Some random Melodica Festival pictures

Here are some random pictures I took at the Melodica 2008 music festival. What a great weekend: live music by starlight and firelight, great beer, and great new friends.

Treewave performs.

The crowd stays warm around the fire.

The crowd talks between acts.

Cold night, cool music.

We love our tree.

Does anyone recognize this band?

We really enjoyed hosting one of the stages for the Melodica 2008 music festival. We need to do this again soon, maybe when the weather warms up a bit! Until then, keep stopping by for more information about upcoming events at The Amsterdam Bar.

Beer Profile: La Fin Du Mond

La Fin Du Mond (Quebec) – 9% ABV: La Fin du Mond from Unibroue is a 9 percent alcohol, triple fermentation beer. This type of beer was originally developed by the monks of the Middle Ages to be served on special occasions. La Fin du Monde is a deluxe beer made with triple fermentation and a unique way of straining the yeast. This method produces an unexpectedly subtle flavor. With its champagne-like effervescence, it has a vigorous presence in the mouth, which accentuates its strong personality. Slightly tart, with the balanced flavors of wild spices, malt and hops, it belongs to the class of great Trappist beers and, in this regard, is a North American first. This beer is brewed to honor of the great explorers, who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America.

La Fin Du Mond is available in bottles at The Amsterdam Bar.

Beer Profile: Kronenbourg 1664

Kronenbourg 1664 (Strasbourg, France) – 5.9% ABV: This beer comes to us from Alsace, a region on the border of France and Germany. Kronenbourg 1664 pours a light, clear yellow into a pint glass with a billowy white head. This is a delicious lager with sweet, fruit-like flavor (pears, apples) and maybe a slight hint of cloves. There is very little bitterness from the hops and a refreshing, sweet aftertaste: crisp and very clean.

Kronenbourg 1664 is on tap at The Amsterdam Bar.

New issue of Beer Advocate magazine now available

A new issue of Beer Advocate magazine is now available. You can enjoy the content free at Beer Advocate's website.

Beer Advocate is a great site for beer lovers and we highly recommend it.

Melodica turns out to be a great party!

I've just ducked away from the action to share a couple of quick pictures.

In front, we're packed with a great Saturday night crowd.

Out back, the Melodica music festival rolls on. Tonight was night one: there's still one more night of action here at the Amsterdam Bar tomorrow night. There's a chill in the air, so the crowd hovered around our giant chimeneas to keep warm and discuss the slate of live bands.

Well, gotta run: I have to get back to the action.

Barack the Vote!

On March 4, 2008, Texas Democrats and independents are going to have the opportunity to do something they haven't done in decades: impact the outcome of a presidential campaign. A quick glance at the title of this post reveals that this writer already has his favorite. The photo above is from an Obama rally held yesterday in Fair Park, not far from The Amsterdam Bar. The time has come for a change, and on March 4th, Texas can deliver that change.


Learn how to get involved at Dallas for Obama!

Melodica Band Profile: Medio Mutante

Houston band Medio Mutante will perform at The Amsterdam Bar during the Melodica 2008 music festival. There isn't much in the way of online reviews for this trio; hopefully after this weekend we'll be able to change that. Check out their Myspace page for more information and tracks.

Melodica Band Profile: Cry Blood Apache

Yet another interesting band from Austin: Cry Blood Apache will be playing at The Amsterdam Bar on February 23, 2008.

From The Austin Chronicle:

Cry Blood Apache began as a guerrilla band, setting up in local parking lots, alleys, or wherever their stripped-down electronic setup could accommodate. They play in clubs now, though the aliases remain. Formed in 2005, CBA’s lineup has been as hard to pin down as their sound, though several influences are apparent – Cabaret Voltaire, Suicide, Metal Urbaine, the Sisters of Mercy. Singer/guitarist Kaspar Glass monotones lyrics like an anti-Gary Numan; guitarist Hans Hinrich sprays feedback from axe; drum machinist Seth Nemec keeps the industrial beat. Original bassist Endal Passou was replaced in 2006 by percussionist Pahn Zhram, who beat on a trash can in addition to playing bass. 2005’s Performing Diversion Acrobatics was a scattershot introduction to the group's sound. More indicative would be 2007's Industry Mix Tape Vol. 1 (Ghetto Pagoda). They’ve recently added Maxx Hole on keys and continue to experiment with their sound, adding to the lineage of electro-minded bands in Austin.[1]

You can check out their Myspace page for band info and tracks.

Melodica Band Profile: Finally Punk

The Austin band Finally Punk will play The Amsterdam Bar on February 23, 2008 as part of the Melodica 2008 music festival.



Check out their Myspace page to listen to a few of their songs.

Melodica Band Profile: Jack with One Eye

From Ultimate Band List:

Mila Lux (Slow and Boring, Neverland Ranch Davidians), and Ian Hamilton (Shatner, The Falkon, Black Arm Band, Neverland Ranch Davidians) met as teenagers in 1995 in a small one horse town in North Texas. Both began recording 4-track demos of their songs at early ages from their bedrooms, using just about anything they could get their hands on as instruments. The joining of these two songwriters and their noisy style of guitar playing, along with a not-so-traditional take on pop songs spawned the birth of Jack With One Eye in 2001.

After many a 4-track masterpiece, Mila and Ian met drummer Ben Burt (Brutal Juice, The Falkon, Tomorrow People, Pinkston) in late 2003, and along with a floating bass player began working out arrangements of their songs as a band. "From noisy murder ballads to dynamic shoegaze, Jack With One Eye are a band you just can’t pin. As soon as you think you’ve found a comparison they pull you in the opposite direction and you’re not even trying to figure out who or what they sound like anymore you’re just in the moment.” –Fan at Gypsy Tea Room 2004

Their influences are broad, which is very noticeable when you hear their music.

Jack With One Eye are currently in the studio recording a four song EP with a full length album to follow. There is no speculation as to when this record will be released to the public. In the mean time, they are still playing live and, as usual, have a full arsenal of new material.

Jack with One Eye plays the Melodica 2008 music festival on February 22, 2008 at The Amsterdam Bar.