After eleven years, Momo’s in Austin closed its doors suddenly on Tuesday night, yet another club loss in the Live Music Capital of the World. One has to wonder about the mission of all the downtown development. People move into the new high rise buildings for the eclectic quality of the town, then they complain about the noise and the ‘riff raff.’ Downtown parking is becoming too pricey for a night of musical exploration, especially as the clusters of clubs get thinned out. One wonders what will happen to all the shows Momo’s was to play host to during SXSW, as they were an official showcase venue as well as being a favorite destination for media darling day parties. Over the eleven years, I have seen many a remarkable artists there. Not only is this a huge loss for the people that worked there, losing their jobs just after Christmas, it is a loss for the city of Austin. A friend of mine used to say setbacks are made for comebacks. They're currently looking for a new location to house the Mo. Here’s hoping.

Beginnings, ends, mile markers, indeed. We bring you the marvelous Midnight River Choir, as we are getting dang close to chalking another year up to history. They are playing at The Gig tonight in Beaumont, TX. New Year’s Day, they are at legendary Gruene Hall. Have a Bloody Mary to clear the cobwebs, and head over for their set at noon. Eric Middleton, Justin Nelson, Mitchell Pyeatt, and Jeremy Yager head ”up the mountain” after that, to MusicFest at Steamboat, where Music Fog filmed them last year. Here is “Mile Marker,” which we got to record in advance of the release of this year’s Welcome To Delirium? album.

- Jessie Scott