I got a chance to sample some of the local music in Austin on New Year's Day. I tried this little live music bar called 1-2-1 Bar or is it One -2 -One. It was a very small hole in the wall bar that strictly plays live music for the ultra low cost of $5 for admission. And the music was just awesome, the crowd not so much.
When I called to ask who was playing that night, they described the band as a mix of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin band, so I thought heavy guitars and bluesy rock. That was just what it was. In fact, the lead singer played so hard that he broke one of his guitar strings. Usually when they say live music for that price your mind goes to some American Idol reject, as in first week of Hollywood reject, but not in this case. These guys were the real things too authentic for American Idol.
The bar itself was some narrow hallway, dimly lit, with very few chairs and lots of room in the middle, supposedly for dancing. There were quite a few ladies dancing but I wasn't one of them. "There we go again with the not letting the hair down." I know...I just sat there taking it all in, enjoying the music, enjoying standing out as the sole black person in the place and amusing myself in my own little way. It was hard to even start some type of conversation with anybody, there was some type of tension that I couldn't cut through a knife, no matter how many smiles I flashed I just stuck out like a sore thumb. Those kind of places are hard to permeate but you always have to reassure yourself that you're there solely for the music, man and that's all you need.
After about an hour and half into it, I left. Austin music experiment over.
The bar itself was some narrow hallway, dimly lit, with very few chairs and lots of room in the middle, supposedly for dancing. There were quite a few ladies dancing but I wasn't one of them. "There we go again with the not letting the hair down." I know...I just sat there taking it all in, enjoying the music, enjoying standing out as the sole black person in the place and amusing myself in my own little way. It was hard to even start some type of conversation with anybody, there was some type of tension that I couldn't cut through a knife, no matter how many smiles I flashed I just stuck out like a sore thumb. Those kind of places are hard to permeate but you always have to reassure yourself that you're there solely for the music, man and that's all you need.
After about an hour and half into it, I left. Austin music experiment over.
It wasn't a crazy night but it was a good way to wrap up the vacation.
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