The Music Scene in Austin

For many people Texas, the second largest US state, conjures up images of cowboys, tumbleweeds and George Bush II. But Texas has a lot of just about everything- bustling cities, beaches, wide-open plains, and world-class art and music scenes.

In grandiose Texas style, Austin, the capital city, does not just have good live music- it is “The live music capital of the world.” Austin earned the name because it has more music venues per capita than any other city in the United States- more than 200 to date. The people of Austin include a mix of artists, politicians, techies who work in Silicon Hills, students and professors from the University of Texas-Austin and, of course, musicians. “Keep Austin Weird” is a slogan popular among residents. You can find a live show any day of the year in Austin but to get the most music for your money you might want to attend one of the four annual music festivals: South by Southwest, Austin City Limits (ACL), Pachanga or Urban.

South by Southwest
The oldest and most famous festival is the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media conference. Held every spring the festival has grown to include film and interactive media in addition to music. Musicians from all over the world gather in Austin to perform at 80 venues throughout the city. During the day there are conferences and trade talks about the future of the industry. In 2009 the festival attracted groups ranging from Kanye West to Metallica to Silversun Pickups. There are also enough up and upcoming new bands to satisfy the choosiest music snob.

Austin City Limits
The Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival is a three-day festival held every October. Last year more than 65,000 people came to see more than 130 acts on eight stages. The ACL is not limited to one genre of music and brings together rock, country, folk, indie, hip-hop, and bluegrass groups.

Pachanga
Pachanga Latino Music Festival is the newest of the festivals. It is held every May in historic East Austin on Lady Bird Lake. It is billed as a celebration of Latino music, food and cultural arts. Pachanga means “lively party” in Spanish. In 2009 twenty bands performed in Spanish and English at the one-day festival.

Urban
The Urban Music Festival is held each spring and features R&B, neo-soul, and hip-hop music. In 2009 the festival attracted 12,000 people to Auditorium shores. The Urban Festival is a community-building event and relies on volunteers and other local participation.

Music Districts
If you can’t make it to Austin in time for the festivals you can still stroll through the music districts to find live performances. The best place to start is the Sixth Street District- with more than 50 clubs you are sure to find what you are looking for. But if you don’t you can continue on the Warehouse District for some classic blues at the world famous Antone’s. If you like to be on the cutting edge be sure to check out the alternative music in the Red River District.

Remember that many of these festivals are very popular. SXSW has become an iconic event that attracts tens of thousands of people. So does Austin City Limits. If you plan on traveling there, you will need to book your hotels early. Very early. Rooms fill up quick and many of the good deals are gone quickly. When I went to SXSW last year, I used Hotels Combined for my bookings. They had a lot of choices and were cheaper than Expedia.