Austin Water Tank

The Water Tank is a reported 500-capacity bar and live-music room in Austin, set on McNeil Drive at the edge of Jollyville. Its defining feature is the Backyard: an outdoor performance area with its own stage and bar, giving band nights a looser, patio-scale setting beside the main room. The venue calls itself Jollyville’s oldest bar and says it has served Northwest Austin for over three decades.

A bar built around participation

The Water Tank opened in 1986 as a beer-only neighborhood bar. Charles Anderson and business partner Ray McEachern bought it in 1994, then expanded the operation into a full bar and grill. A 2010 Community Impact profile recorded Wednesday live music, Monday open-mic sessions, karaoke across five weekly nights, pool tables, shuffleboard, a jukebox, arcade games and a dance floor: a clear early blueprint for the participatory entertainment mix that still drives the room.

Its sharpest recent chapter arrived in October 2025, when ASCAP announced a lawsuit alleging that the Water Tank had publicly performed music without a license. ASCAP said its representatives had contacted the business for three years; the Water Tank told the Austin Chronicle that it supported Austin musicians, had received no legal filings, and intended to work in good faith to keep live music active. The dispute placed karaoke and cover performance at the center of the venue’s public story.

The backyard-and-bar setup today

Expect a generalist neighborhood program built for regular participation: weekly live-music nights with local and national artists, karaoke, open jam, DJs, trivia and poker alongside special and private events. The Austin Chronicle’s current listing puts Friday acoustic sets and Saturday band nights in the Backyard, while the venue promotes five karaoke nights each week. Inside, a long central bar divides small pockets with pool tables and arcade games; outdoors, the Backyard supplies the stage and bar. A coffee operation and beer garden add daytime and patio options to the setup.