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developmental officer by former Mayor Annise Parker. The 380 gives White Oak sales tax reimbursements for infrastruc- ture improvements they made during de- velopment and is valued at $1.1 million over 10 years. Mayor Sylvester Turner has already rebuked the Two Wills for trying to rely on a temporary outdoor stage and vowed that they'll have to be successfully permitted for a permanent stage to continue outdoor shows. Houston's no-zoning status does not necessarily mean that it's easy to do something new and groundbreaking in the city. "You don't see a lot of rock ven- ues being built from the ground up, and there's a reason for that," Thomas says. A Music City Garwood and Thomas figure the music will carry the day in the end. The city has never had an iconic venue along the lines of Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre or Berkeley's Greek Theatre, or even Stubb's in Austin. White Oak's devel- opers vow to get Houston a seat at that music table. "Obviously, Will and I are risk takers," Garwood says. "That's part of what has gotten us this far. There is an inordinate amount of risk." Anything for the music — and for a dream hatched in a Whole Foods parking lot. late August bonanza of concerts sounding the official grand opening of a venue that Garwood and Thomas expect to host at least 500 shows a year. More than 8,000 people — including a surprise appear- ance from Lynn Wyatt — and 19 bands were packed into the opening weekend alone. This is a $10 million-plus project; more than $800,000 went into the top- of-the-line sound system and lights of the Main Hall — White Oak's 1,500-person capacity indoor space. There's also a more intimate 400-person indoor room, a 3,000-crowd-accommodating outdoor lawn, the four-story Raven Tower with bar and small stage, and an outdoor patio music venue below the tower. That's a lot of room for a lot of acts, and the two Wills made sure they could fill it by enlisting Houston mu- sic-industry vets Johnny So and Jagi Katial of Pegstar Concerts as equity partners and talent bookers. To build early support and cement a long-term legacy, the Wills hired local architect Troy Schaum and designer Gin Braverman to make the design both cutting edge and reminiscent of the old- time music hall they wanted to channel. "This is the music venue I always wanted to have when I was growing up in Houston," Thomas says. Rebels In Corporate Clothes Garwood and Thomas are an unlikely pair. The 34-year-old Garwood shows up for an interview in pressed slacks, a polo, and dress shoes. The 37-year-old Thomas pre- fers trucker hats, cowboy boots, and jeans. Garwood is clean-shaven; Thomas has a bushy brownish-red beard and frequently has a toothpick between his lips. Garwood went to St. John's, graduated from Prince- ton in 2005, and worked at JPMorgan as an investment banker in New York. Thomas attended Episcopal High School in Bellaire, the University of Denver, and South Texas College of Law (now Houston College of Law), emerging as a criminal defense attor- ney. Neither man ever felt enamored with their high-powered careers, though. "For me, I knew I wasn't going to work my way up at JPMorgan," Garwood says. "I'm more interested in building something than building a career." Thomas' epiphany came after he was turned down for a job he thought he wanted. "I interviewed at the Galveston County DA's office," he says. "Not getting that job was the greatest thing ever." Their easy rapport comes through chasing a shared vision. They're doing a very Austin thing in Houston, betting that the city is ready to embrace cool things of its own. It's no surprise that East Austin's development from a historic, largely white-shunned neighborhood into a restaurant and arts enclave is something of a model for them. While Thomas admits to being a semi-frustrated musician (he's the lead singer "IT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHERE MUSIC IS RELEVANT." — Will Garwood of local band Grand Old Grizzly on the side), both men see White Oak growing beyond the music. They own four acres on the other side of the bayou from White Oak Music Hall, and there are deals in place to open a sand volley- ball-themed bar in partnership with Grown Up Sports (GUS), and an ambitious Les Givral's restaurant along the water, somewhat modeled after Austin's beloved Mozart's Coffee. If you bring the music, they will come? "It's going to make you feel like you're in the heart of where music is relevant," Garwood says. "Like New Orleans." For Garwood — who returned to Houston in 2010 and found himself amazed by the luxury high-rise and mid-rise apartment buildings going up — it's a simple equation. All these young people pouring into Houston need something to do. They need music, a place they can see The Flaming Lips one night and country music icon Sturgill Simpson the next. Not everyone in the Near Northside neigh- borhood is convinced they want Garwood and Thomas — or anyone else — changing their slice of Houston. The police received 17 noise complaints during the venue's first outdoor show in April, months before the official opening weekend. (The Wills are contesting a noise ordi- nance citation issued, with Thomas representing White Oak in court; two noise violations that stick in three years could result in the venue losing its sound ordinance). The Wills executed a 380 agreement with the City of Houston and Andy Icken, who was appointed the City's chief Will Garwood Will Thomas 109