The Red River Podcast: Stories of Music, Culture, and Community

German Texan Heritage Society Executive Director and Red River Cultural District Board Member Christopher Markley explores the rich history of German immigration to Texas in the 1800s and the equally rich history of the GTHS’s building at 507 E. 10th St. Once the heart of what was known as “Germantown,” it was built as a German free school in 1857 and is one of Austin’s oldest buildings. Markley describes the artistic, cultural, and musical legacy of the German-Texan community, which helped e...

13th Floor owner/operator Jake Garcia is a busy man. In addition to running one of Red River’s key venues for emerging bands, he performs with multiple bands himself, including the Black Angels, the Ugly Beats, the Ripe and Love tribute act Forever Changes. Dive in as we learn about how Garcia’s San Antonio roots influence his approach to music, including his dad’s 60s Teen Canteen band the Rhythm Beats, his own teen Southern punk combo Chicken Fried Steak, and crashing the stage at Ram Ayala...

If you’ve been to Mohawk, Levitation or (sigh) Fun Fun Fun Fest, you know the work of Graham Williams. He’s the CEO and head of talent buying for Resound Presents, one of the leading independent music promotion companies in the U.S. Graham grew up on Red River, first as a 90s kid taking in all-ages shows at the Cavity and then as the longtime booker at Emo’s. Learn about how Graham went from booking house parties as a high schooler to presenting mutli-stage concerts at Palmer Events Center, h...

Flamingo Cantina owner and Red River Cultural District board member Angela Tharp has been one of Austin’s most stalwart supporters of reggae, world music, and a cornucopia of other genres for almost 35 years. Find out how Angela parlayed one night selling tacos on Halloween in the burned-out space between two buildings on East 6th Street into a venerable club that has fostered a vibrant local scene while also hosting big names like Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee “Scratch” Perry...

If you spent any time along Red River in the late 1990s and early 2000s, you couldn’t have missed Wendy Nelson, a.k.a. Wendy WWAD (as in “What Would Ace Do?”) . She ran Rank N Revue alongside partner Brenna Parthmore, a freebie tabloid zine that gave voice to the emerging Red River music district and provided in-depth coverage of the goings-on at mainstay venues like Room 710, Red Eyed Fly, Elysium, and Headhunters. Jump in as Wendy recounts her years of booking and bartending along Red River...