Music Matters

Blues legend Lavelle White returns to the stage with a performance at theRooftop

Lavelle White has been an integral part of the Texas — and national — blues scene for decades. And, at the age of 83, White is still sharing her phenomenal talent with the ears of Austin.

The bluesy songstress ventured away from home in her early years to build a career, tour the world and share stages with such legends as B.B. King, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Eventually, after years on the road, White returned to Texas, making a lasting impression on the Houston music scene before settling in Austin.

On Saturday, August 11, Lavelle White returns to the Austin stage, this time at Uncle Billy’s Rooftop on Lake Travis.

Lavelle White became a staple of the Austin blues scene, maintaining a longstanding residency at famed blues club Antone’s. Though her voice has been gracing stages for decades, White has only released three albums, starting with 1994’s Miss Lavelle, released on the Antone’s label when she was 65.

Her records might be sparse, but her influence is not: In 2006, White was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame, solidifying her position as a Texas legend.

On Saturday, August 11, Lavelle White returns to the Austin stage, this time at Uncle Billy’s Rooftop on Lake Travis, where, as the sun goes down, the music will start. Saturday’s show offers a chance to catch the intimate performance of a true legend, and simultaneously support her in a time of need.

It’s been circulating recently that Miss Lavelle White has fallen on hard financial times, and is in desperate need of housing assistance. Her unfortunate situation has sparked a group of women in the entertainment industry — including Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland and Nancy Fly — to start an organization called HOME (Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers) to help raise money for her housing, and eventually other performers in need.

Saturday’s show at the Rooftop is a call for the music industry — and Austin’s music lovers — to head west for an evening and support one of our most cherished performers.

Tickets to the show are only $15, with VIP tickets available for $35. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:30 p.m.

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For more information on the newly-formed HOME organization, click here.

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Beach Days

Roller-skating Barbie café and cookie truck plan Austin visits

Photo courtesy of Mattel

The café will bring casual eats, roller-skating, and special events to Austin.

Move over, Red 3. Barbie is coming to town to paint the town pink in two different activations. One involves handing out health-conscious cookies from a fun truck February 11-13, and the other is a roller-skating pop-up café at Wanderlust Wine Co. that'll operate April 4 to June 15.

First the warm-up: Barbie has teamed up with Sweet Loren's, a bakery that caters to special diets. They'll be giving out beet-dyed, heart-shaped cookies for free at grocery stores around town. The purpose is to show off the product — pink cookie dough in ready-to-bake heart shapes — which is now available in stores. Fans might also win a year of free cookies.

Sweet Loren's avoids the top 14 food allergens like including gluten, dairy, eggs, and nuts. Founder Loren Brill realized a gap in the market for healthier cookies after the was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her early 20s. She overhauled her diet, but wished she could still buy cookie dough from the grocery store. Now the brand wants to make sure no one is left out when it comes to sharing food.

From a press release, find the truck at the following times and locations:

Tuesday, February 11 — 11 am to 2 pm at 9607 Research Blvd #300 (Whole Foods - Gateway store); 4-7 pm at 4301 W William Cannon Dr Bldg B Ste 800 (Whole Foods - Arbor Trails store)
Wednesday, February 12 — 11 am to 2 pm at 901 E 5th St. Ste 100 (Whole Foods - East Austin store); 4-7 pm at 11920 Domain Dr (Whole Foods - Domain store)
Thursday, February 13 — 11 am to 2 pm at 1801 E 51st St (H-E-B Mueller); 4-7 pm at 525 N Lamar Blvd (Whole Foods - Lamar store)

Next comes the pop-up café. This one takes its theme from the sporty Malibu Barbie, serving diner foods alongside a temporary skating "rink" with $1 roller skate rentals benefiting the charity partner Girls Inc. Even though it's hosted at Wanderlust, all ages are welcome, except for a "monthly" 21-and-up skate night. Other special events will include cupcake decorating classes and paint parties.

The fast casual menu was created by Chef Becky Brown, who has been a finalist on Master Chef and a champion on Chopped. Photos from other stops on the tour show pancakes with sprinkles, cheeseburgers, pita and hummus, and other brunch dishes — although a press release calls it "all-day fare."

“At Mattel we are always looking for exciting, new ways to bring the Barbie experience to life, said the brand's vice president of global location based entertainment, Julie Freeland, in the release. "From the décor to the menu, every detail has been thoughtfully designed to celebrate the iconic Barbie style."

$Malibu Barbie Caf\u00e9$ The Malibu Barbie Café will set up some fun photo ops.Photo courtesy of Mattel

Tickets ($25) for the café will be available starting February 17. For now, there's a waitlist to receive the first notifications that tickets are on sale. Wanderlust Wine Co. is located at 610 N. Interstate Hwy. 35. Times will become available when tickets are released.

pop-ups openings kids families

Music Matters

Blues legend Lavelle White returns to the stage with a performance at theRooftop

Beach Days

Roller-skating Barbie café and cookie truck plan Austin visits

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