Austin City Limits By Night

Caught three different evening concerts at Austin City Limits.
October 2009

John Dee Graham at Continental Club

John Dee Graham played Continental Club the Wednesday before ACL (on the one Wednesday night when James McMurtry, who usually takes the late slot, was not playing there. He ironically was playing the Birchmere in Northern Virginia, near where I live that very night).

The Austin folk-rock legend with the deep bass of a voice, crooned for a long set including songs from his most recent album, It’s Not As Bad as it Looks, newly released that month. Graham has performed with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo, Patty Griffin, and John Hiatt and remains a well-respected figure on the Austin music scene.

Them Crooked Vultures at Stubb’s

Stubb’s was packed that night and expectations were high. Little was known about this then new super group and, in fact, photos were prohibited that night as they still try to keep the mystery going. Three music icons front this group: Josh Homme, singer for hard rockers Queens of the Stone Age; David Grohl of Foo Fighters fame went back to his Nirvana roots and plays drums here; and Led Zeppelin guitarist John Paul Jones.

Admittedly not a Queens of the Stone age fan, even remotely, I arrived a bit nervous. It turns out, this Homme guy can really sing and the Vultures had rocking songs, some of them kinda melodious even. It was fantastic, and their simple little light show was mesmerizing.

Devotchka at La Zona Rosa

I just knew I would love Devotchka, and I was right. This Colorado-based band plays a fusion of gypsy, punk and rock, featuring a range of instrumentation from accordion to tuba to violin.

A blend of Slavic, Greek, and Bolero music, the quartet maintains a high-energy groove at their live show. Devotchka gained exposure for doing much of the soundtrack for the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” for which they earned a Grammy nomination. The band name is Russian for “young girl.” Their music is joyful and soulful fun.