Over the Rainbow

Yes, the title has nothing to do with the fact this is a year end review...it just came to mind while I was writing.

It was another fun year for Live Music In Austin. As I look back I once again surprised myself at what I saw and where I went. Made new friends, listened to new music, and enjoyed some favorites.

I saw 47 bands from January to December. 32 brand new bands I have never seen before! That was a surprise. Of the 15 venues I lurked around, 6 were brand new places to me... Meh! I have worked harder and been to more new places before. But the question remains...How many new places did YOU go to last year where you had never set foot in before, to enjoy some live music?

I only saw two bands multiple times last year.

Apparently the One2One   (http://www.one2onebar.com/) remains at the top of my list as most frequented, with The Rattle Inn (http://rattleinnaustin.com/) coming a very close second - and it was new to me!

As I look back, I realize this is the first year where I have not done any photo or review of a national touring act. There were definitely some touring bands I saw, but SXSW always brings new faces.







It was a great year for a variety of music again. From some metal sounds at The Dirty Dog (https://www.dirtydogbar.com/) of Silvertongue Devil  (https://www.facebook.com/silvertonguedevil666/) and Fear Control (http://www.fearcontrol.net/) to the country sounds of the Zach Willard Band (http://zachwillardband.com/) at Wagners Backyard   (http://www.wagnersbackyard.com/) and The Cody Bryan Band  (http://www.codybryanmusic.com/) at The Rattle Inn. There was the Pop/punk music from   Forever Starts Today (https://www.facebook.com/FSTofficial/) at The Lucky Lounge (http://www.theluckylounge.com/) and the scandalous sounds of The Dead Love Club  (http://deadloveclub.com/) at The Mohawk (https://mohawkaustin.com/). A lot of American type sounds with The Warplanes (http://www.thewarplanes.net/) at the One 2 One to wild hip hop of Boombox ATX at the same place.






















So to sum it up, I averaged experiencing just a hair over 2 new bands every 3 weeks, 1 new venue every 2 months. I averaged listening to live music every 10 days and I was at a venue supporting the live music scene better than every 2 weeks as well...and you know what, I did pay to see some of these bands. If I got in for free, I spent my money at the bar, bought a CD or a hat. Better than that most of the shows were FREE.

 

I will tell you this, if you are gonna spend money at the door to see a band, the One2One remains my hands down pick for supporting live and local with the best sound system, and 100% of the door goes to the band(s)!

The WHOLE band is here

What I like about checking out the music scene in Austin is not just how plentiful it is, but the successes you see for some artists over time. Those success are not necessarily gold albums and world  tours, but in a smaller scale... The release of a video, a new album, or... In the case of Carter Hilltop Band... the addition of members to complete the project into becoming a full band.

I first saw the Carter Hilltop Band as a trio in Kyle, Texas as the opening act for another up and coming Texas country music act. Carter Hilltop Band was front woman Valerie and her brother on guitar and another guitarist who doubled as the bass player. Move forward more than a year and here I sit at the Rattle Inn.

With guitar, bass, and drums the core has been established. Vocals are spot on. With Valerie singing hi and sweet and her brother mellowing things out, it is a sweet trade off. Although their harmonies were pitched differently, it worked with the music. And the crowd loved it. From just me, myself, and I right before stage time to very full house by song #2, it was pleasant to see the support this young group is receiving so early on.

Where there may have been a song or two that would have worked for dancing, this is just good, sit back and relax music. It was country, but with something a bit deeper to it. My impression. The crowd loved it, every single song. I looked around at one point and saw phones up. The standard for how we judge what is liked in the current Internet, social media feed world. So if this is true, Carter Hilltop Band will do very well.

I must throw one bitch and gripping moan out there, it is the sound man. Good bless the band for kicking ass, cause the sound man was terrible. I think we listened to the stage monitors the whole time. Heads up Rattle Inn,... Vet your sound guy and make sure he gives a crap.

fresh refresh

Probably won't be the last post of the year, but pretty damn close.

This will be a review of some sort. I am going to diverge from my normal chatter about how much fun the audience had and how the band interacted with them. I am just gonna touch on two bands that I have reviewed before, but you will just have to read on.

I didn't do a review of The Warhorses (http://thewarhorsesmusic.com/) when the played recently in Austin at The Rattle Inn. Simply put, it was their last performance in Austin with Guitarist Sonny Bihl. Sad day, but spectacular performance. They just let Sonny call out the songs he wanted to do. It was fun and spontaneous. For now that really doesn't matter. In the (near) future I can hope we will get to see them again with a new line up and maybe some new tunes. I will try to keep up with them and let you know when Austin, Texas will get a first look at the new Warhorses. 'Til then here are some photos from that night. I'll post more to FB.

The other band I recently saw which I have previously spoken about at length is the Cody Bryan Band (http://www.codybryanmusic.com/).

It was another fun night with these guys. They were just coming off of a high note playing for a larger size arena with several other acts. This night was just a small intimate crowd. What was exciting and spectacular is hopefully a lesson for all. They changed up their set! It was fantastic and fun. Just like seeing them for the first time. There were many new songs they did. There were a couple of mainstay's they keep for the fun of it, BUT they threw in and mixed it up with many older tracks we hadn't heard in a while. Once again, made to be very proud of the local boys done good!

As a fan of the local music scene and many different bands, it was just a great feeling to have something new and fresh thrown at me (the crowd). I don't know how hard it is to do a different set list regularly, but as a paying (and sometimes not) member of the crowd (and usually a fan of someone I am going out to see)...I DON'T CARE. The best bands in Austin become lame as shit when it is the same damn set list each time you see them.

For the crowd and and fans of the Cody Bryan Band it was inspiring and refreshing to enjoy a performance for what it was...Live Music! I appreciate and loved the performance for what seemed like a whole new band. I hope some of my other friends and members of bands around town might read this and take heed. We, the crowd and audience, will ONLY love you more for it!


Laters