Austin TX

Austin knows how to treat a lady. Fine flat beers by the pitcher at smoky Lovejoys, spirit-spilling lakes, rivers and preserves (all for diving, dipping and dunking). And, would you believe it, a tasty veggie option can be found every now and then. 4 days in Austin took us to one of the best open mics, one of the most fun gigs, swimming in the beautiful surrounds of the Hamilton Pool Preserve and a glimpse of the biggest carp in San Antonio (and I'm not talking about Huck in his Speedos). We glimpsed some of the most beautiful sights God's country has to offer from the budget and totally forgettable base camp of an astoundingly well placed Super 8 (5 minutes walk from the iniquitous 6th St.)

We've all fallen for Austin and a lot of that is thanks to Grant Ewing from the Triple Crown in San Marco. This bar is how I imagined bars should look like in America (scuttling roaches included). It's dark with neon lights flashing behind the bar. Shelves stacked with gloopy liquors and a local and friendly vibe. The talent of the musicians here is the highest we've seen yet with Grant opening the night with some of the most powerful vocals I've heard. You also need to check out the beautiful Ashleigh Stone. "I used to live in London and loved it so I'm gonna play this song for all y'all English folks - it's called London Towne."

Steve from 'Steve 'n' Steve' who resembles a hybrid of Herbert Hunke and William Burroughs crawked to Huck: "You went to California? We call it granola, it's full of flakes, fruits and nuts."  Huck chuckles in agreement: "it sure was like that for us." The pressure is on. There is a lot of interest in our small group so we better do the night justice. There is nothing to worry about here though as the folks are so encouraging and in the mood for dancing.

The gig goes well and I think it could be the best response yet. As the night winds down Dame Ella is suddenly projected onto the screen behind the bar and sings her heart out to a happy and swaying Fee.  We've found our bar.

So, how do you cap off a night like that? Well, hitting a stray wheel down the freeway at 70 mph is not recommended, but we did it all the same. 'Longette' went down screeching into the central reservation next to a very fast fast line. We had to change the tyre in the pitch black at 3 am while Texans tried to pick us off one by one with their oversize pickups. Perhaps we'd had too much fun and needed a good dose of Karma. Either way, there ain't nothing like a tremendous thump to the car to sober you up.