May 1, 2024 • 36 mins
In the latest episode of Pause/Play, you’ll hear from musicians, venue owners and fans about how climate change is affecting Austin’s Music Scene. We also talk to weatherman David Yeomans and neuropsychotherapist Bella Rockman.
The post How is climate change impacting Austin’s live music scene? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
James Moody (00:00):
We opened an outdoor
room in Texas
because the weather
was fairly predictable.
Wasn't that dramatic?
You had what? Less than
60 days of quote
unquote winter, and
then the rest was some
version of summer.
How it's changed is
that the ice has gotten
(00:20):
more crazy and icy, and
the sun has gotten
hotter.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:27):
I'm Elizabeth
McQueen.
Miles Bloxson (00:28):
And I'm Miles Bloxson.
And you're listening to
Pause play.
A podcast about live
music, why it
matters, and what
comes next.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:38):
This season,
we're exploring
all the changes
that are impacting
Austin's live music
ecosystem.
Miles Bloxson (00:44):
And in this episode,
we're talking all
about climate change.
We talked to venue
owners, musicians and
fans about how
they're all coping.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:52):
You'll also hear
from weatherman David
Yeomans.
So if you live in
Austin, you've
dealt with extreme
weather caused by
climate change.
Like that extremely
hot summer we all
endured last year.
Miles Bloxson (01:04):
Yeah, it was one of
the hottest summers
on record.
We had 80 days of 100
degree heat.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:09):
We had 45 days
where the temperature
reached 105 or
higher.
Miles Bloxson (01:14):
We Austinites are
used to hot summers,
let me tell you. But
that was way too
much.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:20):
Yeah, it was.
And we've also
experienced extreme
storms here, like
during Winter Storm
Uri that brought
snow and ice and
so many days of
freezing temperatures
to Texas.
Miles Bloxson (01:30):
It wreaked havoc on
our unprepared
electrical grid.
Almost 70% of people
in Texas lost power
at some point during
this stretch of cold
weather, and almost
half had some kind of
water service interruption.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:43):
And hundreds of
people died
during that time.
Miles Bloxson (01:46):
And if you want to hear
more about the Texas
electrical grid and
why it did so poorly
during that storm,
you should listen to the
Katy podcast, The
Disconnect.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:54):
And then there
was that storm last
September with
baseball sized
hail. It caused
$600 million of
damage in Travis
and Williamson counties
alone.
Miles Bloxson (02:04):
We are all having to
deal with this new
climate reality, and
this includes everyone
in our music ecosystem
as well.
Elizabeth McQueen (02:11):
But before we go
any further, we
wanted to hear from an
expert who could
tell us about climate
change in Central
Texas.
So we turn to one
of our favorite weatherman.
David Yeomans (02:20):
I'm David Yeomans.
I'm the chief meteorologist
at KXAN on the first
warning weather team.
The NBC affiliate
here in Austin.
Elizabeth McQueen (02:27):
That was his job
when we interviewed
him. But this episode
took a long time
to put together.
So long, in fact,
that David has a
new job at Wbhm
in Chicago.
We wish him all
the best. But
still, he had
lived in Austin for
a long time, and
he knows a lot about
climate change.
He, like, integrates
it into his
weather reporting,
which is why we
(02:48):
wanted to talk to
him.
I mean, and for people
who, like, maybe are
listening and are
unclear, could
you like very
simply, as simply
as you can kind
of explain what
climate change
is?
David Yeomans (03:00):
I love that question
because the physics
of it is not scary.
The way this works is
so simple. Someone in
the 1800s discovered
it, a woman named
Eunice Foote.
She put a couple of
tubes full of air out
in the sun.
Each one of them were stopped
up and they had a thermometer
stuck in them.
One of them was just
the air that we breathe. The
(03:20):
other one had CO2
artificially added to
it, so it had a higher
concentration of CO2.
Well, after they were out in the sun
for a couple hours, guess
what? The one with
CO2 in the tube.
More of it got
hotter.
1856 when we
discovered that CO2
is what we call a heat
trapping gas.
So the earth zooming
out now is surrounded
by this down
(03:41):
comforter. Let's say
it has a natural
greenhouse effect.
We have heat trapping
gases in our atmosphere.
We always have.
That's what makes Earth
a livable planet.
But since the 1800s,
since the Industrial
Revolution, were
burning fossil fuels,
artificially
increasing the concentration
of these heat
trapping gases,
there's more CO2 than
there used to be, 50%
(04:02):
more.
So of course, that's
warming temperatures.
The simplest way I
can put it is this
every particle of
exhaust that comes out
of your tailpipe,
every particle of
smoke that comes out
of the fat coal plant
an hour east of
Austin, is another
feather that's being
added to the down
comforter in our
atmosphere.
(04:22):
And they don't go away
tomorrow.
The residents time of
CO2 up in the sky is
about 100 years.
So what we do today
has huge impact for a
long time going forward.
Which is why when people
argue, you know that
the climate's not changing.
The science on this is
so simple. And it's
something that we've known
about for more than 150
years.
Miles Bloxson (04:42):
Climate change is
something that's happening
to the whole world,
right? But we want
to know how it's
impacting Central
Texas specifically.
Elizabeth McQueen (04:51):
David started out
by quoting the Texas
state meteorologists
from 1927.
No one actually
knows that person's
name, but they remember
this quote.
David Yeomans (05:01):
Texas is the land of
perennial drought,
broken by the occasional
devastating flood.
Our average weather
is just the mid-line
on our extremes,
right? We're always
up and down, and we
always have been.
But since then,
temperatures have gotten
measurably hotter.
In the last 20 years
in Austin, the 100
degree day count that
(05:21):
we all keep track of
every summer has shot
through the roof, and
it's more consistently
higher than it used
to be. We're seeing
fewer freezes each
winter. You know, the
data is very clear
when you look at this
stuff every day, like
I do. The line is
going like this. It's
going up.
We used to.
Average 15 triple
digit days per year.
15 days per summer
(05:42):
when we hit 100 or
higher.
Now we average over
the last 30 years.
29 of them.
We've already doubled
our average 100
degree day count.
And how how many do
we have last summer?
8100 degree days?
Elizabeth McQueen (05:54):
I don't know why I
talk about last
summer. It was so
hard to do.
And do you like live
music?
David Yeomans (06:01):
I love live music.
Who doesn't?
Elizabeth McQueen (06:05):
Do you personally
feel like the
extreme heat has,
like, affected
your relationship to
go to see shows?
David Yeomans (06:14):
100%. It's affected
my relationship with
everything. I mean,
everything I love to
do in Austin is
generally outdoors.
I love being on the lake,
going to the greenbelt,
but now the lakes are
so low that people
can't even put their boat
on Lake Travis. So
they all go to Lake Austin.
Then it gets too crowded.
The green belt either
has no water because
it's so dry and hot,
or the water that is
(06:35):
there is stagnant,
and it has algae that
can kill my dog.
And it's way too hot
to go to an outdoor show
like you mentioned. So
climate change is affecting
a lot of things that I
personally love about
Austin. I could see
it affecting the bottom
line for concert
venues.
Elizabeth McQueen (06:49):
Yeah, in fact,
the heat did impact
venues, and we're
going to talk about that
later in this episode.
Miles Bloxson (06:55):
Up to this point,
David had mostly
talked to us about
Austin's current
climate situation.
Elizabeth McQueen (07:00):
But we wanted to
know what's
coming.
Miles Bloxson (07:03):
What do you feel like
climate change will
mean for Central
Texas in the future.
David Yeomans (07:09):
Even in an
intermediate
emissions scenario,
meaning we continue
to cut our greenhouse
gas emissions at the
rate we're doing, maybe
a little faster than
that even. Remember,
this stuff stays in the
air for a long time, though.
So even in that situation,
in 20 years, Austin
is going to double our
100 degree day count
again.
So instead of an average
of 29, it would be an
(07:30):
average of over 5100
degree days. So if
you extrapolate that to
our worst summers,
8090 days in our
worst summers, well,
let's double that in
a worst case
scenario. By the end
of the century, we
may not be around, but
our kids will. Our
grandkids, they could
triple.
In those situations.
It is possible,
according to these scientific
(07:50):
projections, by people
much smarter than I,
that half of the days
in a given year in
Austin would be 100
degrees.
Miles Bloxson (07:59):
Okay, David, we got
to find somewhere else to live.
So where do you live?
David Yeomans (08:02):
I used to be fun at
parties, and now I'm
not.
Elizabeth McQueen (08:11):
Yikes.
It's going to be getting
really hot. Y'all.
Like, in a serious
way.
Miles Bloxson (08:16):
Like hotter than a
Nelly song.
It's getting hot in
here.
Elizabeth McQueen (08:19):
Definitely hotter
than a Nelly song.
And like we talked about
in the intro, it's
not just the heat
that's impacting
us. The warming
climate actually
is making storms
more intense.
Take, for instance,
that hailstorm in
September.
David Yeomans (08:32):
What contributed to
that hail?
And that storm being
so bad at the end of
September when it's
supposed to be cooling off,
was that it was 100
degrees that day and
more heat energy low
in the atmosphere where
we live and breathe.
Feeds these storms
and makes them more
intense.
Miles Bloxson (08:46):
And then there's this
winter storm in 2021.
David told us that
he's seen research
from Doctor John
Nielsen Gammon out of
Texas A&M that
indicated that without
climate change
brought on by humans,
that the Snowpocalypse
could have been way
colder.
But climate change
may also be the
reason it stuck around
for so long.
David Yeomans (09:06):
We can get these crazy
swings in the storm
track across the
country called the jet
Stream, the jet
stream, which carries
these storms across
the country from west
to east. Generally,
it's getting wavier
and bumpier, which
means that weather patterns
get stuck more often.
Remember, in February
2021 it was cold for
a week. A week of
really cold weather.
It got stuck.
Elizabeth McQueen (09:25):
So the climate is
changing.
Storms are getting
stronger and sometimes
lasting longer
and things are getting
hotter.
Miles Bloxson (09:33):
So what does that all
mean for the Austin
music scene?
Elizabeth McQueen (09:36):
I mean, a lot of
our venues are
outdoor venues.
Miles Bloxson (09:39):
And James Moody, who
owns a venue on Red
River called Mojo,
told us that historically,
Austin was a good
place to throw
outdoor shows.
James Moody (09:47):
We opened an outdoor
room in Texas
because the weather
was fairly predictable.
Wasn't that dramatic?
You had, what, less
than 60 days of quote
unquote winter?
And then the rest was
some version of summer.
How it's changed is
that the ice has
gotten more crazy
(10:08):
and icy, and the sun
has gotten hotter.
Elizabeth McQueen (10:11):
And outdoor venues
are having to contend
with that hotter sun,
especially last summer.
Miles Bloxson (10:17):
Lawrence Boone, who
books music for the
Far Out Lounge in
South Austin, told us
what this past summer
was like for them.
Lawrence Boone (10:23):
It was very hot,
very dry and very
expensive
because we were
booking shows every
single day and a lot
of them really good
shows with touring
bands and bigger
local bands, and no
one was showing up
because it was literally
112, 115
degrees.
(10:44):
For how many days in
a row? 45 days in
a row or something.
There was just no reprieve.
It was tough, even.
Like physically, it
was tough for the
staff to be here.
For an engineer to
be here for six
hours, whatever it
is out there baking
in the sun.
And so our patrons
felt the same way.
It was just too hot,
maybe even for a
band they really, really
(11:04):
like.
They would maybe just
say, maybe I'll catch
them in the fall or
spring, and go to
the lake instead.
Elizabeth McQueen (11:12):
And Laurence told
us it wasn't just
far out.
Lawrence Boone (11:15):
We talked to other
bars, other venues
they were doing in
the exact same boat.
I know a couple of them
just completely stopped
having a door person
because it was too hot
for the door person to be out
there, or they couldn't afford
the door person
because no one was
going to the bars
because again, it
was just too hot for
entertainment purposes.
Outside, it was just
too much.
Miles Bloxson (11:34):
Lawrence and Far Out
Lounge co-owner Pedro
Cavallo, who you'll
hear from later in
this. Busload told us
that overall business
was down about 30%
for their venue and
other outdoor venues
around town as well.
Elizabeth McQueen (11:47):
James Moody told
us that post-Covid,
a lot of people in his
world, venues and
restaurants
projected an increase
in business last
summer, and they
built that into their
budgets and their staffing
and everything.
Miles Bloxson (11:59):
And then the brutal
heat came. And I
mean, it's not like
we don't expect
extreme heat in
Austin during the summer.
James Moody (12:05):
Everyone's okay with a
week of it.
No one expected three
months of it.
Two things happened
that I think people
weren't prepared for.
One, we're kind of used
to locals packing up
and going away during
those hot runs
because they're usually replaced
by tourists that are
curious about Austin.
Right. So the locals
(12:25):
will leave and the
tourists will come and
it all kind of work out.
This particular summer,
the locals left and the
tourists left to
the locals left.
The news started hyper
reporting on 108 degree
weather.
The tourists said,
let's change that
flight to somewhere
else. And it was a
(12:46):
double whammy for
everybody in the city,
no matter who admitted
it or not. I can tell
you it happened to
everyone, and it was
not just being
surprised by the locals
leaving and the tourists
not replacing them, but
then having to
reconcile the
projections that you
placed for what the
(13:06):
summer was supposed to
be.
Really brutal.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:11):
And when you hear Austin
based musician
Caleb de Casper
described his experience
with the heat.
It's no surprise
that people weren't showing
up this summer.
Caleb de Casper (13:20):
Beat my psychology
to a pulp.
It was worse than
like,
seasonal things in
the winter. It was
just so
unrelenting.
Miles Bloxson (13:31):
I can so relate to
what Caleb is talking
about. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:34):
Oh, yeah. Last summer
was so hot.
I mean, you'd go outside
and the wind would blow,
and it would feel like
someone was holding
a blow dryer set
on high heat, like,
right up to your
face. It was so
intense.
Miles Bloxson (13:45):
It was like you,
like, had to
literally set
yourself up for
success. Like, okay,
I'm going outside and
I'm going to feel all this
heat coming at me,
like, how am I going
to handle it? What am
I going to do?
And God forbid if,
like, your AC in your
car doesn't.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:58):
Work, because.
Miles Bloxson (14:00):
What is happening
right now?
Elizabeth McQueen (14:02):
It took a real
mental toll.
And part of the way
we were feeling mentally
was because of
what the heat was doing
to us all physically.
We asked neuropsychologist
Bella Rockman what
impact extreme
heat can have on
the mind and body.
You heard her in our first
episode and you're
going to hear from her
throughout this season.
Bella Rockman (14:20):
Heat can impact us in
terms of our energy
levels, where a lot
of people and, you
know, talk about feeling
really lethargic and
tired in terms of our
brain. A lot of times
people experience
brain fog or even
like confusion, like
where it's like a delayed
response and making
decisions.
Excessive heat can
cause us to shoot off
more cortisol, the
neurochemical, cortisol.
(14:40):
And so we're having
like higher amounts of
stress being pumped
out at a time.
And so we've had a
lot of people report
actually, we talked about
this over this past summer
feeling like increased
agitation,
restlessness,
feeling, you know,
tired, disconnected,
having a hard time
recalling information
and performing their
day to day job function.
Elizabeth McQueen (14:59):
So there's like a real
physical
response. Oh, I
I didn't realize that
all happened in the heat.
Bella Rockman (15:05):
Yeah.
Miles Bloxson (15:06):
Yeah, I know I was a
lot more agitated
this summer than normal,
and I didn't. You don't
really know why you
don't think of that,
because you just kind of like
trucking along, just
getting through. You got
to go to work anyway.
You got to get out of your
car. You have to do
things. So it's like,
what can you do?
Bella Rockman (15:21):
Yeah, yeah.
Anger management
became a theme.
The summer for sure.
Elizabeth McQueen (15:26):
Was the cortisol.
Would that make people
more like
irritated and
angry?
Bella Rockman (15:30):
Yeah. Yeah.
Increases our stress
levels. And and then
also just it's kind
of like our neocortex,
like our logical part
of our brain, our executive
function that can
make logical decisions
is kind of starts to go
offline a bit.
And we're kind of living
out of that amygdala
region more.
And so that's where a lot
of more of that reactivity
comes in.
I think everyone has had an
experience or they had a response
in there like, gosh, I really
(15:51):
wish I could have shown up
differently. They can
logically realize it,
but their immediate
sort of autonomic
thought or their autonomic
response is far more
reactive than what they would
have liked.
Miles Bloxson (16:02):
Imagine the entire
city walking around
in a fog with the
logical parts of our
brain shut down like
lethargic, but also
angry and irritable.
That was so me.
Elizabeth McQueen (16:13):
Yeah, that was like
all of Austin
last summer.
Miles Bloxson (16:15):
I mean, it makes
sense the way the
heat impacted the way
people acted at shows
when they did show
up.
James Moody (16:21):
One of the funny quotes
to this adjacent to
your question was
that my GM said, well,
you can correlate the.
Heat index to a
40% reduction in marsh
quality.
It's like when it's too
hot, they marsh less
like with less like
(16:42):
energy or passion.
And I just thought that was
so hilarious. It's such
a Red River thing to
say.
Elizabeth McQueen (16:48):
And like Pedro
from the Far Out told
us, when people
did show up, the
venue had to make sure
they were taken care
of, especially at
things like festivals
where shows were happening
during the day.
Caleb de Casper (16:58):
We threw a festival
in July.
Ripple effects, it's
metal festival.
Super fun.
But that was one of
our biggest challenges,
is like making sure
that people were
safe during these
like super hot
days, like 110 112.
Miles Bloxson (17:13):
And he said this was
especially true if
people were coming from
out of town and
weren't used to the Texas
heat.
Elizabeth McQueen (17:19):
Yeah, they really
had to prioritize
health and safety.
Caleb de Casper (17:23):
One of the bigger things
we had to do, which is really
kind of classes to
have, EMT is on
site for anything
larger.
They have like hydrating
packs, and they
could just kind of help you
through it. And we
saw a decent
amount. The images
were were busy, no
one got hurt, but
gets a little sketchy
when it's that hot.
People just don't know.
And then we had to
hire like basically
full time people
(17:44):
just to refill
water stations.
That was a job in
and of itself.
Because they were just
depleting every ten
minutes. That's
pretty crazy.
Miles Bloxson (17:54):
A whole job just
refilling water like.
Oh my gosh.
Elizabeth McQueen (17:59):
I didn't even know that
was a thing. But
Far Out Lounge
wasn't the only
venue that had to make
changes.
Miles Bloxson (18:04):
Ryan Garrett, the
general manager at
Stubb's, says they
also made sure they
had water stations.
Plus, they send an
email out to people
before the show with
information about the
weather and how to
come prepared.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:16):
They even had to make
plans to deal with
the lines and make
sure people didn't
have to stand in
them too long.
Ryan Garrett (18:21):
You know, if you've got
a band that caters to
a younger demographic,
the lines can get long.
Early in, our line
faces west.
That's tough to be on
a city sidewalk facing
west in July and
August. Not
recommended.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:33):
They had to make plans
to deal with lines
and make sure people
didn't have to stand
in them too long.
Miles Bloxson (18:38):
And they even move
their set times to
later.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:41):
They were able to do
that because the Red
River Cultural District,
an organization
that works on behalf
of the businesses
on Red River Street,
sought an extension
to the city's sound
ordinance.
Ryan Garrett (18:51):
So we're exploring
options instead of a
7:00 door.
What about an 8:00
tour on a Friday night
and let that sun go
down? Let that earth
cool a little bit, where
people aren't standing
in direct sunlight and
then run it to midnight
or 1230 instead of
wrapping at 11 p.m..
Elizabeth McQueen (19:05):
These are just some of
the ways that venues
are dealing with heat.
But what about
fans?
Coming up after
the break? We'll
look at what climate
change might mean
for people who go
to shows.
Miles Bloxson (19:21):
Welcome back to Pause
Play, a podcast about
live music, why it
matters, and what
comes next.
And this episode,
we're talking about
climate change and
what it might mean
for the Austin music
scene.
Elizabeth McQueen (19:33):
Like, what does
Extreme Heat like
we had last summer
mean for fans?
Miles Bloxson (19:37):
Lots of people just
didn't go out.
Elizabeth.
Elizabeth McQueen (19:40):
Yeah, like me.
But who were
those people who did
go see bands in
105 degree heat?
Well, it turns out
we work with someone
who was one of those
people.
Maile Carballo (19:50):
Hi everyone.
My name is Maile
Carballo.
Miles Bloxson (19:52):
Miley works here at
KUT.
She started as an
intern doing graphics
and guys, she's so
good and she works
here for us now as an
official staff
member.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:02):
She's only a sophomore
in college, so
keep that in mind.
I wonder, did you
go to any shows
outdoors this
summer?
Maile Carballo (20:10):
Oh, yeah. Too many.
You know, it's it's
one of those things.
Like, if you love music,
you're going to go to the show
anyways.
And that that kind
of sucks in Texas
because, you know, it's so
incredibly hot.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:22):
Do you think that you
went to like, the
same amount of shows
this summer as you
would have normally gone
to, like, did the heat
impact you at all,
or were you like,
whatever, I'm just
doing what I do,
I don't care.
Maile Carballo (20:34):
Honestly, I have a
whatever mentality.
I'm a pretty
practical person, so
I'm to the point now
to where I'm like,
I'll just sweat, you
know, stay hydrated
and come prepared.
It'll be okay.
Not everybody is
like that.
Miles Bloxson (20:50):
Miley is right.
Everybody's not like
her.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:53):
Yeah, I'm not
like her. I feel like
I am too old to
be seeing anything,
even live music
in 105 degree
heat.
Miles Bloxson (21:00):
I'm going to have to agree
with that statement.
I will not claim my
age at this time, but
I feel you on that.
Elizabeth. We talked
to Most buzzkill, the
host of the disconnect,
and he brought up this
point that we hadn't
really considered
that maybe climate
change, and specifically
extreme heat will
start to change. Who
goes to shows in the
summer? Medically
vulnerable people may
(21:20):
stay home.
And so my older
people.
Mose Buchele (21:22):
You could very well
see crowds getting
younger and younger, which
is not what I always
see at Austin shows.
You know, I see a lot
of people from across
the age spectrum that
seem to really cherish
and go out to live
music, at least when I
was going out more and
checking shows out.
But yeah, when you
start dealing with
this kind of weather,
people are who are going
to be more more conscious
of that, are probably
(21:43):
more likely to stay home.
Elizabeth McQueen (21:47):
So yeah, it was
hot last summer
and it impacted
every part of our
live music ecosystem.
Miles Bloxson (21:53):
And moles, who thinks
a lot about these things,
brought up this point.
Mose Buchele (21:57):
2023 we were already
coming out of a super
hot, super drought
ridden summer.
The previous year we
thought maybe we'd get a break,
but no, we had heat
like we had never
experienced before in
Austin.
And what the climate
projections are telling
us is that that type
of heat will become
more and more normal
for us into the
future. So it's so
(22:18):
it's going to be bad. Maybe it
won't be like 80 days
of triple digit heat,
but a normal year
perhaps of over 50
days, and then the
anomalous year as well.
Way more than anything
we've experienced before.
We basically need to
start getting used to
the idea that that
summers are going to be
what would have been
considered unbearable
(22:38):
for people.
You know, I don't
know, a few decades
ago that's just going
to be part of the new
expectation.
Elizabeth McQueen (22:45):
Which can seem
pretty overwhelming.
So like, what can
the music scene do?
Miles Bloxson (22:48):
James Moody said
he'll be keeping an eye
out to see if this
summer is as brutal
as last summer, and
that will help him figure
out if Mohawk needs
to make changes.
James Moody (22:58):
Do we need to prepare
for a new future?
Do we need to invest in
overhangs?
Do we need to, you
know, look into shade
structures and misting?
Like, I don't know,
because we're not
in an environment where
there's excess capital
in the live music space
where you have money
setting aside for such
(23:19):
equations or moments or
strategies, you kind of
don't have that money.
Elizabeth McQueen (23:23):
What James is talking
about is climate
mitigation, you
know, making adjustments
to how we operate,
things to accommodate
the reality of climate
change.
Miles Bloxson (23:31):
But mitigation takes
money.
And where does all this
money come from?
Elizabeth McQueen (23:35):
We wondered if there
was any money
venues could use
for climate
mitigation available
from the city of Austin.
Miles Bloxson (23:41):
So we reached out to
Ben Leffler, who
works in Councilman
Ryan Alice's office.
Elizabeth McQueen (23:45):
He told us that
though there is finally
money available
to venues from the
city, there's
nothing specifically
available for improvements
like shade structures
and misters,
though that could
be something that becomes
part of future programs.
Miles Bloxson (23:58):
But there are rebates
that businesses can
access to make their
building more energy
efficient through
Austin Energy and
Austin Water.
Elizabeth McQueen (24:06):
There's also the Austin
Energy Commercial
Demand Response
program, where
the city controls
your thermostat depending
on demand.
So in the middle
of a summer day
at 5 p.m., when
demand is highest,
they may turn up
a business's thermostat
a little to conserve
energy.
Miles Bloxson (24:20):
Well, that can save
businesses money and
take pressure off of
our easily stressed
grid and put less
fossil fuel into the
atmosphere.
He even suggested
having bike racks at
venues all as a way
to help mitigate
climate change.
Ben Leffler (24:34):
No business, no
individual. Nobody is
going to individually
like, change our
trajectory, right?
But like if we as a
community can use less
water, can use less
power, can, you know,
put less carbon into
the atmosphere.
I would encourage you
to sort of think about that
as climate mitigation.
If a venue is able to
get into the demand
response program and
(24:55):
allow Austin Energy to
turn their power down a
little bit during those
times of peak demand,
that helps the whole
grid be more
sustainable.
That helps the whole grid
be more reliable in a
state where our grid
has not been so
reliable lately, right?
That itself is like
contributing to climate
change mitigation.
Elizabeth McQueen (25:12):
But until there's a real
concerted effort
to help businesses
prepare for the new
climate reality,
club owners will
have to figure it out
on their own.
Miles Bloxson (25:23):
Lawrence told us that
for people who run
venues, when it comes
to the weather, you
have to remain extremely
positive.
Ryan Garrett (25:29):
You have to operate
like the weather going
to be beautiful every
single day.
You can't look at your
calendar and be like,
oh, a big band wants
to play. Sorry.
It might be hot that
day, or it might be cold
that day, or it might
rain that month.
You have to operate as
if it's going to be
flawless every single
time, and you promote
it that way, and you
cross your fingers and
hope that that's the way
(25:50):
it turns out.
And then as the event
approaches, if you
have to make changes,
that's part of the job.
And a big part of that
is just taking losses.
If we book a big band
and it's, you know, a
few thousand dollars
in guarantees and people
aren't buying tickets because
it's too hot, you take
a loss. Hopefully
you've done enough the
rest of the year to
make up for those losses.
When the weather's not
(26:11):
in your favor.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:12):
And venues are trying
to figure out ways
to create revenue
that will offset those
losses during the
increasingly unpredictable
summer and winter
months.
Miles Bloxson (26:20):
One way that the
venues on Red River
have found ways to
make up some of this
revenue is through
free week and hot
summer nights.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:27):
For years, the
Red River Cultural
District has held
free week during
the first week of
the year.
Miles Bloxson (26:32):
All the shows during
free week are, you
guessed it, free.
It's a way to get people
out to see shows
during a time that
they would normally stay
at home. And five
years ago they
started a summer version
called hot Summer
nights.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:46):
It's a weekend of free
shows in July,
which is peak
summer here.
Hundreds of Austin
bands play on over
a dozen stages
and it's been catching
on.
James Moody (26:55):
But that is a total
effort of necessity
of like, can we create
spikes in these really
difficult to read
seasons?
Miles Bloxson (27:03):
The venues on Red
River are part of the
Red River Cultural
District, which is a
group that can come
together and help
create solutions like
hot summer nights as
a team.
Elizabeth McQueen (27:13):
But venues like Far
Out, they're kind
of on their own when
it comes to figuring
these things out.
Miles Bloxson (27:18):
So venues can
mitigate climate change
by building out
infrastructure and
creating their own
opportunities.
Elizabeth McQueen (27:24):
They might also need
to look outside
of Austin for
answers.
Miles Bloxson (27:28):
Graham Williams runs
resound, a company
that books and promotes
shows at independent
venues like Mohawk.
He deals with a lot
of touring bands and
that informs how he
thinks about a hotter
future.
Graham Williams (27:39):
Other folks have
tackled it. Before
we did people in
New Mexico and
Arizona, they're in
desert areas that
weren't always deserts
long, long before they
live there.
Their summers are wildly
hot, and they've
just kind of adjusted
to it. And they can
actually have big concerts
in December if you
want, where other folks
are batting down
the hatches. That
might be how we adjust
(28:00):
and be tough to get
through summers, because
there won't be as many
of those concerts.
But, they'll be
other things will have
to kind of work
towards. I don't know
what that is yet,
that there's all that idea
swimming around in
the end. As long as you
fill the gaps and
artists are able to
get on stage and play
to their fans at
other times of the year
than it, you know,
nets out to the
same amount of
(28:20):
shows for
everybody.
Elizabeth McQueen (28:22):
But what about artists?
What can they do?
Does it even make
sense then, to
try to play shows
in the summer in
Austin? Like did
it make you rethink
that part of it
all?
Caleb de Casper (28:33):
I'm going to say the quiet
part out loud.
Yeah, because
it was miserable
for me is miserable
for them.
Why do I want to
play this show to a bunch
of people who are, like,
depleted?
There's no energy.
I'm an energy vampire,
right? I have to, like,
take that from
them. And there's nothing.
Miles Bloxson (28:55):
DGC venues at least
trying to, like, help
figure it out.
Like maybe having a
water person or.
Caleb de Casper (29:02):
We've always done
that though here.
And it used to be.
It used to be, okay,
they have the misters
going, they have
the water. They
have. But it was just so
freaking hot.
I know a lot of musicians
actually like all
genres. All they're
like, I'm leaving.
I'm leaving during
the summer. I can't handle
it. Can't handle it
anymore.
Miles Bloxson (29:22):
Yep. Musicians can
tour like, they can
just play other places
in the summer and
they play here when
the weather is more
reasonable.
Elizabeth McQueen (29:29):
Yeah. You know, when
I was on the road,
they used to say,
when you're booking tours,
you want a tour north
in the summer and
south in the winter.
Miles Bloxson (29:40):
Climate change can be
so overwhelming.
And talking about solutions
around mitigation,
whether that's building
infrastructure are
holding shows later
or simply having
fewer shows in the
summer. Well, that's
something.
Elizabeth McQueen (29:52):
But we personally
feel this larger
question tugging
at us, like, what
can we do about
climate change?
It's such a big issue.
And the ultimate solutions
to climate change
often feel really
out of our hands.
David Yeomans (30:04):
But some of these
things are going to
require bigger
solutions and more
people getting on board.
Over history.
Since we started burning
all these fossil fuels,
100 major companies
are responsible for
71% of
all greenhouse gas
emissions ever.
Of course, they include things
like shell, BP,
(30:25):
Chevron.
But to change all
this on a big scale,
it's not going to be you
changing your light bulbs.
It's going to be bigger
solutions than that.
Miles Bloxson (30:34):
So what can we do?
Elizabeth McQueen (30:36):
Well, we have a
coworker named
Rosie Pena.
She's a music fan,
but she's also
found a way to feel
empowered around
climate change.
Miles Bloxson (30:44):
She got really involved
in taking action
around climate change.
After the Bastrop
fires of 2011.
It burned 32,000
acres over 55 days,
and that was just
down the road from
Austin.
Elizabeth McQueen (30:55):
So she decided to
take action and
got involved with
Citizens Climate
Lobby, which trains
people to advocate
for action around
climate change.
And she said, it really
helped.
Rosie Pena (31:05):
Made me feel
comforted because
I didn't see anybody
else talking about it.
And I thought, but this
is something that we
should be worried about.
And then also if you
can be worried and worried
and worried, but if you don't
have an outlet, you
know, you just kind of
sink further into
despair.
So this was my antidote
to despair.
(31:26):
Yeah. I just kind of
really believe in that
action as the antidote
to despair, where,
you know, doing
something, even just
talking. Katharine
Hayhoe. She says the
most important thing we
should do is just talk
to each other about
climate change, because
nobody's just having
these conversations. Not
enough people are having
these conversations.
And then through talking
to each other, like just
(31:47):
casually in
conversation, we can
educate each other more.
And if we feel more educated
on it, we're more likely
to do something like
vote or write to our
members of Congress are
more likely to be driven
to action.
Miles Bloxson (31:59):
Action is the
antidote to despair.
I love that.
Elizabeth McQueen (32:03):
Yeah, so do I.
And we asked David,
who thinks a lot
about climate change,
how he keeps his
spirits up.
David Yeomans (32:10):
It's very easy to
feel like we're
screwed, right?
Nothing we do today
will matter.
And we are locked
into some level of
warming because of
what we've done.
But what we do now is
going to make a huge
difference in the
future. And that's
what keeps me
motivated to talk
about the science and
to talk about what's happening
with our climate and how
humans are contributing
(32:31):
to it.
There are solutions
to this. It's not
unknown.
What the heck can we
do?
Let's transition our
electricity sources
so that your phone is
not charging from
coal, because 60%
of it is right now when
you plug your phone in,
let's transition. Make
that 40% renewable
hydropower, wind
power, solar.
(32:51):
Let's make that a bigger
share.
You can keep driving
your pickup. You know,
you don't have to change your daily
life to do anything
with that.
I also feel a real
responsibility as a
scientist and someone
with training in
climate science to
just get the facts
out there, because there's
so much bad
information that
creates doubt in
people's heads, even
(33:12):
well-intentioned people
who just want to figure
out what the heck is
really going on.
If they don't have training
in how the atmosphere works,
you see two sides of
this thing and you think,
well, who's right?
It's 5050.
What I want people to
remember, and this is what motivates
me every day to come
in here to talk to you guys,
is that I see the
future in this.
I see what's
(33:33):
happening, and I see our
trajectory in the
world's climate and
in Austin's climate.
And I want people to
know that.
That's it.
Miles Bloxson (33:45):
There's no easy
answers when it comes
to climate change,
but that doesn't mean
that people in our music
scene can ignore the
reality of it.
Elizabeth McQueen (33:53):
And as we move
forward, it's
going to be very interesting
to see how this city,
filled with live
music and outdoor
venues, deals
with a warming
world.
In the next episode
of Pause Play. We're
looking at how changes
in the laws in Texas
are impacting
women and members
(34:14):
of the LGBTQ plus
community here in
the Austin music
scene.
Miles Bloxson (34:20):
Pause/Play is a production of KUT
and KUTX studios.
It is reported
produced and hosted
by me, Miles Bloxson.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:27):
And me, Elizabeth
McQueen. Our
executive producer
is Matt Reiley.
Miles Bloxson (34:31):
Zahra Crim helps
write, record and
edit this episode.
Production assistants
by his senior shop.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:36):
Additional reporting
by Jeff McCord,
Jake Pearlman and
Matt Largey also
helped with editing
and audio production.
Miles Bloxson (34:43):
Stephanie Federico is
our digital editor.
Michael Minasi is our
multimedia editor.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:48):
Special thanks to
Todd Callahan and
Peter Babb for their
technical support
and guidance.
Miles Bloxson (34:53):
Original music for
this episode was
created by the talented
Jaron Marshall.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:58):
Other music provided
by the talented
Jack Anderson and
APM.
We opened an outdoor
room in Texas
because the weather
was fairly predictable.
Wasn't that dramatic?
You had what? Less than
60 days of quote
unquote winter, and
then the rest was some
version of summer.
How it's changed is
that the ice has gotten
(00:20):
more crazy and icy, and
the sun has gotten
hotter.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:27):
I'm Elizabeth
McQueen.
Miles Bloxson (00:28):
And I'm Miles Bloxson.
And you're listening to
Pause play.
A podcast about live
music, why it
matters, and what
comes next.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:38):
This season,
we're exploring
all the changes
that are impacting
Austin's live music
ecosystem.
Miles Bloxson (00:44):
And in this episode,
we're talking all
about climate change.
We talked to venue
owners, musicians and
fans about how
they're all coping.
Elizabeth McQueen (00:52):
You'll also hear
from weatherman David
Yeomans.
So if you live in
Austin, you've
dealt with extreme
weather caused by
climate change.
Like that extremely
hot summer we all
endured last year.
Miles Bloxson (01:04):
Yeah, it was one of
the hottest summers
on record.
We had 80 days of 100
degree heat.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:09):
We had 45 days
where the temperature
reached 105 or
higher.
Miles Bloxson (01:14):
We Austinites are
used to hot summers,
let me tell you. But
that was way too
much.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:20):
Yeah, it was.
And we've also
experienced extreme
storms here, like
during Winter Storm
Uri that brought
snow and ice and
so many days of
freezing temperatures
to Texas.
Miles Bloxson (01:30):
It wreaked havoc on
our unprepared
electrical grid.
Almost 70% of people
in Texas lost power
at some point during
this stretch of cold
weather, and almost
half had some kind of
water service interruption.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:43):
And hundreds of
people died
during that time.
Miles Bloxson (01:46):
And if you want to hear
more about the Texas
electrical grid and
why it did so poorly
during that storm,
you should listen to the
Katy podcast, The
Disconnect.
Elizabeth McQueen (01:54):
And then there
was that storm last
September with
baseball sized
hail. It caused
$600 million of
damage in Travis
and Williamson counties
alone.
Miles Bloxson (02:04):
We are all having to
deal with this new
climate reality, and
this includes everyone
in our music ecosystem
as well.
Elizabeth McQueen (02:11):
But before we go
any further, we
wanted to hear from an
expert who could
tell us about climate
change in Central
Texas.
So we turn to one
of our favorite weatherman.
David Yeomans (02:20):
I'm David Yeomans.
I'm the chief meteorologist
at KXAN on the first
warning weather team.
The NBC affiliate
here in Austin.
Elizabeth McQueen (02:27):
That was his job
when we interviewed
him. But this episode
took a long time
to put together.
So long, in fact,
that David has a
new job at Wbhm
in Chicago.
We wish him all
the best. But
still, he had
lived in Austin for
a long time, and
he knows a lot about
climate change.
He, like, integrates
it into his
weather reporting,
which is why we
(02:48):
wanted to talk to
him.
I mean, and for people
who, like, maybe are
listening and are
unclear, could
you like very
simply, as simply
as you can kind
of explain what
climate change
is?
David Yeomans (03:00):
I love that question
because the physics
of it is not scary.
The way this works is
so simple. Someone in
the 1800s discovered
it, a woman named
Eunice Foote.
She put a couple of
tubes full of air out
in the sun.
Each one of them were stopped
up and they had a thermometer
stuck in them.
One of them was just
the air that we breathe. The
(03:20):
other one had CO2
artificially added to
it, so it had a higher
concentration of CO2.
Well, after they were out in the sun
for a couple hours, guess
what? The one with
CO2 in the tube.
More of it got
hotter.
1856 when we
discovered that CO2
is what we call a heat
trapping gas.
So the earth zooming
out now is surrounded
by this down
(03:41):
comforter. Let's say
it has a natural
greenhouse effect.
We have heat trapping
gases in our atmosphere.
We always have.
That's what makes Earth
a livable planet.
But since the 1800s,
since the Industrial
Revolution, were
burning fossil fuels,
artificially
increasing the concentration
of these heat
trapping gases,
there's more CO2 than
there used to be, 50%
(04:02):
more.
So of course, that's
warming temperatures.
The simplest way I
can put it is this
every particle of
exhaust that comes out
of your tailpipe,
every particle of
smoke that comes out
of the fat coal plant
an hour east of
Austin, is another
feather that's being
added to the down
comforter in our
atmosphere.
(04:22):
And they don't go away
tomorrow.
The residents time of
CO2 up in the sky is
about 100 years.
So what we do today
has huge impact for a
long time going forward.
Which is why when people
argue, you know that
the climate's not changing.
The science on this is
so simple. And it's
something that we've known
about for more than 150
years.
Miles Bloxson (04:42):
Climate change is
something that's happening
to the whole world,
right? But we want
to know how it's
impacting Central
Texas specifically.
Elizabeth McQueen (04:51):
David started out
by quoting the Texas
state meteorologists
from 1927.
No one actually
knows that person's
name, but they remember
this quote.
David Yeomans (05:01):
Texas is the land of
perennial drought,
broken by the occasional
devastating flood.
Our average weather
is just the mid-line
on our extremes,
right? We're always
up and down, and we
always have been.
But since then,
temperatures have gotten
measurably hotter.
In the last 20 years
in Austin, the 100
degree day count that
(05:21):
we all keep track of
every summer has shot
through the roof, and
it's more consistently
higher than it used
to be. We're seeing
fewer freezes each
winter. You know, the
data is very clear
when you look at this
stuff every day, like
I do. The line is
going like this. It's
going up.
We used to.
Average 15 triple
digit days per year.
15 days per summer
(05:42):
when we hit 100 or
higher.
Now we average over
the last 30 years.
29 of them.
We've already doubled
our average 100
degree day count.
And how how many do
we have last summer?
8100 degree days?
Elizabeth McQueen (05:54):
I don't know why I
talk about last
summer. It was so
hard to do.
And do you like live
music?
David Yeomans (06:01):
I love live music.
Who doesn't?
Elizabeth McQueen (06:05):
Do you personally
feel like the
extreme heat has,
like, affected
your relationship to
go to see shows?
David Yeomans (06:14):
100%. It's affected
my relationship with
everything. I mean,
everything I love to
do in Austin is
generally outdoors.
I love being on the lake,
going to the greenbelt,
but now the lakes are
so low that people
can't even put their boat
on Lake Travis. So
they all go to Lake Austin.
Then it gets too crowded.
The green belt either
has no water because
it's so dry and hot,
or the water that is
(06:35):
there is stagnant,
and it has algae that
can kill my dog.
And it's way too hot
to go to an outdoor show
like you mentioned. So
climate change is affecting
a lot of things that I
personally love about
Austin. I could see
it affecting the bottom
line for concert
venues.
Elizabeth McQueen (06:49):
Yeah, in fact,
the heat did impact
venues, and we're
going to talk about that
later in this episode.
Miles Bloxson (06:55):
Up to this point,
David had mostly
talked to us about
Austin's current
climate situation.
Elizabeth McQueen (07:00):
But we wanted to
know what's
coming.
Miles Bloxson (07:03):
What do you feel like
climate change will
mean for Central
Texas in the future.
David Yeomans (07:09):
Even in an
intermediate
emissions scenario,
meaning we continue
to cut our greenhouse
gas emissions at the
rate we're doing, maybe
a little faster than
that even. Remember,
this stuff stays in the
air for a long time, though.
So even in that situation,
in 20 years, Austin
is going to double our
100 degree day count
again.
So instead of an average
of 29, it would be an
(07:30):
average of over 5100
degree days. So if
you extrapolate that to
our worst summers,
8090 days in our
worst summers, well,
let's double that in
a worst case
scenario. By the end
of the century, we
may not be around, but
our kids will. Our
grandkids, they could
triple.
In those situations.
It is possible,
according to these scientific
(07:50):
projections, by people
much smarter than I,
that half of the days
in a given year in
Austin would be 100
degrees.
Miles Bloxson (07:59):
Okay, David, we got
to find somewhere else to live.
So where do you live?
David Yeomans (08:02):
I used to be fun at
parties, and now I'm
not.
Elizabeth McQueen (08:11):
Yikes.
It's going to be getting
really hot. Y'all.
Like, in a serious
way.
Miles Bloxson (08:16):
Like hotter than a
Nelly song.
It's getting hot in
here.
Elizabeth McQueen (08:19):
Definitely hotter
than a Nelly song.
And like we talked about
in the intro, it's
not just the heat
that's impacting
us. The warming
climate actually
is making storms
more intense.
Take, for instance,
that hailstorm in
September.
David Yeomans (08:32):
What contributed to
that hail?
And that storm being
so bad at the end of
September when it's
supposed to be cooling off,
was that it was 100
degrees that day and
more heat energy low
in the atmosphere where
we live and breathe.
Feeds these storms
and makes them more
intense.
Miles Bloxson (08:46):
And then there's this
winter storm in 2021.
David told us that
he's seen research
from Doctor John
Nielsen Gammon out of
Texas A&M that
indicated that without
climate change
brought on by humans,
that the Snowpocalypse
could have been way
colder.
But climate change
may also be the
reason it stuck around
for so long.
David Yeomans (09:06):
We can get these crazy
swings in the storm
track across the
country called the jet
Stream, the jet
stream, which carries
these storms across
the country from west
to east. Generally,
it's getting wavier
and bumpier, which
means that weather patterns
get stuck more often.
Remember, in February
2021 it was cold for
a week. A week of
really cold weather.
It got stuck.
Elizabeth McQueen (09:25):
So the climate is
changing.
Storms are getting
stronger and sometimes
lasting longer
and things are getting
hotter.
Miles Bloxson (09:33):
So what does that all
mean for the Austin
music scene?
Elizabeth McQueen (09:36):
I mean, a lot of
our venues are
outdoor venues.
Miles Bloxson (09:39):
And James Moody, who
owns a venue on Red
River called Mojo,
told us that historically,
Austin was a good
place to throw
outdoor shows.
James Moody (09:47):
We opened an outdoor
room in Texas
because the weather
was fairly predictable.
Wasn't that dramatic?
You had, what, less
than 60 days of quote
unquote winter?
And then the rest was
some version of summer.
How it's changed is
that the ice has
gotten more crazy
(10:08):
and icy, and the sun
has gotten hotter.
Elizabeth McQueen (10:11):
And outdoor venues
are having to contend
with that hotter sun,
especially last summer.
Miles Bloxson (10:17):
Lawrence Boone, who
books music for the
Far Out Lounge in
South Austin, told us
what this past summer
was like for them.
Lawrence Boone (10:23):
It was very hot,
very dry and very
expensive
because we were
booking shows every
single day and a lot
of them really good
shows with touring
bands and bigger
local bands, and no
one was showing up
because it was literally
112, 115
degrees.
(10:44):
For how many days in
a row? 45 days in
a row or something.
There was just no reprieve.
It was tough, even.
Like physically, it
was tough for the
staff to be here.
For an engineer to
be here for six
hours, whatever it
is out there baking
in the sun.
And so our patrons
felt the same way.
It was just too hot,
maybe even for a
band they really, really
(11:04):
like.
They would maybe just
say, maybe I'll catch
them in the fall or
spring, and go to
the lake instead.
Elizabeth McQueen (11:12):
And Laurence told
us it wasn't just
far out.
Lawrence Boone (11:15):
We talked to other
bars, other venues
they were doing in
the exact same boat.
I know a couple of them
just completely stopped
having a door person
because it was too hot
for the door person to be out
there, or they couldn't afford
the door person
because no one was
going to the bars
because again, it
was just too hot for
entertainment purposes.
Outside, it was just
too much.
Miles Bloxson (11:34):
Lawrence and Far Out
Lounge co-owner Pedro
Cavallo, who you'll
hear from later in
this. Busload told us
that overall business
was down about 30%
for their venue and
other outdoor venues
around town as well.
Elizabeth McQueen (11:47):
James Moody told
us that post-Covid,
a lot of people in his
world, venues and
restaurants
projected an increase
in business last
summer, and they
built that into their
budgets and their staffing
and everything.
Miles Bloxson (11:59):
And then the brutal
heat came. And I
mean, it's not like
we don't expect
extreme heat in
Austin during the summer.
James Moody (12:05):
Everyone's okay with a
week of it.
No one expected three
months of it.
Two things happened
that I think people
weren't prepared for.
One, we're kind of used
to locals packing up
and going away during
those hot runs
because they're usually replaced
by tourists that are
curious about Austin.
Right. So the locals
(12:25):
will leave and the
tourists will come and
it all kind of work out.
This particular summer,
the locals left and the
tourists left to
the locals left.
The news started hyper
reporting on 108 degree
weather.
The tourists said,
let's change that
flight to somewhere
else. And it was a
(12:46):
double whammy for
everybody in the city,
no matter who admitted
it or not. I can tell
you it happened to
everyone, and it was
not just being
surprised by the locals
leaving and the tourists
not replacing them, but
then having to
reconcile the
projections that you
placed for what the
(13:06):
summer was supposed to
be.
Really brutal.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:11):
And when you hear Austin
based musician
Caleb de Casper
described his experience
with the heat.
It's no surprise
that people weren't showing
up this summer.
Caleb de Casper (13:20):
Beat my psychology
to a pulp.
It was worse than
like,
seasonal things in
the winter. It was
just so
unrelenting.
Miles Bloxson (13:31):
I can so relate to
what Caleb is talking
about. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:34):
Oh, yeah. Last summer
was so hot.
I mean, you'd go outside
and the wind would blow,
and it would feel like
someone was holding
a blow dryer set
on high heat, like,
right up to your
face. It was so
intense.
Miles Bloxson (13:45):
It was like you,
like, had to
literally set
yourself up for
success. Like, okay,
I'm going outside and
I'm going to feel all this
heat coming at me,
like, how am I going
to handle it? What am
I going to do?
And God forbid if,
like, your AC in your
car doesn't.
Elizabeth McQueen (13:58):
Work, because.
Miles Bloxson (14:00):
What is happening
right now?
Elizabeth McQueen (14:02):
It took a real
mental toll.
And part of the way
we were feeling mentally
was because of
what the heat was doing
to us all physically.
We asked neuropsychologist
Bella Rockman what
impact extreme
heat can have on
the mind and body.
You heard her in our first
episode and you're
going to hear from her
throughout this season.
Bella Rockman (14:20):
Heat can impact us in
terms of our energy
levels, where a lot
of people and, you
know, talk about feeling
really lethargic and
tired in terms of our
brain. A lot of times
people experience
brain fog or even
like confusion, like
where it's like a delayed
response and making
decisions.
Excessive heat can
cause us to shoot off
more cortisol, the
neurochemical, cortisol.
(14:40):
And so we're having
like higher amounts of
stress being pumped
out at a time.
And so we've had a
lot of people report
actually, we talked about
this over this past summer
feeling like increased
agitation,
restlessness,
feeling, you know,
tired, disconnected,
having a hard time
recalling information
and performing their
day to day job function.
Elizabeth McQueen (14:59):
So there's like a real
physical
response. Oh, I
I didn't realize that
all happened in the heat.
Bella Rockman (15:05):
Yeah.
Miles Bloxson (15:06):
Yeah, I know I was a
lot more agitated
this summer than normal,
and I didn't. You don't
really know why you
don't think of that,
because you just kind of like
trucking along, just
getting through. You got
to go to work anyway.
You got to get out of your
car. You have to do
things. So it's like,
what can you do?
Bella Rockman (15:21):
Yeah, yeah.
Anger management
became a theme.
The summer for sure.
Elizabeth McQueen (15:26):
Was the cortisol.
Would that make people
more like
irritated and
angry?
Bella Rockman (15:30):
Yeah. Yeah.
Increases our stress
levels. And and then
also just it's kind
of like our neocortex,
like our logical part
of our brain, our executive
function that can
make logical decisions
is kind of starts to go
offline a bit.
And we're kind of living
out of that amygdala
region more.
And so that's where a lot
of more of that reactivity
comes in.
I think everyone has had an
experience or they had a response
in there like, gosh, I really
(15:51):
wish I could have shown up
differently. They can
logically realize it,
but their immediate
sort of autonomic
thought or their autonomic
response is far more
reactive than what they would
have liked.
Miles Bloxson (16:02):
Imagine the entire
city walking around
in a fog with the
logical parts of our
brain shut down like
lethargic, but also
angry and irritable.
That was so me.
Elizabeth McQueen (16:13):
Yeah, that was like
all of Austin
last summer.
Miles Bloxson (16:15):
I mean, it makes
sense the way the
heat impacted the way
people acted at shows
when they did show
up.
James Moody (16:21):
One of the funny quotes
to this adjacent to
your question was
that my GM said, well,
you can correlate the.
Heat index to a
40% reduction in marsh
quality.
It's like when it's too
hot, they marsh less
like with less like
(16:42):
energy or passion.
And I just thought that was
so hilarious. It's such
a Red River thing to
say.
Elizabeth McQueen (16:48):
And like Pedro
from the Far Out told
us, when people
did show up, the
venue had to make sure
they were taken care
of, especially at
things like festivals
where shows were happening
during the day.
Caleb de Casper (16:58):
We threw a festival
in July.
Ripple effects, it's
metal festival.
Super fun.
But that was one of
our biggest challenges,
is like making sure
that people were
safe during these
like super hot
days, like 110 112.
Miles Bloxson (17:13):
And he said this was
especially true if
people were coming from
out of town and
weren't used to the Texas
heat.
Elizabeth McQueen (17:19):
Yeah, they really
had to prioritize
health and safety.
Caleb de Casper (17:23):
One of the bigger things
we had to do, which is really
kind of classes to
have, EMT is on
site for anything
larger.
They have like hydrating
packs, and they
could just kind of help you
through it. And we
saw a decent
amount. The images
were were busy, no
one got hurt, but
gets a little sketchy
when it's that hot.
People just don't know.
And then we had to
hire like basically
full time people
(17:44):
just to refill
water stations.
That was a job in
and of itself.
Because they were just
depleting every ten
minutes. That's
pretty crazy.
Miles Bloxson (17:54):
A whole job just
refilling water like.
Oh my gosh.
Elizabeth McQueen (17:59):
I didn't even know that
was a thing. But
Far Out Lounge
wasn't the only
venue that had to make
changes.
Miles Bloxson (18:04):
Ryan Garrett, the
general manager at
Stubb's, says they
also made sure they
had water stations.
Plus, they send an
email out to people
before the show with
information about the
weather and how to
come prepared.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:16):
They even had to make
plans to deal with
the lines and make
sure people didn't
have to stand in
them too long.
Ryan Garrett (18:21):
You know, if you've got
a band that caters to
a younger demographic,
the lines can get long.
Early in, our line
faces west.
That's tough to be on
a city sidewalk facing
west in July and
August. Not
recommended.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:33):
They had to make plans
to deal with lines
and make sure people
didn't have to stand
in them too long.
Miles Bloxson (18:38):
And they even move
their set times to
later.
Elizabeth McQueen (18:41):
They were able to do
that because the Red
River Cultural District,
an organization
that works on behalf
of the businesses
on Red River Street,
sought an extension
to the city's sound
ordinance.
Ryan Garrett (18:51):
So we're exploring
options instead of a
7:00 door.
What about an 8:00
tour on a Friday night
and let that sun go
down? Let that earth
cool a little bit, where
people aren't standing
in direct sunlight and
then run it to midnight
or 1230 instead of
wrapping at 11 p.m..
Elizabeth McQueen (19:05):
These are just some of
the ways that venues
are dealing with heat.
But what about
fans?
Coming up after
the break? We'll
look at what climate
change might mean
for people who go
to shows.
Miles Bloxson (19:21):
Welcome back to Pause
Play, a podcast about
live music, why it
matters, and what
comes next.
And this episode,
we're talking about
climate change and
what it might mean
for the Austin music
scene.
Elizabeth McQueen (19:33):
Like, what does
Extreme Heat like
we had last summer
mean for fans?
Miles Bloxson (19:37):
Lots of people just
didn't go out.
Elizabeth.
Elizabeth McQueen (19:40):
Yeah, like me.
But who were
those people who did
go see bands in
105 degree heat?
Well, it turns out
we work with someone
who was one of those
people.
Maile Carballo (19:50):
Hi everyone.
My name is Maile
Carballo.
Miles Bloxson (19:52):
Miley works here at
KUT.
She started as an
intern doing graphics
and guys, she's so
good and she works
here for us now as an
official staff
member.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:02):
She's only a sophomore
in college, so
keep that in mind.
I wonder, did you
go to any shows
outdoors this
summer?
Maile Carballo (20:10):
Oh, yeah. Too many.
You know, it's it's
one of those things.
Like, if you love music,
you're going to go to the show
anyways.
And that that kind
of sucks in Texas
because, you know, it's so
incredibly hot.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:22):
Do you think that you
went to like, the
same amount of shows
this summer as you
would have normally gone
to, like, did the heat
impact you at all,
or were you like,
whatever, I'm just
doing what I do,
I don't care.
Maile Carballo (20:34):
Honestly, I have a
whatever mentality.
I'm a pretty
practical person, so
I'm to the point now
to where I'm like,
I'll just sweat, you
know, stay hydrated
and come prepared.
It'll be okay.
Not everybody is
like that.
Miles Bloxson (20:50):
Miley is right.
Everybody's not like
her.
Elizabeth McQueen (20:53):
Yeah, I'm not
like her. I feel like
I am too old to
be seeing anything,
even live music
in 105 degree
heat.
Miles Bloxson (21:00):
I'm going to have to agree
with that statement.
I will not claim my
age at this time, but
I feel you on that.
Elizabeth. We talked
to Most buzzkill, the
host of the disconnect,
and he brought up this
point that we hadn't
really considered
that maybe climate
change, and specifically
extreme heat will
start to change. Who
goes to shows in the
summer? Medically
vulnerable people may
(21:20):
stay home.
And so my older
people.
Mose Buchele (21:22):
You could very well
see crowds getting
younger and younger, which
is not what I always
see at Austin shows.
You know, I see a lot
of people from across
the age spectrum that
seem to really cherish
and go out to live
music, at least when I
was going out more and
checking shows out.
But yeah, when you
start dealing with
this kind of weather,
people are who are going
to be more more conscious
of that, are probably
(21:43):
more likely to stay home.
Elizabeth McQueen (21:47):
So yeah, it was
hot last summer
and it impacted
every part of our
live music ecosystem.
Miles Bloxson (21:53):
And moles, who thinks
a lot about these things,
brought up this point.
Mose Buchele (21:57):
2023 we were already
coming out of a super
hot, super drought
ridden summer.
The previous year we
thought maybe we'd get a break,
but no, we had heat
like we had never
experienced before in
Austin.
And what the climate
projections are telling
us is that that type
of heat will become
more and more normal
for us into the
future. So it's so
(22:18):
it's going to be bad. Maybe it
won't be like 80 days
of triple digit heat,
but a normal year
perhaps of over 50
days, and then the
anomalous year as well.
Way more than anything
we've experienced before.
We basically need to
start getting used to
the idea that that
summers are going to be
what would have been
considered unbearable
(22:38):
for people.
You know, I don't
know, a few decades
ago that's just going
to be part of the new
expectation.
Elizabeth McQueen (22:45):
Which can seem
pretty overwhelming.
So like, what can
the music scene do?
Miles Bloxson (22:48):
James Moody said
he'll be keeping an eye
out to see if this
summer is as brutal
as last summer, and
that will help him figure
out if Mohawk needs
to make changes.
James Moody (22:58):
Do we need to prepare
for a new future?
Do we need to invest in
overhangs?
Do we need to, you
know, look into shade
structures and misting?
Like, I don't know,
because we're not
in an environment where
there's excess capital
in the live music space
where you have money
setting aside for such
(23:19):
equations or moments or
strategies, you kind of
don't have that money.
Elizabeth McQueen (23:23):
What James is talking
about is climate
mitigation, you
know, making adjustments
to how we operate,
things to accommodate
the reality of climate
change.
Miles Bloxson (23:31):
But mitigation takes
money.
And where does all this
money come from?
Elizabeth McQueen (23:35):
We wondered if there
was any money
venues could use
for climate
mitigation available
from the city of Austin.
Miles Bloxson (23:41):
So we reached out to
Ben Leffler, who
works in Councilman
Ryan Alice's office.
Elizabeth McQueen (23:45):
He told us that
though there is finally
money available
to venues from the
city, there's
nothing specifically
available for improvements
like shade structures
and misters,
though that could
be something that becomes
part of future programs.
Miles Bloxson (23:58):
But there are rebates
that businesses can
access to make their
building more energy
efficient through
Austin Energy and
Austin Water.
Elizabeth McQueen (24:06):
There's also the Austin
Energy Commercial
Demand Response
program, where
the city controls
your thermostat depending
on demand.
So in the middle
of a summer day
at 5 p.m., when
demand is highest,
they may turn up
a business's thermostat
a little to conserve
energy.
Miles Bloxson (24:20):
Well, that can save
businesses money and
take pressure off of
our easily stressed
grid and put less
fossil fuel into the
atmosphere.
He even suggested
having bike racks at
venues all as a way
to help mitigate
climate change.
Ben Leffler (24:34):
No business, no
individual. Nobody is
going to individually
like, change our
trajectory, right?
But like if we as a
community can use less
water, can use less
power, can, you know,
put less carbon into
the atmosphere.
I would encourage you
to sort of think about that
as climate mitigation.
If a venue is able to
get into the demand
response program and
(24:55):
allow Austin Energy to
turn their power down a
little bit during those
times of peak demand,
that helps the whole
grid be more
sustainable.
That helps the whole grid
be more reliable in a
state where our grid
has not been so
reliable lately, right?
That itself is like
contributing to climate
change mitigation.
Elizabeth McQueen (25:12):
But until there's a real
concerted effort
to help businesses
prepare for the new
climate reality,
club owners will
have to figure it out
on their own.
Miles Bloxson (25:23):
Lawrence told us that
for people who run
venues, when it comes
to the weather, you
have to remain extremely
positive.
Ryan Garrett (25:29):
You have to operate
like the weather going
to be beautiful every
single day.
You can't look at your
calendar and be like,
oh, a big band wants
to play. Sorry.
It might be hot that
day, or it might be cold
that day, or it might
rain that month.
You have to operate as
if it's going to be
flawless every single
time, and you promote
it that way, and you
cross your fingers and
hope that that's the way
(25:50):
it turns out.
And then as the event
approaches, if you
have to make changes,
that's part of the job.
And a big part of that
is just taking losses.
If we book a big band
and it's, you know, a
few thousand dollars
in guarantees and people
aren't buying tickets because
it's too hot, you take
a loss. Hopefully
you've done enough the
rest of the year to
make up for those losses.
When the weather's not
(26:11):
in your favor.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:12):
And venues are trying
to figure out ways
to create revenue
that will offset those
losses during the
increasingly unpredictable
summer and winter
months.
Miles Bloxson (26:20):
One way that the
venues on Red River
have found ways to
make up some of this
revenue is through
free week and hot
summer nights.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:27):
For years, the
Red River Cultural
District has held
free week during
the first week of
the year.
Miles Bloxson (26:32):
All the shows during
free week are, you
guessed it, free.
It's a way to get people
out to see shows
during a time that
they would normally stay
at home. And five
years ago they
started a summer version
called hot Summer
nights.
Elizabeth McQueen (26:46):
It's a weekend of free
shows in July,
which is peak
summer here.
Hundreds of Austin
bands play on over
a dozen stages
and it's been catching
on.
James Moody (26:55):
But that is a total
effort of necessity
of like, can we create
spikes in these really
difficult to read
seasons?
Miles Bloxson (27:03):
The venues on Red
River are part of the
Red River Cultural
District, which is a
group that can come
together and help
create solutions like
hot summer nights as
a team.
Elizabeth McQueen (27:13):
But venues like Far
Out, they're kind
of on their own when
it comes to figuring
these things out.
Miles Bloxson (27:18):
So venues can
mitigate climate change
by building out
infrastructure and
creating their own
opportunities.
Elizabeth McQueen (27:24):
They might also need
to look outside
of Austin for
answers.
Miles Bloxson (27:28):
Graham Williams runs
resound, a company
that books and promotes
shows at independent
venues like Mohawk.
He deals with a lot
of touring bands and
that informs how he
thinks about a hotter
future.
Graham Williams (27:39):
Other folks have
tackled it. Before
we did people in
New Mexico and
Arizona, they're in
desert areas that
weren't always deserts
long, long before they
live there.
Their summers are wildly
hot, and they've
just kind of adjusted
to it. And they can
actually have big concerts
in December if you
want, where other folks
are batting down
the hatches. That
might be how we adjust
(28:00):
and be tough to get
through summers, because
there won't be as many
of those concerts.
But, they'll be
other things will have
to kind of work
towards. I don't know
what that is yet,
that there's all that idea
swimming around in
the end. As long as you
fill the gaps and
artists are able to
get on stage and play
to their fans at
other times of the year
than it, you know,
nets out to the
same amount of
(28:20):
shows for
everybody.
Elizabeth McQueen (28:22):
But what about artists?
What can they do?
Does it even make
sense then, to
try to play shows
in the summer in
Austin? Like did
it make you rethink
that part of it
all?
Caleb de Casper (28:33):
I'm going to say the quiet
part out loud.
Yeah, because
it was miserable
for me is miserable
for them.
Why do I want to
play this show to a bunch
of people who are, like,
depleted?
There's no energy.
I'm an energy vampire,
right? I have to, like,
take that from
them. And there's nothing.
Miles Bloxson (28:55):
DGC venues at least
trying to, like, help
figure it out.
Like maybe having a
water person or.
Caleb de Casper (29:02):
We've always done
that though here.
And it used to be.
It used to be, okay,
they have the misters
going, they have
the water. They
have. But it was just so
freaking hot.
I know a lot of musicians
actually like all
genres. All they're
like, I'm leaving.
I'm leaving during
the summer. I can't handle
it. Can't handle it
anymore.
Miles Bloxson (29:22):
Yep. Musicians can
tour like, they can
just play other places
in the summer and
they play here when
the weather is more
reasonable.
Elizabeth McQueen (29:29):
Yeah. You know, when
I was on the road,
they used to say,
when you're booking tours,
you want a tour north
in the summer and
south in the winter.
Miles Bloxson (29:40):
Climate change can be
so overwhelming.
And talking about solutions
around mitigation,
whether that's building
infrastructure are
holding shows later
or simply having
fewer shows in the
summer. Well, that's
something.
Elizabeth McQueen (29:52):
But we personally
feel this larger
question tugging
at us, like, what
can we do about
climate change?
It's such a big issue.
And the ultimate solutions
to climate change
often feel really
out of our hands.
David Yeomans (30:04):
But some of these
things are going to
require bigger
solutions and more
people getting on board.
Over history.
Since we started burning
all these fossil fuels,
100 major companies
are responsible for
71% of
all greenhouse gas
emissions ever.
Of course, they include things
like shell, BP,
(30:25):
Chevron.
But to change all
this on a big scale,
it's not going to be you
changing your light bulbs.
It's going to be bigger
solutions than that.
Miles Bloxson (30:34):
So what can we do?
Elizabeth McQueen (30:36):
Well, we have a
coworker named
Rosie Pena.
She's a music fan,
but she's also
found a way to feel
empowered around
climate change.
Miles Bloxson (30:44):
She got really involved
in taking action
around climate change.
After the Bastrop
fires of 2011.
It burned 32,000
acres over 55 days,
and that was just
down the road from
Austin.
Elizabeth McQueen (30:55):
So she decided to
take action and
got involved with
Citizens Climate
Lobby, which trains
people to advocate
for action around
climate change.
And she said, it really
helped.
Rosie Pena (31:05):
Made me feel
comforted because
I didn't see anybody
else talking about it.
And I thought, but this
is something that we
should be worried about.
And then also if you
can be worried and worried
and worried, but if you don't
have an outlet, you
know, you just kind of
sink further into
despair.
So this was my antidote
to despair.
(31:26):
Yeah. I just kind of
really believe in that
action as the antidote
to despair, where,
you know, doing
something, even just
talking. Katharine
Hayhoe. She says the
most important thing we
should do is just talk
to each other about
climate change, because
nobody's just having
these conversations. Not
enough people are having
these conversations.
And then through talking
to each other, like just
(31:47):
casually in
conversation, we can
educate each other more.
And if we feel more educated
on it, we're more likely
to do something like
vote or write to our
members of Congress are
more likely to be driven
to action.
Miles Bloxson (31:59):
Action is the
antidote to despair.
I love that.
Elizabeth McQueen (32:03):
Yeah, so do I.
And we asked David,
who thinks a lot
about climate change,
how he keeps his
spirits up.
David Yeomans (32:10):
It's very easy to
feel like we're
screwed, right?
Nothing we do today
will matter.
And we are locked
into some level of
warming because of
what we've done.
But what we do now is
going to make a huge
difference in the
future. And that's
what keeps me
motivated to talk
about the science and
to talk about what's happening
with our climate and how
humans are contributing
(32:31):
to it.
There are solutions
to this. It's not
unknown.
What the heck can we
do?
Let's transition our
electricity sources
so that your phone is
not charging from
coal, because 60%
of it is right now when
you plug your phone in,
let's transition. Make
that 40% renewable
hydropower, wind
power, solar.
(32:51):
Let's make that a bigger
share.
You can keep driving
your pickup. You know,
you don't have to change your daily
life to do anything
with that.
I also feel a real
responsibility as a
scientist and someone
with training in
climate science to
just get the facts
out there, because there's
so much bad
information that
creates doubt in
people's heads, even
(33:12):
well-intentioned people
who just want to figure
out what the heck is
really going on.
If they don't have training
in how the atmosphere works,
you see two sides of
this thing and you think,
well, who's right?
It's 5050.
What I want people to
remember, and this is what motivates
me every day to come
in here to talk to you guys,
is that I see the
future in this.
I see what's
(33:33):
happening, and I see our
trajectory in the
world's climate and
in Austin's climate.
And I want people to
know that.
That's it.
Miles Bloxson (33:45):
There's no easy
answers when it comes
to climate change,
but that doesn't mean
that people in our music
scene can ignore the
reality of it.
Elizabeth McQueen (33:53):
And as we move
forward, it's
going to be very interesting
to see how this city,
filled with live
music and outdoor
venues, deals
with a warming
world.
In the next episode
of Pause Play. We're
looking at how changes
in the laws in Texas
are impacting
women and members
(34:14):
of the LGBTQ plus
community here in
the Austin music
scene.
Miles Bloxson (34:20):
Pause/Play is a production of KUT
and KUTX studios.
It is reported
produced and hosted
by me, Miles Bloxson.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:27):
And me, Elizabeth
McQueen. Our
executive producer
is Matt Reiley.
Miles Bloxson (34:31):
Zahra Crim helps
write, record and
edit this episode.
Production assistants
by his senior shop.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:36):
Additional reporting
by Jeff McCord,
Jake Pearlman and
Matt Largey also
helped with editing
and audio production.
Miles Bloxson (34:43):
Stephanie Federico is
our digital editor.
Michael Minasi is our
multimedia editor.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:48):
Special thanks to
Todd Callahan and
Peter Babb for their
technical support
and guidance.
Miles Bloxson (34:53):
Original music for
this episode was
created by the talented
Jaron Marshall.
Elizabeth McQueen (34:58):
Other music provided
by the talented
Jack Anderson and
APM.
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