Second Long Play Lounge Location Takes Place of Stay Gold

Last month, a neon sign reading Long Play Lounge went up along Cesar Chavez where once beamed letters spelling Stay Gold. Owners now confirm that Stay Gold has moved off the property, while a second location of the north Austin neighborhood bar Long Play Lounge slides in to take its place.

The Long Play Lounge sign shortly after it was raised at the former Stay Gold location in mid January. (Photo by Kevin Curtin)

Long Play Lounge’s primary owner Will Tanner had been a partner in Stay Gold with Nathan Hill, who now serves as the sole owner of the Stay Gold brand. Both parties describe the switch as an amicable decision.

“I really like the Long Play concept so I thought it’d be fun to add it over there, with live music – when it’s appropriate,” Tanner tells the Chronicle. “At that point we’ll go back to having live music at least five days a week.”

The original Long Play Lounge, a tiny bar at 704 W. St. Johns Ave., opened in 2019. As indicated by the name, vinyl LPs are a focal point of the bar’s aesthetic, hosting listening parties and DJ nights. It occasionally features ultra-intimate live music performances.

Tanner says the new iteration at 1910 E. Cesar Chavez will have the same record-centric vibe, but with more space and a stage for proper concerts. He has no targeted date for a grand opening, given the COVID-19 pandemic, but confirmed he has now received reduced rent from his landlord which allows him to stay in a “holding pattern.”

On Monday, Hill told the Chronicle that he hopes to reopen Stay Gold when he can find a new location that speaks to him. He doesn’t expect that to happen soon as he’s currently working on opening another bar on East Sixth.

“I’d like to find a space that’s bigger, where I can take Stay Gold to its ultimate form,” Hill says.

Hill, who also co-owns Eastside bars the White Horse and High Noon, says he’s not beholden to having a future version of Stay Gold in Central Austin.

“It’s not about the surroundings as much as the space and the vision,” he says. “If I can find a place with a large enough stage and a large enough space for an audience, I really don’t care what neighborhood it’s in.”

Hill says Stay Gold holds a special place in his heart because it had been his first solo venture in terms of designing a bar and venue space. He’s also proud of the diverse music the venue hosted on its rounded stage: an eclectic mix of R&B, soul, lounge, jazz, and songwriters.

In related venue news, Tanner confirms that his lease at the Hole in the Wall – one of Austin’s oldest and most incubational music venues – had been set to expire today, but his landlord granted him an extra six months.

“We’ve got six more months to go forward,” he says with sigh of relief. “There’s some hope that maybe things normalize in the summer and there’s something that can be done after sixth months, but at least I have a few more rounds in the fight.”