Joseph Arthur, Cactus Cafe, Feb. 5, 2010

I had already purchased tickets to see Joseph Arthur at the Cactus Cafe, before all the news came out about its impending demise. Seems that UT has better plans for a legendary iconic listening space that has launched countless careers and brings an international reputation to the university. Efforts are underway to preserve the room, and you can learn more about it at www.savethecactus.org. Personally, I have seen numerous acts there since I moved to Austin, including Fastball, Carrie Rodriguez, Terri Hendrix, Kelly Willis and one really special performance by Marshall Crenshaw. These are shows that I will never forget. So, I hope UT will do the right thing and recognize the special place they have.

I saw Joseph Arthur a few weeks ago in San Francisco and really enjoyed him. This show was similar, with a combination of music and painting. It's funny how Arthur warms up during the show. The first part of the show, he's quiet, with little crowd banter. Then, he gets warmed up just in time to finish. He really is a rare talent, with beautiful vocals and poetic lyrics.

I was asked not to video in the room, as the show was being recorded for DVD. I did try to sneak a couple times, but the large head in front of me caused those attempts to fail. Sorry about that. I really wanted you to see AND HEAR the special experience of a Cactus show. Hopefully, the pictures will do that justice. I will see if I can ask for permission the next time I attend, probably for Mike Doughty, formerly of Soul Coughing, on the 16th.

Afterward, I stopped by Hole in the Wall on my way home. It's one of my favorite places and another legendary venue in close proximity to UT. I bet most of the student population has no idea the amazing talent that is generated in there nightly. It's a shame. We'll all be sorry when the venues are gone and Austin's no longer the live music capital. I hope I never see the day... Anyway, an old favorite Moonlight Towers was just taking the stage as I arrived. They're really solid with a great sound. Then, I stayed for a few songs by Gleeson. They complemented Moonlight Towers with a similar hard-rockin' style. Please check both out when you have a chance.

Moonlight Towers

Gleeson

Moonlight Towers


Gleeson

ACL Fest 2011, Day 3

Wow, that was a blur. It seemed to all go by so fast. It was a great festival, saw so many great bands. Sunday was a big one, with something for everyone. I loved Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll, and I'm not even that much of a country fan. Gomez and Joseph Arthur were also great. I watched Arcade Fire from a ways back, but looks like they put on a great show. The sound was much better for them than it was the night before for Stevie Wonder.

So, expect ticket announcements for next year's fest soon and let the lineup speculation and rumors begin! Now, it's on to Fun Fun Fun, then SXSW.




















Ryan Bingham




Joseph Arthur


Gomez


Hayes Carll

Joseph Arthur, Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, Jan. 20, 2010

Funny how my 1st show of 2010 happened to be out of town. I spent a week in San Francisco for a training class, and got to check out Joseph Arthur at the Rickshaw Stop. I had seen him before, at Homeslice Pizza during SXSW and that was a magical performance. His show in SF was the same. It was a really hip venue and a good crowd, people who knew his music. He performed solo, accompanied only by his looping pedal, playing both acoustic and electric, and throwing a little art in the mix. He drew that picture while he was singing, and then sold it for Haiti relief. He's got a fantastic voice and beautiful songs. At the end of the set, he proceeded to grab an orange that had been on stage the whole time, started peeling, then eating it. All this while his tracks were still looping. Then he grabbed his guitar, fumbled with some harmonicas until he selected on, and proceeded to walk to the back of the venue to the merch table where he proceeded to play again, unplugged. Quite a finish. Oh, and then he finished the orange. He's coming to Austin next week to the Cactus, and I'm planning to see him again. Come join me!










Redemption's Son


Even Though


Birthday Card

Joseph Arthur

Year in Music 2010

With barely a moment to spare in 2010, here's my year in music, a review of highlights from my favorite shows, including ACL Festival and SXSW. It features Old 97's, Quiet Company, Phoenix, Joseph Arthur, Evan Dando, Ben Kweller, Spoon, Hold Steady, Pixies, The National, Salim Nourallah, Johnny Goudie, Household Names, Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard and many more. Of course, you can see more from all these shows on the individual posts on this site, but if you just have about 20 minutes to spare, this should give you a good idea of the great year I had. I'm really glad I do these year-end compilations because I love going back to review them. Great friends, great times, great memories. Maybe you were at some of these shows?!




Hope to see you at a show in 2011!

 

Saturday - Last Day Blow Out

Vote for Pedro at the Rachael Ray Party

Monique and some chick with a fake tan

Rachael and Rachel

Rachel with a very sharp-dressed man, Billy Gibbons

Neal, Paul, and Rachel at Longbranch

Earlimart at Homeslice

Joseph Arthur at Homeslice

Raveonette's at Emo's

The Donnas at Emo's

X at Emo's

Soundtrack of our Lives at Esther's Follies

More videos available at http://www.youtube.com/sxtsu