Hole in the Wall

The Hole in the Wall is Austin’s most legendary club for all the right reasons.  Founded in 1974, it sits just across the street from the building at University of Texas campus where the Austin City Limits show was taped for decades, and KUTX radio still broadcasts. Throughout Austin’s turbulent cultural storms, it has remained the Austin music scene’s “go to” club for generations of beginner bands, established touring acts, and famous rock stars to throw back a few, have a laugh with the locals, and, as Hole in the Wall’s most revered regular Doug Sahm once said, “get down to the nitty gritty.” Stop by the club on any afternoon, and before you are one drink in, you can easily find someone who will regale you with a mind-blowing musical story.  Like the time Stevie Ray Vaughan sat in with Bill Carter and the Blame, wailing guitar until 3am, while his limo waited out front collecting parking tickets, and a customer dove through the sunroof on a bet.  Pete Thomas of the Attractions once sat in with the band until way past last call, quitting only when a feisty waitress finally said, “Hey drummer boy- Time to go home!” Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley spent many a night under the pool tables after club crawls down the Drag.  Both Courtney Love and Dave Grohl spent longer than appropriate amounts of time in the men’s room on separate occasions (only one of them because of beer spilled on their head).  Fastball and a few fans chased a guitar thief around the corner and trapped him in a nearby alley.   Don Henley walked in one night just in time to sing background vocals with Mojo Nixon on his classic MTV single “Don Henley Must Die.”