Credit: Austin Busker Project

Guest article by Jesselyn Parks

For those who find themselves on Austin’s famous Sixth Street on a weekend night, the sights and sounds of the city’s bustling nightlife radiate out in a familiar song. Cars and bikes zip through the streets, deep bass diffuses from lines of packed bars and, of course, a bucket drummer or two pulses rhythm into the supercharged atmosphere of “Dirty” or “West.”

However, when performers venture out to Austin’s streets, armed with their instrument, guitar case or bucket, many fear an encounter with police. Navigating the gray area of Austin’s city ordinances is tough, these buskers say, and many live in legal limbo. Unclear if they are operating under their First Amendment rights or simply waiting to be run off, street performers in Austin are forced to navigate swift waters. Even worse, according to buskers, the city is equally unsure of the law and benefits from keeping it that way. [Read more…]

The new Antone’s blends beautifully into the new Austin scene (Credit: Marco Figueroa)

Unlike every other good thing discovered in Austin, I first learned about Antone’s in Mopac traffic. I was crawling north towards Route 183 when a ’70s-era van edged in front of me. On its back were hundreds of stickers. Stubb’s. Saxon Pub. Austin Beerworks. As a recently re-located East Coaster, I was still learning the language. But one of them stuck out: Antone’s. With a personal name and classic-looking logo, it looked like my kind of place.

From there, Antone’s was a folktale. Everywhere I looked, I saw references to a legendary blues venue closed only months earlier. Whispery rumors through faded bumper stickers and the weathered remnants of show posters pasted to bar bathroom walls. Whenever I mentioned it to locals, most would sigh and say, “I miss that place.” [Read more…]