Austin: The Live Music Capital of the World

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Brown Feather Sparrow live

Great music. Saw them live, took pics, bought their cd.

Austin: The Live Music Capital of the World

Article by Andrew Regan

Austin’s musical heritage began in the late 1960s and 1970s when the country music popularised by people such as Willie Nelson was joined by a cornucopia of other styles and sounds brought by the more liberal inhabitants of the city who had moved there during the two decades. A well known local club called the Vulcan Gas Company was integral in the growth of the Austin music scene with seminal acts such as the 13th Floor Elevators and Shiva’s Headband playing shows there regularly during the 60s and 70s. After the Vulcan was renamed the Armadillo World Headquarters it became a musical hub, promoting acts of all genres, from bona fide stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Bette Midler to local jazz and blues acts.

Austin’s musical progression continued over the next few years, gaining a reputation as a place where struggling musicians could launch their careers in front of a receptive audience. A major influence during this time was Clifford Antone who opened one of the first live music venues on Austin’s 6th Street (now widely regarded as the centre of the Austin music scene) in 1975. His venue helped start the career of blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan who went on to become one of the finest guitarists to ever grace the stage. Vaughan is revered so heavily by the Austin population that a statue was erected in his honour following his death in 1990. The Austin Music Foundation was also created around this time – a ground breaking organisation that set out to help independent artists further their career.

More recently, Austin has held its place at the top of the worldwide music scene with the addition of festivals such as ‘Austin City Limits Music Festival’ and ‘Blues on the Green’, a series of free blues performances funded by local businesses. Perhaps the most well known of all the Austin festivals is ‘South By Southwest’, an annual film, music and interactive conference and festival. The festival is regularly attended by most major players in the music industry, on the lookout for new talent from all over the world. Along with live performances the festival also screens ground breaking work by new and independent film makers as well as conferences with guest speakers from the world of music, sharing advice on making it in the music industry. 2007′s event saw musical legends including Pete Townshend of the Who and David Byrne of Talking Heads sharing their knowledge of the inner workings of the music business.

Austin’s musical heritage grew to be the stuff of legend in a relatively short amount of time. Many see this as a testament to the hard work put in by promoters, bands, artists and local businesses who found success on their own terms by working together and supporting each other’s cause, a rare occurrence in the cut throat world of music. This camaraderie still continues today, with clubs, venues and hotels in Austin regularly packed with industry insiders and fans eager to soak in some of the bustling, creative atmosphere.

With a musical heritage as rich as Austin’s, it’s not hard to see why the city’s official motto is “The Live Music Capital of the World”.

Live Music

Debut album by ‘opera boyband’ put together by the king of manufactured pop, Simon Cowell. This features popular arias, classical crossover pop and opera versions of pop standards – including Toni Braxton’s ‘Unbreak My Heart’ – in much the same vein as Tony Henry, Josh Groban and Amici Forever. Syco. 2004.While not exactly classical crossover’s take on The Monkees, this international quartet of young male vocalists from America, France, Spain, and Switzerland shares a similar genesis. Assembled

Il Divo

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Live music: Saturday
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Free outdoor entertainment from Wilbur Wilde, Eva Johansen and King Marong. 11am, Centre Road Rotunda, Bentleigh, free, 9557 9822 Fancy country fretwork. Lomond Hotel, East Brunswick, free, 9380 1752 Rock'n'roll variety show with sets from the …

Live Music question by Adham: What is the best compact digital camera to use at live music concerts and gigs?
Hello,

Looking for help with a decision on purchasing a new compact camera.

I’m a rock concert promoter / organizer and avid live music fan and am always keen to try and capture great moments at different shows. Even though the live band shots are my main priority, I also want an everyday camera that can fit into my jeans or jacket pocket for other occasions, hence the compact requirement.

My photography skill level is between beginner and intermediate. I am always finding tips on taking good shots and have tried to applied them. This has led me to gain little experience dealing with manual options on cameras, but always trying to change settings to try to get the best picture I can.

The main requirement I have in a camera is to be able to take good quality shots of live rock bands from two perspectives:
a) From within the crowd at a large festival
b) Right by the band in a small bar / pub

Other Requirements are fairly basic:
1. Image Stabilizer – Considering how difficult it is to keep my hands steady while in a crowd of thousands.
2. Optical Zoom of 5x, 6x, or higher – To be able to get as reasonably close a shot as I can.
3. Minimum Mega Pixels = 8MP – For Quality Purposes.
4. Decent Shot to Shot Time – To quickly take shots continuously
5. Decent Battery Life – As I will be away for long periods of time from an outlet to recharge. If necessary of course.

Now I am aware of the difficulties of taking shots of live bands as I have been doing so with compact cameras for a while now; mainly issues with lighting. Also aware of the limited capabilities with compact cameras. However, most of the photos are for personal use rather than professional. Still, it would be great to be able to have high end shots close to, if possible, professional level.

I’ve been doing research for a while and keep coming back to the Canon PowerShot A720 IS as a prime candidate. But some reviews mention that it is poor in low light scenarios (does this apply to nighttime outdoor festivals?) and has a slow Shot-to-Shot time. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 is my second choice at the moment. The Canon G9 seems like a good choice but I’m anxious that the price of the camera is beyond my skill level.

Any help or tips are much appreciated. Hope to make a final decision soon as I am set travel in a few days.

Thanks.

Live Music best answer:

Answer by Cat Lover
Assuming that you have permission to take these pictures, I’ve read that there is no compact digital that will do what you want it to do. They are not capable of taking good pics in low light.

In order to take good photos at concerts, you really need a DSLR, and the cheapest one of those would be a little less then $ 500. But then you would need a long lens to take the shots from the audience. Save your money awhile longer and get a DSLR, or buy a compact now and be disappointed. Sorry.

Most concerts do not allow DSLRs either, so if you try to take one of those in, it would be taken away from you, and you might not see it again. Unless you had a press pass, of course. They just do not want people taking good photos!