The accessibility of Austin's music scene can be the most beautiful part, but some movements are deep underground or have been lost to time. As always, The Red River Cultural District is taking up the mantle of an ambassador, launching quarterly event series called District Dialogues that sheds light on these lesser-known pockets of the scene.
An inaugural event will be held at Swan Dive on March 1 from 4-6:30 pm, and Austinites are in for a treat. Attendees will get to see rare screenings of two documentaries within the A Curious Mix of People project that tell the history of some of Austin's most infamous music venues. Tickets are now on sale.
Blue Flamingo tells the story of an iconic LGTBQ+ Old Austin music venue by the same name. This venue — which the Chronicle once deemed "the stankiest, most low-down joint to ever qualify for a TABC liquor license" — helped define Austin's 90s-era music scene.
The Cavity is a documentary about one of Austin's first punk rock clubs. Cavity's original home was actually where Swan Dive is today, so it's a fitting venue for the film's screening.
Filmmaker, author, and photographer Richard Whymark, author and musician Greg Beets, and author, artist, and musician Chepo Peña will be holding a discussion after each screening, offering behind-the-scenes insights as old-school Austin creatives.
"This project is a wonderful reminder of the pre-internet world where you learned about gigs from zines at the record store or flyers at the coffeeshop," said Whymark in a press release. "Underground radio played none of the hits in real time and Access TV had half-naked people playing music while being beaten with roses at midnight. It was a swirling mass of creativity."
These things still exist in niche parts of the city, but the population boom has created new points of friction.
“The 1990s was when Austin graduated from a medium-size town to a proper big city," Beets added. "The concurrent explosion of the local underground music scene centered around Red River became a microcosm for the tension between commercial success and preserving culture that we still argue about today. It was also a whole lot of fun."
Because it's the Red River Cultural District and they do things big, this inaugural event will feature more than these screenings. Attendees will also be treated to a Pelons Tex-Mex taco pop-up, a special "Red River edition" zine included with ticket purchase, and a mini-book sale from UT press (which published Whymark and Beets' book, A Curious Mix of People).
Proceeds from the event will go to supporting the Red River Cultural District and its preservation of the area's music scene, history, and culture.
As the series evolves past these debuts, it will feature artists, historians, and local businesses and organizations to keep folks educated on Austin's music scene.
“The Red River Cultural District has long been a cornerstone of Austin’s creative spirit," said Red River Cultural District interim executive director Nicole Klepadlo, "and with District Dialogues, we’re excited to bring its rich history and culture to life in new and meaningful ways."