New Headquarters

Iconic 70s venue is back with store supporting the Austin music scene

Armadillo World Headquarters is alive again, not just as a memory but a store where 100 percent of the proceeds benefit local creatives.

Photo by Mage Buse

This certainly isn't the Austin of the 70s anymore. Landmark Austin businesses have come and gone; among them, Armadillo World Headquarters, the beer garden and live music venue that became famous for hosting musical greats like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, ZZ Top, and many others. Long committed to visual arts, too, the former venue's Christmas market has now lasted nearly 50 years.

Armadillo World Headquarters opened in 1970 and closed in 1980, serving as a great musical equalizer before Austin's diverse archetypes for one glowing decade. It then succumbed to Austin's burgeoning business machine, which demanded more space for office buildings. After decades in memoriam, it's re-staking its claim to Austin's musical landscape with a new physical (and temporary) location: a "live music and arts experience" at South Congress Hotel.

In early 2024, the iconic brand mounted a comeback, but it was mostly relegated to the abstract. An online gallery popped up, and a subtle collaborative jersey with major league soccer team Austin FC brought Armadillo World Headquarters (AWHQ) onto the field. Some nostalgic Austinites sensed something else coming on the breeze.

AWHQ now calls itself a "lifestyle brand." For some companies that becomes a lofty catch-all for merch and marketing, but this cornerstone of Old Austin's music scene is making sure it commits to the "lifestyle" part by providing tangible support to Austin musicians and other artists.

Although the new space, called Armadillo Forever, will serve multiple purposes, it is at its heart a merch store where 100 percent of gross proceeds from Armadillo-branded items benefit Austin artists and music venues. Alongside the merch there will also be some locally made crafts and other nostalgic items, with those proceeds handled separately.

There are already 16 shirts in the merch collection, with more coming in the future. The starting lineup features mostly neutral colors and simple designs, including some takes on the famous Armadillo World logo. Some of the future designs will be collaborations with local artists. There are also socks and bandanas for some more subtle references.

The artisan items alongside the merch are mostly home goods and other knickknacks like candles, lighters, and incense trays. But some local music books are the nicest touch, offering a glimpse into Texas' musical history. Titles include On the Porch: Life and Music in Terlingua, Texasby W. Chase Peeler, Comin' Right at Ya: How a Jewish Yankee Hippie Went Country, or, the Often Outrageous History of Asleep at the Wheel by Ray Benson and David Menconi, Black Country MusicListening for Revolutions by Francesca T. Royster, A Curious Mix of People: The Underground Scene of '90s Austinby Greg Beets and Richard Whymark, and Bonfire of Roadmaps by iconic Austin musician Joe Ely himself. Even more on-the-nose is the fabulous collection The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology. All are published by the University of Texas Press.

Armadillo World Headquarters sign South Congress Hotel More photos of the space are coming very soon.Photo by Mage Buse

It'll open October 3 and run though the end of the year — essentially a three-month fundraising initiative in partnership with All ATX, an Austin nonprofit with manifold goals in supporting local music, from hosting live performances to bolstering health care and income support. Armadillo Forever will also show off AWHQ memorabilia and host events like listening parties, film screenings, community gatherings, and art installations.

Fittingly, AWHQ's first day back will be marked by a concert. Its doors will open to the public October 3, coinciding with South Congress Hotel’s monthly “First Thursday” celebration, which combines monthly live music picks with drink specials and other pop-ups. This lineup includes Americana singer-songwriter Rob Baird, plus indie rock bands Floats and Flight By Nothing.

Aside from the name and memorabilia, this community space's bonafides include partnership with AWHQ co-founder Eddie Wilson and illustrator Jim Franklin, who created the venue's recognizable imagery. Along with other Austin entrepreneurs and community leaders, they're brining the brand forward with an intimate connection to its past — a continuation rather than an outside resurrection.

“Armadillo World Headquarters has always embodied the heart of Austin’s creative spirit," said AWHQ spokesperson Nick Shuley in a press release. "What began as a grassroots effort by a group of young people in a space south of the river evolved into a vibrant home for music, arts, and community. Our goal now is to continue this legacy for the current community. This is not a nostalgia play; it’s a reimagining of what the Armadillo brand can be in today’s Austin. For this new chapter, we plan to continue the Armadillo tradition by supporting local artists and musicians in a way that hasn’t been done before."

Armadillo Forever storefront sign It's not just a place.Photo by Mage Buse

Although this phase of the project will be over at the end of the year, Shuley emphasizes that there's more news coming. It's currently developing a feature-length documentary and more retro merch, plus planning more events like vinyl releases and weekly live music.

“For the next three months, we invite Austinites to join us in this mission by visiting and supporting Armadillo Forever," said Shuley. "I am also very excited to soon share what’s next for Armadillo in 2025 and beyond.”

Armadillo Forever is located at 1603 South Congress Ave. It is part of South Congress Hotel, but is clearly visible from outside. More information about the store and the Armadillo World Headquarters brand is available at armadilloworld.com or on Instagram.

live music venues history visual art artisans merch

Belles of the Ballroom

9 Austin bar and venue experts take over popular Old Austin space near UT

29th Street Ballroom/Facebook

Changes are coming at the 29th Street Ballroom, but the goal is to preserve what already makes it special.

The evolution continues at the 29th Street Ballroom, the music venue formerly attached to Spider House Café. It's no secret, Resound Presents CEO and co-founder Graham Williams says, that he and a large team of other industry pros are taking over the space; but now they're ready to talk about what comes next for the venue and adjoining bar.

Although Spider House Café closed in 2020, the Ballroom stayed open, and has continued serving University of Texas students and anyone else who wants to see a show outside of the ordinary: punk shows, burlesque revues, fundraisers, and more. It'll stay open through most of the renovations, scheduled through January of 2025, and is expected to hold a grand opening in March.

Now Resound — one of Austin's top live music organizers, which was itself born from the ashes of another Austin institution — is lending two of its co-founders to managing the space going forward: Williams and Ian Orth. They're joining seven other team members from venues around town, many of them overlapping: Amy Mullins, Brian Tweedy, Jason McNeely, John Yaklin, and Shannon LeBoeuf of Hotel Vegas, Chess Club, Kinda Tropical, Tweedy’s, and Yellow Jacket Social Club, in varying capacities; and Brian Buscemi and Mike Sanchez of the Little Darlin’.

Williams emphasizes that although things will be changing at the Ballroom, the goal isn't to change anything people already love.

"Over the next few months as we kind of ease into the spring, we're using this downtime to revitalize things, decorate, revamp some of the stuff in the venue and the bar, and just kind of get things moving in the right direction," Williams says, "taking what's already popular about the venue and just adding to it, really."

Bar updates
The biggest shift will be turning the bar from an accessory to live shows into its own entity that's open even when there's nothing else going on. Amy Mullins, best known as a co-owner of Yellow Jacket Social Club, is overseeing that transition. She's never operated a venue that is primarily focused on music, and has been enjoying learning more about how to do it; she even worked the door recently when a staff member called out sick.

Mullins echoes Williams in assuring that the change is more about logistics than tone. It'll still feel like Old Austin, but she does express a hope to run more than the "typical venue bar," handing out simple drinks as quickly as possible. She's working on a new menu that includes wine, beer, craft cocktails, and non-alcoholic options like tea, kombucha, or mocktails. Regardless of what's on the schedule on any given night, Mullins says the menu will stay the same.

"There's no drink too complicated for us to make, however busy we are," she says.

Food options
Another goal for the team will be making sure the space works when there's not someone onstage to crowd around. They'll expand the front and side patios and create a food truck food court that features the same trucks that are there now, plus one newcomer. All in all, that includes Yalla Burger & Wings, Gyro Center, Li’l Nonna’s Vegan Pizzeria, Guppy’s Indian Fried Chicken, Waylon J’s BBQ, and Ay Chihuahua Tacos.

The expanded patio will connect to Tweedy's Bar next door, which also has its own food trucks. The idea is to create a space to hang out after shows that feels fit for the purpose. It's possible to stick around after events now, but the layout does create a vague feeling of loitering.

Artist and fan-friendly tweaks
On the entertainment side, Williams says some of the renovations include putting in a new sound system, redoing the green room, updating the facade, and repainting signs. Since the winter is a slower time for live music, they'll be taking advantage of the extra time to work on things before packing the calendar with more events than before. Resound will handle most of the bookings in live music, comedy, and DJ sets, welcoming both national and local talent.

Whatever the details end up being, this team has proved to Austinites that they know how to run venues worth visiting. And since they're all friends and business partners on multiple levels, it sounds like having this many cooks in the kitchen just isn't an issue.

"Some of us have been roommates and known each other since we were young," says Williams. "It's a good mix of people who are all very like minded, so a lot is being brought to the table per decision. So yeah, it's it's really exciting. Sometimes that's not the case. .... But with this project, it's a lot of really great, creative people that are good at what they do [and] they trust each other."

bars live music concerts comedy