California pioneer thrash metal band Megadeth closed out their "Gigantour" in Austin, sans tourmates Motorhead, who cancelled due to frontman Lemmy Kilmister's illness. Though some fans were disappointed, fans of Megadeth, as well as the openers, got treated to longer sets.
Dave Mustaine and crew will tour the east coast and midwest in May. For tour info see megadeth.com
1970's guitar rock icon Ronnie Montrose, whose blistering leads inspired and paved the way for much of the guitar driven rock heard today, lost his battle with cancer yesterday.
With a career that started in 1969, over the years the 64 year old Denver native led a number of his own bands as well as performing with a staggering number of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter just to name a few.
For more information on Ronnie's passing please visit his official website.
The Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight, still has it,and tonight she brought it to a sold out ACL Live show at the Moody Theater. Even at 67 the singer shows no signs of slowing down, releasing a new single just last year.
Gladys Knights current tour takes a break after their Auburn Hills, MI show on March 6, but starts back up in Washington state on Match 30. For tour info see gladysknight.com
Keeping the seventies alive, Earth, Wind, & Fire blew into town and sold out ACL Live at the Moody Theater at the foot of Austins swanky W Hotel. Though it was a reserved seat show, no one on the floor remained in their seats very long, as it is understandably hard not to dance as they tore through their deep catalog of hits.
Earth, Wind, & Fire are celebrating their 40th anniversary with this tour, the US leg of which ends in Bossier City, LA on March 10th. For info see earthwindandfire.com/
Formed in 2000 by former Tripping Daisy frontman Tim DeLaughter, the Dallas Texas based choral-psychedelia group The Polyphonic Spree packed up their van (it must be a big one) and stopped at La Zona Rosa to fill the stage with sights and sounds, and people, and doing a wicked "Tommy/Pinball Wizard" cover.
The Polyphonic Spree hits the road again at the end of March with a tour of the West Coast. For info see thepolyphonicspree.com
It is appropriate that Austin's resident musical legend be the artist to both open and close the first year of ACL Live at the Moody Theater. After all - it is on his street :)
And it's also appropriate that Willie be the one to start the 2012 festivities there as well, and his two night New Years showcase with family and friends certainly filled the bill.
Along with a variety of family members, including son Lukas who got his own set, Willie invited long time friend, and country music legend, Ray Price to perform for this special holiday show.
For those planning ahead, I don't know if the New Years for 2012/2013 promises two nights of Willie but its never too soon to start asking.
Frat house favorites, New Orleans based Better Than Ezra managed to squeeze in a post- Christmas gig at ACL Live last night, plowing through a variety of hits that made them famous in the 90s'.
Bringing along fellow Cajuns Cowboy Mouth to open, the show was just the thing to blast away the post-holiday blues.
It was difficult to tell who drew more of Austin's music fans to the Moody Theater, Wilco the headliner, or British songwriter Nick Lowe who has a relationship with Austin that stretches all the way to January 25, 1978 the Armadillo, when he and Dave Edmunds and their band Rockpile opened for Elvis Costello and the Attractions. That show turned out to be a seminal influence in Austin's own nascent alternative music scene, and sparked dozens if not hundreds of local bands.
Noted in the audience were Austin Chronicle writer Raoul Hernandez, singer Aimee Walden and her guitarist husband Micheal Moyer, and Austin singer-songwriter-author Jesse Sublett, who like I was at that early Austin gig 30+ years ago. Click here for more pics of Nick Lowe.
Slayer's Kerry King has an infamous tattoo on his left bicep that he like to point out from time to time that says "GOD HATES US ALL" and I couldn't help but feel that sentiment as I rose from a bed that had spent most of the night spinning. I rarely drink anymore, and then usually only with Kerry so the skill set I acquired at college(s) had long ago run their course.
As the hot water spraying on my forehead rolled down my neck and back, any soothing feelings I hoped for were blocked by the steady constant THROB THROB THROB at my temple and the naked glare of the incandescent bulbs above the sink. Though I was looking forward to the show, I knew it would be a long row to hoe to actually gear up, drive down, park and then hike the half mile across the river that is Austin's Town Lake down to Auditorium shores, with about 50 pounds of gear. THROB THROB THROB.
Throwing my gear in the car I headed off into Austin, arriving at parking garage an hour later, at about 5:00pm. Popping into Thundercloud for some needed rations, a large chicken salad sub on wheat, provolone, and black olives, I washed it down with the largest Mountain Dew they had, along with 800mg of Ibuprofin. By the time I had passed the Occupy Austin camp and crossed the bridge the combination of calories, caffeine, pain killer, and blood flow had made my head clear just in time for - the dust.
Still working on a new studio album, English alternative goth legends The Cure have announced a new live album release, taken from their appearance at this years Bestival 2011 on the Isle of Wight. Robert Smith said “We had such a great time in the Isle of Wight at Bestival that we wanted to release this show as a way of thanking fans and islanders alike."
The album is scheduled to drop December 6th with all profits from the sale going to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, a charitable organization offering counseling and support services to young people on the Isle of Wight.
No word on whether a tour will follow to support the release, but we can hope.
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer
"No, I'm pretty sure I'd know if I'd seen someone like that..."
The diminutive hostess at the Driskill's downstairs bar looked me up and down and her eyes told me I was way way under dressed to be hanging out at the Driskill.
Camo shorts, Motorhead T-Shirt, and Black Converses were definitely not on the acceptable list at the ritzy 19th Century downtown Austin hotel that charges $300 a night and hosts Austin's largest ghost population. But I had no choice - the text said to meet at the Driskill, in the bar and so I pulled up a stool, ordered a Tanqueray & tonic, no fruit, and waited. After a second round, close to an hour later, I noticed that I was the last one there and they were closing up. The upstairs bar was still open, so I wandered up.
The place was packed end to end with UT fans and wedding parties, the noise like a flock of geese at feeding time. Retreating down the stairs I grabbed a chair in the lobby, and started checking my phone messages. After a half our of this I began to compose an apology message, prepping myself to bail. It was a beautiful message, filled with flowery halve truths about being up early to milk cows and the like. Before I could hit the send button, under the phone I noticed a black pair of combat boots standing three feet right in front of me. I knew before glancing up it was - Slayer!
Slayer's Kerry King enjoys a Jägermeister on Austin's 6th Street.
