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Thanks!

-aust

Indianapolis, IN - The Volrath

How many times can you say that you've played at a bar where famed gangster John Dillenger once evaded police by escaping through the secret tunnels beneath the stage? Or...how many times can you say you've drank whiskey in the middle of the aforementioned gangster's escape route? 

Or, let's be honest, how many times can you say you've even been to Indianapolis?

One time each for me...

The Volrath is a former prohibition-era-murdering-gangster-hangout-turned-Indie-rock club on the wrong side of the tracks, way on the wrong side. Literally miles from the tracks. 

But holy crap was it a good time. My great friend Tobi (former DJ and programer of  "XMU" on XM Radio) was nice enough to have us play second on a bill of three, and it turned out that the guy running sound was a serious trumpet player, and we were lucky enough to have him sit in on "Be Good to Me."

The next day Ramz and I had a quick session at Queen Size Studios run by Andy and Chris Fry of the band Margot &the Nuclear So and So's, who's 2006 album "The Dust of Retreat" was one of my favorites of the year. Really nice guys, REALLY great studio. 

I never thought I'd say it, but I sorta can't wait to go back to....Indianapolis. 

Straight jammin in the mid-west.

Gearin up for a quick audio / video performance at Queensize.

"Be Good to Me" live at the Volrath from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

Labyrinth drama...it's inescapable...

The Unexplored Labyrinths of the Volrath from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

On the road...TANK!!

WHOA.

Tank!! from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

D.C. - Iota

Arlington, VA will always hold a special place in my heart. For it was in Arlington that I was introduced to the world's greatest chip. If you think idea of a bag of chips changing your life is preposterous, well, you're right. You're also a boring snob. Start appreciating the little things why donthcha...

For the rest of you, indulge in a bag of these if you can find them. I mean, oh man...

Yep. "Chesapeake Crab" flavored potato chips. No, they don't taste like crab, they taste like potatoes that have been fried and tossed in the bestest, spiciest crab boil you've ever had. I think they only really sell these in Virginia, but google 'em, and if you can find a place that'll ship them to you in bulk, break out the sweat pants and get ready to gain 5 pounds the salty way. 

Also for the casual Virginia traveler, I'd suggest going here: 

It's the 9:30 Club. I've seen a million amazing shows here. You should too.

Ok, so, chips...check...9:30 Club...check...there was something I...I was suppossed to...shoot...

Oh yeah! We played at Iota, another amazing venue. Special thanks to all our friends and family that came out, especially to my pops, who made Ramz and I omelettes at 2am after the show. No joke. 

See you in Indianapolis...

-aust

ps:

ps: As always...

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Philadelphia - The Tin Angel

"Philly," short for Philidelphia, is known as the "City of Brotherly Love" (insert obvious homo-erotic joke here). We were set to take the stage at The Tin Angel at 7:30pm, so the promoter was thrilled when Ramz and I rolled in at 7:27pm (thanks NYC traffic!). Great show, great town, AMAZING backstage accomodations...at least Ramz thought so.

Backstage at Tin Angel from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

And then, it was time. It was time to make the big decision, a decision that would shape our minds, hearts, and taste buds for all of eternity. Indeed, Ramz and I were faced with the age-old culinary quandry that any visitor to Philadelphia will at one time or another be forced reckon with. 

Geno's Or Pat's?

Geno's?

or

Pat's?

Luckily for us, someone helped me decide.

So I meet this guy at a bar in New York. We had just finished playing, and we were drinking, relaxing, being merry. I tell this guy we were headin to Philly, and I didn't know whether to go to Geno's or Pat's. He says "Let me make it easy for you. Go to Geno's. The steaks are better, it's cleaner, it's overall a better experience." He goes on to tell me that he had friends that would drive for hours and hours from all parts of the east coast just to have a Geno's cheesesteak. He talks about the bread. He tells me exactly how to order. He goes into detail about how to tell if the onions are fresh, and if they're not, get peppers instead.  He talks about which cheese to get, and specifically how the cheez whiz at Geno's is by far superior to the cheez whiz at Pat's. He tells me who I should ask for when I go, and to tell that guy that he says "hi." He also tells me that Pat's is where "white trash with no money" go, whereas the "classy" philly cheeseteak eater has always, and will always, choose Geno's.

 It was at this point that I had the epiphany that you, the reader, are most likely having now. 

This guy was a C-RAZY douchebag.

We went to Pat's.

See you in D.C.

-aust

New York, NY - The Living Room

My favorite east coast venue is the Living Room. Feels like Hotel Cafe, NYC. Same kinda "listening room-y" vibe. I love it.

Some jams from the NYC...

Trying out some new material.

"New Orleans" live @ The Living Room from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

And some pics...

Busking on the water...again.

"Years" live under the Brooklyn Bridge from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

Oh, and Ramz and I got to go to a wedding party thrown for my sister Alex and her fiance Kevin. Pictured here is Alex. Yep. That's my sis.

On to Philly. See you in the City of Brotherly Love...

-aust

ps:

As always...

Follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/austinhl1

Friend me here: http://www.facebook.com/austinhl

Check out more pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinhl1/

Listen to some tunes here: http://www.myspace.com/austinhl

Charleston, SC - The Tin Roof

It's always preferable to headline a show. This is a no brainer. The headliner is usually the band that draws more people, has been around longer, gets more money, has to dodge more airborne panties, etc. And as a headliner, a show is always better if you have a terrific opener. They get the the crowd pumped up, they hopefully draw a few numbers themselves, and they in general provide entertainment while the headliner is busy warming up their nostrils in the green room.

You know me. I headline. Its what I do. I've been in this business 25 years.

So, as stated before, it's a real treat when I show up to a club and see that the promoter has put some serious local talent on the bill to open the show. Obviously I have no fear of being upstaged, so it's nice to see a band play their hearts out to warm a crowd up for me so I can take the stage and BRING THE MOTHERF--KER DOWN.

Charleston was one of those nights. The opener killed it. Really good. But to be honest, I expected a little more music and less banter with the crowd. And, as long as we're being open here, I didn't really like how many questions they asked the audience, ya know? It's like, you're supposed to get on stage and rock! Not just sit up there and "reward" people if they get one of your inane questions correct. So, ok, I was a bit miffed, but overall, great show, great times, perfect opener / headliner combination.

Next stop: NYC. See you in the Big Apple...

-Aust

ps:

As always...

Follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/austinhl1

Friend me here: http://www.facebook.com/austinhl

Check out more pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinhl1/

Listen to some tunes here: http://www.myspace.com/austinhl

pps:

Hulk Hands!!

Atlanta, GA

On the road again. After a refreshing few days with family and "friends" (see "girls trying to pay their way through college"), we hit the road and headed to Atlanta to play Smith's Olde Bar with our new buddies Hightide Blues (http://hightideblues.com/). I had heard a lot about this joint and have a lot of friends who have played there, so I was shocked when I arrived and found that no one had ever told me how delightfully charming the backstage decor was! In short, it's my hypothesis that many of the musicians who have played Smith's have taken the liberty of adding their own dashing accents to the walls, most of which are creatively influenced by the combination of two main themes:

1. The names of other bands, and...

2. A youthful, nostalgia-inspiring brand of humor that, for so many of us, is tragically lost when we shed the innocence of childhood for the laborious rigors of modern adulthood.

We really must take a moment to appreciate musicians, for they have for centuries ignored the call of society to graduate from juvenescence, and in doing so, have proven to us that their seemingly sophmoric tomfoolery is actually a reflection of a society who has long since forgotten the nectar of youth's sweet taste.

At least that's one explanation.

Here's another...

Backstage at Smith's from Austin Hartley-Leonard on Vimeo.

Ramz, warming up the pipes.

Aust and Ramz, playing to a packed (ish?) house...

Ramz...after hearing the "Taco Mac in Atlanta, GA" story...it's kind of a classic. We didn't end up eating there.

So...Hightide Blues went on after us and killed it. Great band, great tunes. While they're playing, a few young ladies wander over to the merch table. Here's how it goes...

They say "Hey, we really enjoyed your set, you guys were really great."

Twenty minutes of conversation go by...

Then I say "Fantatstic, sounds like a great gig, thank you so much for inviting us. Ramz and I have never played Tuscaloosa before, but it sounds great. So nice to meet you, we'll see you there next week."

Tour serendipity, you are a sultry vixen.

To be continued...

2 Days Off in Hilton Head, SC!

3 guys. 3 bikes. 2 nights. 1 Strip club. No joke.

Birmingham, AL: o'Kafes!

Ramz and I wake up in Baton Rouge. I'm on a couch. He's on a couch. Heads are cloudy. We have the next 4 days off. Our only plan is to head to Hilton Head, SC to hang out with my pops for a few days to wait out the Labor Day weekend, a weekend that, like all holiday weekends, is tough to book shows on as drawing a crowd can be challenging. Neither of us are functioning at 100%. My only thoughts are on hydrating.

Ramz has a thought. "That promoter from Birmingham never got back to me."

Aust has a brilliant response. "Sucks."

Ramz: "I'm gonna email him. Maybe we can play a few tunes tonight"

Austin H-L brilliant response #2: "Cool"

Email. Phone call. Call back. Email back.

We get a gig in Birmingham.

Shower. Pack the car. Pop-Tarts. On the road to B'ham.

o'Kafes! is a coffee joint that sells all organic, free-trade coffee and supports local as well as national singer/songwriters. It's like being in Seattle in the early 90's minus the heroin addiction.

We get to the venue, set up, eat, and play. Show goes well. Going on after us is a band originally from Tuscaloosa called Hightide Blues. I'd heard of them before but never seen them live, and they were friggin great.

They finish. We pack up. As we're leaving, I go over to Paul, the lead singer and a sweetheart of a guy, to say thanks and goodbye.

"Hey man great show, really enjoyed it. Thanks for letting us play , it was a blast."

Paul's response: "Well shee-it man, y'all were great. We're playin at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta on Sunday, y'all want us to throw you on the bill?"

(editor's note: Smith's Olde Bar is an institution. An absolute classic, and hands down one of the best live music joints in Atlanta, I've kinda always wanted to play there)

"Ummm...wow...yeah, absolutely!"

"Cool man, I'll let my manager know."

...and that's how you book a show at a great rock club in a market you rarely play. Hope you're taking notes.

Pack the car, tell the guys thanks and see ya on Sunday, exchange cds, get in the car, and drive until 7am when we pull into South Carolina. 3 last minute shows in three days. Tour serendipity I love you.

Here are the boys from Hightide Blues, cold rockin'. Follow 'em... @hightideblues

-aust

ps: As always...

Follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/austinhl1

Friend me here: http://www.facebook.com/austinhl

Check out more pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinhl1/

Listen to some tunes here: http://www.myspace.com/austinhl