I have lived in paradise, I mean Buda for nine years now. I do love it here. The only thing I miss about Austin is the music. I worked in the Austin music scene for over thirty years. My last place of employment was a club on 6th street called Steamboat that I started at as manager and was able to own it the last ten years it was there. We had sound problems there too, but we learned to work with the powers that be to make sure the music was heard. I was on the Austin Music Commission for six years, I was also on the Downtown Austin Alliance, The Downtown Austin Commission, Austin Live Music Association and The East Sixth Street Citizens Association. Anything I could get on to get the message out and to get to know the people who were making the decisions that affected my livelihood. The only way to make change is from within. So I had fundraisers for the politicians I liked. I put the word out to my friends and employees on who was working with us and who deserved our vote. We changed things in Austin and got the old guard out and brought in music lovers into office. You couldn’t get elected in Austin these days without being a music fan. The same thing needs to happen in Buda. Club owners need to band together. Hold fundraisers for the people you want in office. The average age in Buda is around 40. Even though I’m 62, I understand it is the youth who will change things, so we need to get people in office who are more the age of the majority who understand the importance of music instead of those too old to remember what it was like to have fun. The noise ordinance is way out of touch. The levels are too low to carry on a conversation much less enjoy some music. We need a change. 

Danny Crooks

Buda