Time simultaneously eludes and defines us. For some, it slips away like sand through fingers, a fleeting force that drives urgency and change. For others, it is a vast and endless expanse, stretching out into the infinite. Yet, no matter our perceptions, there is a truth: Underground Voices' relatively brief stay at the Volstead created ripples that will reverberate across the timelines of the lives of all who lived through the birth of a hip-hop community.
There is an ancient belief, rooted in the wisdom of indigenous peoples, that time and space are not separate, but rather are intertwined in a vast cosmic tapestry. Every thread, every moment, every action is connected, woven together to form the fabric of the universe. It is a belief that suggests that nothing exists in isolation, that every event, every experience is part of a greater whole, a whole that is constantly shifting and changing as new threads are added, as new stories are told. It is a belief that speaks to the interconnectedness of all things, of all people, of all experiences. And somewhere amidst the quantumly-entangled leylines a community has gathered in Austin, Texas. Here in this city of live music and the weird, their tales coalesced around a nascent hip-hop open mic scene pledging to give a voice to the underground. It is not by chance that so many stories told here feel interconnected, echoing resilience, struggle, and an undying urge to create. Artists who strive towards connection amidst a hyper-capitalist world that strives to disconnect us from each other, our earth, and ourselves. People who work to survive, and who are living to make art. Stories weaved by those whose time is tested by the grind of the present yet still they persist through towards a better future
By day, the underground heroes who forge the future mask themselves as locksmiths, electricians, servers, and fast food workers. When night falls, the starlight brings about their transformations. The stardust of their creation morphs them into wordsmiths, expressionists, and absurdists—poets who delve into the mysteries of existence, using their art to explore the depths of being as they themselves are still learning what it means to be alive. The Volstead, in its welcoming and unpretentious way, has served as the hallowed ground upon which these ascensions take place. It has provided the space, both physical and spiritual, that these artists needed to shed their masks and begin to reveal their truest selves.
For almost two years, every Monday night, this creative bastion has been the backdrop for a quiet revolution. Here, in this unassuming bar, the future was being molded, not by the powerful or the elite, but by those whose voices speak for the people who are oft ignored and overlooked. The Volstead became more than a bar—it was a citadel for those seeking to express their truths, a haven where the act of creation was both celebrated and nurtured. It was here that artists came together, drawn by a shared need to explore and express, to experiment and evolve.
These artists, like alchemists of old, used the tools of their trade—words, music, performance—to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. They speak not just of the world as it is, but of the world as it could be. They turn personal pain into universal melodies, they splash color onto the blank canvas of the night, they sculpt the air around them with their presence. And at The Volstead, their individual stories wove together into a collective narrative, one that spoke of resilience, hope, and the unyielding power of creativity.
Yet, as with all things in life, this chapter is drawing to a close. The Volstead, which has been the crucible of so much artistic growth, will no longer be the home of Underground Voices. This marks the end of an era, one filled with moments of brilliance and quiet revelations. But with every ending comes a new beginning, and the move to Vaquero Taquero signals the start of a new journey. This new venue promises to be more than just a replacement; it is poised to become a training ground for creative evolution, a place where the artists of Underground Voices can continue their transformations, ascending into even more potent and powerful versions of themselves.
At this new dojo the stage is no longer just a platform; it is an altar where old wounds can be turned into new creations. It is a place where the tired and weary, the hopeful and the hopeless, can gather to sing and shout their stories into the night air. The artists who come here, drawn to the beacon of change within, will continue to shed their daytime skins and emerge, glistening, as something more. Here these shapeshifters can enter a chamber where time moves slower, and they can learn to master moving through worlds seen and unseen, pulling threads of magic from the air and weaving them into the fabric of existence by speaking their art. Whether they become goons, aliens, beasts, swans, doves, or goddesses they will rise up, defiant and unbroken, and dance the dance of metamorphosis.
As this new chapter unfolds, the echo of The Volstead will linger, like a faint scent of something sweet and bitter all at once. The Volstead was not just a building; it was a womb, cradling the artists in a space where they could be both fragile and fierce. Giving them an umbilical cord connected to the universe. Providing them the sustenance needed to learn to breathe, to stretch, and to grow. The lessons of that place—lessons about persistence in the face of indifference, about the strength that comes from vulnerability, about the power that rises from a community of souls—will follow them into this new space. The spirit of our Underground Voices is not bound by walls or floors or ceilings; it is carried in the bodies and minds of those who have lived it, and it will continue to flourish wherever they gather.
And so, as time marches on, so our protagonists begin a new arc—not just with anticipation, but with the quiet assurance of those who know that their story is far from over. The journey that began at The Volstead has not ended; it has simply transformed, as all things must. They will continue to create, to inspire, to heal, and to hurt, because that is the work of the artist—to take the raw material of life and take the time to turn it into something that shines. The future, vast and unknown, stretches out before them, and they step into it with open eyes and open hearts, knowing that wherever they go, the essence of Underground Voices at The Volstead will forever persist through their time here on Earth, guiding them toward what comes next.
