We were pleased by the grizzled old men singing murder ballads at the "International Cafe", although we drove the length and breadth of Austin trying to find it.  We rewarded ourselves for the journey with a big green olive pizza.  Then the next night we played at the Cactus Cafe. 
    For anyone passing through Texas on a similar quest, this place comes with our highest recommendation.  Although basically a hole in the wall in the UT Union, it has soft red velvet curtains behind the stage, lit red like at the opera.  It has a big attendance for a small place.  Best of all, it has reallly really good performers.  We saw Victoria Noll and Gary Graves, both of whom deserve mention, and a score of others who blended together into a harmonious whole.  There is definitely an Austin Sound, a slightly alt country sung in a soft voice that could be male or female--although there weren't very many women present.  It seems like everywhere we go women are underrepresented in the rock and roll arts. 
    The last place we played in Austin was Rutamaya: this is a beautiful house of coffee, one of those places that creates a little community of hipsters and hippies.  Unfortunately, they ran their open mic according to a Byzantine system and there was no room for us on it since they had 12 performers worth of overflow from last week's open mic.  And Lenna lost a fake pearl earrring that she loved because she loves all jewelry that looks like it comes from a pirate's chest. 
    Speaking of pirates, we are now lucky enough to find ourselves in New Orleans.  Driving from Austin, it was wonderful to see the land get wet.  Rachel was bracing herself to see her college-town turned different, but so far the city seems to be thriving.  Shadows of Katrina remain.  Rachel's aunt pointed out the apartment where her friend Miss Ruth was unable to get dialysis and later passed away.  But overall it's been heartening to see how committed New Orleanians are to living their strange and beautiful booze fueled lifestyle.  Although the previous administration liked to think of the city as a lost cause it clearly is not that at all.  A little note: almost all of the Netherlands is below sea level but no one has yet suggested abandoning Amsterdam.  Instead they have devised a system of protective sea walls.  Pass it on. 
     Last night we went to a beautiful little coffee house called Neutral Ground.  It is a coop and a kind of alternate living room for many young people and some not so young that we saw there.  A sign decorated with crayons advertising frufrucinos proved to be a joke--we were informed that people who come to Neutral Ground for the drinks are in the wrong place.  The music is the important part.  We did not enjoy one man's banjo-ukelele "tip-toe through the tulips" but were treated to some lovely New Orleans bluesy piano.  Our three song set for open mics went over very well and we sold some cds.  We also did a cd swap with a nice young man (very faun-like) named Scott Darda who can be found on myspace.  We were fascinated by his plans to created a big honking music machine out of bicycle horns and by his hillbilly stylings.  He can be found on myspace. http://www.myspace.com/scottdarda
      Tonight we are going to play a real set at the Circle Bar which our kind friends Ixnay set up for us.  It will be a relief to play more than three songs.   Musical frustration sets Lenna off in search of strawberry cinnamon cheesecake snowcones. 
   Love from DAS HOBOEROTICA