Giving at Hotel Ella

Stylish, fun movers and shakers turn out for Caritas anniversary benefit at Hotel Ella

The vibe at Hotel Ella’s lovely upstairs ballroom Thursday night was, in typical local fashion, simultaneously fun, funky and swanky. Mighty happy supporters and equally proud board and staff members were there to celebrate the 50 (50!) years that local nonprofit Caritas has been the crucial factor in whether refugees and local homeless folks survive.

Congratulations were certainly in order, and were given, but this was no sparkly enchantment intended simply to celebrate and entertain donors. There was a lovely gourmet buffet, passed snacks, cocktails and champagne, of course — but there was always a sense of the importance of the cause at hand and an elegant simpleness to everything from the décor — which included flower arrangements made gratis by Eric Quinn, interior designer, artist and husband of Caritas Executive Director Jo Kathryn Quinn and “giving trees” that allowed participants to donate via “leaves” of different amounts — to Shinyribs, the band that both rocked the house with a moving version of Sam Cooke's “A Change Is Gonna Come” alongside its more lighthearted covers, including a rootsy take on TLC’s "Waterfalls."

Not to mention that it took place during a mild evening — a break from the recent wintriness — and encompassed the grand back balcony of Hotel Ella’s renovated historic building, which overlooks a beautiful pool area graced by sculptural artwork.

But the main show was the inside celebration, where stylishly turned out guests including Holly Jackson, Joanie Schoener, Jenny Miller, Derek Allencamp, Jane and Ben Schotz, Mary Herman and Roslyn Breen mingled, chatted and held forth about the importance of Caritas' mission. Progressive politics were in the room, too, with Pete Salazar, who recently left Caritas to run for Austin City Council, and, of course, state Sen. Kirk Watson, former Austin mayor and perhaps most recently experiencing a profile bump as Sen. Wendy Davis' political wing man, or one of them.

As Shinyribs heated up the dance floor, guests including Jacey and Stacey Zuniga, Carole and Jack Robberson, John Harcourt, Danielle Nieciag, Clay and Karen Cary, Carol and Tim Crowley, Ingrid Taylor, Amy Sawtelle, Pamela Barrier and Julia Howery circulated and Caritas staffers greeted well-wishers and donors. When it was time for the speeches, Watson set the bar high, with an impassioned recounting of his days as Austin's mayor, when Caritas was crucial to providing services to a city that had no idea how to help its homeless population. The crowd was rapt, and ED Quinn and the speakers who followed kept its attention with their inspiring accounting of all Caritas had accomplished in its 50 (50!) years. And going strong.

Shinyribs rocks the Caritas celebration.

Photo by Jon Shapley

Shinyribs rocks the Caritas celebration.

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Dinner and a Show

Voxtrot plays acoustic set for dinner series making a name in Austin

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop

Photo by Brynn Osborn

Voxtrot played as a trio to a small crowd of lucky fans.

As much as entertainment gigs dry up in December, the iconic Austin band Voxtrot was busy. A few days before playing the Holiday Hootenanny — a mini festival at Radio East with other big names like Of Montreal and Danny Brown — the band appeared in Bastrop for an intimate acoustic set and a bit of storytelling after a multi-course dinner.

The dinner on December 10 was attended by locals who won tickets in a free raffle, but there will be more chances for Austinites to purchase tickets for future parties in 2025. Eric Weiner, the main organizer of the series, says he has "big plans for Austin" this upcoming year, but he keeps events under wraps until about a month out to maintain the mystery.

There were also videographers on-hand capturing the performance, so fans who keep up with Voxtrot will be seeing those videos in the coming months.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop The band showed up in smart suits.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Weiner is the founder of the Wild Honey Pie, formerly a popular music blog that's turned into a creative agency. They're based in New York, and have hosted events in Seattle, the Catskills, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. But this wasn't the first event in Austin.

Most recently, the Wild Honey Pie hosted a dinner at Chef Mashama Bailey's now-closed Grey Market, featuring a concert by Zella Day. But first-ever dinner in Austin in 2019 was catered by local chef Sonya Cote at Eden East; the Voxtrot show was a chance to reunite at Cote's current digs, Store House Market and Eatery.

"Ever since, I've been just trying to find any excuse to work with Sonia again, and this kind of fell into our laps," said Weiner in a call with CultureMap ahead of the event.

He added that his relationship with Voxtrot — whose lo-fi, semi-retro song "The Start of Something" may be familiar to many Austinites — started simply because he was a fan. He estimates that the song has been on every romantic playlist he's made since college.

Remembering past dinner parties with lead singer Ramesh Srivastava, Weiner says, "He's so artistic. His music means the absolute world to me. ... If we like working with an artist once, we're not going to stop there."

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop Voxtrot joined in on the food festivities.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Voxtrot famously broke up in 2010, which made their surprise return to the stage in 2022 all the more exciting. Srivastava doesn't shy away from talking about the period in between, and broached the subject with a couple of jokes during the Bastrop show. It's clear how an audience of dozens crowded around a few chairs changes the tone of the performance — not to mention that Voxtrot played as a trio that night, with drummer Matt Simon and bassist Jason Chronis.

In the lighthearted "stage" banter — which was necessary not just because of the size of the audience, but because the show was in a tent outside and the instruments needed almost constant tuning in the cold air — Srivastava also mused that at age 41, he might be approaching his days as a crooner.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop The dinner party format meant fans could spend some time chatting with the band.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Among the vignettes he told to introduce songs was a Bastrop County connection: Srivastava grew up in Austin and remembers creating a mythology around Smithville's Norma Jean Boulevard, which he spotted through the window on car trips. Part of that fiction included who might live there, but he never guessed he'd be in a band with a bassist who fit the bill. He dedicated the following performance of "Long Haul" to the fateful street.

The Wild Honey Pie dinner series has gained popularity for its laid-back approach to an exclusive outing. Shared tables mean people get to chat during dinner — and as fans of whoever is playing at the end of the night, they already have something in common. Weiner met his wife through someone he befriended at one of the parties.

"The whole setup of the event is to make friends," he said. "So it's hard to go and not make new connections."

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop Eric Weiner and Sonya Cote.Photo by Brynn Osborn

An interesting menu also meant there was plenty to discuss, including "Crostini" Bastrop with pâté, parsley, pickled vegetables; a toasty Bon Fire Soup with pumpkin, coconut carrot "bacon," and crispy crickets; and a wild venison pie. (Vegans were welcome to the party, with a parallel menu.)

These bites were accompanied by creative drinks featuring Tito's Handmade Vodka: the Raised By Wolves, a black vodka daiquiri thanks to charcoal in the simple syrup; and The Start of Something, a refreshing pink lemonade-like cocktail with blueberry simple syrup and honey liqueur. Brand partners are a big part of keeping these events going, and in this case, Tito's was the reason people were able to attend for free.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop This is quite a few steps above finding a snack somewhere before a concert.Photo by Brynn Osborn

If Austinites want updates on the next Austin dinner party, they can check the lineup at thewildhoneypie.com, or sign up for the newsletter on the same page. There are also announcements on Instagram, plus videos of acoustic performances at other parties.

According to Weiner, it sounds like the next event isn't too far away. "We love Austin too much to only come once a year," he said.

concerts live music dinner bastrop chefs