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Emo's
603 Red River, 505-8541
Though not a direct descendant, Emo's
follows a long line of local punk rock
clubs in becoming Austin's foremost
purveyor of all things loud, nasty, and
weird. Debuting for South by Southwest
1992, Emo's opened just as the the
town's prime proponent of punk, the Jelly
Club, closed. From Raul's to Club Foot,
the Cave Club, Cannibal Club, and finally
the Jelly Club, Austin's punk legacy
landed on the broad, six-foot-something
shoulders of Eric "Emo" Hartman, who
had moved to Houston from Chicago at
the close of the Eighties to found his first
namesake punk club.
A former soccer player who had given up
the sport because of a bad back,
Hartman next set his sights on the
enormous, split-level wood 'n' concrete
space near the corner of Sixth Street and
Red River. Formerly the home of country
& western dance bars like Poodie's and
Raven's, Emo's opened into a space that
accommodated two different stages
separated by a spacious courtyard in the
middle. Upstairs, the main bar quenches
the thirst of between 200-300 onlookers,
while the downstairs main stage holds
an estimated 500 people and can cram a
whole helluva lot more people into the
room given acts like the Jesus Lizard and
Tortoise.
In 1993, Hartman opened a third club, the
Orbit Room in Dallas (which closed last
year), and while the Houston Emo's still
books live music, it's the Austin Emo's
that quickly became the chain's flagship
and something akin to a national punk
landmark for bands travelling through
Texas. To gaze up at the ceiling above the
upstairs bar, covered with the poster art of
Frank Kozik, Lindsey Kuhn, and others, is
to record the punk rock revival of this
decade. Then there's the stool that hangs
above that bar, the hallowed stool on
which Johnny Cash himself sat during a
legendary SXSW showcase at Emo's that
will forever eclipse any punk rock band
whose name holds a piece of real estate
on that ceiling.
And there are a few. From Don Walser
(cow-punk?) to the Jon Spencer Blues
Explosion, Emo's has played host to the
best bands of this decade and is
considered one of the premier clubs of its
kind around the country. Once free, the
club now charges an outrageous $2 for
local gigs and $4 for roadshows if you're
over 21. Free shows for genre staples
like L7 and the Lunachicks? Emo's has
always done it their own way: Punk as
fuck. – Raoul Hernandez
UPCOMING LISTINGS AT EMO'S
Pataphysics, Harlem, Cowabunga Babez, Hawnay Troof
Mon., Nov. 9
Sad Accordions, Karl Blau, Lake
Wed., Nov. 11
Inside: Without a Face, Ha Ha Tonka, Meese, The New Heathers; Outside: Thieves, The Color of Violence, Therefore I Am, Greeley Estates, From First to Last
Thu., Nov. 12
Smile Smile, Riddlin' Kids, Bowling for Soup
Thu., Dec. 3
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