Austin, Texas
 

...the number one city in the US for filmmaking.

Chris, you're in the right place.

How about that! I only came here because I couldn't afford New York or L.A.

;-)

I came for school and got sucked in.

Austin's gravitational pull is very strong. San Marcos is barely within the event horizon; any closer and there's simply no escape. I think the center of the black hole is Sixth Street.

Just wondering... have Toulouse and Maggie Mae's continued to expand, now engulfing most of central Austin?

It sounds like Sixth Street has really come a long way. When I worked at Brackenridge Hospital Emergency Room (a.k.a "The Knife and Gun Club"), I recall that Sixth Street (and 12th Street ...... affectionately known as "Double 6th St.") provided us with the majority of patients on Saturday nights. I can still remember the smell of beer, blood and cigarette smoke. I keep promising myself to sit down and write down some of those more memorable Saturday nights.

Thanks for rekindling the memories, and "Hook Em Horns".

Nick

I don't think much has changed on sixth street. In fact most of the live music has left, and with it most of the older crowd (over 22). Leaving a younger and harder drinking part of town. I suggest visitors hit red river, south congress(funny how things change), west 6th or 4th street areas.

Martin,
Your mentioning South Congress brought back another of my memories of Austin (way back in time).

A friend of mine was working the bar at a place called The Continental Club on South Congress. Every now and then I would stop by, help close up and drive him home. Late one night just before closing up Donny got on the piano and I tried backup on the bass that was left on the small stage by the regular, real trio that normally played during the week. To make a medium story even shorter, it sounded good (because Donny played a great piano and could beautifully improvise around a song in a blues style .... and I never tried to exceed my ability on the bass). At first a couple of regulars that stayed late heard us, started dancing and then even requested certain songs. Word got around and for a while we had a great late night set with good attendance and a very appreciative audience.... until the trio found out we were using their instruments and that was the end of that. I havn't been back that way in ages but what a great place Austin was and a great time to be a student at UT.

Another place that I use to hear some really great music at was a place called the Broken Spoke. I think it use to be on South Lamar or someplace south, I doubt it's even there anymore since it looked like it was ready to cave-in when I going to the University of Texas. Actually, there were a couple of "earthy" looking places in Austin that use to have great live music (most of it kind of C&W but not like the commercial stuff one hears today, kinda like New Age C&W). Another great place was out on North Lamar or Burnet Road (I never could keep them separate) that looked like it was in an old service station. I think it was called Gill's, Gilly's or Gilroys or Gil-something-or-another.

Maybe one of the Austin long-timers could fill in the names of those places and whatever happened to them.

I stayed in the apartment complex next to the Continental Club while shooting "Office Space" in '98. Fond drunken memories of that place.

That's "Threadgill's", Nick... one of my favorite places.

John,
Bingo! You are absolutely correct. It was Threadgill's, and it was great. Some of the musicians/singers that are famous names now performed there when they were just starting out. Threadgill's, man oh man does that bring back the memories. Thanks John, I was racking my brain ever since I posted that reply this morning. Is Threadgill's still there or has it gone "south"?

Nick

Nick,

Both The Continental Club and The Broken Spoke still exist! The Continental Club still has great music and is quaint little place (boy I don't get up there enough!). And, The Broken Spoke is still one of the best places to go 2-steppin' and dust off the ol' boots! Both still provide incredible music in the "Live Music Capital Of The World!" You're hang outs are still alive and kickin', waitin' for ya to come back and visit!

Clay

Was just hangin' out at the Continental on my most recent night in Austin (saw the Leroi Brothers with Toni Price on Dec. 27th). Hey John, Toulouse is long gone, but Maggie Mae's is still around. The Black Cat Lounge, one of my favorite 6th St. haunts, is also gone, but Joe's Generic Bar endures. The Ritz Theater, where I vividly recall the night the Red Hot Chili Peppers played early in their career, is now a pool hall. Antone's relocated from 29th & Guadalupe down to 6th St. and went to hell, but their old record store is still where it always was and is still the best place to buy vynil in Austin. The Back Room over on Riverside is still open. Liberty Lunch, sadly, is gone. The Electric Lounge is gone. The Austin Opera House where I saw Midnight Oil for the first time ever and countless other bands, is long gone. But there are still plenty of places to catch live music in Austin -- and a lot of 'em are still on 6th -- or down South Congress, or South Lamar (who's up for the Saxon Pub?) -- come back, John! I'll take ya to eat at Shady Grove and we'll all help Keep Austin Weird.

Great to hear that the Continental and Broken Spoke are still going. That's a comfort to know and keeps one from feeling like a dinosaur ("Oh yea, that tar pit dried up eons ago. Nothing left now but some old bones."). Another watering hole that I spent a few hours at was "Schultz's" on Red River (I think it was Red River). I don't recall any live music but friends and I use to sit out in the "garden" and philosophize the evening away over a couple of cold ones.