Chris Travis has been working since 2012 and has never made a move toward a major label. He plays Emo’s Austin on Thursday, July 30 — one stop on The Prefix Tour, a 31-date national run through the summer — and at this point in his career, headlining a 1,700-capacity room on his own terms is exactly the argument he’s been making.
About Chris Travis
Travis is from Orange Mound, Memphis. That matters. Memphis gave rap its dark, hypnotic center — three-chord loops, slow-crawling 808s, lyrics that work on weight rather than speed. Three 6 Mafia built the template. A generation later, Travis came up through the Raider Klan collective, which carried that Memphis aesthetic into the internet era. He also ran with Seshollowaterboyz — Bones, Xavier Wulf, Eddy Baker — a crew that moved most of its catalog through SoundCloud when SoundCloud was genuinely the underground.
Travis founded Water Boyz Entertainment, his own label, and has kept building through it: Hell On Earth (H.O.E.) in 2012, then Gotham City, WATERSZN, Codeine & Pizza, Garbage, and more since. No major label. No crossover single. Just a catalog that keeps finding its audience.
The Prefix Tour opened June 16 in New York and runs through August 21, touching 31 cities. Earlier stops include The Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., and House of Blues in Chicago. The Austin date is July 30.
Venue Info
Emo’s Austin is at 2015 E Riverside Drive on Austin’s east side, operated by Live Nation. The 1,700-capacity club is a consistent routing point for national touring acts and can hold a real crowd without losing the room’s energy. This show is all ages. VIP upgrades are available through The Meet Up program for those who want a closer position.
Tickets & Pricing
Tickets run $60–$74 through Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7:00 PM; the show starts at 8:00 PM. For the full slate of Austin concerts this summer, check the calendar.