Friday 3rd. February
A huge breakfast of eggs potatos, muffins and all sorts was consumed up the road from The San Jose at a busy diner called Marigold's after a short wait on benches provided with newspapers and magazines. When Scott asked how long will we have to wait the reply was " How long do you want to wait?" A neon sign outside said SORRY WE ARE OPEN
We walked the length of Congress Avenue across the bridge that is famous for the summer spectacle of thousands of bats that swarm out every evening. No bats there today, so we wlaked on to down Austin. This wide highway leads directly to a view of the capitol building with stately dome sandwiched between massive steel and glass skyscrapers of bank buildings. We explored 6th. Street, the famous music district which is littered with clubs. Bars and music shops. All very quiet in the daylight but as we discovered later, absolutely deafening at night with Rawk n Roll bursting out of every possible doorway.
We mooched and explored around some of the backstreets looking for real ale bars that would feed Miles' addiction and discovered many old clapboard bungalows that were falling apart and neglected looking, but to our eyes attractive with their front porches and decaying charm. Miles went on a shirt search and return with a trio of thrift shop shirts one of which was studded with cars and girls in spectacular fashion. The odd light shower punctuated the day but when we eventually decided to eat in early evening at a bus bar claiming to be the rudest place in Texas, it really did rain as we waited for our sandwiches under the red umbrellas. We started the night at The Continental club http://www.continentalclub.com/ which is opposite the hotel with a great bunch of old timers called The Blues Specialists and went on to 6th. Street to catch a fine guitar band with no name in The Blue Moon, and later Mike Flanigin's B3 trio at the Gallery (a tatty upstairs room which is part of the Continental) On Thursday we had caught a set by an excellent Soul singer for free in the Gallery, her name was Tameka Jones.http://www.myspace.com/tamecajones
Miles noticed that all the muso's we had seen so far had been really good at their job, without exception if you were not a very competent player you would not get even a small gig.
The lads stayed on to hear Lightnin' Malcom http://lightninmalcolm.net/ and Mudphonic http://www.mudphonic.com/ downstairs and then went on to The Saxon Pub for Omar and The Howlers, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBciqJMscGQ , but I headed back across the road at 12.30pm. By then the rain was torrential but I was in bed and they got soaked, ha ha.
It is a shame but the 6th. St. Area is well past it's best and is just another tourist trap, with loud and brash night clubs and titty bars now. The big dissapoinment for me was finding Pete's Duelling Piano Bar was just a ghastley kareoke type singalong place with the audience goaded to perform actions to some songs. Mostly female punters encouraged to get on stageg and be humiliated by stomping fools at two fake pianos.
Omar and the Howlers.... your boys have taste. In beer and shirts too!
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