I'm Deli-ted to report that I'm officially returning to a regular weekly gig at the New World Deli, a decade after Hyde Park Unplugged pulled its last plug. Starting in May, I'll be playing every Friday night, and each week will be a different show. That's because my format will be to have one musical guest each week. We'll jam and swap songs, and you'll get to hear some of the best songwriters and performers in town, up close and off-the-cuff.

I'm kicking things off this Friday, May 1, with a show to celebrate The Big Five-O. No, I'm not talking Hawaii (cue The Ventures). I'll be hitting the half-century mark on May 2, and Friday's show will be a musical retrospective of the first fifty. I'll be playing autobiographical songs and telling the stories behind them. I'll also be playing some songs from my heroes, folks like Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Al Grierson, that have had a big influence on me and my songwriting. If time permits, I hope to have some drop-in performances by friends I've written and played with over my years in Austin.

The following Friday, May 8, I'll kick off my guests with my old friend and fellow Pun-Off emcee Joel McColl. Joel's band, Midlife Crisis, will also be playing at the Deli one Friday a month, when I'm out of town. From there, I'll be heading north to my first show of the year at B.B. Rover's. See you out and about, on the far side of fifty.

Onward, through the Frogs,

Steve

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 7 to 10 p.m.

THE BIG FIVE-O

STEVE BROOKS

NEW WORLD DELI

4101 Guadalupe (Corner of 41st of Guadalupe), 451-7170

www.newworlddeli.com

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 7 to 10 p.m.

STEVE BROOKS with JOEL MCCOLL

NEW WORLD DELI

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 9 to Midnight

STEVE BROOKS w guest TBA

B.B. ROVER'S PUB

12636 Research Blvd., 335-9504

Don't let the address fool you. Rover's faces Jollyville Rd., just north of Kerbey Lane Cafe and Krispy Kreme, next to the Mongolian BBQ

No cover. Tips gratefully accepted.