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Saxon Pub
1320 S. Lamar, 448-2552
"We've had everybody from Badfinger to
Kinky Friedman," laughs Joe Ables,
manager of the Saxon Pub. Since its
inception in 1990, the joint with the giant
knight out front has offered live music
seven nights a week. Nine years
multiplied by seven nights equals a
bucketful of music and lots of room to
roam. "We do everything from simple
acoustic folk things to some pretty hard
rock acts and all in between," says Ables,
"and I believe that's attributed to some of
our success. We appeal to a wide
audience." Still, there are trends.
What began as a songwriter's joint --
Stephen Fromholz, Rusty Wier, Michael
Martin Murphey, Monte Montgomery, and
James McMurtry have all been Saxon
stalwarts -- has evolved into more of a
blues-rock club. These days, you're as
likely to see W.C. Clark, Guy Forsyth, or
Stephen Bruton holding court as you are
McMurtry or Montgomery. And you never
know who might drop in: Bonnie Raitt,
Kris Kristofferson, and a Wild
Turkey-drinkin' Dan Rather have all put in
stool time at the Saxon in recent years.
Musicians brag on the Saxon for its good
sound and friendly atmosphere, and
Ables repays their loyalty with a slate of
weekly residencies.
Once an act is established at the Saxon,
Ables tends to keep 'em there, knowing
he can expect a good turnout; Rusty
Wier's been playing seven years in a
Thursday night slot originally slated to run
one month. "Once you have something
successful," Ables says, "hell, we'll run it
into the ground." Wier's one of a handful
of holdovers from the original Saxon Pub,
a legendary room that thrived in the late
Sixties and Seventies on I-35 and 38th
Street. The name is somewhere between
"stolen" and "borrowed," says Ables: Call
it a tribute.
At any rate, there's something of the spirit
of the old Saxon at the new Saxon, where
the peaked roof and wood walls give a
dark and smokey home to the untold
trysts, triumphs, and desires that play
themselves out both on-stage and off. It's
bawdy and intimate, blessed no doubt by
the benign gaze of Rusty, the giant
roadside knight that has stood watch over
the Saxon for a full nine years. Built from
"lawnchairs and aluminum cans,"
trailered in from Waco and painted silver,
the beneficent Rusty (no relation to Wier)
has become a signpost of sorts, a clarion
call to South Austin. His message is
simple: good music here. – Jay Hardwig
UPCOMING LISTINGS AT SAXON PUB
Bruce Hughes & the All-Nude Army, Kym Warner, Milkdrive
Tue., Feb. 9
Waylon Payne
Tuesdays, 5 p.m.
Shawn Pander, Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros, Ouachita
Wed., Feb. 10
The Nortons
Wednesdays, 6 p.m.
David Holt & Tommy Shannon
Thursdays, 6 p.m. Continues through March 1
Hector Ward & the Big Time, George Devore, Reid Wilson & His So-Called Friends
Thu., Feb. 11, 8 p.m.
Earl Poole Ball & the Cosmic Americans
Fridays, 6 p.m.
Lincoln Durham, the Resentments
Sundays, 6 p.m.
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