AUSTIN, Texas — Live music venue Mohawk Austin, located at 912 Red River St., will reopen Thursday after being shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the Austin music community and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett will attend the grand reopening of the venue Thursday night.
“After a long year of painful sacrifices, I’m delighted to join in reopening the Mohawk so that it can again fully embody its longtime creed: ‘All are welcome,’” Doggett said in a press release. “Our live music industry, the lifeblood of our culture and our economy, has been hit so hard, but it has persevered. Creativity and passion are a cocktail for resilience. With our approval of Shuttered Venue Operator Grants, we are bringing federal relief to the Mohawk and other venues across Austin and across the country.”
Doggett and other speakers will recognize the resilience and creativity of Austin's live music industry, and provide updates regarding federal relief.
“Since the pandemic began, the mission of Austin Texas Musicians expanded to serve the most basic needs of musicians,” said Pat Buchta, of Austin Musicians. “Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Doggett, we've been able to keep our community informed about all the changes and requirements surrounding Federal Unemployment benefits. We're grateful for the many hours and livestream events that Congressman and his staff have devoted to keeping music alive during this time of crisis.”
The announcement comes as Texas starts to return to live music events, such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival. ACL recently announced its in-person daily lineup earlier this week, with tickets selling in a matter of hours.
The return of live music to venues like Mohawk has been a long time coming.
“As the first employee hired back at Mohawk after over a year, the hopelessness that our music community has been feeling is deeply personal to me,” said Jeanette Gregor, Mohawk manager. “Knowing that we had and have allies like the Congressman fighting for our survival has been paramount: when our stages went silent, they amplified our voices that would have otherwise not been heard. He has helped us (and hundreds of other venues like us) find the critical funding we needed to say, once again, all are welcome.”
A press conference with congressman Doggett to open the doors of the Mohawk again, followed by a live music performance, began at 6:45 p.m. For ticket information, visit their website here.
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