Jeff Jeffers and The Auslander host the 4th Spring Music Festival at the popular restaurant and beer garden in downtown Fredericksburg. This year's event features 11 nights of live music starting March 11. Photo by Phil Houseal
Details:
The Auslander Spring Music Festival runs from March 11 to March 21, with a different live music act each night. Tickets (per show and weeklong pass) and information at www.theauslander.com or by calling 830-997-7714. The Auslander is located in downtown Fredericksburg at 323 East Main Street.
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Auslander redux
by Phil Houseal
Feb 25, 2009
The last time I checked in with Auslander owner Jeff Jeffers, he was gearing up for his first weeklong music festival. That was back in 2005.
Next week will mark the 4th Annual Spring Festival, and the 7th total festival, as he added summer and winter versions of the popular "every night" concert concept.
"This has really grown and changed," he said in obvious understatement. "It started with the crazy idea of having music every night for an extended period of time."
Jeffers didn't start out wanting to promote music festivals. He didn't even plan to get into the restaurant business. He was coaching high school football when he got a call from his former boss offering to sell him the restaurant. He grabbed the opportunity and found himself in a new field.
"I never even envisioned doing music when I bought the Auslander," he said. "But I had friends who would ask, 'Can we sit on hay bales and play music while people eat?'"
It didn't take long for Jeffers to notice the positive response from his customers.
"So I said, okay, maybe we better start looking into doing this. Now I can't walk down the street without someone asking who is coming to the next festival," he said with a grin. "It's phenomenal. We've gone from maybe 100 people at a show to complete sellouts every night."
He fields regular requests from visitors wanting updates to the music calendar so they can plan their vacations around the music.
Jeffers has come to know many of these acts personally. He likes to include a variety of styles, which shows in this year's lineup:
March 11 - Cory Morrow
March 12 - Seth James
March 13 - Guy Forsyth
March 14 - Jimmy LaFave
March 15 - Carolyn Wonderland
March 16 - Brandon Rhyder
March 17 - Slaid Cleaves
March 18 - Monte Montgomery
March 19 - Two Tons of Steel
March 20 - Billy Joe Shaver
March 21 - Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros
"We have everything from artists who have written symphonies, to legends like Billy Joe Shaver, to Grammy award winners," he said. "I try to book acts that people want to see, but I always throw in new ones. I go out of my way to bring in a wide range of styles of music."
His festival has reached the point that musicians call him. He had to expand this year's event by an extra day just to accommodate Cory Morrow, who had an open night and wanted to be part of the excitement.
Jeffers plans to keep doing two or three festivals a year, and is not particularly looking to see it expand. If it gets any bigger, it would outgrow the capacity of the Auslander to host it.
"We've found something that works, something that people enjoy, and something good for tourism," he said. "It helps the local economy. We offer a high level of entertainment, whether for locals or tourists."
If that sounds like something a politician might say, consider Jeffers now sits on the city council. In fact, he may have found his next campaign slogan: "We want people to come early, have a good meal, and check out the music."
Who wouldn't vote for that?