Li’l Cap’n Travis

As a barfly divorceé (chic or sad? YMMV) who was raised in their image by a Cactus Cafe mom and a Liberty Lunch father, suffice to say that my most ardent feelings of tender devotion go out to the bands of my local music scene here in Austin (where I grew up and, thankfully, have returned).

The rowdy rock bands that have peppered the Hole in the Wall calendar over the last 25 years or so have been the soundtrack to my life in so many ways, but many of them never got their “due” outside of town… so now it’s my job to proselytize about them. Although, maybe it’s GOOD they didn’t “make it” per se; it may be the case that actually, being able to fill Continental Club with several dozen men and women clutching their hearts and Lone Stars as they sing and dance and head shake along to your songs that they love so much IS the right level of fame for a musician: scaling up is too close to the sun.

But, I can’t gatekeep this band, for they will bring your brain so much pleasure. In my early 20s I discovered LCT, a local band that sounded like home. Hmm how to be more specific? Barton Springs Beach Boys, but more sardonic. Like our very own Pavement, but a southern fried version. There’s such specificity and romance and humor in their lyrics; to me they are up there with some of the greats, songs are by two different yet perfectly complimentary songwriters and respective singers who each bring a rare level of personality to every line, and then those lines encased in such perfectly hooky, classic melodies… the perfect balance of tres guitars including the unbelievably exciting pedal steel stylings of Gary Newcombe… the ideal rhythm section… did I mention they’re all handsome and typically pretty drunk, but they pull it all off with such beautiful verve?????

All of the albums are good but suppose I’d start with “In All Their Splendor,” every song is perfect, and since it’s seasonally appropriate I also highly recommend their anthemic Halloween song “To All The Trick or Treaters.”