BMI Songwriters Series

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Down Lamar, a short distance from our long stay in Austin, is the iconic Saxon Pub. They have several shows each evening from 6:00pm until late (even earlier on the weekend). We've been there many times and keep coming back. It's a short Uber ride to the pub, if we were younger and braver we might ride our bikes (we did years ago), but there's no parking at the pub or nearby so Uber is our best bet.

One of the regular live music events at the Saxon is the BMI Songwriters Series held from 6:00-7:30 on the first Monday of every month. This is a free event, no tickets are required and they don't pass the tip jar. Instead artists are sponsored by their music publisher — BMI Texas. We were here back in February and had first discovered the event in March 2024 (there's more to read there). It's an event we really enjoy in an environment where people listen attentively to the music. It's not well attended, but should be.

Tonight the first three artists are Keith Davis, Mallory Eagle, and Bobby Murray. They each get to play three songs and, after a short break, they are followed by Sachin (of Sachin and the Porch), Drew Harakal and Ty Dillon. Mostly this is a guitar song swap but Mallory and Bobby had rehearsed a song together. Drew through in a few fancy guitar licks for Ty. They were all accomplished musicians at home with their music.

These are signed artists with BMI. Some have published music (and albums); all are thankful for the royalty cheques they receive. Keith Davis lives in Buda, a suburb south of Austin, and sang some very sad tunes which I really enjoyed. Mallory Eagle is from Oklahoma and has several albums out with a new one, "Neon Waltz", just released (see her YouTube channel) — she's pretty authentic country. Bobby Murray is a young fellow from the north east and is dressed the part; he tells us that he actually works on a local Texas farm. Sachin is a performer who has been kicking around Austin for a while with his band "Sachin and the Porch" (see their YouTube channel). Tonight he's solo. Drew Harakal comes from Fort Worth and is a pretty intense performer. He has released several albums — see his YouTube page. Ty Dillon is a big guy, very funny. I recall him singing a drinking song about tequila. Check out his YouTube page.

There is an interesting documentary, Saxon Pub: Saving Texas’ Historic Live Music Venue, on YouTube that tells the story how this iconic bar was saved. Up and down Lamar developers of multi-story condominiums have pushed out small bars like the Saxon. How close they came to being yet another victim and how they were saved is an interesting story.