Music of Austin

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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."

1 History
2 Television
3 Festivals
4 Venues
5 Musical acts
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

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.

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.

[edit] Television

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.

[edit] Festivals

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 the Heart of Texas Quadruple Bypass Music Festival a.k.a. The Texas Rockfest.

[edit] Venues

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: