Austin, Texas is a pretty rich town when it comes to musical history. Given that, it’s tough to narrow down what venues are the best of the best to take in a live show. You could choose from any number of places. However, when you’re at SXSW, you only want to hang out at the cream of the crop. Instead of wandering around to find out what places are best, check out this list of six really great places to experience live music.
Antone’s
The first club on 6th Street, this Austin SXSW hotspot first began presenting music back in 1975 with none other than Clifton Chenier. Blues greats like B.B. King and Muddy Waters have also played there. It’s credited with helping jumpstart Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career, back when he first started and hosted more recent up-and-comers, like Los Lonely Boys. Any band that plays the blues would kill to perform here. Antones: 213 West 5th Street, Austin, TX 78701. (512) 320-8424.
Emo’s
Although this club has had other names over the years, someone named Emo took over in the ‘90s, and the rest, as they say, is history. Perhaps its most famous customer was Johnny Cash in 1994. Its MySpace site describes its occupation as a watering hole (emphasis on hole), and that it’s a Pisces, for whatever that information’s worth. You just need to know that it’s a great place to experience live rock & roll. Emo’s: 603 Red River Street, Austin, TX 78701. (512) 693-3667.
