Nightlife

It's hard to imagine an itch for entertainment, high or low, that Austin couldn't scratch. For starters, live music is found everywhere and in just about every genre. And the level of virtuosity is impressive. Many famous musicians such as the Dixie Chicks and Shawn Colvin call Austin home and frequently perform here. But there is also a large number of lesser known but great performers, who for one reason or another are content to stay in Austin and enjoy a comfortable and modest level of success.

The live music scene is also extremely inexpensive. Some really good bands play for tips on weekdays and for starving-artist pay at other times. This has been true for years, and it makes you feel that the city is getting a lot more from this arrangement than it's having to put out. Not that Austin doesn't try to support its local musicians. Some group or other is always organizing benefit concerts or free public concerts to promote the local talent.

Keep an eye out for these kinds of performances by checking out the Austin Chronicle and XLent, the entertainment supplement of the Austin-American Statesman. Both are available in hundreds of outlets every Thursday.

Unbeknownst to a lot of people, there is more to the performing arts here than just the club scene. Theater and dance have strong community support. You can call the Austin Circle of Theaters Hot Line (tel. 512/416-5700, ext. 1603; www.acotonline.org) to find out what's on the boards each week. If you want to know who's kicking around, phone Danceline (tel. 512/416-5700, ext. 3262).

The University of Texas brings many touring performances to town and also hosts local concerts and productions. You can reach Texas Box Office at www.texasboxoffice.com or tel. 512/477-6060; there are also outlets in most HEB grocery stores.

Some of the concerts at La Zona Rosa, the Backyard, and Austin Music Hall, and selected shows at the Paramount Theatre, can be booked through Star Tickets Plus (tel. 888/597-STAR or 512/469-SHOW; http://premier.ticketsplus.net, with outlets in most Albertson's grocery stores.

The Austix Box Office, 3423 Guadalupe (tel. 512/474-8497 or 512/416-5700, ext. 1603; www.austix.com), handles phone charges for many of the smaller theaters in Austin, as well as half-price ticket sales. Call for a recorded listing of what's currently being discounted, then pick up tickets at the Austix Box Office or at the Austin Visitors Center, 209 E. Sixth (at the corner of Brazos) Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 6pm, Friday and Saturday from noon to 7pm. Half-price tickets are also on sale at BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd. (tel. 512/472-5050), on Thursday from 4 to 7pm.

The newest ticket service in town, Front Gate Tickets (tel. 512/389-0315; www.frontgatetickets.com), handles Austin City Limits Festival tickets as well as those for some of the larger shows at Stubb's, Antone's, La Zona Rosa, the Parish, and the Vibe.

But There Are No Limits on the Entertainment

PBS's longest-running television program (it first aired in 1975), Austin City Limits has showcased such major talent as Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Dixie Chicks, and Phish. Originally pure country, it has evolved to embrace blues, zydeco, Cajun, Tejano -- you name it. The show is taped live from August through February at the KLRU-TV studio, 2504B Whitis St. (near Dean Keeton, 1 block in from Guadalupe), but the schedule is very fluid, so you have to be vigilant to nab the free tickets, which are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the taping. Log on to www.pbs.org/klru/austin for details of how to get tickets, or phone the show's hot line at tel. 512/475-9077.

You don't have to plan in advance to get a free tour of the recording studio, where you can watch an interesting video clip of the show's highlights, stroll through the control room, and get up on the studio stage and play air guitar. Tours are offered at the KLRU studio at 10:30am every Friday except holidays (call tel. 512/471-4811 to verify the schedule around holidays).

You do, however, have to plan ahead if you want to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which debuted in September 2002. Performers at this 3-day event included Emmylou Harris, Los Lobos, Shawn Colvin, Jimmie Vaughan, and Patty Griffin. For information on future festivals, log on to www.aclfestival.com. This festival is becoming more massive each year, with acts arriving early to make surprise appearances in clubs around town. In 2006, there were more than 100 bands playing on eight stages. Performers included Tom Petty, Los Lonely Boys, Massive Attack, Willie Nelson and Van Morrison among many others. The dates for the 2007 festival will be September 14 to 16. It's beginning to resemble South by Southwest, but without the stuffy conference part.

Late-Night Bites

If it's 3am and you have a hankering for a huge stack of pancakes to soak up that last Shiner Bock you probably shouldn't have downed, Austin has you covered. Austin's all-night cafes offer funky atmosphere, and large quantities of hippie food. In addition to the usual cafe offerings, you can get local favorites, including Tex-Mex items, such as migas and breakfast tacos, vegetarian versions of traditional Texas fare, and large creative salads.

One of the earliest on the scene and still hugely popular is Kerbey Lane, 3704 Kerbey Lane (tel. 512/451-1436; www.kerbeylanecafe.com). Sunday mornings, locals spill out on the porch of the comfortable old house, waiting for a table so they can order the signature "pancakes as big as your head." Musicians finishing up late-night gigs at the Continental Club usually head over to the Magnolia Cafe South, 1920 S. Congress Ave. (tel. 512/445-0000; www.cafemagnolia.com). On nice nights, enjoy the Love Veggies sautéed in garlic butter or the Deep Eddy burrito on an outdoor deck. Both cafes are open 24 hours daily. Kerbey Lane has three other locations, and Magnolia Cafe has one clone, but the originals are far more interesting.