After releasing their debut album in April, Austin’s very own Culture Wars came back to their hometown to close their world tour at Emo’s. The Daily Texan sat down with lead singer Alex Dugan and bassist Dillon Randolph to discuss what it was like to be back in a city close to their heart.
The Daily Texan: What of your Austin or Texas experience contributed to your interest in the music scene?
Alex Dugan: I went to school here at UT, and I always wanted to have a band and be in a band. I used to go to Emo’s all the time to watch shows by myself because no one else would go. … We didn’t, or especially (I didn’t), really interact (with) any scene within Austin. I think I was very anti-scene, if anything. … I think it was always just wanting to have a band that played rock music, and it took a long time to get there.
Dillon Randolph: I grew up here and started playing shows on Red River before I could drive. (In) Austin, there’s music every night. There’s really good bands everywhere. If you’re really contributing in the scene, it’s a good way to get your chops up. … I don’t know that I’d be still playing music if I didn’t grow up in Austin.
DT: What does it feel like to be back home?
AD: The city doesn’t look the same, doesn’t act the same. I was here for 10 (or) 12 years, and now coming back, I’m walking around downtown … (and) I had to use my GPS to figure out where I was going. That’s how different everything looked. It’s weird being back here for that reason.
DR: I haven’t been able to come back here much in the last couple years. … I haven’t seen much of my friends or family here in a long time. It’s strange to be back and see all the things that you do remember, like the ThunderCloud Subs with the big sub on top, but there’s 100 new high-rises around it. It feels the same but also not.
DT: How do you think the Austin music scene has changed over the years now that (you’re) back?
AD: I think that the city ate itself. You can’t really sustain an artist culture when the cost of living is above what’s possible, and most people were pushed very far out of town, if not completely out of town. Most of the venues can’t hold up the rent and are therefore closing. Most of the places that we grew up playing in Red River are gone. … I think the city let tech and corporate people come in and throw their weight around and change the face of the city completely. What we came up in no longer exists. As much as I love Austin, the live music capital of the world, I think it’s pretty much just a slogan at the airport at this point. (But) I love Austin, and if I wasn’t married to my wife and had to work in LA, I’d probably still be here.
