Austin Emo’s Documentary Premieres Amid Emo’s East Closure News

A Curious Mix of People is a project led by Austin music historians that includes a book, zines, and a documentary film series. The book of the same name is about “the underground music scene of ’90s Austin” and “is an oral history that tells the story of this transformative decade through the eyes of the musicians, writers, DJs, club owners, record-store employees, and other key figures who were there.”

For the films, so far there are three: “Part 1 : The Cavity” (the punk club on Red River that was located in what is now Swan Dive); “Part 2 : Blue Flamingo” (“where Gerard Cosloy signed Spoon to Matador during SXSW”); and “Part 3 : Emo’s.” Here is their description of the Emo’s documentary:

> As the cornerstone of alternative music in Austin, Texas in the ’90s, Emo’s opened as a big two-stage venue on the corner of Austin’s two important entertainment districts: 6th Street and Red River. With no door cover, the venue gave local bands opening slots for big headlining acts. Smaller Austin bands could play with L7, Royal Trux, Rocket From The Crypt, Jon Spencer, Unsane, Cows, NoMeansNo… The list goes on. Outside of the music, the artwork adorning the walls – by Lindsey Kuhn and Frank Kozik – attracted the attention of local law enforcement. Eventually, the club got sold and closed down. C3/Live Nation purchased the brand and opened a soul-less grey box across town with the name “Emo’s”.

The 6th & Red River location of Emo’s closed in 2011, 7 years after BrooklynVegan started, so thanks in part to our regular travels to SXSW every March, our paths crossed a lot in those years and we hosted our free BrooklynVegan day parties on multiple stages at Emo’s multiple years in a row, not to mention attended many more non-BV shows there. It was truly the best, as were all the people who worked there, many who we still consider friends today, and many who still help make things happen in the Austin live music industry today.

Meanwhile, there doesn’t seem to be an actual release date for the Emo’s documentary yet, but it premiered on May 16th at two screenings inside Swan Dive , along with a Q&A with the filmmaker and past owners/employees. We’re keeping our eye out for a wider release. For now we have the trailer, which you can watch below.

As mentioned in the documentary blurb above, Live Nation/C3 now own the Emo’s name, which they’ve been using for a venue outside the downtown area on East Riverside Drive. (as out-of-towners we rarely made it there, as you needed to make serious effort, drive there, etc), but that era is now ending too. The venue has announced it is closing at the end of this year , and Live Nation’s competitor AEG has announced they are taking over the space. To quote KXAN :

> The entertainment company said in a press release Tuesday that after a “series of upgrades, renovations, and a full rebrand,” the venue will reopen under a new name in early 2027. Those upgrades include enhancements to the sound system, green room, and both backstage and guest-facing amenities, per the release.

But also, “This is not the end for Emo’s, a spokesperson with C3 Presents assured KXAN.”

AEG, meanwhile is also opening a new 4000-capacity venue just down the road from the current location of Emo’s that they’re rebranding and taking over.

_Originally reported by [Brooklyn Vegan](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/emos-documentary-premiered-in-austin-as-emos-east-announces-closing/)._