Weekend Music Preview: Richard Thompson @ Cactus Cafe this Sunday (& Monday)

Cactus Cafe, an intimate venue located inside UT’s Texas Union, has hosted many a legend in its 30 years of existence. Just a quick glance at the posters on the wall outside the room can give one the goose bumps -- Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Loudon Wainwright III, Alison Krauss -- the list of famous past performers at Cactus Cafe is endless. And a good amount of these legends tend to play Cactus Cafe again whenever they return to Austin. Richard Thompson is another to have performed at the venue in the past, and he returns for two sold-out shows this Sunday and Monday.

Thompson was a founding member of Fairport Convention, an influential folk band in the U.K. in the latter part of the 60’s. He left the group in 1971 and has churned out close to 30 solo records, in addition to countless other projects. An expert guitarist, Thompson is adept at hybrid picking. His technique, along with his sense of humor and lyrical ingenuity, has garnered him a plethora of fans and quite a few accolades as well. Rolling Stone magazine placed him at #19 in its 2003 ranking of The 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time (Jimi Hendrix was #1.) In 2006, BBC awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award at its Radio 2 Folk Awards, presented to him by one of our personal favorites, Mark Knopfler.

Don’t miss this chance to see his brilliance live in concert, if you already have tickets that is! Richard Thompson’s sets begin at 8 p.m. on both days.

[Cactus Cafe]
[Richard Thompson Official]
[Richard Thompson MySpace]

Follow the jump for the Austinist Weekend Music Preview Slideshow.