Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of the Saxon Pub

Along withJoe and Judy Ables, the sound-man, Richard Vannoy have been there since the very beginning. Richard is said to be there 364 days a year except for Christmas which also happens to be his birthday. Then there’s Rusty, the silver knight in the parking lot, that lets you know you’re definitely in the right place.

We go time travelling through Austin’s history in music, which takes us through the Saxon Pub history. There are countless musicians singing the praises of the place, and we get to hear snippets of a lot of their songs over the course of the film. A lot of people have something to say about the impact live music has on Austin as a city, including the mayor, Steve Adler. Another thing which was very fun for me was the fact that the film references Richard Linklater’s film Slacker. Made in 1991, it is a snapshot of Austin’s glory days where musicians and artists could get by on something like $10 a day.

“The ending is happy and it’s wonderful because all of these people deserve a place to showcase their art.”

Musician John Chipman, who’s a long time resident player at Saxon says “Art thrives where rent is cheap. Musicians go to places where they can afford to live in order for them to pursue their creative work. Because creative work doesn’t always translate to making money.” Oh my God, John Chipman, you can say that again. Which doesn’t explain the throngs and throngs of musicians on every possible street corner of New York, but that’s a different subject altogether.

I found the sense of community that thrives in the Saxon Pub very refreshing and it reminds me of several bars and venues I’ve gone to in Atlanta and New York over the years. Overall, Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub is a feel good movie. The ending is happy and it’s wonderful because all of these people deserve a place to showcase their art. Music is very important. Community is as well. Condos and Chipotles? Not so much. Other cities across the country can take a cue from Austin mayor Steve Adler in regards to maintaining arts institutions. They’re incredibly important, even if they’re not always as profitable as the money-men would like them to be.

Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub screened at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival.