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March 23, 2021

The Reopening

By: Elizabeth McQueen

On March 10th the Texas governor re-opened the state. Now businesses can operate at 100% capacity. He also lifted the statewide mask mandate. We talked to musicians, venue owners & staff about how they plan to navigate the reopening.

In this episode you’ll hear from:

Cody Cowan: Executive Director of the Red River Cultural District
Stephen Sternschein: the managing partner of Heard Presents which operates Empire Control Room,
James Moody: founder of the Austin music venue Mohawk ,
Kate Holley:  illustrator and also manager and bartender at Cheer-Up Charlies,
Clayton England: musician and also bartender at the Far out Lounge
Mama Duke  : singer songwriter and voice over actor
Lili Hickman: musician and visual artist

We have a survey and we’d love to hear what you think! Go ahead! Take the survey here! 

Find out more about Mama Duke
Check out Mama Duke as the voice of Hip-Hop Hippo
Find out more about Lili Hickman’s art and her band Flora and Fawna.
Check out Clayton England’s music

Listen to the music by Austin Artists featured in this episode:


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BONUS — The city has millions of dollars to support the Austin music scene. But who gets the money? (rerun)

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August 5, 2025

BONUS: Terry Lickona from Austin City Limits on what cuts to federal funding for public media mean for TV’s longest running music program.

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July 29, 2025

AI and the Future of Music

AI is a hot topic right now, but how will it impact music? We discuss everything from fake bands getting millions of listens to a legendary producer vouching for the use of AI to lawsuits by major music groups against AI music generation programs. In the latest episode, we dive into how Austin musicians are […]

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