Dive Bar Night #29! Hotter Than Hell Tour

Dive Bar Night is BACK! Friday, July 25th, 2008!!!

Greetings People!
The Dive Bar Crew is BACK! I swear, since 2002 when we first started out with Dive Bar Night we've had more reunions than The Eagles. I know what you're thinking... fo shizzle my nizzle! Let's do this! OK, so maybe that's just what I'm thinking. Regardless, we're kickin' this bad boy off on FRIDAY, July 25th, 2008 which marks 6 years and officially Dive Bar Night #29.

The Dive Bar Crew proudly presents: "Hotter Than Hell Tour" Shoal Creek Saloon, Deep Eddy Cabaret, G&S Lounge, and the legendary Donn's Depot. We'll be staying in the 703 and 704 zip codes of Austin. Keep reading below for more details.


Hopefully I don't have to explain the title. The previous DBN (#28) was mid-January and in the 20's, so we promised if we had DBN #29 that it would be sometime during the summer when we could feel our fingers to hold the beer. Looking back... I have no clue what the heck we were thinking; however, I'm glad some of us managed to brave the bitter cold and icy rain (See Archives for recap). Sure there are people in Green Bay laughing their asses off at us right now. Don't be haters, just cause you live in frozen tundra for 4-5 months out of the year. I'll take the heat over cold any day of the week. Funny enough, now it's hitting triple digits daily in Central Texas and I'm complaining about how freakin' hot it is. It's going to be a grrrrrrrrreat line up! Crank up the AC and let's roll. The last time we went this route was back in October 2005. They were scared of us then... and they'll be scared of us now.

For those of you who have been around with us long enough... glad to have you back. New to the DBN scene? Hold on tight. Welcome to the family. Good luck. Eat your Wheaties!

Dive Bar Night is like riding a bike. Once you've participated in this treacherous night of shenanigans and tom foolery, you pretty much get it. And just like riding a bike... yeah, sometimes folks fall. Kinda funny when that happens actually; but, that's a whole other story.

Naturally, some of you may be new to the whole DBN experience, so here's a quick definition:

DIVE BAR NIGHT (die-vuh barrr n-eye-tuh)
The collaboration of friends and people we don't know. Often partnered with cold cheap domestic beer, a jukebox, bad decor, poor lighting, nasty restrooms, and bartenders older than yo' mama. Dives are local watering holes (never chains) and known as "pubs" in England, Scotland and Ireland. Bad attitudes, circus folk, spiders and credit cards not welcome. Cash always accepted.

So, we're starting a new section called "Dive Bar Night's Shameless Free Advertising". This month's recipient is a local Austin band called New Disaster. They play rock-n-roll that's young, dangerous and heavy and were voted Austin's Best Hard Rock Band 2007. New Disaster are currently part of "The Sound and the Jury" band contest sponsored by Dell. The band with the most votes gets to play the stage at ACL Festival 2008. Yeah, that doesn't suck.

Do me a favor, please click on the link, take a listen for yourself, and vote for New Disaster:

http://www.delllounge.com/soundandjury/?id=6793805f-585f-4274-b9ce-6b0385fde206

If anything, it gives you a fresh perspective of what's going on in the local Austin music scene.

Before we go any further... it is necessary to share The Dive Bar Crew's GOLDEN RULE: Be Safe. Drink Responsibly.
We're all adults here, so don't be stupid! If you've had too much to drink, get a ride from someone, or call a cab (Yellow Cab 512-452-9999). No BS.

OK, back to business... So where are we going?

Friday, July 25th, 2008 - Austin, Texas.
Dive Bar Night #29! "Hotter Than Hell Tour"

STOP #1:
Shoal Creek Saloon - Time: 6:00ish - 7:30
909 N. Lamar St. Austin, TX 78703. (512) 474-0805
We're kicking off "Hotter Than Hell Tour" at a little dive known as Shoal Creek. Food is a necessity to sustain life. You could say the same about beer... but then you'd just be a fool. Shoal Creek's got both. Try the burgers or catfish basket. Just a quick stop to get us fueled up for the evening. Like we always say... Let's kick the night off right! Shoal Creek on an early Friday evening? What could be better!?

STOP #2:
Deep Eddy Cabaret - 7:45 - 9:15ish
2315 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703. (512) 472-0961
Hands down, Deep Eddy "used to be" the smokiest bar in Austin. The only threat to their title was The PLT (Parmer Lane Tavern). Since the smoking ban, I'm curious to see what that place looks like, because there used to be an unmistakable fog in that joint. Nevertheless, it is a DBN icon and remains one of our favorite dives in Austin. The good thing about Deep Eddy is that the pitchers of beer are cold and cheap. This place may still even have a Galaga or Miss Pac Man machine. That's how dated the technology is at Deep Eddy. This is also probably where Big Mike will kick off the legendary DBN card game "KINGS". Not for the weak, so bring your "A" Game!

STOP #3:
G&S Lounge - 9:30 - 11:30
2420 S. 1st Street, Austin, TX 78704. (512) 707-8702
If you don't know and understand the term "no soup for you!" then it's time for you to come out from under that rock. I'm not saying that G&S Lounge has the Soup Nazi or anything; but let's just say he's more of a Beer General if you will. Have your money ready, smile, don't stare directly at him, and you sure as hell better know what you want to drink before stepping up to the bar. Oh, and please don't be that moron that can't decide between a mojito or Manhattan and gets tossed into the parking lot for ordering night club foo foo drinks. Pick a beer and order. It's a Simple Dive Bar Rule. Besides, G&S is an entertainment mecca. Video games, shuffleboard, air hockey, pool tables, and they even have one of those Zoltar machines like Tom Hanks had in the movie "BIG". How cool is that? Actually, it's quite frightening, but that's just me. Bottom line, they have beer and The Dive Bar Crew will be there, so bring it!

BONUS STOP #4:
Donn's Depot - 11:45 - ???
1600 W.5th Street. Austin, TX 78703. (512) 478-3142
Donn's Depot is a Dive Bar Night staple for us. Definitely the most visited establishment in DBN history. And why not? If you are a dive connoisseur, then live music at Donn's Depot is an excellent way to finish off a great evening. If you're brave enough to withstand the long night of DBN, you'll quickly see what makes this place so special to us. Fire up and don't be skeered! (And yes... that's Donn in the picture below)

For archive pictures from previous Dive Bar Nights (#1-28) See the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcooke/collections/

Questions or Comments? E-mail us at DiveBarNight@gmail.com

CHEERS!
The Dive Bar Crew
(aka J Cooke, Big Mike, Sista Clare, & Big Dave)