Santa Tour - Music Tapes

On a cold night in Austin (and by cold I mean 60 degrees) a friend invited me to a show. The show was located on the east side and the address we were given did not have the name of a venue. We drove up and down the street in search of the venue for the show. Finally we realized the show must be at someone's house. We drove down the street once more and found the address nailed to the top of a scruffy white house with a big porch and a van pulled up out front. We parked the car, and walked down the sidewalk to the house. It didn't appear that anyone was there, but the front door was wide open.



"You go first" my friend whispered to me. "I'm shy!". I was shy too. We walked up the steps of the front porch where a large old piano sat on a dusty rug and a kitten wandered around the door. We walked in the first room which was completely empty and white. Our feet creaked on the old wooden floors with every step we took. We walked down the white washed hallway, through another empty room, until finally we came to the last room in the back end of the house. There - crouched in the corner on a wooden chair was Austin poet, Thax Douglass. He was holding a notepad. "What do you think?" he grumbled as he handed us the pad with his scribbled writing. Together, my friend and I read the poem which was a beautiful poem about fall. "The guys should be here any minute" he said. It turns out this place is called The Birdhouse and it is where Thax Douglass lives. So we walked to the corner store to grab some beer and a Pepsi for Thax.


When we returned Music Tapes was setting up. Julian Koster of Neutral Milk Hotel was standing in the corner of the second room plugging in wires to assure that his light up snowman was functioning correctly. Musical saws and a banjo leaned against the white walls. While the band scurried around setting up equipment and props, going on coffee runs, and talking to us in-between, Thax, my friend, and I sat on the porch and greeted people as they found their way to the mysterious house show.

When The Music Tapes were ready, we all piled in to a small dark room and sat on the floor. Thax squeezed himself in to the doorway. Julian had a wrapped gift that he passed around as Thax almost self consciously read his poem. Julian talked about the meaning of a gift - how it is the anticipation of opening it, tearing off the paper, and wondering what is inside that is what excites us... Julian sang a blessing for Thax's pillow. A tradition that he will do in every home they play in (this is a house show tour only). Thax's pillow was held in front of a projector - old footage of a circus elephant dancing as Julian played an eerie song on his little kid piano. The entire show was full of blessings, fire, stories, bubbles, and so much more than I can express in this blog.. Three sizes of musical saws were passed around, the banjo was played with a bow, Koster played his toy organ which emanated a dark childlike innocence throughout the house. We finally opened the gift at the end of the set. My friend opened up a scroll on which a poem was written about Austin, Julian asked that she read it out loud and she did.

Just keep a look out for The Music Tapes around November and December. If you ask them, they may just come to your house. They only play private residences and it is up to you how many people you invite. It could even be just you! Hearing them play was almost a spiritual experience. My friend and I went to The East Side Showroom afterwards where we could talk about everything we felt throughout the show. Perfect night in Austin Texas. :)

Hooray for cool nights and unexpected adventures!
Helen

Let the Rogue one in

Overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River that you easily and willingly lose yourself in, in the breathtaking Pacific Northwest of Oregon, is the charming small city of Astoria. The city is home to the 125-foot tall Astoria Column and the filming ground for the movie The Goonies. "Hey you guys!!!" The Astoria-Megler Bridge connects Oregon and Washington over the Columbia River. I moved to the Northwest for views like this. It is no wonder that Rogue Brewery would want to capture the true beauty on this side of the continent, by putting Rogue Ales Public House on the river's Pier 39. I had the palate-satisfying pleasure of visiting the Public House on a road trip to the beach and it was pretty amazing.

Located at 100 39th Street in Astoria, Oregon the Rogue Ale Public House has 30 taps of deliciously crafted brews. The taps are mostly Rogue beers but the House also has guest taps including Oregon's Deschutes and Bridgeport Brewing Co.'s. Should you get so lucky and sit at a window seat, your view is a majestic one. Since you are on the river, you can see the whole city of Victorian houses clinging on for dear life on the steepest of hillsides. In view is also the Astoria-Megler Bridge. It makes for the perfect atmosphere to throw back some cold draft pints of an additives, chemicals and preservatives-free beer (that is brewed right here in Oregon) and forget about you have a job to go home to.

The varieties of beer are sure to satisfy the taste buds for any beer appreciator. Beers include the names Yellow Snow I.P.A., Mogul Madness Ale, Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Ale, Juniper Pale Ale and Astoria's own house ale (just to me a few). With the names alone, you at least want to try them and you should. The food menu accommodates your brew of Rogue Draft Root Beer, in case you are hungry. Some menu items even use the locally delicious Tillamook Cheese and not to mention, the free toy with every meal. I use my orange vampire teeth often.

The Rogue Ales Public House in Astoria, Oregon gets a gold star from me and my palate. This southern girl is a Rogue girl for life.

mixtape compilation
"he loves me, he loves me not"


side yes

leftovers- jarvis cocker
with a girl like you- the troggs
funnel of love- wanda jackson
ma vie en rose- louis armstrong
on our way (to fall in love)- yo la tengo


side no

no guilt- the waitresses
ashtray heart- captain beefheart
after you've gone away- dinah washington
who loves the sun- the velvet underground
thanks, thanks alot- loretta lynn

New Years Eve with Mr. Roky Erickson

"It's a cold night for alligators / Hiding behind the trees with moss / Forever hear the swamp birds screaming / Forever in loss"

As soon as I saw that Roky Erickson was playing at Maxwells in Hoboken, NJ on New Years Eve, I immediately purchased tickets. I couldn't have been happier because Roky has served as an inspiration to me, through music and lyrical eloquence with which he expresses inner turmoil. 

Once the date finally arrived, my friend Bob and I gushed over the fact that we were going to welcome in the new year with one of our favorite musicians. Muck and the Mires opened up the night, playing '60s inspired garage and rock'n'roll. Their set was full of energy, and later research informed me that they were co-winners of Little Steven's Underground Garage Battle of the Bands. Little Steven's is a radio show broadcasted in 130 major cities in the USA.

The band made its way onstage a couple minutes before the new year's welcome. Immediately following the countdown and ear deafening cheers, the band started playing. Roky played through a small Gibson practice amp with three other musicians. He appeared to transform into a freer person through music, for moments at a time no longer an introvert. For over an hour they revisited most of Roky's songs that brought 13th Floor Elevators to psychedelic fame, perhaps giving an insight into a conflicting human psyche.

In many of his songs, I recognized the duality of a person, one expressing feelings of love and dedication, the other expressive of an inward battle with demons. Are these feelings usually kept in check by social norms and responsibilities? And what becomes of those that resist and question those standards?

Native to Austin, TX, Roky Erickson returns on April 20th with the Anti Record's release True Love Cast Out All Evil, his first album in fourteen years. The album will be comprised of Roky's largely unreleased songs, backed by Okkervil River.

Love, Peace, and Pussy.

Local Gem: Austin Land & Cattle Company

Have you ever had a dish you couldn’t help but feel a little stressed over, because it's so tasty and you know you won't finish it all? You ask yourself 'Should I cut everything up in half so I won't overeat and then still have an extra meal for myself? Or do I maximize my food intake so I don't have to take home that last little bit of food that won't even amount to a full meal?’ Because then you have to microwave it which only ruins your near perfect leftovers. In all honesty this depresses me when I have to re-heat delicious leftovers and then my mouth figures out real quick that the rough, dry, flavorless meat isn't what was on my plate taunting me the night before. These are the kinds of questions I ask myself during dinner at Austin Land & Cattle Company.

Here's the deal though, I have only been to ALC twice, but I still remember how this place left an impression on me the first time I ever took a bite of their steak. But guess what? I don't eat beef anymore. So my husband wondered what I would do going back into a restaurant that serves beef as its award-winning item. Would I get seafood or chicken or something vegetarian? And if I did would I be disappointed and never go back? Not the case.

I decided to get the Grilled Pork Chops which had honey, garlic and Tabasco seasoning along with the garlic mashed potatoes and the chef's veggies which included spinach and cooked carrots. I should point out that I LOVE spinach, but do NOT like cooked carrots. I decided I would try them out any way and I kid you not, I ate those carrots like they were candy. So good. Um, needless to say I started asking myself questions on how to handle the amount of food and leftovers right after the first bite. The meat was savory and spicy, but not too spicy. I enjoyed each and every fork-load.

My husband ordered the spicy sirloin soup, baked potato and the 10 oz sirloin. He had no issues with any of his meal (well, except for the chef's veggies, but he doesn't like 'healthy' stuff anyway so this is nothing new to me). We had to stop ourselves from eating anything else, which unfortunately included dessert

Our waiter was super nice and talkative. He gave us a lot of recommendations, but also let us take our time on ordering. I must also mention that we went with my grandparents who are regulars at ALC and enjoyed it just as they have every visit before. We had this sort of private room where we were separated by some French doors that could open up into another larger room. It was very nice and cozy. People have mentioned how dark it is inside. Yes, it is somewhat dim and there is a ton of candle light, but I'm not sure why this is a complaint. It is very romantic and elegant inside so I can't see the lighting being any other way for the atmosphere they are going for. The building itself has a beautiful and classic feel to it. It's unlike any restaurant I go to on a week to week basis. Perhaps this is why it is so special to us and yet we've only come here twice in the past four years.

People may not understand why I give it such high praise when I haven’t made several trips back. It is because of the price (mainly) and it's one of those places you just don't think about going to when it's far from home. More times than not we just want a no fuss, cheap meal that sits in some grease (not literally, but you know what I mean). We want ALC to remain a sacred 'once in a blue moon' dining experience we can enjoy sparingly. I mean why ruin a good thing?

In Love With Lovejoy's

First off, if you can't overlook dirty establishments don't come here. However, if things like good music, good conversation, awesome beer selection and cool bartenders can make you overlook that slimy gunk your hand may have accidentally brushed up against under the table, then you need to come here!

Downtown Austin holds some amazing bars, but this one I've dug since I turned 21. I mean this spot and the old Ritz have always held a special place in my heart and ranked at the top of my favorite dive bars in Austin. I've had birthday get-togethers here as well as countless happy hours. I just can't find a better beer bar with friendlier people than here and if you know of one please, by all means let me know!

I love the face melting metal roaring in the background, the sticky floors and busted wooden booths. Every bartender in there rules! Surprisingly they have an OK wine selection and they have this coffee/beer specialty brew that I personally don't like, but many people are really into it. Typically I'll just order a Lone Star or a Tecate if I'm feeling really special.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Lovejoys:

1) They have free pool and jukebox on Monday's (at least the last time I went there they were still doing that)
2) Every time I have gone there I've met at least one new really cool person (and usually never see them again, but it's still fun to converse)
3) The bathroom is pretty decent for as dirty as the rest of the bar is. I am strictly speaking of the ladies room, can not comment on the guys. But every time I've gone the lock works and door closes all the way, there is always toilet paper and the toilet is pretty clean. Also there is no mirror in the bathroom and I love that! It's as if to say ‘we don't care what you look like so why should you?’
4) You can find a person from almost every walk of life sitting in that one room. I'm not joking just go there on a Friday night and you'll see what I'm talking about.

You will see biker guys (of course) playing pool, dainty girls chatting in the corner, skinny pale hipsters lurking around the bar, old hobo looking dudes sitting on the couch, young professionals reading the paper and every now and then you may spot a 6th street frat boy or sorority girl who has accidentally stumbled into the bar after a heavy night of drinking OR they just don't know what kind of bar lovejoy's is and usually they decide to leave after a quick scan of the place. But what is great about this is each person is served like the person that came in front of them. Sorority girl or not your money is as good as that one biker guy playing pool. These reasons and more are why Lovejoy’s ranks so high up on my list of bars. You gotta go there if you’re in Austin and if you do, remember to tip your bartender!

BILL CALLAHAN LIVE IN AUSTIN

Bill Callahan, Austin singer-songwriter played at St. David's Church in downtown Austin in late December. After listening one or two of his songs it is easy to fall in love with his thick rich baritone voice and intensely honest, personal yet simple lyrics. Callahan sings in the same range he speaks, creating a feeling that you are over hearing a very intimate conversation. Barefoot and wearing jeans, he is no crowd pleaser. In fact he doesn't appear to give a shit if you like his music or not. He plays because he likes to play, he writes because that's what he does and he is damn good at it. The show at St. David's was a mix of his older songs from Smog, mostly playing songs from the last Smog album A River Ain't too Much to Love as well as songs from his newest post Smog album Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle.

Opening for Callahan, a Brooklyn band called Lights appeared in lacy dresses and long blonde hair; an awkward female duo of one girl playing guitar, the other on drums with an odd use of cymbal, and a dude on bass. The girls sighed melodic harmonies over a funky bass, while the girl on guitar made use of her many effects pedals. Although the music was "pretty" with an interesting lulling 70's disco element, it was overall not impressive and everyone seemed bored.

After Lights, and nearly falling asleep, Bill Callahan came out with a drummer to accompany him. As Callahan swayed slowly back and forth, strumming short, simple chords, the drummer played a very interesting and impressive beat using all parts of his snare, sometimes even playing with his fingers instead of his sticks. When Callahan played Rock Bottom Riser the crowd was enchanted. This was my first time to see Callahan, and it felt almost like a divine experience. The words to his songs leaked from his lips effortlessly and I could imagine him sitting on his front porch in Austin, looking at the birds and writing songs. When Callahan sang Too Many Birds in One Tree his voice almost surpassed his normal speaking range for the first time. The poetry and honesty of Callahan's songs remind me of Leonard Cohen. I recommend listening to Smog's A River Ain't Too Much to Love. Listen while you are driving or doing something relaxing.