Thursday, April 30, 2009

So much to do in the ATX...

If you are looking for Cinco de Mayo parties this weekend, here is a small list of cool things to do this week! 

Events thru 5 de Mayo... + a bonus...

Thursday 4/30/09

Threadgill's World HQ - Joel Guzman's birthday bash

Shady Grove - Unplugged w/ Ryan Bingham (not Latino music, but a packed house!)

 

Friday 5/01/09

Gibson Guitar Showroom w/ Vallejo & Los Bad Apples

Central Market North - Cienfuegos

Driskill Hotel - Rosie Flores

Fiesta Gardens - Gary Hobbs, A.T. Boyz, Da Krazy Pimps

Austin Music Hall - Death Cab for Cutie (again not Latino, but packed!)

 

Saturday 5/02/09

6th street - Pecan Street Festival

Cheapo's Disc - Tito & Tarantula

Copa Bar - Funk Brasil, David Dos Santos

Fiesta Gardens - AJ Castillo, Grupo Mazz

Waterloo Park - Woofstock ( not Cinco related, but weird!)

 

Sunday 5/03/09

Pecan Street Festival

Fiesta Gardens - Santiago Jimenez, Johnny DeGollado

Emo's - Tito & Tarantula

 

Monday 5/04/09

Lucky Lounge - Haydn Vitera

Guero's - Trio Indio

 

Tuesday 5/05/09

CINCO DE MAYO parties at all the Mexican restaurants!

Cinco De Mayo block party 2nd Street area

Lucky Lounge - Boombox

Emo's - Pinata Protest

Beauty Bar- EZ Action Cinco party

Cinco De Mayo drink specials at Eddie V's & Roaring Fork

 

Wednesday 05/06/09

Republic Park - Los Lonely Boys



Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Pachanga means Party!!

It is time once again my brothas!  Last year was a blast and this year looks even better!  My birthday is in May, so we are having a little party... ok...it's not just because of my birthday... but May is the Latino Music Month and it is time to party!!!

Austin’s Latin-themed music, cultural arts and food festival, aka THE PACHANGA FESTIVAL... is baaaack...

The one-day festival will be held at Fiesta Gardens on May 30th and it promises a little bit of everything from all over the Latino music spectrum.

Michael Salgado (San Antonio, TX)
Plastilina Mosh (Monterrey, MX)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, MX)
Brownout 
Ocote Soul Sounds
Pachanga All-Stars (featuring Alex, AJ, Omar Vallejo with Willie Alvarado, Hayden Vitera, Andres Delgado)
Mariachi Las Altenas (San Antonio, TX)
Cordero (New York, NY)
Gaby Moreno (Los Angeles, CA)
AJ Castillo 
David Garza 
Charanga Cakewalk
Maneja Beto 
Los Bad Apples 
El Tule 
Dignan (McAllen, TX)
Escondido Project 
Kalua 

Tickets go on sale Friday at all Front Gate Tickets and frontgatetickets.com. The first 500 tickets sold online will also receive a copy of “Soy Sauce” by Mexican Institute of Sound. Tickets are $20 in advance, and children under 12 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

We'll see ya there!!!



Just one more reason...

Last night was tough to choose... It was one of those, "Wish I could be in 3 places at once kinda night!"  Spoon was at the Scoot Inn.  The Faint at Stubb's.  My Bloody Valentine at the Austin Music Hall.  All this on a Tuesday night!?  Not a bad selection of road shows huh?
But... Locally we had to Keep Austin Weird!  Antones had the Corporate Battle of the Bands - where people with real daytime jobs get to release their inner "Rock Star!"
A cool way for big companies here in town to let their employees rock out all while helping the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians!!  Everyone is a winner!  
But... I guess Cirrus Logic's "Logic 55" was the overall big winner of the night and "The Deuce" (another band made up of Cirrus employees) was crowd favorite... What is in the water over there?  "My So-Called Band" from George and Brothers LLP took best cover band and "Famous Characters" from GSD&M was best original band!!  Congrats to all of you and thank you for helping the Austin musicians...
You Rock!!  It's just one of the many reasons why this town is so cool!   

Fo'mo'info:

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=238589


Friday, April 17, 2009

Fest time!!

Spring is here...and some rain too, but we ain't made of sugar!!

This weekend I will just list a few fest options for ya, please click on the links and get out!
Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival: 
http://www.texaswineandfood.org/
with Sunday being the big finale at the Salt Lick Vineyard!

Lonestar Rod & Kustom Roundup at the Expo Center and SoCo.
with Jimmie Vaughan this afternoon!!  
www.lonestarroundup.com

www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org/
at the Salt Lick Pavillion...just camp out there!!!

Austin Reggae Festival
Auditorium Shores / Sat & Sun, Noon-10pm / $10 advance, $15 door + 2 non-perishable food items

www.austinreggaefest.com/ 

or if ya wanna stay indoors...
http://www.cinelasamericas.org/
Promotes cross-cultural understanding and growth through the media arts.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

TEXAS Hill Country Wine & Food Festival

It is here...Finally!
The Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival begins tomorrow, Thursday April 16th!
So many amazing restaurants showing off their amazing culinary offerings.  Where to begin!?
Thursday...check out the Texas Culinary Masters at the Four Seasons Hotel from 6:30-9:30pm!
It is pricey but the food will be amazing and as a bonus, there is a silent auction of highly sought after Moet Hennessy wines... I'm just saying...
On Friday I like the "Where  Terroir Meets Tradition" in the AT&T Hotel, classroom 101!
All the different cultural and culinary influences from across the great state of Texas will merge in one place with chefs from Maria Maria, The Carilon and The Gage Hotel flexing their muscles...
Saturday has the Wine & Food foundation of Texas 24th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction!
I will admit that I do not know much about wines, but if you do, this is the place for you.  The Four Seasons Hotel is the place to be if you might want to bid on over 300 auction lots! There will be wine from private cellars, dinners, trips and items from around the world up for grabs!
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!
Join me at the Sunday Fair at the Vineyards at the Salt Lick!  From noon-5pm, there will be cooking demos, stroll through vendor tents and enjoy some great live music.  The Momo's music stage will feature Adam Ahrens just after 12pm, then Drew Smith's Lonely Choir at 1:30pm, Patrice Pike goes on just before 3pm and Dan Dyer jumps on at 4:10pm!  BBQ, good wine and live music... We'll see ya there this Sunday at the Vineyards at the Salt Lick (just past the restaurant and the Pavillion)     
  
Fo' mo' info:
http://www.texaswineandfood.org

Friday, April 10, 2009

Friday already??

Spring is in the air in the A-TX!  Lotsa choices on things to do this weekend!  Happy Easter or eatser if yer hungry and remember..."We're not made of sugar!" so don't be scared of the rain...it'll pass!

Today Friday 4/10... Free noon show at City Hall w/ Sahara Smith;
Vivian Girls at Mohawk, James McMurtry at Threadgill's, Split Lip Rayfield at Antones, Patricia Vonne and Charanga Cakewalk at the Continental Club, Grand Champeen at Creekside, Band of Heathens at Gruene Hall, Carolyn Wonderland at Nutty Brown, Ray Primm & Lisa Tingle at One2One, Broken Teeth at Room 710, and Soncache at El Sol y La Luna!

Saturday 4/11...I always like catching Redd Volkaert free at 3pm at the Continental Club, check it out and you will understand why!!  Also during the day...check out the funky chicken coop tour! (www.fccooptour.blogspot.com )  Later on...Kinks Hoot Night at Ruta Maya, Billy Harvey at the Amsterdam, Eric Tessmer at BD Riley's, Ray Benson at the Elephant Room!!? is he doing a new Texas swing jazz thing I don't know about?, Mau Mau Chaplains at Flamingo, Blue October at Stubbs for another sold out show, The Brew, The Eggmen at Jovitas, Seth Walker at Momo's, Pat Green at Nutty Brown, Afrofreque at Lambert's, Grady, Honky, Dixie Witch at Room 710 and of course...What a Saturday night...'cuz it's a Del Castillo CD release party at Antones, so look out, you have been warned!!

Sunday 4/12...Happy Easter!
Heads up...all the cool brunch spots will be packed!! Of course in the daytime I like Dale Watson at Ginny's, but you already know that by now, right??  There is a cool benefit for the Diabetes Association at the Continental Club so check out the "Hey, Loretta! Pie Social" with Rosie Flores, Brennan Leigh, Mike Barfield, Ted Roddy and many more, Mitch Watkins is at the Elephant Room, Mariachi Relamago at Nuevo Leon, The Durdens at Stubb's, DJ Kurupt at Red Fez, The Resentments at the Saxon Pub, Jane Bond at Roadhouse Rags and....
Morrissey will hit the stage at the Bass Concert Hall to help ya endure the cloudy, rainy weekend.       

Beyond the live music...be warned the Alamo Drafthouse might slip another World Premiere past you like they did with Star Trek last Monday!! 
Get ready...next week is the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival, so get ready from Thursday the 16th thru Sunday the 19th!
Fo' Mo' info :  http://www.texaswineandfood.org/

  

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Is the Alamo Drafthouse the coolest or what?

If you haven't heard the latest cool move pulled by the Alamo, sit down and prepare to be impressed.  The Alamo had listed a free screening of Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan and they had a full house awaiting this Sci-fi gem from over 20 years ago!  I still think it was the best of all the Star Trek movies with the original cast... Before the movie starts, the writers of the new Star Trek movie get announced and they make a short speech, then the movie begins.  Or does it!?
Before it can get going the projector appears to jam and everything looks like it is over.  So the house lights come on and then... Mr. Spock, aka Leonard Nimoy appears to give the audience a lil pep talk!!  Then the Alamo did show the new Star Trek movie...a whole month before it is to be released!  Not only did the Alamo have the world premiere of this hotly anticipated movie, but they did it in such a cool way.  True Star Trek fans who packed the house to see an old Star Trek movie deserved to be there and to have the Mr. Spock cherry on top...nice!  Way to go Mr. League...the Alamo does it again!  "Live Long and Prosper!"

For more info check out this link from the Chronicle:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Blogs/Screens     

Friday, April 3, 2009

What's so Cool about Austin?

People always ask me why I am always raving about living in Austin, Texas and I always try to describe all the options of cool, fun things to do!  This weekend is a spectacular case of "fun in the sun" because Spring has definitely arrived in the ATX! 
(also keep in mind that if you like sports...the Texas Relays are going on at UT!)
 
So, today here are a few options for Friday April 3rd, 2009:
T-Bird and the Breaks at the City Hall Plaza, free at noon;
Alvin Crow at Broken Spoke; Carrie Rodriguez at the Cactus Cafe;
Robyn Hitchcock at Antones; Los Bad Apples at Jovita's; Lil'Cap'n Travis at Continental Club; 
Guy Forsyth at Nutty Brown; Vallejo at Threadgill's; AJ Castillo, Joe Bravo, The Tortila Factory at H&H Ballroom; Blaze at Lamberts; Yonder Mountain String Band at Stubb's...oh and do not forget the Southern Sirens at Aces Lounge!!

Saturday April 4th, 2009:
WAR at the Louisiana Swamp Thing all day at MLK & Congress; 40 Acres Fest at UT; Boyz II Men, Cameo and more at the Urban Music Fest at Auditorium Shores; Gary Clark Jr. at Antones; Redd Volkaert free at three at the Continental Club, then at night go back for the Derailers; Mama Sweet at Momo's; WC Clark at the Saxon Pub; Slightly Stoopid at Stubb's; and for some sports action...Lightweight Lightning Boxing at the Erwin Center!!

Sunday April 5th, 2009:
THE BOSS...aka Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at the Erwin Center!!!
The Riverboat Gamblers, The Black & White Years and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at The Grind at MLK & Congress;  Heybale and Jon Dee Graham at the Continental Club; James Speer at the Elephant Room; Jerry Jeff Walker at the Gruene Hall; Ephraim Owens & Brannene Temple at Lambert's; Mariachi Relampago at Nuevo Leon; The Way It Is Fest at RED7; DJ Kurupt at Red Fez; The Resentments at the Saxon Pub; and of course...my favorite Sunday afternoon free show...Chicken Shit Bingo with Dale Watson at Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon!!

Some of these events are free, and some might have a cover, so please doublecheck before you leave your house!!

Have Fun!!!
-A.D. in the A-TX!! 


Thursday, April 2, 2009

Happy Hour tonight!

6-8pm...
El Sol y La Luna at 6th/Red River...
Tribeza and Mexic-arte Happy Hour!!
C-ya there... 

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Free Dah-Veed show - Austin City Limits!

Don't say I didn't warn ya!
Next week, our buddy David Garza (yes the same guy who jammed in our backyard last week) will be on the ACL stage doing a taping next Wednesday!!
RSVP asap...tell 'em A.D. sent ya!!