Mohawk

Megan Gerold | Entertainment Editor

True to its name, Mohawk exemplifies a venue filled with a cacophony of sounds, experiences, and spiky electricity. Opening its doors in 2006, Mohawk took its place in the Austin music scene as an eclectic hub for artists to express their creativity. Nestled on the corner of Red River Street and East 10th Street, Mohawk is in the midst of Downtown Austin where it serves as a venue for both small and large artists to play. The usually crowded halls of Mohawk feature both an indoor and outdoor stage. The indoor stage consists of a small standing-room-only area where the space to stand is roughly 25 x 20 feet. The outdoor stage spans across the entire venue. The indoor area of the entrance and the bar is partially open to the outdoors, and throughout the outdoors are multi-level terraces that allow viewers to not have to elbow their way through the part of the venue directly in front of the stage. Mohawk was one of the many venues that showcased artists during South by Southwest (SXSW), and their status as an all-ages venue allowed for a multitude of viewers to come and attend the jam-packed space which, according to Mohawk’s website, is a space built for the sharing of music across a variety of genres, experiences, and barriers.

Violet Crown Cinema

Alexandra Valencia-Serrano | Finance Editor

Violet Crown Cinema is a movie theater on West 2nd Street and Guadalupe Street in Austin, Texas. They have locations around the country in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Dallas, Texas. Violet Crown strives to be both a safe and enjoyable establishment for public entertainment and an active part of the community. They welcome partnerships with the Austin community to support local vendors, highlight a nonprofit’s mission, and expose students to a cinematic experience. Staying true to their mission, this year Violet Crown was a proud host to multiple films for SXSW. It screened a variety of documentaries such as “Roleplay”, “Adrienne & The Castle”, and “How to Build a True Engine” alongside narrative films such as “Natatorium”, “Wakhri”, and much more. Aiming to provide the best cinematic experience for the SXSW audience and honor each filmmaker’s creation, they’d introduce the films and intermediate Q&A sessions between the crew, cast, and the audience as well as distribute souvenirs across each recliner as a token to remember the films by. When they’re not hosting the great filmmakers of SXSW, they aim to provide the best cinematic experience to the Austin community through old-time classics, new releases, and a fabulous menu of snacks, drinks, and light foods.

Esther’s Follies

LiLi Xiong | Managing Editor

Since 1977, Esther’s Follies has been home to a host of eclectic performances in Austin, including musical performances, political satire, comedy sketches, and magic acts. The venue is located on 6th Street, which their website describes as “the source of Esther’s humor and unwitting backdrop for its stage,” due to the windows at the back of the stage, which serve as a way for audiences to watch the crowds of people and revelers on 6th Street who are often unknowingly the subjects of performers’ jokes. This peculiar blend between the stage and the street has been an iconic aspect of the venue since its inception, when in the middle of 6th Street’s 500th block in 1977, Michael Shelton and Shannon Sedwick started an April Fool’s Day party, which turned into an impromptu free-for-all, in which poets, singers, musicians, mimes, and comics from the street gathered to create magic. Today, Esther’s Follies, decorated with a neon color scheme and aquatic motifs, is a popular comedy and music venue for locals and tourists alike.