Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Teaching English in South Korea. That’s what Anthony Garcia of Texas and Melanie Lenau of Michigan, two classically trained musicians, did to end up meeting one another and finding their voice together. The depth of their talent is amazing, and the duo, Outlier, is now based in Austin.
This month Outlier is featured as part of Liberty Bar’s Tuesday-night residency program. The first-floor dining room provides a wonderful, intimate setting for listening to music you might not encounter elsewhere.
The music begins at 7:30, and there’s no cover. In fact, Liberty Bar even offers an inexpensive wine and beer special for those who gather to listen. Liberty Bar is housed in a former convent at 1111 South Alamo in Southtown.
Here’s a sampling of what you might hear tonight.
June 29, 2016, Update: Yesterday, Outlier released a new album online at a price anyone can afford. Since most of the album’s songs are in the public domain, the performers decided to share the download at an extremely reasonable price – any amount you care to pay. Listen to the whole album or download Public Domain here.
Some of the oldest surviving harpsichords and pianos found in Europe are exhibited in rooms of San Colombano – Collezione Tagliavini. The ornate musical instruments are displayed in a setting predating many of them, a former church compound adorned with murals themselves worthy of viewing.
What is amazing about the collection is that the instruments are not merely preserved but are kept in working order. They are playable and are exercised regularly to keep them so.
While there, we stumbled upon a demonstration for students. These videos are hardly sterling productions but do offer a small sampling of the sound of a pair of musical assets housed here.
Postcards from Barton Springs 