Why Is Austin The Live Music Capital Of The World?
Austin, Texas is officially, as of 1991 when the slogan was confirmed, the live music capital of the world. So why is Austin the live music capital of the world? The city of Austin, Texas has the most live music venues per person in the entire United States. It also hosts a handful of the largest music festivals in the world.
Why is Austin the live music capital of the world? Austin, Texas is considered to be the live music capital of the world because there are almost 2000 bands around the city, along with several live music venues and local music festivals.
No matter where you go in Austin or what time it is, you can always find a live band performing somewhere. You can find everything from country to classical, hard rock to pop, and every genre in between.
If you’re a music lover then Austin is the city for you. Everything that you love about music can be found within just a few miles of each other.
Why Is Austin The Live Music Capital Of The World?
Austin, Texas is home to almost 2000 bands and artists within and right outside the city limits. Whatever mood it is that you’re in to listen to, you can find it somewhere in Austin.
You can probably find it lots of somewheres in Austin. So here are some of the reasons that Austin’s official motto is “the live music capital of the world.”
Why Is Austin The Live Music Capital Of The World?
- Its number of live music venues per capita
- The number of bands and artists in the city
- The music festivals that it hosts.
Austin has the highest number of live music venues per capita of any city in the entire United States. There are hundreds of live music venues in and around the city, including in the airport.
Live music can be found in pretty much any public establishment in Austin, including restaurants, gas stations, and parks.
Around 1900 bands and artists who perform live shows live in or around the city of Austin. Austin also attracts great musicians from around the country, including musicians like Willie Nelson. Stevie Ray Vaughn actually relocated and made Austin his home.
Austin hosts an outstanding number and wide variety of music festivals, playing host to every type of music across every different genre.
What Kind Of Music Is Austin, Texas Known For?
Austin is known for being the one stop shop for any kind of music you want to hear. Although any type of music can be found in Austin, it is especially known for its influence and cultivation on and of gospel, country, jazz, and the Texas blues.
These genres of music have been heavily influenced by musicians born in or around Austin, and specific performances and events that occurred in the city throughout the late 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Kinds of music Austin is known for:
- Gospel
- Country
- Tejano
- Jazz
Gospel music is born out of a longstanding religious tradition that existed throughout the entire state of Texas in the 1800’s.
The second oldest Sacred Harp convention in the country was born around Austin, and that and other books influenced the modern writing of traditional gospel music. Many gospel music convention publishers still exist in and around Austin.
Everybody knows that a boat load of country artists are from the state of Texas. Many different genres of country developed in Texas including the honky-tonk style and country with a Cajun influence.
Outlaw country is one of the most notable genres of country to come out of this area of Texas, due to its most famous artist and repeat visitor to Austin, Willie Nelson. Artists like George Strait and the Eli Young band are famous Texans that are keeping country alive and well straight into the present.
Tejano was born in Austin when German, Mexican, and Swedish settlers brought their own unique cultural and musical heritages to the same area of Texas.
This genre, over time, has been influenced by Mexican culture and jazz, and today the Tejano genre is heavily influenced by jazz and contemporary blues.
Jazz became famous in Austin in the 1920’s. Jazz venues popped up all over the city. Roosevelt Thomas Williams was the most notable contributor to the genre, performing as a blues pianist and laying the foundation for the future Austin blues sound.
Live Music Venues In Austin
You can find hundreds of live music venues all over the place in and around Austin. However, the number of live music venues is especially concentrated in the area around 6th street.
The venues range from small, intimate clubs to amphitheatres with capacities of thousands of people. While you can find hundreds of live music venues of all environments and sizes in Austin, there are a few that stand out as some of the local favorites.
Live Music Venues In Austin:
- Threadgills
- Stubb’s Bar B.Q.
- Backyard at Bee Cave
- The 311 Club
- The Continental Club
- The Mohawk
Threadgills has two locations in Austin, both serving food as well as offering live music. Threadgills can trace its roots all the way back to 1933 when it was a gas station/bar duo. The original owner attracted tons of local country bands and artists due to his love for that particular genre.
40 years later it was purchased from the original owner, and turned into a full-service restaurant. Some big name artists, most notably Janis Joplin, began their careers at Threadgills.
Stubb’s Bar B Q. is one of Austin’s favorite traditions. It offers fantastic Texas-style barbecue and hosts a wide variety of live music.
Another great venue is The Backyard at Bee Cave. This one doesn’t serve food, but people love the open air venue because of its natural location. The most notable musician to consistently perform at this venue was Willie Nelson.
One of the coolest things about The Backyard at Bee Cave is that is completely dedicated to environmental protection and preservation, while offering a fun space where people can enjoy music in the comfort of the great outdoors.
The 311 club is a bar/club that is only open from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., proving once again that you can find music in Austin any time you want. This venue features Tejano, Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, R&B, and Rock.
They don’t always announce their lineups, so you might be in for a surprise when you get there. But no matter what type of music is playing, you’ll have a great time dancing and making friends in this intimate waterfront space.
The Continental Club is a nightclub that opened in 1955 and holds around 200 people.The Continental Club has been host to a number of major stars, including most recently a member of Led Zeplin and ZZ Top’s.
It made a name for itself in the 1970’s and 80’s when American rock legends began making appearances to perform at the club. The performances take place in front of it’s locally famous “red curtain.” If you want to be privy to a show at this exclusive venue, plan on getting there as early as possible to ensure a spot in this small, intimate space.
The Mohawk is one of the newest music venues to make a name for itself in the music industry in Austin. It has only been open for a little more than ten years, but that hasn’t stopped it from being a must on your list of places to go.
It hosts a huge variety of genres, and is a favorite amongst local music lovers. This venue is divided up into a main floor and 3 separate balconies. So whether you’re looking to party and dance on the main floor or have a more relaxed experience on one of the balconies, you’re sure to enjoy this iconic Austin music venue.
Austin Music Festivals To Attend
Austin, Texas is home to a handful of the world’s largest music festivals and events. Austin has plenty of wide open spaces dedicated to live music festivals, allowing for a large number of events to take place.
Some of these standout events attract people from all over the country because of the unique styles of music and artistic contributions offered nowhere else in the country,
Austin Music Festivals
- Old Settler’s Music Festival
- Austin Reggae Festival
- The South by Southwest Conference (SXSW)
- Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Old Settler’s Music festival is a good old, all-American style outdoor musical event that takes place in the spring of every year. The festival primarily features bluegrass, acoustic jazz, and blues. But this festival isn’t solely focused on music.
You can cruise around to different booths and check out arts and crafts made by local artists and craftsmen. There are also places to engage in arts and crafts activities yourself.
The Austin Reggae Festival is one of the big ones that features artists from around the world. It takes place every year in the spring, and draws in reggae artists of all styles.
They also have an International Marketplace at this festival, so you have the opportunity to shop for things from all over the world. You can find things that you’ll never see in a store in the United States.
This festival is extra great because the proceeds from this festival go to charity. All of the money goes to the local food bank and feeds the hungry.
The South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) falls into the category of Austin music festivals that are amongst the biggest in the world. The purpose of this conference is to draw in and feature artists from across the globe and draw attention to the music scene in Austin.
This festival doesn’t just provide music for entertainment though. They also feature other forms of art, such as film and interactive media. This music festival is partially responsible for Austin’s place on the global stage in the music industry.
The Austin City Limits has been around for nearly two decades now, and takes place in one of the city’s favorite parks. It features tons of acts from all genres on 8 different stages, showcasing more than 140 bands.
The festival takes place over the course of two weekends in October. The festival is named for the famous public TV show Austin City Limits. Artists come to perform from both the city of Austin and from around the globe. This is one of the biggest festivals that takes place in Austin.
And that, my friends, is why Austin proudly calls itself the music capital of the world.
So if you are a music lover looking for both diversity and quality, schedule a visit and check it out because chances are, Austin is the city for you.
