Man, I Miss Liberty Lunch

Back when I was in high school in Austin, a small group of friends and I would spend every Thursday through Saturday night at a show. Our haunts were the Texas Tavern, Cannibal Club, and the great Liberty Lunch. All, long gone. But, man, did I love growing up in the Austin of the late-80s/early-90s and having a mom who trusted us enough to let us hang out at clubs and stay out late most nights. Why am I growing so nostalgic? A friend sent me this and a few other clips of a few December 2006 reunion shows of the late, great Austin buzz band from 1990, Twang Twang Shock-A-Boom.

They were everywhere for about ten months. Their popularity was fueled by high school and college kids like us, who didn’t know that cool music wasn’t supposed to be happy and fun. Eventually, the singer left to pursue a solo career. He was good–and is still moderately successful–but it was never the same. Back then, every night was a show and then an aftermeal at Magnolia Cafe back when you could actually walk in and get a table. On really good nights we would hop the fence and do a late night/early morning swim at Barton Springs. None of us drank or did anything like that. It was all about music and having a great time. It was a great time to be that age and in that place. I love Austin and am so glad I spent my high school years there.

Coming soon: my thoughts on Grains of Faith, Poi Dog Pondering, The Reivers, Stick People, and the other Austin greats from back when it actually was “The Live Music Capital of the World”.