Michael Corcoran culminates 40 years of writing about Austin music with a history of the scene, going back to the German singing societies of the late 1800s and ending with the ascent of South by Southwest, whose registration line would become the Ellis Island of new Austin. Over 50 legendary Austin live music venues, starting with the Skyline and Victory Grill in the wake of WWII, are profiled in a rolling “Clubland Paradise” section. Austin Music Is a Scene Not a Sound includes the stories of Willie Nelson and the Armadillo, nascent Black radio DJs Lavada Durst and Tony Von, the making of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the significance of Sixth and Red River Streets, and how Aquafest went from Austin’s biggest annual event to belly-up in five years. Illustrated with photos, this history and guide showcases interesting stories, venues, and context from the Live Music Capital of the World.

A native of Honolulu, and reborn in Austin as a young man in 1984, Michael Corcoran went from The Alternative Press to the Dallas Morning News when he was hired as the paper’s first country music critic in 1992. Twenty years later he retired from the Austin American Statesman to spend his working hours researching and writing Texas music history. Corcoran’s book and CDs on gospel pioneers Arizona Dranes (2012) and Washington Phillips (2017) were both nominated for Grammys in the historical album categories. He is also the author of All Over the Map (2017) and Ghost Notes (2020), which profile Texas music heroes and pioneers.