https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/events/2013-01-02/free-week/

Free Week!

By Derek Van Wagner, January 2, 2013, 11:53am, Events Blog

Can you feel it? It is that magical time of the year where bands pour into town and music venues graciously open their doors. Yup, you guessed it, Free Week is back.

Free Week begins on January 2nd and lasts until the 12th, making it one of the longest weeks of the year. The venues participating in the free festivities include Emo's, Beauty Ballroom, Hotel Vegas, Lamberts, Mohawk, Red 7, Holy Mountain, 29 St. Ballroom, Beerland, Stubb's, the Scoot Inn, Frank, the Parish, Swan Dive, Frontier Bar, Antone's, the ND and pretty much every stage in town. Think of it as an audience appreciation week. Nearly 500 bands will play over the course of the next ten days for no cover whatsoever, so go on and spend that extra $10 on double top shelf something because for the beginning of January, you're on the list.

The marathon of free shows kicks off tonight with Mike and the Moonpies at Club de Ville at 11pm. Other acts include Megafauna at Holy Mountain on 1/03, My Jerusalem and the White and Black Years at Emos on 1/04, Hard Proof Afrobeat at Antone's on 1/05, Bobby Jealousy on 1/07 at Hotel Vegas, Frank Smith at Mohawk on 1/10 and The Tontons at the Parish on 1/11. The lists of bands goes on for days, so be sure to check them out on the Do512 page.

Free Week is one of the best ways to catch new music without having cover charge regret, and if you don't happen to like the band, pick up and move on to the venue next door, because it's free! Surprisingly enough it never gets too crowded, so suck it up, grab your coat...or scarf and meet us at one of the many free locations for a great show. Who knows? It might turn out to be the best week of your life.