Texas

[gonzfather]

Yeah, I'm not a big rap fan. I'm sure they would disagree with me. UGK and Paul Wall among others are big deals in that genre, but historically speaking, Houston doesn't really have the music cache of an Austin, or even a Lubbock. Lightnin' Hopkins was out of Houston. And a lot of singer-songwriters like Nanci Griffith and Steve Earle played there frequently when they were starting out. But, considering its size and population, it really doesn't have super deep roots musically.

I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that Houston is sort of an accidental metropolis. My understanding always was that Galveston was supposed to be the bigger city, but after the (1900?) hurricane, the population center shifted up to Houston (as opposed to other big cities which were big for their time since the 1800s).

 

[ModernCyrus]

I'm not a rap fan, but I think a number of rap fans would probably disagree with this statement.

I would please ask everyone remember Chamillionaire, Travis Scott, and DJ Screw.

historically speaking, Houston doesn't really have the music cache of an Austin

Agreed. Astroworld Fest is hopefully going to improve our music identity going forward, but I'll concede on historically, especially when compared to Austin and Nashville.

 

[ModernCyrus]

I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that Houston is sort of an accidental metropolis. My understanding always was that Galveston was supposed to be the bigger city, but after the (1900?) hurricane, the population center shifted up to Houston (as opposed to other big cities which were big for their time since the 1800s).

This is true. Galveston was everything until the storm. But when it was devastated in 1900, we still needed shipping in Tx so H-Town built the ship channel and took over most of the infrastructure and economy of the region.

 

[gonzfather]

I'm all over for Texan:

Early childhood / Teen Years: Laredo
middle childhood : San Antonio
College: Rio Grande Valley
20s: Houston
30s: Dallas

I feel myself most at home in Houston, for whatever reason. Its not as pretty as Dallas, but has a more comfortable feel for me, sprawl be damned.

 

[Aron]

I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that Houston is sort of an accidental metropolis. My understanding always was that Galveston was supposed to be the bigger city, but after the (1900?) hurricane, the population center shifted up to Houston (as opposed to other big cities which were big for their time since the 1800s).

I'm not sure what it is. I spent the first 18 years of my life there, and I just never really felt like there was a true music community there. Maybe it is because of the sprawl, or the fact that there are a lot of other things always going on in a modern city that size. When I arrived in Austin, there was definitely still that blues rock scene that the city is identified with to this day. But I've seen that shift a bit over the years. But even current Austin is still far more concentrated than Houston. West Texas has produced a lot of great singer-songwriters over the years because of its physical environment. That's my theory at least. Kind of desolate and windswept...makes for good writing material I suppose.

 

[Believer101]

Josey put up a nice lil animation on their page




Texas is super diverse towards the big cities, so there's a lotta good food. I live in Allen and the pizza places here are flamez.
Memphis is like really far away, but if you're into the DJ Screw stuff, I've heard Bigtyme Records is like the Mecca for that era of hip hop.

DJ screw would be nice.
DJ paul & Juicy J.

I think I would need a time machine tho cause alot of the old scene might be dead now.
Replaced with mumble rappers lol
Is texas a dominate trump state?

 

[Believer101]

Texas is pretty mixed. Big cities are pretty liberal, but the small towns and counties are all old conservatives.
We almost voted a Democrat into Texas Senate for the first time since the 90s but he lost by 2% to the Republican candidate.
And I think that now theres a big mix of styles in the music scenes across the country since there a lot of different styles of hip hop topping the charts atm. You'd def need a time machine to see the fallen legends like Screw and Pimp C, though.

Its good that its mixed.
The media still portrays texas as a backwards state but music showed me a better picture.
For culture and food texas will always be my most looked US state.

 

[displayname]

I'm glad to see Josey getting so much love. I hit several shops around town, but Josey is my favorite.

Maybe we can find a time for a Dallas meet up. Anyone going to the Audio Concepts/VMP/Linn event?

If not, maybe I can host one in the coming months.

 

[bfly]

Hi! I’ll be there June 2-7 for work but my evenings will be free. I love all kinds of food and music. Would love to get some good Mexican and bbq while there but really up for anything you recommend locally that is a must. I’ve found the best places are usually hole in the walls or neighborhood dive bars. I know the music scene there is phenomenal and based on posts I have read from you that you would not steer me in the wrong direction. Thanks!

hmmm. to add onto the other suggestions-

shows:
June 4th- The Brother Brothers at Cactus Cafe (ticketed)
June 4th- Tuesdays at Elephant Room (if the forum has you exploring jazz, def stop in this cool basement club. no cover on Tues.)
June 6th- Los Coast in-store at Waterloo (5 pm, free, 2 birds/1 stone: one of my fave local bands in a famous local record store)
June 6th- Flyjack's Funk & Soul Revival at C-Boy's Heart & Soul (free funky weekly)
June 6th- Grassy Thursday at St. Elmo Brewing (free bluegrass weekly)
June 7th- J.S. Ondara at Antone's (ticketed)
June 7th- Ringo Deathstarr at Scholz Garden (free)


non-music events:
June 5th- showing of Spirited Away at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. dinner show in partnership with Thirsty Planet Brewing (ticketed)
The LBJ presidential library has a Motown exhibit right now
Crawfish boil season! I know bars like the Rustic Tap has one, check other food-related events here: https://do512.com/events/food/2019/06/02


bars:
-Whisler's (East 6th, good cocktails and vibe. walking distance to Hotel Vegas/Volstead, my fave divey rock bars, and others on this list)
-Kitty Cohen's (not central, but a magical 70s Palm Springs vibe and next door to massive sandwiches at Gourmand's. my favorite bartenders. if you love the kitschy throwback atmosphere as much as I do, I refer to the new Frazier's as Kitty's ex-husband's bar.)
-Garage (not divey, but cool. maybe if you need a co-worker drink spot, in a parking garage.)
-Jackalope (a classic, and the best dive if you decide to brave Dirty 6th)
-White Horse (smelly, whiskey-soaked honky-tonk on East 6th. two-steppin', cheap drinks, great taco truck.)
-Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon (north. legendary, home of chicken shit bingo)
-Carousel Lounge (trippy Austin time capsule bar. bring your own liquor.)
-Continental Club (mentioned by others, great music, old Austin.)
-Scholz Garden (near UT. been around for over 100 years, serves German food, live music, and has a bowling alley.)
-Cheer Up Charlie's (colorful bar in the Red River music district, next door to Mohawk and Stubb's. will have someone playing, I'm sure.)

I tend to stick East side if bar-hopping, more of those spots have my vibe, but you can stumble into watering holes in every part of town.


food:
must eats, no matter the spot: breakfast tacos, BBQ, breakfast tacos, and maybe some kolaches for a to-go breakfast.

-get an avocado margarita at Curra's on Oltorf. it's like a health drink with cajones. good interior Mexican food as well.
-if you need pizza, there's tons of great spots, but I really like ABGB for the beer (it's a brewery) and the hangs.
-BBQ: Franklin is world famous with a line to match. alternatives: Stiles Switch, Micklethwait, La Barbecue. Lambert's if you ever need a sit-down spot.
-coffee: Radio, Figure8, Seventh Flag, Cenote, and plenty others depending on where you are staying. please no chains, not needed.
-tacos: Papalote, Tamale House East, Veracruz All Natural, Pueblo Viejo, Juan in a Million...
honestly there's only good tacos and great tacos, so you can roll the die. if you want a dose of Austin weird with your tortilla, def hit Maria's Taco Xpress! if you're not into Trump, avoid Tyson's.

there are tons of incredible dining options all over the city, hitting all price points, so I only went over the local specialities. it's more fun to discover some of the other spots on your own, but if a particular craving strikes, hit me up on here if you can't narrow it down. also some great breweries scattered all over the city.

 

[Aron]

hmmm. to add onto the other suggestions-

shows:
June 4th- The Brother Brothers at Cactus Cafe (ticketed)
June 4th- Tuesdays at Elephant Room (if the forum has you exploring jazz, def stop in this cool basement club. no cover on Tues.)
June 6th- Los Coast in-store at Waterloo (5 pm, free, 2 birds/1 stone: one of my fave local bands in a famous local record store)
June 6th- Flyjack's Funk & Soul Revival at C-Boy's Heart & Soul (free funky weekly)
June 6th- Grassy Thursday at St. Elmo Brewing (free bluegrass weekly)
June 7th- J.S. Ondara at Antone's (ticketed)
June 7th- Ringo Deathstarr at Scholz Garden (free)


non-music events:
June 5th- showing of Spirited Away at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. dinner show in partnership with Thirsty Planet Brewing (ticketed)
The LBJ presidential library has a Motown exhibit right now
Crawfish boil season! I know bars like the Rustic Tap has one, check other food-related events here: https://do512.com/events/food/2019/06/02


bars:
-Whisler's (East 6th, good cocktails and vibe. walking distance to Hotel Vegas/Volstead, my fave divey rock bars, and others on this list)
-Kitty Cohen's (not central, but a magical 70s Palm Springs vibe and next door to massive sandwiches at Gourmand's. my favorite bartenders. if you love the kitschy throwback atmosphere as much as I do, I refer to the new Frazier's as Kitty's ex-husband's bar.)
-Garage (not divey, but cool. maybe if you need a co-worker drink spot, in a parking garage.)
-Jackalope (a classic, and the best dive if you decide to brave Dirty 6th)
-White Horse (smelly, whiskey-soaked honky-tonk on East 6th. two-steppin', cheap drinks, great taco truck.)
-Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon (north. legendary, home of chicken shit bingo)
-Carousel Lounge (trippy Austin time capsule bar. bring your own liquor.)
-Continental Club (mentioned by others, great music, old Austin.)
-Scholz Garden (near UT. been around for over 100 years, serves German food, live music, and has a bowling alley.)
-Cheer Up Charlie's (colorful bar in the Red River music district, next door to Mohawk and Stubb's. will have someone playing, I'm sure.)

I tend to stick East side if bar-hopping, more of those spots have my vibe, but you can stumble into watering holes in every part of town.


food:
must eats, no matter the spot: breakfast tacos, BBQ, breakfast tacos, and maybe some kolaches for a to-go breakfast.

-get an avocado margarita at Curra's on Oltorf. it's like a health drink with cajones. good interior Mexican food as well.
-if you need pizza, there's tons of great spots, but I really like ABGB for the beer (it's a brewery) and the hangs.
-BBQ: Franklin is world famous with a line to match. alternatives: Stiles Switch, Micklethwait, La Barbecue. Lambert's if you ever need a sit-down spot.
-coffee: Radio, Figure8, Seventh Flag, Cenote, and plenty others depending on where you are staying. please no chains, not needed.
-tacos: Papalote, Tamale House East, Veracruz All Natural, Pueblo Viejo, Juan in a Million...
honestly there's only good tacos and great tacos, so you can roll the die. if you want a dose of Austin weird with your tortilla, def hit Maria's Taco Xpress! if you're not into Trump, avoid Tyson's.

there are tons of incredible dining options all over the city, hitting all price points, so I only went over the local specialities. it's more fun to discover some of the other spots on your own, but if a particular craving strikes, hit me up on here if you can't narrow it down. also some great breweries scattered all over the city.

Hell, I live here, and I'm going to use some of this info for myself. Well done and thanks @bfly!

 

[blenoxsmith]

If I lived in Houston I'd go to this today. Jealous of those of you who can attend. And it's free!

@Heath you going???

 

[mdmost]

In Austin, some of things I like:
Pinthouse Pizza is pretty good for a pizza and beer combo. Their beers are pretty top-notch.
Definitely agree on Juan In A Million for breakfast tacos. A special treat is having their coffee after you've had some of that spicy salsa they bring out with the chips before your tacos come out.
Another breakfast spot we like is the Omelettery on Airport Blvd. Gingerbread pancakes are pretty good.
Tex-Mex- go to Enchiladas Y Mas on Anderson and get the beef or queso enchilada but ask for them to put some beef fajitas on top. It will look like this and it is the best.

We also like Trudy's. It's not everyone's cup of team but the wife and I always enjoy it. The queso is really good there.
Maude's on South Lamar is also really good.

Breweries-Austin Beerworks is great. Live Oak is fun. Live Oak Hefeweizen might be my #1 all time beer. A local Dallas place is getting some this weekend and I'm going to be all over it as we rarely get anything Live Oak up here.

 

[slugr8]

Checking in from the Fort Worth side of the Metroplex, originally from Amarillo. If you ever find yourself traveling through Texas via I-40, make a stop in Shamrock, Texas to visit Spinning Jenny's House of Music.

 

[kaboomkate]

hmmm. to add onto the other suggestions-

shows:
June 4th- The Brother Brothers at Cactus Cafe (ticketed)
June 4th- Tuesdays at Elephant Room (if the forum has you exploring jazz, def stop in this cool basement club. no cover on Tues.)
June 6th- Los Coast in-store at Waterloo (5 pm, free, 2 birds/1 stone: one of my fave local bands in a famous local record store)
June 6th- Flyjack's Funk & Soul Revival at C-Boy's Heart & Soul (free funky weekly)
June 6th- Grassy Thursday at St. Elmo Brewing (free bluegrass weekly)
June 7th- J.S. Ondara at Antone's (ticketed)
June 7th- Ringo Deathstarr at Scholz Garden (free)


non-music events:
June 5th- showing of Spirited Away at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. dinner show in partnership with Thirsty Planet Brewing (ticketed)
The LBJ presidential library has a Motown exhibit right now
Crawfish boil season! I know bars like the Rustic Tap has one, check other food-related events here: https://do512.com/events/food/2019/06/02


bars:
-Whisler's (East 6th, good cocktails and vibe. walking distance to Hotel Vegas/Volstead, my fave divey rock bars, and others on this list)
-Kitty Cohen's (not central, but a magical 70s Palm Springs vibe and next door to massive sandwiches at Gourmand's. my favorite bartenders. if you love the kitschy throwback atmosphere as much as I do, I refer to the new Frazier's as Kitty's ex-husband's bar.)
-Garage (not divey, but cool. maybe if you need a co-worker drink spot, in a parking garage.)
-Jackalope (a classic, and the best dive if you decide to brave Dirty 6th)
-White Horse (smelly, whiskey-soaked honky-tonk on East 6th. two-steppin', cheap drinks, great taco truck.)
-Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon (north. legendary, home of chicken shit bingo)
-Carousel Lounge (trippy Austin time capsule bar. bring your own liquor.)
-Continental Club (mentioned by others, great music, old Austin.)
-Scholz Garden (near UT. been around for over 100 years, serves German food, live music, and has a bowling alley.)
-Cheer Up Charlie's (colorful bar in the Red River music district, next door to Mohawk and Stubb's. will have someone playing, I'm sure.)

I tend to stick East side if bar-hopping, more of those spots have my vibe, but you can stumble into watering holes in every part of town.


food:
must eats, no matter the spot: breakfast tacos, BBQ, breakfast tacos, and maybe some kolaches for a to-go breakfast.

-get an avocado margarita at Curra's on Oltorf. it's like a health drink with cajones. good interior Mexican food as well.
-if you need pizza, there's tons of great spots, but I really like ABGB for the beer (it's a brewery) and the hangs.
-BBQ: Franklin is world famous with a line to match. alternatives: Stiles Switch, Micklethwait, La Barbecue. Lambert's if you ever need a sit-down spot.
-coffee: Radio, Figure8, Seventh Flag, Cenote, and plenty others depending on where you are staying. please no chains, not needed.
-tacos: Papalote, Tamale House East, Veracruz All Natural, Pueblo Viejo, Juan in a Million...
honestly there's only good tacos and great tacos, so you can roll the die. if you want a dose of Austin weird with your tortilla, def hit Maria's Taco Xpress! if you're not into Trump, avoid Tyson's.

there are tons of incredible dining options all over the city, hitting all price points, so I only went over the local specialities. it's more fun to discover some of the other spots on your own, but if a particular craving strikes, hit me up on here if you can't narrow it down. also some great breweries scattered all over the city.

Wow, these are great! Ohhhhh breakfast tacos, I love them and can't wait to have them while down there. I will definitely be avoiding Tyson's, thanks for the tip. Also love going to local breweries so any recommendations you have for those would be great, really into IPA's lately. Getting excited to come down there, only been to Austin once before and loved it. It's nice to get these insider recommendations, thanks again for doing this!

 

[kaboomkate]

In Austin, some of things I like:
Pinthouse Pizza is pretty good for a pizza and beer combo. Their beers are pretty top-notch.
Definitely agree on Juan In A Million for breakfast tacos. A special treat is having their coffee after you've had some of that spicy salsa they bring out with the chips before your tacos come out.
Another breakfast spot we like is the Omleterry on Airport Blvd. Gingerbread pancakes are pretty good.
Tex-Mex- go to Enchiladas Y Mas on Anderson and get the beef or queso enchilada but ask for them to put some beef fajitas on top. It will look like this and it is the best.

We also like Trudy's. It's not everyone's cup of team but the wife and I always enjoy it. The queso is really good there.
Maude's on South Lamar is also really good.

Breweries-Austin Beerworks is great. Live Oak is fun. Live Oak Hefeweizen might be my #1 all time beer. A local Dallas place is getting some this weekend and I'm going to be all over it as we rarely get anything Live Oak up here.

This looks amazing! Thanks for the tips, love visiting local breweries. Really into IPA's lately, but I do love a good Hefeweizen too. Cheers!

 

[mdmost]

Jester King out in Dripping Springs is considered one of the best craft beer breweries in the state. I'm not big on them but my beer nerd brother goes there every Sunday when he makes a trip down to Austin.
St. Elmo Brewing is nice. It's in South Austin near Ben White. 512 Brewing is also down that way.
If you hit up Austin Beerworks which I highly recommend, also take a drive over to Celis Brewery. That's actually one of the first beers that opened me up to better beers when they were putting out interesting styles in the mid 90s.

 

[Aron]

I know we're talking beer right now, but, a friend and former co-worker of mine started up an urban winery about 5 years ago with two of his buddies. It is called, appropriately enough, Austin Winery, and they are located in South Austin. They have a cool setup in an industrial park off of St. Elmo. I think there is a brewery nearby as well--they are kind of trying to build up a little social hotspot out there. They actually have really, really good wine, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[ModernCyrus]

Jester King out in Dripping Springs is considered one of the best craft beer breweries in the state. I'm not big on them but my beer nerd brother goes there every Sunday when he makes a trip down to Austin.
St. Elmo Brewing is nice. It's in South Austin near Ben White. 512 Brewing is also down that way.
If you hit up Austin Beerworks which I highly recommend, also take a drive over to Celis Brewery. That's actually one of the first beers that opened me up to better beers when they were putting out interesting styles in the mid 90s.

J. King is great, but I really prefer Blue Owl. Super into sours and I love the ones they put out.

 

[mdmost]

The beauty of the Texas beer market is the cities seem to love to share. I can get Blue Owl, 512, Celis, Southern Heights and others up here in Dallas. The only two I really want but can't get are Austin Beerworks and Live Oak, though those are both more about not distributing up this way, which I get. Conversely, a lot of Dallas beers make their way down south like Lakewood, Peticolas, Deep Ellum, and Oak Highlands. It's fun to go to each city and see some thriving beer scenes. Dallas has a lot of great places spread around.

 

[gonzfather]

Wow, these are great! Ohhhhh breakfast tacos, I love them and can't wait to have them while down there. I will definitely be avoiding Tyson's, thanks for the tip. Also love going to local breweries so any recommendations you have for those would be great, really into IPA's lately. Getting excited to come down there, only been to Austin once before and loved it. It's nice to get these insider recommendations, thanks again for doing this!

I spend time up in NYC and I'm shocked how a city that is supposed to have access to every major cuisine has absolutely no places to get a breakfast taco (disclaimer: i think there is a place in Brooklyn, but nothing in Manhattan). I once got some makeshift ones by ordering eggs, hash brown and a side of tortillas. #Sad