The Red River Podcast: Stories of Music, Culture, and Community

Angela Tharp

Flamingo Cantina owner and Red River Cultural District board member Angela Tharp has been one of Austin’s most stalwart supporters of reggae, world music, and a cornucopia of other genres for almost 35 years. Find out how Angela parlayed one night selling tacos on Halloween in the burned-out space between two buildings on East 6th Street into a venerable club that has fostered a vibrant local scene while also hosting big names like Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Angela also discusses her extensive experience as an advocate, negotiating with the city to ensure the continued viability of live music downtown and what comes next for the corner of East 6th and Red River.  The podcast is a collection of real stories, history, memories and perspectives from people connected to the cultural district - past and present. Everyone remembers the past a little differently, and some tales include sensitive and explicit topics. These stories don’t always reflect the view, mission or endorsements of our organization - they’re simply part of the rich, complicated history of the place. We’ve done our best to honor each storyteller’s voice, but can’t promise every detail is fact-checked or free from the occasional fuzzy memory. Think of this podcast; heartfelt, imperfect, and full of character. Thanks for listening with an open mind and for celebrating the many layers of our District’s shared heritage. Support the Red River Cultural District at: www.redriverculturaldistrict.org [https://redriverculturaldistrict.org/] Follow us at: @redriverculturaldistrict [https://www.instagram.com/redriverculturaldistrict/] The host of The Red River Podcast is: Greg Beets Special thanks to: Richard Whymark Explore Richard and Greg's work at: www.acuriousmixofpeople.com [https://www.acuriousmixofpeople.com/] Music for this podcast is provided by: KindKeith KindKeith [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YtOZ1zmZrIQV4Exx9W8af?si=JVD_L4HGQTmxM5caLbUZdA] (they/them), the musical project of Fort Worth native Keith Galloway Jr., is an Alternative Rap/R&B artist known for blending soulful...

Wendy WWAD

If you spent any time along Red River in the late 1990s and early 2000s, you couldn’t have missed Wendy Nelson, a.k.a. Wendy WWAD (as in “What Would Ace Do?”) . She ran Rank N Revue alongside partner Brenna Parthmore, a freebie tabloid zine that gave voice to the emerging Red River music district and provided in-depth coverage of the goings-on at mainstay venues like Room 710, Red Eyed Fly, Elysium, and Headhunters. Jump in as Wendy recounts her years of booking and bartending along Red River, the smoking ban controversy, and departed characters she met along the way like Chad Holt (“Total Badass [https://crashcamfilms.com/films/total-badass/]”) and Handsome Joel Svatek (“King of Red River [https://open.spotify.com/album/4hiGiqT0C8Jwz3Su7rLf5D]”). The podcast is a collection of real stories, history, memories and perspectives from people connected to the cultural district - past and present. Everyone remembers the past a little differently, and some tales include sensitive and explicit topics. These stories don’t always reflect the view, mission or endorsements of our organization - they’re simply part of the rich, complicated history of the place. We’ve done our best to honor each storyteller’s voice, but can’t promise every detail is fact-checked or free from the occasional fuzzy memory. Think of this podcast; heartfelt, imperfect, and full of character. Thanks for listening with an open mind and for celebrating the many layers of our District’s shared heritage. Support the Red River Cultural District at: www.redriverculturaldistrict.org [https://redriverculturaldistrict.org/] Follow us at: @redriverculturaldistrict [https://www.instagram.com/redriverculturaldistrict/] The host of The Red River Podcast is: Greg Beets Special thanks to: Richard Whymark Explore Richard and Greg's work at: www.acuriousmixofpeople.com [https://www.acuriousmixofpeople.com/] Music for this podcast is provided by: KindKeith KindKeith [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YtOZ1zmZrIQV4Exx9W8af?si=JVD_L4HGQTmxM5caLbUZdA] (they/them), the musical project of Fort Worth native Keith Galloway Jr., is an Alternative Rap/R&B artist known for blending soulful...

Roger Collins

Jump into the Red River Podcast with Roger Collins, co-owner of legendary Red River haunt the One Knite during its early 1970s live music heyday. Settle in as we crack open the One Knite’s coffin-shapped doors to hear about how Joe Ely and the Flatlanders found their footing on the One Knite’s tabletop stage and how a teenage Stevie Vaughan became Stevie Ray. Along the way, we’ll hear about the music scene’s commingling with the marijuana distribution business, trouble with Harvey Gann’s APD vice squad, and how Roger went from shooting out the streetlights at the corner of 8th and Red River to hanging out with Willie Nelson on the White House lawn. The podcast is a collection of real stories, history, memories and perspectives from people connected to the cultural district - past and present. Everyone remembers the past a little differently, and some tales include sensitive and explicit topics. These stories don’t always reflect the view, mission or endorsements of our organization - they’re simply part of the rich, complicated history of the place. We’ve done our best to honor each storyteller’s voice, but can’t promise every detail is fact-checked or free from the occasional fuzzy memory. Think of this podcast; heartfelt, imperfect, and full of character. Thanks for listening with an open mind and for celebrating the many layers of our District’s shared heritage. Support the Red River Cultural District at: www.redriverculturaldistrict.org [https://redriverculturaldistrict.org/] Follow us at: @redriverculturaldistrict [https://www.instagram.com/redriverculturaldistrict/] The host of The Red River Podcast is: Greg Beets Special thanks to: Richard Whymark Explore Richard and Greg's work at: www.acuriousmixofpeople.com [https://www.acuriousmixofpeople.com/] Music for this podcast is provided by: KindKeith KindKeith [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YtOZ1zmZrIQV4Exx9W8af?si=JVD_L4HGQTmxM5caLbUZdA] (they/them), the musical project of Fort Worth native Keith Galloway Jr., is an Alternative Rap/R&B artist known for blending soulful...