Almost Famous

Part-time musicians support their full-time comrades at HAAM Corporate Battle of the Bands

When a city earns the reputation of Live Music Capital of the World, it retains that title by making sure that its resident musicians can live healthy, productive lives. That’s the goal of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), and it’s found some community allies to help in its effort to provide local musicians with health insurance and basic healthcare.

Friday, April 26 will see the return of HAAM’s Corporate Battle of the Bands at Antone’s for its sixth annual competition to determine which local companies boast the most hard rocking, guitar shredding in-house bands. Employees from H-E-B, Cirrus Logic and others will take their shot at rock ‘n roll glory — and help out Austin’s full-time musicians at the same time.

HAAM Executive Director Carolyn Schwarz discussed how the idea of the Corporate Battle of the Bands came about while a committee of business people was working on HAAM Benefit Day, the organization’s signature fall event.

Schwarz says, “A couple of the guys on our committee … played in a band together, and they came to me and said ‘We have this idea. There are a lot of guys like us who have bands on the side but work in business jobs by day.’ We were just sitting around and I was like, ‘This is brilliant.’”

In Austin, Schwarz sees music as a passion that inhabits a wide range of people in the community, whether they’re trying to make it a full-time profession or sitting in a corporate office but practicing on the weekends with their friends. And the Battle of the Bands not only brings these musicians together, but provides a more entertaining way for businesses to raise funds for benefits.

“So many different times, companies will sponsor a table for you to go to a fundraising lunch… but this is actually getting their employees involved in something,” says Schwarz, “Their coworkers get to come cheer them on and their bosses get to see another side of them… It’s a team building experience.”

One of those employees hoping to make his coworkers and bosses proud is Jay Pate, a grocery manager for H-E-B and the vocals/bass for his company band, Knuckle Sammich. Pate and his crew are ready to help out other musicians while taking a shot at the title.

“We’re excited about every element of it. We’re always ready to help a cause if we can, because we don’t get that many opportunities to do so. At the same time we’re very excited about being able to play for some of our coworkers. Some of them we’ve been working with for years now and we’ve been talking about the band, but there’s never been a good opportunity to go and play for a good number of folks that are going to be off at the same time.”

Now that Knuckle Sammich is performing for an event with a corporate sponsorship, more music fans from the office can find the time to show their support. Pate says that “The first day we found out we were going to be part of it, we started putting out the word and everybody started putting in their request for time off so that they could attend.”

Not only will Pate and all of his fellow corporate musicians get to act like rockstars for a day, but the grand prize winners receive recording time at Bismeaux Studio for an extra shot at living the life of made musicians. The grand prize, as well as “best original” and “best cover” bands, are chosen by a panel of celebrity judges, including Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s, rock ‘n’ roll hall of famer Ian McLagan and KVUE anchor Quita Culpepper.

The fans can also choose their own favorite by placing money donations in a box for any band, with the winning “fan favorite” band receiving a shot at an indoor gig at Stubb’s.

But at the end of the day, says Schwarz, the corporate bands are even happier to lend a hand. “The idea that they’re giving back to our musicians who are doing it full-time and are trying to make a living … that really tips the scales for them in terms of like ‘We’re having fun with this, and we’re helping.’ We’re helping this really important group of people who brings in nearly $2 billion to our economy … who culturally bring so much to our lives here.”

If you want to support the people that turned Austin into the destination for live music, Jay Pate tells you what you need to do.

“Come out and see us and throw a fist in the air.”

HAAM's 2012 Corporate Battle of the Bands

HAAM Battle of the Bands 2012 musicians at Antone's

Sandy Kurtzman

HAAM's 2012 Corporate Battle of the Bands

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High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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