Dale Watson is one of the artists I like to see every time I am in Austin. He plays a gig at the Continental Club every Monday, and tonight I saw him and his band the Lone Stars there. Dale has been around the block some times in his life, but he has come down on both his feet, and got more true sorrow to sing about than many of his contemporaries.
Since SXSW is coming up in a couple of weeks, I have found a story I wrote on another blog three years ago about one of the best musicians there, Redd Volkaert.
If you visit the Continental Club on South Congress in Austin any Saturday afternoon or Sunday night, you are sure to see Redd Volkaert, one of the best guitarists I have seen in a long life. He plays with his own quartet on Saturdays and with his band Heybale! on Sundays. I met him before Heybale!’s concert the last Sunday in March 2010.
Maybe you have seen the Waco Brothers on stage? Or the Mekons? Or the Three Johns? Or maybe Jon Langford with his own band? All these bands have one thing in commen, and that is this British gentleman, living in Chicago. When he doesn’t play music, he makes art or writes books.
Willie Nelson is 79 years old today, April 30th, and he just got a statue in his hometown Austin. On top of that a part or 2nd Street in Austin has been renamed Wilie Nelson Boulevard. Here are some pictures I took of him when he was 70 and 75 years old.
Obviously Austin, Texas has many artists, some great, some good, and some not so good. Among the great ones there are a few who have put their mark on the music history. Willie Nelson is one of them, and so is Joe Ely, Jimmie Vaughan, John Cotton and a handful of others. Jon Dee Graham is also one of those, being instrumental in defining the term alt.country with The True Believers in the late 80’s.
Austin band Deadman has a name that implies a former existence. That is not far from the truth, since this is the second incarnation of the band. They started out in Dallas, but front man Steven Collins moved down to Austin and restarted the band when the first version broke up. Yesterday they played at Buckley’s in Oslo, Norway.
If you are in Austin on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you have a good chance of seeing James McMurtry at the Continental Club – either solo or with his band, The Heartless Bastards. Whichever version you choose, you will have a great time with one of the best contemporary American storytellers.
Motopony
SXSW 2012 is over, and how to summarize an event like this? Around 2000 official showcases, about 1000 unofficial bands, numerous parties, a 6th Street where you almost couldn’t get through because of all the people, many people not getting in at gigs, Bruce Springsteen 50 Cent, Norah Jones, Jimmy Cliff, Alabama Shakes.
There are many excellent female musicians in Texas, and on Thursday March 22nd, some of these were gathered at Antone’s to celebrate the birthdays of Marcia Ball, Nancy Kaplan and Nancy Fly. The concert was also done in the spirit of Etta James.
One of my very best Austin traditions, is Leeann Atherton’s Barndance on the Sunday after the last SXSW day. It has been my tradition since 1997, and through Leeann, I have met many interesting and very friendly people from South Austin. I have had some great BBQ, too!
Artist Pictures Blog 
