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Tweet Tweet, here come The Bluebird Specials

Tweet Tweet, here come The Bluebird Specials

Ladies and gentlemen…

For the first time playing at the HOPE Farmers Market, please welcome to the stage…The Bluebird Specials!

Although it’ll be their first performance for us, we must confess: we’ve been trying to rope this trio in for quite some time! With regular shows at Austin’s finest honky tonk venues, including The White Horse, Hole in the Wall, and Scoot-Inn, they’ve had no problem finding their niche here in Austin. Previously referred to as a 3-piece Cowgirl Outfit, members Jackie, Katie, and Julie bring Texas some outside flavor sourced from their Midwest and Pacific Northwest roots.

But don’t take our word for it. Take a listen and read their words yourself:

We’re just two Missourians and a Pacific Northwesterner who met in a cat house in Big Sky Country. After burning it down we high-tailed it to Austin, Texas where we traded in our garters for sweet harmonies and hawked our wedding rings for musical instruments. The Bluebird Specials!

Look for them THIS Sunday as they storm the Plaza Saltillo stage with their upright bass, mandolin and big ole guitar. But will The Bluebird Specials all be wearing blue? I guess we’ll all find out this weekend…

The Bluebird Specials for HOPE FM Live

1 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, May 12

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Kunitan Band: “In the Moment”

Kunitan Band: “In the Moment”

This Sunday we’re proud to host Austin’s one and only community Andean band, Kunitan. We’re especially happy to welcome them to our new location at Plaza Saltillo because unlike their last performance with us in February, we’re actually expecting their entire group to fit on our new stage!

Kunitan, translated as “in the moment” in Bolivian Quechua, truly captures the spirit in their name. With members from a wide range of South American countries, including Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, this collective Andean band has an ever-changing member lineup but a shockingly consistent unity. However, according to the group, this type of band is the traditional Andean way as little distinction is made between musicians and audience.

In the Andes, everyone is considered to be musical. In fact, the distinction between musicians and audience

is erased as everyone jumps in on the experience. This is why our group is open to participants with or

without musical experience. As long as people are curious to learn about different cultures and open to

enjoying the music in their own way, everyone is welcome! 

While believing that music is something to share as a common humanity, they show no hesitation to educate audiences about Latin America as they entertain with their multi-cultural sound. The diversity of this sound is quite outstanding as they cover a variety of traditional South American rhythms like Peruvian huaynos, Bolivian tinkus, Ecuadorian sanjuanitos, Argentinian chacareras, Brazilian choros, Colombian bambucos fiesteros, and Venezuelan joropos among others.

If you would like to know more about Kunitan and their musical project, you can contact Michelle Wibbelsman at kunitanmusic@gmail.com. But if you’re really looking for a treat, make sure to visit the market this Sunday for their first Plaza Saltillo performance!

Kunitan for HOPE FM Live

1 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, May 5

Earth Day Kids Panel: What’s it like to live on a farm?

Earth Day Kids Panel: What’s it like to live on a farm?

 

The HOPE Farmers Market and HOPE Play will be hosting a live stage panel discussion with Jimmy, Ada, Drew and Lila of the Johnson’s Backyard Garden family. Ray Ray Mitrano of HOPE Play will ask questions about what it is like to live on a farm near a city and answers will be both discussed and drawn!

Bring a picnic blanket, grab some food and enjoy Earth Day with us at noon.

For the latest updates see the event page.

Q&A to follow

 

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Sound of The State

Sound of The State

Mike. Thomas. Caroline. Kevin. And, The State.

Combining forces with an upright bass, viola, fiddle, guitar and a pair of vocals, The State, proves to know how and when to chime in with their instruments. Try listening to their title song, Brooklyn Boy, and you’ll agree in their ability to not only harmonize their upbeat vocals but also pair them with a lovely little melody.

But to get a feel for what this crew of four is really about, we wanted to share with you the song that caught our attention and might catch yours too: Soil and Soul.

 ”I think I’m done with all that Rock N Roll…I wanna sing out to the open blue sky and a prairie up on a vacant green hill, I wanna be vocalizing about the soil and soul. You don’t get that in the city, all that back beat and gritty. I wanna be hearing about the soil and the soul…Goodbye Rock N Roll and hello to the soil and the soul.” 

Always trying to balance our own love for the city we call Austin and the wide open spaces we call Hill Country, we find this song gratifying. It calmly expresses our yearning to bring the simplicity of the soil, back into the city limits.

We try to do this each Sunday at the HOPE Farmers Market and are happy to host folks who are trying to do the same. Catch The State THIS Sunday for their first time at Plaza Saltillo!

The State for HOPE FM Live

1 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, April 14

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The Blackwells are Back!

The Blackwells are Back!

Six months after I moved to Austin, I met The Blackwells.

It was a warm summer night in the Hill Country and my first BBQ in Texas. Surrounded by new friends, smoked bbq and a few lone stars, I quickly fell in love with the whole sherade. Although I’ve repeated nights like this since, this time in particular I was surrounded by something new: homemade Caronlina-meets-Texas bluegrass.

With two guitars strumming, a banjo pluckin and vocal harmonies to boot, I was instantly captured by this simple, yet beautiful moment. I’ve had friends pick up instruments and jam here and there, but this spontaneous, yet coordinated sound had me at their first note. Not yet realizing they were actually forming a band, I approached the soft singer of the evening, Lizzy Lehman, and asked if she’s played around town. It turns out that after moving from North Carolina and Chicago to Austin, the new group was just getting their feet under them and were soon ready for a performance (insert the aha! light-bulb moment here).

After our bellies were full and the curtain of night drew the bbq to an end, I took note that I had to hear what I learned was the Blackwells, soon down the road. Just one month later, I asked them to share their hill country spirit and play for the HOPE Farmers Market’s music program, HOPE FM Live. And they said yes! We’ve been happy to host them many times since and are thankful they keep coming back for more local produce, fair-trade coffee and our community of music lovers.

Get your hats, bring your dog and mark yer calender folks because The Blackwells are bringing their magic to the stage of Plaza Saltillo this Sunday! It’ll be their first time in our new location, so come on out to give them the warm welcome they deserve. See you there!

–Jessie, HOPE FM Live

The Blackwells for HOPE FM Live

1 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, April 7

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Griffin School for HOPE FM Live!

Griffin School for HOPE FM Live!

Just as many of us think of a farmers market as just local produce, a majority of us tend to associate high school with required classes, weekly homework and maybe even a social food-chain. But not all of us follow the mold and neither does the Griffin School.

As a college preparatory high school that has a focus on creativity, they’re providing students the opportunity to get a solid education while balancing the freedom of students to direct their own curriculum based on their passions. From Film Production to Fashion Design, Metal Craft to Digital Illustration, Drama to Music Ensemble, they’re not only encouraging young students to follow their own interest, but are giving them the tools to do so.

So what does the HOPE Farmers Market have to do with the Griffin School you ask?
Well, we too believe in encouraging people to do what they love and with excitement. Whether you’re an eighty-five year-old percussionist, or a twelve year-old jewelry maker, pursuing that passion and sharing it with your community is what we believe is important. Thus! We’re happy to host two young bands this Sunday whose students attend, practice & hone in on their music skills at the Griffin School. One of these groups who are composed of a brother, a sister & a friend, go by Charlie Belle have already gotten a handful of experiences under their belts by playing at Austin City Limits Music Festival and SXSW.

Come to the Plaza Saltillo stage this Sunday to see Jenjayi, Gyasi and Zoe as they show us all what they can do!

Griffin School for HOPE FM Live

1 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, March 31

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Navasota String Band this Sunday!

Navasota String Band this Sunday!

Do the words Navasota, String, or Band mean anything to you?

Well, they do to us! As the HOPE Farmers Market has evolved over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to have one group grow with us: The Navasota String Band.

An Austin-based band comprised of four smiling fellas, Ryan O’Donnell, Zach McLean, Mateo Clarke and Joesph McGill, this string band has been with us through it all. They themselves have grown & changed, but continue to support our music program, HOPE FM Live, by gracing us with their presence, harmonies & banjo pluckin’ tunes.

We’re happy to host this Old Crow Medicine Show-meets-Huckleberry Finn group and hope you can make their free performance this Sunday! And if you can’t wait until then, check out their entertaining Lonesome Valley music video HERE.

 

Navasota String Band for HOPE FM Live

12 pm at Plaza Saltillo

Sunday, March 24

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SXSW Conjunto Block Party, Check!

SXSW Conjunto Block Party, Check!

If you’re reading this post, it means you managed to survive SXSW this year. Congratulations!

Although we had our fill of the varied music that came through Austin last week, we somehow managed to pull off an amazing showcase and wanted to share a little bit about it. For those of you who were too tuckered out from the week or who simply missed the memo, HOPE FM Live hosted its first Conjunto Block Party at Plaza Saltillo last Sunday!

Instead of tagging along with the usual madness that SXSW brings, we were honored to host a band whose style of music dates back to the late 19th century in the East Austin area. Representing a historic, yet prevalent genre Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia taught us the beautiful ways of the Tex-Mex polka. And to top it off, our friends at Folk Alliance International sponsored the performance by providing us with a state-of-the-art sound system and two friendly sound guys to show us the ropes!

Those who made the performance also witnessed the harmonizing duo Chave do Mar who opened the set and combined a mix of covers & originals with both English & Portuguese lyrics. And those that stayed through it all, visited our neighboring bar & venue, The White Horse, who closed up the afternoon as they hosted their usual Sunday best, the Conjunto Los Pinkys!

If you’re looking to catch more live Conjunto music in East Austin, be sure to see Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia every Tuesday at the Scoot-Inn from 7-9pm and Conjunto Los Pinkys every Sunday at The White Horse from 5-8pm!

Looking back on the week of SXSW madness we all realized that we learned one, tamale-sized lesson:

Austin, we love you just the way you are!