The Roost, Austin – 4/12/2015

It’s not a long drive for us today as we leave San Antonio. The long drive will be tomorrow so we’ll enjoy this short transit today. Nothing unusual on the drive, I-35 is always busy no matter what day it is and it seems only ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning’ does the road seem carefree and able to travel easy. I drop the guys off at their hotel and I head back down south to my daughter’s house where I’ll be staying tonight in an effort to minimize expenses. I do make a stop off at Luby’s to grab a bite to eat. When I was young my family would always go to Luby’s in San Antonio after we attended church service down at St. Joseph’s church in downtown San Antonio. Luby’s is a cafeteria style restaurant with the reputation of being ‘old people’ food. Soft and easy to chew entrees but it doesn’t dissuade me in the least. I grew up on this fare, I have very fond memories with Luby’s menu. I would always get Fried fish patty, macaroni and cheese, and fried okra with a desert of green Jell-o squares, my fave color, which comes stacked in a small clear glass sundae dish. The Jell-o would give a beguiling jiggle when you grabbed it from its shelf and continue to entertain you as you carried your tray to the table. Lovely. To this day I get just about the same thing; the fish and macaroni is still there and I supplement some greens now with spinach and a fresh salad with no dressing. Then I search out a table that is unoccupied and hoping there’s one near the window so I can stare out while I eat and ponder and ruminate.

I pick up my guys and we proceed on to the Roost. This club has been garnering some awards in the Chronicle for being the best music venue for the last two years. The Cotton Bros. really put a lot of thought in this venue in how it was set up and the acoustics and stage layout and it really does work. The club is in the North side of town which 20 to 30 years ago that would’ve never worked but since Austin is so booming now the close proximity populace is starting to sit up and take notice of such a fine venue for live music. I hope it stays open for a long time because they certainly deserve it. David Spann opens the show and David can really play. I’ve admired David since I first saw him play at the Yngwie Malmsteen ‘Rising Force’ tour in 81’ when it was a 4 band bill; Watchtower, David Spann, Talus w/Billy Sheehan and Yngwie. What a night. So here was David sounding better than ever and I was thinking about sabotaging his gear while he played for fear he was going to bury me this night. But that’s the opening band’s job; raise the bar and prod the main act to bring it.

David Spann

We had a good show and I opened the night with quoting my favorite lines from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and carried on with the same easy-going loose state I found myself in for this night. Austin will always be my home too. Even now since I’m coming out of my recent hard emotional times, I find myself missing it more and more. Having my little girl there is always a big plus in my book too. It’s the big drive tomorrow but not too bad, a bit less than 700 miles. I look forward to the changing landscape that will unfold before us as the hours pass on our westward journey. Plus it’s April and the wild flowers are in bloom on the sides of the highways and in the fields too so there will be bluebonnets to see tomorrow. Thank you Lady Bird. I can’t wait.