Dale Watson

Dale Watson is back at The Continental Club on Monday, October 19, for another night of honky tonk. If you've spent any time around the South Congress music scene, you know Watson is a fixture here—the kind of act that feels as much a part of the room as the dance floor itself.

He's an Austin Music Hall of Fame inductee, and the way people talk about him usually puts him in the same breath as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Strait—some of the finest country singers and songwriters to come out of Texas. He's often described as a honky tonk hero and a country music maverick, a true outlaw carrying on where Waylon Jennings left off. It's that particular brand of traditional, hard-country sound that's made him a staple of the city's music life.

There's a long-running joke about his relationship with the venue that sums it up pretty well: critic Michael Corcoran once remarked, "It's Dale Watson's club. We just two-step in it." It's a fair point—he's played the place so often that a Watson night at the Continental Club is practically a local institution. If you're looking for country music that doesn't trade in the polished, radio-ready sound of Nashville, this is exactly where you'll find it.

On the night, the show starts at 10 PM, and it's a 21+ crowd. There are no advance tickets for this one, so you'll pay a $10 cover at the door, with the door opening at 9 PM. If you're planning to grab a drink and settle in before the music starts, getting there closer to 9 is your best bet.