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Have you ever wondered why all of Austin’s skyscrapers look blue? Or what is that giant tower in Clarksville actually doing there? Or who are these “Moodys” and why does it seem like everything in town is named after them?

If you’ve ever asked these or any other Austin-related questions, let us introduce you to your new best friend: the ATX series, explained by KUT. He’ll answer Austin’s not-so-burning questions live this Wednesday, October 23, at Bass Concert Hall.

ATXplained has been on air and online since 2016 and has since answered more than 140 questions from Austin residents. In 2018, after two successful years of the series, KUT held the first ATXplained Live concert at the Texas Union Theater on campus. This storytelling event went so well that six years and multiple venues later, they are still doing it.

The format of the live show is roughly the same as the pre-recorded show: listeners and readers ask questions about Austin, and then other listeners and readers vote on the questions they would most like answered. The questions with the most votes are forwarded to a KUT reporter, and along with the help of the original questioner, the reporter will answer those Austin questions live, or in this case, live in the theater.

But this event is not just a bunch of people sitting on a stage, reading questions and mechanically answering them. (Or Austin Chronicle probably wouldn’t name ATXplained Live “Best Live Events Journalism” in a critics’ poll.) These eight new stories, inspired by your questions, will come with audio, music, photography, video, performances and “a few surprises.” This is a whole production.

“The best part of bringing a story to life on stage is the interaction you share with the audience,” says Austin. Everything is taken into account host Jerry Quijano of ATXplained.

“Telling a story on radio has its limitations because you can only imagine the listener in your head,” he says. “During our ATXplained shows, our narrators often laugh (or cry) along with the audience. Performing on stage also gives us the opportunity to pull off some visual jokes and gags that would be much harder to pull off on radio. ATXplained is radio for your ears and eyes.”

Of course, no one is telling us what this year’s surprises or specific questions are, but the team has dropped some hints, saying the questions will involve “friendship, a certain spring water pool, and whether rain haunts Austinites.”

Previously, we saw a dance party on stage with KUT reporters and Yorkie Louie, the “godfather of Austin clubbing”; Bob Schneider stopped by to play some tunes; and the questions run the gamut from “Why is Lala’s Little Nugget always decorated for Christmas?” to “What was ZZ Top’s first annual Texas Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance and Bar BQ like in the summer of 1974?” The last question may not be exactly the question you ever thought to ask, but the answer is amazing.

KUT’s Marisa Charpentier explains why Lala’s Little Nugget is always decorated for Christmas on ATXplained Live in 2023. Photo from KUT.org.

This year’s live event is even bigger than previous years as it takes place at the Bass Concert Hall. In addition to changing the venue, they expanded the event this year to include “ATXpo” in the plaza in front of the venue starting at 6:00 p.m. This will include live music, local vendors and the opportunity to learn more about important local businesses such as Meals on Wheels and the Austin Transit Partnership. ATXPlained will then begin at 7:30 p.m.

“People should go to ATXplained Live on Wednesday if they want to reconnect with the magic that first drew them to Austin. And don’t we all need that reminder sometimes?” says Quijano. “Whether you’ve been here ten weeks or ten years, you’re sure to learn something new about the place we all call home. Plus, people actually stop talking during shows so you can hear what’s going on. Truly a new concept here in Austin.”

Tickets for ATXplained Live, including ATXPo, are available at Texasperformingarts.org.

To learn more about the ATXplained series, visit KUT.org.