[featured-video-plus width=770]
Austin was once a smaller city known as a quirky artist’s haven in Central Texas. While most of that reputation is still true today, one thing about Austin that has definitely changed over the years is our population size.
As Austin gains more and more attention, visitors, and new residents, Austinites who have loved and lived in this city for a long time are concerned about this growth and the inevitable changes that come with it. But, while change is always a challenge, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing.
Vibe Austin is a new podcast hosted by Dan Dillard and Mark Strüb, two long-time Austin residents who want to explore, celebrate, and preserve this city’s amazing, unique culture. Dillard is a serial entrepreneur, founding and leading various companies including NEST Financial, founding_media, and foundingAUSTIN. Strüb is also the founder and leader of multiple residential companies under the umbrella of Haus of Strüb. With a deep appreciation for the city and all it has given them, Dillard and Strüb will spend each episode of Vibe Austin discussing Austin’s community with some of the people who make this city such a great place to live. As they explore different facets of our “vibe,” Dillard and Strüb hope that with each episode, this podcast will write a love letter to Austin.
With this objective in mind, each show will begin with a love song called “Deep is Love” by Band of Heathens. As a city that’s held the reputation of “Live Music Capital of the World” for a long time, it only felt appropriate to have a musical guest to kick off season one, and who better than the Austin-based singer-songwriter behind this theme song, Gordy Quist.
If you’ve been in Austin for a while, you’ve probably seen Quist before, either playing live with Band of Heathens or featured in one of Austin’s media publications (including some of founding_media’s own podcasts!). Quist might not have been born in Austin, but he’s been here for 18 years and is grateful to Austin’s music scene for helping him get started and established as a musician.
Dillard and Strüb have similar trajectories, moving to Austin 20 and 22 years ago respectively. One thing that all three Austinites have in common is a deep love and appreciation for Austin’s strong sense of community. Friendly, collaborative, and inviting people are what make Austin a great city for small business owners (like Dillard and Strüb) and artists (such as Quist) alike. Rather than fostering a competitive, cutthroat, and scarcity mentality, the members of Austin’s various communities encourage adn support newcomers and want everyone to find success, whether that’s in the form of business or fans. This is part of why Austin is known for having such quality local brands and artists, but Quist also believes that authentic passion sets our community apart.
Unlike other “musical” cities, like Nashville, Los Angeles, or New York City, Quist explains that Austin is not a music industry city, but rather a city that promotes local artists and local live performances. This distinction means that musicians in Austin are not after “fame and fortune,” but rather come to Austin looking for an authentic creative community. “A bunch of people [in Austin are] chasing adventure through music,” Quist says, describing Austin-based musicians as people who want to create and collaborate with other musicians and fold their passion for music into their daily life.
Some of Quist’s favorite contemporary Austin musicians you can watch live today include:
The community vibe is not just a characteristic of Austin’s musicians, however — it’s also reflected in Austin’s community of fans and arts supporters, who come out to see live music and make the creative life sustainable and possible for Austin-based musicians and artists.
Some of Quist’s favorite music venues in Austin where you can watch and support local musicians include:
Saxon Pub
Moody Amphitheater
Mohawk
ACL Live on 2nd Street (Moody Theater)
Moody Center
People in Austin genuinely like indulging in local art, which is as crucial to the creative community as the artists themselves. Of course, as Austin becomes more popular and the cost of living rises, there will be a fight to preserve this type of artistic community, since musicians in the past have been able to live a creative lifestyle largely due to the low rent and prices compared to other cities.
Another quality that Quist, Dillard, and Strüb love about Austin is the versatility and tolerance. The city has something for everyone, whether it’s a community for small business owners or a community for musicians, and this variety is reflected profoundly in our food options.
Austin abounds with foodie opportunities, whether you love brisket or you live a vegan lifestyle. Some of the favorite spots are listed below, and you might notice — there’s not a chain restaurant in sight:
TacoDeli
ÑoÑos
Taco Flats
Perla’s
Fonda San Miguel
Julio’s
Curra’s
Bouldin Creek Cafe
Some of the less savory aspects of Austin’s “vibe” include the heat, which is upwards of 100 degrees for most of the summer months, and the traffic, which has undoubtedly gotten worse since more people have moved to the city. But, Dillard, Strüb, and Quist all agree — you get used to both. Acclimating to the heat and the traffic is just a matter of time, and you learn how to live with it.
While the traffic is getting worse, and all three agree that Austin has always been great, they also reiterate that it’s important to embrace the city’s change and growth. “It’s gratifying and rewarding to be a part of what [Austin is] becoming all the time,” Strüb explains.
Beyond the inconvenience of summer heat and traffic, they agree that Austin’s biggest challenge in the face of growth will be to preserve and maintain its culture. “As people are moving to Austin,” Dillard says, “We want them to understand who we are… so that even as [the city is] changing and growing… the culture doesn’t change.”
Austin’s reputation for being “weird” goes hand-in-hand with its reputation as a music-loving city, and there’s always been an easy-going, chill vibe to the city and its people. These qualities are essential to the community that Austinites enjoy everyday. “[Austin] is less weird than it used to be. We hope to retain some of the [weirdness], and the cost of living naturally pushes out some of the people living on the fringes of normal society,” Quist explains. “I think that’s our challenge as people move here … I don’t want it to explode in a way that ruins what we have and what we love about it.”
As an example, Quist describes an experience that musicians had downtown, where the residents in a new condominium filed noise complaints about live music shows that happened downtown. If you move to a city for the live music, maybe don’t be surprised when you hear some live music at night!
But more directly, Quist shares a message to newer Austin residents: “Hopefully you’re coming here because you love something about the culture, and you can support [that culture] by spending money.” Buying local, whether that’s making purchases at local Austin businesses or buying tickets to local Austin musician’s shows, will help support this city and keep the culture alive for years to come.
Thank you to Vibe Austin’s sponsors:
Austin Title has been providing title insurance and escrow services for both residential and commercial transactions in Austin and around the country since 1953. We have experienced and friendly staff, many of whom have deep ties to Austin and the surrounding communities.
Vista Lending is a local, Austin based mortgage company, focused on providing financing solutions that fit our clients needs and long term goals. We strive to provide a concierge level of service to every client and that service will continue long after their mortgage loan closes. We offer our advisory services to clients for life and look to be their advocate for all things real estate.
Since its creation in 2007, STRÜB has achieved extraordinary growth evolving from a market leader in relocation to a best-in-class marketing system for the homeowner seeking an authentic, approachable alternative to the typical conventions of “luxury.”
NEST Financial provides leaders and doers in Austin, TX and the surrounding Hill Country with confidence, freedom, and security through authentic and transparent wealth management, including simplified financial planning, innovative investment management, and direct financial education.
Our shameless non-profit plug for this episode is:
The SIMS Foundation provides mental health and substance use recovery services and supports for musicians, music industry professionals, and their dependent family members. Through education, community partnerships, and accessible managed care, SIMS seeks to destigmatize and reduce mental health and substance use issues, while supporting and enhancing the wellbeing of the music community at large.
