Introduction

Chronicle offices, present day

Sifting through 20 years of Chronicles for these “Live Shots” from dead clubs, most gratifying were the places I didn’t have to bother with: Back Room, Broken Spoke, Cactus Cafe, Continental Club, Hole in the Wall. They were there at the beginning — or at least when we started running “Live Shots” in 1982 — and they’re still going strong in 2001. As for the rest, most of them came and went before my time, so forgive me for not waxing nostalgic. But native or newcomer, one thing should be clear from this very small sampling: As long as there are people to play and people to listen — and as ever, Austin has plenty of both — music will always find a home. If only for a little while.

This article appears in Lost Austin I.

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