Off the Record

Commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the Saxon Pub and talking business with Kalu James and ME Television

"...on the way back down," cracks Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables, who opened the South Lamar landmark in 1990,..."

June 11, 2010 Music Column by Austin Powell

911, We've Got a Smoker

Austin's new smoking ordinance takes effect today

"...covering. Like his fellow bar owners, Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables is trying to remain positive...."

Sept. 2, 2005 Music Feature by Darcie Stevens

I Before E

A career retrospective on one of the lost cosmic cowboys, Rusty Wier

"...ride my stick horse through the restaurant between the tables while the pianist played 'The William Tell Overture.'" Relates..."

May 31, 2002 Music Feature by Margaret Moser

Playback: Chilling With ScoreMore

Austin promoters ScoreMore tap San Antonio

"...an Angeleno who paid for UT by simultaneously waiting tables at Texas Land & Cattle, selling print advertising, and..."

Nov. 28, 2014 Music Column by Kevin Curtin

Faster Than Sound: Delta Variant Leaves Venues Between a Rock and the Governor's Orders

The latest on music hubs, festivals, and relief funding

"...COVID-19 case among staff isn't cheap. Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables canceled a sold-out Bob Schneider show, paid for..."

Aug. 13, 2021 Music Column by Rachel Rascoe

2016-17 Austin Music Industry Awards

"...Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables took home three awards: Live Music Venue, Club..."

March 7, 2017 Photo Gallery

I'll Be Home for Christmas

"...Christmas show, and we get a good crowd," says Joe Ables, proprietor of the South Lamar pub. "Lots of..."

Dec. 25, 1998 Music Feature by Christopher Hess

Faster Than Sound: It’s Now or Never for a Music Venue Preservation Fund

When will the city of Austin give music venues aid to preserve their so-called ‘Live Music Capital’?

"...not enough money to go around," said Saxon owner Joe Ables. "I guess the Better Business Bureau didn't like..."

Sept. 25, 2020 Music Column by Rachel Rascoe

Nothing Stays the Same: The Story of the Saxon Pub

How a South Austin listening room survived, and what we can learn about preserving culture

"...is still something universal about the challenges facing owner/manager Joe Ables and all the regulars – onstage and in..."

May 31, 2019 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

No Smoking, Austin: 10 Years Later

Chronicle revisits smoking ban at bars, music venues

"...What has been the impact of the ban? Joe Ables, owner, Saxon Pub “After 10 years of a..."

Sept. 4, 2015 News Post by R.U. Steinberg

Playback: Bavu Blakes Carpes the Diem

Bavu Blakes seizes his own day, Shakey Graves lands an Austin City Limits taping, and the Saxon Pub turns 25

"...and Bill Carter and Mike Farris on Saturday. Owner Joe Ables reflects on landmark moments in the club's history...."

May 1, 2015 Music Column by Kevin Curtin

What Will Local Shows Look Like in the Future?

What will shows look like in the live music capital? That's all local club owners can think about.

"...of how to space out a general admission floor." Tables & Chairs..."

May 22, 2020 Music Feature by Kevin Curtin

A World in Which All Worlds Fit

"...all over town to hear the music, but owner Joe Ables still considers the Saxon something of a neighborhood..."

Dec. 4, 1998 Music Feature by Jay Hardwig

Austin Music Awards' Industry Accolades Announced

Best radio station, record store, club, and many more

"...7) Tom Oatley’s Guitar Garage 8) Dick Dubois 9) Joe’s Amps 10) Sam Bass Music..."

March 6, 2017 Music Post by James Renovitch

Austin Institution Saxon Pub Survives in SXSW Documentary

A glimmer of hope amid Austin development in Nothing Stays the Same: The Story of the Saxon Pub

"...year of filming, however, Sandmann learned from Saxon owner Joe Ables that the club had received a reprieve, courtesy..."

March 8, 2019 Screens Feature by Doug Freeman

Page Two: An Immodest Proposal

Preventing the music scene from burdening the city

"...was involved in a roundtable discussion at Threadgill's with Joe Ables (Saxon Pub), James White (Broken Spoke), Susan Antone..."

Dec. 2, 2016 Column by Louis Black

Off the Record

Music News

"...and really a perfect gentleman," says Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables. "He was huge in France. I used to..."

April 8, 2011 Music Column by Austin Powell

Off the Record

A Thanksgiving feast with Speak, A Welch Family Affair, and Ornette Coleman

"...Stephen Bruton by his wife, Mary, and Saxon owner Joe Ables...."

Nov. 26, 2010 Music Column by Austin Powell

Off the Record

A closer look at the closing of the Cactus Cafe, Beerland's Casual Victim Pile, and Watchtower's Control and Release

"...a mini replica of what we do," confirms owner Joe Ables, who hopes the outlet will be open in..."

Feb. 12, 2010 Music Column by Austin Powell

Off the Record

Slow, Stoned, Rugged: A tribute to Austin's original cosmic soulman Rusty Wier

"...weak to do so in 2007. As Saxon owner Joe Ables puts it, "Everyone will be on Rusty's guest..."

Oct. 16, 2009 Music Column by Austin Powell

Paula Nelson Kicks Butt on Film

"...Interest. Even more interesting and synchronistic, Saxon Pub owner Joe Ables plays the role of a judge in the..."

July 3, 2008 Screens Post by Joe O'Connell

Best South Austin Listening Room

Saxon Pub

"...Now well into its second decade on South Lamar, Joe Ables' unpretentious little room is rumored to be expanding...."

Sept. 27, 2002 Best of Austin Feature

Scott Panetti: Sane Enough to Execute?

Supremes' June 28 ruling in case of Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti concludes that law requires condemned inmates have some 'rational understanding' of why they're being executed in order to satisfy Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment

"...to death for the 1992 murder of his in-laws, Joe and Amanda Alvarado, at their home in Fredericksburg. A..."

July 13, 2007 News Feature by Jordan Smith

Faster Than Sound: Love Wheel Records Rolls In

Austin music mainstay Mike Nicolai retails vinyl and Indoor Creature parties at the Ballroom

"...April nestled between a nail salon and barber shop. Joe, the three-legged shop dog, greets vinyl patrons in the..."

June 18, 2021 Music Column by Rachel Rascoe

Death Watch: Executing the Mentally (and Physically) Ill

Texas gets ready to execute a schizophrenic man

"...for the 1992 murder of his estranged wife's parents, Joe and Amanda Alvarado, but the legal merry-go-round he's endured..."

Nov. 28, 2014 News Feature by Chase Hoffberger

Playback: ACL Fest Then & Now

What's changed and remained the same for ACL Fest over its 13 years

"...footage and interviews with artists who call it home. "Joe [Ables] is moving this place in a couple years..."

Oct. 2, 2015 Music Column by Kevin Curtin

Panetti Sane Enough For Execution

At least for now, inmate cleared for death

"...for the Sept. 8, 1992 slaying of his in-laws, Joe and Amanda Alvarado, at the couple's home in Fredericksburg...."

Aug. 22, 2013 News Post by Jordan Smith

Legal Battle Over When Prisoner Is Sane Enough for Execution Bounces Back Here

Supremes punt case of death row inmate Scott Panetti to federal district court in Austin

"...to die for the 1992 murder of his in-laws, Joe and Amanda Alvarado, at their Fredericksburg home. Diagnosed with..."

Feb. 15, 2008 News Feature by Jordan Smith

Portraits of Austin Musicians With Their Pets During Stay-at-Home

"...Jason Frey (Hard Proof/Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears) with Zollie..."

May 7, 2020 Photo Gallery

Is Scott Panetti Sane Enough to Die?

Courtroom debate over schizophrenic Texas death row inmate

"...for the Sept. 8, 1992, murder of his in-laws, Joe and Amanda Alvarado, at their house in Fredericksburg. But..."

Sept. 17, 2004 News Feature by Jordan Smith

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