Austin--Thinking About It

[bassksun]

Hey Austin

I'm seriously thinking about relocating from Dead Ass Vegas to Austin. My job here goes away in 2013 so I thought I should start networking now. I don't plan on living off of playing mainly because I'm into fusion and more out there stuff.

BUT I think I'm more likely to find other musicians like me and it doesn't look like it's too expensive to live there. Am I right?

Whatcha think?

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by bassksun

Hey Austin

I'm seriously thinking about relocating from Dead Ass Vegas to Austin. My job here goes away in 2013 so I thought I should start networking now. I don't plan on living off of playing mainly because I'm into fusion and more out there stuff.

BUT I think I'm more likely to find other musicians like me and it doesn't look like it's too expensive to live there. Am I right?

Whatcha think?

Austin is a great place to play music but a lousy place to make money at it. There are hordes of musicians here and a great many are willing to play for free to get their music out in front of an audience.

Just about any genre you can think of is represented here, so you probably won't have trouble finding some kindred spirits.

I'm not sure about the cost of living; it's been a while since I've lived anywhere else, but I'm sure there are published indexes on line where you can research that.

[bassksun]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Austin is a great place to play music but a lousy place to make money at it. There are hordes of musicians here and a great many are willing to play for free to get their music out in front of an audience.

Just about any genre you can think of is represented here, so you probably won't have trouble finding some kindred spirits.

I'm not sure about the cost of living; it's been a while since I've lived anywhere else, but I'm sure there are published indexes on line where you can research that.

Thanks Much! Kindred spirits are more important to me than anything else.

Now I just got to find a place. Do you know of any industrial loft type areas?

[Frank Tuesday]

Not a lot of industrial areas in town, at least not old enough to have been converted. There is an apartment complex called Metropolis. Very band/artist friendly. The good news is that you can play in your apartment. The bad is that your neighbor can as well.

[Chef FourString]

Originally Posted by Frank Tuesday

Not a lot of industrial areas in town, at least not old enough to have been converted. There is an apartment complex called Metropolis. Very band/artist friendly. The good news is that you can play in your apartment. The bad is that your neighbor can as well.

I used to live in the Metropolis. That place sucks. It looks cool and they are very friendly to artist and musicians but the living situation is **** and its on the crap side of town. Living off Oltorf sucks. There are much better places to live for cheaper. And having rental space to play music is easy to come by. Music Labs, mainly the one on Saint Elmo St., has always been our place to go for cheap rehearsal space.

[Beginner Bass]

Avoid anywhere near Runberg Lane; that's crack-town. Texas in general was hardly hit at all during the recession compared to most of the other states, so that's always a good thing.

[Chef FourString]

Originally Posted by bassksun

Hey Austin

I'm seriously thinking about relocating from Dead Ass Vegas to Austin. My job here goes away in 2013 so I thought I should start networking now. I don't plan on living off of playing mainly because I'm into fusion and more out there stuff.

BUT I think I'm more likely to find other musicians like me and it doesn't look like it's too expensive to live there. Am I right?

Whatcha think?

Austin is a great place to live, work and play music. Come try us out, man. We like it.

[turbo chicken]

Move to the Dallas,FtWorth area ... the weather is a a little more mild.

Best part is you don't necessacarily have to live in the big towns. The smaller cities between and around the bigger ones is where it's at. I've been living here for a good portion of my life and still discovering new stuff all the time.

You won't have any trouble finding kindred muso's in the area ... or places to play. I have the opportunity to get paid to gig here... In Austin ... i wouldn't.

[rockstarbassist]

Austin is kinda overloaded IME... Played a lot in there in the early to mid 00's and yeah it's fun but you pay to play a lot of the times so it's kinda blah. If I wanted to get serious and try to make some better $$ doing it I'd go to D-FW.

Or come to Houston and join/start a tejano or country cover band. I could probably quit my job, make close to the same money, if I had 2-4 regular acts I played with. Cover scene here is huge and not hard to break in to if you are good.

[ebonalley]

I'm really appreciating my time in Austin. My first impression was that it was a bit dusty, hot, and downtrodden (like you'd expect to find antiques and cockroaches in the same restaurant). After a while and some digging I learned that its all part of the "weird" and wonderful culture that is Austin. Can't speak to the loft situation but there is a big college population, so I would imagine that their are many small places available. Especially in the early summer when things open up.

[Frank Tuesday]

Originally Posted by Chef FourString

I used to live in the Metropolis. That place sucks. It looks cool and they are very friendly to artist and musicians but the living situation is **** and its on the crap side of town. Living off Oltorf sucks. There are much better places to live for cheaper. And having rental space to play music is easy to come by. Music Labs, mainly the one on Saint Elmo St., has always been our place to go for cheap rehearsal space.

I know people who have lived there and loved it, and others that hated it. Kind of like every apartment in the world. I know that I wouldn't listening to my neighbors play metal at 10pm while I was trying to sleep, so I stayed away.

I have a practice space at Uncle Bob's on South First. $270/month for a private, climate controlled room with electricity. There are 9 of us that share (between the drummers and my bands) so the cost is only $30/month per person. I can leave as much gear there as I like, so it's nice not having to tear down and set up every practice. Power on, cable in, play.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by turbo chicken

Move to the Dallas,FtWorth area ... the weather is a a little more mild.

Quote from the Austin Lounge Lizards' "Dallas, Texas":

Most cities have soul
But Dallas must have been
At the bank when they
Passed it around

[Semisweet]

DFW is a great place to find a job, lots of affordable (and safe) places to live, and you can find a lot of like-minded people in Denton.

[Chef FourString]

Originally Posted by Frank Tuesday

I know people who have lived there and loved it, and others that hated it. Kind of like every apartment in the world. I know that I wouldn't listening to my neighbors play metal at 10pm while I was trying to sleep, so I stayed away.

I have a practice space at Uncle Bob's on South First. $270/month for a private, climate controlled room with electricity. There are 9 of us that share (between the drummers and my bands) so the cost is only $30/month per person. I can leave as much gear there as I like, so it's nice not having to tear down and set up every practice. Power on, cable in, play.

I understand what you mean about apts. But my experience with Metropolis was unpleasant. That was 6 years ago, so things have probably changed over there.

Pretty cool about Uncle Bob's. Never been there before. It sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

[bassksun]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

Austin is kinda overloaded IME... Played a lot in there in the early to mid 00's and yeah it's fun but you pay to play a lot of the times so it's kinda blah. If I wanted to get serious and try to make some better $$ doing it I'd go to D-FW.

Or come to Houston and join/start a tejano or country cover band. I could probably quit my job, make close to the same money, if I had 2-4 regular acts I played with. Cover scene here is huge and not hard to break in to if you are good.

Trust me...if I did covers I would be perfectly fine in Vegas.

[bassksun]

Originally Posted by Semisweet

DFW is a great place to find a job, lots of affordable (and safe) places to live, and you can find a lot of like-minded people in Denton.

I never thought of DFW before...Thanks I'll take a look see.

[bassksun]

Originally Posted by Chef FourString

Austin is a great place to live, work and play music. Come try us out, man. We like it.

I have a freind that moved there a year ago and he can't stop lovin it there.

[bassksun]

Originally Posted by ebonalley

I'm really appreciating my time in Austin. My first impression was that it was a bit dusty, hot, and downtrodden (like you'd expect to find antiques and cockroaches in the same restaurant). After a while and some digging I learned that its all part of the "weird" and wonderful culture that is Austin. Can't speak to the loft situation but there is a big college population, so I would imagine that their are many small places available. Especially in the early summer when things open up.

I'm a guy who lived in Ann Arbor, NYC, Philly and now Vegas. I know "weird". Learned to like it.

[Chef FourString]

Originally Posted by bassksun

I'm a guy who lived in Ann Arbor, NYC, Philly and now Vegas. I know "weird". Learned to like it.

People are people everywhere but it's a great little city, dude. Good food, good drink, good art, good parks, good music and do I have to mention SXSW and ACL?

[brendanbassist]

I just moved to Austin. Haven't joined a band yet, but the music scene is pretty big, and the cost of living is not bad at all.