USA 2015
~BROKEN SPOKE SALOON, AUSTIN~

Photos © R.Leeuw

I was told that for a long time a visit to the Broken Spoke Saloon meant a drive out into the sticks. Now
it is surrounded by housing estates and one may have to do a bit of searching for a spot to park the car.

Some interior photography. While visiting for lunch and to check out the music program here,
I spent some time to explore this venue. On this occasion I had time to walk around and take some pictures.

"Last of the True Texas Dancehalls and Damn Sure Proud of It!" - James M. White
www.brokenspokeaustintx.net : Dining & Dancing!

The first evening we had dinner here and listened to Ben Rodgers; he has a nice repertoire and an excellent voice.
Great pity to find that Americans, when they come for food and/or drinks instead of music, they don't have the
courtesy to the artist or the listening audience to lower their voice somewhat. Instead they raise their voices to
make themselves heard over the music. Those are the loud, insensitive Americans we often refer to;
fortunately there are others too. Ben Rodgers remained unperturbed and was obviously used to it.

Famous people enjoy the Broken Spoke too, like: Clint Eastwood and Kris Kristofferson.

This is one 'tourist trap' one should visit and is easily escaped from!

" ... talented musicians every night the Spoke is open such as Dale Watson, Alvin Crow, the Derailers, Jason Roberts,
Two Tons of Steel, Gary P. Nunn, Billy Mata, Weldon Henson, Cornell Hurd, Bobby Flores and many more."
"We ain't fancy, but we're damn sure country." Y'all come see us!

This is the Dance Hall of the Broken Spoke; one can learn the two-step here and many do.

The stage is set for Two Tons of Steel, but first we have to learn to dance!

People enter the dance hall and enter the seating area left and right of the dance floor.

Artists of the old days: Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, Bob Wills........

And here we go: dance lessons!

Young and old get their lessons here, a bit awkward at first but all good fun.

After an hour or so witnessing the dance lessons, Two Tons of Steel got on the stage. Time to bring those
'two step' lessons into practice. The music is good fun without the dancing too!

Before there was Americana, even before there was Texas Country, Two Tons of Steel front man Kevin Geil and his original band, 'Dead Crickets'," rocked a sound that blended the best of musical worlds: high-energy country meets punk! The San Antonio-based group packed the small bars and local hangouts and quickly became the Alamo City's most-loved band, earning them a spot on the cover of Billboard Magazine in 1996. Releasing 'Two Tons Of Steel' in 1994 and 'Crazy For My Baby' in 1995 on Blue Fire Records, a sponsorship deal with Lone Star Beer quickly followed. Dead Crickets, renamed Two Tons of Steel in 1996, began traveling outside of Texas, including stops at the Grand Ole' Opry in Nashville, Tenn., the National Theater in Havana, Cuba, and European tours, to greet fans who had embraced their Texas-born sound. In 2013, the band marks 18 years of 'Two Ton Tuesday Live from Gruene Hall'. The summer-long event drew 13,000 fans in 2012 and more than 150,000 fans since it began its annual run in 1995. Along the way, the band has collected a number of awards. To date, Two Tons has cleaned up at home, winning 'Band of the Year' on 12 separate occasions and 'Album of the Year' for its self-titled debut. Two Tons Of Steel, Kevin Geil, Jake 'Sidecar' Marchese on Upright Bass, Brian Duarte on Lead Guitar and Rich Alcorta on Drums continues to captures audiences, rock them at home and abroad. www.twotons.com

 

A few locations adressed with a few more images: AUSTIN NEW BRAUNFELS (& GRUENE) LUCKENBACH,TEXAS FRONTIER TEXAS! - ABILENE (MUSEUM) LIVE MUSIC at THE LUMBER YARD, ROSCOE,TX THE STOCKYARDS, FORT WORTH A TEXAS ROADTRIP, 2015

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