Extra Chill in Austin, TX

I’ve been in Austin almost two weeks now. I’m still getting warmed up to the way of life here, and finding work.

As a way to keep my creative juices flowing, I thought I would start a journal here.

Austin is a much bigger city than Charleston, and nobody here knows me, or Extra Chill. It’s a completely fresh environment. I live in South Austin, about 15-20 minutes from the heart of the city.

A few places I’ve gone so far:

1. Nickel City – dive bar with $1 wings on Monday nights. I went here with some friends on my first night in town. I had been a few times before during my visits to Austin and it’s a cool, happening spot.
2. Frazier’s Long & Low – this is a sweet dive bar with great food. Also with $1 wings on Mondays and specials throughout the week. They have a $5 burger that is absolutely dank. Pool tables, shuffle board. Cheap beer. Smells like cigarettes. Feels like home.
3. Antone’s – saw SUSTO here on my first official night out as a music journalist in Austin. Wrote a review
4. Violet Crown – Late night hang after the show at Antone’s. Had Jew Boy Sliders and latkes. Were delicious
5. Hotel Vegas – went here for karaoke on Thanksgiving night. Someone told me that it’s the epicenter of the local music scene in Austin. I intend to spend more time at this venue, which I hung out at a ton during SXSW.

I also did two Bat Kayak Tours on Lady Bird Lake with Boats & Bats. This was as a potential employee and I’ll be working these tours come February, when the season kicks off again.

Outside of the music scene most of my work experience comes from tourism and boats. I’ve arrived in Austin during the slow season for tourism. In Charleston, I have a strong network in the marine industry and usually spend the winter in a boatyard. I don’t have that safety net here in Austin, so it’s very much a “find work right now” type of situation.

I met a bike taxi guide who told me they need help during the Austin Trail of Lights in Zilker Park. I may or may not get involved with this. It would be a great way to learn my way around the city.

I’ve also really been digging the Taco Truck scene in South Austin. There are several great spots within 5 minutes of where I’m living. My favorites so far have been Taco Brother and Tacos El Monches.

That’s all for now. I’ll come back and update this as I get more comfortable in this new city.

Feel free to chime in!

What’d you sing at karaoke?

@marleyfacedboy haha, I was an observer

My friend sang “El Paso” by Marty Robbins and “Roses” by Outkast

Almost two months in Austin now, minus a little stint in Florida for the holidays. It’s a fresh New Year and there is a lot on my mind.

It’s currently Free Week in Austin, which is a mini festival where many of the venues host local bands for free. I’ll be out and around town all weekend seeing as many local bands as possible. The goal for Extra Chill right now is to meet as many local music scene people as possible and begin to grow a network here. Now that the holidays are over, I’m going to get more involved.

Soon, I will start covering Austin bands. There are a ton of bands in Austin, and from what I’ve seen, not all of them are good. So rather than jump into it and start writing about everything I see, I’ve just been observing and finding out whose music that I like. My whole thing has always been done via word of mouth connections, and that takes time.

So far, I’ve seen Fifi Knifefight, who has a badass frontwoman attitude, commanding the room and taking no prisoners. Also seen Killer Kaya, who were pretty good, playing prog-psych rock, and just finished up a monthlong Sunday night residency at Hotel Vegas. I’ve spoken with a punk rock band called Flags, connected via mutual friends, and will be doing an interview with them soon.

Otherwise, I’m eager to learn more, and my next update will have more local music scene stuff.

Here are a few spots I’ve hit in Austin lately:

1. Texas Chili Parlor – This is a super chill place right near the state capitol, which is probably the least chill area I’ve found in all of Austin so far. There are Texas State Troopers all over the place and they have the worst vibes ever. However, the chili parlor is a dive bar haven right in the middle of this with cheap beer and decent food.
2. The Creek and the Cave (Banana Phone) – Every Sunday night, there is a free comedy show in this theater on East 7th Street, and it is one of the most irreverent events I’ve ever gone to. People sign up for a minute of standup, and when they finish, the audience heckles them for five minutes straight. The comics are almost universally bad, there are very few rules, and it’s a ton of fun. That said, if you’re easily offended, probably skip this one.
3. Swan Dive – Saw Glass Mansions and Naome here on a Sunday night in mid December. Two SC to ATX transplants who I’ve hung out with a decent amount since arriving. I liked the venue, it has a big open area, plenty of seats with a view of the stage, and the drinks were not too expensive.
4. Moody Center – Goose played two nights here for New Years and I was able to hit both shows. This is one of the biggest venues in town and it’s brand new (opened in April 2022). Aside from the $13 beers I was impressed by this place. I joked with somebody in the bathroom at setbreak that it was the nicest bathroom I’ve ever seen at a jam band concert. It even smelled good in that bathroom. Goose was good, too.
5. Barton Springs Saloon – I stopped in here both before and after the Wilco concert at the Moody Theater in December. I was able to find free parking nearby and walk to the venue from there. Since the beer was so cheap I stopped back in after the show for a night cap before hitting the (original) P. Terry’s next door.
6. P. Terry’s Burger Stand is a fast food chain that started in Austin in 2005. They are everywhere here and it has become a go-to for me, with affordable burgers and fries that are also delicious. P. Terry’s freaking rules.

A note on running a publication

It is hard to talk about what I’m doing in Austin without talking about behind the scenes stuff. The online publishing industry is imploding on itself right now, and it seems like the powers that be don’t really want small voices to be heard anymore. I know this is felt across the board and has long been a problem on social media in the music industry. How can Extra Chill exist if we aren’t able to share our content with our audience? What happens to our budget in that scenario? (spoiler: it doesn’t exist).

So, maybe all creative people are in the same boat. Navigating a changing world and figuring everything out as we go. The only thing I know is that grassroots movements and independent businesses are more important than ever. What can we do but continue to create, and strive to build something sustainable together?

Until next time,

Chubes