I've had another concert on the calendar I've been looking forward to and the day finally came. One of my favorite musicians, Michael Landau, was scheduled to play at The Saxon Pub in Austin last Friday night and I was raring to go. For those of you who don't know and are bored enough to read this write up, Michael Landau is a pretty fine guitar player... wait a minute, let me rephrase that, he's an incredible guitar player! Anyway, I'd just come off of two days of buddy calls with one of my suppliers and was really ready to get out of town. Plus, I felt like riding down to the show instead of driving the car but which of my trusty steeds was up for the task? I chose to go with the GS... I must admit, I'm starting to really like this bike. It performed very well at the Hillbilly & I thought it would be fun for a quick down & back.
When I left Friday morning, it was rainy, cold & super windy. Since I wanted to make good time, I rode south on I35 which has to be the busiest interstate in Texas and is no fun. There were times I felt like I was riding at an angle to keep from getting blown over. Other times I'd get hit with a sudden gust, the kind that makes you think you're gonna get blown right off the bike. Other than a really big traffic jam in Waco that had the entire southbound traffic at a standstill that took me over an hour to get around, it was a pretty uneventful trip. I made it to Austin and my youngest daughter Caroline's house around 2:30pm.
The Saxon Pub has been around since the early '90's & is somewhat of a landmark on the live music scene in Austin. It's a bar that most people would consider a bit of a dive and it probably is if you were to turn up the lights inside or see it in the light of day, which of course makes it a great venue for live music! The plan was for Caroline to go with me and make a night of it but before long, my oldest daughter, Ashley, decided to meet us beforehand for dinner at the El Mercado, a long time Austin Mexican restaurant... great food, atmosphere & hot sauce! She hadn't planned on going out that night, but on the way to drop us off at the show, she decided if they were selling admission at the door, she'd join us for the evening. Caroline's husband & my new son-in-law, Austin, had some business downtown that concluded quicker than he thought so he decided to make the scene too & would join us for the show. We got away from El Mercado a little late and were worried with such a late arrival, we'd have to park far away and walk to the show. As we rolled up to the Saxon Pub, I look over in their tiny, tiny parking lot and there was an open spot right by the front door. What luck to find a parking spot so close and a relief that we didn't have to park really far away... good thing # 1! The evening was shaping up already!
Once inside the Saxon Pub, it was time to get a few beers. The place was packed too and after getting our cervezas, we had pretty much reserved ourselves to the fact we were going to be standing all night long. Crap! So we find ourselves a cramped up spot along the wall right next to a trashcan and squeeze in to get a good view of the stage. While Ash & Caroline went back to the bar to get us another round, I see a guy and his wife/girlfriend/date get up from a table right in direct view of the stage and notice what looks like a signed receipt laying on the table. I look around and see another dude looking that way like, "is that guy leaving?", so in kind of an O.J. Simpson running through the airport move, I practically run over to the table and ask the guy, "Are you guys leaving?" and I get, "It's your lucky day!"... right on! Good thing # 2!
Not long after, Austin shows up and makes his way to our table and we settle in for Michael Landau's set. He and his group comprise the Michael Landau Liquid Quartet and came in at 8:45 and began setting up their equipment for an advertised 9pm show start... no roadies or anything like that, they set everything up themselves. While they're setting up, the Saxon Pub's sound man is tuning the sound board getting things just right. At 9pm they start... how's that for timing?? Landau's playing, tone & guitar effects have always reminded me of Eric Johnson's style and in some ways they are very similar to each other's playing style too. Thinking that, I leaned over to Austin, who had recently discovered Eric Johnson on his own, and said, "this would be the prefect setting for Eric Johnson (who lives in Austin) to show up & jam with Michael Landau". After their 3rd song, Michael Landau stands at his mic and tells the crowd, "I've been listening to this guy for decades, please welcome Eric Johnson". No fucking way!!! Onto the stage walks Eric Johnson who proceeded to blow everyone away and jammed with the MLLQ for two songs. It was one of those moments I always think will eventually happen over the course of an evening, particularly at a small venue like the Saxon Pub... the band connects with the audience and plays all night long or they invite a special guest to play with them or both... yeah baby and good thing # 3!
Ashley, Caroline & Austin
EJ Takes Off On A Solo!
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