A couple of weeks ago, I was at Threadgill's South for a cool gig in the outdoor Beer Garden. It is an amazing place to see a show, a bit of greenery, with the city skyscrapers in the distance ringing the venue. And sometimes it can be a hard time getting past the entrance to the place, as the Austin music crowd seems to hang just past there. Lots of hugging and kissing and handing out business cards. Some nose to nose conversations take place, with plans for lunch, dinner, another show. Bob Livingston was there the last time I was, and we hugged and chatted. Bob has carved an indelible mark on this town. He's a member of Austin’s legendary Lost Gonzo Band, performing and recording with Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. The band had an integral role in designating Austin as the 'Live Music Capital of the World.'
Bob's legacy grows with his escapades and projects, too. His non-profit organization, Texas Music International was founded in 1995 to explore multi-cultural themes in music and art, and promote them internationally. The idea is to educate, entertain and empower audiences with cross-cultural understanding. TMI coordinated Bob and his son Tucker Livingston's 2005 tour to Africa for concerts in Morocco, Tunisia and Angola; and then the January tour of Vietnam and Thailand. Their latest project is a documentary about the Livingston's musical tours that was shot in 17 countries!
We are happy to celebrate a new release from Bob, called Gypsy Alibi, out just a month now. Bob and company went into the studio back in February and cut six new songs, co-producing with Lloyd Maines. The next bit of them were done at Cedar Creek Recording in March. Along the way, stuff was tweaked at Bradley Kopp's studio in Buda, Texas. Bradley joined Bob on the Music Fog bus at Folk Alliance in February, too. We have something from the new album for you now, "Android's Lament" on Music Fog.
- Jessie Scott
