We called in advance and spoke with the owner Kimberly. After having a not-so-great experience with my service dog at another place, we were nervous to bring her with us to the venue. ![]() We performed at the venue twice over the course of one week. The reason I’m writing this review is to highlight one experience in particular. From the moment we were met by security at the door we knew this venue was going to be a good one. No matter which one you choose, be sure to line up for your number early, because they do sell out.We were invited to perform on the Red Gorilla Music Festival stage at the San Jac Saloon for #SXSW. You can still play Chicken Shit Bingo at the Little Longhorn every Sunday, but a competing version occasionally hosted by Watson can be found at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul on the same day. Legendary local crooner Dale Watson was one of the founders of Chicken Shit Bingo back in 2000 at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon. Because a watched chicken never poops – that would be pretty boring anyway – a live band performs for the crowd. A well-fed chicken paces the cage until it, well, ‘chooses’ the winning number. A chicken coop with a grid of numbers on the floor is wheeled into the venue and numbered tickets sold. Yes, Chicken Shit Bingo is a Sunday tradition for local country-music lovers, and a pretty popular one at that. The band brings in a steady flow of regulars, so be sure to get there early to nab a good spot.Ĭast your vote for the right number and the chicken's poop might make you a winner © Robert Annis / Lonely Planet Bonus experience: Dale Watson’s Chicken Shit Bingo We’re talking Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and more. Haybale might look as if all your friends’ dads formed a garage band, but Ball, Dallas Wayne, Redd Volkaert, Tom Lewis and the other musicians have all played with many of the top recording artists in history. The country-music supergroup plays the Continental Club every Sunday evening at 6pm. “You came to the right place for a good time and good music,” says Earl Poole Ball, the former piano player for Johnny Cash and current keyboardist for Haybale. Since 1987, it’s been the place for influential Americana musicians to play low-key shows whenever they’re in town. ![]() Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Ely played the club regularly back in the 1970s and early 80s, before it briefly transitioned into a punk rock club. It’s got a bit of a dive-bar vibe – faded paintings on the wall next to banners for Jameson Irish Whiskey, regulars sipping on Lone Stars. Surprisingly small for a venue of its stature, the Continental Club is one of the last bastions of old-school Austin. But why drink anything else in Texas?Ĭost: Dining room shows are free, but there’s a charge for dance-hall shows in the back.Įxcept for a brief stint as a punk venue, the Continental Club has been one of the premier country dance halls in Austin since the 1970s © Nicola Gell / Contributor / Getty Images The Continental Club While the bar has several bottled beer options, it serves only Lone Star on draft. He has been known to hold court just off the bar, looking resplendent in a red sequined western shirt, white kerchief and cowboy hat with at least a half-dozen patrons lining up for pictures with him. White is almost as much of an attraction as the place itself. Don’t know how to dance? A lesson before the headliner takes the stage will only cost you $8. Afterward, make your way back to the dance hall, which accommodates more than 600 music fans for headliners like “London Homesick Blues” singer Gary P. Get there early to have a bite to eat and hear an up-and-coming artist play for tips in the bar. ![]() Bands typically play Wednesday through Saturday. Inside the Broken Spoke, artists are always looking for their big break © Robert Annis / Lonely Planet The Broken Spokeīilling itself as “the last of the true Texas dance halls,” the Broken Spoke has been an Austin mainstay for more than a half-century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |