Sounding better than the taste

This is going to be a Two-parter. The Broken Spoke for dinner on one night and then a surprise trip to the dance hall portion of the Spoke for a show and hours of fun on the next night.

The Broken Spoke (http://www.brokenspokeaustintx.com/) seems almost out of place now. With the sprawl of apartment developments engulfing it on either side. 

Yeah, that little, bitty, red spot with the tree next to it...The Broken Spoke. God Bless them, and never let them move it! EVER!


I went to have dinner with Ms. Mariza Cruz and happened to pick a night when Lohman's Crossing was performing. I like dinner and music, especially good music, performed well. It provides something other than the clink of dishes and the drone of others conversations. If you are lucky, and the band is very good (like Lohman's Crossing), then there is always conversation to be had about this song, or that one.

I can not say that this was the best chicken fried steak, I can say that we were over charged by a waitress who pretty much didn't give a crap (not the word I wanted to use). I would rather think of it this way, I would have rather paid that tab for the drinks and the band, not the food and service that night. Sorry! It pains me to be a dick, but I am also not going into detail because I am not a food critic. I am a normal guy, that works for a living and when I go out I want to enjoy my company, where I am at, THE MUSIC, and get what I paid for.

Back to the band. Lohman's Crossing (http://www.lohmanscrossing.com/) is fronted by a voice (Lefty Rainbolt- that's right, Lefty) that I would say is pretty much perfect for the country, Americana, southern rock style this quintet does. When you have that much talent on one stage you don't really need amplification or drums. They did it all with guitars and mandolins, fiddles and a squeezebox, and seamless enough for you not to care or notice the change ups. In the hour and a half we hung out there at the restaurant portion of the Spoke, I heard damn near everything I could want to hear. Go to their web page and read up on their repertoire yourself.

Like I said earlier, in between bites and our own humble conversation, both Ms Cruz and myself were kept entertained with Lohman's Crossing. It made it all go down that much smoother. Next time I am purposefully finding something to eat in Austin or the central Texas area, and want music with my food, I will look for Lohman's Crossing to keep it sounding as good as I can taste!


Laters