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Possibly Austin’s most interesting live music venue, this train-station-and-railroad-car-turned-bar on West Fifth Street has a storied past. It was briefly owned by Billy Cowsill, oldest sibling of the 1960s family band that inspired the “Partridge Family” TV series, before Donn Adelman took it over in the mid-1970s and began its long run as a haven for local country and ounge performers.
Everything about the space is funky, from the old wooden porch with picnic tables out front, to the long bar area with an impressive array of draft beers, to the piano and stage area tucked into the southeast corner, to the dance floor that’s partly walled off as its own distinct room. A humorous YouTube video posted by a show called Midlife Road Trip gives a peek into the women’s restroom described by one patron as “The best ladies’ room in Texas.” (We’ll take their word for it.)
Monday nights with piano master Christ Gage are a hidden treasure in a town rich with quality weekly residencies. Stick around for an hour or two and you’ll almost certainly hear Gage play at least a couple of tunes that are dear to you, often with special-guest ringers sitting in and singing along. Owner Adelman holds down the fort with his Station Masters band most Tuesday and Fridays.
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