-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

Haven't been to many of these shows this year but didn't want to miss this one. Suzanna is a local talent we really like. It is always fun to go to the Unplugged shows when someone up and coming, who we've been following and watching them work their way up, gets to play them. It is a big deal here, playing the Unplugged series. This is a free, summer concert series.
Since I'd seen her last with a full band, the group tonight (drums, lead guitar and bass) was entirely different and no Laura Scarborough on vibes/keyboards. I did miss Laura's playing.
It was a good show. We heard many new songs as she is currently working on a new record. Not sure when the release date is. They didn't take a break and played a good 90 minute set.

RAUL MALO

2010-08-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

our view of RAUL MALO

2010-08-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

NAKIA And The BLUES GRIFTERS

2010-08-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

RAUL MALO at Blues on the Green, Zilker Park 8-18-10

2010-08-21T13:40:00.005-05:00

This one I was really looking forward to and it didn't disappoint.

Opening for Raul was Nakia And The Blues Grifters. I've only seen Nakia a couple of times, in small doses and really liked him. A great soul voice. He now has this new band and they are definitely a rocking blues band. I love him with these guys. Even though they only played a half hour, I feel like this band is doing him justice. It was 30 minutes of straight ahead blues with some rock thrown in along with a ballad. They really tore it up. Nakia has the soul of the young Joe Cocker plus a great voice so that's a heckuva combination. For his half hour, he had the entire crowd, and it was large, in the palm of his hand. Everybody was into it. His lead guitarist was smokin.' I tell ya, if you haven't seen Nakia, check him out:

http://nakia.net/

I know he does a Happy Hour show sometimes on Fridays at the Lucky Lounge. I plan on getting to one real soon.

Raul had a slimmed down lineup on this night. Last time I saw him in a full show was at the Continental Club the last night of the ACL Festival. He had a horn section, keyboard player and The Trishas that evening. It was one of the best shows I saw all year. For this concert, it was just Raul, drummer, bass and accordion. Even though it was stripped down, it was still a great show. That accordion took all the horn parts, solos, filled large spaces and filled them well. They played an hour and came back out for a 4 song encore. We got all the hits including: "Dance The Night Away" "Moonlight Kiss" "Lucky One" "Every Little Thing About You" and a beautiful Spanish language song I don't know the name of. Everyone was dancing to Raul. His music just has that rhythm. You gotta shake it. Didn't matter that it had been 103 degrees that day and was still muggy as all get out.
Oh yeah, got a pretty good video of Raul on "Dance The Night Away" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJmBEGzECI0

BUTCH HANCOCK

2010-08-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

BUTCH HANCOCK at Cactus Cafe 8-14-10

2010-08-21T12:37:00.001-05:00

This show was special. The main reason for that being it would be the last night the Cactus would be operating under the management team that built this room into a national treasure with a world wide reputation. To close out this era, they had Butch Hancock play 5 straight nights and he would not repeat a song. You could buy a pass to the entire series titled "No Two More Alike" for $70 or pay at the door for single shows.
Hadn't made it to any of the shows until the final night and I really wanted to be there for it. As did half the city, I think. The doors were opening at 8pm for an 8:30 start. We got in line at 5:30 and there were already 10 people ahead of us. Turns out the earliest arrivals were there at 5PM!
All week the shows had been filled with special guests. Night 3 I think it was, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely played the entire 2nd half with Butch. In essence, a most intimate Flatlanders show. I know Jimmie LaFave played on another night.
So...the final night was full of expectations on guests, excitement along with some sadness as we don't know what the future holds with the new management coming in (KUT, the local NPR station, is taking over the music operation).
The show was, of course, spectacular. Butch played a handful of songs to open and then brought Jimmie Dale Gilmore to the stage. Jimmie played a bunch of songs with Butch, probably 6 or so. At one point, while Jimmie was on stage, he brought up BettySoo and they did Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty!" Oh my God, it was so good. BettySoo's soprano voice blending with Butch and Jimmie was an incredible treat for all of us. I didn't video because I didn't have a good sight line but there is a good one here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy023OORPUY
After the break, Butch brought Joe Ely up! He did 2 songs. The one I remember most was "She Never Spoke Spanish To Me." It was gorgeous.
After that came a debut of "Split & Slide III" which must have lasted 20 minutes!
He closed the night with another Townes song "To Live's To Fly." Couldn't get more perfect than that.
As far as concerts go, this was a night of nights and that is what I will try to remember.
There was a fiasco to start and it really put a dark cloud on the entire evening. It didn't need to be that way and it's very sad the final night had to break down like it did.
As I mentioned at the start, lining up started at 5pm. The Cactus has never had reserved seating and it's always been first in line, first in the door. On the final night, management changed the rules but didn't even bother to come out and tell us. It wasn't until they opened the door at about 8:10 and yelled out for all pass holders to form their own line and they'd be going in first. Not to mention, they had reserved seating already for special guests which took up probably the first 4 rows. So now, you're letting the 70 pass holders in on top of the already very limited seating. That left a whole bunch of people who were standing in line for 3+ hours without a seat and some without getting in, period.
It's one thing to change the rules but to do it like they did, without notice, at the last minute, was such a complete lack of respect for their customers. Had they, at a minimum, come out at 5PM, 5:30, 6:00, whatever and at least announced what they were doing and started forming the pass line, people could have known where they stood, chances of getting in, a seat, etc...To top it off, once they let the pass holders in, they still wouldn't let the rest of us in. Just in case more pass holders showed up at the last minute, I guess. Even though up to the final night, pass holders knew they had to be there in line, early, with the rest of us. That was pretty much the breaking point. People were pissed and I mean pissed. Management made no attempt to explain things. They just did what they did. Like we didn't matter. It won't be forgotten. Older folks who can't stand (hence the 3 hours in line to guarantee a seat or so they thought) ended up walking out and that wasn't right. Long time patrons deserve a better fate than what they received from the Cactus management on its final night. Lastly, he was arrogant and smug about it. I saw an older couple asking for help to find seats and were ignored and basically shown the door. Me, I don't mind standing but the other 3 people I was with, left. I went in and headed for the bar to belly up. Someone I know came up and said they had an open seat so I did get a chair.
I couldn't help but think of the many of us who tried to save this management team's fate. Money, meetings, rallys, letters to the UT powers. And in the end, this was our thanks. So wrong. So unnecessary.
It does make the change coming quite a bit more palatable. The new regime can't possibly be any more rude and disrespectful to their long time customers.

KELLY WILLIS and BRUCE ROBISON with CASPER RAWLS on guitar

2010-08-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

BUCK OWENS Birthday Bash at Continental Club 8-12-10

2010-08-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

Had never been to this annual event and this was the 19th one. It is a real zoo! Place is packed and half the people are musicians. They had 40 different artists and 80 songs were being played! Started at 7:30 and cover was $15. House band included Earl Poole Ball and Casper Rawls.
We made it to 10:30. Left after Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison played. They were, as always, great to listen to. Other highlights were Monte Warden and Randy Weeks. Both came out and lit the place up with up tempo rockabilly songs. Heard probably 10-12 other musicians, too that we weren't familiar with.
I'm sure that night was going to last until at least 2am but while we were entertained, it wasn't going to keep us afloat all night so we bailed after our faves, Bruce and Kelly, were done.

ANGELA STREHLI and The COBRAS

2010-08-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS 40th Birthday Party at Threadgill's 8-7-10 featuring PAUL RAY and The COBRAS

2010-08-10T08:15:00.001-05:00

What a night! Got to see a little Austin musical history come to life!
This was a tough Saturday night in Austin as far as deciding who to go out and hear. We had Matt the Electrician at Wyldwood House Concerts and Steve Forbert at the Cactus Cafe.
Opted for what sounded like one heckuva party at Threadgill's. First off, the owner of Threadgill's South opened the Armadillo, a club that survived for 10 years and brought the best, most diverse music in the world to Austin. It's one of the places where a fella by the name of Stevie Ray Vaughan cut his teeth. One of his first Austin bands was The Cobras. So, their reunion for this gig was a Big Deal!
Admission was $20. I have never seen Threadgill's more packed! We got there around 8:15 for a 9pm show and got 2 of the last remaining chairs available.
There were 3 bands on the bill. First up was Hank & Shaidri Alrich. I don't know the history but Eddie Wilson, who opened the Armadillo and has Threadgill's, said during the introduction that without Hank there would've been no Armadillo, so there you have it. Without the Armadillo, you don't have Austin, Live Music Capitol Of The World so you can bet I will be reading up on the history of Hank and his ties to the Armadillo.
Back to the show. Hank, his daughter Shaidri and a cellist, played about a 1/2 hour, bluegrass, folk music.
Really good.
After them came Larry Lange and the Lonely Knights. Seriously got the joint jumping. They had horns and brought up this singer from San Antonio by the name of Joanna Razmirez who has a voice that will make you stop dead in your tracks. I pulled out my phone and wrote her name down. Did not want to forget it as I would love to see her again! What a voice! Turns out she and the band played the night before about a 1/2 mile from where I live. That news about killed me! Anyway, she and Larry Lange and his band were so good and so much fun. They are billed as a Chicano Soul Revue and that pretty much says it all. They'll be playing in a couple of weeks in far South Austin at the Red Shed and we plan on being there!
Headlining was Paul Ray & The Cobras. Larry Lange played bass in this band. Turns out he was an original Cobra and along with Paul, played beside Stevie Ray Vaughan. Really weird for me as I know Paul Ray as a dj only, from KUT here in Austin. It's our local NPR station. On lead guitar was Denny Freeman who, I'm not sure, but may have replaced Stevie Ray when he left The Cobras. I really need to check this history out. At any rate, he's a guitar slinger extroardinaire and played in Bob Dylan's band up until about a year ago. Paul did probably 45 minutes with The Cobras. Many blues standards, Bobby Blue Bland and such.
When Paul left the stage, the one and only Angela Strehli took over the vocals with The Cobras. As one friend said, a timeless voice. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed listening to her belt it out for the rest of the evening. If you own Stevie Ray's "Live at Carnagie Hall," you know Angela. She sang often with Double Trouble. A classic blues voice.
Pretty good video of Angela and The Cobras here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHh9dUq75Io

WILL SEXTON

2010-08-09T20:20:00.000-05:00

WILL SEXTON and BETTYSOO at Cactus Cafe 8-3-10

2010-08-09T19:37:00.002-05:00

Turns out last Saturday night wasn't my last visit to the Cactus under its current management. A spur of the moment added show brought me back. And it takes a lot to drag me out on a Tuesday night.
When I saw the announcement for this concert, I figured I'd want to be at the last Cactus show BettySoo played but when I saw it was a co-bill with Will Sexton, I had to go! I've seen that guy only as a sideman, lead guitarist for the best talent in Austin. I have 2 of his cd's (they're great!) so couldn't wait to see him live, doing his music.
Will kicked off the first set, probably played a 1/2 dozen songs, many off the 2 cd's he released in 2009. It was fantastic! Just him and an acoustic. He has the coolest voice, doesn't sound like anybody I can think of to compare him with. Writes great songs. This was a real pleasure for me.
Then BettySoo came up and he went back to his great lead guitar role! They played another 1/2 hour or so, took a break, did another set, just like the first, Will up solo, then the 2 of them together.
BettySoo played 3 new songs so that was cool! Whatever is coming next from her, album wise, sure sounds great so far.
Show started at 8:30 and ended around 10:30, I think. $15 for this duo.
I left thinking how Will should be known to the masses. His songs are so good.
I know he has 3cd's. Here are the 2 I have:
"Move The Balance" and "Bus Stop Gossip, Other Lies & Respected Crimes"
2 big thumbs up from me
Kicking myself for not picking up the 3rd at this show. Next time I see him, I'll get it.

TERRI HENDRIX

2010-08-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

TERRI HENDRIX at Cactus Cafe 7-31-10

2010-08-08T20:28:00.008-05:00

Kind of fitting we ended the month at the Cactus as we started July off with the annual Firecracker Fest there. And, with the days winding down at the Cactus as we know it, each show becomes a little more important...and melancholy.
We hadn't seen a full Terri show in probably 2 years! We've seen her at the Christmas Bazaar and more recently, opening for the Indigo Girls and that's about it.
She's out touring behind a brand new record, "Cry Till You Laugh." On this night Terri was joined by Lloyd Maines, her great guitarist and the super cool Glen Fukunaga on bass.
She did 2 sets. The 1st one lasted over an hour and the 2nd set lasted an hour. Cover was $15 and the room was packed. We got a heckuva show.
First off, she's always fun, tells good stories, holds you between songs. The camaraderie she shares with Lloyd is unmistakable, neat to watch and listen to. They could be a comedy tag team!
The music. We heard a ton off the new album and is it ever terrific. Although I hadn't heard the songs before the concert, everything she performed sounded great. You know if you like songs the first time you hear them, you're on to something good. You could tell the album must be pretty eclectic as we got blues, folk, straight ahead jazz and New Orleans jazz. A real mix of styles.
We also got to hear some of her older work including songs she wrote that I'm familiar with from other artists. She did "Hole In My Pocket" which Ruthie Foster does a great version of and "I Found The Lions" which Carolyn Wonderland kills on.
The cd is fantastic. Once I started listening to it after the show, the songs really came to life. On the jazz stuff you have clarinets, horns, everything. She scats, croons, it's all over the map. There are a couple of songs that sound like she wrote while listening to George Harrison during his Ravi Shankar period. You also get straight ahead blues, folky blues, Allen Toussaint's New Orleans sound, Dixieland swing, Americana with the pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin. Music as it should be, anything and everything.
Not to mention what a great writer she is, whether she's talking about the world or her mom.
"Some things you don't get over, you just get through"
So, we took July out with a bang. It may even be our last show at the Cactus under the current management. If so, we couldn't have asked for anything more.

PETER CASE

2010-08-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

PETER CASE at Threadgill's 7-29-10

2010-08-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

The great Peter Case was in town and I've never seen him so thought I should rectify that. Wow! Guy is cool!
I'd heard him, knew of him but not much of either.
A punkabilly, bluesfolker is what I'd call him. Loved him and really glad I got to see Peter live. Quite the showman, plays a mean guitar, doesn't sound like anybody else. Quintessential troubador. Liked him best when he was punking it up.

AMY COOK and friends

2010-08-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

AMY COOK at Cactus Cafe 7-28-10

2010-08-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

Writing about this show a week after it happened and as I look back at the calendar, I see it was the final part of a trifecta of performances that were off the charts. The 1st was Ray Bonneville the week before at the Cactus, 2nd was Jess Klein that Saturday at Wyldwood and then this thing...!

This was a last minute show, no cover and I thought it would be cool to see her in such an intimate space.

I wondered who would be in the band since I knew her regular lead guitarist, Jake Owen, was out on tour with Sahara Smith. Never even gave it a thought as to what was about to happen. The stage was definitely set up for a full band. Looking back toward the bar, I saw David Pulkingham hanging out and thought, holy hell, he's gonna play with Amy tonight! About 2 seconds later, looked back again and there is Alejandro Escovedo and David Garza! At this point I thought I might pass out. I knew this was going to be one for the ages. You could feel the electricity in the room.

You gotta remember, the Cactus is tiny and Alejandro and David don't ever play tiny! Man, what a show!!

Amy took the stage with David, a drummer and bass player. Intense, she was! Oh my God. She and David really played off each other. Truly fantastic. Then David Garza comes up to play piano. Good Lord! At one point, I think it was on "Moonrise," there was no piano part so David started beating on the top part of the piano. He just had to play. It was a really cool moment. Beating on that piano like it was a drum.

Amy brought Alejandro up for the last part of the show. They played one of his songs, "Down in the Bowery." She sounded great on it. They closed the show with "Let the Light In." To put his appearance in perspective, exactly one week before he had been on David Letterman, played a show that David Byrne, Jesse Malin and Ian Hunter all sat in on and only 5 days before, he'd played at the Stone Pony in New Jersey and Bruce Springsteen sat in on 3 songs! Now, here we are in Austin at the intimate Cactus, a free show and look what happens!

Besides the hoopla with Alejandro, Amy was terrific. We heard just about everything from "Let the Light In." I probably should have mentioned, Alejandro produced this record. And, as stated above, she was intense, passionate and prowling that stage like she owned it. She also did one fantastic cover of the Janes Addiction song "Jane Says."

Alright, I've gone on too long but bottom line, this is a night all of us who were there (it was jammed!) will always treasure.

SCRAPPY, JESS, RAY BONNEVILLE and MARK

2010-08-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

JESS KLEIN

2010-08-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

JESS KLEIN, SCRAPPY JUD NEWCOMB and MARK ADDISON

2010-08-04T19:24:00.000-05:00

CLAIRE SMALL

2010-08-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

CLAIRE SMALL and MATT ESKEY with NOELLE HAMPTON sitting in

2010-08-04T19:17:00.000-05:00

JESS KLEIN at Wyldwood House Concerts 7-24-10

2010-08-04T19:15:00.002-05:00

A great night, this was. Jess put on one spectacular show! She had the great Scrappy Jud Newcomb on lead guitar along with Mark Addison on bass. Maybe it was the full moon, being out under the stars, the cicadas keeping rhythm, whatever it was, I haven't seen a better show from Jess. She sang and played passionately, each and every song. 2 sets, including a few special guests, Ben Mallott, Noelle Hampton and Ray Bonneville. Ben sang "Fool" with her and Ray did one of his own, "Shy Star" with Jess singing the Eliza Gilkyson part, and they did an old blues tune, can't remember now which one, maybe an old Blind Willie Johnson, anyway, it was really good. Jess is such a good writer and it was awesome to sit there and listen to her lyrics with pristine sound and sung with such gusto as she did! "hearts break, birds fly" what a line
Lastly, Claire Small opened. We'd heard her the week before as an opener for Noelle Hampton and liked her straight away. Seeing her on this night with her bass player, Matt Eskey, was another affirmation for us that we want to see and hear more of her. A singer/songwriter on the Americana side of town, we look forward to listening to a lot more from Claire. She's currently on the rode opening for Asleep at the Wheel. Very cool!
Cover was $10. Another Austin bargain.
The Wyldwood space is neat. As far as house concerts go, definitely my favorite place to be.

PAPA MALI

2010-08-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

GULF COAST BENEFIT with PAPA MALI and LOST BAYOU RAMBLERS 7-23-10 at Hotel San Jose Parking Lot

2010-08-04T18:25:00.001-05:00

A fundraiser for the Gulf Coast due to the oil spill. Held in the parking lot between Jo's Coffee and Hotel San Jose, it featured live music and for $10 you could get a shrimp boil plate. They had various vendors selling t-shirts and also educational information booths pertaining to our coastal environment.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers really ramped the crowd up with their zydeco Cajun sound. They were a real treat to listen to.

Papa Mali was next and he seriously funked up the place. It was great!

$10 donation to get in, $10 for the shrimp plate, great live music and neat comaraderie among all. Fantastic evening!
Photos are from Austin360.com

RAY BONNEVILLE

2010-08-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

RAY BONNEVILLE at Cactus Cafe 7-22-10

2010-08-04T17:33:00.002-05:00

I'm late to the party with Ray but better that I did, at least, get there. I'd seen him one other time, a couple of years ago with Mike Meadows (percussionist for PorterDavis). At that time, maybe because it was more of a party atmosphere, at an unofficial SXSW show, I remember liking him but not being knocked out, you know?
Well, not after this night at the Cactus. Man, is he ever good! What a groove his music has! He's Cajun bluesy and very melodic, heckuva writer, great guitarist, the whole enchilada, as they say. I can't recommend him enough. All I know is, I will see him live every chance I get from here on out.
Besides guitar he plays harmonica and solo, he has what I call a piece of plywood on the floor mic'd up, that he uses to tap out a beat. That's probably not what it is but it's what it sounds like. Really sounds cool on his songs. I also love his phrasing and the way some words, at the end of a line, just kind of fade away. You'd have to hear him, such a soulful guy. Speaking of which, you should buy straight away his most recent release called "Goin by feel." I haven't stopped playing it since I bought it. There is one song on it called "I am The Big Easy" which is the best song I've heard written about the aftermath of Katrina.
One other thing, I was familiar with a song he wrote many years ago called "Two Bend In The Road." I have it on a Louise Taylor cd and I love her version. Anyway, there is a verse in it, goes like this:

"The butterfly in the wind
he don't know how fragile his wings are
he don't know
love's a lot like him now
fragile just like him"

That is one heckuva verse, by anybody, period. What an image that conjures up.
At any rate, check Ray out as quickly as you can.
Details - the show was free, room was packed and I hope he made good tips because he is terrific and put on a fantastic show.

ELIZABETH MCQUEEN, her band and CLAIRE SMALL

2010-08-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

ELIZABETH MCQUEEN

2010-08-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

ELIZABETH MCQUEEN at Scholz Beer Garten 7-21-10

2010-08-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

Back at Scholz for another free show at their weekly summer series.
Elizabeth McQueen is that GREAT voice you hear in Asleep at the Wheel.
Couldn't wait to hear her with her own band. It was fantastic. She sounds some like Asleep, a little bit country, swing and jazz. On this night Emily Gimble sat in on piano and took the lead singing on a few songs. It was a fantastic night listening to these two ladies sing and play. Also, Andrew Nafziger is playing guitar in her band. He's great. Have seen him over the years with both Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison.
To top it off, Elizabeth brought Claire Small up for a song. We had just seen her the week before opening for Noelle Hampton and loved her. She tore it up!
Thoroughly enjoyed this show. Always love it when a band gets the dancers up and going and they sure were, from the get-go, on this night.

BETTYSOO

2010-08-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

BETTYSOO at Hummingbird House Concerts 7-17-10

2010-08-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

Of course we would be at this. If BettySoo is doing a full show somewhere around Austin, more than likely, we're there.
First time at this location. I'll tell ya, house concerts are where it's at. I love the idea. People are there to listen. This was a $15 admission. It's nice, with house concerts, all the money goes to the artist.
BettySoo had the trio version on this evening, Will Sexton on guitar and Dave Terry on drums. Played 2 sets, a good show. Got to hear her do one I'd never heard before and that was fun. She had just come back from the Woodie Guthrie Folk Festival so we were treated to his song called "Bed on the Floor."

NOELLE HAMPTON

2010-08-02T19:59:00.000-05:00

NOELLE HAMPTON at Cactus Cafe 7-15-10

2010-08-02T19:57:00.001-05:00

The more we hear Noelle, the bigger fans we become. She writes great songs, beautiful melodies, has a cool voice and holds your attention whether it's a ballad or a rocker. Along with the guitar, she also plays harmonica and while I'm not a big fan of a lot of harmonica, I love the way she plays. For my money, when it's done right and doesn't take over a song, it can be as expressive as a pedal steel. Really make a song. She does that every time. Andre Moran (her husband) plays lead guitar in the band and I love the way he plays. It is so different than what I'm used to. He doesn't seem to care about ripping out a blazing solo and it's nice. His playing so fits the songs. Understated but you're always watching and listening to him.
On this night she had Rick Richards on drums, can't remember the bass players name, darn it, and also had Mark Hallman (producer here in town) who did some singing, percussion and whatever else was needed for the song!
They played 2 sets and I think it was a free show, which is nuts.
Also, opening was a singer/songwriter by the name of Claire Small. We loved her!
At the break, bought both cds.
Claire's is called "How Do You Like Love?" Buy it here:

http://www.clairesmall.com/

Noelle's is called "Thin Line." This is one of those that is good from beginning to end and those aren't easily found anymore. You can get it here:

http://www.noellehampton.com/fr_home.cfm

PATRICE PIKE with her band

2010-08-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

PATRICE PIKE

2010-08-02T19:08:00.000-05:00

PATRICE PIKE at Scholz Garten 7-14-10

2010-08-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

Attended Scholz's weekly summer concert series which is held in their beer garden. Shows are free.
On this night we saw Patrice Pike. She is working on a new record so we did get to hear several from it.
It was a fun night. She always puts on a good show. She had flown in from Maui within the last 12 hours but you sure couldn't see any signs of jet lag. She's a pro.

GIRLS GONE WYLDWOOD

2010-08-02T18:45:00.001-05:00

GIRLS GONE WYLDWOOD at Wyldwood House Concerts 7-10-10

2010-08-02T18:38:00.001-05:00

This was a blast! And I mean blast! You had 5 singer/songwriter/rockers sitting together swapping songs. We had Suzanna Choffel, Erin Ivey, Vanessa Lively, BettySoo and Noelle Hampton. The lone ranger was Andre Moran on lead guitar.
There was some collaboration but not much. Noelle Hampton did the most, playing harmonica on several of the other ladies songs and she is good. Plays in an understated way and adds a whole bunch to any tune she jumps in on.
We hadn't heard Erin Ivey before and Vanessa only once. We became fans, for sure.
Suzanna, BetrtySoo and Noelle were, as usaul, great to listen to.
A long show. Started at 7:30, 1 break and ended around midnight.
$10 admission. Should have been a whole bunch more than that!

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO

2010-08-02T18:27:00.000-05:00

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO at Blues on the Green 7-7-10

2010-08-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

What can you say? It was Alejandro. He rocked Zilker like you knew he would. Had his full band, Sensitive Boys, along with the Sensitive Girls singing. Played much from his brand new "Street Songs of Love" record.

L to R ANDRE MORAN, BARBARA K., JEAN SYNODINOS, BETTYSOO, MO MCMORROW, VANESSA LIVELY, NOELLE HAMPTON, DAVE TERRY and RICHARD BOWDEN at the Firecracker Fest

2010-08-02T18:19:00.001-05:00

FIRECRACKER FEST at Cactus Cafe 7-3-10

2010-08-02T18:16:00.000-05:00

This is an annual event, free, on 4th of July eve every year.
This years' lineup was: Mo McMorrow, Vanessa Lively, Jean Synodinos, Barbara K(ooyman), BettySoo and Noelle Hampton.
We only knew BettySoo and Noelle, we thought. Turns out Barbara K is the female half of Timbuk 3. Remember them? "The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades" fame?
They each played 3 songs and were accompanied by Richard Bowden on violin, Andre Moran on guitar and Dave Terry on drums.
It was a fun night and we enjoyed all. With hearing only 3 songs, all we could say is we wanted to hear more from all of them.

JULY 2010

2010-08-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

Pretty much took the month of July off as far as blogging goes. It was not from a lack of attending concerts. Just the opposite. Went to many, got behind on posting, then overwhelmed and finally said to heck with it. Decided I'd wait until the end of the month and then do a recap, mention all of the shows and write about a few of the great ones.

BEN MALLOTT

2010-06-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

MARGO VALIANTE

2010-06-28T08:50:00.000-05:00

the scene at Wyldwood

2010-06-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

BEN MALLOTT at Wyldwood House Concerts 6-26-10

2010-06-28T08:48:00.001-05:00

Hadn't seen Ben in quite a while. This was a good time to see him as Wyldwood is a very cool place for live music.
Ben played 2 one hour sets. Had a full band. It was a great show!
He did a bunch from his fantastic "Look Good, Feel Good" record along with some new stuff and some cool covers. Noelle Hampton sat in with him on several songs playing harmonica and/or harmonizing. She has a great voice and the harmonica was really killer on his songs.
My favorite song off his record is "Midnight and Broke Down." This was the first time I got to hear it live so that was a real treat for me. We also got "Shotgun Suzy" and "Heartbreaks," both songs that have received airplay here in Austin.
If you don't have that record, you should check it out. Very good, from beginning to end:

http://www.benmallott.com/music/music.html

As I mentioned, he did some fun covers that ranged from the Rolling Stones "Dead Flowers" to Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" to "Long Black Veil," Johnny Cash style, along with some Townes Van Zandt and Tom Waites.
Also cool, the opening act was Margo Valiante. We hadn't heard her before and thought she was great! Fortunately, she lives in Austin so we will definitely be looking out for some local shows to go see her at.
This was a $10 cover. I think most of their shows are $10. A real bargain.
One of the covers he did, I got a pretty good video of. Tex-Mex Mile, a fun little country rocker by The Gourds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYYU7EJxUQ8

MALFORD MILLIGAN

2010-06-28T08:12:00.000-05:00

MINGO FISHTRAP

2010-06-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

KELLY WILLIS

2010-06-28T08:10:00.000-05:00

THE GOURDS

2010-06-28T08:09:00.000-05:00

SHINYRIBS

2010-06-28T08:08:00.001-05:00

BETTYSOO

2010-06-28T08:08:00.000-05:00

ELDERCARE FAN DRIVE at Threadgill's 6-25-10

2010-06-28T08:07:00.001-05:00

Not really a concert but a charity event where bands come in every hour, play 2 songs live on the radio and the rest of the time is spent sitting around waiting for the next hour to come by. I don't think I'll go back to this again. I'll donate my money but skip the day spent sweating like crazy to hear 2 songs every 60 minutes. It used to be much more fun and the bands got to play more than 10 minutes. Now, not only is it kind of a waste with so little live music, but there is just no personality to the event. They used to, between sets, have dj's and others come up on stage, offer information, kind of chat it up to boost the crowd, give them a reason to stay there, suffering in the heat, but no more. You know, actually engage with their audience and supporters. A very boring affair now (other than the 10 minutes of live music each hour). I remember as recently as 2 years ago, the place being packed. Things have changed. The radio station who is a co-sponsor, KGSR, has lost a bunch of loyal listeners who always supported this event. The station is a skeleton of its old self and the days of Jody Denberg (no longer there), Susan Castle (no longer there), Bobby Ray (no longer there), Bryan Beck (still there) being at this event and talking to fans, a real community of people out to support a great cause and have fun doing it, is just a memory. A real shame.
As for the music, we got to hear:
BettySoo (our fave)
Shinyribs (aka Kevin Russell, The Gourds, loved Shinyribs, country funk!)
The Gourds (always great country rockin' and fun)
Kelly Willis (love love love and she doesn't come out much anymore so even 2 songs is worth the sweating to hear)
Mingo Fishtrap (horns, funky r & b)
Malford Milligan (serious soul)
We left with 3 more performances to go. First time we've left early but like I mentioned, it was so hot and so boring, we said to heck with it.