Events

[BLUES] Back before Austin, Texas blew up as the progressive oasis and arts capitol of the Lone Star State, Marcia Ball was the front gal for a band called Freda and the Firedogs. Their 1972 debut remains a snapshot of a Southern American culture unadorned by pretenses and airs—a time when a woman singing about sending a guy to “Fist City” if he gets too fresh was considered feminism. It took six years for Ball to release her solo debut, Circuit Queen, and she’s been at it ever since. In the ensuing 40 years, she’s steered more toward a bluesy tones from her progressive country beginnings, and her blend of Zydeco, swamp blues and boogie woogie, married with her two-fisted piano playing, make her quite unlike any other gal in the business. At 69, Ball’s show still brims with impressive energy, so don’t miss her at Sportsmen’s Tavern on Monday, August 20.