Friday winds up and winds down

Took a half-day off sick Friday. I wasn't playing hookey, I've been having bad physical symptoms of stress there, including those old reliable tension headaches that go with the earache. breathing troubles and low-grade fever. A couple of hours asleep with my head on an ice pack, followed by half of a happy pill and a couple of drinks helped for awhile.

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe where one of my top favorite bands anywhere was doing a radio remote with KLBJ, Del Castillo. Unfortunately they didn't perform, but they played a couple of their new recordings on the radio and chatted on the air. I will be really surprised if "Talkin' To Ya" doesn't become a huge hit! This song has got it all.

A small handful of the faithful turned up for support, and I got to talk to everyone in the band so that was very cool. I also had to awkwardly tell them that I would be at the Saturday show because it was scheduled opposite Eric Johnson. This was bound to happen! My two biggest favorites are scheduled to play at the same time. grrrrr. Lots of love and best wishes to Del Castillo as they head out on another national tour.

From the Hard Rock, we went to the Alamo Drafthouse, where Mondotees was having a blowout sale! $5 per shirt, and it comes with a beer! I wish I had the guts to wear the "Pussy Wagon" shirt, but I don't... so I ended up with a blank shirt. I tend to prefer the thrifts for my funky tees anyway.

Then it was to Central Market for dinner (it is so frickin hot now we didn't even want to sit outside where the band was playing! this is getting bad).

This is one of our favorite trees of all, the big live oak in Central Park, behind Central Market.

From there we walked over to the Hyde Park Theatre to see Buttercup, which was a much longer walk than we thought it would be. Also on the bill were Billy Harvey and live art by Robert Tatum.


Do go to that Billy Harvey website!!! I wouldn't try it without a broadband connection though. I've never seen anything like it!


Throughout both shows, it was hard to stop watching Robert Tatum flesh out his weird squirrel. I was really bonded with that squirrel by the time we left. Buttercup was really good, kind of an edgy melodic pop sound, not sure who to compare them to. The Hyde Park Theatre is definitely not designed for live music if it's going to produce a crowd. I see the band plays at Momo's, that would be better, and Ruta Maya would be ideal for them.

We left during the break only because we were both feeling the effects of drowsy prescriptions and OTC remedies mixed with a couple of drinks, a really hot day, and a rough week so we made the hike back to the car and called it a night.
- Music - - Austin -