Libby & the Loveless

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Today, Sunday February 11, was a fairly quiet day for us. The weather is cool and grey but there are a couple of things we'll do. The Blanton Art Gallery is a quick visit and requires more standing and walking than Kate can handle so we're there only briefly. We had hoped to have lunch at the gallery's cafe but it's been closed since the pandemic — there are plans to reopen sometime.

Late in the day we pop over to the ABGB (Austin Beer Garden and Brewery) for the regular Sunday afternoon dance party. There are different bands who play every Sunday. This is the same place we went for the Drag Show a while ago. It's close, we could easily bike there but today we drive.

There's a good sized dance area, a raised stage, and Libby & the Loveless are playing. They play traditional country with a twang and the dancers love it. We do too! We recognize several dancers from events over the years. I see they have a regular Wednesday night gig at Sam's Townpoint — we'll have to go sometime. Their music is eclectic including lots of country and bluegrass that we only vaguely recognize. I suspect they're all cover tunes, but whatever, they're done well. They did a nice version of Gillian Welch's "Dry Town". Today the band has Libby Hallet on vocals and acoustic, Salena Rosanbalm on vocals and drums, Preston Rhone on bass, Schley Barrack on electric guitar and a guest (haven't got her name) on fiddle/violin. Three women and two men, all are very good musicians and we see they've been playing all over town (Sam's, Sagebrush, The Whitehorse, ABGB, The Little Longhorn, The Whipp Inn, etc.) at honky tonks we love.

Their show today runs from 4:00 until 7:00 when the bar is shutting down. It's Superbowl Sunday and everyone, other than us, will be glued to their TV's to see if Taylor Swift announces her support for Joe Biden (the MAGA media are apoplectic that it might happen). They have a break between sets and the sound track that continues is also great. We have some pizza slices with our beer and wine.

The photos show a crowded dance floor and there's even a bit of live footage that Kate took. I'm not into filming, editing is not very much fun but if Kate continues I guess I'll have to.

Libby and the Loveless don't have much of a presence on the internet (I do find a page on Instagram) but they are a band we really enjoyed. I hope to see them again. The ABGB dance party on Sundays is not to be missed.