Event Status
Scheduled
John Wheeler wanted to go to UT for most of his childhood. Alas, he did not put in the academic effort required to attain entry at such a prestigious institution. Now John is 30 years old, living in a trailer in Elgin, Texas, working just hard enough at his plumbing job to maintain the payments on his impressive collection of credit cards and consolidation loans. When he isn’t driving around bumping into walls, curbs, and cars in his plumbing van, he is writing and recording his thoughts and feelings in the form of songs. His thoughts and feelings vary widely and are glued together by his traditional picking style.
John will be accompanied by Kenny Mistretta, who will be opening the night. Kenny’s songs are testaments to the power one can wield with just their voice and a guitar. It is impossible not to love Kenny after hearing him play. While he can’t be fully understood (no one really can be), to understand just the piece that he is revealing to you in the moments he’s on stage is a feast for the soul. Kenny also grew up in the Austin area and perhaps dreamed of going to UT (I haven’t asked but who wouldn’t). Kenny is also a barista, a coffee slinger, a grindfather you might say.
If you’d like to see a portrait of two young(ish) people who can’t get past their individual sets of crossroads - or perhaps want to feel good about your decision to attend the great University of Texas at Austin - please come to the Cactus Cafe on November 5.