11 Comments

Glad to see Too Smooth getting some well-deserved mention. As a local concert promoter, we, Stone City Attractions, were fortunate to have enough clout to add Too Smooth as an opener to such major Acts as Aerosmith, Rush, Flash Cadillac, Captain Beyond and Judas Priest from 1975-1979. Check out our website at www.stonecityattractions.com. Too Smooth...such an excellent band.

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I worked as a bartender when Mother Earth first opened and eventually became the manager for a few months until the Weinstein brothers took over. I can tell you for a FACT that alcohol was served openly until 2:00am as early as 1972-73. I don’t know about the law then but it was certainly not a secret. Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina brought their band mates in for a gig and for a fine tuning of what became the “Sitting In” album. The band equipment was in Buffalo Springfield music cases that Messina kept after they broke up. They were FANTASTIC

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I worked at Mother Earth at the same time. I moved down from Dallas where I was working at the Scene West. The owners were one and the same for a short time. I remember Loggins and Messina. They were dragging people on stage and handing them a percussion instrument. The good old days in Austin!

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One of the most intimate concerts I’ve ever been at. I watched them rehearse the entire playlist the afternoon of the concert. Nobody was there except a couple of roadies and girlfriends. I sat about ten feet away and just listened to their craftsmanship as they went effortlessly through each number. They had a great Caribbean beat going much of the time…but I thought they could have used MORE COWBELLS!

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They were handing out cowbells, tambourines and anything that people could bang or shake that night. The show was great and very interactive. Glad there are still a few folks around to share the memories with!

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A special evening with a great group. Over 50 years ago and the images of the day/night remain quite vivid

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Good historical reporting - this slipped through:

"brothers Mark and Steve *Weinberg* bought it, kept the name, and converted those 11,000 square feet into a rock palace in 1972. In their early twenties, the *Weinsteins* had club ownership in their DNA."

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Thanks. Fixed it.

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Logging and Messina at Mother Earth!!

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Fires and Floods. Floods and Fires.

The original 10,500 sq ft Whole Foods Market opened September 20, 1980. Less than a year later, on Memorial Day 1981, the worst flood in 70 years devastated Austin. The store's inventory was wiped out and most of the equipment damaged. The losses were approximately $400,000 -- about $1.3 Million in today's US$ -- and WFM had no insurance. Customers and neighbors helped the staff repair and clean. Creditors, vendors, and investors allowed the store to re-open just 28 days after the flood.

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The Dallas connection continues. One of the waitresses who left Austin after Mother Earth burned down was Vickie Wade, who went on to work for Bill Simonson at Mother Blues in Big D.

Wow. Did not know about Pappy Weinstein's connection. Thanks.

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