4 Days Till SXSW09 – More Cool Places To Go In Austin

Here are additional cool places to buy things, eat, drink, and/or listen to great live music while in Austin over the next two weeks.  Depending upon where you are staying, you may need a cab or car (designated driver) to visit many of these places….

SOCO (South Congress)

Ego’s – Funky bar (with live music) in the basement of office building

Doc’s MotorWorks - Sit outside… great bar, with good food

Amy’s Ice Creams – Austin’s best ice cream…

Jo’s Coffee – Great place to sit outside to watch Austin go by…

Continental Club – My favorite live music venue – Great bands, cool vibe, quality/cool staff, and cold Lone Star beer

The Gallery (above the tattoo parlor next door to the Continental Club) – Has just reopened and I can’t wait to start spending time upstairs…

Botticelli’s – Chicago Italian food and music on their patio in the back… I’m now thinking about the Italian beef sandwich…

Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar – Great seafood and oyster bar with cold draft beer… life is good…

Guero’s Taco Bar – If you have ever read this space, my Tumblr space, or any of my tweets (Twitter), you know how much I love this place.  Great Austin vibe, the best people watching, quality/cool staff, unbelievable margaritas and cool beer, and delicious  food… They also have live music in the Oak Garden… Be prepared to wait…

Home Slice – My favorite pizza in Austin (pies or slice and cold beer) – I love sitting at the bar, eating a couple of slices and watching the talented staff make pizza… Be prepared to wait….

Allen Boots – Everyone needs a good pair of cowboy boots… you really do….

Vespaio/Enoteca – Two Restaurants -  Great Italian Food – call ahead…

Magnolia Cafe – 24/7 – Good Breakfast

Trophy’s – Another funky bar with live music

South First

RunTex – Best running store….

Threadgill’s (Between South 1st and Congress on Riverside) – Comfort food and live music

WHATABURGER – Closest WHATABURGER to the Convention Center (this link is for Merlin Mann)

Jovita’s – Fun Live Music Venue – If you are in town on a Thursday night, please do yourself a favor by going see/hear Cornell Hurd, you will have a great time…

Polvo’s – Great Mexican food

G&S Lounge – Cool (dive) drinking bar

West 5th Street (west of Congress)

Lucky Lounge – Live music, cool cat walk behind bar

Red Fez - Hookahs, cold beer, live music and/or DJ (and sometimes belly dancers)

Antone’s – Home of the blues – great live music venue

West 6th Street (East of Lamar)

Katz’s Deli - 24/7 – Good Breakfast

Wahoo’s Fish Tacos (6th St. and (on) Rio Grande) – Another one of my favorite places in Austin… Fun bar (full bar) and the best food…

Dirty Billy’s (6th St and (on) Rio Grande) – Fun new bar, cool juke box connected to the web can play just about anything…

La Zona Rosa (5th St and (on) Rio Grande, south of 5th) - Cool Live Music Venue

Opal Divine’s Free House on 6th – Good drinking bar, decks, and restaurant….

Mother Egan’s Irish Pub – Fun place

Hut’s – One of the best hamburger joints in Austin… Beer, wine, and shakes… Great rings…

West 6th and Lamar Blvd

Whole Foods World Headquarters – The mother of all Whole Foods store…

Book People – Cool, independent book store…

Waterloo Records and Video – Simply the best place to buy music…

Waterloo Ice House – Good food and cold beer…

Amy’s Ice Creams – Best ice cream in Austin…

Cheapo CDs (a little north of the intersection) - Best place to buy used CDs…

Screaming Goat Tacos y Cerveza – Great tacos and more… daily cold beer specials…

Austin Java (a little north of the intersection) – Good coffee and food…

Austin Land and Cattle Company (a little north of the intersection) - STEAK!!!

West 5th Street (at West 6th and Mopac)

Mean-Eyed Cat - Cool drinking bar – cold draft beer and live music

El Arroyo – Good food, cold beer, and margaritas

Barton Springs (west of Lamar)

Barton Springs Saloon - Funky bar… sit inside or out…

Green Mesquite BBQ – Fun place

Shady Grove – Sit outside, drink cold beer, and eat great food… they have the best queso/cheese fries….

Uncle Billy’s - Cold beer and good food – can you say pulled pork….

Chuy’s Tex-Mex – Pure Austin Fun!!!! Great food and drinks…

East Side

Hoover’s (Manor Rd) – Comfort/Home Cooking….

El Chili Cafe – Great food and drinks…

Vivo – Great food and drinks…

Odds and Ends

Cuatros – Great bar, with good food… sit inside or out… fun bar near UT…

Hole in the Wall – Great bar, with live music… on the Drag – across the street from UT…

Okay, that’s enough for now… I’ll update this post over the next few days (I think I left some fun places off the list)…

Please be safe, and have an insanely great time in Austin…

As always, comments are welcome….

A Great Way to Spend a Saturday Afternoon in Austin, TX

For the first time in several months we went to the Continental Club yesterday afternoon for the 3PM matinee show. Redd Volkaert usually plays these Saturday shows, but yesterday James Hand played. James sounds like the second coming of Hank Sr. – James is very smooth. We forgot how much fun these afternoons can be. If you are ever in Austin over a weekend (and have the time), please do yourself a big favor and go to the 3PM matinee show at least once. To do the matinee show well, you need to plan lunch and maybe dinner around the matinee show timeframe. It is always a good thing to establish a food base before drinking. The doors of the Continental Club open at 3PM and the band generally start at 3:30PM. The bands play until 6:30PM (sometimes 7PM), and take at least two breaks. If you need/want a seat, we recommend that you get to the club early (between 3PM-3:45). If you like standing, then when you arrive doesn’t matter so much. Also, if you like to dance the matinee show is made for you; all the bands play music that will allow you to have some fun. The club even has a big jug cooler of ice water at the end of the bar near the dance floor so after scooting and twirling, you can cool down without bugging the waitress or bartenders for water.

Again, we recommend eating before and/or after the show. There are at least eight-ten places to grab a bite to eat within easy walking and parking distance from the club. Here are links to several of the restaurants:

Doc’s Motorworks

Zen

Moved to 6th St El Sol y La Luna

Jo’s

Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar Mars

Guero’s

Home Slice Pizza

South Congress Cafe

Historically, we have gone to Home Slice Pizza for a pitcher of Lone Star and a couple of slices. It is so cool to sit at the bar (drinking and eating) watching the guys hand toss the pizza dough, and the guys working the big oven. Yesterday we started at Wahoo’s for cold drafts, queso, and guac, then on to Home Slice Pizza for a pitcher of beer and slices. Later, after the music, we went to Billy’s for a pitcher/burgers, sat on the deck to watch the game (UT – TXTech), and enjoyed the beautiful Austin evening… This was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon…

We hope this post is helpful, and if you’re ever in Austin over a weekend, you’ll give the matinee show a try…

As always, comments are welcome…

A Few Thoughts on the 2008 ACL Music Festival

First, the weather was great, and we didn’t think the dust was all that bad. Both have been much worse in the past. Please know that the weather in Austin the last two weeks has been outstanding, and since next year’s ACL Music Festival will be one week later (October 2-4, 2009), fingers crossed, the weather should be prefect for the festival (God, I hope I haven’t cursed it for next year).

Second, I want to thank the person/committee for making the decision to serve 24 ounce beers. I also want to thank the person/committee for the continuation of the wonderful festival food/beverages. Once again, Boomerang’s Pies, Vespaio Ristorante/Enoteca Vespaio, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, and Sweet Leaf Tea provided the tasty energy needed to enjoy the festival. The quality of the food is unbelievable.

Third, I don’t want to talk about the port a potties, except to say thanks to those who smoked weed in all the port a potties I used because it masked smell and I never needed to use my gag reflex training. However, I have been thinking I need some way to shield my eyes when I first enter a port a potty (thankfully, the night terrors have finally stopped). It is beyond disturbing how quickly they can become disgusting, and how unfair it is for female attendees. We don’t live like this at home (or maybe some do) so why is it okay at the festival. 

Fourth, my backpack system and its contents (see earlier post) worked very well. We had everything we needed for the three days of the festival. The only downer occurred on Sunday morning when security took my spray sun tan lotion. It was on the list of prohibited items (no Metal aerosol containers, including sunscreen), I should have known better. Lastly, our special festival chair/canopy system worked flawlessly. A ton of people came up to ask where we got the chairs and canopy. Because the chair/canopy has proven so effective in providing shade/reducing the temperature, and is of such interest to so many festival attendees, I plan to post a short/simple video or two in the near future to show how to create the chair.

Fifth, the music was great, we just didn’t like having to choose between two, sometimes three great bands. We hate splitting sets, so selecting a band came down to which artist comes to Austin the least, and that is the one to go see/hear. For example, we went to Eli “Paperboy” Reed instead of Sharon Jones. I wanted to hear both, but we will wait to see Sharon Jones when she and the band returns to Austin in the future. I heard her set at the festival was great. I just wish bands of a similar genre of music would not be scheduled opposite each other. Lastly, enough with inviting British soul/R&B divas who don’t show-up. Joss Stone is the only one to deliver the goods (I love her for showing-up).

Here is a list of the bands we heard:

Friday – Dan Dyer, Asleep at the Wheel, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Vampire Weekend (along with 80% of festival attendees – man that was a crowded stage), Jamie Lidell, Patty Griffin (only parts) Hot Chips, N.E.R.D (only parts), Swell Season, and Donavan Frankenreiter (only parts).

Saturday – Langhorn Slim, The Fratellis, Band of Heathens, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Les Freres Guisse, Robert Earl Keen (only part), MGMT, John Fogerty, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

Sunday – Belleville Outfit, Octopus Project (only part), Mike Farris, Joe Bonamassa, Heartless Bastards, Gnarls Barkley (only part), and Band of Horses.

Favs - Jamie Lidell, Hot Chips, Langhorn Slim, The Fratellis, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, John Fogerty, Belleville Outfit, Mike Farris, and Joe Bonamassa.

We would have liked to have heard - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (opposite Eli “Paperboy” Reed) and Galactic (20 minutes late starting the set).

We heard M Ward had a great set.

Sunday after show (not ACL related) – The Gourds at Threadgill’s World Headquarters – This was a great show, and a wonderful way to end the weekend.

Final Words – Fun was had by all and we are looking forward to next year’s 2009 ACL Music Festival… did I mention that we have already bought tickets…

If you attended the festival, I hope your experience was as good as ours, and if you didn’t attend, think about 2009, you’ll have a great time.

As always, comments are welcome…