Austin's Music Scene: A Daunting Task For Even An Avid Music Lover

As many of you know, in July I ventured back to my charmingly diverse hometown of Minneapolis. Though the goodbyes were hard and the transition has proven to be a bit more difficult then I was expecting, Minneapolis is a gem in the summer and I have taken advantage of my time off to do a bit of exploring with family, friends and loved ones.

It didn’t take me very long to leave again. At the beginning of July, I ventured out of the state to visit my friend Angela, who relocated to Austin some time ago. Though I was there for a week, we jam packed that week with as much Austin food, fun, and music as we stomach (and then some….). We even managed a trip to Houston in there. It was an exhausting, but fulfilling time spent exploring a city that my best friend has come to love so dearly.

While in Austin I had the chance to bask in many live music performances, and I love live music, so this was definitely one of the best things we had the chance to partake in. The night after I arrived we had the chance to enjoy some live music and local brews from a cozy picnic blanket at Unplugged at the Grove, where we swayed to the acoustic sounds of Jonathan Tyler. For my Milwaukee friends, think Jazz in the Park, but much more intimate and without sneaking in a bottle of wine. My favorite part was the twinkle lights hanging in the trees creating a rustic ambiance near the stage. But if I had to chose a favorite musical performance it would hands down be Tahoma with special guest Drew Davis.

If I thought Unplugged at the Grove had an intimate vibe, The Cactus Cafe was the definition of intimate. Cute tables meant for two to three people filled this 50 person cafe located on the University of Texas campus, and made for the perfect date night. Angela and I decided to take a trip back in time, and relive our college days, considering that Marquette never had anything nearly as cool as The Cactus Cafe (besides maybe the once a year concert that came to the AMU Ballroom). I stumbled upon this band called Tahoma on Spotify while exploring things to do in Austin and saw they were playing at a venue near where Angela lived, so it was must to check out. Tahoma captures tangy bluegrass with earthy sounds and Brandon Aguilar’s hip, laid back charm. Combine that with Sarah Oermann’s smooth harmonies and you have the perfect mix of Austin and Texas twang.

What came as a surprise though was jazzy blues singer, Drew Davis, coming along for the ride. She played a stripped down show, just her keyboard and two vocalists providing back up harmony. As much as I enjoyed Tahoma’s performance, Davis stole the night with her soulful voice and honest lyrics. It was quite obviously the girl was meant to be a songwriter, even displaying her skills by performing a song about a brick. Though the song may have been about an inanimate object, Davis brought life to the object with strong vocals and catchy chords. It almost was my favorite song out of her set, but it is hard to pick just one.

The evening was complete with a stroll through UT’s campus and walk back to the apartment. Nothing better then being able to rehash the night’s events with your bestie (and making a quick stop to grab a cinnamon roll at a local co-op).

Austin’s music scene will forever mystify me. How they manage to pack this city with so many new and talented artists, I will never understand. But I will most certainly continue to enjoy it.

Welcome to Austin, Folks!

My best friend and I thought it would be completely necessary to take advantage of my current employment situation and figured I should spend a week down in the Texas heat. So, I packed my bag and jetsetted to the lovely city of Austin, the live-music, beer guzzling, capital city of Texas.

We wasted no time to get to the live music or the beer for that matter. She picked me up from the airport (which also had a live band playing in the atrium. I don’t think they compare to the piano players who indulge us with soft melodies in Milwaukee’s airport, but still pretty cool) and headed straight to the Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. It was sticky outside, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a cold brew outside in their garden. 

Complete with large picnic tables, jumbo artistic bike rack, and lights strung up in trees, this place is beaming with rustic charm. They have five standard brews and five rotational taps, which gives any beer guru a plethora of options. I settled for a Czech-style pilsner, while Angela went with an American pale ale; both were delicious. Though happy hour prices were a bit steeper than expected, I am always game to spend good money on beer that is well crafted.

While enjoying our brews we decided we were hungry, so we order the Smoked Turkey Melt, which was piping hot and yummy! As soon as it was set in front of us my mouth was watering. The sandwich was topped with gooey cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, their own house-made barbecue sauce (hello, this is Texas), and a roasted garlic mayo on sourdough. Toasted to perfection and served with a side of coleslaw, this sandwich would hold us over until our next meal and was delectable!

Once we downed the rest of our beers, we snuck off to Opa!, a small coffee shop and wine bar tucked away from a busy street boasting with board games, ping-pong, and greek fare. We enjoyed a couple more beers and devoured a plate of baked feta, which is as delicious as it sounds! Baked to perfection and served with warm pita, cool cucumbers, tomatoes, and topped with herbs, this was a Grecian dish of perfection! And perfect to hold us over for another brew back at the Beer Garden. We also had a chance to divulge our inner-child with a couple rounds of Connect 4. We won’t talk about who won more games…

We returned to the beer garden to meet up with some of Angela’s friends, and enjoyed the beautiful evening outside (and the all night happy hour). They had a live band playing by the time we returned, but we wanted the opportunity to chat, so we returned outside where they had a speaker piping the music outside. The vibe was still incredibly chill. The tables were filled with friends chatting and enjoying pizza, as well as individuals studying with a cold one. This place definitely catered to all needs.

For sure a neat place to check out! And as a beer connoisseur, it was great to see the variety of taps they had. Can’t wait to see what else Austin has in store for me!