"The New Alamo"
Austin Music + Entertainment, Fall 2007
The New (and Improved) Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz
Jaded movie fans, prepare to be dazzled. When the Alamo Drafthouse re-opens this fall at the Ritz, devotees will be relieved that the beloved transplanted theater has retained its groove while gaining a much-needed upgrade. Outfitted with plush new stadium seating, digital projectors and crisp sound on two screens, the renovation promises to give the downtown Alamo a home befitting its legendary status—in one of Austin’s original movie palaces.
Built in 1929 as the first Austin theater with built-in sound, the Ritz saw its glory fade from a popular place to see a Western in the 1930s to a popular place to see porn in the 1970s. Most recently, the historic theater operated as a punk-rock bar and music venue on a street crowded with popular drinking spots.
Enter the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), a group of property owners leading the transition of Sixth Street from a bar district to a mixed-use area occupied by diverse businesses. The DAA helped broker a deal allowing Alamo owners Karrie and Tim League to leave skyrocketing rents in the Alamo’s former home in the Warehouse District to sign a ten-year lease at the Ritz. While the Alamo owners are mum when it comes to money figures, it has been reported that they’re spending up to a million dollars renovating the Ritz to give the Alamo a proper home, ushering in the Sixth Street renaissance.
Fans of the old Alamo (including Quentin Tarantino and Harry Knowles) can expect the same quirky programming the theater is famous for: new sing-alongs, themed dinner-and-a-movie nights, and Master Pancake Theater’s hilarious bad-movie-plus-live-comedy events. On the two theaters’ taller and wider screens, movie buffs can choose between scream-worthy films during Terror Thursdays or catch a first-run film—a first for the downtown Alamo. That decided, the next decision: what beer to kick back with or what to order off the Alamo’s full menu? Another thing that hasn’t changed? Dismal parking. For that, you’re on your own.
All Together Now!
The Alamo’s interactive movie events are legendary fun, but they’re not the only game in town. Audience participation is mandatory at these weekly events around Austin.
Pub Quiz
Tuesdays, 7:30-11pm
Mother Egan’s Irish Pub
715 W. 6th Street
(512) 478-7747
Grab a table early for Austin’s most competitive game of trivia. Players are serious, so if you want to win (there are even prizes!), assemble a team of brainiacs who could give Alex Trebeck a run for his money. Here’s a winning hint: memorize the names of all of the U.S. Presidents or risk looking like a complete idiot.
Rock and Roll Karaoke
Mondays, 9:00pm-close
Beerland
7111⁄2 Red River
(512) 479-7625
Alright, so maybe they don’t have the best sound system in town, the microphone smells like beer and cigarettes, and the teleprompter feeding you the words to “Livin’ on a Prayer” is smaller than your fist—but this is rock and roll, man! Musical talent is not required at this karaoke night, so warble your favorite Stones hit and shake your moneymaker. No one will remember a thing tomorrow.
Washers Tournament
Tuesdays, 7:00pm
Doc’s Motorworks
1123 S. Congress
(512) 448-9181
Tuesday nights are all-Texan, all-night at Doc’s. Throw back some $2 Texas drafts and join the fun with a game of washers, otherwise known as “Hillbilly Horseshoes.” Don’t let the burly competition scare you, the rules are simple: pitch your washer towards the pit and try to get it into the hole. Sounds easy, but gets progressively harder after each round of $2 beers.
UnWine Wine Tasting
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00pm
The Belmont
305 W. Sixth Street
(512) 457-0300
As if you needed a reason to check out The Belmont’s swanky digs. The stylish Rat Pack-inspired interior is the perfect place to test your wine palate after a hard day at the office. A one-time, $25 fee buys you your own personal goblet, two 1 oz tastes, and passed hors d’oeuvres. Sideways-level aficionados and newbies are welcome.
""The New Alamo"
Austin Music + Entertainment, Fall 2007