Live music preview: Hard Luck Lounge to Say Farewell November 23
Beloved East Austin dive bar and live music venue, Hard Luck Lounge is holding a final show Saturday, November 23 before shutting down after five years on E. Seventh near Springdale. The much loved venue with a big back patio, tiny bar and a stage that looks cut out of a film set will close this Saturday with a celebration of local artists who frequently performed at there. Some of the artists that will appear at the farewell concert include; Rattlesnake Milk, Cory and Tate, Chandler Wilkinson, That Damned Band, Ben Ballinger, Mrs. Glass, Duane Mark, Robert Allan Caldwell and more.
Owner Denis O’Donnell confirmed the venue closing two weeks ago in an Austin Chronicle story. O’Donnell remarked that the rent increase at the end of their lease along with further gentrification of the once blue-collar neighborhood made he and his partners in the venture reconsider continuing at the location.
“Being a working-class beer joint on the Eastside is becoming more of a square peg in a round hole situation,” he allowed. “I’m not going to sell you $10 cocktails. I don’t know how to do that and I don’t want to do that,” said O’Donnell to Austin Chronicle.
This ethos and the owners desire to create an authentic experience is tantamount to who he is as an Austin venue owner. O’Donnell doesn’t just want to open a bar, he wants to create experiences that feel like real Austin. Try talking to the man for a minute and you’ll realize he’s a treasure trove of local history and musical knowledge. His venues reflect his respect for the past Austin has lived as much as it’s future.
O’Donnell is known as a friend to local artists. He’s also a respected venue operator, successfully opening White Horse, one of two well-known dance hall joints in Austin. Many of the same artists who will be performing at Saturday’s finale cut their teeth at White Horse which was one of the first East Austin venues to gain traction as the area began transforming into an extension of the downtown entertainment district.
While Hard Luck is shutting down, O’Donnell has big plans for a future venue coming soon. Work is apparently already underway at the yet-to-be-announced venue which we’re told is sitting on over an acre of land in South Austin. More details coming as they become available.
Festivities begin at 4 p.m. Saturday. Event updates and RSVP for Hard Luck’s show can be found on Facebook.
