. Most, but not all, of the music venues in the region endured the pandemic and are back to hosting a full schedule of performing acts and eager fans. A few big birthdays got skipped . Some new players emerged, most notably the 713 Music Hall, part of a project to renovate the old Barbara Jordan Post Office. With a top-shelf sound system, the venue instantly became a major player downtown. The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston has endured catastrophic hurricanes as well as the pandemic.
But for now, here is a guide to the major music stages to be found within a range of about 50 miles, from new venues with slick amenities to old survivors to bars committed to making live music part of their appeal.Ben DeSoto / Houston Chronicle This Montrose listening room was a favored stage for such venerable elders as Townes Van Zandt and Eric Taylor, while also allowing promising newcomers a place to play their songs. Among the newcomers of the day: Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams. Now, as then, the Fair is volunteer run with a capacity of about 85. Current performers who make regular stops at Anderson Fair: Shake Russell and Curtis McMurtry.
With its charmingly spare dining room and patio back at waitlist capacity, Clementine chefs and owners John and Elise Russ are still mining the rich vein of Southern cooking with specialties like bayou-style shrimp and coconut rice, a free-ranging beet salad and hot cardamom doughnuts, along with offering some of the city’s best wine guidance.