Everybody knows that Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World.” But that recognition doesn’t end outside of the Austin city limits. That live music legacy extends a little farther south to San Marcos where Texas State University is, as well as the Cheatham Street Warehouse, which was a proving ground for talent as far ranging as George Strait to Todd Snider under the proprietorship of Kent Finlay.
You go down the road just a little further to New Braunfels, and you have the grandaddy of all the Texas dance halls, Gruene Hall. And not too far from Gruene and right off Interstate 35 in New Braunfels is the Redbird Listening Room—the pride of Central Texas songwriter Dallas Burrow.
Located in a house that was built in the 1930’s, The Redbird listening room has become one of the most beloved performance spaces for patrons to see their favorite artists in, and for performers themselves to play in front of an audience that doesn’t have to be told to hush and be attentive to the song.
Dallas Burrow is a native of New Braunfels, and pulled inspiration for the Redbird Listening Room from Cheatham Street Warehouse and its legendary songwriting circles. The listening room even has the original safe from Cheatham Street, with a bit of the ashes of Kent Finlay who passed away in 2015. Though Burrow had the place ready to open in the summer of 2020, COVID made him think twice, and he waited until April of 2021 when Dale Watson showed up to christen the room with sold-out shows…