Live in Austin
Elle Hebert
Austin, Texas, has long been known as the Live Music Capital of the World. On any given night, performances fill bars, cafés, and venues across the city, making live music an integral part of its identity. This project—a 300-page, 6 × 9in book, a Risograph-printed map, album covers, and postcards—draws inspiration from the era when Austin’s music scene first took shape.
The book traces the history of Austin’s music scene, highlighting the venues that built the city’s reputation and continue to thrive while new spaces emerge. It explores the musicians who got their start in Austin, those who built their careers here, and the artists who keep coming back. Complementing the book, a Risograph-printed poster serves as a map of 100 venues. Postcards showcase the diversity of the music scene, while a collection of albums represents the city’s musical evolution across different genres, past and present.
Music in Austin is more than just entertainment—it is inseparable from the city’s communities, culture, and history. Despite challenges such as gentrification, pandemic-induced setbacks, and the tension between growth and preservation, Austin’s musical identity persists. History has shown that through decades of evolution and reinvention, Austin always retains what makes it unique: its love for music. Together, each element of this project celebrates Austin’s deeply rooted musical identity and answers the question: Why is Austin considered the Live Music Capital of the World?