One of my personal rites of spring is to head 45 minutes southeast of Austin on the third weekend of April to the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Despite not having the name of an Austin City Limits or Coachella, OSMF has been ranked in the top 10 festivals in the country. There are a number of reasons for that. First and foremost is the music. The organizers have had a hand in booking music in Austin for decades, and have informants everywhere. You’re pretty much guaranteed to hear your new favorite band when they make an early appearance at the show. Grammy-winner Sarah Jarosz won the youth talent contest when she was barely a teenager, and for a couple of years sat in on mandolin with some of the best acts in the business. Also a Grammy winner, Wood & Wire made their first public appearance at the after-hours stage in the campground.
Another contributing factor is probably the camping. No, a wooded enclave in Tilmon, Texas, doesn’t have the majestic beauty of a Telluride or Strawberry. But this was purpose-built on the Old Settler’s acreage and scores lots of functionality points. Oh, and the epicenter of Texas BBQ is 15 minutes down the road in Lockhart. Did I mention the music?
This year, with the event moved to Oct 21-24 for pandemic reasons, looks to have as strong a line-up as ever. The official show kicks off Thursday night in the campground and features the reunited Della Mae, local phenoms The Peterson Brothers, and finishes with the most entertaining man in the music business, Steve Poltz. Poltz kicks off the Bluebonnet Stage on Friday, followed by another local favorite, The Deer; gets to Wood & Wire’s front man, Tony Kamel, in a solo appearance; and finishes strong with Portland indie-grass stars Fruition. The other stage, Black’s BBQ, opens with country punker Sarah Shook & the Disarmers; showcases James McMurtry and Jade Bird; and rounds out the evening with Cedric Burnside. The festival wraps up Sunday back at the campground where songwriter co-op House Of Songs will feature Austinites Suzanna Choffel, Carrie Rodriguez, Matt the Electrician, and Western Youth leader Graham Weber. Ray Wylie Hubbard closes the whole thing.
So if you’re itching to see some live music, want to have a festival experience that’s impossible at the mega-events, or are just in driving distance and looking for a weekend activity, I can unreservedly recommend Old Settler’s Music Festival.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.