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Corpus Cristi to Austin, a full days drive for us anymore, had us up early, stopping to get breakfast along the way and arriving to an unscheduled unreserved camping spot at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin. This is one of our favorite State Parks probably due to its proximity to live music.

Sometime recently the heavens opened up on this area and ended the drought with an exclamation mark: 4 inches of rain! Everything is green.

The drive left us tired and beat but we persevered and got ourselves into town to the Austin Friends of Traditional Music Mid-Winter Festival. Got there a touch late and left early but the acts that we saw and heard were great: klezmer fiddle to Chinese zither music, old time music bands to tight bluegrass duos, West African drummers to 16 and 17 year old Texas state mandolin and banjo champs, and a hurdy-gurdy man to boot.

Blue Buckskin Winchers

Sometimes you just have to embrace the mic stands and mics as part of the composition!

Yuan Li Chang

This acoustic duo playing and singing off that single mic hit a home run with me. Very tight. Excellent presentation and musical repertoire.

Hem and Haw

There are gun-slingers and then there are banjo-slingers!

Hurdy Gurdy Man

Judging from the presence and participation of her students this fiddler (FiddLisa ~ Lisa Schneider) must be one hell of a teacher!

Third Rail

Youthful Bluegrass A Capella

Good stuff, all of it!

Kudos to AFTM!

AFTM Blog