Music of Austin

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Stevie Ray Vaughan statue on Austin's Lady Bird Lake.
Stevie Ray Vaughan statue on Austin's Lady Bird Lake.

The music of Austin, Texas centers on 6th Street, Red River, and South Congress, where bars and clubs of every kind can be found. On any night hundreds of venues stage live music. Austin's official motto is the "Live Music Capital of the World."

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Austin's modern musical heritage began in the late-1960s and 1970s where the country music popularized by Willie Nelson and others was joined by a host of other music brought by the more liberal inhabitants, who migrated to Austin during these two decades.

Austin was home to the Vulcan Gas Company that featured headliners such as the 13th Floor Elevators, (Johnny and Edgar) Winter brothers, and Shiva's Headband. The Vulcan morphed into the Armadillo World Headquarters that for more than ten years featured music of all genres, from Bruce Springsteen to Bette Midler, as well as local ballet, blues and jazz. The artwork from this establishment was a part of the Austin scene and the Armadillo became the Austin city animal. Songs such as Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues" (which includes in the chorus "I want to go home with the armadillo") made this a staple of Austin. The artist that began the Armadillo logo was Jim Franklin, who is still working today.

The Armadillo World Headquarters in 1976.
The Armadillo World Headquarters in 1976.

In the following years, Austin gained a reputation as a place where struggling musicians could launch their careers in front of receptive audiences, at informal live venues. A major influence during this time was Clifford Antone and the namesake blues club he founded in 1975, at the age of 25. Antone's became one of the very first music venues on Austin's 6th Street and fostered the careers of a number of musicians, including Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Austin Music Foundation is one of several Austin groups that help independent artists further their music careers. Today, the 6th Street entertainment district is home to hundreds of bars and music venues, and is 'ground zero' for Austin's annual South by Southwest Music and Film Conference.

The PBS live music television show Austin City Limits began in 1975 and has featured, as of 2005, over 500 artists of various genres, including rock, folk, country, bluegrass and zydeco. The show is broadcast worldwide and is in part responsible for Austin's renown as a live music hub.

Austin was also home to the Austin Music Network (AMN), which broadcasted from 1994 to 2005. AMN proclaimed itself to be the only non-profit independent music television channel, AMN's programming was mostly music videos or recorded live sessions, interspersed with presenters. Although all musical tastes were broadcast, AMN emphasized non-mainstream music such as indie, punk, blues, country and jazz.

Austin City Limits Music Festival with view of stages and the Austin skyline.
Austin City Limits Music Festival with view of stages and the Austin skyline.

Austin is the home of South by Southwest, an annual film, music and interactive conference and festival. In the fall, Austin hosts the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Every summer, local businesses put on a series of free blues shows in Zilker Park entitled "Blues on the Green." Numerous other music festivals occur year-round. Other annual festivals include the "Keep Austin Weird Festival" and "Texas Rock Fest".

The Austin Chronicle offers a guide of the most common venues, but may not cover smaller restaurants and coffee shops hosting local bands on the weekends.

Below is a short list of notable venues:

The Boxcar Preachers at Central Market Cafe
The Boxcar Preachers at Central Market Cafe
  • Antone's
  • Artz Rib House
  • Austin Bergstrom International Airport
  • Austin Music Hall
  • The Backyard
  • Bourbon Rocks
  • B. D. Riley's
  • Beerland
  • The Broken Spoke
  • Cactus Cafe (UTA campus)
  • Café Mundi
  • Carlos'n Chalie's
  • The Carousel Lounge
  • Cedar Street Courtyard
  • Central Market
  • The Continental Club
  • Cotton Club
  • Donn's Depot
  • Ego's
  • Elephant Room
  • Elysium Night Club
  • Emo's
  • Evangeline Café
  • Flamingo Cantina
  • Flipnotics
  • The Frank Erwin Center
  • Gruene Hall
  • Guero's
  • Headhunters
  • Hill's Cafe
  • Hole in the Wall
  • Jovita's
  • La Zona Rosa
  • Lucky Lounge
  • Momo's
  • Mohawk
  • Nutty Brown Café
  • Nuno's
  • One World Theater
  • The Parish
  • The Parlor
  • The Oaks
  • Poodies
  • Red Eyed Fly
  • Red 7
  • Redrum
  • Reed's Jazz Club
  • Riley's
  • Room 710
  • Ruta Maya International Headquarters
  • Scoot Inn
  • Saxon Pub
  • Shooters
  • Speakeasy
  • Stubb's BBQ
  • 311 Club
  • Triple Crown
  • Threadgill's
  • Trophy's
  • Beauty Bar
  • Red Fez

Joe Ely in concert at the Blues On the Green music series, 2006.
Joe Ely in concert at the Blues On the Green music series, 2006.

Some acts based in, or originating from, Austin.

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City of Austin

Advanced Technology Development Facility (ATDF) • Alamo Drafthouse • Armadillo World Headquarters • Austin-Bergstrom International Airport • Austin Community College • Austin Zoo • Austinites • Barton Springs Pool • Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Deep Eddy Pool • Dell • Dell Diamond • Driskill Hotel • Four Seasons Hotel Austin • Frank Erwin Center • Freescale Semiconductor • Huston-Tillotson University • Independence Brewing Company • Lady Bird Lake • Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum • MCC • Mount Bonnell • Music of Austin • National Instruments • SEMATECH • Sixth Street • St. Edward's University • Texas Governor's Mansion • Texas State Capitol • The Drag • UFCU Disch-Falk Field • University of Texas at Austin • Zilker Park
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Austin"
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