Part of the fun of my new Friday gig at the New World Deli is that each week, I get to swap songs with one of my favorite musicians. This Friday, Dave Hooper and I will also play some of the many songs we've written together over the years. Dave's a California transplant who has a voice like Johnny Cash and writes some of the prettiest folk melodies I've ever heard. Coming up next month - after the Kerrville Folk Festival - my guests will include The Therapy Sisters and The Flyin' A's.

While I'm off at the Fest, you can hear Joel McColl and his band Midlife Crisis at the Deli, on Friday, May 29 and Friday, June 5.

For those of you who didn't make it to the Pun-Off, this year's turned into an extraordinary event. Saturday morning, we were about to begin in O.Henry's backyard when the rain rolled in. Then the rain washed over. Then it washed us out. As of noon, we'd decided to cancel the competition, for the first time in 32 years. Save for one volunteer, Julia Balinsky, whose name shall go down in the legends of wordplay. Julia dragged her bedraggled self across the street and talked the downtown Hilton into giving us a ballroom. Folks started Twittering, and an hour later we had as large an audience indoors as we've ever had outdoors. The rest of the contest went off without a hitch. So here's a plug for the Hilton - these folks did their part to Keep Austin Weird, and we punsters will be forever grateful.

Onward, Through the Frogs,

Steve

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 7 to 10 p.m.

STEVE BROOKS with DAVE HOOPER

NEW WORLD DELI

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