Monday nights at Halcyon might be the closest thing Austin has to a United Nations. Representatives from Mexico, China, India, Lebanon, and a dozen other countries come together. But then instead of debating global policy, they play music. Because this is Austin, after all.

The weekly international gathering was founded a year and a half ago by Roberto Riggio—a violinist who grew up in Mexico City and the Rio Grande Valley, before moving to Austin to study Indian and Middle Eastern music at the University of Texas. The Halcyon night is like a workshop, Riggio says, and a chance for Austin-based musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds to explore how music traditions from all over the world collide and overlap.

Today we drop in on a recent evening at Halcyon and learn more about how the World Music Night got started.

We’ll be documenting the festival throughout the day. You can help us by taking pictures, recording sound, and tagging your media #austinmusicmap to add it to our new interactive website.

**UPDATE :: The final performance with DJ Chorizo Funk & El Tule has been moved to Tillery Park (801 Tillery St.). Same time, different place. 9-11pm.

**Remember! Be responsible. Don’t drink and drive, whether you’re on bike or in your car.

THE LINEUP:

WOOD & WIRE - Bluegrass. (12 – 1 @ Hops and Grain parking lot)
Wood & Wire is one of the most promising new bands on Austin’s bluegrass and acoustic scene. Mixing in elements of Americana and swing, W & W’s healthy dose of original music and traditional bluegrass tunes keep audiences riveted. The band keeps people on their toes, too, with a cappella ballads, funky acoustic jams, and rippin’ fast instrumentals.

MOTHER FALCON - Orchestral Indie. (1:30 – 2:30 @ Tillery Park)
Mother Falcon is an orchestral indie band born in Austin that has quickly become an award-winning recording act and a top concert draw, performing in rock clubs while still maintaining a presence in the performing arts scene, scoring plays and films.

AKINA ADDERLEY & THE VINTAGE PLAYBOYS - Soul/R&B. (3 – 4 @ The Historic Victory Grill)
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys are an Austin soul band whose unique sound blends elements of rock, funk, and old-school R&B. Front woman, vocalist, songwriter, and band leader Akina Adderley lights up the stage as “the little woman with the big voice.”

RIDERS AGAINST THE STORM - Hip-Hop. (4:30 – 5:30 @ Hotel Vegas)
This husband-wife hip hop duo operates from a boundless space and time. Their music and work, crafted from the funk, the SOURCE, and the gods of Hip Hop, is ready to take everyone it touches into a more powerful part of themselves.

CONJUNTO LOS PINKYS - Conjunto. (6 – 7 @ The White Horse)
Conjunto Los Pinkys play a traditional, Tex-Mex style dance music known as “conjunto.” The instrumentation features the button accordion, bajo quinto, electric bass, drums and harmony singing. In the early 90s, the group started as a Bay Area street band lead by Bradley Jaye Williams and was re-formed in Austin, Texas in 1993. The group currently features Isidro Samilpa and Chencho Flores; two musicians from Austin’s Chicano music scene whose careers stretch back to the 1950′s cantinas of East 6th Street.

RESIDUAL KID - Rock/Punk. (6 – 7 @ Cheer Up Charlies)
Residual Kid consists of members Max Redman (age 12), Ben Redman (14), and Deven Ivy (14). They’ve quickly made a name for themselves in the few years that they’ve been on the Austin music scene with their unbridled style of rock. It’s heavy, it’s grungy, it’s punk, it’s honest, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

ROSIE FLORES & THE RIVETERS - Rockabilly. (7:30 – 8:30 @ Scoot Inn)
Since the late 70s, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Rosie Flores has been an important figure on the alternative country scene in both Austin, TX, and Los Angeles. She’s a hard-working, independently minded artist who’s well-respected for her gritty, energetic vocals and fiery guitar solos.

DJ CHORIZO FUNK - Afro/Latin/Cumbia. (9 – 10 @ Tillery Park)
Texas born and raised, DJ Chorizo Funk is able to seamlessly mix and connect the dots amongst a wide range of genres such as Afro-Latin, Afrobeat, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, and more.

EL TULE - Cumbia/Merengue/Salsa. (10 – 11 @ Tillery Park)
For eight years, El Tule has been honing its unique sound combining influences of Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, Cuban and Reggae, in Austin TX.

On January 20, 1990, the state legislature established the Texas Music Office in order to promote Texas music and musical education in the state. At the time, Texas was the only state in the nation to have a governmental agency devoted to supporting its own music industry. Under the leadership of Casey Monahan, the Texas Music Office has become a valuable resource for information on thousands of musicians, music education programs, and music-oriented businesses. The Texas Music Office also works with a number of venues, festivals, and agencies to help market Texas as a destination for music-related tourism.

By helping to preserve and promote the state’s rich musical heritage, the Texas Music Office has ensured that this important part of our history and culture remains popular worldwide.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll learn about a musical pioneer who drew inspiration from a barroom brawl.

TWITMH – TMO

After more than 4 decades, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons gets set to revive the seminal Moving Sidewalks. Also: in the wake of the Newtown school shootings, NPR Music critic Ann Powers explores the healing force of a Natalie Maines recording. Plus, Iron and Wine caught live in Studio 1A, the week’s music news and more on the next edition of Texas Music Matters. You can listen to this week’s program below. Enjoy!

This week, the Austin Music Map explores Body Rock ATX, a monthly gathering hosted by DJ Chorizo Funk and MC duo Riders Against the Storm. As reporter Thomas Fawcett explains, it’s a great dance party. But it’s a lot more than that too.