There’s a lot of wattage coming out of this small city, also known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
By Rod O’Connor
When a 1991 City Council Resolution made Austin’s official slogan the “Live Music Capital of the World,” it was merely a formality.
This central-Texas city with just more than 700,000 residents is many things—the state capital, home to the University of Texas—but its most cherished identity is that of a booming, free-thinking music town. This longtime haven for creative expression boasts nearly 2,000 recording artists, 200 live music venues and a storied music heritage that stretches back to the frontier days.
A visit to Austin—with its year-round good weather and more venues per capita than New York, Los Angeles, Memphis and Nashville—mostly involves bouncing from club to club and sampling the unbelievable variety of musical styles at venues like The Broken Spoke on South Lamar Boulevard.
“Austin is kind of a melting pot of music,” says James White, owner of The Broken Spoke, the city’s last true-Texas dance hall. “I’m deep rooted in country, but we have so many people here that appreciate music and support the live music scene, whatever the genre. We have some of the best musicians in the world here. Whether you’re interested in rock ’n’ roll, blues or jazz, there’s more than enough to go around.”
Despite the country atmosphere, rock ‘n’ rollers who pass through always stop at The Broken Spoke, where cold beer, strong whiskey and a reputation for the best chicken-fried steak in town have kept the crowds coming for more than 40 years. Patrons don’t line-dance at this legendary honkytonk—only the Texas two-step will do.
While traditional country still casts a wide shadow over Austin, the so-called progressive country or “cosmic cowboy” movement—spearheaded by artists like Willie Nelson, who has a home about 30 miles outside of the city—planted the seed for the diverse music scene that exists today. It started in the ’60s, when Janis Joplin began blending blues and country at landmark venues like Threadgill’s (the original is now a restaurant, but the south Austin location features live music). It continued at the cavernous Threadgill’s World Headquarters, which closed in 1981, but dominated the scene in the ’70s, bringing national attention to Austin’s music community.
“There were so many bands that played there, and a lot of the variety that started there is still in place,” says Rob Richardson, a local musician whose group, The Blues Specialists, plays a weekly gig at the Continental Club. “The country guys and the hippies started coming together, bridging the gap and putting a little more rock into it.”
According to Ed Bailey, vice president of brand development for “Austin City Limits,” a 30-year-old PBS series that showcases live music in Austin, Armadillo World Headquarters was the major pit stop for touring national acts, from Van Morrison to Bruce Springsteen. “It was a big space that had a scene and a culture,” he says. “It came to encapsulate all the diversity that made Austin, Austin. People of all political persuasions were out together digging the music scene.”
The first episode of “Austin City Limits” featured—who else?—Nelson, and the series is still going strong, showcasing artists as diverse as Sheryl Crow and The Flaming Lips. While free tickets for the handful of live tapings at the 320-person space are a hot commodity (try your luck by calling the station’s hotline: 512-475-9077), those who want to learn how the show has contributed to Austin’s music scene can visit the KLRU studios for a free tour at 10:30 a.m. Friday mornings. For those who can wait a bit longer, “Austin City Limits” will be breaking ground on a new 2,200-seat studio and concert venue tentatively scheduled to open downtown in 2011.
“Austin City Limits” also spawned a namesake music festival six years ago, a three-day extravaganza that happens every September in Zilker Park. Along with the annual South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in March (which also features a film and interactive component), it offers a chance to experience Austin when the national spotlight is shining at its brightest. SXSW is ostensibly for industry professionals, but plenty of music lovers also descend on downtown Austin to get a chance to see the Next Big Thing play at legendary venues like the Saxon Pub or Momo’s or even Antone’s, ranked the nation’s best blues club by USA Today, or alternative lounge Emo’s, where Johnny Cash played in 1994 (and the bar stool he sat on hangs from the ceiling in his honor).
Those who want to dig deeper into the history of Austin music should seek out the newly re-opened Historic Victory Grill, one of the last of the old juke joints from what was known during segregation as the “Chitlin Circuit.” Original owner Johnny Holmes expanded the room (which was first opened in 1945 in honor of the victory of World War II) in 1949 to provide a space for black soldiers to enjoy entertainment at a time when they weren’t allowed to do so in most other parts of town.
The list of performers who played or hung out at the Victory is like a Who’s Who of popular music: B.B. King, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin. Eva Lindsey, a fourth-generation Austinite who serves as the manager and curator of this historic building, is preserving and sharing its legacy by opening the venue for regular music and full-menu service for the first time in 20 years.
“Why are juke joints important? Because they created the American sound; whether it was blues, jazz, ragtime or be-bop, or even earlier than that, what was then called ‘race music,’” Lindsey says. “And, to my knowledge, this is the only [juke joint] in Texas with the historical designation.”
Whether you’re exploring Austin’s musical past or celebrating its future, you’re really helping maintain the city’s tradition for championing creativity in all its forms. In fact, even Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is home to several stages on which musicians can strut their stuff, including the brand-new stage that debuted last September compliments of “Austin City Limits” and local label Waterloo Records. It must feel good for the many visiting musicians—or those moving here to start their music career—to see the welcome mat laid out so warmly, as soon as they step off their flight.
“Austin has always been a welcoming spot on the map to creative people,” Bailey says. “From a music standpoint, there are as many musicians coming here today as there were at any time in its history as a music destination.”
Because the spotlight continues to shine on Austin’s amped-up music scene, industry types are flocking in droves. Be sure to see this town before the doormen and velvet ropes appear. ■
MIDWEST AIRLINES offers daily flights to and from Austin. Details can be found at www.midwestairlines.com.
AUSTIN
MUSIC FESTIVAL GUIDE
South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival
MARCH 12-16, 2008
One of the music industry’s most influential gatherings 2008.
www.sxsw.com |
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Austin City Limits Music Festival
SEPTEMBER 2008
Three-day outdoor music festival in Zilker Park featuring national and local acts
www.aclfestival.com |
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CLASSIC CLUBS These Austin hotspots know how to turn it up and turn it out.
SIXTH STREET/RED RIVER
Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
801 RED RIVER ST.
512-480-8431,
www.stubbsaustin.com
Renowned barbecue and music on two stages, including a large outdoor venue.
Momo’s
618 W. SIXTH ST., STE. 200
512-479-8848,
www.momosclub.com
Newer downtown venue showcasing rock, bluegrass and indie performers.
Emo’s
603 RED RIVER ST.
512-474-5370,
www.emosaustin.com
Gritty “alternative lounge” showcasing up-and-coming rock acts.
SOUTH AUSTIN
The Broken Spoke
3201 S. LAMAR BLVD.
512-442-6189,
www.brokenspokeaustintx.com
Iconic venue for country music and real-deal dancing (Texas two-step only).
Continental Club
1315 S. CONGRESS AVE.
512-441-2444,
www.continentalclub.com
Legendary rock and blues club open since 1957; great happy hour shows.
Saxon Pub >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1320 S. LAMAR BLVD.
512-448-2552,
www.thesaxonpub.com
Great dive bar for catching music legends new and old play in an intimate, laidback atmosphere.
Threadgill’s World Headquarters
301 W. RIVERSIDE DR.
512-472-9304,
www.threadgills.com
Southern food and music under the stars near the site of a historic venue.
WAREHOUSE DISTRICT & BEYOND
Antone’s
213 W. FIFTH ST.
512-320-8424,
www.antones.net
Austin’s home of the blues; hosts local and national roots acts.
Historic Victory Grill
1104 E. 11TH ST.
512-902-5057,
www.historicvictorygrill.org
One of the last of the old “Chitlin Circuit” juke joints, recently re-opened with live music and a full menu.
