Austin FC midfielder Daniel Pereira #6 celebrates with Matthew McConaughey after the match against DC United at Q2 Stadium in Austin in 2023.
Jacob Gonzalez/Austin FC
Austin, TX
The Armadillo World Headquarters Is Being Reborn — on Austin FC's New Kit
Eddie Wilson could tell stories about the Armadillo World Headquarters, the storied Austin music venue he founded in 1970, for hours. He’ll tell you about how “nowhere else in the world” had ever treated Charlie Daniels so good, or the “phonebook thick” contract ZZ Top made him sign, or maybe the times that names like Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, and Stevie Ray Vaughan performed there in the Seventies.
“We got one wonderful picture of Frank Zappa bending over a table with a razor blade,” Wilson recounts in his Texas twang. “‘He must’ve been doing coke.’ And I say, ‘No, look at the rest of the picture there.’ And sure enough, he got the razor blade because he’s cutting the sleeves off a T-shirt we’d just given him!”
The Armadillo was a place of convergence for the city in those days. And though it closed down in 1981, its mark on the Texas city is part of why Austin calls itself the “live music capital of the world.”
“It was a smoky little joint that had discovered what hippie music could do for beer sales,” read a Rolling Stone piece about the venue from 1971. “Hippies and rednecks were forced into the same bar: the hippies because the music was there, and the rednecks because the beer was there.”
Half a century later, a different entertainment form is celebrating the venue’s legacy: Austin FC, the city’s soccer club. On Thursday, the MLS team unveils the ‘Dillo Kit, a beige jersey with the team’s signature verde on its sleeve to honor the “creative and vibrant spirit” Armadillo World HQ left in the city.
“As a beneficiary of what was built at the Armadillo, it’s an honor to show our respect for the venue, the people who built it, and the musicians who played there,” Austin FC President Andy Loughnane tells Rolling Stone. “The spirit of camaraderie and community that came to life at Armadillo World Headquarters is very much on display today in Austin and you see it come to life at Q2 Stadium on an Austin FC matchday.”
In many ways, Austin FC is carrying on the legacy Wilson’s venue built of bringing people from all walks of life together under one roof. One particular fan by the name of Matthew McConaughey calls it the “Come as you are” rule. McConaughey wasn’t around to see the city in the ‘Dillo days but says his older brother Pat would always tell him stories about the Austin he loves.
“You walk into a bar and there’s a hippie to your left, a sheriff to your right, a Native American on the other side of the hippie, and a guy with blue hair on the other side of the sheriff,” McConaughey, one of Austin FC’s investors, tells Rolling Stone. “Everyone’s having a drink together. And that is really the DNA of Austin: Come as you are. And that’s what happened with Armadillo World HQ.”
“AC/DC played their first American show there. Did you know that?” he adds, referring to the band’s first performance in the States, opening for Moxy in 1977. “To be laying down some elbow grease with Angus Young and the boys. At the Armadillo? That would have been an absolute neckbanger.”
Mix McConaughey’s love for the soccer team (he’s often spotted in the stands banging a massive drum) and his affinity for music (he starred in a Zach Bryan music video earlier this month), and he’s all in.
He tells the story of how he discovered one of his favorite artists in Austin. He was walking down Sixth Street with a friend during the Pecan Street Festival, live music vibrating from every corner. “Through all the muffled sounds, there was one bit of music that was cutting through all that,” McConaughey remembers. “I go up a block, I take a right, I take a left down a gravel alley past three Dumpsters, and then behind this brick wall and there was a guy on this little stage with about 32 people in front of it. James McMurtry. This guy’s a wordsmith. I grabbed his album, paid my five bucks for it, and have bought all his albums since.”
Jacob Gonzalez/Austin FC
“What you can do in Austin is follow your ears,” he adds. “Follow your ears, and you’re usually going to like what you see.”
Nearly 50 years later, Austin FC — with its drumbeat-shaken stands and soccer stars like Argentine Sebastián Driussi and Finnish player Alexander Ring on the pitch — now takes on the role of converger in the city, thanks to both the growing excitement of the sport nationally ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and Austin’s position as the fastest-growing metro area in Texas, featuring a drastically different demographic than the ‘Dillo in its years. Latinos made up only 14 percent of the city then. Now, 40 percent of ATX is Latino.
Jimmie Vaughan poses in the 2024 Secondary Kit at Photogroup Studios in Austin.
Jacob Gonzalez/Austin FC
“Austin has become a place where many people from all over the world live. And what’s the international game? Football,” McConaughey says. “If you take a snapshot of the south end of our stadium on any given night, the light and smoke, banging the drums, there’s a community where everyone is welcome. That’s a mirror image in a lot of what Armadillo was in the Seventies.”
Wilson is also expected to attend. He’ll be there with his gray bushy goatee, smiling, surrounded by some of the venue’s original posters and some of the people he employed there. The armadillo-emblazoned kit is a full-circle moment for him. Ask how he feels about the recognition and his answer is simple. “Well,” he says with a smoky chuckle, “I’m glad somebody, by God, noticed.”
To celebrate the ‘Dillo kit launch, Austin FC is hosting a party Thursday at a venue recreating what the ‘Dillo looked like in its heyday, featuring food and specialty drinks common at the venue. There’s a slated performance from the last act to ever play there: Ray Benson and his Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. They also decorated the walls with photographs of Austinite musicians Jimmie Vaughan (Stevie Ray’s brother) and Latine, queer singer Gina Chavez in the new kit.
Austin FC kicks off its 2024 season, which airs on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, against Minnesota United FC on Feb. 24.
Juneteenth celebrations are happening across the city this weekend. The events will mark the 161st anniversary of the day Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to announce that more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement on June 19, 1865, came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 — known as Juneteenth — became a federal holiday in 2021.
From historical bike rides to Austin’s annual parade, here are seven events taking place in Austin.
Annual Juneteenth FunRun, June 19
The city of Austin’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility will host a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at East Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Leona Street, and concluding at Hargrave Street near the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. Participants will have one hour to complete the course. The route is the same as the parade through the African American Historical Cultural District that will start later that morning. Runners and walkers of all ages and levels can participate.
Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival, June 19
The annual Juneteenth parade will take place Friday and begin at 10 a.m. at East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leona Street and will travel down to Chicon Street before turning on Rosewood Avenue. The parade will feature floats, live music and performers.
A Very Juneteenth Comedy Jam, June 19
The Velveeta Room, Austin’s longest-running comedy club, will have shows highlighting Black voices Friday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 18+ event will feature comedians like Freddy Do Less and Roderick McDaniel. Tickets for both shows are around $23.
Sistas Walk And Talk: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
Texas Sistas Society will host a 3-mile walk and talk Saturday at 515 S. Pleasant Valley Road starting at 7:45 a.m. Texas Sistas Society is an Austin-based community created for Black women and women of color. Attendees are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors: red, yellow, green or black, and to RSVP ahead of time.
The Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
The George Washington Carver Museum in Austin is dedicated to creating a “space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.” The museum is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with barbecue plates, live music, vendors and activities for all ages.
Black Auteur Film Festival, June 20
The Black Auteur Film Festival, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting Black filmmakers in Texas, is hosting its third annual film festival to showcase short films directed by Black Texans at AFS Cinema on Saturday. One filmmaker will win the $1,000 “Best of Fest” award, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win Austin Film Society memberships and movie tickets. The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.
Juneteenth Social Ride, June 21
Black History Bike Ride, an Austin nonprofit teaching people about the city’s Black history through cycling, is hosting its seventh annual Juneteenth ride starting at the Haskell House on Saturday at 10 a.m. Austin-based historian Harrison Eppright will serve as the ride’s guide. Registration is required for all attendees. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.
Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That
When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.
“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”
Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Volts are off to a rough start in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, but maybe a little home cooking can help them get right.
After playing their first five games on the road, the Volts open play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Utah Talons, kicking off an 8-game homestand.
It’s the first season the Volts will call Dell Diamond home. In the league’s inaugural season last year, the original four teams competed with a touring schedule that included a stop at Dell Diamond. This is the first year that the AUSL, now a 6-team league, will play in home markets.
They have a roster peppered with local stars, including 2-time NCAA national champion middle infielder Leighann Goode from the Texas Longhorns. Aliyah Binford, a New Braunfels native, played collegiately for Ole Miss and former Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins made an appearance in the Volts’ previous series against the Carolina Blaze.
Goode said there’s been a bit of a learning curve, but she credits her teammates for helping her adjust to the league.
“This group has brought me in and taught me stuff, taken me under their wings,” she said. “They’ve done an awesome job.”
Legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the team’s general manager, and the head coach is Texas State’s Ricci Woodard.
“We’re ready to rock and roll at home,” Woodard said. “I’m anxious to see what happens now that we get to play in our own place.”
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, joined the team last weekend after a brief contract holdout.
The Volts are 1-4 this season, picking up their lone win over the Oklahoma City Spark on June 10. They’ll face the Talons in a 3-game series, the Chicago Bandits for a pair June 23-24, and finish the homestand with a 3-game set against the expansion Portland Cascade on June 26-28.
Ryan Sanders Baseball, the organization that owns and operates the Round Rock Express, is an operating partner with the Volts and an investor with the AUSL.
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