Austin Soundtrack

By Jack Stephen

 

I recently headed down to Austin to see one of my oldest friends.

Going from Dallas to Austin used to be a somewhat lazy drive, just moseying down the road and watching the Texas countryside. Now, you drive Mad Max style on the roadway through one massive city. While the names along the way change (Waco, Temple, West, Georgetown), it doesn’t matter; it all looks the same. It is just one enormous gas station, strip mall, fast food restaurant, or whatever suburban wasteland type establishment after another. It goes on and on and on. It’s kinda too bad and sad, but when the billboards say “Heartbeat in 18 days…choose adoption” those folks are going to have to live somewhere. It would be nice to see an actual Texas Longhorn somewhere along this journey, which now takes about four hours due to the seemingly endless stream of trucks, construction, and traffic.

What did I listen to? 

Happiness Heartaches by Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express. I was not familiar with this album, but it sure was a pleasant surprise, especially the title track and “Spice Island.” Jazz fusion is one of those genres that is uniquely “love/hate.” If you get it and it’s well done, it is special. On the other side, I’d say, many people just think it’s too far out there to really be enjoyed. This musical genre came out of the late 1960s, mixing rock, funk, blues with jazz improvision. It was more accessible free jazz. Many bands rotated the players, creating unique combinations of musicians, which led to some great groups and iterations. The band Weather Report, for example, was filled with awesome musicians (i.e., Wayne Shorter and Jaco Pastorius), and they put out some excellent music. Their song “Birdland” is one of the most played jazz songs ever. I get it, I’m definitely in the minority, but listening to some jazz fusion was perfect as I coasted through this endless exurb that was once the Texas countryside.  

As I encountered a traffic jam of epic proportions in Austin, I switched it up to listen to Here and Now on NPR. The hosts were talking about a genre of music called Lo Fi Hip Hop, which is very popular with the youth of today. As the story detailed (https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2025/06/05/lofi-girl-youtube-channel), there’s a Youtube channel that plays these mixes, and it helps students and people who have trouble focusing to focus. There is some science behind it. A researcher who had studied this phenomenon had a very interesting insight: music is scientifically proven to act like a metronome to the electric charges that shoot throughout our brains. Music can literally influence and pace our thinking. This was fascinating to think about as I pulled into one of the great music cities in the world. 

I arrived at my friend’s house around 3 PM. We started things off with a shot of Tequila; it seemed prudent. Next, we headed out to take a dip at the Deep Eddy Pool. It was already hot in Austin and Deep Eddy Pool was right on time. As far as pools go, this one is topflight.  According to the interwebs, this pool is the oldest public pool in Texas and holds 600,000 gallons of water.  It’s fed by natural springs and maintains a constant temperature around 68 degrees. It was perfect for a hot Texas day—not too crowded and the giant Cottonwood trees provided just enough shade.  

What did my buddy want to listen to?

Something by Bach or Vivaldi. He’s turned into a classical music fan. I’ve got to admit, it sure is a refreshing sound. I wish I knew more about classical music and should probably just listen to it more often, as I think my brain synapses would appreciate it.

What did I want to listen to?

“Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone. This is a great song for just chilling in the summer, hanging with an old friend, and swimming in a cool pool, deep in the heart of the Texas. (RIP Sly.)

As we drove back to his house in South Austin, we turned on some local classic rock station.

What were they playing?

 “Renegade” by Styx. This is an excellent song off the Pieces of Eight album. The cover had the ladies posing with the statues of the Moa on Easter Island as earrings. I really like Styx. The Grand Illusion broke them with the hits “Come Sail Away” and “Fooling Yourself.” They shortly followed up this record with the epic Paradise Theater, an incredible album that featured “The Best of Times” and my favorite Styx song “Too Much Time on My Hands.” It was nice to hear some Styx—great band with a pretty solid catalog. Later, with their song “Mr. Roboto,” the wheels may have fallen off the Styx train a bit. It’s just a nutty song, but maybe the message is a little more poignant in today’s AI/Internet world.   

We then headed to The Yard, down in the St. Elmo District, to grab dinner and catch some music. The St. Elmo District is now an established nightlife dining area right by Ben White Ave. and South Congress. It consists of old warehouses that have been turned into breweries, bars, and pickelball courts, with plenty of food trucks strewn about. We entered the St. Elmo Brewery, and the band was in-between sets. We got some beers and food while reminiscing. The band started up and played some bluegrass—for some reason this is the music genre “du jour” in Austin these days. The band was topflight, loaded up with a fiddle player, banjo, and mandolin. They crushed.  I heard some of the members toured with Dolly Parton’s band; they sure had the skills.

What did they play?

“I’ll Fly Away” by Albert Brumley Sr. This is a country standard and has been covered, redone, and whatnot by many country artists. This bluegrass band had a great rendition.  

“(Hey Baby) Que Paso” by the Texas Tornados. Here’s a fun jam, and these bluegrass guys tricked it up nicely.

Back at my buddy’s house, we indulged in a nightcap. He had some interesting insights, maybe something I’ve always known but needed to be reminded of. He said he had been listening more to the universe and it had been talking to him. This is sure important to remember. I think the universe told me to head down to Austin, it was time. I’m glad I listened. Austin is a wonderful town, at least to visit anyway. As I left the next morning, I saw a bluebird perched in a giant Yucca tree. 

What was song was in my head as left the next morning?

“Solving Problems” by Brent Cobb.