Empire Control Room & Garage
Event venue · Swedish Hill Historic District ·
Legendary music venue with great acoustics and atmosphere
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22377982/Copy_of_The_Contemporary_Rooftop_Blake_Kammerdiener__1_.png "Empire Control Room & Garage by eater.com")
Legendary music venue with great acoustics and atmosphere
"An Austin music venue that has expressed interest in a volunteer harm-reduction group's formal training for bartenders and service staff. The program covers recognizing and responding to overdoses (including how to obtain and administer naloxone/Narcan), supportive steps to take while the medication works, safe de-escalation, and removing visible paraphernalia before seeking emergency help — all framed within broader harm-reduction principles and as a complement to standard Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission training. The venue's engagement reflects an awareness that bars and clubs are hotspots for substance use and that trained staff can help prevent overdose deaths despite legal and practical obstacles in Texas, such as restrictive paraphernalia laws and concerns about police involvement." - Brittanie Shey
"Businesses in the district and downtown more broadly take in anywhere between 10 percent and 50 percent of their annual income from SXSW." - Gabrielle Pharms
"Empire Control Room, a venue in Austin’s Red River Cultural District, is one of the music venues heavily impacted by the SXSW festival's shift to digital format. The venue, along with others in the district, relies significantly on SXSW for annual income." - Gabrielle Pharms
"I observed that Empire Control Room is one of only four downtown venues that reopened at half-capacity with measures like assigned seating to limit risks while live music struggles to recover without tours and festivals." - Joe Lanane
"The Red River venue, working with promoter Heard Presents and the Withfriends membership platform, is offering memberships (starting at $50 per year) that provide direct support plus access to future shows, merch, and other perks." - Hannah Schon
