XL Cover Story

Why is Austin called the live music capital of the world? Here are 50 reasons (with 50 more to come)

     • Nos. 1-25 (Alice's Restaurant - Cotton Club & Steakhouse)
     • Nos. 26-50 (Coupland Dance Hall - Jovita's)
     • Nos. 51-75 (Kenny Dorham's Backyard - Romeo's)
     • Nos. 76-100 (Room 710 - La Zona Rosa)

The idea was to visit 70 music venues in one month. Then the number grew to 100. Well, we didn't quite make 100, so we added a few descriptions from recent memory to round out the list. Then we split the microprofiles into two alphabetically arranged sections; the second set comes out next week.

If your favorite venue is not profiled in XL this week or next, e-mail us at mbarnes@statesman.com. I'll drop by and update the list regularly on Austin360.com.

1. ALICE'S RESTAURANT
14100 Camino Real (Texas 21), Niederwald, (512) 376-2782

Flashback City. Time holds its breath at this hippie farmhouse/cafe/music venue in Niederwald, a village that straddles the Caldwell and Hays county lines southeast of Austin. The simple dishes are tasty and the beer chilly, if the devout service is a bit off the clock. Bands play a microstage in the farmhouse's lean-to attachment. They do not disappoint a visitor's expectations of blissed-out weirdness.

2. ALLIGATOR GRILL
3003 S. Lamar Blvd., 444-6117

This place has matured in the past few years. An indoor stage rises to the right of the entrance and across from the bar, and the floor is used interchangeably for dining, drinking and frolicking. The treat, however, is the deck for the after-work crowd, where acoustic acts strum and croon under oak and sweet-gum boughs. The building's heavy, dark brick exterior — very 1970s — provides even more shade. The menu and staff are geared for fun; try the Cajun popcorn.

3. ANTONE'S
213 W. Fifth St., 320-8424

Reverence is the overwhelming tone at the latest incarnation of the famous blues club, which looks like an ancient shrine, even though this is far from its original location. What works well for tourists and the wide range of musical acts is the subtle sound mixing, spacious stage spread along the room's long wall, the double bars and the cool-down areas on either side of the main floor. What works against the mood is the sometimes curt employees and the overpriced cocktails.

4. ARTZ RIB HOUSE
2330 S. Lamar Blvd., 442-8283

Good food, good drink, good prices, good music. Find it all at this South Austin barbecue old-timer. The building rambles along its lengthy lot, but that's OK, because it can fill up easily. As the name suggests, ribs make the best menu choice, but any selection is amazingly inexpensive, as is the bottled beer. When the band plays for families and dining parties indoors, it can get a little cramped, but who cares when it's old-fashioned fiddlin' and fussin'?

5. AUSTIN MUSIC HALL
208 Nueces St., 263-4146

An essential part of the city's big-act mix — and the home to seasonal special events — this hall sits on what was once the shabby, abandoned western edge of downtown (now an area slated for sleek residential towers). It's large. Very large. So the sounds and sights emanating from the back-wall stage and speakers vary from concert to concert. Quantity is the password for the efficient staff and its refreshment factory lines. If the act is good, the rest is gravy.

6. BACK ROOM
2015 E. Riverside Drive, 441-4677

Headbangers rejoice! This home for unreconstructed metal thrives just off East Riverside Drive, with tsunamis of sound crashing down from the speakers that frame the tall stage. When the first three chords emerge, guys and gals with inventive hair, tattoos and hard-core uniforms surge forward to the gaping pit. Or one can perch on cocktail chairs behind the mob, retrieving frosty pitchers of beer from the bar. Bored? There's a sea of pool tables in the next room, and a beer garden is slated for a September opening.

7. THE BACKYARD
13101 W. Texas 71, 263-4146

An idyllic evening under the stars, or a painful roasting on a Hill Country griddle — depends on the season. In some ways the very model of a modern outdoor venue, the Backyard can make a big-venue act seem like a campout with best friends. Or not. The pit is spacious and serves both the body-pressers and the more demure idlers. Traffic daunts and the new shopping center will bring more. A second, smaller adjacent venue, the Glenn, opens Sept. 11.

8. BASS CONCERT HALL
23rd Street & Robert Dedman Dr., 477-6060

Modern, monumental, this UT hall is a classy place to catch a marquee act. The continental-style seating works against a shared social experience, but dressy audiences are learning to abandon their seats for pop acts. It takes any kind of scenic or lighting demands and, if the mixers are careful, amplification can mend normal acoustic concerns. Spectators in the upper balcony can vote in Louisiana, but refreshment lines are shorter upstairs. All this is slated to change with a renovation in 2007.

9. B.B. ROVERS
12636 Research Blvd., 335-9504

You might miss this suburban pub by looking at its Research Boulevard address, since the three-part establishment actually fronts on Jollyville Road. Inside find two commendably served areas with an encyclopedic beer selection and a small game room; outside stumble onto an odd performance set-up for the shirt-sleeves crowd. Musicians sit or stand at the intersection of two covered loggias, with spectators stretching out in long, narrow lines alongside two facades of the building.

10. B.D. RILEY'S
204 E. Sixth St., 494-1335

At first, this Sixth Street pub looks like other faux-Irish establishments that litter downtown. After a while, this one feels a bit more authentic, but not yet worn, and the live music fits the still-spiffy fittings. Musicians play behind an ornate railing, so when they sit down, it's difficult to see the action. Sometimes the music reels with an Old World sensibility, complementing one's Harp and chips. The place, populated with happy, ruddy faces, turns more raucous on the weekends.

11. BEERLAND
711 1/2 Red River St., 479-ROCK

Are we in prewar Berlin? The stage in this punkish club recalls a Weimar cabaret, which fits the theatrical nature of its musical acts. Despite the crush at the bar, drinks are not hard to come by and amazingly cheap. Even more than the omnipresent Emo's, this club serves as the heart and soul of Red River Street. Tricked-out scenesters hug each other compulsively (who knew?) and one can detect an underground gay vibe (we knew). Capacity limits keep it from feeling too clammy.

12. BOOMERZ
6148 W. U.S. 290, 892-3358

Out near the Y in Oak Hill is a strip-center club with a wince-inducing name. But hold on. Now Sharon Ramsey and family have taken over management, injecting some fresh air, split between a game room and a music club/dance hall. The Ramseys' Australian roots blossom in the convivial atmosphere and hearty selection of potables for cheery patrons. They also plan to change the name soon. Good for them.

13. BROKEN SPOKE
3201 S. Lamar Blvd., 442-6189

It's hard not to love this South Austin roadhouse. The restaurant up front could not be more casual and comfortable. The novel central bar is convenient, but the beating heart of this institution is the deep, smooth dance floor in back. Low ceilings and considerable seating to the sides make the whole experience seem like a family reunion. Bands play a stage at the far end for audiences young and old, and most everyone has the times of their lives.

14. BUFFALO BILLIARDS
201 E. Sixth St., 479-7665

Live music on the upstairs stage plays a minimal role in this double-wide club with its banks and banks of pool tables and other games. Despite the name and Old West decor, it's not really a country bar and appeals more to our fraternity brethren. In some ways, it's more like an all-purpose suburban club, meant to keep one busy and entertained the entire evening, rather than the typical Sixth Street quickie watering hole.

15. CACTUS CAFE
24th and Guadalupe streets, 475-6515

No pilgrimage to Austin's sacred musical sites would be complete without a hushed evening at this UT campus acoustic mecca. The decor is neo-Spanish Colonial with some Mexican accents, but the seating is pure institutional, circa 1955. The corner stage is raised just high enough above the flat floor to provide generous views and the front-end mixer is among the most sensitive in town. The truncated bar to the rear offers grad-student and junior-prof types all sorts of potent potables.

16. CAFE MUNDI
1704 E. Fifth St., 236-8634

A stand of bare-limbed crape myrtles squeezed between Fifth Street and an unadorned parking lot turns into an elfin grove of acoustic alchemy. All it took was a string of lights, a low stage and patio tables scattered among the myrtles. The beer is bottled and the coffee's strong, so why not kick back with the bushy folk who are mesmerized by the singer-songwriters? Some acts play the close interior quarters as well.

17. CAROUSEL LOUNGE
1110 E. 52nd St., 452-6790

Who needs hallucinogens when you can visit this eye-gouging club just off Cameron Road? Primitivist murals of circus life decorate the interior and exterior. Vintage diner booths wink across from a high L-shaped bar. Games line the wall leading to a "tent" — a liminal space that hosts any number and type of bands under twinkly lights. Irony infects only part of the patronage. Don't worry, the bartender understands.

18. CEDAR STREET COURTYARD
208 W. Fourth St., 495-9669

Many a dusk has slipped effortlessly into dark at this urban treasure. Bracketed between two commercial structures that now house trendy restaurants, the Courtyard keeps its outdoor cool with shade and misters. The after-work martinis are excellent, though purists will turn their noses up at the variations. In years past, the music seemed an afterthought, but now the stage and the bookings indicate a desire to put artists front and center.

19. CHEATHAM STREET WAREHOUSE
199 Cheatham St., San Marcos,
(512) 353-3777

This classic juke joint sits right next to the railroad tracks in San Marcos and passing trains shake its warped walls. The interior wood surfaces, low ceiling, wide side-aisles and picture-frame stage make the whole building a warm, glowing musical instrument. A raised dance floor evolves into a familial seating area. Bottled beers from many nations are available behind a bar that juts into the room at a sharp angle.

20. CHUGGIN' MONKEY
219 E. Sixth St., 476-5015

Sometimes the name alone nails the tone of a club. Even with an open balcony above the narrow main floor, this place feels crammed with hearty drinkers on a weekend night. When a band plays the microscopic stage near the front door — and in view of passers-by — the writhing crowd goes nuts. Some chill-out spaces to the rear of both floors offer relief from the throngs, but if you are there for the hotties and shots, it shouldn't matter.

21. CLUB ONE 15
115 San Jacinto St., 472-4115

Once a Korean karaoke bar, now this narrow room at 115 San Jacinto Boulevard is an upscale — but not snooty — club for jazz, hip-hop and other musical forms. Its handsome wood fixtures, cool blue lighting, leather couches and high cocktail chairs are all aimed at a velvet-swathed stage. There's not a bad seat in this cool/warm house, and the musicians tend not to blast the listeners in the front rows. A full bar and alert staff make this a very grown-up lounge.

22. CLUB DeVILLE
900 Red River St., 457-0900

Despite the natural auditorium carved into limestone behind this veteran club, this can be a tricky place to absorb a performance. Inside, DeVille is the epitome of flinty cool; outside you get plastic chairs arranged informally around the too-low stage (sometimes replaced with a higher one). If a breeze winds its way past the cinder-block walls, all the better, because the atmosphere here — sound-wise, look-wise and feel-wise — is way, way melt.

23. CONTINENTAL CLUB
1315 S. Congress Ave., 441-2444

This international tourist attraction needs no exegesis. Yet a recent return visit reminded us that the essence of this South Austin mecca is simplicity. It's a rectangular room with a moderately sized, raised stage, some cocktail tables and chairs that can be scattered for dancing, a standard bar and loads of nostalgia on the walls. The accumulated history of good times, however, adds an extra charge to the arched-eyebrow rockabilly, roots rock or whatever else hits the marquee.

24. COOL RIVER CAFE
4001 Parmer Lane, 835-0010

It's been said before, but this place is vast. Huge restaurant, bigger bar, even bigger deck and what seems like acres of well-brushed high-techies in wood-paneled booths, cocktail tables and serving areas. The stuffed trophies on the walls contribute to the hunting lodge feel. The bar is copiously stocked and well patronized by mating male and female humans. The stage, which usually hosts cover bands, is as big as the centrally located dance floor.

25. COTTON CLUB & STEAKHOUSE
212 E. Davilla, Granger; (512) 859-0700

From downtown Austin, Granger feels like the end of Nowhere. Don't be fooled. Open the doors of this big-boned 1909 building and you'll discover dozens of folks — a significant percentage under cowboy hats — swirling to the dance band, clustering in conversational pods, or bellying up to the extensive bar. The band plays from a full-sized stage and the club includes a dining area and gift shop. A sizable courtyard yokes together a deck, exterior bar, gazebo and enclosed party room.

• Clubs 26 - 50 (Coupland Dance Hall - Jovita's)