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Interesting news in this week’s Chronicle that Emo’s owner Frank Hendrix is looking to diversify and expand even more after his move in August to help manage Antone’s. Hendrix is apparently determined to not sit idly by and let the Emo’s brand be overrun by the encroaching yuppiedom of downtown development. He’s taken over the former Back Room on Riverside and is turning it into an adjustable venue that can accommodate anywhere from 300 to 1,700 fans. It sounds like a pretty sweet set up, with a planned restaurant, designated parking (what!) and laundry facilities for bands on tour (no word on whether Austin’s gangs of unwashed hipsters will also be allowed access). Right now Hendrix is calling the place “Emo’s on the Hill,” which hopefully will change, because that name is just awful. More like Emo’s Over the Hill! What’s more, after the venue is completed sometime next fall, Emo’s proper will be undergoing its own renovation of their outside stage, which may not even re-open as a stage. We’re guessing another restaurant? People in Austin are eating way too much - we say just pull in a food trailer and call it a day. Anyway, as we said back when the Antone’s partnership was announced, these are smart moves for Hendrix, and will hopefully help keep Emo’s from going the usual way of the best Austin clubs (that way being, of course, out of business). It’s pretty clear that in another 5 years (if that) Red River ain’t gonna be the bastion of underground music it once was, and we’re going to be seeing all kinds of venue gentrification over on the East Side, which is fine by us because going downtown is a pain these days anyway. So here’s hoping folks like Hendrix can help move the scene before the scene moves on them. Oh, and OTR also reports that the Emo’s crew is going to be taking over booking at Ruta Maya and another unnamed venue sometime soon, as well.
