Downtown Austin & Congress Bridge at Night; Yes, to a King, Music & Orbs

The video, below, is from last night, as I was driving through downtown Austin, Texas, "Live Music Capital of the World," going from South Congress towards the State Capital building, on the bridge that spans Lady Bird Lake. I wanted to go see the local professional musician, Paul Val, who was performing at the Continental Club, in downtown Austin, Texas, on South Congress. I wasn't able to find parking so I gave up and went and bought gumbo at my favorite restaurant, Pappadeaux. So this story is simply about what driving through the Austin Music District, at night, is like, from my point of view.

I got close enough to the Continental Club that I have pics of it as I pass, looking for non-existent parking. Yes, there are Parking Garages but none close enough that I'd feel safe. Plus, as I understand it, you have to reserve a spot online and pay for it that way. I guess the college kids like that. Me, not so much.

This is the bridge (in the video) that has the millions of bats under it that come out nightly, I've filmed that before. There are bicycle lanes everywhere, people in the dark, walking pretty much wherever they want, massive traffic, and parking designed to confuse so cars can be towed, cash cow type (just my opinion). You have to have pretty much come the day before to park on the street. Then you have to back in to the handful of parking spots, because they are angled weird. Driving in a van, like mine, makes it doubly dangerous. But the views are stunning, notice the view from the bridge, of the beautiful water.

My initial idea was to drive by it and try to find a parking spot (hopefully right in front) or at least scout it out. Then I'd found a nice hotel right behind Pappadeaux and I thought I might Uber from there, with my van safe and sound. By the time I got back to Pappadeaux all I wanted was gumbo and to go home. I got there 10 minutes before they closed but yes, I got my gumbo. Delicious!

This is our music district (in the video). It is very near the University of Texas with its 50k students walking and biking everywhere. Notice the lighted carts to carry people. I have one episode of riding in a beautiful white horse drawn carriage that starts and ends at the beautiful and famous Driskill Hotel and circles the Capital. I have a couple of pics of the Capital building during last night's photos/videos. Notice the huge buildings towering into the sky, and hear the guy with the megaphone yelling we don't want a King (I'd love a King, it's Biblical).

Since I don't make any money doing this, I actually pay for everything myself, and have for a decade, then I borrowed a few pics of Paul's to show you what it would have been like if I'd actually been able to navigate it all enough to see him. I do actually have footage of him from 5 years or so ago when he was at the famous Cotton Club, way out in the boonies, Granger, Texas, when I was there filming Andy. He had just gotten started at that time but I had already noticed he would become what he's becoming, an icon of Stevie Ray Vaughn style music and Austin.

Also, notice the guardian orb flying alongside my van, "Swan." Then read my orb stories on my website and watch the video of the beautiful blue-green one flying beside me when I visit my also dangerous off-grid Ozarks property, "Angel Creek." In my story, "Werewolves & Cowboys," I also mention the Cryptid a friend of mine spotted that I assume unknowingly inhabits this same Downtown area, probably with others. You have to be careful what you write, so again, this is "my opinion."

Also, notice the guardian orb flying alongside my van, "Swan." Then read my orb stories on my website and watch the video of the beautiful blue-green one flying beside me when I visit my also dangerous off-grid Ozarks property, "Angel Creek." In my story, "Werewolves & Cowboys," I also mention the Cryptid a friend of mine spotted that I assume, unknowingly to the public, inhabits this same Downtown area, probably with others and maybe even other types of Cryptids. You have to be careful what you write, so again, this is "my opinion." I call them "Crawlers." Sometimes they are called "Creepers."

Austin has massive tunnels under it, for the water, and a creek, that make the perfect habitat. The news calls them an unknown serial killer because of the dead bodies they pull from this lake. I call them something else. In creepy pasta You Tube lore they are called Rakes. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that part, but true, (again, just my opinion). See my "Angel Creek" 134+ true Cryptid short-stories on my website. (I just double checked, and now an AI quote says: "At least 38 bodies have been found in and around Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, since 2022. The Austin Police Department has stated that most of these deaths were likely accidental drownings, and they have found no evidence of foul play or any connection between the deaths." Maybe so. But I suggested, last year, to some of my best Cryptid tracking buddies that they might want to be sweethearts and go track it for them, just saying.)

I also have dozens of my videos I've filmed for my Austin Public television series, Texas Tales from a Lone Star, and 500+ short-stories available to read for free on my website, along with the books, songs, and poems I've written. Those are from my early years, pretty much doing this same thing. I'd drive into the Nashville music district and write about my Contemporary Christian Music years at my home, Evins Mill/Chapelgate. I call those my "Chapelgate Adventure Series." My main 800 page book documenting from 1985-2009 is called, "Chapelgate, a Spiritual Memoir." I write about the early Koinonia days of Jesus music/Contemporary Christian. (Google that, it's famous.) I turned my private home (www.evinsmill.com) into a hideaway for Contemporary Christian Music Songwriters/Recording Artists and Gospel Music Executives. So, my first adventures are about the music then, during that early era of CCM.

Then, I spent a dozen years doing this same thing in my Central Florida local professional music era from 1998-2010. Those are primarily my Gabriel and Bax stories. They are in my main book. Bax and I moved to Austin, to be close to my family, in 2010, and I started documenting the same thing, 3rd era, focusing on local professional musicians. My Outlaw Cowboy friend, Andy, was the primary inspiration for the 3rd documentation era I filmed/took photos of/documented in stories. I also brought my drummer friend, Gabriel, from Orlando to help me film those and explore the music scene. I turned 17 of those 30 minute long videos I filmed from 2010-2025 into a television series, Texas Tales from a Lone Star currently being shown on Austin Public Television. All my books, music, stories, and episodes are available to read/watch on my website. The link is under my profile picture. Enjoy! xo Angel

Copyright 2025 Angel Isaacs All Rights Reserved

Written June 15, 2025 at 9:27 am

Quote from CBoys website HERE: "Paul Val is one of the most exciting Blues Rock revival guitarists emerging on the Texas music scene. His style is groove oriented and roots inspired. He demonstrates a high level of proficiency in the traditional Blues genre, and renews it by breathing new life into the music. Paul’s unique sound personifies the future of the blues in America. His band is reminiscent of traditional Texas blues rock power trios such as ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter among others. Paul Val is known for hard work, humble attitude, passionate dedication and commitment to their music. With outstanding stage presence, Paul Val commands the crowd with every performance and brings excitement to any event."

You can see the orb, it even comes into my van, "Swan," as I'm driving, in both of these but really clear in this second one: