Oma Gruene's Secret Garten

My weekend in the Hill Country wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the most relaxing and historically rich town of Gruene, Texas! This being a Texas Country Music blog we wanted to showcase a local establishment that has a strong connection to the music and embodies everything Gruene.

I sat down with Paul Davis and Tracy Graves, owners of Oma Gruene's Secret Garten to find out the history of the land, their connection to the Texas music scene and what exactly one can expect from a visit.

"We just blindly stumbled into it," Graves said of the pairs tie to the Texas Music scene. After meeting Davis in Austin and selling light fixtures together, Graves said she thought having Oma Gruene's Secret Garten would be a fun hobby to have on the weekends; it soon became a lifestyle.

The historic patch of land this establishment lies on is the back yard to Oma Gruene's (one of the grandmothers of the founding family) house, which used to be the congregating area for hands who worked in the fields and down by the river, Graves said. The pecan grove was originally built by the Gruene family.

"They [the workers] would have barbeques and camp out, it was like a public park to them," she explained.

For just about two years, Davis and Graves have ran this quaint German-American restaurant/Texas music venue and have come a long way while still keeping the spirit and sameness of the land intact.

Local and devoted customers donated wooden picnic tables to the Garten after the duo was having trouble coming up with the funds to purchase the amount needed themselves, Graves said.

"I found a great deal on the tables and started talking about them one day, and they [the customers] began pulling out their checkbooks left and right to help," she said. "We made a fun thing out of it and said, 'Okay, this is your table. You can call me and I'll save it for you.'"

Each table has a gold plate attached, engraved with the name of the donor and some have saying on them too. The table I sat at said "Texas Music Lives," quite appropriate don't you think.

A few months after getting settled, the music was brought in and the Garten has been showcasing talents of Central Texas and the Hill Country almost daily on their two stages. One outside, built by Graves' father and the Underground--a small intimate stage area in the basement of Oma Gruene's home that seats about 30 people.

"We actually have all kinds of music on stage, though most of it is the Americana type, we've had a Reggae band out here before," Davis said. "Like attracts like and the people kind of come to us."

Davis also pointed out how strong and tight knit the music scene is in the Hill Country; "The artists really support each other and can call one another up if they suddenly become sick to fill in for the night--there is a lot of talent in Central Texas," he said.

Talent interested in playing at Oma Gruene's Secret Garten need to call ahead and book a show or come out on a Wednesday night for the "Songwriter's Showdown." A five dollar entry fee and you're on stage performing your songs for an audience of judges.

An open mic style competition, the "showdown" winner goes home with a cash prize and that week's title. Depending on how many contestants enter, accounts for the number of songs each songwriter plays to the crowd. After the first round the non-participants, or the audience, then votes on the top three who go head-to-head for the win. Eventually those musicians who did not make the finals vote on the winner--another example of the strong and motivating musical community.

"This is a very happy place," Graves said with a smile beaming from ear to ear. "Not even Gruene itself, but this backyard...this little patch of land. We get to see people at their absolute best, not thinking about work, just a snow cone or a cold beer."

Even for the short amount of time I spent in this historical haven, I could tell the amount of passion and hard work that is put into making Oma Gruene's Secret Garten a relaxing, care-free, enjoyable place for everyone involved. I can't wait to get back down to Gruene and spend some quality time in Oma's backyard, listening to great Texas music and taking in the surroundings.

For more information on the Garten, fan their Facebook page and remember, "Oma Loves You!"

peace, love & texas music!

betsy