Indisputable: A Fan's Guide to the Live Music Capital

Speaking from recent experience, the hardest part about writing a book is getting into a good flow or finding your rhythm as some call it. Usually what happens is you start with some idea for what the book will be, maybe a title or a thesis and after about 10 different versions of the opening chapter you finally get to a place where you feel comfortable moving on to chapter two. Over the last six weeks, after having already put eight months into the book, I can finally say that I got into my rhythm…writing something like 30 chapters in the last 45 days. That said, I’m now comfortable sharing at least one of those intro chapters that I wrote back when I started out.

If you were to pick up Indisputable: A Fan’s Guide to the Live Music Capital, you may not read this exact introduction, but I imagine it’ll be something close even after the editor chops it up.

This City of Austin resolution says clearly that Austin is “the Live Music Capital of the World.”

However, slogans of this nature are typically tongue-in-cheek only. For example, is New York really the city that never sleeps or does it just keep its bars open later? Does everything in Las Vegas ever really stay there or does it end up on Facebook the next week?

But Austin isn’t being cute with its title. The slogan resolution goes one step further than those of other cities…it says “indisputably.”

There are quite a few points to back up Austin’s claim. It has not one, but two major music festivals in Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. A third festival, Fun, Fun, Fun Fest, has quickly emerged as an up-and-comer in indie crowds.

Austin venues such as Continental Club, The Broken Spoke and Stubb’s are nationally known and Austin is said to have more live music venues per capita than L.A., Nashville, and New York. Oh, and Austin City Limits, the PBS program that debuted in 1975 with a set by Willie Nelson, was around before U2, perhaps the biggest live music act in the world, was even formed.

The last point of the resolution, however, is the strongest: Austin’s live music industry provides the basis for employment, economic development, creative and cultural growth and greatly enhances our quality of life.

For these reasons, which are analyzed, dissected, and elaborated upon – from a fan’s perspective - in this book, Austin’s status as the Live Music Capital should be Indisputable.

Comments

[Nadya]

Fantastic! Wraps up/communicates perfectly while also laying ground for the rest of the book. Super strong start and excited to read the rest!