Small, dark and booming. Three words that describe one of Austin City Limits Live’s quaintest venues: 3TEN. Located under the Moody Theatre at 310 West Willie Nelson Blvd., the venue stands to be one of the newer live music scenes offering intimate shows to fans from all over.
3TEN opened in March 2016 and has been attracting concert goers ever since. With only a 350-person capacity, the venue hosts some extremely special shows with artists who might not be circulating back to these smaller venues ever again.
3TEN is also located right next to the W Hotel which gives the venue chances to bring in some visiting music lovers looking for a fun night out.
“Our location sets us apart, especially during the busier times of the year like ACL or SXSW because we have the ability to open these giant glass doors in the back.” 3TEN production manager Elle Mahoney said. “We do have people who are like ‘oh, what’s going on here?’ and then they’ll buy a ticket.”
The building that 3TEN now calls home, used to be a restaurant space giving it a kind of shotgun layout with a bar and an open patio that looks out onto the event space. Don’t think that there is no room for dancing? Think again, because this quaint joint has plenty of space for you to shake it. If you need a break from boogying, on the patio, there are a few bistro tables set up so you can take in the live music while also taking in the fresh air.
As a part of the larger ACL Live family, 3TEN is outfitted with the same production and lighting rigs that their larger venues have. This gives them a leg up on other venues their size because artists can easily transfer their shows from a larger venue to 3TEN.
“I think that the biggest thing we’ve always had going for us is that they built this small club with all of the bells and whistles—specifically the audio and the lighting system of (the Moody Theatre),” Mahoney said. “It’s just a smaller-scale version of ACL Live. So, there’s a million dollar’s worth of equipment in there. I think what makes it unique is that it’s shiny and new.”
Another cool thing about 3TEN is that they are able to help artists grow and can track their progress by watching them book bigger venues within the ACL Live family. 3TEN opens its arms to a ton of small local bands and touring artists, and loves to see them gain fans as they embark on their musical journey.
“We’ve dealt with a lot of newer bands that will start off (at 3TEN) and then end up playing (the Moody Theatre) later,” Mahoney said. “That’s definitely happened quite a bit. I love seeing (that) someone who played down here is playing upstairs.”
3TEN’s calendar is stacked with familiar and not-so familiar names making every concert a chance to hear someone new. If you’re an aspiring musician, check out their Instagram to see how you could perform center stage at this awesome venue.
