Evan Autin

The Evan Autin Band plays Alley Bar on Thursday, August 27, bringing a mix of blues rock and funk to East Austin. It's a night built around the sound Autin has made his own, and if you've caught him before, you know the territory: blues at the core, with funk pulling it into a groove and rock keeping it loud. The set draws from that intersection, and it's the kind of show that works just as well if you're there to listen as it does if you're there to move.

What makes the night worth noting, though, is the room itself. Alley Bar is part of Brushy Street Commons, which sits inside the soundstage of the historic 501 Studios building in East Austin. It's a space that changes roles throughout the day—a restaurant and bar by day, a live events space by night—and it carries more than thirty years of local history. Over the decades, it's served as the set for countless national commercials, and Austin legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson filmed music videos here. Universal Pictures used the soundstage for the 1981 film Raggedy Man, starring Sissy Spacek and Eric Roberts, and for more than ten years, the Texas Lottery drew and broadcast its million-dollar winners from the room.

So when you're in there on Thursday, you're standing in a spot that's seen everything from Stevie Ray Vaughan's music videos to the Texas Lottery's biggest payouts. The Evan Autin Band takes the stage on August 27 at Alley Bar, part of Brushy Street Commons at 501 Studios in East Austin.