The afternoon bus took me to Austin on Monday and I settled in for an early night.
I was up early on Tuesday morning for a swim at the chilly Barton Springs pool. A very refreshing start to the day. After work, Damon and I had dinner at Chi’Lantro and then caught an Allman Brothers tribute band at the One 2 One bar. This was an excellent show, far exceeding our expectations. All the musicians were great – the dueling guitars, double drummers, bass and organ. Anne would prefer this to the original Allmans as the solos were short and tight – not the sprawling 10 minute guitar solos of the original band. Anne always complains that there aren’t enough words and the songs last too long.
Here they cover one of our favourite songs, Warren Haynes “Soulshine”:
That’s Paul Mercurio on guitar and vocals on the left and Dave Biller on guitar on the right. Biller is a legendary Austin guitarist who can play any style from Django gypsy jazz to heavy metal and country. Here’s some guitar jamming:
An Allmans show isn’t complete without a drum solo with the two drummers complimenting each other:
Diana arrived on the bus around 8pm on Friday. She was a real trooper and brought a couple of folding chairs with her so that we could enjoy the Black Fret showcase on the lawn of the Long Center next door.
Black Fret is an organization of patrons of the arts that makes donations to support local bands. Members vote on which artists should receive grants. Friday night was one of their showcase events where they present local bands at no cost. We saw the last band, Bright Light Social Hour. The setting was very picturesque with the downtown skyline behind the stage.
We enjoyed reading the circular plaques in the patio of the Long Center. Stevie Ray Vaughan had a lot of thanks to Clifford Antone for giving him a place to play regularly when first moving to Austin:
The heat outside was rising on Saturday and Sunday with “feels like” temperatures of over 100 degrees. We enjoyed the shaded patio at Opa for coffee, crossword, and a Mediterranean snack. We had a reservation for Peche on Saturday night, but somebody slept through it. Poor Diana had to execute plan B – “to go” food from the Hyatt bar.
Sunday was even warmer than Saturday. We tried out a new grocery store, Central Market, and had coffee in their cafe while doing the crossword and enjoying the live jazz music. I lost in the crossword competition by over three minutes – it took me over 17 minutes – very poor showing. Central Market had an excellent cheese selection but otherwise was too big and hard to navigate.
On Sunday evening, we revisited on of our favourite Austin spots -the Townsend bar and listening room. The entertainment was by Michael Fracasso featuring Charlie Sexton on guitar and Michael Ramos on keyboards and accordion. 
It was a treat to see Sexton in such a tiny venue – he was about to head back out on the road as the guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band. I mentioned a week or so ago enjoying his playing on Boz Scagg’s latest album. And of course the Arc Angels, his short lived band with Doyle Bramhall II, has been a favourite of mine since living in San Antonio. Michael Ramos has an equally impressive resume, having toured with and produced many well known artists.
Here’s my favourite Fracasso song, “Mother Nature’s Travelling Show”:
It was really nice to see how much the musicians were enjoying this one of a kind show. I enjoyed this song, “My Blue Heaven”, very much:
Charlie Sexton gave a beautifully nuanced performance on guitar with Francasso.
While we were in the show, everyone’s phone started alerting at the same time, for a flash flood warning. Apparently it was raining very heavily outside. Things had dried out after the show and we were able to enjoy the walk home at a temperature over 20 degrees cooler than when we entered the show, 2 hours prior.
Denny shared an excellent article, “The Memorable Mr. Hughes”, with me this week. Mr Hughes is retiring as the music teacher at Lusher, the school that Jack and Jason attend. Diana and I have attended several “Morning Meetings” in the Lusher courtyard and the music is always a big part of these. A highlight was Trombone Shorty getting down in the middle of the kids when his microphone didn’t work correctly. Here’s a quote from the article:
“And then, every morning for the past 20 years, Mr. Hughes has stepped up to close out the morning assembly with a song. Not just a song, but a performance. Not just a performance, but a lesson.
With his electric guitar strapped over his shoulder, he introduced the song of the day, most often a classic composition from the pantheon of classic New Orleans R & B.
Fats Domino. Allen Toussaint. Ernie K-Doe. Lloyd Price. Smiley Lewis. Sometimes he dipped into the broader portfolio of popular music – the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis.
This is how the kids start school every morning at Lusher, where all three of my kids went. They dance, they jump, they shake out their willies so that when they finally get to their classrooms, they are chilled out, musically infused, and ready to carpe the hell of the diem.
Lusher is a public school, so they don’t start school with a prayer. But try and tell me starting school with James Brown doesn’t give you religion.”
Here’s a typical morning meeting: