PAST RECOMMENDED SHOWS:
07/10/09 @ Stubb'sSpoon x 3
Having topped nearly every festival bill in the country, Spoon can afford to play Austin on its own terms, a fact reiterated by the sold-out backyard blowout at the Scoot Inn in April. This weekend the locals curate and headline a three-night stand at Stubb’s behind newly minted EP
Got Nuffin. The three-song fix, partially recorded at Brooklyn’s Rare Book Room, is classic, cryptic Spoon, led by Britt Daniel’s dagger sneer, with the type of left-wall experimentation not heard since 1998’s
A Series of Sneaks. Austin’s Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears turn up the heat early on Thursday, armed with neo-rhythm and soul from the band’s Jim Eno-produced debut,
Tell ’Em What Your Name Is!, followed by Portland, Ore.’s indie-rock standard-bearers Quasi. Friday juxtaposes the hardened classic country of local ringer Dale Watson with Low’s intimate restraint, while Spoon flaunts its tastemaking credentials on Saturday with Deerhunter offshoot Atlas Sound and the precocious delinquency of Austin’s the Strange Boys.
AUSTIN POWELL
04/18/09 @ Travis County Expo CenterLonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up
They’ll be burnin’ up the road to the Expo Center in the spiffiest vehicles, solidifying Austin’s status as one of the hot rod capitals of the world. There’s badass music, too, with smokin’ sets by Gary Clark Jr., Dale Watson, and guitar great James Burton. In-town sounds abound down South at Jo’s Coffee, Trophy’s, and the Continental Club, which hosts Martí Brom & Her Jet-Tone Boys on Friday and Burton on Saturday.
www.lonestarroundup.comMARGARET MOSER
02/08/09 @ Antone's
With Love to Moms
Dale Watson, Van Wilks, and more help Elizabeth Parr.
02/26/08 @ Continental Club
Johnny Cash Birthday Bash
Death & Texas, Roger Wallace, Dale Watson, Rosie Flores, and Bob King toast to all-black.
12/25/07 @ Continental ClubThe Week Before Christmas: A Showlist in Verse
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which means enough holiday shows to stuff your stocking and then some. We’ve made a list, checked it twice, and here’s a rundown of the naughty and nice.
’Twas the week before Christmas,
and all over town,
two-steppers were shuffling
to honky-tonk sounds.
Friday brings Benson
and
Asleep at the Wheel
to the Broken Spoke’s dance floor
with swinging appeal.
Meanwhile down on Sixth Street,
not yet quite abandoned,
the Dirty Dog Bar
lets
James “Slim” Hand in.
Rockabilly queen
Rosie Flores
heats up the night
at Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe
down on Ben White.
The Continental Club
has a reunion of punks:
Jon Dee Graham, Billy Blackmon,
and Jesse Sublett as the
Skunks.
Friday the classic trio “Get Twisted,”
like back in the day,
with a little help from opener,
Teisco Del Rey.
Paul Ray & the Cobras
make their annual return
to the Continental Club Saturday
ready to burn
hot rhythm and blues
with guitarist
Denny Freeman,
fresh off one more round
of touring with Dylan.
Like a gift-wrapped delivery
straight from the North Pole,
the Saxon Pub’s Saturday
dishes the soul.
With
Papa Mali,
Ruthie Foster,
and
Cyril Neville
joining
Gurf Morlix
and
Guy Forsyth
on the all-star bill.
Should Christmas Day find you
still wanting more,
Dale Watson’s annual Christmas Dance
hits the Continental Club floor.
And last but not least,
capping the holiday shows,
is Wednesday’s Christmas bash
upstairs at Momo’s,
where
Alan Haynes
and
Ruthie Foster
join
Miss Lavelle White,
wishing happy Christmas
to all,
and to all a good night.
DOUG FREEMAN
08/13/07 @ Continental Club
Dale Watson's Elvis Tribute
Strictly 68 Comeback?
06/22/07 @ Threadgill's World HQ
Family Eldercare’s Summer Fan Drive
KGSR’s all-day (starts at 8am!) drive picks up Elana James, Dale Watson, and others, with Big Brother & the Holding Co. at 9pm.
01/08/07 @ Continental ClubDale Watson's Elvis Birthday Tribute
Leave it to the Continental to pay tribute to the King not once, not twice, but thrice with baritone panache. Ted Roddy’s annual pompadour and polyester bash fills the CC with memories of Elvis from the early years with Shaun Young & His New Blue Moon Boys to his final Seventies bow with full accompaniment by the Conjure Orchestra. Dale Watson’s equally sincere tribute eschews the showy glory in favor of the gritty, and on the actual day of Elvis’ birthday. Here’s a bet that Heybale!’s Sunday show offers a little tip of the crown to the King too, thankyaverramuch.
MARGARET MOSER
12/25/06 @ Continental ClubDale Watson/Miss Lavelle White
What’s Christmas without Dale and Lavelle? After stuffing yourself silly, recycling torn wrapping paper, and tucking the kids in for sugar-saturated dreams of Jolly St. Nick, head down to the Continental to two-step your way out of holiday hell. Dale Watson’s annual Christmas show mixes the carols with the originals (and the not-so) to usher out the day with a Lone Star and tip of the hat. On Tuesday, take a load off with the old-school soul of Miss Lavelle White at her annual Saxon Pub show.
DARCIE STEVENS
12/30/05 @ Continental ClubDale Watson's Farewell Party
The gentleman who almost single-handedly rounded up the trad country revival in Austin is moving to Baltimore, and we’re the poorer for it. Dale Watson, whose rich baritone is as pure as his pickin’, has also been a magnet attracting great talent to Austin much like that other great walkin’ talkin’ Chamber of Commerce, the late Doug Sahm. With equally smokin’ Jon Dee Graham opening at 10pm, Watson’s midnight appearance will pack ’em to the walls. Get there early to stake out a good spot from which you can shout out requests one more time.
MARGARET MOSER
11/09/05 @ Broken SpokeBroken Spoke 41st Anniversary
The bus that crashed through the back wall of the venerable dance hall is finally gone. That’s not a moment too soon for owner James White, hosting the 41st anniversary of the club’s opening. And with a lineup that includes Alvin Crow, Cornell Hurd, Dale Watson, Bruce Robison, the Derailers, Jeff Hughes, and Gary P. Nunn, the energy will be higher than the moon. Recent news of White’s wife Annetta’s recovery from a bout with cancer means the celebration will be even more joyous than usual. Pass the Lone Star, please.
MARGARET MOSER
09/25/05 @ Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon
Chicken Shit Sunday
Always a sure thing, Dale Watson soundtracks the chicken drop.
07/17/05 @ Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon
Chicken Shit Sunday
Dale Watson warms the dance floor as Dewie does the deed.
12/25/04 @ Continental ClubDale Watson's Annual Christmas Show & Dance
Two-stepping is the holiday spirit incarnate, and nobody knows it better than Dale Watson, Austin honky-tonk hero No. 1. A local tradition, Watson’s annual Christmas Show & Dance at the Continental is the antidote to all that holiday cheer.
"Everybody comes in with the intention of blowing off the holidays," admits Watson. "It’s just a real relaxed time. We do Christmas songs, but we don’t beat it into the ground like the other Christmas shows."
As always, expect loads of seasonal classics, as well as tracks from Watson’s prized new disc,
Dreamland (Koch). If that’s not enough to get you out on Christmas night, think of it as an excuse for a breather.
"Not a lot of folks like playing on Christmas," the tattooed stalwart opines. "We do, because, quite frankly, I’m in the same boat, too. You’re tired of being pent up doing the holiday thing; you wanna get out."
With a film to begin shooting in March – Watson plays the lead role of a country music singer who sells his soul to the devil to save his daughter – and an always-hectic touring schedule, Watson has quite the 2005 to look forward to.
"Next year – if it’s more of the same, I can live with that. Living in Austin, we’re kind of spoiled."
DARCIE STEVENS
11/10/04 @ Broken SpokeBroken Spoke 40th Anniversary
The dance is free, courtesy of James and Annetta White, but the music is priceless. Alvin Crow, Dale Watson, Cornell Hurd, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ed Burleson, and more will celebrate "the last of the true Texas dance halls." The Spoke stands for the best in traditional Texas country, having seen legends such as Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells, and Willie Nelson on its low-ceilinged stage. As James White says, "We ain’t fancy, but we’re damn sure country." Damn sure.
MARGARET MOSER
08/22/04 @ D&L's Texas Music CafeD&L's Anniversary Party
D&L’s marks its first anniversary with some of the tastiest roots music in Austin. Saturday includes sets by Austin faves
Two Hoots & a Holler, string wizard
Erik Hokkanen, and vocalist
Myra Spector. Sunday features the inimitable
Dale Watson and guitar firebrand
Redd Volkaert before
Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic bring the weekend to a close with their authentic brand of Zydeco. Bring your dancing shoes and an appetite, ’cause the kitchen be smokin’.
JIM CALIGIURI
12/25/03 @ Continental ClubDale Watson's Merry Tex-Mex Show
Not everyone melts over Christmas, but even the Grinch can’t help a toothy grin every Dec. 25 when Dale Watson pulls into the Continental Club with a sack full of wry, winking classics. And not just overroasted chestnuts, either. Watson originals like "Santa and My Semi," which should be in semiregular rotation on CBs across the highways and byways, are gifts indeed – gathered on the honky-tonker’s stocking stuffer
Christmas Time in Texas. Even if your name is Ebenezer, this comfy annual gathering is a tradition worth celebrating. 10pm.
RAOUL HERNANDEZ
