Austria Takes On San Diego at The Office Bar - Sept. 11

While it was a somber day for most of the United States, Austria soldiered on by driving down to San Diego to play a popular club called The Office Bar, in the section of North Park. After a pre-show meal, the guys left their mark by banging out an explosive set that turned many heads in the room (including the bartenders'). While the The Office has been known as a place to gather to watch their beloved San Diego Chargers, the club should now be re-named "Austria's Office Bar."

Next up: Austria's show 9/16, in Downey.

Austria's Long Beach Show - Sept. 9

This was a great show, not only because of the performance, but the attendance. People had this look in their eyes that said, "Wow, so this is what good music in Spanish sounds like!" The expression on their faces was similar to many who approached the merch. table at various shows and inquired about the band. One woman quipped, "I don't even speak Spanish and I like this band!" It was a good thing the band had several pens on hand, because they signed a lot of autographs that day.

More on the Austria/So Cal Tour

I was probably too ambitious when I set out to blog about the Austria dates, day by day. Now that the guys have returned to Argentina and things have settled down a little, I plan to report on each of the rest of the shows.

The show following Irvine was September 7 at The Juke Joint, in Anaheim, . Booked by Christian Mejia of Intoroq, the band performed a very tight set that, by now, included their signature opener, España, written and sung by Martin Rougier. Some industry came to the gig and a handful of fellow Argentineans also attended the performance.

Next show - Long Beach.

Austria @ Great Park - Great Show

Austria's performance at Great Park in Irvine went very well. Sound issues delayed the set time, but once the guys got started (opening their set with Neil Young's "Buffalo Springfield"), the show went smoothly. This was not a typical Austria audience, but the crowd clearly picked up on the songs and the sound, and people inquired as to when the band would be returning.

Austria Shows Off to Good Start

Austria's first two shows were good, though Saturday's show in Paramount was much better, due to the fact that there was a sizable crowd to check out the band. While Friday's show at The Stardust in Downey was a really strong set, the band didn't go on until 1am. Saturday's show was an afternoon set and many people hung around to check out the group over a two-hour period. The guys play today at Great Park in Irvine.

Good Show for Lautaro at Great Park

Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap, of Austria, played solo/acoustic at Great Park in Irvine. Admittedly, a different demographic, but many of the onlookers got the message. The full band will play Great Park, next Sunday. The booker of the event would love to have the play a future date beyond 9/4, based on the album and Lautaro's performance.

Preparing for Sunday's Show and Promoting Others

Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap and Austria have been actively promoting their upcoming shows, most notably the gigs September 2nd and 7th. Lautaro will be hitting the streets of Anaheim tonight promoting the 9/7 show at The Juke Joint and tomorrow (Saturday) making the rounds in Downey for the show 9/2.

Lautaro plays solo/acoustic (and unplugged) at the intimate Great Park, Sunday, from about 11am - 1pm.