George Majewski and Carlyne Majer's Soap Creek Saloon, for instance, was one of the most popular alternate progressive country venues. Because of artist Kerry Awn's extensive calendars advertising performances there, we have a near-complete record of the acts that played the Soap Creek stage. This gives us an extensive data set, which can be compared to that compiled for the Armadillo World Headquarters. The acts that played Soap Creek Saloon most frequently are tabulated in the chart to the right.

At first glance, Soap Creek Saloon might seem to have been even more locally and regionally-oriented in its bookings than the Armadillo. Though the 20 acts that played most frequently at both venues were all local or regional, it is also notable that the top five acts at Soap Creek performed a total of nearly 900 evenings, while the top five Armadillo artists only racked up around 400. In total, the Armadillo booked more acts over its decade tenure, but this also meant that a smaller number of local acts logged more stage time at Soap Creek Saloon. A number of factors accounted for this difference between the two venues, including size, national reputation, and cost, all of which go a long way in establishing the two venues' particular roles in the scene.

This is not to suggest that national touring acts could not be found at Soap Creek. Albert Collins, Clifton Chenier, and the Meters all put in significant time there. Carl Perkins and Muddy Waters also played the club. However, on the whole, the Armadillo stage tended to act as a kind of connective tissue between Austin's artists and audiences and the larger American music industry, while Soap Creek self-consciously nurtured the local dimensions of progressive country. Finally, while such new venues as Soap Creek spread the progressive country trend broadly across the city's nightlife, the Armadillo World Headquarters continued to diversify its genre offerings.