Emo’s, Austin’s legendary punk music venue, will close its doors at the end of the year but owner Frank Hendrix has a new home.
Emos Sign Austin Tx - Photo By Ros O'Gorman
Emo’s East opened on September 11 at 2015 East Riverside to replace the 20-year old punk venue on Red River, right in the hub of Austin’s music heart.
However, owner Frank Hendrix plans on keeping the Red River venue going for a few more months. “We plan on giving Emo’s a proper send-off,” he told the Austin Chronicle. He is not booking December to give bands who had played there previously a chance to go one more round on stage.
Emo’s was one of SXSW’s key music venues. Johnny Cash played an impromptu last minute gig at the venue during SXSW in 1994.
The old Emo’s was a down and dirty venue. One of Hendrix’s biggest improvements was putting a urinal into the men’s toilets although he sometimes wondered if it was worth it.
The new Emo’s is a state-of-the-art music venue built for the future.
“It was 100% designed for live music,” Hendrix says. “We are raising the bar to a live music experience in Austin.”
Butthole Surfers played at the Grand Opening last week.
