A Giant Dog – Dammit Pomegranate – Pins and Needles

After I first moved to Austin, it took me awhile to find the best little rock club down here. Then one night, my friend Jake Garcia convinced to pay a $7 cover to check out some friends of his who were playing down at a little club called Beerland. It turned out to be the best $7 that I ever spent down here.

Inside that little “box of rock,” I saw a band called A Giant Dog for the first time. I knew Sabrina, the lead singer, from her earlier job at Casino el Camino, a poplular 6th street bar famous for its burgers and having “the best rated juke box in town.“ Sabrina belted out vocals which reminded me of Janis Joplin while guitarists Andrew and Andy kicked ass with respective leads and rhythms; a solid tight powerful rhythm section comprised of Graham on bass, and Orville on drums, drove the band forward like a Mack truck. And THAT was just the half of it, Beerland instantly reminded me of the old Cantone’s up in Boston. You could instantly feel the excitement of new rock and roll literally being born right before of you! The club had the same type of small intimate stage we all enjoyed back on Boston’s Broad Street. But unlike the Cantone’s of old, Beerland actually has its own little, but quality, PA and lighting systems.

Subsequent trips down there introduced me to a whole new and exciting punk scene happening here in Austin. Simply put, Beerland is a great little club down at 711 Red River Street, the heart of Austin’s live music scene. And just like old Cantone’s, it’s THE cool little club where most of the town’s BEST bands get their start. It didn’t take me long to meet the key people down there, a great crew of people who reminded me greatly of the old Cantone’s family of musicians and fans. These are the same kind of people who put the music first by going out of their way to take care of each other, the bands that play there and all those who support them. In MY experience, its not big radio stations, big chain clubs, or big money “Battle of the Bands” competitions that make a strong and healthy rock scene somewhere, it’s small independent clubs like Cantone’s and Beerland that do. This is basically what I moved down here to be a part of. For me, this is like reliving 1977 all over again!

All that being said, AJ and I will be posting a lot more live music captured down there at Beerland, the heart of Austin‘s local music scene. But for now, turn up the volume and check out our friends A Giant Dog recorded live right off the board down at Beerland, here in “ The Live Music Capital of the World.”