Vinyl bar by Breakaway Records, Mohawk owners to open on Music Lane

There’s a ‘new,’ retro way to listen to music coming to Music Lane.

Co-owners of Breakaway Records vinyl shop—Josh LaRue and Gabe Vaughn—Mohawk owner James Moody, and Bunkhouse Group have teamed up to create their take on a Japanese kissa: a high-quality sound, vinyl music listening and appreciation bar.

The vinyl bar, which has yet to be named, will be in the basement of Hotel Magdalena, 1101 Music Ln., and the group hopes to host a soft opening sometime late this year.

A lifetime lover of music, LaRue told Austonia he visited many jazz kissas in Japan in the 2000s, enjoying the emphasis on the music, attentive listening atmosphere and curated cocktails. LaRue said he thinks Austinites will fully appreciate the experience.

“I think the level of music fandom is just different here—people just in general seem to know and care a lot about music in this town,” LaRue said. “Live music is obviously a huge part of Austin. We're just trying to shine a little bit of light on the other side of music, the recordings that people have made and the record collections that people have.”

Bunkhouse will handle the design element while LaRue and Vaughn focus on creating a curated vinyl collection, which will serve as a “living museum” that will evolve over time, through a Texas lens.

LaRue said it will include Texas-based musicians like Willie Nelson and Erykah Badu but also national and international artists with a Lone Star-inspired flair. Expect early jazz, traditional country music and blues in a Hi-Fi setting.

Music programming is still in the works but LaRue said a big element will include playing full or entire sides of LP vinyls as well as having guest personalities curate a night’s music. Of course, there will be a curated drink menu and likely bites from the restaurant upstairs.

“The general idea is to honor the record collection that we're building for this place and listen to those records as a whole… more like how the person who made this record wanted you to hear,” LaRue said. “We're trying to focus on something you can listen to from start to finish, enjoy the whole thing you know, and be taken on a ride by the artists.”