Hole in the Wall South?

Stopped by Lambert's on Thursday night to see folks I'd normally see at Hole in the Wall. But, whenever Paul Minor's doing the booking, it's always a Free For All (except for the $5 cover, this time). Anyway, the evening started with Tiny Adventurer's, a Lil Capn Travis spinoff. I love these guys in any configuration.

Next up was Pink Nasty, also known as Sara Beck. She's got a great voice, reminds me of Shawn Colvin, just edgier. Here's a short video, sorry it's so dark. The video setting on my digital camera doesn't do well in low light. But, at least you get a feel for her vocals.



Finally, Paul Minor and friends took the stage to play some old favorites. Paul's one of my favorite people in Austin, great songs, very talented. And, he was accompanied by other very talented folks, Jeff Johnston (yes, he's in all three photos, played a trifecta on this night), Gary Newcom (of many other projects including Tiny Adventurer's above, Lil Capn, and Gary Newcom Trio), and Scott Matthews of the Derailers.

Neal Mehta & Brent Adair at Clementine

I round out my trifecta weekend of live music with a coffee house set with some of my favorite people in town, Neal Mehta and Brent Adair.

Brent playing with his brother Craig and Tony Velasco of the Shelley King Band.

Ben Bishop with Tony

Neal and Monique enjoy a night in the neighborhood

Host - Neal's tribute to parasites and stalkers



Brent brought tears to my eyes (happy tears, that is) with this cover of Wilco's "I'm the Man Who Loves You"

Nick Lowe and Ron Sexsmith at Antone's

Continuing my weekend of fun and another night at Antone's, I went to see Nick Lowe. My friend Robbin originally bought the ticket, but then ended up traveling to San Francisco this weekend. I was taking care of her doggie, Barney, so she kindly gave me her ticket. Nick Lowe is responsible for some of the most amazing pop songs in history. "Cruel To Be Kind," "Peace, Love, and Understanding," and even "I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll." With a new album last year, At My Age, Lowe is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, so much that his label decided to re-release many songs from his early catalog. Proving that excellent pop songs don't age, Lowe delivered a tight and funny solo acoustic set, exhibiting great comfort with the audience.

Canadian Ron Sexsmith opened

And joined Lowe on stage during the encore

Audience provides backing vocals on "When I Write the Book"




Cruel To Be Kind (I had to have this one)



A New One "I Read A Lot"


Next up for this weekend, I'll enjoy some local talent, Neal Mehta and Brent Adair at Clementine.

Son Volt at Antone's

When you live in a great city like Austin, there are no mediocre weekends. But, some are absolutely spectacular. This particular weekend started on Thursday with a show I had been looking forward to for a while, Son Volt at Antone's. This one was a real crowd pleaser, with a great set list of songs covering Jay Farrar's career since the break with Uncle Tupelo. New songs from The Search, older songs from Trace. They played everything I wanted to hear (except for Caryatid Easy, can't have everything). Son Volt now features--not one, but two--great Austin musicians, Andrew Duplantis on bass, and Chris Masterson on lead guitar. Enjoy some photos and video from the evening:








Highway 61


Drown


Windfall