Will Sexton & Z-Tejas

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Wednesday, Nov. 18

Lunch on Barton Springs Rd., Will Sexton at Z-Tejas

In the morning Kate and Reg enjoy the weather and take their rental bikes on a ride on the Town Lake trails. On the north shore there's the Waller Creek trail which quickly peters out. We know the city has approved a $18 million project to spiff it up and control flooding but that hasn't started. Someday that may be more like the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Today it is not.

We picked up Alison at 12:30 and drove over to East Austin to show her the house we had seen for sale while biking the other day. She chatted up some of the workmen who are laying a patio. We all got out with her, and we're chatting away about housing prices in the area, when the lady who owns the house arrived with her child. So we asked her what she was hoping to sell for. The worker had guessed $500,000 and was spot on. There were two homes that were going to be sold (different sellers) and the one was asking $475 while she was feeling the market at $550. They are identical homes, big at approximately 2,200 square feet, each with three bedrooms and two baths. We took her card but didn't look at the place even though she offered. Both are well outside of our range. We can't afford a winter home at that price!

We have lunch at a Tex/Mex restaurant called the "Baby Acapulco" which we had spotted earlier on Barton Springs Road near Zilker Park. Their logo is a baby elephant on its back drinking a margarita. We picked it for the outdoor patio bar as it was a nice day. The server persuaded us to try their fancy margaritas which featured some racy tequila. Reg is of the opinion that you shouldn't waste your money on expensive tequila if you're just going to use it to make a margarita. Their version was very yummy but it was sort of oddly yellow colored. Kate thought the food was even better than at the Magnolia Café South where we often go.

Reg asked the server about "conjunto" music (that's a popular Mexican influenced style with an accordion and a distinctive plunking guitar). She asked the guys in the kitchen, who are probably Spanish, and returned to say that San Antonio has lots of conjunto (e.g., the Texas Tornados, whom we have seen, are influenced by that style) but there's nothing really to recommend in Austin. We had been over in East Austin exploring that morning and Reg had seen some places that looked promising. After all, that is the "Spanish side of town". But nothing is listed in the entertainment magazines. The waitress said we could explore East Austin bars but it's a bit "risky". She suggested we explore "May-nar" Road (spelled Manor) across the I-35 from UT; perhaps it's a good bet and safer too.

After lunch Alison wanted to explore Book People and Anthropologia at 6th in Lamar again. Reg wanted to explore some new record stores and Kate hadn't been to the Whole Foods Market in hours. So we parked at Whole Foods, agreed to go our separate ways, and to meet back at the Whole Foods Café on the second floor.

Reg walked north up Lamar to find "Cheapo's Records". It's a CD store at 10th and Lamar and that's only a short walk up from 6th street. It's the biggest CD store he's ever encountered and it specializes in used CD's. It's well organized with one wall of Texas music, perhaps 50m long, the same for country, another aisle for folk, and lots of vinyl. Reg bought several CDs that are only just out and highly recommends this place. This might even be better than the nearby Waterloo Records or the Tower Records on the UT Drag. Reg will return another day.

Our plan was to go to the Continental Club and Gueros for dinner that evening. But we saw something in the entertainment listings and changed our plans to a place called Z-Tejas on 6th just around the corner from Waterloo records, the Whole Food Markets, Book People, Anthropoligia, etc. It's a very nice restaurant/bar in an area called the West End. It's more of a restaurant than a club, and it's certainly not a dive. A fellow, Will Sexton, is playing for the dinner crowd, and we recall he was recommended by Butch Hancock on a previous trip to Austin. Butch used to have a store in Austin, "Lubbock or Leave It", but now lives out near Big Bend in the west of Texas. We like Butch and trust his recommendations.

So that evening we took a cab to Z-Tejas in the West End and arrived shortly after 5:00 in time for happy hour!! They have good margaritas, house wines by the truckload, etc. With a few happy hour appetizers — fish beignet, tableside guacamole (big disappointment - onions!) and fish tacos — we really tied one on without ever having a proper dinner.

There are three musicians who are the entertainment that night for the dinner crowd. It turns out that it's Will Sexton and his two friends. All three are quite accomplished and have long been part of the Austin music scene. They are Will Sexton whom we mentioned already, Bill Carter, and Stephen Doster. Bill Carter wrote songs recorded by Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Stephen Doster has long played around town and has a producer connection with Nanci Griffith and many others. They're all playing guitars tonight, but Bill also plays a bass sometimes. Will Sexton's brother Charlie famously plays with Bob Dylan and others.

The entertainment starts with several covers. They played a couple of sets, e.g., all Rolling Stones when a certain friend was in the room, but only the very occasional song of their own. Alison fell in love with all three of them and bought them a round of drinks so they all came over individually to chat and thank her during the breaks. She got hugs and kisses (on the lips no less!) from at least two of the three. She also bought a CD. One of them (we recall it was Bill Carter) wrote a song that she knows. Kate chatted with Will about various artists and managed to get Joe Carol Pierce's phone number! The plan, which was soon discarded in the sober light of a new day, was to call her up and take her out to lunch or dinner. She's a social worker in town and for us she's famous for the record / show / play called "Chippy". She is part of the Lubbock gang, went to high school with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, and was married for a time to Jimmie Dale Gilmore. We have Chippy on CD — it's an oddly interesting album and she would certainly be an interesting character to meet.

Will's guitar was obviously handmade with some artwork burnt into the wood. Will tell us it's his 9-year-old daughter's guitar and was given to her by Abra Moore — she of the night before at the Cactus Café. It's a small world. Will used to play with her as a session musician and on tour. We have an Abra Moore CD that was bought on some earlier trip and Reg found it again while browsing at Cheapo's. She has at least three more CDs. 

We stayed to the end at 10:00 and would have stayed longer, and drank even more, if they had played more. But the dinner service was long over and they were shutting the show down. Nobody recalls the cab ride home although MasterCard and the receipt found the next day details how much damage we did. It was almost as much as the gourmet dinner at UCHI! And all we had were drinks and apps.

There is one really funny story from this adventure that must be recorded. Will Sexton was chatting with us and Alison asked him if he was any relation to Ron Sexsmith (the Canadian singer/song writer). Will was a little stunned and responded with a really puzzled look. Reg explained to her that, although both names had "Sex" in it, Sexton and Sexsmith are not the same name. Alison claims that it was Kate who made this faux pas but records from the time indicate clearly that it was her!

Thursday, Nov 19.

This is a day for nursing our hangovers from the night before.

We slept in and took Alison to the airport that morning for her return to Winnipeg. It was a quick trip and a time to say our goodbyes. She had a good holiday, some adventures to remember and the weather held for her. The weather can be changeable, it isn't always so nice.

In the sober light of day we decide we aren't going to call Joe Carol Pierce. That would just be too weird. We biked along Town Lake to the west passing Zilker Park and the MOPAC to find the Magnolia Café West. Our reward is a lunch and then we're back to our room to read, lay about and rest up.

We drove far south on Menchaca Road to check out a used computer store and then to a HEB (Here Everything is Better) grocery store to get some salad fixings for dinner. We stayed home resting until quite late. Rest today, there will be more adventures tomorrow.

Transcribed and edited during the OMIGOD! pandemic of February 2022 from notes taken at the time.