Midweek Time Killers: Austin, Texas

This post if full of reading & video material on places in and around Austin that I didn't get to visit during my recent trip to Austin. In some cases, I visited these places during previous trips to Austin. With others, I've only heard or read about them.

First up, this piece tells the story of the weekly Chicken Shit Bingo sessions at Ginny's Little Longhorn. I've been to Ginny's several times in the past because some of my musician friends used to play there quite often, but I never made to a Sunday bingo session.

Back in August, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named Austin City Limits a historic rock and roll site. You can read it about here.

Finally, Broken Spoke owner James White talks about his Austin dance hall.

Quickies...Well Not Really

Today's Quickies post comes to you from Austin, Texas, where yesterday, I started my 2nd Annual Beer, BBQ & Tunes vacation. With the vacation comes my 2nd Annual You Could Win a Prize at My Expense Contest where my friends take guesses at how much weight I'll gain or lose on my trip. All the proceeds go to benefit the Good Sports of Arlington scholarship Fund.

I'm beginning to think someone is trying to send me some sort of message during this trip. Yesterday morning, I was picked up by for my ride to the airport by a cab driver of Middle Eastern descent who blasting Christian rock in his cab. Then, when I opened the back cover AmericanWay, the American Airlines in flight magazine, to see a map of American's Dallas terminal, I found this article first. It's a story on the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church Barbecue in Huntsville, Texas, and the Barbecue's founder, Annie Mae Ward. Finally, as a long day was winding down last night at the Mean Eyed Cat in Austin, I noticed the stone in the picture above in the floor of the bar. There's nothing like drinking a PBR in bar named after a Johnny Cash song that was built on the site of a church.

In between a large lunch at the County Line BBQ and that last PBR at the Mean Eyed Cat, was a lot live music and Shiner at the Continental Club. The show featured several bands. (The poster in the picture shows the line up.) Closing act Rick Broussard and Two Hoots and a Holler put on a great set mixing some classic country shuffles with original rockers and country shuffles of their own.

It's time to wrap up this post and head south to Lockhart for some more 'Q. Photos from Day 1 can be found here.

Long Live the King...and Esau Smith

Today, January 8th, would have been Elvis Presley's 74th birthday. There won't be any long tributes written here, but you can watch one of the last highlights of the King's career. It's Elvis' perfomanace of "Burning Love" during his Aloha from Hawaii concert that was televised to millions around the world in 1973.



(I spent a few days this past September in Memphis. You can read my travel blog entries about my visit to Graceland here and here.)

So, please wish both Elvis and Esau Smith a big happy birthday!

If you are curious as to Esau Smith is, read my second travel blog entry on Graceland. You may find it very interesting.