Monday, October 21, 2013

ACL FESTIVAL 2013



ACL FESTIVAL 2013…..ONLY ONE THING TO SAY…..THE MAVERICKS STOLE THE SHOW.  WITH A RE-VITALIZED SOUND, ENGERY THEY PRESENTED THEMSELVES AS YOUTHFUL BOYS WITH THE TIGHTEST SOUND I HAVE HEARD FROM THEM IN YEARS.  THEIR MATURITY FROM YEARS OF HARD WORK ON THE ROAD SHOWED ONLY WHEN YOU GOT CLOSE TO THEIR FACES.  THE ENTHUSIASM AND VIGOR ON STAGE WAS A THROW BACK TO EARLY DAYS OF THE MAVERICK.  NOT ONLY DID THEY WORK HARD, BUT THE TIGHTNESS AND THE PRECISION WAS WORLD CLASS.  WHAT STOOD OUT MOST WAS……THEY WERE HAVING A BLAST!!













OTHER WORTHY MENTIONS WERE (FROM THE BMI STAGE) THE PETERSON BROS.  2 UNDER 18 BROTHERS, GLENN AND ALEX BOUGHT SOULFUL BLUES SOUND OF GREATS FROM BB KING TO HENDRIX.  GLENN HAS MAGIC FINGERS THAT WILL BE HEARD FOR MANY YEARS TO COME…..AUSTIN IS LUCK TO HAVE THEM!  WILCO PERFORMED “THEIR LAST SHOW” AND PUT IT OVER THE TOP (AS EXPECTED).  ARTIC MONKEYS ARE STARTING TO SHOW MATURITY BUT STILL PUSHED THE SOUND BARRIER—GREAT SHOW.  KINGS OF LEON ARE NOW OFFICIALLY A “SUPER GROUP” IN MY EYES—THE AUSTIN CROWD LOVES THEM AND THEY RETURNED TO LOVE TEN FOLD—AGAIN AWESOME SHOW BUT WHAT A CROWD. 

AND HANK WILLIAMS GREAT GRAND DAUGHTER--SHE PUT COUNTRY BACK IN COUNTRY WESTERN.....JUST LIKE HER GREAT GRANDDADDY!!

ANOTHER SURPISE …. PLEASANT SURPRISE….WAS DELTA RAE OUT OF NORTH CAROLINA. http://www.deltarae.com/  DUBBED AS FOLK ROCK, THEY WERE ANYTHING BUT THAT.  MISSING ONE OF THEIR LEAD SINGERS DUE TO ILLNESS, THE OTHER MEMBERS ROSE TO THE OCCASION AND ROCKED THE BUD LIGHT STAGE.  BRITTANY HOLLJES TOOK OVER AND DROVE THE BAND THROUGH ROCK, FOLK (WITH FUSION), HARD LUCK COUNTRY AND REAL, TRUE ROCK N ROLL.  AWESOME SHOW AND THE BAND WAS EXHAUSTED.

A NEW ADDITION THIS YEAR WAS THE CRAFT BEER TENT.  NOT BEING A BIG FAN OF CRAFT BEER (I KNOW THAT THIS IS BLASPHEMY BUT TRUE) I AVOIDED THE TENT FOR THE FIRST DAY.  ON SATURDAY I VENTURED IN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING CLOSE TO A GUINNESS.  WHAT A BLAST.  IT WAS COOL UNDER THE TENT, THE SERVERS WERE BETTER THAN EXPECTED ON A HOT DAY AND THE BEER SAMPLES WERE INCREDIBLE.

FOOD, AUSTIN HOSPITALITY, WEATHER, EVENTS OUTSIDE THE PARK AND THE FESTIVAL GO’ERS WERE AS ENTERTAINING AS EVER.  ONE PLACE OF NOTE (RUN BY STEVE AND RENEE) IS THE HIHAT PUBLIC HOUSE  www.hihatpublichouse.com.   STEVE PROVIDES THE ENTERTAINMENT (AND YES SOME OF THE MUSIC WHEN A COMBO NEEDS EXTRA PERCUSSION) AND RENEE RUNS THE HOUSE.  GREAT DAILY SPECIALS THAT TIE TO THE LOCAL EVENTS OF THE DAY (FOOTBALL, ACL FESTIVAL, SXSW) AND CRAFT BEER TO GO WITH THE CUISINE OF THE DAY.  TRY THE SHRIMP MAC N CHEESE OR THE DUCK CONFIT NACHOS.  GO AROUND AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER TO TRY ONE OF THE MANY DISHED THAT INCLUDE NEW MEXICO HATCH GREEN CHILE (THE FLAVOR WILL MAKE YOU FORGET THE HEAT—BEST IN THE WORLD BY FAR).

ONCE AGAIN….THANKS AUSTIN, THANKS C3 AND THE MULTIPLE FOLKS THAT MAKE ACL FESTIVAL THE ICON OF MUSIC FESTIVALS.

OH....AND...THANKS ALEJANDRO ......AWESOME PERFORMANCE.


  


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

2013 TELLURIDE FESTIVAL.....ALL THAT JAZZ


JUST A SHORT NOTE ON TELLURIDE JAZZ FEST.  WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, BREATH-TAKING LOCATION FOR 3 DAYS OF MIND BLOWING FUSION JAZZ (STANLEY CLARKE AND THE LEAD SIGNER FOR LIVING COLOR...MR. COREY GLOVER FOR EXAMPLES).  IF YOUR A LOWLANDER LIKE MYSELF, TAKE AN OXYGEN TANK AS THE AIR IS THIN.

MET SOME INCREDIBLE PEEPS AS WELL INCLUDING THE MAYOR'S WIFE.  NICE LADY THAT I CUT OFF RETRIEVING A COLD BEER....SO I BOUGHT HER A GLASS OF WINE.

BEST OF THE SHOW WOULD HAVE BEEN DR. LONNIE SMITH AND STOOGES BRASS BAND, NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS.  AS WELL, SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING GUITAR WORK I HAVE EVER HEARD (OR SEEN)FROM JOHN SCOFIELD.

GREAT TIME IN THE "HIGH" COUNTRY.....MORE LATER.