Things to do / Travel Guide
Houston has a variety of blues, jazz, and rock clubs. San Antonio and Corpus Christi have many good Tejano and country nightclubs to go out to, especially if you want to experience line dancing or the local interpretation of “cumbia” music. You can find all of this and more along San Antonio's Riverwalk.
Strictly speaking, however, when the words nightlife and Texas are used in the same sentence, what immediately comes to mind is Sixth Street in downtown Austin.
Sixth Street, formerly Pecan Street, is called the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Lined with fully-restored buildings over a century old, you will find more live music venues than you will know what do with. Sixth Street is probably best known for blues and country acts, but there are many cutting-edge jazz, zydeco (a blend of French accordion, country, Latin, blues, and more recently, rock music), metal, alternative rock, and electronic music venues as well.
If you are looking for something in particular, check the “Austin Chronicle,” the local weekly. Here you'll find a complete listing of everything on Sixth Street and you'll likely find familiar, well-known musical acts, such as those of Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. The whole area is most packed and bustling during spring vacation, when college students head for the strip to hear the music and experience the fun.
Now we'll say a word about the region's famous Tejano music. Tejano is rooted in the early music played by Texas' Mexican community, which was heavily influenced by contact with the Germans and Czechs in the region. Tejano music almost always has an accordion in it. The tag was invented in the 1930s to describe the sound being played by Mexicans in Texas. Since then, the music has been heavily influenced by blues, rock, country, and pop music from the Spanish-speaking world. Tejano is growing in popularity, especially among Spanish speakers, and has really put the area on the map, as all the big stars live, play, and record in San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
The most famous Tejano singer of them all, Selena, is commemorated all over her hometown in Corpus Christi, with statues and murals, and buildings bearing her name. She is a heroine to the locals, having won fame all over America for her music and exposing a wider audience to Tejano, before she was tragically shot and killed by an obsessed fan.
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