Austin Music Hall

I took this shot about a month ago of what's left of Austin Music Hall. Making way for another office building, by our tower where we live. Linda posted a photo of this a few weeks ago, but this aerial view gives you another perspective on it.

It's Going Away

Our building's neighbor, The Austin Music Hall, is being torn down. Large pieces of steel were being loaded into a dumpster. A office building with ground floor retail will occupy this lot.

Jerry Springer's in town

A lot of people were lined up outside the Austin Music Hall across the street to be in the audience for Jerry Springer the other day.

One more Art Bra

This model at Art Bra chose a Wild West Cowgirl theme for her fashions. She was quite impressive and got a great ovation.

Another Art Bra

This model at the Art Bra Fashion Show and Fundraiser was showing off an antler rack design for her entry.  She got a lot of applause.

Art Bra Fashions

Linda and I support the Breast Cancer Resource Centers.  Saturday night, they hosted their annual Art Bra Fundraiser at the Austin Music Hall.  This lovely model named Colleen -- a cancer survivor -- wore a creation by a famed local jeweler. It was being auctioned off while she posed for the crowd.

Pedicab, anyone?

The pedicabs were lined up and transporting attendees from the Austin Music Awards as fast as they could load them up at Austin Music Hall last night. All part of the fun at South by Southwest.

Playing for Change

Our friend Jackie saw this amazing band at Antone's on Saturday. She says: "This was an ensemble of 10 musicians from around the world, all fantastic." The group is a non-profit and you can read about them here.

Sunday Event

I'm guessing the Jo's on South Congress figures this brunch is for everyone since most religions peg us all as sinners, right?

Boas, not constrictors

One more shot from the Viva Las Vegas party for AIDS Services of Austin the other night. She said I could take her photo if we bought a raffle ticket.

One hot party!

Last Saturday, Linda and I went to the Viva Las Vegas party for AIDS Services of Austin, a non-profit we have supported for many years. We had taken our seats, getting set to see the fashion show and I noticed how the shadows from the crowd were making interesting patterns on the floor in the red light.

Bustle after Sold-Out Concert

After we got home from a set with Patrice Pike and a guitar player at Momo's on West Sixth (with an attentive audience of a few score) the sold-out Lady GaGa concert emptied out of the Austin Music Hall. It seemed to be a kind of combo concert and "dress up like prom and graduation." FFP captured cabs, cars, a limo and people on the street below our balcony, an abstract of the bustle that ensued after the last notes.

Are We On Air?

At last night's Austin Music Awards at the Austin Music Hall the TV stations set up with reporters in the foreground and a seriously loud band of aging punksters playing in the background for a (loud) sound bite for the evening news. This event caps the first day of SXSW music. When we came out of the movie in the early afternoon yesterday on East Sixth the air was full of music (or what some may so interpret!).

Lining up for the Cure

Not the cure for Cancer. But the band 'The Cure.' It was a sold out show at the Austin Music Hall a week or two ago and so eager were some fans to get in (was it general admission and they wanted good seats?) that they lined up well in advance. The Music Hall people made them line up behind the state garage across from out condo. Yes, the fellow first in line has a tent.

Austin Music Hall

Across Third Street from our future home is the completely redone, almost-but-not-quite finished Austin Music Hall. I snapped a picture Sunday. It's going to be a neat building. They have taken some flack by trying to have a grand opening before it was finished, but ultimately I think they will be a good neighbor for the Ballet Austin and our home. Can you say Arts District? Of course, if the W Hotel and Condos (and the adjacent new home of Austin City Limits) gets built a couple of blocks away it will be really neat. But we aren't holding our collective breaths because they haven't broken ground.

Elephant in the Basement

I've talked about the Elephant Room on Congress a bit in this space and even mentioned that it is a basement club. If you are looking at your shoes as you walk on the east side of the street between Third and Fourth, you might notice the neon in the basement window inviting you in. There aren't too many basement places in Austin for the very good reason that basements are hard to dig here. Another downtown basement houses Bess, a bistro Sandra Bullock owns, under an old hotel (now offices I think) on West Sixth. Seems there are lots of basement clubs and restaurants in New York. The Village Vanguard is one of my favorites. It's also a jazz club.