in the garden of good music

The Oak Garden at Guero's Taco Bar (http://gueros.com/) on South Congress is a must do on any one's list. On a nice Saturday in downtown Austin, Texas you will always find some great local music starting at around noon. The Oak Garden is located right next door to the restaurant. With plenty of parking street side or in the parking garage behind the garden, there are only good times to be had. Under the beautiful oaks with plenty of seating, people watching with a nice cold beverage and great music is the back drop to a perfect Austin weekend and life!

On two separate occasions I have had the joy of taking in amazing local music with family and friends. Nothing but love and joy in my heart because this is what it should be like all the time.

At one point in the recent past I caught The Brew (http://www.brewmusic.com/) here at the Oak Garden. Nothing but masters at their craft, The Brew can do nothing but inspire your feet to move with their Latin infused rhythms and sounds. Whether it is acoustic, unplugged, a jazz set, or with guest singers, The Brew never cease to amaze and put smiles on the faces in the crowd. This particular Saturday afternoon was no different as it was again the stellar guitar work of Michael Rodriguez making pulses pound and feet move. Young and old, The Brew will always be a must see. Whether you are an Austin resident or visiting from out of town, with their many residencies around the city your are sure to find The Brew... and have a great time!

Yet on another occasion, I found myself purposefully and willfully at the Oak Garden on a gorgeous Saturday for Jelly (http://www.jellyellington.com/). Fronted by rock guitar virtuoso and vocalist Jonathan Ellington and backed with a stellar crew, Jelly always knocks it out of the park with his brand of bad boy blues and rock! Having seen many Jelly performances, it never gets old. Taking your father to a Jelly performance and watching the excitement grow on his face as Jelly just owns every piece of every song. Covers and originals, watching someone else enjoy this young rockstar is even better than seeing him a dozen times. Here is another faithful and wonderful performer you can gaze upon, evenings in Austin, just about anywhere. Look Jelly up and enjoy the jams!



Laters

Grandpa's drink (Abuelo's and The Brew)

Abuelo's (http://www.abuelos.com) restaurant on the hill at Barton Creek Mall is awesome. It is in a great location for driving to and doing something before or after you eat.(the mall). The food is fantastic, the atmosphere is divine, and the price is right on for what you get...great service, nice portions, and excellent food. When I first walked in I was a little intimidated as I felt "oh my god! I did not know we needed reservations." It seemed that nice to me, but we strolled outside to their patio area for some Friday night live music.


The patio area is very nice with lots of seating, a big gigantic fountain in the middle, and some misting fans to keep you cool while you enjoy their Happy Hour libations. My two gripes for Abuelo's outside area: 1) A BAR.....seriously, this place is nice and should have a bar outside. Waiting to get a drink outside proved to be a little more than I would have really like, but was OK. 2) put the misting fans on 'rotate'. If these fans don't rotate outside to keep your patrons cool and happy, don't be a cheap ass and replace these.

We weren't there for the drinks or the food (but that was the bonus), we were there for The Brew (http://www.brewmusic.com)! I have seen these guys a couple of times before and the company I was with has followed them for more than a decade.  From the Valley to 'Keepin'g It Weird', I found this setting at Abuelo's to be way, Way, WAYY more intimate than that sunset capitol place (and I have seen them their twice before).

Their music is a jazz/Latin/world style and is performed immaculately. Playing some rock classics like Santana and their own amazing spin on The Eagles - Hotel California, to their own original compositions, this band is truly outstanding. Headed by the sizzling classical/flamenco guitar skills of Michael Rodriguez and rounded out by two other Rodriguez brothers, this family pours out rhythms that feed your soul and your soles. The crowd started out a little bit older, but as the band settled into the first half of their set so did the crowd. This music is truly all ages, crosses gender lines, and more importantly EVERYONE gets up. In one video I dropped for them you can even see my crazy ass out on the floor taking a spin (http://youtu.be/sytREPv1gYI).

The Brew does seem to rotate singers as they need, but the core band never changes. The young man currently on vocals did a smashing job. They even introduced a beautiful young lady to do a couple of Celia Cruz songs and those were astounding too. It seems if you take a moment to go support local Austin music, this would be another band to add to your list, support, and enjoy!

Laters

No trouble Brew(ing)

The Brew ( http://www.brewmusic.com/ ) is a local band with all the the flavor of the world. With amazing Latin beats and sound there is no doubt you will want to groove to their rhythms when you make the opportunity to see them. If you check out their website you are bound to find a fine eating establishment that they will be playing at (be it The Oasis - http://www.oasis-austin.com/ where I saw them, or Maria Maria - http://mariamariarestaurants.com/ )...bring your appetite for good food, your appetite to dance, and enjoy the evening.

With the amount of music they perform it is divided into two sets (and there is no right half and wrong half of the set to be in on), but make sure, whatever you do, is that you plan on making the entire performance. This is very important as their repertoire is amazing and so broad you WILL have a good time and definitely find something within the set that will drive you. My personal favorites are a couple of tunes by 'The Gypsy kings' and a little tune by this band called 'The Eagles' (yeah! THAT SONG).

I am sad to say that I missed out on cutting a rug that evening while listening to them AND made the mistake of leaving before the second set kicked in (all for good reason though). But their sound carried so well that a one hundred yards away and in a parking garage I could still hear them perfectly, NICE! So I still got to hear some of the favorites. Yes, I am owed another opportunity to see them, AND THIS TIME there will be dancing!

As for the rest of you, like I said in the beginning, what a really really nice way to spend the evening with new friends or old ones, on a date, or just a night out...this is great way to spend, start, or end a weekend!

Laters