Joel Hofmann Band

Joel Hofmann Band plays Central Market North on Friday, August 28, starting at 6 PM. It's an outdoor show on the patio, and it's free.

If you've never spent an evening here, it helps to know what the spot is. Central Market North is part of H-E-B's Central Market brand, one of Austin's favorite grocery stores, and it's been hosting live music since it opened in 1994. It sits on North Lamar, right next to the Heart Hospital of Austin, and it's built around family fare—there's a large outdoor playscape behind the cafe and a patio stage that's hosted Latin music, Americana, children's music, and Austin mainstays over the years. The music has always been free of charge, and the store has picked up several Best of Austin Readers Poll and Critics Picks awards along the way.

That's the kind of setting you'll find for this one: a grocery store patio in Midtown, with the playscape nearby and the music open to anyone who happens to be around. The Joel Hofmann Band takes the stage at 6 PM, and since it's free, you can just show up and listen. The address is 4001 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78756.