Live music is everywhere in Austin from live music in the airport to overlapping sounds of bands coming from every door along 6th street.
An example of “music everywhere” is that a place we really enjoy seeing live music is a grocery store! Yes, eggs, milk, bread, and rock n’ roll . . . or jazz, salsa, country, etc. Central Market on North Lamar is up scale grocery store that includes a cafe and bar. There is also a spacious outdoor deck where most weekends (Thurs - Sun) they host bands.
On July 3rd we went to see Simon Says play. Simon Says is a Paul Simon tribute band. They are formed by 11 musicians from other bands such as Hard Proof, Star Parks, Grupo Fantasma/Brownout, Go Fever, Kinky Machines. The lead singer is Star Parks and put out a great album last year called “The New Sounds of Late Capitalism” https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-new-sounds-of-late-capitalism/1496451364
The shows go from 5:30 to 8:30 which works great for families and/or people not wanting to go out late. We got there at just after 5pm to make sure we could get a table with a good view. The large deck has a stage and dance floor and is shaded by large oak trees. I hold the table and take in the views of people shuffling in, kids playing in the near-by play set, and a wave at some people I recognize. My wife has the more important job of getting supplies for the evening from inside the store.
First stop is at the wine department where she selects a bottle of dry rose that she places in the cooling station while she shops. She returns to our table with a selection of cheeses, cured meat, olives, hummus, French bread, and the chilled rose.
The band starts. We’ve seen this group a few times before and most of them in their individual bands. The are super talented musicians and it seems like they are having a fantastic time as they kick things off with Graceland. The dance area fills up mainly with girls between the ages of 4 and 6. Three songs later the young girls have been replaced by women aged between 30 and 80; it feels like one of those movie effects to show the passing of time. A few songs later the dance area contains couples, kids, and grandparents. It was the roving congo line that got us up on the dance floor.
If you are looking for a music experience in Austin but you are not too keen on late nights, crowded clubs, expensive drinks, then Central Market is a great place to visit. It’s very casual and very very family friendly. It’s very Austin.
https://centralmarket.com/austin-north-lamar-events-and-menus/
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