Heads up for anyone who happens to be coming to Austin for work or pleasure. Antone's is back and stronger than ever! The ownership group includes Gary Clark Jr who has made several surprise guest appearances in the last few weeks.
The new ownership group made a lot of their mission statement that Antone's should be a blues club as Clifford intended. Checkout their website at www.antonesnightclub.com. One look at the coming attractions will confirm. Two shows a night. Seven nights a week featuring the best of all the local blues talent plus international touring blues as available.
Of particular interest is Mark Hummel's All-Star extravaganza on 3/29, featuring Anson Funderburg and Lttle Charley Baty.
The new location is a great size, 350-400, with a superb sound system and some very interesting features in the design.
If you're coming to town. You NEED to check it out. Doesn't matter what night,early or late show. If their playing Antone's you can count on it, their good.
Was just there. Saw Denny Freeman and Sarah Brown one night and David Holt with Tommy Shannon the next night. Great, great room and good people, great vibe. Gary Clark Jr.'s bass player (according to Sarah Brown's husband) showed up towards the end. Music starts early too (6:30) and sometimes there's a late band. The room is VERY personal in the sense that there is little separation between players and listeners. Good sound system as well. ---------- www.bigroadband.com
@toneguy86 - There's almost always a late show at 10:00, the exception being a special event like the Paul Ray Tribute next month with Jimmie Vaughn, Denny Freeman, Gary Clark Jr., Charlie Sexton and more. That show starts at 8:30 and runs till late.
@Chinaski - Let me know when you hit town and we can meet up. BTW, you're always welcome to our spare room. ---------- LSC
My wife (another musician) KNOW we will be back. In fact we are planning on moving my son there--another musician. We met so many cool people. Sarah Brown and her husband were interesting connections (You know who Sarah is?). Her husband grew up in our town. She was playing with Denny and then we connected that night and met other band members...and we ran into Denny at Austin Vintage guitar the next day. Met other musicians later too...such a cool, weird, wonderful outdoors focused town. We may move there too :-) ---------- www.bigroadband.com
Last Edited by toneguy86 on Feb 18, 2016 3:51 PM
My wife and I were in Austin in mid-January and caught Paul Oscher at the new Antone's. His show was fine, but we were disappointed with the room. There was very little seating for such a large room. Attending a show there meant standing--unless you leaned against a wall after a while, to give your arches a little relief. It's a rock club version of a blues club, with a few tables up front. Pack 'em in.
The music was fine, but they desperately need help with the space. Even Tramp's in NYC in the 1990s had ten times as much seating. Or the Village Gate. That place actually HAD seating. The new Antone's had an SRO vibe.
I truly wish I could give a better report, but I was there one month ago and that's what I saw. My wife and I had exactly the same reaction. The new Antone's can't hold a candle to the old Dan Lynch, where I learned how to play the blues. That was a JOINT. There's a difference.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Feb 18, 2016 6:54 PM
I don't entirely disagree. It's a big room...more of a lounge like design then anything else. It seems empty when there's less then 50 people. But I think the room sounds good...the seating that IS there is comfortable as hell...the staff is great...and I think there's a lot to build on. Very intimate feel too...which is odd because it is a big room...
They do need better signs though. We walked past it on the other side of the street a couple of times before someone told us where it was. I'm sure that will come. Great music line-ups...and a great legacy... ---------- www.bigroadband.com
If I had one decor suggestion that would immediately increase the intimacy and comfort level of the room, run a narrow, chest-high bar along the right wall as you enter, and put half a dozen bar stools there. Give people a place to set down their beer, catch a rest, hang out. Start with that. It's true that there were a few tables up front, directly in front of the stage, but for anybody standing even with, or behind, the sound guy--who is basically located in the midpoint of the room--your choice was to get one of the spots at the bar along the left side of the room, or stand all night with no place to set down your beer.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Feb 19, 2016 8:10 AM
Interesting criticisms of the room. I've never been involved in the running of a bar so I'm not sure what the thought process is regarding seating. I suspect there is a trade off between comfort level of customers and space for customers to actually get in. We played Antone's last night and I noticed that there were more tables than the previous two times. I understand they had to arrive in two batches for some reason. Antone's is T shaped with the stage at wider end. The tables were arranged either side with a dance floor in front of the stage.
I stayed for the late show, Little Freddy King, and noticed a couple of things.
The place was pretty full and for an artist that I wondered if many there had actually heard of. It would appear that Antone's is quickly becoming a destination venue. Which I would have thought is good news for the blues in general.
Between the early and late shows they removed all the bar stools. I can only assume this is to facilitate people being able to get to the bar and order drinks. I'm sure we've all been there when every stool is taken and you have to move somebody just to get in and get a beer.
If there were more tables that would eliminate the dance floor and move patrons who didn't grab a table early to the back. This would also reduce the capacity and likely future attendance as people would complain they couldn't get close to the stage.
There is a shelf along the right hand wall where one can hang. There were stools early but they were mostly removed. Stools have a way of getting picked up and moved causing other problems.
So yeah, Antone's is not the lounge at the Four Seasons. It's a brand with a 40 year tradition and blues history second to none. They are promoting blues artists two shows a night, seven nights a week. They pay decent money, provide an excellent stage and sound system, treat artists with respect, provide a home for many of the long standing local blues artists who are not as well known as a Jimmie Vaughn or Gary Clark Jr and have struggled in crap East Austin bars for a very long time and they are bringing in some fantastic outside artists, many of whom have never played Austin because there wasn't a place for them and no one to take a chance. Weighed against all of this and the business logic which would keep the place open, IMHO, lack of enough places to rest a back or sit a beer is pretty small potatoes. And even that can be resolved. Get there earlier and grab a seat, there's actually quite a few.
BTW, Paul Oscher plays C-Boy's every Thursday he's in town. A good club but a much smaller venue, no stage, and way fewer seats. He still packs the place most nights.
-------- LSC ---------- LSC
Last Edited by LSC on Feb 21, 2016 8:28 AM
Even though I am learning to play harmonica I am more of a blues fan/customer. I love to go to shows. Do not mind paying for a good evening of entertainment. Just paid to see Jason on Thursday night. If I pay to get in and do not have a place to sit down--- I am going to ask for a refund and leave. I will not stand for 2 or 3 hours. It is not enjoyable for me.
Standing in a crowd, shoulder to shoulder for a blues band doesn't work for me. I like mine live blues in bar where I can move around a bit. Shoot some pool, shoot the shit, shuffle around some. ----------
When Antone's was on Guadalupe it was a big room with a nice dance floor, bar with seating, and tables. It had pool/shoe shine stand/Stubbs cooking BBQ too and I played/hung there many a nights in the 80's. The new set up sounds out of wack to me for a blues joint. I was fortunate to play many of the best blues clubs in the country in the 70-80's and none had the standing room only concept. Austin never was like that. I wish them much success and I guess this is what the young people today dig? Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Maybe I'm missing something, but honestly I have been in a lot of blues clubs all over the country and haven't found one that was set up as well as Antoine's. Ya...it's not the old Guadalupe site...but damn. Still a great line up (not all the good blues people are dead), nice people, nice room, good sound system, intimate (even for a good size room)...but it's new too. Hell if I wanted it to be better...I'd go as often as possible, meet the people, engage, etc. Everyone seemed open and wanting this all to work, or at least that was my take based on the two nights I was there. Anyway...my one cent... ---------- www.bigroadband.com
@1847 - It's a full bar. Dos XX is $4.50 Happy Hour. $6.50 later. Shot of Patron is $9. These are all going rate for downtown Austin. Some of the posh hotel bars are slightly more. ACL Festival a freakin' Lone Star will cost you $8. Always a cover $5-$20 on average.
Can't quite figure out this idea that a blues club has got to be some sort of dive where the band is on a par with the pool table and conversation. Sounds to me like the sort of place you play 5 sets to a half empty room that doesn't give a shit about the band, for $100, if you're lucky. But hey, that's the blues man.....Rubbish.
Antone's is not standing room only. There are some stools, tables and chairs, just not too many. Capacity is somewhere around 350 I believe. The place has been sold out a few times already. If there were tables for 4 with enough seats for everyone the place would need to be at least three times as large at three times the rent. The ticket price would have to go up to cover the extra rent plus the investment in all that furniture. It would still be hard to get around when the club was full and no doubt someone would complain that there were too many tables and they couldn't get close to the stage. ---------- LSC ---------- LSC
Last Edited by LSC on Feb 29, 2016 12:13 AM
For a good blues joint check out any place on Beale St. They know how to do it right. And for honky tonk, Nashville does it propper. The new Antone's looks more like a NYC rock venue. ----------
@shakeylee - In essence I would agree but it does wax and wane. Right now there is I think a stronger time than it's been in a while. Kind of crept up over the last 2-3 years.
I would have thought there were better clubs than you mentioned. C-Boy's, where Paul Oscher has a Thursday night residency, Evangeline Cafe where The Peacemakers have a Wednesday residency (Greg Izor, Willie Pipkin, Mike Keller et al), White Swan where the Little Elmore Reed Band has a Monday residency, Skylark Lounge where Margaret White and Blues Boy Hubbard, appear regularly, W.C. Clark is at the Saxon Pub once a month, Eve Monsees, Derek O'Brian, Tommy Shannon, Lavelle White, Matthew Robinson all have residencies at Antone's. Then Antone's has Mark Hummel coming in a couple of weeks and Lazy Lester is doing a four night stand next month. And there are endless jams nights all over town as well as very good but unknown cats playing in places none of us know about.
@Jinx - Well you can't please everybody. Personally, I can't see how you can call Antone's a sardine can just because you see a lot of people. That night was sold out but there was still room for more. What would you have, an empty club and nobody making any money? And BTW, besides Jimmy Vaughn, Gary Clark Jr., Mike Flannigan, George Raines, Kaz Kazanoff and the Texas Horns and others whose names escape me, there was Bobby Patterson, W.C. Clark, Ruben Ramos, oh never mind. They're all just "replicators".
That's a great clip, LSC. That's some blues alright. I don't know many bands in many towns that can hold that sort of medium slow shuffle groove like that. Good blues.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Mar 10, 2016 7:31 PM
@1847 You're right it's "Flanigin". Latest gig was with Billy Gibbons BFG. He was also with the Red Devils for a while. Currently has a solo album, The Drifter. which has been getting rave reviews and doing very well. Featured performers on the album include, Gary Clark Jr., Jimmy Vaughn, Billy Gibbons, and a host of others of that league. Then there is his loose residency at C-Boy's in Austin with Jimmy Vaughn and Frosty. There's probably several pages of his credits.
I'm glad someone put you on to the history of Antone's and what that club did and is once again doing for blues artists. Clifford went to jail more than once in his efforts to keep his dream afloat. To those who choose to disrespect Antone's for petty reasons I have but one question. What have you done lately that comes anywhere close to supporting blues music as much as Antone's?
@jinx - You seem to be rather fond of disrespecting respected players by calling them "replicators" as if that was a bad word. I would submit there ain't nobody in the history of music that didn't replicate somebody to one degree or another at sometime. I defy you to name one musician, especially a blues musician, who has never stole a lick or been influenced by someone else.
Seems like there is a whole lot you don't like. Is there anyone that you do like? And if so, please name them and tell us how they never were influenced by anyone.
No need to have you feelings hurt, I just find them boring. They don't sound fresh, they are missing the X factor, if you will. I saw Clark in Central Park last year. He doesn't do it for me. He played a smorgasbord of blues styles , Chicago, hill country, Hendrix , rock blues, etc....none of it rang true for me SORRY! ----------
Last Edited by JInx on Mar 16, 2016 8:43 AM
