LIVE MUSIC

Austin is compulsive about music. After all it’s simply and indisputably the best U.S. city for live music, and has the distinguished honor of being the Live Music Capital of the World. The town is forever inundated with touring national acts, local favorites, and unknowns crawling out of the woodwork seeking their 15 minutes of expression. Venues, clubs, and bars all across town have something going on every night of the week. Live music is so pervasive here that you’ll find it in unusual places such as clothing stores, supermarkets (Central Market), the airport, and even the post office.

Although venues are everywhere, the greatest concentration of music is downtown. No matter where you stand in the downtown area the sounds of live music can be heard, merging in stereophonic cacophony, and the sound is sweet. The concentration gets thick on 6th Street and Red River, where you can stand on any corner and hear blues, pop, and heavy metal all at once. Thanks to Austin’s multifarious musical palate the venues and acts are diverse. There’s a thriving scene here for absolutely every kind of musical taste.

It’s hard to say how live music got its footing in Austin and how it has become so extraordinary over the years. But, from Willie Nelson to Janis Joplin to Austin City Limits, from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Alejandro Escovedo to Spoon, Austin has been greatly blessed in its calling to live music greatness. With this calling comes great responsibility, and Austinites take this seriously by religiously supporting local music. It’s not uncommon for someone to catch a live act every night of the week and during the day maintain a “normal” life at the office.

Tickets for most concerts and venues can be purchased at Waterloo Records (600 N. Lamar Blvd., 512/474-2500) or online at Click-4-Tickets (www.click4tickets.com) or GetTix (www.gettix.net). The outlet for theater, music, and dance tickets is AusTIX (512/472-8497, www.austix.com). Tickets purchased online are often cheaper than at the venue. For smaller venues tickets are sold only at the door.