Upcoming shows
(at the Cantina Sound Workshop)
It will have been too long since Susan Gibson played at Cantina Sound House Concerts (1.5 years), but this time we are featuring just Susan.
For the few who are not familiar with Susan Gibson, she came to prominence when The Chicks recorded her song "Wide Open Spaces". She got her musical career started after college as a member of the band The Groobees. Susan's latest CD is "The Hard Stuff", but she has released six other CD's of music, including a live album. Susan regularly hosts and participates in songwriter workshops.
"The Hard Stuff is what happens when a brilliant intellect conjures heart and life experience into song, conveyed in a voice you want to crawl inside forever, and produced to perfection without any hint of compromise." - Eliza Gilkyson
"When I listen to a Susan Gibson song, I know she is sharing a piece if her heart and soul with me. Susan writes about true stories in her life. She writes with courage puts forth her message with powerful and heartfelt guitar and vocals. It only takes a few lines of her recorded songs for me to recognize that "Susan Sound." Her new record has that for sure. Enjoy....." - Lloyd Maines - Music producer and musician.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations are open.
Way back in May 1994, I went to an early evening Austin Lounge Lizards show at Antone's, the old location on the drag. There was a beautiful woman sitting at the next table. At the break Tom Pittman (then a member of the Lounge Lizards) stoped and talked to this woman and then stopped at my table to talk to me before he went back on stage. I then talked to her until the end of the break. During the second set, her date finally joined her. I called Tom the next day and asked if he knew how to get hold of Mary Jo. He said he didn't but about 6 weeks later, he had her meet him at the Threadgill's Wednesday night Sittin' and Suppin', knowing I would be there. After dinner, I asked her to go over to The Cactus Cafe to hear some other musicians I knew. We met for lunch the next day and 5 months later we were married, 31 yers ago.
The Austin Lounge Lizards were founded in 1980 with Conrad Deisler, Hank Card and Tom Pittman. That is a long time for a band to be around. Yes, there has been a somewhat rotating list of musicians in the band over all of those years, with Tom retiring from the band in 2011. The current line up consists of Conrad, Hank, and joining them in 2016, former members, Kirk Williams and Tim Wilson.
If you are not already familiar with the Austin Lounge Lizards, their songs spoof subjects such as politics, religion, romance, and themselves. The self-proclaimed "Most Laughable Band in Show Business" features pointed lyrics, precise harmonies and instrumental expertise. From "Creatures from the Black Saloon" to "Home & Deranged" they currently have 11 CD's and 2 DVD's available on their website.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
We were introduced to Amy LaVere through an appearance of her husband, Will Sexton at the Monday Night Supper Club.
Amy and Will have been music collaborators and touring companions for 11 years. LaVere’s songwriting is pointed and clever with lyrics that are hard to shake. Once you hear her captivating voice, it will be forever instantly recognizable.
Amy has been recording albums since 2005 with This World is Not My Home, Anchors & Anvils, Stranger Me, Runaway’s Diary, Hallelujah I’m A Dreamer, and her latest Painting Blue. She recorded Go On Now, You Can’t Stay Here (The Wandering), Sisters Of The Strawberry Moon, and as part of the band Motel Mirrors, Motel Mirrors, In The Meantime, Gotta Lotta Rhythm. There has also bene other collaborations on a number of additional albums.
Will has a long history with music, from his early days with Will & the Kill through his collaboration with his brother in the Charlie Sexton Sextet (Under A Wishing Tree) to his solo albums, Don’t Walk the Darkness, Hallelujah, I'm a Dreamer, Move the Balance, Scenes From Nowhere, and Bus Stop Gossip, Other Lies, & Respected Crimes.
Take a listen to some of their music.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
MJ and I have seen both Jenny Reynolds and Emily Shirley many times. We will a special December show with these two songwriters in a song swap. Katie Lessley will be joining them with harmony vocals. While this technically is not a Christmas show, a few Christmas songs with be performed.
Jenny Reynolds recently release her fifth record, Willow & Stone (June 19, 2026), a follow up to 2020's critically acclaimed “Any Kind of Angel”. She lives by the motto of "Work hard, be nice, keep moving". Jenny is a native New Englander has worked with many Boston based musicians.
Emily Shirley is an accomplished songwriter, releasing 3 EP and many, many singles. She performs solo, with her own band and as part of Sister Golden Hair the band. Katie Lessley performs frequently with The Emily Shirley Band.
I'll add more information shortly.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
We first saw Tony Kamel when he was part of Wood & Wire at Fischer Haus Concerts. Since Wood & Wire broke up, we have seen the Grammy nominated Tony (and sometimes with Kym Warner) perform many times. Tony and Kym opened for Robert Earl Keen and we have seen him have a few festivals (Donkey Grass). He has played all around the US and the world, including many other festivals (AmericanaFest, River Revival, Peach Jam)
In addition to the Wood & Wire recordings, Tony now has his own recordings available, including "We're All Gonna Live" (CD and vinyl).
Tony plays guitar, banjo and even fretless banjo! His shows are always entertaining.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Neither Michael O'Connor nor Gabriel Rhodes are strangers to the Cantina Sound House Concerts audience. Both have previously performed here with other people. Now Michael and Gabriel are releasing a duo album in the Fall of 2026, so it's time to have them here together.
Michael O'Connor is a guitarist, singer and songwriter currently living in Washington State, but still spends a lot of time in Texas. For decades he has performed and recorded with musicians including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Adam Carroll, Susan Gibson, Terri Hendrix, and Jeff Plankenhorn.
We first saw Michael playing with Slaid Cleaves at the Sycamore Creek House Concerts, long before I got involved with Sycamore Creek. Since then we have seen him many times at the Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival, Gruene Hall, Fischer Haus, Sam's Burger Joint, SlimFest in Terlingua, and probably many other places.
"Michael O’Connor is well-acknowledged as a great guitarist, but you should listen to his songs as well. He writes beautifully, authentically and comes by that gritty gravel road of a voice honestly. You’ll not find a forced moment in his work.”
- Rod Picott
Gabriel Rhodes grew up in the shadow of Willie Nelson, starting out sweeping the floors at Willie's Pedernales Recording Studio to now running his own recording studio in his home. Gabe is well known as a producer (including producing Barbara Nesbitt's Lucky Street and his mother's [Kimmie Rhodes] release, Hypnotized, featuring the sone No Tom Petty).
Gabe released a solo album last year, Selling Tumbleweeds.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
During the pandemic, Jeff Plankenhorn hosted a weekly livestream. One of his guests was Sean Devine. I immediately ordered a copy of his latest CD. Sean came through Austin a few years ago, but we were tied up with other shows the whole time he was in town. last week, Susan Gibson recommend that he contact me about playing in the Austin area next March. I showed a few videos to Mary Jo and we agreed to host him at our series.
Sean Devine is a Montana based singer/songwriter. He released his first album, Walking Down the Road (1997) was remastered and rereleased (2022). His third album, Austin Blues was recorded at Cedar Creek Recording in Austin. His seventh, latest full album is Paradise Valley Sessions was just been released in August 2026. He also has previously released 2 EPs of songs. His song Lost In Austin was recorded virtually during the pandemic with musicians (including Warren Hood) in Austin, Fort Worth, Kansas City, and Montana.
"Part Jason Isbell and part Rich Krueger, Devine’s voice is perfectly suited to straddle the line between country and folk.” - TJ Music Magazin
"Sounds like a wonderful mix of Robert Earl Keen and Bob Dylan. It has a little country, folk, and rock and roll. This guy knows how to write and craft a beautiful song." Harry Kaplan - Twangrila
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
We first saw Sam Baker at Sycamore Creek Concerts. His recent appearances at The 04 Center reminded us of what a good songwriter and performer he is.
Sam has a new recording coming out in September (2026), Survivor, produced by Rodney Crowell and is being released on a Rodney's RC! label in partnership with Guy Clark's Truly Handmade Records. His first recording, Mercy, was released in 2004 followed by Pretty World, Cotton, Say Grace, and his 2013 Land of Doubt, that Rolling Stone rates as one of the best country albums of 2013. A live album, Horses and Stars, followed in 2024 he released Win Win, his first collaboration with Rodney Crowell's RC! label in partnership with and Guy Clark's Truly Handmade Records.
PRESS QUOTES
"Maybe the most captivating songwriter in America." LONE STAR MUSIC
"The Bard of the Workaday World." THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"Simultaneously beautiful and broken — an artist worth waiting for." NPR ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
"Words that, if you were to cut them, they would bleed." RAY WYLIE HUBBARD
"Sam isn't a singer so much as a storyteller. That is his charm and his magic." HELEN MITCHELL, FATEA
"The personal becomes universal through his keen-eyed writing." JIM FUSILLI, WALL STREET JOURNAL (ON SAY GRACE)
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Darden Smith has been around Austin music for many, many years. I first heard his collaboration with Boo Hewerdine, I then explored his earlier music and have been following his work ever since then, from his first album, Native Soil (1986) to his latest, Western Skies.
“When I write a song,” says Darden Smith, “the way it ends up is usually not the way I thought it would be when I started.” And that notion of exploration, of following unexpected paths, has been a constant force in his over 40-year career as a musician. Smith has long transcended traditional singer-songwriter boundaries.
Over the years, Darden has released 17 albums. In addition to music, Darden is versitile in many other forms of art including photography, drawing, painting, video, printmaking, essays and performance. He has published two books, The Habit of Noticing: Using Creativity to Make a Life (and a Living) (2018) and Western Skies (2022 to accompany his Western Skies album).
He has been involved over the years with multiple non-profit projects, Be An Artist Program and Songwriting With: Soldiers.
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Our annual Barbara Nesbitt show!!!
Barbara hosted the Monday Night Supper Club at El Mercado South with Ben Jones with different guest each week. She is also a member of Sister Golden Hair The Band that plays monthly and corporate shows presenting the best of vocal harmonies from the 70's and 80's.
Barbara has now released six solo albums, Lucky Street (2025), Someday, Maybe Sooner (2020), Right As Rain (2017), Almost Home (2013), A Million Stories (2007), The Bees (2010). In addition she has a CD out as one-half of "The Whiskey Sisters" (2013).
“With a voice that is clear as a mountain meadow and emotive as Patsy Cline, Barbara Nesbitt sings songs of life's journeys with fire grace and country soul” - Ray Benson, Asleep At The Wheel
The requested minimum donation is $30 per person at the door. All donations go directly to the artists.
Reservations to be opened for this show about a month before the show, but sign up on our mailing list to be the first notified.
Discussions are underway with other artists for shows later next year.