The Hole Story is a new series from KUTX. Taped live on the front stage of Hole in the Wall – we’ve invited artists to not just perform, but also share the inspiration, meaning, or backstory behind each one.

Opened in 1974, Hole in the Wall is one of Austin’s most legendary dive bars. It continues to be a launchpad for generations of Texas songwriters — from Blaze Foley and Doug Sahm to Spoon, Shakey Graves, and Gary Clark Jr. It also happens to be right across the street from the KUT/X Studios.

Raised in rural East Texas, Carrie Fussell learned early that imagination could be a survival skill. For more than a decade, she applied that instinct into the Austin psychedelic folk collective Calliope Musicals.

When that chapter closed, she stepped away from performing.

Then came a midnight reset.

Invited by Jon Dee Graham to join his long-running Wednesday residency at the Continental Club, Carrie took the late-night slot and started again. In those after-hours sets, BRUCE emerged, along with the songs that would become Must Love Teeth. It’s a stretch, Carrie said, “saved her life.”

The Hole Story airs tonight at 10PM. More from the Hole Story here.

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