Flanfire

Rockin' at Nuno's with MP2!
Wednesday nights -- 10 pm. Nuno's on Sixth! Be there!

Spread the word -- and keep this good thing going. Lots of jams in Austin, to be sure, but THIS ONE features the vocal power of Storyville's Malford Milligan (with such special guests as Kelly Doze and Natalie Zoe), Austin newcomer Phil Brown (The Jimi Project) on guitar (with lots of buddies showing up to sit in), Austin's answer to George Hamilton on bass -- that's the laid back Californian Mark Andes, formerly of Spirit, Jojo Gunne, Heart, and others and Jon Dee Graham and the Bump Band among his Austin gigs, and the incredible Pat Mastelotto on drums (Mr. Mister, King Crimson, the Rembrandts, XTC, etc.).

Meagan Tubb and her argyles; Gina Chavez and her Martin.

Now, folks, that is quite a band -- and a HUGE LOTTA albums and CD's sold among them. And the crowds that this group has been drawing have put smiles on the faces of owners Nuno and Angela Vasconcellos, who are having just as good a time as their customers on these evenings. Best of all -- NO COVER!!!!!

As if the quartet -- already billing itself as MP2 (Malford, Mark, Phil and Pat) -- is not more than enough to keep people dancing (to lots of Hendrix, lots of Storyville and other Milligan songs, and much more), the guest performer list makes these evenings even more unmissable. For starters, we had the lovely brunette Natalie Zoe and the equally lovely blonde Kelly Doze do a couple of numbers (and sing backup too!), and Tim Dyer and Jon Garr of Malford's own band each showed their guitar riffs and vocal licks on more than one number. Phil's special guests included Ray McCarty and Bob Feldman, whose duet with Phil on "Live Today" was beyond good. And yet that performance may have been topped when this group was joined on stage by the incomparable Ephraim Owens for amazing renditions of "Purple Haze" and Phil's own "La La Land." Paul "Bhudda" Mills also sat in on drums, and I forget who else was on stage (hazy!) -- but folks -- this was F U N!!!!!

One evening earlier I had the pleasure of watching the Momo's debut of Austin-born and bred Latina diva Gina Chavez, who packed the house with friends and extended family for her acoustic set with her on guitar and buddy Roel Martinez on mandolin. The barefoot contessa opened with an a capella verse of "Summertime" that led into a song about St. Anthony ["won't you help me find a place called home"]. Other songs from her forthcoming CD -- "Hanging Spoons -- included "Brother Sun," "Matter," and her finale, "Saving Grace." Momo's will be hosting her CD release sometime soon.

Gina sings from her heart and from her faith, and she can keep the crowd attentive with her wit and her smile -- and off-the-cuff songs like "Baby's got a short stack, bagel in the oven ...." Her OTHER group is "Before the Throne," a worship band that writes its own music. It is quite a step up from Tazza Fresca to Momo's, but Gina (who was filling in for Suzanna Choffel, who had a gig at Antone's this evening) has the energy, the wit, and the chops to build an audience of people who are NOT her longtime pals (if she needs to -- her entourage itself is daunting!).

Also on the bill for the evening was my pal Meagan Tubb, who was sporting some fabulous Argyle socks and a matching (??) outfit. Lovely as her long legs are, though, what makes Meagan unforgettable on stage is her booming voice and her serious guitar chops (which she shares with Jason Nunnencamp). Drummer Johnny Duran and bassist Ric Ricker provide the pulsating rhythm for this high-energy band (and yes Meagan IS often compared with Susan Tedeschi -- but she's her own woman), which is getting ready to take advantage of that free time in Pedernales Studio courtesy of winning Poodie's Battle of the Bands last summer.