Annie Street Arts Collective

Nick Jaina, a musician out of Portland (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2Fnickjaina&s=2947308cf60e2b2ffb435ac49fa9bbc69e411542413dce670813db5260662fbe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/n…</a>), who is utterly amazing and my trans-continental friend (we've had serendipitous meetings and astoundingly lovely conversation in three cities so far), had listed on his tour circuit that he would be playing a show at the Annie Street Arts Collective, and I decided that another impromptu reunion was in order.

Imagining a San Francisco-styled warehouse gig complete with a zine library and silk-screening skillshare, Jes and I saddled up and prepared to ride into the sunset of a dirty live/work artists' district. We were surprised indeed to find a lovely little house in a quiet South Austin neighborhood, nestled back from the street, overhung by elms and glimmering with twinkling Christmas lights.

Inside, a handful of beaming locals enjoyed the first musical act of the evening: a sweet-faced boy with an angel's voice and a guitar in his lap. They beckoned to us through the lacy window curtains and made room on the carpet in front of the crowded couch.

Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for anyone doing anything awesome for local arts DIY culture, which is why Annie Street Arts Collective gets an automatic five star rating from me.

Keep in mind, this is their house - people live there, so don't go stopping by unannounced (and yes, I did get their permission to post this review). You can check their MySpace page to get the skinny on what will be going on at this bastion of homegrown hope. If there is anything that strikes your fancy, I highly recommend your attendance.

Perhaps it will inspire you to do some similarly whimsical act of optimistic artistic rebellion. I do hope so.