Strange Brew Coffee House (http://www.strangebrewaustin.com)and Strange Brew Lounge Side (http://www.strangebrewloungeside.com)is located on Manchaca Rd., just off of Stasney Ln., in South Austin, Texas.
Strange Brew is quite an interesting and genius combination. Put a coffee house with lots of great choices on some very good brews and pair it up with a nice little music lounge. The coffee space side is HUGE. Several large rooms to sit and enjoy some friends company, work on your thesis, or do an interview with a Austin guitar legend, you know....stuff like that.
The lounge side is much smaller than the coffee house space. Strange Brew Lounge Side is just a square room. The stage is to the left corner opposite of the door, and there is a beer and wine bar in the far right corner. That's it. Not sure of the room capacity, but this evening with seats and standing room, was about 100. Van Wilks had the house packed. No new video, no new CD, just a packed house for an evening of blistering guitar work and great music.
Van Wilks (http://www.vanwilks.com) is currently in production for his newest CD, which will be released later this year. All in attendance had the joy of some of the new music as well as some of the old. No doubt this was a great way to start the year. Van Wilks music catalog is quite fantastic and his ability to take the crowd on musical journey from Boys Town to all points north, was mind blowing.
The crowd this evening encompassed all ages. From the packed seating area to the standing room only at the back, every person in the house was smiling and grooving to the blazing guitar work of Van Wilks. Some amazing 10 finger work, the ability to make the guitar tweet like a bird, and phenomenal picking skills is just part of the talent Van Wilks has. His voice is smooth and perfect for the mix of rock and blues that Van Wilks is. From some of the more rocking tunes to the bluesier tracks, Van flawlessly traded the licks and lyrics with a pleasant monologue to make the hour and a half performance fly by.
If you fancy yourself a rocker, a lover of the blues, or fan of the Austin music scene, you can't proclaim it anymore than if you attend a Van Wilks performance. There are only a few guitar men around that can hold a candle to, and stand with Van Wilks on that pedestal razor sharp ability. After experiencing this performance I can truly say that Van Wilks is one of the greatest writers and guitarists that you never knew you loved!
Look for the audio interview with Van Wilks here (https://soundcloud.com/livemusicinaustin/van-wilks-kickstarter) and a short video of his guitar work on YouTube can be found here (http://youtu.be/0y56bRCJWyM).
Laters
