Randomly running into Idgy Vaughn

Why I love living in Austin

Yesterday, after I got home from yoga, I ran into my girlfriend at my house ( of all places! ) and she remarked that she had been cooped up all day and wanted to get out and do some walking. So, we cooked up some leftovers and then headed into town.

The question was: where to go that didn’t involve spending money ( things are a bit constrained post move, movers’ expenses, auto moving expenses, double rent, setting things up, ad nauseum ) and that didn’t involve eating things as we are both trying to shape-up post Bay Area lifestyle (deserts, gelato, pecan pie a la mode, ad nauseum, literally).

We settled on a walk around The University. Due to some strain she had inflicted on her knee, my girl was not up for climbing lots of stairs, so we wound up trying to take an easy, wandering route. We walked up 21st street, through Painter Hall, along the College of Business, around the back, along the east side of the Tower near Welch Hall, and then up the Eastern stairs to the Texas Union.

Preparing to leave the union, I wanted to show Lauren the Texas Student Union’s Cactus Club. As we neared the door we heard a really great female vocalist singing.

We walked a bit closer to The Cactus’ heavy door and the gentleman manning the door urged us in to catch the last few songs of Idgy Vaughn’s set. Ms. Vaughn, tiny, petite, thin, with a shock of red hair was singing in a voice that consumed the air of the club and playing gently lilting chords out of a single coil pickup Fender. We caught her final two numbers: “Good Enough” and “Redbone Hound”.

This serendipitous peripatetic led us to hear her beat out a sad, sad song about trying to be good enough for someone who’s angry, or, m_aybe someone who’d been angry all along_, as the lyrics say. It was touching without cliche and very, very beautifully sung. After such a melancholy number, “Redbone Hound” was a real spirits-raising, crowd-pleaser, and several of the audience knew just where to sing along.

The narratrix describes that after having failed so many times trying to find a good guy to call her own, she’s opting instead for a “Redbone Hound”. She waxes that they, at least, will be able to sing along together:

arrrOOOOOOOOOOO

and be howlin at the mmOOOoooooOOooooonnnn

It was such a laugh, such a joy, so funny, we were laughing the whole time.

Austin
Music