Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra take a taste of birthday cake.
Today — December 12, 2012 — would have been Frank Sinatra’s 96th birthday. Ol’ Blue Eyes, known equally for his velvet voice, handsome face and, of course, his gossip-worthy personal life, Sinatra captivated an international audience for over six decades. And he’s still earning new fans, proving the appeal of a smooth ballad is eternal.
Sinatra’s sold over 150 million records over his career, with 297 singles spanning 59 studio albums. He starred in dozens of films, put some edge on his golden boy rep as a member of the hard-partying Rat Pack and was famously linked to scores of leading ladies, including one-time wives Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow. The entertainment industry kingpin represented more than a generation; he changed the way America listened to music, visited the cinema and swooned over celebs. The least we can do is party in his honor, right?
Tonight at 7 p.m., the Alamo Drafthouse has two ways to bring birthday cheer to your Monday night. At their downtown Ritz theater, they’ll be screening Ocean’s Eleven — the original, classic, real version, no imitations allowed. To sweeten the deal, Beverage Director Bill Norris is offering four classic cocktails for one night only: enjoy a Manhattan, a Tom Collins, a Brandy Alexander or a Tequila Sunrise while you watch the Rat Pack try to take over Vegas with the perfect plan and plenty of coooool vibes.
Up at the Lake Creek location, give a more lyrical tribute at the Rat Pack Singalong. Grab a glass of liquid courage and work up the nerve to belt out your favorite tunes from Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin. Bon anniversaire, baby!
Silverada is returning home to Austin for three performances celebrating its new album, Living Proof.
Austin country-rock band Silverada are celebrating their new album, Living Proof, with three hometown performances. They'll play two shows on August 28 — one at Waterloo Records and one free concert from the Austin Motel rooftop — plus one at Antone’s Nightclub on August 29.
Constant touring has been central to Silverada’s identity and the dedicated fan base it has built over nearly two decades of performing. The Austin band began as Mike and the Moonpies, which the Austin Chronicle described as a “neo-traditional country bar band,” before shifting to the name Silverada in 2024.
In the band's earliest incarnation, they were a country cover band playing four-hour dance hall gigs, according to Austin Monthly. A three-year Monday-night residency at Hole in the Wall gave the musicians a place to develop enough original material to begin making records and performing their own sets.
Those early Austin shows grew into long nights on the Texas dance hall circuit, followed by national and international tours. By the time the musicians became Silverada, the Chroniclewas describing their sound as “amped-up Moonpies country-rock.” The band is now taking Living Proof, released August 7 through its own Prairie Rose Records, on a nationwide tour stretching into 2027.
The hometown celebration starts Friday, August 28, at 5:30 pm with a free performance and record signing at Waterloo Records, 1105 N. Lamar Blvd. Copies of Living Proof can be preordered through Waterloo or purchased at the store while supplies last. The band has already sold out of physical copies once, they posted on August 20, encouraging fans to make their demand known so more copies can be made.
Later that evening, Silverada will move several stories up for an 8 pm performance from the roof of the Austin Motel — making Silverada the first band to ever play there, a motel spokesperson says. Fans can watch the set from floats in the motel pool and order drinks from the Pool Bar. The concert is free with an advance RSVP.
The hometown run concludes Saturday, August 29, with a full album-release show at Antone’s Nightclub. Silverada will share the bill with The Weary Boys, who are also celebrating a new album, and The Wyatt Weaver Band. Doors open at 7 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm. The concert is for guests 21 and older, and tickets start at $39.70.
The three performances arrive as Silverada enters another musical era. The name change reflected a sound that had already grown beyond the honky-tonk of their early years, but a more consequential instrumental shift followed in 2025 when longtime pedal-steel player Zachary Moulton left the band.
Rather than permanently replacing Moulton with another steel guitarist, Silverada added keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Parker Twomey, who had previously toured with Paul Cauthen. Twomey’s piano and organ move to the center of Living Proof.
The change does not completely sever Silverada from their history. John Carbone played keyboards with Mike and the Moonpies from 2011-2020. On the new album, however, keyboards replace pedal steel as a defining element, moving the band further from straight honky-tonk and toward country-rock.
Living Proof is also Silverada’s first album recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Frontman Mike Harmeier, Texas musician John Evans, and the band produced the 10-song record together.
“The band has never been happier or in a more creative space than we’re currently in,” Harmeier said in promotional materials for the album. He said recording in a remote location with a new member allowed the musicians to collaborate in ways they had not previously considered.
Rolling Stone writer Josh Crutchmer got a close look at the band’s road life during the album’s release week. He joined Silverada in Montana and rode its tour bus to Challis, Idaho, where the band performed at the Braun Brothers Reunion on August 7, the day Living Proof was released. In the resulting Rolling Stone feature, Crutchmer considered whether a honky-tonk band could trade its pedal steel for keyboards and remain itself. The headline offered the article's conclusion: “It’s working.”
Living Proof is available to stream now. Vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, and band merchandise are available through Silverada’s online shop.
Happy Birthday Ol' Blue Eyes
Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra take a taste of birthday cake.
