Ghosts of Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley Awakened at Hole In The Wall
Hole in the Wall in Austin, TX near the University of Texas campus comes with a songwriting history few other venues can rival. Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley not only held court on Hole in the Wall’s stage in front of intimate audiences many times, it wasn’t unheard of that they would be caught crashing under a pool tables for the night afterwards.
The songs were always great of course, but sometimes the performances weren’t always crisp. Hole in the Wall felt too much like home to not have a few, and them maybe a few more. The locals and regulars were always forgiving, understanding who they were beholding before them.
Of course, Townes and Blaze are just one sliver of Hole in the Wall’s legacy. From Shakey Graves, Spoon, and Gary Clark Jr., to Luke Bell and Mike and the Moonpies (now Silverada) and Paul Cauthen, to Brennen Leigh and Melissa Carper, they all owe it to Hole in the Wall as a stepping stone and second home that helped them build an audience and a career in music.
But on Sunday (3-29), it was all about Townes and Blaze as an impressive gaggle of Austin musicians all got together to celebrate the legacy of these tragic souls and incredible songwriters. These type of tributes are customary and commonplace in country and roots music of course. But there’s something especially moving about hearing songs first presented to the public at Hole in the Wall kept alive to those same four walls decades later.
The tribute night packed out the front room of the venue, which feels like the songwriting living room of Austin, with a window behind the stage looking out on The Drag (Guadalupe Street), and the low ceiling giving the moments an intimate feeling.
“Let’s make this place look like this more often,” songwriter John Mutchler said on the stage as he took his turn playing a Blaze Foley song, and the a Townes Van Zandt tune. Drawing more crowds is the hope as the venue enters a new era under new leadership. Last week it was announced that longtime operator Will Tanner is taking a step back from day-to-day operations, and local promoter Mike Lavigne and manager Courtney Goforth will be stepping up to man the operation henceforth.
Hole in the Wall celebrated its 50th year in 2024, but it almost didn’t make it. After facing numerous threats of shutting down and development in an obviously very lucrative area for real estate, it was able to secure a new 20-year lease in 2023, and a $1.6 million grant from Austin’s “Iconic Venue Fund” to help keep the legendary venue open, and make some necessary improvements.
There might be nothing that would kill the vibe of Hole in the Wall quicker that a facelift-style remodel. Like so many of the most beloved venues in music, it’s the dive bar nature of Hole in the Wall that makes it so special. Still though, despite its proximity to the University of Texas and its student body of 55,000, it’s not uncommon to walk into Hole in the Wall, and it for be nearly empty, even if a world-class songwriter is on the front stage, or a rock band is playing on the back one.
Everything is right there for Hole in the Wall to not just be beloved, but actually loved with regular patronage. Putting together tribute nights like Texas Songwriter Brandon Luedtke (also known as O.G. Lone Star) did on Sunday night is a good way to do so.
Ellis Bullard, Juliet McConkey, James Steinle, Nick Garza, Rabecca Patek, Horti, members of bluegrass band Strawberry Flats, and more appeared to pay tribute to Townes and Blaze. Perhaps the biggest takeaway of the night was a guy that was not even scheduled to play, but showed up, and talked his way on stage.
John Coley is an underground folk musician from Manchester, England who apparently made his way to Austin for SXSW a couple of weeks back, but had not yet left. He’s an incredible open tuning finger picker with an incredible voice as well. Supposedly, John Prine was one of his biggest fans and would look him up whenever he was in the area, but otherwise the guy has remained mostly a local legend in Manchester.
Discovering master musicians and songwriters randomly like John Coley is what Hole in the Wall is all about. Who knows if it will be Coley, or one of the other musicians that performed at the tribute that future generations will look back upon, mesmerized by stories of them playing such intimate settings. In truth, Blaze Foley and Townes Van Zandt were never big in their time. But their songs will outlast us all. Hopefully, the important places they performed them at do too.
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Apologies to Peter Sinclair, Colton Cerny, or anyone else that might have slipped on stage as I was taking a piss or distracted, and did not get photographed or mentioned.
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March 31, 2026 @ 9:36 am
No Gurf Morlix?
March 31, 2026 @ 10:01 am
I’m sure they would have allowed Gurf Morlix on stage if he’d signed up to play.
March 31, 2026 @ 10:31 am
Maybe he could go on the Hook?
March 31, 2026 @ 10:35 am
Big Jilm, on brand as usual.
March 31, 2026 @ 9:59 am
I’ll miss will tanners ownership. He’d sit in the corner watching baseball not paying attention to my set ever until one night I went crazy on a Dr John song Qualified & he clapped. From that night he decided he’d let me close out nights doing whatever I felt like playing.
March 31, 2026 @ 10:33 am
I’m looking forward to a time when the world finally recognizes what a supreme talent Juliet McConkey is.
I would drive hours away to see her.