Austin's Institutions on Congress
Ave. (11/9/13)
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| Stevie Ray's vigil over FFF Fest |
“Fun Fun Fun
Fest” is a stupid name. Sorry. It just is. The event is epic for
a metro-specific, Bonnaroo kind of event, but it needs a new brand. I happened
to be in Austin the same weekend, for nothing more than a visit with good
friends and some local music and Texas grub. I was looking forward to catching
a show at either one of two venues that had been recommended to me by
local indie music hero. I didn't attend the fest, save for taking a walk
around the periphery as part of a Friday afternoon exercise session. It wasn't
the name, but my prearranged itinerary and $79 daily ticket price that kept me on
the beyond the fences enveloping of the festivities.
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| State capitol from South Congress |
Austin is probably best linked to the PBS show
recorded there and consequent Austin
City Limits festival. South By Southwest is also a
big deal, but it’s not the institution that ACL is. Institutions are
interesting entities, and some are less recognized, but no less important to a
Music Mecca such as this. Happily I experienced three others worth my time
and yours.
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| The Continental Club's bar |
On evening number two
of the FFF Fest, my host and I ventured onto South Congress Avenue. The view of
the state capital is worth the hike, but we were here for a good Tex Mex dinner
at Guerro’s
and some blues and the Continental Club. The Continental was one of the
two places recommended to me by native musician Lincoln Durham, whom I had
the pleasure to hear and meet back home the week before. The club is located in
the heart of the thoroughfare’s evening buzz of clubs, bars, and curious shops
with names like "Lucy in Disguise" (a costume shop, of course). The
Continental Club has been a fixture since 1955—so it says on the t-shirt I
bought. The Continental has a small, but well-stocked and visually busy bar on
the left wall. There's a poolroom in the back that we didn't feel comfortable
loitering in and a gallery upstairs that I didn't even get to.
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| The Blues Specialists |
I was forced in place
by the crowd and the music eminating from a stage the size of my office. The
loud and seasoned tunes were delivered with all the authenticity of an old
mule. The Blues Specialists are a fixture at the Continental, to the tune of
standing Friday night set, 20 years running—a long time, yet a little
less than half of the Club’s existence. Mel Davis and company (seemingly minus
one player) blew through a authentic $200 a night set of Texas blues with all
the seasoning you’d expect from such a tenured band. Nothing fancy, just raw
and real—like the club. We stayed through the set, but decided to skip the
featured act, Junior Brown. In hindsight, that may have been a
tactical error (check the link to see what I mean).
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| Tips are always appreciated & usually deserved |
Most cities that nurture independent music, like Seattle,
New York, Madison, and others are populated with street
musicians. These alfresco entertainers earn amounts commensurate with
the “feel good” aura they project as much as their talent. They usually
work day jobs to support themselves, and dream of being discovered by a
producer who just happens to walk by and connects with them. Lack of A List
level chops is almost always overshadowed by the genuine passion these minimum
wage maestros have for performing. I admire the guts they have to have the
antithesis of a captive audience. I'm always willing to pause and give a listen
and fund their efforts, if only for a couple minutes and at least for a couple
bucks. I didn’t catch their names. One rarely does.
Maybe years from now, some of these same folks will find the
way to the "FunX3" Fest. By then, perhaps the event will have become
another Austin institution. I just hope they change the name.
Next week: "The Town that Time Forgot"
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