Threadgill's

Threadgill's Legacy Southern American Food with live music scene. Venue Closed. Threadgill's tries to serve as a link between the new Austin and its past.
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Listen to AUSTIN ROOTS, a podcast with Hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard:
https://AUSTINROOTS.libsyn.com
on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio "Threadgill's was Austin's first theme restaurant, and it's theme was AUSTIN." — The LA TIMES

When John Morthland in the L.A. Times made that prophetic statement, it sounded good to me, so let's take it a bit further and claim to the 193

0's through 1960's in Austin as the theme of the original Threadgill's on North Lamar Blvd. The big, new shiny one downtown sits next door to the site of the late, great Armadillo World Headquarters and contains a large portion of memorabilia from the musical hey-day of Austin in the 1970's. The juke box holds 100 albums of artists who played the 'Dillo and the piano hanging from the ceiling was played by artists as diverse as Count Basie and Commander Cody, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, Leon Russell and Captain Beefheart. In matters of music and food, we represent a time before disco or microwaves. I've been fortunate enough to encounter many of the colorful and talented folks who have made creative contributions to the city over the past fifty years. I've saved mementos that I'll share with you if you'll just take a moment to look around. ---Eddie Wilson, Proprietor

In 1996, Threadgill’s World Headquarters was opened in south Austin, right beside the residence of the Armadillo Headquarters. Wilson has made a distinction between the two locations: the original location on North Lamar has the theme of Austin between the 1930’s and the 1960’s. The south location celebrates the history of the Armadillo and its salad days of the 1970’s. The memorabilia of the Headquarters represents the hey-day of this era from the juke box which contains many of the artists who played the Armadillo, to the piano that hangs from the ceiling which has been played by artists as diverse as Jerry Lee Lewis to Captain Beefheart. Music Booking for Threadgill’s
World Headquarters please contact :
Randy Miller [email protected]

(Please note, due to the heavy volume of booking inquiries we receive we can not respond to everyone. We will contact you if we have an open spot that we think might be a good fit)

“Developing Austin” with Perry Lorenz“We all got liberal arts degrees, and a whole lot of my friends are, you know, are ...
06/24/2026

“Developing Austin” with Perry Lorenz

“We all got liberal arts degrees, and a whole lot of my friends are, you know, are casualties in one way or another. Either, either drug casualties or lifestyle casualties, and never quite made it through school, although that’s the reason that they came to Austin. And again, it was so inexpensive… People weren’t having to work three jobs to figure out how to pay for their school.
Student debt, what the hell is student debt? I mean, nobody I knew graduated with student debt. So it was just a completely different scene… and it was just a liberal bastion.” (Perry Lorenz)

Perry Lorenz has been at the center of Austin’s transformation for nearly six decades, from printing underground comics in San Francisco, to developing some of downtown Austin’s most iconic real estate. In this conversation with co-hosts, Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard, Perry traces his unlikely journey from University of Texas student and counterculture participant, to one of the city’s most consequential developers, reflecting on what Austin gained and lost along the way.

Guest:  Perry Lorenz - Principal of Constructive Ventures, participant in early underground comix movement, community commissioner, and decades-long figure in Austin downtown development.

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian Jason Mellard
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson Matt Carlson, Axe Man Guitar Service
Producer, Renee O’Connor Renee O'Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music Jake Andrews
Production assistant, Miles Muir Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

“Outstanding Stories in the Criminal Legal System” with Dick DeGuerin“Well, I accept a lot of cases. Basically, my crite...
06/17/2026

“Outstanding Stories in the Criminal Legal System” with Dick DeGuerin

“Well, I accept a lot of cases. Basically, my criteria is something that needs to be challenging. So you get some tough cases that way, and if you get the reputation for trying tough cases, people come to you. Growing up, I was younger than all my classmates…and I was smaller. But what I learned was the law and the rules of evidence…great equalizer…In the hands of someone that knows the law, you’re as big as anybody in the courtroom.” (Dick DeGuerin)

This episode of Austin Roots features Dick DeGuerin, a legendary Houston-based criminal defense attorney with deep Austin roots. Raised in the city and educated at UT Law, Dick shares wide-ranging stories spanning his college days, legal career, famous cases, and lifelong love of Texas music. The conversation begins with memories of 1960s Austin, fraternity life, underground rock and roll radio (KTXN), the Ranger humor magazine, and colorful campus characters like Frank Irwin and “Daddyo” (Bill Whitliff). Dick recalls early encounters with Kinky Friedman and the Terrytown scene. The discussion shifts to his legal career: his time at the Harris County DA’s office, then 12 years under legendary attorney Percy Foreman, who mentored him through high-stakes criminal cases. Dick explains his philosophy of taking on seemingly unwinnable cases, as exemplified by the Robert Durst trial in Galveston, and his representation of Billy Joe Shaver. A standout segment covers his direct involvement in the 1993 Waco siege, where he entered the Branch Davidian compound multiple times as David Koresh’s attorney, offering a rare ground-level perspective on the standoff and ATF’s use of force. Throughout, Dick weaves in his passion for Texas music, playing ukulele and guitar since childhood, friendships with Guy Clark, Terry Allen, Billy Joe Shaver, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore, and his New Year’s gathering in Margarita.

Available on All Platforms

Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian Jason Mellard
Producers, Renee O'Connor and Sandra Wilson

AUSTIN ROOTS, a podcast“Music Journaling” with Kevin CurtinAustin Roots - Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart R...
06/10/2026

AUSTIN ROOTS, a podcast
“Music Journaling” with Kevin Curtin

Austin Roots - Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube

“The Austin Chronicle, it’s just like, is so fiercely loyal to the local scene and willingly ignores opportunities to interview national artists in favor of a local artist. I think that means something in terms of where we put the quality of the people in our community in comparison to people in the national picture. You know, we wanna treat them on the same level, and I think it’s important, you know?”  (Kevin Curtin, 2021)

This episode of Austin Roots features Kevin Curtin, music journalist at the Austin Chronicle, in conversation with hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard. They trace Austin’s music ecosystem from the Armadillo World Headquarters era to the present, exploring how venues, journalism, visual art, and community identity have shaped the city’s culture. Topics range from Kevin’s origins as a hitchhiker/camper-dweller who broke into music writing, to the legacy of the Chronicle’s music column, the East Austin blues tradition, the modern psychedelic revival, and the challenges of preserving a vibrant scene amid rapid growth.

Guest: Kevin Curtin - artist, writer, and music journalist at the Austin Chronicle

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

Enjoying Dr.Jason Mellard presenting his “Preservation Austin, Walking Tour” about the Austin Music Scene. So much fun w...
06/06/2026

Enjoying Dr.Jason Mellard presenting his “Preservation Austin, Walking Tour” about the Austin Music Scene.

So much fun with historian Jason Mellard!

New Episode of Austin Roots!!“Early Club Scenes” with John Toad Andrews Forming The Wigs with Boz Scaggs, The Chelsea wi...
06/03/2026

New Episode of Austin Roots!!

“Early Club Scenes” with John Toad Andrews 

Forming The Wigs with Boz Scaggs, The Chelsea with George Kinney, and joining Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, to his unlikely second career restoring and selling antique ceiling fans, John “Toad” Andrews’ story weaves through some of the most important threads in American rock, blues, and country history.

In this episode of Austin Roots, hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard sat down with guitarist John “Toad” Andrews for a sprawling conversation about Austin’s early music scene. John recounts his arrival at UT Austin in 1964, the formation of the influential blues-rock band The Wigs alongside Boz Skaggs, and the rhythm-and-blues circuit that shaped him, from fraternity parties to Houston’s legendary Black clubs. He traces his path through London, back to Houston playing with bandleader Grady Gaines, a stint in LA rehearsing with the Mike Nesmith-backed Armadillos, and finally joining Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth in San Francisco. The band’s journey took them to Nashville, where they recorded with country legends. Along the way, John crossed paths with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, and the Doobie Brothers. He closes with the unlikely story of how he traded his guitar for a second career restoring antique ceiling fans, ultimately bringing the business back to Austin.

Guest: John “Toad” Andrews, guitarist and Austin music veteran

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart Radio

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

“Pioneering the Family Traditions” with John Lomax III“So grandfather would lie in bed at night and hear the, uh, cowboy...
05/27/2026

“Pioneering the Family Traditions” with John Lomax III

“So grandfather would lie in bed at night and hear the, uh, cowboys nearby. They would stop off and just spend the night nearby, practically in their yard, and he’d hear ‘em singing songs, which they would do to keep the cattle calmed down. So sooner or later he started sneaking out of the house and hanging out with the cowboys and writing down the words to the songs that he heard. And somehow, without any musical training, without any books, … he figured out a way to remember the melodies of the songs that he heard, that he was writing down all these words for… and his first book came out in 1910.” (John Lomax III)

This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with John Lomax III, continuing the legendary Lomax folklore dynasty. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Millard explore John’s family heritage—from his grandfather John Avery Lomax’s pioneering cowboy song collections and the famous 1933 recording trip that discovered Lead Belly, to his uncle Alan Lomax’s influence on the British Invasion and the BBC. John shares stories about his father managing Lightning Hopkins, his own career managing Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle, and the vibrant Austin and Houston music scenes of the 1960s-70s. The conversation covers the 13th Floor Elevators, Liberty Hall, the transition from folk to psychedelic rock, and John’s perspectives on Nashville’s country music evolution.

Guest: John Lomax III - Music writer, manager, and producer

Austin Roots - Available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

“Archiving The History of Austin” with Leea Mechling“Prosperity doesn’t always mean dollar signs. Sharing music and shar...
05/20/2026

“Archiving The History of Austin” with Leea Mechling

“Prosperity doesn’t always mean dollar signs. Sharing music and sharing art really expands your heart.” (Leea Mechling)

Leea Mechling grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where her earliest music experiences ranged from Czech dance halls to an Ike & Tina Turner backstage pass at age 11. After moving to Austin to attend UT, Leea fell in with the crowd at the Armadillo World Headquarters, where she worked from 1974 until its 1980 closing. She shares vivid stories from those years: the push to get women onto the main floor bar, and Henry Gonzalez’s tireless creativity building stage sets and preserving posters. After the Armadillo closed, Leea worked with Asleep at the Wheel, Gregg Allman, and Stevie Ray Vaughan before channeling her passion for Austin music history into founding the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop) in 2004. What started on two folding tables next to Planet K on South Lamar has grown into a celebrated archive and exhibition space, with partnerships at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Wittliff Collections, and the Bob Bullock Museum. Leea sees AusPop’s mission as essential in a rapidly changing Austin: not to recreate the past, but to inspire newcomers and young artists to build something authentic of their own.

Guest List: Leea Mechling, Founder, Executive Director and Curator, Austin Museum of Popular Culture

Austin Roots on Apple Podcasts
Austin Roots on Spotify
Austin Roots on YouTube
Austin Roots on iHeartRadio

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

“A Cartoonist’s View of Underground Characters” with Gilbert Shelton“Chet Helms and Jack Jackson and some others, and th...
05/13/2026

“A Cartoonist’s View of Underground Characters” with Gilbert Shelton

“Chet Helms and Jack Jackson and some others, and then I bought a printing press. It was our idea to print rock posters. That was a big thing at the time. Nobody knew how to run our new printing press and our posters were really crappy, but then we discovered that printing on the comic books didn’t have to be good printings. We shifted over to comic books at Ripoff Press. (Dave Morty) was running the small printing press and he had long hair. This is not a good idea for a printer. And the printing press caught him by the air and pulled him in, but it wasn’t powerful enough to crush him. And after 30 minutes, the postman came in with the mail. After a few minutes, Morty was able to instruct him how to find the off sweat, and he was able to pull his hair, where that name comes from.” Gilbert Shelton

This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with legendary underground cartoonist Gilbert Shelton, creator of Wonder Warthog, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and Not Quite Dead.

Guest: Gilbert Shelton - Underground cartoonist and creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

“Austin’s Early Art Scene” with Danny Garrett“The San Francisco posters sort of resonated with everybody and I mean ever...
05/06/2026

“Austin’s Early Art Scene” with Danny Garrett

“The San Francisco posters sort of resonated with everybody and I mean everyone across the country, across the world. Of course, there was a very strong connection between Austin and San Francisco. There was direct feedback from that, from what was going on in San Francisco, especially with Gilbert (Shelton) and (Jack) Jackson out there.
There was a resonance, but it wasn’t the same thing. Approaches were very different anyway. I think the success of the San Francisco posters sort of drove the other poster scenes here and elsewhere.”
Danny Garrett

Danny Garrett, a central figure in Austin’s music poster art scene, joins Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Miller to discuss his journey from Vietnam veteran to iconic poster artist. The conversation covers his work with the Armadillo World Headquarters Art Squad, his deep relationship with Clifford Antone and the blues scene, and his iconic posters for Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Garrett also shares stories about the transition from counterculture to tech industry, his teaching career in New Zealand, and the evolution of Austin’s music venues from the 1970s to today.

Guest: Danny Garrett, visual artist, author of Weird Yet Strange: Notes from an Austin Music Artist

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

Austin Roots on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/austin-roots/id1880873432

Austin Roots on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2FJNnTjQgbTwkaGYOuqo9g

Austin Roots on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCF7MZXTkAV9mJR1xCaQ0K961ZgkamXCw

Austin Roots on iHeartRadio
https://iheart.com/podcast/324014396

“The Contemporaneous Armadillo” with Woody RobertsWhat does a Top 40 DJ, the Armadillo World Headquarters, a failed but ...
04/29/2026

“The Contemporaneous Armadillo” with Woody Roberts

What does a Top 40 DJ, the Armadillo World Headquarters, a failed but ambitious TV and radio show project, within Austin City’s limits, have in common with Horse Racing? The city’s original influencer in media, Woody Roberts. 

Guest List:  Woody Roberts - Author, Horse Racing and Rock and Roll: How America’s Live Music Capital Tripped Out, Cowboyed Up and Shook the World

This episode of Austin Roots features Woody Roberts, a veteran of Texas radio and the Austin music scene, discussing his career spanning from Top 40 radio’s golden age through the Armadillo World Headquarters era to Maynard Downs and the Austin Music Network. 

Woody Roberts shares firsthand accounts of how radio integrated American culture, Willie Nelson’s first 4th of July picnic, the development of Austin as “Live Music Capital of the World,” and his work with artists like Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The conversation reveals the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that transformed Austin into a major music city.

Austin Roots on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/austin-roots/id1880873432

Austin Roots on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2FJNnTjQgbTwkaGYOuqo9g

Austin Roots on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCF7MZXTkAV9mJR1xCaQ0K961ZgkamXCw

Austin Roots on iHeartRadio
https://iheart.com/podcast/324014396

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

Address

6416 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX
78704

Telephone

+15124515440

Website

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