The White Horse
A relative newcomer in Austin's bustling Eastside bar scene, The White Horse draws tattooed rockabillies, two-stepping retirees, and hipsters in rocker jeans. Inside, the building is dark, dank, and unadorned – like any good honky tonk worth the title – with a red, gleaming stage and an ample dance floor tucked into a corner. The venue features some of Austin's best new country talent almost every night of the week, as well as Conjunto shows on Sunday evenings that draw older Tejano crowds with deeper roots in the rapidly changing neighbourhood. Owner Denis O'Donnell regularly barbecues chicken for anyone who stops by.
• 500 Comal St, no phone, thewhitehorseaustin.com. Open every day 3pm-2am
Sahara Lounge
Formerly a beloved juke joint called TC's, the current owners of the newly named Sahara Lounge have stepped in to keep the long musical history of the building alive. The ramshackle structure on Webberville Road isn't much to look at, but its walls are coated with the historic sweat of a thousand raucous, blues-fuelled dance parties. Now the musical offerings are as eclectic as the folks that run the place, who hail from Austin, Houston and Niger. You can hear Brazilian one night and funk, African, or swing the next.
• 1413 Webberville Rd, +1 512 927 0700, saharalounge.com. Check website for hours and billings
Elephant Room
Austin doesn't have many dedicated jazz spots, but the Elephant Room makes up for that by being quintessential. The venue's neon sign gleams at knee-level on Congress Avenue downtown, beckoning audiences to the cosy basement space. Inside, the walls are brick, the lights and ceilings are low, and – if you can score a table near the front – the musicians are close enough for the experience to be especially intimate.
• 315 Congress Ave, +1 512 473 2279, elephantroom.com. Weekdays usually free entry but a small cover is charged Fri-Sat. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 8pm-2am
Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon
Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon – a small, steeple-topped dive bar in North Austin – is most famous for its weekly Chicken Shit Bingo, a Sunday gathering that features a live chicken, cash prizes, and music by Dale Watson, one of Austin's best roots country performers. The venue is small and the dance floor gets cramped, but crowds often spill into the parking lot out back, where regulars set up lawn chairs and sip Lone Star beers while the music wafts out from inside.
• 5434 Burnet Rd, +1 512 458 1813, ginnyslittlelonghorn.com. Open Mon-Sat 10am–2am, Sun 12pm–8pm
Paramount Theatre
The Paramount sits on the former site of the War Department of the Republic of Texas and has been around for nearly 100 years, making it the city's oldest standing theatre. The venue originally featured Vaudeville and variety shows, and continues to book a broad assortment of offerings – from comedy to film screenings to live music. With immense ceilings, tiered balconies, intricate moulding and colorful murals, it's one of the most majestic places to see music in the city, and often features big-name touring acts.
• 713 Congress Ave, +1 512 472 5470, austintheatre.org. Hours vary, see website for details
Hole in the Wall
Austin is no longer just a college town – the life of the city is too diverse and varied to be defined by the University of Texas alone – but the Hole in the Wall, in operation since 1974, remains its best college bar. The yellow sign out front reads "cheap music, fast drinks, live women" and a mural of twin cowgirls wielding six-shooters (painted by local artist El Federico) decorates its exterior. The Hole has a long musical history – Stevie Ray Vaughan, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith and Lucinda Williams have all performed here – and it continues to be a great place to catch up-and-coming local acts and a handful of touring musicians each month.
• 2538 Guadalupe St, +1 512 302 1470, holeinthewallaustin.com. Open every day 3pm-2am
Victory Grill
The Victory Grill opened in 1945, back when E 11th Street was the heart of Austin's "Chitlin' Circuit" – a name used to describe the network of clubs across the country that welcomed African American performers at a deeply segregated time. Johnny Holmes, a booking agent and band manager, opened the Victory Grill to serve black soldiers returning from the second world war and it quickly became a hotspot for blues and jazz. Over the decades, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Etta James and Janis Joplin all performed here. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Victory Grill is a museum as much as a live music spot, but it's worth stopping by for their Monday-night blues jams and to take in the vibrant murals on its west-facing walls. Make sure to call ahead as the music schedule varies.
• 1104 E 11th St, +1 512 291 6211, facebook.com/VictoryGrill. Open 8pm-late
Beerland
Beerland, a former furniture barn turned rowdy venue, is located in Austin's Red River music district. For more than 10 years, owners Randall and Donya Stockton have served up noisy fare, bringing in punk, metal and garage bands, and inviting fans to join them for an "all-out orgy of loud music and cheap beer". For those craving a more participatory experience, Rock & Roll Karaoke goes down on Monday nights.
• 711 Red River, +1 512 479 7625, beerlandtexas.com. Open Mon-Fri 7pm-2am, Sat-Sun 8pm-2am
The Carousel Lounge
The Carousel Lounge embodies all the oddness that Austin has to offer. A low, single-storey building painted with a circus motif, the place feels like a David Lynch set come to life. Acrobats and tigers dance across the walls; a pink papier mache elephant looms over bands as they play. The venue books small local rock, indie, and experimental acts, supporting the Austin music scene at its most grassroots.
• 1110 E 52nd St, +1 512 452 6790, carousellounge.net. Mon-Fri and Sun 12.30pm-midnight, Sat 2.30pm-1am
The Continental Club Gallery
The Continental Club is one of the city's most famous spots, boasting some of the finest Country and Swing bands in the city and a crowd of dedicated boot scooters. But head upstairs to the Gallery for a cosier experience that feels more like your cool friend's living room than a club. The room features rose-toned lighting, rotating local art on the walls, and live jazz.
• 1313A S Congress Ave (above the Continental Club), +1 512 441 2444, continentalclub.com/Austin.html. Open Mon-Fri and Sun 8pm-1.30am, Sat 9pm-1.30am
• Delaney Hall is a radio producer and multimedia reporter for KUT Austin, and runs a new public media experiment called the Austin Music Map in collaboration with Zeega and Localore
