Antone's

Old-Austin purists will complain that this “isn’t the same” as the old 6th Street location, the “World-Famous Home of the Blues,” which was opened by Clifford Antone in 1975 and quickly became the Texas base for travelling and local blues acts like Albert King, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Double Trouble. But anyone who has stopped by the new joint, recently reopened on bustling East 5th Street, knows it closely retains the spirit of the original (just ask everyone who voted to help it win Best New Club in the 34th annual Austin Music Awards). To that end, almost every evening hosts two shows—a happy-hour gig at 6:30pm and another at 10pm—featuring locally and nationally renowned blues and roots musicians. The new place has only been poppin’ a few months, but new-school legend and operating partner Gary Clark Jr. has already made a handful of surprise appearances in the 450-capacity room—something to keep in mind on a slow weeknight (wink, wink).