Bob @ Gruene

Bob @ Gruene
Originally uploaded by JaseMan.

I'd never been to a show at Gruene Hall, Texas live music venue of near mythic reputation, until last Saturday when live music maven, KEB, and I set out into the humid darkness at warp speed from downtown Austin to catch Bob Schneider.

Gruene Hall and its surroundings live up to the hype with loads of charm hearkening back to those days of yesteryear. The plumbing, air conditioner and stage lights may not have existed way back when, but everything else seems like it's been frozen in time.

Freshly paroled from the Dixie Chicks tour, Bob is continuing to support his latest release, The Californian. Bob's supporting cast has shifted a bit. Bruce Hughes still anchors the line-up on bass, but has been joined in the rhythm section by Ben Harper's lost twin. Further, Billy has been replaced on lead guitar by an Orlando Bloom doppelganger. Despite the new faces, the band was tight cranking out the new tunes and Bob standards with precision.

Props to the sound engineer for getting the acoustics to balance in that ramshackle palace. And shame on you pretty boys for drinking Michelob Ultra at a place like this. It's Pearl or Lone Star all the way, jerkies.

In short, the night kicked ass. As Tony Bennett might say, " Great show. Great venue. Great company. Everything was just great, great, great."