McLemore Avenue: News

Support McLemore Avenue and vote in this year's Austin Chronicle Music Poll!

To vote online:

Enter McLemore Avenue in the "Best Performing Bands" section, for the instrumental category.

(Be sure to fill out the required information at the top of the ballot)

Click here to vote!

Join us on Friday December 28th at Ruta Maya for a 60s themed music explosion!

See our Calendar for more information.

Click the links below to get a FREE McLemore Avenue ringtone!


Texas Toast

Join us for a concert in honor of Kent Edwards, a long time fan of the Austin music scene.

Have a good time, share a laugh, tip a pint, and of course, listen to tons of fantastic music.

Sunday, November 4th at the The Hole in the Wall.

See our Calendar for more information.

McLemore Avenue has been selected again to be the backing band for legendary R&B singer/producer Jerry Williams (AKA Swamp Dogg) during his performance at the Continental Club.

See our Calendar for more information.

Here is clip of us backing Swamp Dogg at the Continental Club in Austin during SXSW 2007.

The song is called "In Time of War."

**Warning: Brief Explicit Comment at the Very Beginning**

Here's McLemore Avenue performing "Hip-Hug-Her" live at Club de Ville, with a Nord C1 and Leslie 3300:

This will be our last show of the summer!

Club de Ville, Friday August 24, 8 - 10 pm, no cover.

Follow this link to add your support on our Do512 profile:

Happy Hour w/ McLemore Avenue @ Club de Ville

Here is part of the article in the Austin Chronicle covering the Monterey Pop Festival anniversary show McLemore Avenue performed in:

Texas Platters
Live Shot
BY GREG BEETS

Under a menacing gray sky, Sunday's local 40th anniversary tribute to the Monterey International Pop Festival boasted numerous standout performances with nary a freak-out in sight.

Memphis-groove aficionados McLemore Avenue ushered in soul time with Booker T.'s "Hip Hug-Her" and "Green Onions" before Nakia serenaded the love crowd with Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

We're back twice this summer for Happy Hour at Club de Ville, so check our Calendar for details.

"Club de Ville is located in the Red River District downtown. The tree-lined patio is nestled into a natural limestone cliff--it's so pretty that you'll forget you're at a bar. The interior is lit low with a mysterious glow. Cocktails are served with a smile from the best mixologists in town.

The Club's a great place to unwind with some drinks after work, congregate with friends, have a cozy date, or just take on the evening.

An even mix of Austin's pretty people and regular folks makes up the crowd. The bar fills up quickly Thursday through Sunday evenings, with quite a bit of swank but very little pretense. During daylight hours, drinks are purchased at the bar. In the evening, servers with the best memories in Austin work the patio area."

-Citysearch

Here are some photos of my Leslie 3300 and Hammond C3. For a review of this speaker, read below.

I've only played a few shows with this new speaker, but so far, I love it. (The gigs were with a Hammond M3.)

I've owned and tinkered with numerous models of Leslies, like vintage 122s, 147s and the like, the newer 122As, as well as my own custom "hot rod" Leslie with high powered components from Speakeasy Vintage Music, and the 3300 has just about everything I've been looking for.

I love the tube tone and the feel of the vintage models, but when playing on stage without a full PA system, it's easy for the 40W speakers to get "lost" in the mix, and without modifications, they lack the stop/brake feature, a foot switch for speed control, a 1/4" input, and bass/mid/treble tone controls.

I tried using various after market combo-preamp pedals in between the organ and the Leslie to add volume, 1/4" compatibility and footswitch speed control, but these gains came at the cost of tone.

My hot rod Leslie was loud (600W), sounded great, had three speeds and tone controls, but it required a separate power amplifier, which meant another piece of heavy gear to hump around, not to mention the added time for setup & tear down.

With the Leslie 3300, I have a compact speaker that is plenty loud (300W) , has tone controls (bass/mid/treble), 3 speeds, footswitch, plus casters and handles.

My band immediately noticed how great it sounded and I love having everything I've wanted in a speaker in a compact, easy to move cabinet.

I'm planning on purchasing the new XK3 System Traditional in the near future, so I might be tempted to use the 3300's built in tube driven preamp or maybe even buy Speakeasy's 122 AMA to warm things up a bit.

As soon as I'm able, I'll put some sound/video up from a show using the Hammond M3/Leslie 3300 setup.

Here is clip of us backing the legendary Swamp Dogg (aka Jerry Williams) at the Continental Club in Austin during SXSW 2007.

The song is called "In Time of War."

**Warning: Brief Explicit Comment at the Very Beginning**

McLemore Avenue has been invited as a showcasing South By Southwest group to back R&B singer Jerry Williams (AKA Swamp Dogg) during his performance at the Continental Club.

See our Calendar for more information.

So far, we are playing 3 shows in March during SXSW.

See our Calendar for more information.

Support McLemore Avenue and vote in this year's Austin Chronicle Music Poll!

To vote online:

Enter McLemore Avenue in the "Best Performing Bands" section, for the instrumental category.

(Be sure to fill out the required information at the top of the ballot)

Click here to vote!

Join us for a uniquely South Austin holiday experience on Sunday, December 10th!

See our Calendar for more information.

As promised, we're ramping up for more shows, starting this month. See our Calendar for more information.

Keep an eye on our News and Calendar pages for upcoming showtimes!

Right now we're booking gigs for October and beyond, at places like the Continental Club, Central Market, and more.

McLemore Avenue organist Patrick Benfield is now officially endorsed by the Hammond Organ Company, maker of the new B-3, the XK-3, and the new Leslie speakers.

Hammond Organ Company was present at this year's NAMM show, which was here in Austin, Texas for the first time.

I was lucky enough to try out some brand new Hammond products, including the Pro-XK System and the Leslie 3300, which screamed at 300 Watts.

It was very refreshing to see a company that listens to what its customers want and then deliver it.

McLemore Avenue will definitely be purchasing some new gear!