Hey! Hey! Those Were The Monkees!

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Such a weird, contrasting time last Wednesday at the The Long Center in Austin, Texas.  On one hand, you had the Sound & Screen series rocking out to School of Rock and some cover band.  On the other, you had a show going on inside that spanned many generations.  What was it?  Well, it was The Monkees.  An American answer to the Beatles that comprised of some actor-musicians.  It started out as a show and turned into an actual band.  They were touring again and I just had to see them. Continue reading Hey! Hey! Those Were The Monkees!

I Survived the Summer Heat with a Tall Glass of Cayucas

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Wooo!  107 in shade last Saturday and I toughed it out the only way I know how:  hitting up a cool concert and dreaming of sweat ocean waves with Cayucas.  No seriously it was hot.  The waves of sound Cayucas sent me way made me think of the perfect summer retreat.  Sure, it was actually downtown in Austin at the Red 7 but for Saturday evening, I got to forget.

Red 7 is downtown and it is a decent place.  I keep seeing shows out there inside and have yet to see someone fill the stage outback.  It was a good call last week, as it was steaming hot out and I would’ve sweat way more than I did being inside.  If I had one complaint, it would be the rebars getting in the way for the view.  But hey, I was able to lean on it to rest while I was taping.  Yes, taping.

Brazos was up first and if you could tell from the name, they are from Austin.  They just moved out to New York but thankfully they didn’t lose the lazy tropical sound I took in last weekend.  If anything, they seem Cayucas light.  Or The Bees (Band of Bees if you’re in America).  I might’ve even seen them hanging out at Switched On earlier in the day.  Although really it’s hard to tell hipsters apart anymore.

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Last up it was Cayucas.  To be honest, I only ever really heard their single from Bigfoot aptly named ,’Cayucas.’  It was a tasty ear pina colada.  What surprised me was their range.  They had some fast rocking songs on top of some slow jams.  I was impressed that they displayed their range with only about an hour or so to play.  Because of that the set seemed short to me.  I was ready for more.

I was also ready to towel off.  The set was over and I instantly transported back to the Red 7 in Austin.  I could feel droplets of sweat running down my backside.  Yeah, it was time to go home.  But not after being wistfully taken away to some remote musical island and had a relaxing, cool massage of some sweet summer music.

Jimmie Vaughan Provided Fireworks, Antone’s Style

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July 5 is an interesting day for me.  It’s after America’s birthday and right before mine.  So while I recover from celebrating ‘Merica, I also get ramped up to celebrate mine.  What better way to do this in 2013 than to watch some classic Rock and Blues via the deft hand of Jimmie Vaughan?  Yes, it was a party.  And I got to see the new Antone’s. Continue reading Jimmie Vaughan Provided Fireworks, Antone’s Style

Robert Plant Kept Things Alive In Spite of ACL Live

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Very rarely do I go off the regular price grid and snap up some Stub Hub tickets, but I did for Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters at the ACL Moody Theater.  Since my concert going has increased dramatically in the last couple of years, I usually compare my experience with how much I paid for the ticket.  This time around, while Robert Plant tried his best, the venue and fan experience did not make it worth it. Continue reading Robert Plant Kept Things Alive In Spite of ACL Live

Josh Wink Turned Republic Live

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I hit up Josh Wink at Republic Live a couple of weeks ago and I can’t really remember much.  It was more of what I was doing (red bulls and dancing) versus the fog of past.  I do distinctly remember that I had a great time.  But recall will need some work so this may be short.  And, in short, Josh Wink had me dancing even though I missed out on some of his classic cuts. Continue reading Josh Wink Turned Republic Live