In The Clubs
Beauty Ballroom's first month of shows brings Theophilus London, Yelawolf andmore to new Riverside location
The new Beauty Ballroom on Riverside Drive has announced its grand opening celebration, slated for Jan. 26-28; the weekend is highlighted by a show from electro-funk singer and frequent Austin visitor Theophilus London, followed by a night of Elvis Presley and David Bowie covers by singers from a selection of singers from some of Austin most popular bands backed by The Ambitious Orchestra.
The grand opening comes roughly a month after the planned New Years Eve opening, that was to feature a performance by Grupo Fantasma but was scratched because of construction delays on the new 700-capacity room that adjoins the new Emo’s East.
Now finished, the three-level venue will feature a selection of dance and DJ-oriented acts, as well as rock bands appropriate for the room and available through the booking resources of the staff at Emo’s.
“There’s not going to be much in the way of metal or crusty punk, but most anything else that makes sense in that space will happen and obviously it’ll be a great room for DJs and dancing,” says Ross Bennett, publicist for Emo’s and the new Beauty Ballroom.
“We can even close of part of the room to create a dramatically different vibe, or do some happy hour stuff upstairs with smaller acts. Being part of the Beauty Bar franchise it will have its own flare and we’re going to work within that so it will be a unique place. It’ll be great to have another place that can draw people toward that area and turn it into a cool new district that people want to come to.”
The new space gets a soft opening next Friday with a visit from buzzy rapper Kendrick Lamar; the following night features the RAC DJs. The initial lineup also features Yelawolf, Dam-Funk, Authority Zero and more.
Asked about the future of the current and much smaller Beauty Bar location on East Seventh Street, Bennett said it will close sometime after South By Southwest, but owners are unsure whether that will happen immediately following the music festival or a little while afterward.
Early lineup for the new Beauty Ballroom, 2015 East Riverside Drive:
Jan. 20: Kendrick Lamar
Jan. 21: RAC DJs
Jan. 26: Mother Falcon, The Ambitious Orchestra (VIP/invite only)
Jan. 27: Theophilus London, Treasure Fingers, L.A.X., Vegas Banger, Rickey Jean Francois
Jan. 28: Elvis Presley/David Bowie tribute night featuring The Ambitious Orchestra and singers from The Riverboat Gamblers, Not In The Face, The Fleshlights, Quiet Company, Asylum Street Spankers and more
Feb. 2: Dam-Funk, Hobo D, Boom Baptist, Kid Slyce, 4th Wall
Feb. 9: The Gaslamp Killer, Hobo D, Boom Baptist, Kid Slyce, 4th Wall, Kydd Jones
Feb. 11: YOB, Eagle Claw, Skycrawler
Feb. 17: Yelawolf
Feb. 26: Authority Zero, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Skyfox
