Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $12.00 advance $15.00 at the door

T-BONE BURNETT – “Sahara is the best new artist I’ve heard in years. The world needs more great artists”

Located 28 miles southwest of Austin, Wimberley, TX, boasts natural springs and gravesites of early pioneers. It’s also been the hometown to Sahara Smith – a stunning, young singer-songwriter who started performing at age 12, and first garnered national attention at age 15 when she placed second in a contest for young songwriters on A Prairie Home Companion.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $10.00

Faster than a baseball game. Stronger than most 12 year-olds. Able to keep people wondering what he’s talking about. Look! Up on the movie screen! It’s Beaver Nelson! This summer marks the release of Austin songwriter Beaver Nelson’s 7th and most adventurous recording yet, Macro/Micro. Macro/Micro is a flowing –jarring album with one song melting into the next, yet with each song holding its own distinctive tone. But wait, that’s not all! There is also an accompanying album-length film. Beaver will be touring in support of Macro/Micro with a projector and a screen and several guitars, performing the entire affair, start to finish.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00

Jimmy LaFave was born in Wills Point, Texas, a small town 30 miles east of Dallas. He began school down the road in Mesquite and by Junior High was making music perched behind his Sears & Roebuck drum kit. It wasn’t long before his mother traded a drawer full of green stamps for his first guitar and the switch to singer–songwriter was in progress. Although he has lived in Austin for over 20 years, many people think of him as being from Oklahoma, because of his strong musical ties to the state and what he often refers to as its “red dirt music.” It was in this landscape that he began to define his sound and soak up a combination of his experiences among authentic songwriters from the tradition of Woody Guthrie.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00

Ed & Gordy from the Band of Heathens join us for special night of acoustic songs from their catalog.

Since emerging as a favorite new live band out of Austin TX in the late 2000s, the Band of Heathens has toured relentlessly, building a devoted following and landing on some of the finest stages in music. Over three studio albums and hundreds of shows each year, they’ve evolved as a group and broadened their sound. Their most recent album Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster’s Son spiked the already potent punch with a dash of jammy psychedelia. And the rich and righteous vocal harmonies that set TBoH apart from the beginning have just gotten better.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00

200,000 miles in two and a half years! This may sound like the description of a trucker or a traveling vagabond, and I guess Sean McConnell is a little of both, but mainly he is singer/songwriter. Touring around with his band, in Moby Dick the big white van, he has chosen to build his career the hard way…on his own. One radio station, one venue, one performance, and one fan at a time. And it’s working!

Growing up in the coffee houses of the Boston folk scene, Sean watched his parents playing songs written by Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, David Wilcox, Shawn Colvin, Harry Chapin, CSNY, James Taylor and others of the like. Unknown to himself or his parents, Sean was soaking it all in and locking it away somewhere inside.

As well as being an artist, Sean also boasts a successful songwriting career. After signing a publishing deal right out of college with Warner/Chappell Publishing, His songs have been recorded by such artists as the Plain White T’s, Jason Castro, Phil Stacey, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, The Eli Young Band, David Nail, Julianne Hough, Jimmy Wayne, and many others. Whether in his Nashville home, in a hotel room, or in the back of his van, Sean is always writing.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00 in advance $18.00 day of show

The Split Livers is a collaborative project between two of the most influential musicians in the alternative/acoustic punk bluegrass scene.

Danny is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and genre-bending artists of his craft, Barnes’ musical interests are both varied and adventurous, and he incorporates that versatility into a progressive approach to an instrument that is musically polarizing and steeped in tradition. Although he demonstrates an appreciation for the history of the bluegrass, country, and folk music from which the banjo’s reputation was born, his inventive take is what truly separates him from his contemporaries…using the banjo as his ‘weapon of choice’ to play non-traditional music like rock, fusion, and jazz with electronic percussion and loop elements.

Wayne and Split Lip Rayfield have carved out their own genre of music with their unique sound and instrumentation. Often described as a mix of bluegrass and country with an accent of metal Split Lip Rayfield has been a pioneer on the music scene, bending musical genres and crossing countless boundaries of musical expectations.

Together Danny and Wayne bring you an experience like nothing else – Danny and Wayne are joining forces to bring you some classic songs from each of their band’s repertoire while also blazing new trails (expect a to see an album release in the near future) that will change the face of music, yet again.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $18.00

Slaid Cleaves. Grew up in Maine. Lives in Texas. Writes songs. Makes records. Travels around. Tries to be good.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $18.00

Slaid Cleaves. Grew up in Maine. Lives in Texas. Writes songs. Makes records. Travels around. Tries to be good.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00

Ruth Moody is a Juno Award winning songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founding member of the internationally renowned, Billboard-charting trio The Wailin’ Jennys and former lead singer of the Canadian roots band Scruj MacDuhk. She has performed in sold-out venues around the world, made numerous critically-acclaimed albums, and appeared more than a dozen times on the national radio show A Prairie Home Companion.

Although best known for her work with The Wailin’ Jennys, Ruth is an artist of exceptional depth and grace in her own right. Critics have lauded her ethereal vocals, impressive multi-instrumentalism, and her masterful songwriting. Written with a maturity and wisdom that belies her age, her songs are timeless, universal, and exceptionally well-crafted, all sung with an intimacy and honesty that is unmistakably hers.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00 in advance $18.00 day of show

Special Guest: Jennifer Jackson
Guitar Hero? Heir to the the SRV throne?
These phrases have been associated with Ian Moore, but at the heart of what his does is the songwriting. Pure and honest songs.

Join us for a special acoustic night of Ian’s songs and stories. Jennifer Jackson opens the night.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00

CD RELEASE SHOW!
MilkDrive, the Austin alt-folk-progressive acoustic string band, released its debut studio album in April 2011, ROAD FROM HOME, produced in Nashville with Bil VornDick (Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Bob Dylan, Ralph Stanley).

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $12.00 in advance $15 at the door

Rebecca Loebe, Tje Austin & Lex Land each represent very different styles of songwriting, musicianship and singing. Rebecca is a nationally touring indie/folk singer and award-winning songwriter; Tje is well known as a smooth-voiced Pop/R&B crooner; Lex uses her classically trained, vintage-tinged voice regularly at jazz gigs in Austin, and has also released albums of original pop/rock songs that have been placed on numerous network television shows (such as “Castle,” “Private Practice,” and “One Tree Hill”) and sent her on tour all over the country. The three hard-working musicians each hail from Austin, TX and met in an unlikely place — as contestants on NBC’s “The Voice.” Throughout the process of auditioning, performing, competing and living together in a hotel in Los Angeles they became close friends and fans of one another.

On June 16th they will perform together, in the round, showcasing their original songs with collaborations and special guests at the Cactus Cafe. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, be sure not to miss out!

www.rebeccaloebe.com
www.tjeaustin.com
www.lexland.net

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $15.00 or $12.00 with UT ID

Once upon a time, there was a youg man named Matt Sever. He lived in Austin, TX, and he worked as a journeyman electrician. Every morning, when it was still dark outside, he would go to work, and wire houses all day long in the blistering Texas heat. When he would come home, again, it was dark outside. And then, sometimes, with no time to shower or change his clothes, he would go straight to the bars and nightclubs of Austin to play his songs for whomever would listen. And he would apologize for his appearance, and explain to the audience that he was an electrician, and he found a certain nobility in this, even if no one wanted to sit too close to the stage. So they called him Matt The Electrician, and he did not mind this, for he was proud of himself, for there is no shame in a hard days work.

But eventually, he quit his job as an electrician, to spend more time writing and playing songs, and the name stuck with him, because everyone needs an electrician sometimes. And there are some who say, that when the moon is full, and Jupiter is aligned with Mars, you can often hear Matt The Electrician in the distance, wiring a house, and whistling softly to himself.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $8.00 in advance $10.00 at the door

Austin Vida presents two of Austin’s best Latino artists for one night at the historic Cactus Cafe. The incredible and lovely Patricia Vonne headlines her first Austin Vida showcase while Kalua performs for the first time at Cactus Cafe. As a special treat for the evening, Kalua will be implementing a string section to go along with their classic Rock en Español sound their fans have come to know and love. Join us for a night of great music.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $40.00

New CD – Older Than My Old Man Now, featuring guest performances by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, John Scofield, Dame Edna Everage, Rufus Wainwright, Chris Smither, Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Suzzy Roche. Out April 17, 2012

Loudon Wainwright III came to fame when “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. Born in Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1946, he had studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon University, but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco.

He wrote his first song in 1968, “Edgar” (about a lobsterman in Rhode Island) and was soon signed to Atlantic Records by Nesuhi Ertegun. Clive Davis lured him to Columbia Records — which released “Dead Skunk.” His recording career now consists of 25 albums, also including last year’s five-disc retrospective ‘40 Odd Years’ and his most recent studio album ‘10 Songs For The New Depression’ (2010).

Wainwright’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others. He has collaborated with songwriter/producer Joe Henry on the music for Judd Apatow’s hit movie Knocked Up, written music for the British theatrical adaptation of the Carl Hiaasen novel Lucky You, and composed topical songs for NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and ABC’s Nightline.

Doors: 7:30pm
Show: 8pm
General Admission: $40.00

New CD – Older Than My Old Man Now, featuring guest performances by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, John Scofield, Dame Edna Everage, Rufus Wainwright, Chris Smither, Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Suzzy Roche. Out April 17, 2012

Loudon Wainwright III came to fame when “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. Born in Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1946, he had studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon University, but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco.

He wrote his first song in 1968, “Edgar” (about a lobsterman in Rhode Island) and was soon signed to Atlantic Records by Nesuhi Ertegun. Clive Davis lured him to Columbia Records — which released “Dead Skunk.” His recording career now consists of 25 albums, also including last year’s five-disc retrospective ‘40 Odd Years’ and his most recent studio album ‘10 Songs For The New Depression’ (2010).

Wainwright’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others. He has collaborated with songwriter/producer Joe Henry on the music for Judd Apatow’s hit movie Knocked Up, written music for the British theatrical adaptation of the Carl Hiaasen novel Lucky You, and composed topical songs for NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and ABC’s Nightline.

Doors: 8pm
Show: 8:30pm
General Admission: $30.00

One of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country, with over 40 albums under his belt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is considered one of the country’s legendary foundations of folk music.

Long before every kid in America wanted to play guitar — before Elvis, Dylan, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin — Ramblin’ Jack had picked it up and was passing it along. From Johnny Cash to Tom Waits, Beck to Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder to Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead to The Rolling Stones, they all pay homage to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. They are timeless songs that outlast whatever current musical fashion strikes today’s fancy.