The Night Owl Podcast Ep. 56: Spirits at Sunset Strip - Part III

A Deep-Dive into the Ongoing Paranormal Investigation at Austin's Iconic Comedy Club
Air Date: January 27, 2025
Host: Stephen Belyeu, Night Owl Paranormal Research Society

Overview

In this third installment of the “Spirits at Sunset Strip” series, Stephen and his investigative team return to the historic Sunset Strip Comedy Club on Austin’s 6th Street. The goal: unravel the sustained hauntings and unsettling energy that have plagued staff and guests for years. Building on startling experiences and revelations from earlier episodes—shadow figures, disembodied voices, and inexplicable electrical disturbances—this episode features the integration of a second psychic medium, Kate the Brave, alongside returning medium Jeffrey. Together, they comb through unprecedented validations, discover resonant details from both mediums, and test new theories about the true spiritual occupants of the club, particularly focusing on the enigmatic "stagehand" spirit Hank, the rumored presence of J. Waller Stevens Jr., and an elusive shadow figure.

Key Discussion Points, Insights & Breakthroughs

1. Lindsay’s “Stage Presence” Testimony (03:25 – 07:27)

• Lindsay, a former performer, recounts sensing two distinct energies during a show: a stagehand on stage (“felt like someone there to do a job”) and a fun-loving male presence in the audience (04:43).
• She describes feeling goosebumps, an initial reluctance to share (03:25), and pinpoints a specific backstage area near the green room where the "stagehand" seemed to lurk.
• Stephen explains their psychic, Jeffrey, independently described a similar stagehand named “Hank”—a modern energy, music-affiliated, not from a previous century. Both Lindsay and Jeffrey sense him in the sound equipment/control room area backstage (05:15 – 07:27).

Lindsay [03:25]: “I felt someone on the stage with me who wasn’t there…and I seriously was not going to say this because…it wasn’t anything super significant. But it was…the weirdest thing. I didn’t even want to say it.”

Stephen [05:15]: “The most prominent energy [Jeffrey] felt was a male who worked the stage there...This was a guy that...was not ancient...maybe 80s, 90s...He was familiar with sound equipment, with music equipment.”

2. Jake’s Contrasting Experiences (07:27 – 09:22)

• Jake, Lindsay’s partner, senses “childlike, innocent” energy on the front stairwell—previously unreported—contrasting with the widely-reported oppressive male energy in the back stairwell, which intensified as he descended.
• He reports feeling distinctly unwelcome in the speakeasy, as if he was intruding on a secret or forbidden space.

Jake [08:38]: “It was like it didn’t want me…It did not want me there, and it tried everything it could to not let me go down in that stairwell.”

3. Jeffrey’s Walkthrough & Shadow Figure Details (10:53 – 14:21)

• Jeffrey describes sensing a shadow entity in a backstage utility closet—“jagged, almost made of electricity,” mean-spirited, feeding on fear, and linked to electrical disruptions.
• This shadow seems to torment staff, matching a prior incident where employee Philip was terrified while alone.
• Validation ensues as owner Christina confirms lighting issues frequently defy technical explanation (15:13).

Jeffrey [12:17]: “It hides…and when someone’s here alone, it got bigger. Almost like it was feeding on their fear or something.”

Jeffrey [14:21]: “It likes to zip back and forth. It likes the lights and the electricity. It likes to hide.”

4. Kate the Brave’s Arrival & Initial Impressions (16:30 – 21:40)

• Psychic Kate arrives, “blind” to all prior details. She is immediately drawn to the back stairwell and the speakeasy area.
• She detects:
  • Multiple energies: a woman slowing her down, “children running around,” and a strong male behind a caged bar (evoking a speakeasy atmosphere).
  • A shadowy, dodgy presence in the back office near electrical shelves—possibly business-related, “business mongrel”—which hints at the bookkeeper, J. Waller Stevens, Jr.

Kate [18:48]: “There’s a woman here right now…but down here, there’s the kids running around, and there’s also a man...He stands behind that cage...He feels like a stronger energy that can actually move things…”

5. Stage & Control Room: Parallel Psychic Readings (22:00 – 26:40)

• On stage, Kate senses:
  • A stagehand: “very kind, go, go, go, wants to show you the place,” and “if people are sitting in the audience, it’ll feel like a mouse runs by, but it’s not mice.”
  • The name "Hank" comes up—exact match to Jeffrey’s earlier reading and Lindsay’s experience (25:00–25:26). This is an unprecedented double-medium name match on the show.
  • A separate, sad male presence linked to suicide; shadowy, businesslike entity in the back office; and “sparky things”—elementals related to electrical phenomena (47:43).

Kate [25:00]: “For this name I’m hearing, like, Hank or something like that.”

Stephen [25:26]: “Holy—...She not only was picking up a stagehand...but for the first time in our show’s history, two psychic mediums...got an exact name match...”

• Kate also uncovers a past electrical hazard incident (a light about to fall), which Christina immediately validates as a real, recent concern detected by chance (26:40–27:35).

6. Exploring the Male Businessman/Embezzler Energy (28:27 – 37:32)

• Kate describes a male spirit in a tailored suit with “special cufflinks”—links to Prohibition-era wealth, embezzlement, and possible connections to the building’s past as a furniture store and speakeasy.
• She perceives possible gambling, secretive business dealings, and ties this figure to locked doors and paperwork—mirroring historic rumors about J. Waller Stevens, Jr., though date and cause of death details don’t perfectly align.
• Christina shares local lore of two relevant deaths: Stevens (by Lysol poisoning, 1920s) and a stroke victim (50s, bar regular).

Kate [29:27]: “Something about wealth is really important to him...feels like embezzlement kind of...I see him sitting there going through [the bookkeeping].”

7. The Shadow Figure, Businessman, and Interconnections (41:24 – 47:39)

• Both mediums clarify the shadow figure is distinct from the businessman spirit. The shadow is mean, loves mischief (slamming doors, causing lights to flicker), and revels in scaring people, especially when they are intoxicated.
• Shadow entity also seems to “witness” or even haunt the same space as the businessman, specifically in the liquor storage and green room.
• Kate suggests the shadow could be a former bartender or “nasty person” tied to alcohol, not the same as the meticulous businessman/bookkeeper.

8. The Estes Method: Direct Spirit Communication (57:04 – 61:49)

• Kate undergoes the Estes Method: a session relying on sensory deprivation and AM radio to channel spirit responses.
• Key words/phrases emerge related to business, Steven/John, forgive me, family, stairs, farm, homeless, jump.
• During the session, Kate is emotionally affected—reporting a woman thwarted from speaking, several male presences (possibly John and Jim), and a woman whose dreams were stifled, paralleling prior reports of female spirits.
• The session further points toward the presence of J. Waller Stevens Jr., and the shadow figure, as well as a female entity left voiceless by overbearing male energies.

Kate [58:28]: “Can you hear me?”
Kate [58:39]: “Forgive me.”

Kate [60:04]: “There’s a woman trying to come through, and he’s, like, not letting her talk...She had dreams of being a star and traveling and going...They were taken away from her.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lindsay [03:25]: “If I don't tell you, it's going to keep nagging at me...while I was on stage, I felt someone in the audience who wasn't there, but also...on the stage with me who wasn't there...”
• Jeffrey [12:17]: “Almost made of electricity or something...when someone’s here alone, it got bigger. Almost like it was feeding on their fear.”
• Kate [25:00]: “For this name I’m hearing, like, Hank or something like that.”
• Stephen [25:26]: “Never have we ever gotten an exact name match...the odds that they could get the same exact name tied to the same spirit of the stagehand blew my mind.”
• Kate [60:04]: “There’s a woman trying to come through, and he’s, like, not letting her talk…She had dreams…but they were taken away from her.”
• Kate [41:24]: “He doesn’t have a face. He doesn’t think he’s being mean. He thinks what he’s doing is funny, and it’s not funny. He’s definitely what we would probably call an asshole.”

Timeline of Important Segments

• 03:25–07:27: Lindsay details her experiences with the stagehand and audience presences.
• 07:27–09:22: Jake describes the happy energy on the front stairs and oppressive darkness on the back stairs.
• 10:53–14:21: Jeffrey’s walkthrough: the shadow’s characteristics and electrical mischief.
• 16:30–22:00: Kate’s first impressions, identification of energies in the stairwell and green room.
• 22:00–25:26: On stage: Kate picks up “Hank,” validates both mediums’ earlier readings.
• 26:40–27:35: Real-life incident of a nearly fallen light is supernaturally flagged.
• 28:27–41:24: Exploring businessman/bookkeeper energy and shadow figure’s possible backgrounds.
• 57:04–61:49: Estes Method, direct spirit responses, multilayered spirit communication.
• 60:04–61:49: Kate emotionally details the silenced woman’s presence.

Major Findings and New Theories

• The "Stagehand" (Hank):
  Now confirmed by three independent sources (Jeffrey, Kate, Lindsay) with identical characteristics and even name—modern, stage-centric, benevolent, and highly present.
• The Businessman/Bookkeeper:
  Likely J. Waller Stevens Jr.—emerges as a money-focused, secretive but not overtly malicious presence. Kate’s and historical details partially align, but exact death and timeline remain uncertain.
• The Shadow Figure:
  Distinct, antagonistic entity tied to electrical disturbances, fear induction, possible past as a bartender or patron, blurring the line between haunting and energetic parasite. Not the same as the businessman.
• Female and Child Spirits:
  A less-reported, compassionate, and empathetic female spirit struggles to be heard, echoing patron and staff experiences of friendly female energy in the green room. Elementary “sparky”/childlike energies are noted but considered more ambient or location-related.
• Unprecedented Double-Medium Validation:
  Both psychics independently named “Hank” and described matching attributes, strengthening case credence.

Concluding Thoughts

As the episode closes, the team recognizes a paradigm shift: where staff once blamed J. Waller Stevens Jr. for the building’s unsettling phenomena, it now seems the more threatening shadow figure is the source of discomfort and fear, while Stevens’ and Hank’s spirits may simply linger due to residual or unresolved business. With strong evidence supporting the presence of multiple, distinct energies—and the rare occurrence of direct psychic agreement—Stephen and the Night Owl team feel both validated and challenged. Their investigation is far from over, and the next episode promises a continued pursuit of answers.

Next Episode: Spirits at Sunset Strip, Part IV (Airs Feb 24, 2025)
Follow the Night Owl Podcast for ongoing updates and deeper dives into Austin’s paranormal underbelly.

Contact:
Have a personal ghost story or haunted site in Austin? Share tips via voicemail at (512) 270-8859 or email thenightowlpodcast@gmail.com

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