Dianne’s Dish-Happenings at The Continental Club in Austin, TX

By Dianne Scott, Continental Club in Austin, Texas

Attention: Austin or folks planning to travel to Austin, Texas. 

If you plan to visit Austin, you must see world famous The Continental Club, the premier blues, rock, and country venue in Austin!  Rock At Night will be bringing you “Dianne’s Dish” so you can mark upcoming events on your calendar. Be sure to “LIKE” The Continental Club’s Facebook page too…Thanks!, Chyrisse, Editor, Rock At Night   LINK TO FACEBOOK PAGE!

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Dianne’s Dish

Hello everyone!

• All three of our venues will be closed on Wednesday 12/24 for Christmas Eve, and on Sunday 12/28 for the staff Holiday event!

• What’s happening on NEW YEAR’S EVE?

The Continental Club (1315 S. Congress Ave): James McMurtry @12am, Jon Dee Graham @10:15pm, The Painted Redstarts @9:30, $20 cover at the door, includes champagne toast @midnight & party favors! No advance tickets.
The Continental Club Gallery (1313A S. Congress Ave): Os Alquimistas @10:30pm, $10 at the door includes champagne toast @midnight & party favors! No advance tickets.
C-Boy’s Heart & Soul (2008 S. Congress Ave): Tickets are on sale NOW for Mike Flanigin Trio w/ Jimmie Vaughan & Frosty! Advance tickets available now – Box Office! $40 per person includes a complimentary champagne toast at midnight and party favors, OR $420 for Booth A (in front of sound booth) with tickets for 6, a complimentary bottle of champagne and party favors.

• Saturday, January 10th will be the 28th Annual TRIBUTE TO THE KING Memorial Show! Featuring Ted Roddy & The King Conjure Orchestra, plus special guests, Shaun Young’s New Blue Moon Boys! 21+ only. Doors open @6:30; Show @7pm. $28 Advance tickets will go on sale Friday 12/20 @6pm.

• Guess who’s coming back to Austin? The Blasters!! Yup, we’ve got ’em on Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th!

Keep readin’ & rockin’….
Dianne

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Sound Bites

Thursday, December 18, doors open at 4pm.
Happy Hour, no cover.

@ 6:30pm: Shoulders. Upon seeing the band Shoulders perform, Ira Robbins of Newsday wrote, “Led by guttural singer Michael Slattery, the raucously amplified acoustic group “imagine a street band celebrating Mardi Gras, Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day simultaneously “ stoked its bonfire with Kurt Weill and sea chanteys alike; its literary lyrics ran the gamut from Hemingway to Hammett.” “The band is literally bursting with personality, playing a twisted, inside-out brand of blues, discordant jazz-inflected folk, ethnic jigs, dance tunes, and just about everything in between.” ~Luke Torn, Austin Chronicle.

Late Show, $8 cover at the door. No advance tickets
@ 10:00pm: Marshall Hood fills in at the last minute for Emily Gimble! If the last name Hood sounds familiar to you – that’s because it probably is. The Hood legacy thus far includes Champ Hood, original member of the many-would-say-genius Uncle Walt’s Band, and long-time guitarist for Lyle Lovett, and Warren Hood, ace fiddler and composer for The Waybacks, The Bodeans, and his own band, Warren Hood and the Goods. Marshall Hood, the youngest link in the Hood chain, rounds out a family of wildly talented musicians with effortless guitar work and a knack for crafting the most charming of songs – so reminiscent of his Uncle Champ it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference.Much like the famed Uncle Walt’s Band, Marshall’s songs can’t be pigeonholed into any one category – they transcend genre. But with a keen lyrical sense and subtly catchy melodies to match, it won’t matter what you call it, you’ll be too busy humming along.

@ 12:00am: La Tampiquena “If man was made from dirt and mud, La Tampiquena was formed from a mixture of sawdust and the beer spilled on the floor of Arkies Silver dollar saloon. Carried on the boot soles of the Trans-Pecos traveler, the poultice was co-mingled with the mineral-laden mud of the Caverns of Sonora; from whence it was transported through underground channels and into the Devil’s River, where it took form, came ashore, heard the corridos from across the border, and promptly headed to South Austin in search of a Lone Star and a hot-rat.” ~La Tampiquena.

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Friday, December 19, doors open at 4pm.
Happy Hour (since January 1988), no cover.

@ 6:30pm-8:30pm: The Blues Specialists have played continuously on Fridays at The Continental Club for 25 years! Although founding members Erbie Bowser & T.D. Bell have passed on, their legacy continues with Mel Davis (T-Bone Walker’s nephew – he doesn’t brag on it, so I will) on vocals, sax & harmonica and T.D.’s son, Lawrence on keyboards.
Late Show, $10 at the door.
@ 10:00pm: Jesse Vain Happy Hour Holiness Movement Rock n’ Roll Reverend, Shaman of Shake, Southern Snakecharmer, Musical Mystic, Memphis Medicine Man, High Priest of the Happy Hour. The band is Kasey Rebello, Justin Babineaux, Dan Krause, Josh Comeaux, Lee Sadler, Cara Sadler, Jené Vain, Courtney Jo Shonk, and Greg Winn
@ 12:00am (midnight): Scott H. Biram. The self proclaimed ‘Dirty Old One Man Band’ successfully, and sometimes violently, lashes together blues, hillbilly and country precariously into raucous punk and godless metal. Years of non-stop touring have honed his assault to a fine edge; his wide-eyed throw downs in the First Church of Ultimate Fanaticism routinely lead giddy followers to a fiery baptism.

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Saturday, December 20, doors open at 3:00pm.
Matinee (since August, 2000), no cover.

@ 3:30pm: Redd Volkaert (Heybale!, Merle Haggard) picks & grins for his classic country Saturday matinees with a great cast of players, including Rich Harney, Nate Rowe and Chris Gilson. Redd’s playing is so revered that many other musicians come to Redd’s shows just to study his technique & sound. He is a Telecaster master.
Late Show, $10 cover at the door. No advance tickets.
@ 10:00pm: Patricia Vonne B’day Bash! he has worn many hats in her day: singer, songwriter, bandleader, actress and activist, among them. But with the release of her fifth album, Rattle My Cage (Bandolera Records, Sept. 10, 2013), she assumes a new role — rock ‘n’ roll Cinderella. “She’s such a passionate artist and person and all that seeps through the grooves of her new record. I think it’s her best yet” ~Alejandro Escovedo. “Patricia Vonne, one of the great treasures of I’m not kiddin’ rock till u drop American roots music, lays down some of the most righteous, low down, sexy, glorious, you’re not gettin’ outta here alive (and who would want to) rock ‘n’ roll this side of the grave on her new album. “Rattle My Cage” is her best work. Roots rock for those who want it real! 4 Stars out of 4!” ~Willie Nile.

@ 12:00am: The Infidels San Antonio’s Michael Martin leads the folk-rock band the Infidels, which he formed in the mid-’80s and whose name was inspired by Dylan’s 1983 album “Infidels.” Hector Saldana of MySanAntonio says “There’s only one musician in this town who musses his hair like Keith Richards, sings like Bob Dylan and plays guitar like kindred spirits Jerry Garcia, Mark Knopfler and Chuck Berry. That person is rock ‘n’ roller Michael Martin.”

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Sunday, December 21, doors open at 3:00pm.
Matinee (since August 2007), no cover.
@ 3:30pm: Planet Casper has made this Sunday Matinee the place to be!! Mandy Mercier, Sarah Brown and Grammy nominee Lisa Pankratz join Casper for for SoCo cheer!  Free!! Last orbit of 2014.  Thanks to all for a spectacular year!
Early Show (since January, 2012), $10 at the door. No advance tickets. Wagoneers Annual ALL-AGES Holiday Show!
@ 7:30pm: The Wagoneers. Long before there was something called alt-country, The Wagoneers made high-intensity, twang-infused music that combined the sounds and subject matter of traditional country with the raw energy of rock and roll. Respectful of what came before yet brash enough to make it their own, they showed everybody that playing country could be cool. Formed in 1986, the band played the very first South By Southwest festival in 1987. In 1988, the Wagoneers released Stout & High and quickly followed with Good Fortune in 1989. They received rave reviews, played on Austin City Limits, at the Grand Old Opry, and found themselves sharing the stage with both country and rock legends. Then, in late 1989, they suddenly called it quits, but not before establishing themselves as originators and innovators. They truly helped lay the foundation for the Americana and alt-country movement of the 1990′s.

In 2011, the Wagoneers were asked to get together and play a brief set at the Austin Music awards to coincide with their induction into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. The band found that playing together again felt so natural, they booked a few shows around town. Next thing you know, there’s a full-fledged Wagoneer’s revival going on. The band has re-released their first two albums on CD as The Essential Wagoneers and they are working on a new album. The original four members of the band are the ones making this happen, so it’s not one of those reunions with just one or two original members. The most impressive thing is that you would never know that the band ever broke up. They don’t sound like a band that took a twenty-plus year hiatus. The response at their shows makes it seem like they’ve been together with their audience the entire time.” ~Mathew Sturtevant, The Sound of Austin Portraits.

Late Show (since July 2000), $8 at the door. No advance tickets.
@ 10:15pm: Heybale! w/Redd Volkaert & Earl Poole Ball & Dallas Wayne! Heybale! featuring guitarist & vocalist Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard) and piano man & vocalist Earl Poole Ball (Johnny Cash) is Austin’s best & most popular country supergroup! The lineup includes singer, songwriter, bassist, guitarist and SeriusXM host of Outlaw Country and Willie’s Place, Dallas Wayne, pedal steel master Johnny “Dumplin” Cox (Ernest Tubb, Jim Ed Brown, Del Reeves, Ray Price, Connie Smith, Mel Tillis), and drummer Tom Lewis (Raul Malo, Wanda Jackson, Jim Lauderdale, Junior Brown). It’s all Heybale!, all night, and still a bargain at $8!

“When country music was ‘discovered’ to be more popular than rock and a host of other genres in the 90s it seemed to prompt Nashville and elsewhere to aim to be everything for everyone. To some extent they succeeded, but they gave up something in the process, and if you want to get a taste of what that something is here it is. I love these songs, and the way these guys play them and write them it’s obvious they do too. I’ve seen them a number of times at the Continental and the audience is madeup of a crazy mixture of hipsters, drunks, punks dancing with sexy grandmas and a smattering of Austin’s best musicians. The music transcends a lot of the usual barriers. Whether of not you went to church you can still get a little bit of heaven on a Sunday night.” ~David Byrne, Talking Heads.

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Monday, December 22, doors open at 6:00pm.
Happy Hour, no cover.
@ 6:30pm: Peterson Brothers Band was the Best Under-18 Band for the 2012-2013 Austin Music Awards! And if that isn’t enough, their award was presented by Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic! They also placed in the top 10 for Best Blues Band and in the top 10 for Best Bass! “They only just entered their teens, but bassist Alex and lead guitarist Glen Jr. have already opened for the likes of B.B. King due to their exceptional grasp of what they like to call ‘that blues spirit.’ Currently working on their debut album under mentor Bootsy Collins, see what all the buzz is about at the Continental for free, then stick around for Dale Watson & His Lone Stars at 10pm.” ~Wanderless.com.
Late Show (since November, 2003), $7 cover at the door. No advance tickets!
@ 10:00pm: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars are in the business of making music on stage for their fans on the dance floor. Traditional country music gets its due when Dale & his Lone Stars are playing it. Dale’s originals fit seamlessly with the few covers he throws in. You never know who’s going to show up & end up on stage with Dale… James Intveld, Chris Wall, Ian Moore, Gordie “Grady” Johnson, Alan Haynes, Tommy Mack, Hilary York, a fiddle player from Scotland, a harmonica player from Spain… who knows. This just might be the best $7 you’ll ever spend! Michael Corcoran says “It’s Dale Watson’s club (the Continental). We just two-step in it.”

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Tuesday, December 23, doors open at 4:00pm.
Happy Hour, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!
@ 7:00pm: The undisputed Queen of The Continental, Miss Toni Price, continues to pack the house for her Happy Tuesday Hippie Hour! The cover is $10 for an incredible evening of music. She will feature a cast of musicians which will include some of her super-talented sidekicks like Rich Brotherton, Marshall Hood, Warren Hood, Willie Pipkin, and others.
Late Show, $7 cover at the door. No advance tickets.
@ 10:00pm: Uncle Lucius Like the city that brought them together, UL is a gumbo, with hints of Americana and folk juxtaposed with a slow-cooked roux that is steeped in classic rock ‘n’ roll and the blues. The resulting flavor is familiar and unique, roots at its most refined, albeit with a gutbucket foundation.
@ 12:00am: Lew Card has branched out from the bands he has led since relocating from Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 2002. His music is “jug band meets county blues.” A style that harkens back to when he first started writing at age 12. You could say Card learned from Ralph Stanley or John Prine, or the pickers back in Tennessee he’d play alongside as a teenager. Low Country Hi-Fi is a songwriter’s record that draws on Card’s 20-plus years as a picker, songwriter and singer.

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Wednesday, December 24
Closed for Christmas Eve!

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Thursday, December 25, doors open at 9pm.
$12 cover at the door. No advance tickets
@ 10:00pm: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars Annual Christmas Show & Dance! All Dale, all night! And Christmas songs! And good cheer! Not a “Bah Humbug” in the bunch. Traditional country music gets its due when Dale & his Lone Stars are playing it. Dale’s originals fit seamlessly with the covers he throws in.

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Friday, December 26, doors open at 4pm.
Happy Hour (since January 1988), no cover.
@ 6:30pm-8:30pm: The Blues Specialists have played continuously on Fridays at The Continental Club for 25 years! Although founding members Erbie Bowser & T.D. Bell have passed on, their legacy continues with Mel Davis (T-Bone Walker’s nephew – he doesn’t brag on it, so I will) on vocals, sax & harmonica and T.D.’s son, Lawrence on keyboards.
Late Show, $10 at the door.
@ 10:00pm: Two Hoots and a Holler all night long! San Antonio, Texas native, Rick Broussard, has for over twenty years proved himself a gifted song-writer and guitarist as well as a riveting front man. With eight cds to his credit, Broussard and his fire-breathing band continue to write, record, and perform the music they love.  Front man, song writer, and founder of Two Hoots and a Holler (established 1984).

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Saturday, December 27, doors open at 3:00pm.
Matinee (since August, 2000), no cover.
@ 3:30pm: Redd Volkaert (Heybale!, Merle Haggard) picks & grins for his classic country Saturday matinees with a great cast of players, including Rich Harney, Nate Rowe and Chris Gilson. Redd’s playing is so revered that many other musicians come to Redd’s shows just to study his technique & sound. He is a Telecaster master.
Late Show, $10 cover at the door. No advance tickets.
@ 10:00pm: Li’l Cap’n Travis “Named after the son of a redneck who used to rent party barges at a onetime job of drummer Mandon Maloney, Austin’s Li’l Cap’n Travis mixes and matches seemingly disconnected genres into an unimaginable yet highly listenable whole. Their sound is Americana at it’s purest, from Brian Wilson and Jimmy Webb to the Flaming Lips and Wilco.”  Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle.
@ 12:00am: Ramsay Midwood “Take a healthy dose of John Prine, a dollup of Bringing It All Back Home electric Dylan, a pinch of early Tom Waits, a sprinkle of Charlie Poole, and a splash of Lightin’ Hopkins…the result might be as intriguing as Midwood’s first album, Shoot Out at the OK Chinese Restaurant.” ~Dustin Ogden, “Gospel Music for Inspired Barflies”, No Depression.

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Sunday, December 28
Closed today!

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Coming. Monday 12/29: Late Show: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars @10:30pm, $7; Happy Hour: Peterson Brothers Band @6:30pm, no cover…

Tuesday 12/30: Uncle Lucius all night long @10pm, $7; HH: Toni Price @7pm, $10…

Wednesday 12/31: Late Show: James McMurtry @12am, Jon Dee Graham @10:15pm, The Painted Redstarts @9:30, $20 at the door includes champagne toast @midnight & party favors! No advance tickets; No Happy Hour today. Doors open at 9pm….

Thursday 1/1/15: Late Show: Shoulders @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; No Happy Hour today. Doors open at 9pm….

Friday 1/2: Late Show: Mingo Fishtrap @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; Happy Hour: The Blues Specialists @6:30pm, no cover…. Saturday 1/3: Late Show: Stooges Brass Band @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; Matinee: Redd Volkaert @3:30pm, no cover

Sunday 1/4: Late Show: Heybale! w/Redd & Earl & Dallas @10:15pm, $8; Early Show: The Wagoneers @7:30pm, $10; Matinee: Planet Casper @3:30pm, no cover…. Monday 1/5: Late Show: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars @10:30pm, $7; Happy Hour: Peterson Brothers Band @6:30pm, no cover

Tuesday 1/6: Barfield all night long @10pm, $7; HH: Toni Price @7pm, $10

Wednesday 1/7: Late Show: James McMurtry @12am, Jon Dee Graham @10:15pm, The Painted Redstarts @9:30, $8 at the door. No advance tickets; HH: TBA @6:30, no cover…. Thursday 1/8: Late Show: TBA @12:00am, TBA @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; HH: Shoulders @6:30pm, no cover

Friday 1/9: Late Show: Modern Don Juans @12am, Two Hoots & a Holler @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; Happy Hour: The Blues Specialists @6:30pm, no cover…. Saturday 1/10: Late Show: Gene Taylor @10:00pm, $10 at the door. No advance tickets!; 7:00pm: 29th Annual TRIBUTE TO THE KING! 21+ only, $28 Buy Tickets: Doors open @6:30

Sunday 1/11: Late Show: Heybale! w/Redd & Earl & Dallas @10:15pm, $8; Early Show: The Wagoneers @7:30pm, $10; Matinee: Planet Casper @3:30pm, no cover

Monday 1/12: Late Show: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars @10:30pm, $7; Happy Hour: Peterson Brothers Band @6:30pm, no cover

You can follow us on our Facebook Pages for The Continental Club, CC Gallery and C-Boy’s Heart & Soul in Austin. If you’re on Facebook, we’d love to have you “Like” our pages. We also have Twitter accounts for The Continental Club, The Continental Club Gallery and C-Boy’s Heart & Soul! Things change so quickly though that it’s always best to double-check with our Austin online calendar (click on Upcoming Shows and then click on calendar date), or call the Austin Club at 512-441-2444 for the most up-to-date information.

Please Note: While I try to be very accurate with lineups, times & cover charges for our shows, last-minute changes and errors can, and sometimes do, occur. Call the Club at 512-441-2444 for the most current information for Austin shows. Also, we are a 21+ venue! No under-21 admissions!

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The Continental Club History is always an ongoing project for me. If you have stories or photos to share, I would love to hear/see them! I’ve posted several photos of the refurbished CC sign from 1987 on our photo page. I’m now I’m also getting together with Mrs. Jeanette Brown regarding the early years – her family owns the 1200 block where Amy’s Ice Cream & Lucky Robot are located. Mrs. Brown has many early photos & stories for me! Jennifer Luna, the granddaughter of previous propriators, Gilbert & Jo Kathryn Grovier, hooked me up with her mother who shared some of her memories of The Continental Club. I’ve also found a lot of information on The Continental Club’s very first residency band – The Mascots – from 1955! You can even hear 6 of their songs on MP3. Click here to learn more, view the photos & find the link to hear the MP3s.

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Are you a customer with questions about upcoming show times, tickets, cover charge etc.? In Austin call: (512) 441-0202 or (512) 441-2444 or e-mail Dianne at [email protected]. In Houston call: (713)529-9899 or (713) 529-9666. Are you a musician inquiring about booking a gig? Booking in Austin? Steve & Celeste: [email protected] and [email protected]. PR in Austin: Dianne, [email protected].

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If you would like to get on the list to receive a weekly e-mail of our happenings, please request the Austin info from Dianne at [email protected]. Please let me know if you want to receive the newsletter for the Club or the Gallery or both! To unsubscribe from the e-mail version, or if you feel that you have received the e-mail in error, please respond to [email protected] with “unsubscribe” as the subject. Don’t forget to get your birthday to me if you want to be on the monthly birthday list.