What's on Tonight?

Jimmy Rollins Inducted Into Arizona Fall League HOF

Allen Weiner — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:24:07 -0700

Jimmy Rollins, 2007 MVP is inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame

Jimmy Rollins Inducted into Arizona Fall Leage Hall of Fame from allenweiner on Vimeo.

Two High String Band @ Austin Farmers Market

Allen Weiner — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:56:21 -0700

The Two High String Band brightens up a gray morning at the Austin Farmers Market.

Making Homemade Gefilte Fish

Allen Weiner — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:32:05 -0700

2008 Rookie League Championship: Angels host Giants

Allen Weiner — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:57:58 -0700

The Arizona Rookie League Championship for ’08 saw the AZL Angels (first half winners) host the AZL Giants (second half winners) at Tempe Diablo Stadium. It was the usual sparse crowd for such games even though they featured the great stars of tomorrow including Boster Posey, Wendell Fairley, Craig Ziegler, Matthew Crawford and a handful of others.

The Giants won 4-2 with a close finish thanks to a ninth inning fly ball that got lost in the lights. Please note an error in the video that was a bad roster read: The Giants pitcher was Javier Hernandez not Raul Burgos. I suppose I could have done some post audio work, but it hardly seemed worth it.

Tomato Tossing in Scottsdale AZ

Allen Weiner — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:34:06 -0700

What better way to spend a hot Sunday morning in August in Scottsdale—throwing tomatoes at one another. Sponsored by Sol y Sambra, a local restaurant, this event is a replicable of one that happens in Spain at the end of the tomato harvest. It’s supposed to be all in fun, but it sure was a great way to get out a lot of aggression. Splat!

Shawn Nelson at Whole Foods, Austin

Allen Weiner — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:38:41 -0700

As the first part of our Lone Star Summer came to a close, we went to the Whole Foods In Austin's weekly featured musician (Thursdays @ 6 p.m.). On our last night in town (we'll be back soon), we saw Shawn Nelson.

Erik Hokkanen at Lamberts, Austin, TX

Allen Weiner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:43:07 -0700

Musician Erik Hokkanen (on the fiddle) performs with Charles Thibodeaux and Peter Schwarz (closest to camera) on Low Cash Wednesday at Lamberts in Austin.

Charlie Shafter Band at Antone's

Allen Weiner — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:24:01 -0700

The real highlight of the evening was The Charlie Shafter Band. Rhapsody classifies them as "roots" music, but I will tell you they were fantastic not matter what you call their music.

Granger Smith at Antone's

Allen Weiner — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:13:48 -0700

Monday night was the KB Talent Showcase at Antone's. Granger Smith, who has been to Iraq, the White House and had his music on the space shuttle, was one of the lead performers.

Sea Turtle Rescue on South Padre Island

Allen Weiner — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:14:42 -0700

Strange but fascinating critters.

Selena Memorial in Corpus Christi

Allen Weiner — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:38:39 -0700

A look at the bayfront memorial for Selena, the famous singer killed in the prime of her life (just a few miles from the site of the memorial).

Corpus Christi Hooks at Whataburger Field

Allen Weiner — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:16:53 -0700

Our day started our fairly miserably by the beach on North Padre Island but it turned around once we left the place and headed down to the bay front of Corpus Christi with the eventual destination of Whataburger Field, the home of the AA Texas League Corpus Christi Hooks. The Hooks were hosting the Frisco Roughriders, and it was mini trashcan night.

The park is magnificent in its setting, attention to detail, atmosphere and fan fun/friendly atmosphere. The Hooks won 9-4 in an entertaining but somewhat raggedly played game (five errors). The key player for the Hooks was third baseman Chris Johnson, a former 4^th Round pick out of Stetson. He hit a three-run homer which was the catalyst for turning things around.

After the game, there was a strange ball toss event as fans could buy a ball for $1 and the groundscrew put buckets on the field and fans had to land one in the bucket to win a cash prize. Sadly, my ball fell several feet short of the target.

North Padre Island, Texas (Corpus Christi)

Allen Weiner — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:48:42 -0700

Our Lone Star Summer has taken us to some strange places, and today we wound up in North Padre Island which is the Gulf of Mexico beach side of Corpus Christi. No one will mistake it for Cannes or even Destin, Florida, but lots of folks come here to enjoy the beach. About 10 miles down the road you hit Port Aransas, a fishing village that has some restaurants and the normal touristy stuff. Between here and Port Aransas, there appears to be some newer condos and homes on the beach.

So, I ask, what’s with this driving on the beach? As someone who grew up going to the Jersey Shore, I can assure you driving on the beach is as far from my frame of reference as possible. To each his own. Wonder if AAA will take calls to dig your car out of the sand?

North Padre Island, Texas (Corpus Christi)

Allen Weiner — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:48:23 -0700

South Padre Island, Texas

Allen Weiner — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:16:53 -0700

Been a long time in coming: we drove six-plus hours from Austin to this little-known beach paradise on the Gulf of Mexico. It might not be a built up as the Florida Panhandle, but the surf, seafood and sun are great.

Aimee Bobruk @ Austin Farmers Market

Allen Weiner — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:42:39 -0700

Local singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk performs at the Saturday downtown Austin Farmers Market.

George Ensle at Whole Foods HQ, Austin

Allen Weiner — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:25:55 -0700

It was a true Austin experience: Here we are, walking from the juice bar to our car at Whole Foods HQ at 6^th and Lamar in Austin when we come across a live music session ready to start. The performer is George Ensle, a local singer-songwriter whose melodies and lyrics positively enchant. As his website says, he paints pictures with his words, and the pictures he paints make you smile and cry, sometimes at the same time.

Adam McInnis at Sullivan's in Austin

Allen Weiner — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:13:20 -0700

It was an Austin thing, and the reason we moved here p/t. We left our place with no particular destination, just hoping to hear music. We were headed to the Elephant Room (jazz is not my producer’s cup of tea) so when it started raining, we dashed over to Sullivan’s a steakhouse (from the Del Frisco people) which has a small bar that features lives music. To our great delight, we discovered Adam McInnis a musician who, along with his large band (on a small stage) was absolutely memorable. We bought his demo CD (we now are gathering a collection of local artists) and will be seeing him on July 11, again at Sullivan’s. If you are in the area, do not miss him.

Grass Onions at The Austin Farmers Market

Allen Weiner — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:12:18 -0700

It's a green day at the Austin Farmers Market with cucumbers, squash and tomatoes out in full force. Performing is the bluegrass band, the Grass Onions.

Los Bad Apples at The Belmont

Allen Weiner — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:05:00 -0700

The Austin Symphony's fireworks just ended and crowds fill the downtown area. The Belmont, a great open-air music venue, is showcasing Los Bad Apples, a local Latin hip-hop band that once opened for Ludacris. What a way to end a great day.

Cienfuegos at The Belmont

Allen Weiner — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:32:25 -0700

What better way to spend the 4th of July than sitting outside under balmy skies at The Belmont and watch a local band, Cienfuegos, perform a few sets as twilight sets. Lone Star Summer is starting to take shape.

Lone Star Summer

Allen Weiner — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:58:47 -0700

Yes, I know none of it makes any sense. We leave in a few days for what we are calling our Lone Star Summer. After years of silly summer trips to silly places, wasting a bunch of money, we purchased a second home in Austin, Texas. We leave this Wednesday (July 2) and are driving to Austin for an unspecified amount of time. I know it makes little sense to go from one hot place to another (especially since Austin is both hot & humid), but to us it makes sense.

We’ll be driving via El Paso figuring we’ll make it there in one day and then reach Austin on day two. That gets us there in time for July 4^th. It will be a mix of work and fun for the summer including trips to South Padre Island, Corpus Christi and perhaps even San Antonio for a AA Texas League baseball game.

It will be an adventure filled with food, fun, new places and a lot of video. I am hopeful our Lone Star Summer invigorates my video activity which has been light for quite a while.

Stay tuned ya’all.

Music Under The Tube

Allen Weiner — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:46:40 -0700

A guitarist entertains passers-by along the Piccadilly Line on my way to train headed back to Gloucester Road.

Borough Market (again)

Allen Weiner — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:25:10 -0700

My 4th trip to Borough Market in London yielded many treasures: Chelsea Buns, flavored sea salts, exotic dried fruits, fabulous olives...

Wilson Performing at The Belmont (Austin, TX)

Allen Weiner — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:59:15 -0700

Wednesday nights are kinda slow in downtown Austin (relatively speaking) with music really hitting its stride Thursday night through Saturday. Along 6^th (North of Congress), we stopped into a few places and happened upon a band called Wilson playing at the open air venue of The Belmont restaurant. Here’s their rendition of “We Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

Hut's Hamburgers in Austin

Allen Weiner — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:10:40 -0700

Since the day we moved here, I have wanted to walk up 6^th Street to Whole Foods (about one mile) and look at all the restaurants along the way—and there are many. The one I have been dying to stop in to try is Hut’s Hamburgers, one of those places heralded by Jane and Michael Stern in their Roadfood site and books. To say the least, we were not disappointed.

Flyjack and Uncle Bruno at Antone's

Allen Weiner — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:51:15 -0700

We walked out the front door and headed two blocks down Colorado and there on the right side is Antone’s, the legendary Austin music venue. It was a quiet Monday night and it was Super Soul Monday, featuring Flyjack and Uncle Bruno. These two local bands were just fantastic as they played for close to three hours wit ha few songs in which members of one band jammed with the other. This was truly one of the great reasons we moved to Austin.

Airport Travel Made Easy in Austin

Allen Weiner — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:12:45 -0700

Having owned a second home before, we quickly learned that transportation costs can get out of hand. For starters, our new place is in the middle of everything in Austin—food, music, etc…--so we can either walk everywhere or take Capital Metro, a great local public transit system.

Where you can really rack up the expense is in getting to and from the airport. In Austin, however, for 50 cents, you can take the Airport Flyer (Capital Metro 100) from ABIA and you whisked into downtown or the UT campus in minutes.

Music at the Austin Farmers Markets

Allen Weiner — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:01:56 -0700

Been a while since I have been at the video switch. Our first day in our new second home in Austin included visits to the two Saturday farmers markets, one down the street at 4^th and Guadalupe and the other out in Sunset Valley. And if you are the live music capital of the world, there would have to be music at the markets. At the Downtown Market there’s Brian Byrne and Borrowed Time; out in Sunset Valley, it was a fill in for one of the regulars, so I didn’t catch his name

Friday Night @ Lamberts

Allen Weiner — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:59:28 -0700

We'll be seeing Suzanna Choffel at Lamberts.