Extremely rude staff!
We ordered BBQ from Keith's & were told we could sit on the patio to eat. Â My girlfriend walked in to Saxon to use the bathroom & order a couple of beers for us. Â The bouncer jumped in front of her, blocking her way & asked "where do you think you're going?" Â While she was explaining what she was doing, he started to shake his head at her & said "not tonight, you're not, you have to pay cover" Â
When she turned around to leave, he said he, "might, *might* be able to serve us one beer"
"Don't put yourself out, we aren't spending a dime here!", was her response.
If that is how they usually treat people, I would recommend no one else spend any money there either.
Wasn't really "colored" friendly. Got ignored by the 2 bartenders for 8 mins when they had 8 people at there bar top. I was walked by 5 times. They looked directly at me and kept going. I let the other people I was with go up to the bar and they got drinks less than 2 mins. Let's just say they weren't black.
Wouldn't go back. But glad I got to see the band.
When I get to the Saxon I feel home. I love the staff. I love the performers. I love the door men. I love the Saxon. If I could spend every minute of every day with the people I have met at the Saxon Pub, I would never be sad again.
Some of my favorite acts to see, The Resentments on Sunday night, Bruce Hughes and The All Nude Army on Tuesday at 8:30, The Leavers on Monday nights after Bob Schneider, Johnny Nicholas during Wednesday Happy Hour, Shawn Pander whenever he plays, and The South Austin Moonlighters whenever they play.
One warning, the parking situation can get a bit messy. especially since the Speed shop put up No Parking signs. Also, Monday night. Bob. Last few times I have been there on a Monday night, it has been VERY crowded and the crowd is very loud. But the good news is, they now charge for seats. So if you want to possibly have a better chance of not being next to the chatty people by the bar you can pay $25 for a seat at a table.
Saxon Pub is renowned for great acts and they don't disappoint. This venue, like flipnotics and one-2-one, is a listening room so don't expect to have a loud conversation over the music and disrespect the musicians on stage. This venue is top notch for music and the drinks are made right as well. Nothing bad to say, just good things, good thoughts and good vibes. Keep it up Saxon.
Review Source:I have been to see tons of great shows at the Saxon Pub over the years, but tonight was especially memorable. I saw Shawn Pander, an incredible songwriter with a smooth, sexy voice. (He also invited his buddy Tom Cochran up to play a couple songs with him which was an added bonus!) Â
I think they have upgraded their sound system. The engineer that works the room is really good and everything about the sound was right on!
Saxon is one of my favorite music venues. It is intimate, and comfortable.
I'll be there again....next week! :)
I'm sure this place is great for music, which seems obvious by some of the top-notch acts that cone through. Unfortunately we only stopped here for an afternoon beer and it was completely dark inside and (unbelievable for Texas) a little too file inside.
The bartender offered us her "Happiest happy hour" which wasn't much different from other places with 2$ well and domestics.
I just love love love The Saxon Pub, it always has THE BEST music in TOWN! I always try to sit right up from so I feel like the artist are playing just to me. My girlfriend and I saw WC Clark a while back and sat right up front and the Sax player played to us, it was so much fun, I posted it on youtube: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVV6peBBHoNc&s=6dea5cf4c6f30e137a21bef0dd3d53aa42466f1803d6ec2775248349e22dcddc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
Every chance I get, I go to Saxon Pub. Every friend that comes to town, I take them to Saxon Pub, heck even when I'm alone, I go to Saxon Pub. Such an intimate setting for music and the acoustics are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, must be the wooden walls and smaller confined area where the stage is. I have never seen a bad show at Saxon and completely recommend for anyone that hasn't been. 5 stars easily!
Love the place! Its up close and personal!
Last night I went to see ( Bob Schneider )
I'm not to sure he wasn't a little out of it? I know he is a great musician and good with add libing just about anything, but it even look like he was getting the other band members a little ticked off with his behavior. leaving the stage for a pick me up or needed at the moment break and then just going off on a journey on stage.
I love this guy! I was just feeling bad for him.
I thought I was watching "Jim Morrison"
Dear Saxon Pub:
I've become a devotee. Your crowded seating area and weird glasses with stems aside (I mean seriously, I'm sure it increases the spill rate) the music you bring in each week is too fabulous for me to ignore. For $10 I get to see some of the greats and that kicks major ass. Also, I dig that people can bring their own food.
Love,
Kelly
PS If you respond to this, feel free to give me Bob's number
The Saxon is one of Austin's few vintage live music clubs that has survived the raised rents and the influx of people and traffic over the years. Â This is a great place to see quality local bands in a singer-songwriter, intimate setting. Â It will just probably be way more crowded and intimate than you were counting on when you decided to go check them out.
The live music room is small, with the stage in the corner, surrounded by an array of tables, booths, and stools at the bar. Â The walls are wooden, and this fact, along with a skilled sound man, makes the sound quality warm, rich, and clear. Â The room fills up quickly, and on weekends or nights with popular artists, you can count on having to stand in close proximity with, bump butts with, and re-breathe the happy exhalations of fellow Austinites around you. Â No communicable diseases or smoking allowed. Â I love Austin.
I've been there several nights when the place is so packed that everyone is standing around the tables where people are sitting, and you can barely see the top of the artist's head from across the other side of the bar, where you can squeeze up and order a drink if you're lucky. Â But I will keep going back because they book quality artists and present them well, their cover charges are reasonable, they have great tap beer selections, because it actually feels like I'm in Austin and not LA, and because there is a possibility of a seat if I get there early enough or know someone who did.
Early happy hour shows are a safer bet for less crowding and a coveted parking space in the tiny lot. Â Otherwise, plan on a walk and don't wear heels, ladies. Because not only will you be walking on them, you will probably end up standing on them all night. Â But you will like the band and you will feel like you're in Austin, and that might make whatever trouble you encounter worth it.
I like the Saxon Pub...I really, really do. I have seen some really great shows there over my time in Austin. Â I like that it is a nice, intimate setting for seeing artists up close and personal. Cover charge is usually reasonable ($5-10) and drink prices are OK. They also added a nice outdoor area with a closed circuit TV and sound - so you won't miss the action if you head outside with friends for a 'coke and a smoke'.
I feel like this place is better than 3 stars, but if we are being honest...with the smallish size of this venue comes some real issues that are hard to deny. It can be really crowded for popular shows and moving around is a real pain. When it is crowded, getting a drink is also a pain - AND so is the parking (understatement). When they added the outdoor area, they had to sacrifice a few more precious parking spaces - so BOO for that equation. They do have a 'back room' (which used to have pool tables) that is a poorly utilized space - Â which would be helpful should they ever decide to rock a redo of this well worn venue. Â Â 3.5 stars
Pro Tip: If you come on a Monday night for Bob Schneider/Lonelyland, get there at least 1.5 hours early if you want a decent table. He seems to pre-reserve most of the tables for his own peeps.
The Saxon is IMHO one of the best places to catch local Austin bands playing who are more Americana/Singer-Songwriter types. Â Besides the Continental Club and Scoot Inn this was the place I would see shows at when I moved to Austin 5 years ago. Â The cover is normally around $5 and the drink prices are average.
The inside is small so on popular nights like Mondays when Bob Schneider plays get ready to be cramped. Â On the flip side it is a great place to chill on a non-busy night of the week as the stage is small and close to the audience.
Parking is a major pain as there aren't many spots so be ready to walk.
Checked out the Saxon Pub on a recent trip to Austin, and wow, what a great place. Â I've been a huge fan of David Grissom for years, but have never seen him live. Â It was a real treat to catch him in such a small, intimate setting during his Tuesday happy hour show. Â Playing for tips, no less! Â I can only imagine that with the abundant offerings of live music here, residents of Austin become used to so many great artists playing in places like this around town. Â I just hope you appreciate what you've got here in your fair city!
In spite of the packed crowd, service was good, and our server stopped by on schedule when our drinks needed refills. Â Prices were very fair, and even with a healthy tip for the band and server we spent less than I would have expected at shows in most other cities.
My only regret? Â I don't live here so I can't go to the Saxon every week....
;-)
Great place to see live music. I've been here a few times to catch some local acts. Reasonable cover charge to get in. Drinks are pretty standard price, around $4-5/pint. The bar itself is covered in dark wood. I liked that there was table service even during the music.
The parking lot can get full very quickly. Get there early, but pay attention to the calendar to see who is playing before/after. I've been lucky enough to find a spot as soon as I pulled in the lot the past few times.
Great live music, great people, great time.
The parking lot is pretty big. Inside is a small dark dive-feeling bar. Everything's sounded by dark wood paneling. There's a small bar by the door and then the rest of the place is just tons of tables. They don't turn the lights on in certain places unless someone's sitting there. They don't serve food. It's cold and you cant see people really. Its a great place to just hide out and listen to good music in some holey jeans.
I went on a Friday night to see Earl Poole Ball and The Cosmic Americans. Great blues-country-rockabilly music. When the music started playing, it didn't blast my ears out and I sat pretty close to the stage. Earl Poole Ball was amazing and could belt those tunes out. The girl with her tiny little annoying kid voice isnt very good and I wish they'd can her (she doesnt sing much though so that helps). They had an awesome guitarist from Japan get up there at one point and play - it had the crowd standing up and hooting.
There's not enough room for dancing and some of the people wanted to dance. These old couples were two stepping to every song that had some hop. They can't take out anymore tables to make room to dance because they get packed and need every last table they can get it. Towards 8:30 it was standing room only.
We came at six and it was mainly old people. By the time we left, a lot more young people were coming in for the later band.
Really great place for live music.
The service did take forever. I wasn't drinking fast so I didnt mind but it would have irritated me if I was. Beer prices were okay. Not cheap but not pricey. Happy hour specials are 2 dollar beers from 2 to 4.
Good place to see live music. Â Check out Guy Forsythe or Bob Schneider. Â Both are great Austin musicians. Â The happy hour show with the band Eightysixxed is really good. Â Too bad they are all too old to stand up on stage! Â Check out who is playing b4 you go because you might end up hearing a polka band or worse.
I would have given 4 stars but agree with other reviewers that the bartenders can be very rude. Â Drink prices are not cheap after HH. Â The room is in need of some serious remodeling in order to use the space efficiently. Â When its crowded it can be difficult to find a place to see the band from. Â Remove the bar from its location, tear down the walls and make it one big room, put a bar at the back and one on the side. Â So easy. Â Just put me in charge!
So I heard smack-talk that Hole in the Wall and Nasty's had a classier baby. Â Or maybe it was the other way around, I got no time to keep track of paternity. Â They've all been around at least 15 years anyway, so it's possible a mom or dad got it on with a son or daughter. Â Their innards are similar, location is wack if you are one of the late-night club-hopping crowd, and people consistently pack the joint. Â Seating is eh, there's nowhere to dance unless you and the other audience members commandeer the floor and shove the tables away. Â Unlike Hole or Nasty's, though, bands are strangely of the caliber you might see at Antone's or Continental Club. Â And this brings me to why the Saxon gets a 4 star... on the Pritchard scale of club measurement, the Saxon has managed to skew itself extremely highly in two directions to offset its otherwise paltry qualities.
1. the guy in charge of booking here, who has been booking shows in Austin forever, knows who's of a decent caliber, but more importantly
2. Saxon's sound guy + the p.a. they have, together, really know what they're doing. Seriously. Â It is like the gods who saw fit to have people spend a fortune to build One World Theatre out in Bee Cave all-fancy-and-great kept some of that magic in a box and opened it up on Saxon without telling the developers. (yes I know Saxon's a lot older, but whatever).
Keep it up, Saxon. You may be a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty damn good trick.
I saw Nelo here and they were great. There was a waitress coming around which I appreciated and she was fairly attentive for a live music place. The reason I give this place four stars instead of three is because of the doorman. I came in behind some people who didn't have cash to pay the cover. Instead of letting them pay $4 for the ATM he told them he could run the credit card saying "I'd rather see the band get the money than some guy sitting in an office someplace."
Rock on doorman dude.
I have been many times to listen to various musicians. Â Obviously I like it enough to keep going back though. Â My only complaints are that it is hard to hear the music due to people talking; there is a big pole right in the way that obscures viewing the stage. Â
I am also impressed that I went to hear Carolyn Wonderland night before last and once they hit the limit on how many people could fit inside due to fire code...they made people wait outside until someone left. Â I happened to be one of the ones that didn't get in for quite some time but I could at least still hear her and was able to watch a football game on the TV that was outside.
I will definitely keep going back to hear more of the wonderful musicians that come there to play.
I've been to this place 3 or 4 times. Â My friend's band plays there often and I go to his shows when I can. Â
Here's what I have to say about it:
The service is awful. Â The bartenders are rude and if they're busy, don't count on getting served unless you're a personal friend of theirs. Â And don't dare complain about not getting served because then they'll just tell you they won't serve you or your friends. Â If you *are* one of the lucky ones to actually get a drink, plan on paying $3.50 for a Lone Star, which is ridiculous. Â Or you can order a mixed drink that tastes like crap, is made with cheap liquor, and will set you back 5 bucks every time.
Now I've been to a lot of places with drink prices this lame. Â Some of them even came with rude bartenders, too. Â The only difference is that something about the place always left me wanting to go back. Â Saxon offers no such feeling. Â
I don't think I'd go back there if the greatest band on earth was playing a private show and I was the only one invited.
If you want South Austin originality, go someplace else. Â Its Austin, you've got about 1800 venues to choose from.
Come on Saxon! Â I know Bob Schneider is a Home-Boy but do you really need or want to condone such a blasphemous pig? Â Last night, Bob, not only insulted Gays, Lesbians,Jews, and Jesus, but he wouldn't shut up even to the last few minutes throwing punches at Beyonce and Metallica.
I  do appreciate Bob's  and the musicians (that nite) gifts of melody and rhythm but the crap that is spun into stupid lyrics is just a waste of words.
Have him clean up (as only Bob loves to say) "his shit "please, if he is to continue to perform at the Saxon. Â There are so many other places to enjoy music....and that's we we will be next Monday nite, elsewhere!
I feel ripped off. Â I went with friends to have a few drinks. Â Why not a pub?
Cover Charge: $10. Â 11:45 pm on Saturday night. Â And they were rude taking our money. Â Great start. Â Pissed off our whole group right away.
My friend orders a cocktail that tastes like it was made by a first grader. Â Undrinkable. Â She gets sick.
Then the huge cover inducing band turns out to be some local Austin band, who were sub-par musicians at best. Â And the sound system is a mockery. Â The place was maybe half-full. Â
I go to lots and lots of shows, this entire experience was pathetic all around. Â
Never going back.
Ugh!! Â I tried to meet my friends here for a Bob Schneider show on 12/28/09. Â As the show began at 8:30 (there was an opening act), I arrived at the Pub a little after 7pm. Â I ended up being 5th in line to get in. Â The bouncer at the door kept saying that "people would have to come out" for us to be let in, as the club was at capacity. Â
However, as I stood there for over an hour, I witnessed at least 12 people get in who were either on some nonexistent "list" or who simply lied their way into the door ("uh, yeah man - I just came out here to smoke!! Â I've been in there the whole time!!") Â After an hour of standing in line, Â and watching this crap, I decided the place wasn't worth it. Â I hope to see Bob at some other venue soon that doesn't have such a loosely enforced club entrance policy.
I haven't been here in years, so this review is based on my highly suspect memory. Â As I recall, it was 20-ought something and it was a simpler time. Â You see, I wanted to go see the South Austin Jug Band, so, I decided to go to the Saxon Pub, which is what they called the place in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Give me five bees for a quarter," you'd say.
Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...
The Saxon Pub Truly is As Good As It Gets.
The Saxon is not a dance club, it's not even a club. It's a joint, a pub, or it's like sitting in your living room watching the talent from a few feet away, watching magic happen, watching hearts sing and play, watching love do it's thing.
Great local venue with the best quality music and atmosphere. A place to see world class musicians for only a few dollars while being surrounded by people who love, appreciate, and support local musicians, or just music in general, and they do it with their hearts and souls. I love this venue most any day of the week (I've never caught the infamous Monday night Lonely Land show) and would take any friend to show them what true music is.
The Saxon Pub: Go if you like music, have a beer, and enjoy the special place.
All around mediocre. Â I have great expectations when it comes to good pubs with live music, and I've got to tell all the loyal sheep out there in Austin, this ain't one of 'em.
First off, if you don't have a dance floor even for the neighborhood Miss Austin to get up on and strut her stuff, providing some entertainment while the haphazard drunk with a guitar can cough into the microphone, then at least have some adequate seating for everyone else. Â I had to literally crawl over a small pile of spider-veined legs just to get a decent seat. Â And for what? Â Where's my beer?
The service was atrocious.  Have you ever been to a bar where you feel as though the door man expects to be tipped for dutifully collecting his $10 cover while his ex-wife (once-removed) crawls up his pant leg and squeezes his gut as though it would spill quarters onto the floor for her nicotine habit?  Then you do know what it means to visit the Saxon Pub.  I waited patiently for 20 minutes, trying to bear my way through a few songs, just to see how long it would take for the down-trodden waitstaff to serve me, wad of  crisp bills clutched at the bar's edge.
When nothing came of either the musical arrangement or my unquenched thirst, the exit door looked more and more inviting. Â Vamos!
wow....... this Ed P guy seems to be pretty optimistic in his review... a BIT TOOO optimistic if you ask me. Â I like the Saxon Pub, it IS a good place to go & watch your local artists but to say that it's a pleasant experience is a bit far fetched. Â The beers a plentifull??? (uh, is this not the definition of ....... a bar?). Â The modest cover ($10-$15), well that depends on the band, sometims it is outright pricey for who is playing in my view but what makes this place a no go for me.... the space. Â I have been here ALOT of times & every time there's a long line outside & it's always shoulder to shoulder inside, the "comfortable seating?" Â Where? Â As one can never find any seating (unless you get there 1+hrs before the show) much less comfortable seating so be prepared to stay standing throughout the show & yes..... do the whole neck jerking just to try to get a decent view of the band. Â
My opinion, the beers are standard, the rates are as expected in any music venue but as for the space..... hope that your band is playing in a more spacious venue.
A few times a year, for one reason or another, I am dragged to the Saxon Pub. Usually to see an artist friend of mine play or an artist that is a friend of a friend of mine.
The cover charge is always high. I don't mind paying a cover, but $10-15 for a local artist just doesn't sway me in the positive opinion of this bar. The bartenders are usually pretty affable but the drinks are pricey and never an exceptional pour.
It also has an odd set-up that can make watching music more a a chore than pleasure. The sightlines can be crap making you crane your neck to see the musicians.
The location takes you away from the downtown area, which is nice sometimes. As my friend mentioned, this place is wood. Everything is wood. It's like a fire hazard waiting to happen. Wood is not a bad thing, but wood will forever be synonymous with Saxon Pub, which as I get older will probably just make me think: Saxon = Sexon = Sex = wood = and more!
I went to see Dexter Freebish. oops? ha. Saxon Pub charged my $15 when it was $10. Liars. Then I found out they charged me the price for the previous show and I arrived maybe 10 minutes before that show finished. Dexter Freebish isn't worth $15... or $10, but I just wanted to remember high schoooool.
There was one guy, who seemed like a manager, who seemed like a Saxon Pub. Get the synonym? Anyway, I was with a few friends and we were just standing there... out of the way. I asked the ticket guy a question, and the guy told us to keep quiet (we weren't talking), and to stay out of the way (we were faaar from being in the way). It wasn't like he was being nice about it too. Dick. I mean Saxon Pub.
Very cool! Loved this live music venue. This is clearly a local's favorite, packed on a Monday night. Great energy level as the crowd took in the wonderful Bob Schneider.
Our friend grabbed one of the few booth's for a birds eye view of Bob's show. Have you seen him perform? You need to. Great mix of music & fun chat with his band & the crowd.
Our waitress was low key attentive, the way I like it. Â The crowd was great, fun to people watch. The whole venue had a comfortable feel and great acoustics.
The show was recorded and sold as a CD, within minutes of the last song. I picked it up that night for a reasonable $15.
Thanks Saxon's and Bob for a great evening!
The Saxon defines South Austin life for me- it's low-key and has a great set up for listening to live music.
I have seen the Gourds, Folk Uke, and Scrappy Jud Newcome here, and I am planning to see Randy Weeks and Sunny Sweeney there this Thursday, Dec 4. $10 cover is not a problem- these are top-of-the-line talents.
It's just an abundance of good on South Lamar in the music capitol of the world!
An intimate setting with several good beers on tap I stopped in for a beer during the day, come to find out an old friend is sitting in with Matt the electrician later that evening, so I adjusted my plan to come and visit later on. Bob Schneider was on the bill as well, hard to go wrong.
Came back about 6:30 or so to secure a spot and chat up my old acquaintance. we had some laughs about the time he was reenacting my friend Bill's fall over some stacked banquet tables after a festival, not once not twice but a third time in a very short span. Impossible to relate how funny this was. In the wee hours, all toasted musicians/club owners etc; two band members began wresting to mimic Bill, they fell and one broke his beer bottle which lodged a good chunk of the bottom of the bottle in his left hand. I was shocked at how cool he was about it since he used this hand to lay down some mighty fine licks on guitar. My wife did the "surgery" to remove the glass. the scar is still there and it was good to hook up with someone who I had not seen in a few years, and catch up with who is doing what these days.
Matt's show was ok, Scrappy's fret hand was slick and fast as ever. The Bob Schneider show rocked and the just back to school crowd made for some good eye candy. Friendly bar staff kept the drinks flowing and the sound was good as well.
I paid $10 the other night to see Bob Schneider's Lonelyland play here. Some may say that's a steep cover charge, but I have no problem dropping a 10 spot to see a band or artist I like. It helps me justify the cheap downloading of their music from Russian web sites. However, I think I need to qualify this review by stating that it would be different had Bob Schneider not been playing...he's a talented and entertaining musician, and I'm a fan...so it's really a review of Saxon Pub when he's playing on Monday nights.
The place was packed when Wifey S. and I walked in. Standing room only, and it's not exactly a big room. We worked our way around the bar, and lucked into a spot against it, wedged into a little corner back by the sound guy with a perfect view of the stage for me to indulge in my man crush. This ended up being a bit of a double-edged sword...standing against the bar, it was very easy to order drinks...but...standing against the bar it was very easy to order drinks. I still have the receipt, and it's quite apparent that I was thirsty. The drinks were pretty good, but I wouldn't have minded them being a bit stronger. Might have saved me $20, so I guess it worked in their favor. Â
Speaking of the sound guy, they sounded really good...most of the songs were pretty mellow, but the crowd responded accordingly, so when things got quiet so did the crowd. They played for a solid 2 hours, and the show was even available on CD afterward. Kind of cool, but it would have set you back another $15. They had a guest musician - I can't recall his name, but he played an accordion, trumpet, french horn, and pennywhistle, to name a few. And he had a bow tie. So that was a bonus.
The crowd was pretty mixed...hipsters and hippies, a few douchebags, yuppies, sorority-type groupies, a wide range of age groups and even a German dude with a mohawk who kept making a funny sound that I could only describe as sounding like he was blowing on an empty box of raisins, if that makes any sense to you.
I'd definitely like to check this show out again, but think it would be ideal to score a table. Not sure what the chances of that happening are. They guy who followed Lonelyland was a good guitarist (Phil Brown?), but the contrast from the earlier vibe was a bit much...electric, loud, and with distortion. We lasted one song, but we had gotten what we came for. The bottom line is, we had a good time. My liver and wallet, not so much...but being that my brain pretty much runs things around here, my liver and wallet don't have much say.
I've only been here a handful of times over the last three years, and for good reason.
I will only go to the Saxon if A) I have money falling out of my ass or B) someone is playing there and specifically asks me to go...
$10 cover, both times I've gone on a weekend night for a 'headliner' is WAY too stiff, to start.
$3.50 for a BOTTLE OF LONE STAR? At least you can get pints of shiner on tap for the same price. At least, even with a full house, the wait staff does their best, and is pretty timely... no complaints about the actual staff.
The performers who play there -- I can see other places for alot cheaper and tip directly to the band. Its a nice stage, with cool lighting for you digital camera fans or 3200 ISO film geeks, as well as good sound, so the musical experience is pretty nice.
But, really, I hate this place. A lot. I don't like the hipster crowd. I don't like the layout which puts the bar in the center of the floorplan, but separates a large section containing pool tables (hardly used on weekend nights, it seems) away from the rest of the place -- potential space that could be used for audience.... a packed show leaves no room walk in one half of the bar, and the other half barren.
Did I mention I hate the crowd here?
Oh yeah, the crowd sucks.
On top of that... the 4 square foot open area in the front of the stage is bound to taken up by either two aging hippies whirling retardedly to music (in their head) completely contrary to what's being played on stage (and DON'T give me that 'Keep Austin Weird' or 'Oh, that's just Austin' bullcrap... ) or some bandwagon hipster couple who heard this band was cool, bought a pre-aged western shirt for $75, some designer jeans, and decided they really need to put to use those skills they learned a few years ago when Swing was the new thing for two weeks and they spent so much money on dance lessons... swing dancing is the same as a two-step, right honey? Right?
Ok, I'm disgusted, so, I'm ending this right here.
Before the smoking ban in Austin this place was impossible to hang out in for a non-smoker like me. Â I'd be coughing up litters of creatures with legs for at least 24 hours. Â Suffice to say it's a much more pleasant place now. Â And the sound of the room is one of the best in Austin. Â That makes it easy to forgive a lot of the flaws.
My two pet peeves are a) parking (there is none) and b) the head-scratching arrangement of the interior. Â There is absolutely no way to make a decent flow for the patrons. Â Even when it's not packed it's tough to wind your way through the bar.
Bartenders are what you expect in a rock club: very fast with beers and easy drinks, veerrryyy slllloooowww with anything that's even a little out of the ordinary. Â So suck it up & order a beer. Â And do yourself a favor and avoid the margaritas. Â They are god-awful.
Pros: Â lots of parking, happy hour every day till 7pm, lots of good beer on tap(who am I kidding -- Guinness on tap), live music everyday, small venue, beautiful bartenders :), friendly staff, tvs out the wazoo for sports, no crackheads hang out in front of the place like 6th street joints, non-smoking
Cons: Â small venue so it gets packed and a lot of the tables are reserved by regulars, non-smoking
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This place always has a live band playing. The venue is small, though, and makes my ears hurt. So, if you have wussy sensitive ears like mine, bring some ear plugs.
The service is alright, and I honestly don't think this is one of those "must go to" places. It is more of like, I have nothing better to do on a Wednesday night and Bob Schnieder is playing, again.
The Saxon Pub has lived in Austin lore for a while now. Â They've built up a steady following by carving out a place on South Lamar where the competition for live music is fairly sparse but the need for cold beer is ever present. Â As such, the Pub is fairly full on most nights, even if the performer for the evening plays somewhere in Austin 4 nights a week. Â
The Saxon Pub often features musicians in residency, that is to say, the musician performs in the same time slot each week for months at a time. Â Once, Bob Schneider played Tuesday's at 10pm, which led to not being able to enter the club past about 9. Â It didn't matter that he was there last Tuesday or would be there again next Tuesday; it was always full.
There are pool tables and darts in the back if you are interested, and the bar is accessible from three sides if you need a drink. Â I wouldn't call the Saxon Pub a must see for out-of-towners, nor would I go out of my way to stop in if I wasn't in the area. Â But on the chance you are near South Lamar or live in the area, the Saxon Pub is a fine choice for drinks and live music.
You'll spot the Saxon Pub by the large knight statue on South Lamar. Â The club books some of best local music, and has a game room with pool tables and Golden Tee.
Acts that you can catch here regularly include Carolyn Wonderland, W.C. Clark, and Omar and the Howlers. Â Sunday nights usually feature the Resentments, and that show become the way to finish off the weekend for the South Austin crowd. Â
The Saxon has long been a popular place to catch some of Austin's favorite musicians apart from the mess of having to find parking downtown.
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