David Young's 18 piece band was a huge hit on our Big Day! My husband wanted to give me a nice…read morewedding day gift by booking a band that played jazzy stuff reminiscent of Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons (Jersey Boys), which I LOVE. They did an excellent job entertaining our guests during dinnertime, and lots of people commented on how much they enjoyed them! They aim to please and were easy to book. You won't regret having them entertain for your event!

The Vintage 15 is an AWESOME band available for clubs, parties, weddings. They are outstanding,…read moreprofessional, thorough, humorous and easy to work with. David Young is the band leader and extraordinary human being. We used the Vintage 15 and Austin Nines combo at our wedding and not only was their music spot on and outstanding, David was so organized and gave us great peace of mind as he organized and orchestrated the entire order of events for our wedding reception. Simply outstanding. Their music is exactly what you want: Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Journey, Elvis - all perfect! I cannot say enough great things about them. They're amazing!

Cabaret music right here in Austin! It's like a night in New York with wine, dinner and a bunch of…read morefriends. Enjoy smooth vocals and amazing piano styling by Broadway Stars and Musical Artists like Steve Ross, Ann Hampton Calloway, Eartha Kitt, Charo, Faith Prince, Jim Caruso's Cast Party and the alike. The first time was one of the best Austin experiences ever... I've been going back every season for the past 7 now - luvs it luvs it!

If you like dancing, you MUST check out the Austin Swing Syndicate! This place is just so good…read more Every Thursday the Fed transforms into swing central with multiple dance lessons and lots of dancing to big band tunes. The instructors for the classes are phenomenal and teach at just the right level (free beginner classes start at 8:15 pm!); and, you can satisfy your dance needs for many dance styles: Lindy hop, balboa, shag, solo jazz... Most highly recommend signing up for the monthly dance class series! The social dancing afterwards is always a great time, whether it's a DJed party or a live music event. The great hall of the Fed is filled with more than hundred folks of all ages (15 through 70+) who want to bust a move. You don't need to come with a partner or a friend, but you can also make it a great outing with your friends, if that's more your jam. The live music events that occur once a month feature great local bands and make the whole evening a whole lot more special and fun. Bring your water bottle! Lots of dancing means lots of sweating. They also sell water in plastic bottles, but we don't want to pollute our planet, do we? Free parking is available a few short blocks away (check their website for details). And, they offer two tiers of membership to cut down the cover fees. Both are a great deal, but if you are committed to weekly dancing, the sustaining membership is an awesome deal. You get a free tshirt, three passes for guests per year, and free admission to all weekly dances among other benefits.

The Syndicate dances are an institution of the Austin swing/lindy scene. They've been going since…read more1999, and are still growing. I started going to the Thursday night dances at The Fed almost as soon as they started, though I took a hiatus for several years when I moved away to go to college. Now that I'm back, I go out almost every week! It's a great group of people and an easy place to make friends. There's a fantastic system in place for processing beginner dancers... and the consistency of this system over the past 10 years is definitely a major reason why swing dancing survived its "fad" status in Austin, and continues to attract new dancers. People hear about the Thursday dance, come early for the 8:15 beginner's lesson, get hooked, and everyone tells them to take lessons from Four on the Floor (classes are conveniently held at The Fed on Tuesday nights). There are several great options in town for learning how to dance, but Four on the Floor has been going since 1997 (yes, I took their early classes in the Starlite Gallery), and is definitely a crowd favorite. There's also The Lindy Project, Go Dance, not to mention tons of private instructors. The Thursday night dances are all-ages, smoke and alcohol-free, set in a beautiful historic mansion. No partner necessary! Cheap to get in, especially if you pay for a yearly membership. The Fed has a small private lot on 24th St., as well as some street parking, but most people try to park across the street at the bike shop's parking lot. There's usually a DJ, but sometimes there's a live band for special events. There's also a side room for dances other than swing/lindy, usually balboa, blues, or west coast swing. Variety is the spice of life, after all! There's a beginner lesson for these alternate dances at 8:15, at the same time as the beginner swing lesson (in another room). Austin Swing Syndicate is involved in more than just the weekly dance. Special events like The Austin Lindy Exchange, workshops, competitions, and more bring dancers from around the world to Austin. I gave them a four out of five stars primarily because the very consistency which makes them such a great avenue for getting new dancers dancing, means that it can also be a rut, and people sometimes forget that Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World. So many people only go to the Thursday night dance, which is safe, but sometimes boring. Please, visit www.austindance.net and go dance to some live music!

Most uncomfortable fucking chair I've ever fucking sat in in my fucking life. And actual torture…read moredevice if you have back issues. Staff was lovely and the show was fine.

Wonderful time here with the Santi Espinosa show yesterday. The place is trendy for these type of…read moreshows and the staff tries to keep it organized with effective and efficient service. We loved the show, had some food because I was so hungry, but it was good. The main event was absolutely hilarious. Even when it rained, we still had a great time. When the show ended, they evacuated everyone to make space for the next show, which I understand as it's business, but I would've liked to stay and mingle a little bit. Its hard when places are small and can only accommodate a specific number of people. However, the experience was great and we had a great time. Laughed a lot! It was definitely more the experience than the actual location.

I did not know this was a weekly thing, but we saw the 4th of July concert and fireworks show. It…read morewas not nearly as crowded as I expected (feared) it to be, and it was a great show. At least for the 4th of July, there were plenty of vendors, or you could just bring your own coolers and lawn chairs to enjoy the music. The Yeti Flagship is within walking distance, and we saw MANY people with brand new Yeti coolers on the lawn if you're doing last-minute planning.

Sunday evenings! Love them. I steal a couple of glorious hours hosting a leisurely picnic with…read morefriends while watching the sun go down and being serenaded by a portion of the Austin Symphony with the picturesque city skyline as a back drop. In their ninth season, these concerts are the Hartman Foundations summer gift to Austin. During this 2011 summer season, every Sunday from June 5 to Aug 28, they rotate a weekly program of Strings, Brass, Woodwinds and Big Band. The music starts promptly at 7:30 but die hard Symphony goers, extreme picnicers and take out eaters start are known to get there 30-45 minutes ahead, and enjoy the evening. It is family, kid and dog friendly. It is the perfect wind down to a summer weekend! Here is their 2011 schedule: http://www.austinsymphony.org/events/hartman-foundation-concerts-in-the-park/

We hired the Strings Attached string quartet to play our wedding ceremony. It should have been a…read morered flag that the only way I could get a hold of him was through text . A couple months before the wedding I was sent a form to complete (that I had to reach out to get) about which specific songs I wanted played during each part of the ceremony. I sent it back and everything seemed like it was fine. The day of the wedding rolls around, and I can't really speak to the quality of the songs since I didn't hear anything except the song I was to walk down to. Which, let me preface this- I chose this specific song because my grandfather used to sing it to my grandmother who recently passed away. I get up there and hear that my song is already ending! They had switched my song with the wedding party's! I was pretty flustered and before I could ask them to just start again I had been shoved down the aisle by my wedding planner (whole other story). Anyway the wedding was still amazing and I get to spend my life with my best friend BUT wanted to warn anyone else if they choose to use Will make sure you are VERY thorough. Especially if you have music that has sentimental value. PS- another red flag: my wedding planner recommended them who I incidentally don't recommend as well...

My wife and I attended the 'Strings on Grass' concert by 'Strings Attached' with guest artists:…read moreLibby Kirkpatrick, Anthony DeCosta, and featuring Jimmy LaFave. It was a delight. An informal house concert in the backyard with an adoring audience, and great musicians having a great time performing and improvising accompaniments. I forgot how powerful live performances are with the spontaneity and joy that goes with it. It was a perfect date night with my wife.

Saw them lst week in Rockwall. They were awesome and a ton of fun. After the first couple of…read moresong, the crowd started signing along, and then each song was better than the one before. The whole place was signing and dancing. Thinking about hiring them for my wife'd bday party.

Fallout Theater is a local gem of a theater that provides comedy relief and education for…read moreAustinites and visitors. The theatre runs shows on a nightly basis, usually after 7 or 8pm in the evening and simultaneously teaches a bunch of different comedy classes, including improv, stand-up, sketch, clown, and other one-off specialty comedy classes. Most of the normal classes run for approximately 8 weeks and are about 2 hours a week. The pricing for almost 16 hours of instruction is usually super reasonable (~$250 classes, or less than $15/hr). Most instructors are local Austin veterans and I've always enjoyed taking classes at the Fallout (at least for improv) and often end up being local community members that you'll see in shows or other comedy-related events. Shows are often affordable and a fun date night option that have different themes catering to anything you'd like. There's a small amount of snacks (candy) and a bar up-front for show attendees. Parking is relatively limited but not impossible to find. You can find street parking usually just one block north of the Fallout on 7th Street, 8th Street, Guadalupe, and Lavaca.

Great spot for a Saturday night. The staff was very kind and the show was funny. It was a little…read morewarm but not too bad.