More about the music in Austin

Austin, currently the live music capital of the world, has a lot going on all the time. In the old days, before Stevie Ray Vaughan and in a sort of response to Armadillo World Headquarters the powers at be tried their best to stifle the live music scene here in Austin. That was before the 1980s and they thought that the music was a bad element. Sure, it makes sense, young children need not be out late at night listening to live music. But for adults - hey why not? The city and those powers began to finally realize the financial, and of course cultural, potential from the live music and the reputation Austin has gained from it.



At first the public television station on the University of Texas campus, KLRU, started the Austin City Limits TV show featuring live music from famous musicians in various genres. It was successful and is currently offered on public televison all around the world. Then South By Southwest began their festival in the late part of the 1980s. Both of these have become major Austin institutions over the last 20 years. Along with those promotional activities the radio stations around Austin have also pitched in. Currently at least KLRU and KUT-fm have hours of music dedicated to the live music in Austin Texas.

KLRU offers a 10pm to midnight show every Friday. That is American Central Standard Time, the same as Chicago. And KUT plays "Blue Monday" every Monday evening and that starts from around 7pm. For those of you outside of Austin I am sure you can find it online somewhere. KLBJ-FM also offers Austin Music only shows often. And yes, the LBJ part of that name is more than just the call letters. Lady Bird Johnson ran that station until a few years ago. So everyone around the world can enjoy the blues and Austin music for free. That is cool.