"Live at the Live Oak" Kicks Off
With Karen Abrahams & Reckless Abandon


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Jeff Dorsch, Concert Publicity: 925-7874
Concert Line: 219-9008
Coffeehouse Web Site: www.liveoakuu.org/coffee/

NOVEMBER 2001 (Austin, Texas) - The Live Oak Coffeehouse is presenting its
first "Live at the Live Oak" concert, featuring a live recording session by
Karen Abrahams and her band, Reckless Abandon. Allison Downey will open the
show. The concert will be held on Friday, November 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church in Northwest Austin.

Admission is $10 at the door. Season passes for the Fall 2001 season of the
Live Oak Coffeehouse Concert Series will not be honored for this show.

This is intended to be the first in an occasional series of live CD recording
concerts. As always with Live Oak events, the concert will be smoke-free and
alcohol-free, putting the emphasis on the music and the musicians.

A native of San Antonio, Karen Abrahams brings an eclectic mix of Texas
blues, rock, Celtic music, folk, bluegrass and country originals, as well as
a few well-crafted, surprise covers. If her "bluegrass-surfadelic
readaptation" of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" doesn't bring a smile to
your face, nothing will. She has won songwriting honors from the Kerrville
and Napa Valley folk festivals, and the Winterhawk Music Festival in New York
State. She has three CDs to her credit; the most recent, "For the Love of the
Song," produced by the highly regarded Marvin Dykhuis, was released in 2000.
The Austin American Statesman's John Davis wrote, "Karen's voice beckons,
rather than bludgeons. It's pitched low, and conveys a confessional attitude
that draws the listener to cock an ear closer to the stereo...Abrahams
understands concision and discipline, and both serve her well in painting the
economical portraits of life and love that inhabit her new album...her voice
packs a potential punch." A first-time entrance into the theater won her two
awards for her original music for Eric Ehn's "Anarchy in the Oklahoma
Kingdom" - the Austin Round Table Critics Award and the B. Iden Payne Award
for original music in theater.

"Allison Downey is one soulful bitch!" testifies recording artist Miss
Lavelle White. Allison is also an Austin-based singer-songwriter who has
played in many of our town's venues, in addition to music conferences and
festivals all over North America. With an MFA degree in theater, Allison is a
captivating performer and natural storyteller who weaves together heartfelt
lyrics and melodic compositions into compelling narrative and image-rich
songs. Allison enchants audiences with her sense of humor, her percussive
guitar style and her expressive vocal power (her soaring vocals have been
called a cross between Natalie Merchant and Judy Collins). With songs ranging
from traditional folk to more rhythmically and dynamically complex
arrangements, her material includes whimsical pop songs, rocking love songs,
social commentary and melancholy laments. She captures with precision the
ambiguities of relationships and the nuances of raw emotion. Allison's
commitment to social causes is evident in much of her material, as well. She
draws inspiration from her varied experiences as an educator (history, drama,
Spanish), as a theater specialist working with juvenile offenders, as an
active citizen and as a traveler of cities and wilderness. Allison is close
to releasing her debut CD.

Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 30, at the Live Oak Unitarian
Universalist Church, located at 12310 Ranch Road 620 North. For driving
directions, visit the church's Web site at www.liveoakuu.org or call 219-9008.

Dates and performers for the Spring 2002 season of the Live Oak Coffeehouse
have been set. Season passes are expected to be available shortly. The Spring
2002 schedule is as follows:

January 11, 2002 - Donna and Kelly (formerly of Still On The Hill); Frank
Meyer opens.

January 25, 2002 - Third annual benefit concert for the Austin Conspiracy of
Performing Songwriters at Live Oak Coffeehouse. Admission is a suggested
donation of $10.00.

February 8, 2002 - Kerry Grombacher and Danny Santos; Rick Steinburg opens.

March 8, 2002 - Kevin So and Friends; Eric Gerber opens.

April 19, 2002 - GrooveLily; Jeff Tveras opens.

May 10, 2002 - Sarah Elizabeth Campbell and the Banned; Danny Britt (Red
Dawg) opens.

All Spring 2002 performances are on Friday evenings, with the shows starting
at 7:30 p.m.


THE LIVE OAK COFFEEHOUSE - GREAT MUSIC FOR GOOD CAUSES.
NOW IN OUR FOURTH YEAR.