Blues guitarist and vocalist Evan MacGregor performs live at the historic Cactus Cafe on the University of Texas campus.
Evan MacGregor plays The Cactus Cafe on Wednesday, July 22, from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. He's an Austin-based blues guitarist and vocalist, and he'll be the sole feature of the night.
If you're trying to place his sound, he puts it somewhere between Stevie Ray Vaughan's grit and John Mayer's groove. That's a fair amount of ground to cover—the raw, Texas-blues edge of SRV on one end and the polished, pocket-heavy feel of Mayer on the other. He's playing both guitar and singing, so it's a full-band sound coming from one person.
There's a bit of a story behind him that explains the energy he brings to the stage. He's a McCombs School of Business student, a former UT D1 athlete, and a foosball world champion. He describes that same competitive edge as something he carries into his music: searing tone, expressive vocals, and the kind of energy he says can fill rooms twice the size of the one he's playing. It's a lot of different lives—student, athlete, champion—all landing in the same set.
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As for the room, The Cactus Cafe has been around since 1979, when it opened in the Student Union of the University of Texas. It's known for a quiet, intimate, friendly atmosphere and a red-velvet-backed stage that's seen a long line of Texas songwriting legends: Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Butch Hancock, Shawn Colvin, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Jerry Jeff Walker, among many others. MacGregor's blues-driven set will be the latest to cross that stage.
The show runs from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM on Wednesday, July 22, at The Cactus Cafe, 2308 Whitis, on the Austin campus.
