Blog takeover with Jax Washington, Super Experience Host and in-house music expert, shares some of her favorite places to catch a show in Austin, Texas:
Austin, TX remains the “Live Music Capital of the World” where you can catch a great show any night of the week. But shows can get expensive. That shouldn’t stop live music fans with tighter budgets from getting out and supporting talented musicians. Thankfully, there are a few fantastic venues in Austin that consistently book the best talent while managing to keep their ticket prices low.
One of the most beloved music venues in ATX is The Saxon Pub on South Lamar Blvd. Opened in 1990, the venue has hosted more than 30,000 acts and hosts music every single night of the week. Regarded as a listening room, The Saxon Pub is where Austinites go to support newer acts as well as more established musicians of all genres, especially roots, rock, blues, soul and classic country. Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Schneider and Bonnie Raitt are among the many greats who’ve taken the stage at The Saxon Pub. The venue is so beloved by locals that a documentary was made about it called “Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub” which premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Conference. The first show on the bill each night is usually free and cover prices for the later acts are very affordable ranging from $10 to $25.
For jazz enthusiasts, you can’t beat Austin’s premiere jazz club, The Elephant Room. Located in the heart of Congress Ave between 3rd and 4th Streets, the venue hosts the best trios, quartets, orchestras and soloists every single night of the week. Named after the largest archeological discovery of Mastodon bones west of the Mississippi that were dug up at this very spot, the venue itself is quite something to behold. Catch a show Sunday through Wednesday and you won’t pay a cover. On Fridays and Saturdays, you’ll only pay $7 to get in.
Fans of blues, R&B, soul and rockabilly will love C-Boys Heart & Soul on South Congress. Like the Saxon Pub and Elephant Room, C-Boys hosts music every single night of the week and many shows are free. When they do charge a cover it’s typically $5-$15. You’ll get the best value when you go on a Thursday night when they open up the Jade Room, the upstairs hidden gem of a venue where talented local blues duo, Mel & James, often perform.
These are just a few of the many places in Austin where you can catch a great show at an affordable price. To see who’s playing at each of these venues and find even more great shows that fit your budget, visit Do512.com. Can’t decide which shows to choose, let us help. Join us on our Live Music Crawl running nightly Wednesday through Saturday from 8pm-11pm. You’ll keep it weird while supporting three great acts at three of our most beloved local venues here in ATX. To learn more about the tour and purchase tickets, please visit: https://austindetours.com/tours/live-music-crawl/.