maul
Southern comfort
Vic Galloway sees Texas in a new light when he visits Austin, the self—proclaimed live music capital of the world.
here’s" probably no other
American state that has been
more blighted with a conserVatiVe reputation than Texas. Yet almost smack hang in the centre ol‘ the lone Star state‘s heart. the bohemian cit} ol' Austin shimmers like an oasis. 'l‘lte cliched \ision ol‘ right—wing religious l'anatics. gun- toting cow‘pokes and oil-barons wearing rather large Stetsons does hold true elsewhere in the state. But the capital has a wry dil‘l‘erent l'eel. It‘s a unixersit)‘ town - and the sell.- proclairned ‘li\e music capital ol~ the world‘. It‘s also the only region in 'l‘exas that \oted against (ieorge W Bush in the last l'S election.
It is said that Attstin's hipp) counter—culture began its quest l’or peace and liberalism in the l‘)(i()s. but was chased out by the more dominant. conservative l‘actions. The hippies hit the road to settle in San l‘rancisco. among other places. and the rest in history. But in more recent years due to the dot.com collapse. as well as the (net'—
population and homogenisation ol‘
('alil’ornia it seems that the artists.
outlaws and seekers ol’ lreedom ol’ expression lta\e been drilling back. rexixing :\tistin‘s standing as a \ ibrant and creatixe place to \ isit or li\e. In this strange and l’ieautil'ul place. ultra—modern sk) scrapers cos} up to tail}. down-at-llte—lieel .\le\ican restaurants and set‘ttll) bars. lt reall} exudes a wild west atmosphere. albeit with jeeps and pick-up trucks rather than horses. So while it looks modern and sophisticated. r\ttslitl i'eels a little dr)‘. w eather-beaten and ramshaekle.
l’ossibl) :\ttstinis greatest attraction is its \ ibrant musie scene. This _\ear. the ewmplar) South b} South West (SXSW) music conl‘erence was celel'vrating its l‘)th _\ear and cra/ier than M er. Imagine the lidinburgh l5esti\al but at blistering \olume. cmered in tattoos and without the nail student Shakespeare. But at an) time ol' the )ear Austin hardl} sleeps it bu/Ies’. Sixth Street is a \critable rock'n‘roll broadwa}. with a li\e music \enue e\er} l'ew' metres. 'l‘he most liarnous is probabl} limo's. which ol'l’ers a unique continuation
a A i .,
TRAVEL
ol' indie/punk credibilit) in a l'r‘iendl). dow n--to--earth atmosphere. The bars are plentil‘ul and there are man} worth staggering into
Bull'an Billiards. .\'t!no's. l’riends and Maggie \lae's‘ all ser\e up
AUSTIN HAS A WILD BEAUTY - A UNIQUE SENSE 0F HIPNESS AND FREEDOM
good beer and qualit) hands. The adjoining side street Red River is lined with more spit'n‘saw dust
rock'n'roll dixes with bags ol‘
character. 'l'r) Beerland. (‘lub de Ville. Stubbs BBQ or lil_\sium tor darker. dirtier tun.
But it _\ou're looking l‘or something more mainstream. the larger spots such as the Austin Music Hall. La Zona Rosa or Antone’s host bigger names and are an essential stop l'or any band on the road. So it old) l'or SXSW and
Eclectic Austin (clockwise from left): sunny streets; Sixth Street at night; jazz music galore
the excellent .\t!slltt (Wt) Limits (another liesli\al that specialises in more cotrntryroots musiet. the c‘it)'s nickname is toiall) justified. But knowing that it roeks all ~\eaz‘ round makes .\ustin a must tor tntrsic aficionados.
Set in the deep south ol' the Deep South. the cit) benei’zis trotn a great climate » in March it rarel} dips below 7t) l“. throughout the sunt'fzer. \ that )ou can wander the tight—knit gridlock ol~ downtown streets and parks in shorts and a l—shirt. 'l‘here are excellent bus and 'lJillo‘ (tree tram—like mini-buses) ser'xiees. which are cars) to nuigate from most points throughout the oil; aid.
since the streets are arranged in t)pical American grid-plan the map is ears) to l‘ollow. 'l‘he large number ol‘ bars and t‘eslatlt‘afll are run b) all manner or colourrul and unusual people. going the tow'is nightlil‘e has an electric t'eel.
B) da). there's a unique. laid— back \ibe to shopping. Brand names. \iritzzge stores. record shops
and one-oll clothing boutiques lmxe
getting ex e7t hotéer'
THE “ST 115