Austin City Limits

Just returned from a great three day boondoggle to Austin, Texas with my friend Jimmy. No reason to go in particular, just get away to a new place with a buddy and enjoy some music. We weren’t disappointed - in my opinion, it’s the best music town ever.

Some might disagree and choose Nashville. No knock on Nashville. I love it. It probably has more good players than anyplace on the planet. But you also get the feeling that Nashville has a pretty strict set of rules for a player. You play certain songs, in a certain way, to a crowd that’s mostly from out of town. The honky tonk style.

Austin is different. There seems to be more freedom and more variety. The DNA traces back to blues, not country, although there is plenty of country there. You can hear Stevie Ray Vaughn’s fingerprints everywhere. It’s his town. The more music I listen to - real music - the more I realize that SRV is the biggest influence on every guitarist since Jimi.

The food and club scene were fantastic. Lots of great Mexican food, both cheap and high end. More clubs, dives, and juke joints than you could explore in a year. Walk down the street and you’ll hear live music everywhere. There were even bands in clothing stores.

We’ll be back.