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Featured Replies

  • Popular Post

Just heard that our resident former-East Villager, Beasties loving, and ABGB co-owning pal has passed away. Dude was always the nicest guy in the room and was always taking his small boys to do cool stuff, including Game 1 of the regionals. I'm going to miss him. 

 

That sucks.  Can you post his avatar??  I rarely know posters by name but their avatars always stick out. Thoughts for the family. 

  • Popular Post

His passing has been sad news indeed. R.I.P. to a fantastic, caring, generous, and kind person. He was a neighbor and good friend of mine for many years and things won't be the same without him around.

Peace

Damn.  I remember the username but can't really place him. Anyways, may his memory be eternal to his friends and family. 

Hate fucking seeing these posts. Especially when I read he left behind young kids. Shit. RIP Evil Horn.

Oh damn.  I knew him in NYC and I knew him as Mark.    What a great guy.  RIP

My condolences to all his friends and family, most especially his young children.

That’s terrible news. When we lived in Barton Hills and were at ABGB all the time he was always there and was the nicest guy. RIP

That sucks.  I remember him well from TOS.  IIRC his avatar might have been a painted wall or some sort of graffiti maybe?

WTF? Mark Jensen passed? How? What? he has two amazing little boys. link? 

So, is he Runnnin' With Devil now?   Maybe Barking at the Moon?  

 

Hook 'Em, My man.

Shit I just saw the gofundme page and the twin boys. I'm a twin myself. Dang I hate that for his wife and boys. 

damn, this sucks. I met him a couple of times at ABGB

  • Popular Post
mark-jensen-abgb.jpg

About all that the once mighty music scene in Austin, TX has left to cling to are the handful of holdout venues and their brave and enterprising owners that in spite of all the adversity, the sacrifice they must suffer, and the odds they must overcome, they do it anyway, because they believe in the music and the community that springs from it. And whatever that calls for and no matter how bleak things may appear, they persevere. 

That embodies the heart that ABGB owner Mark Jensen exemplified during his too-short stint raging against the dying of the light, and doing his part to make sure the spirit of Austin music wasn’t doused on his watch. In a previous life he was a copywriter for an advertising agency in New York City. But he found an escape through the music and brews he’d imbibe in during his time off, and soon hatched a plan to move to Austin to start a brew pub and music venue. Many cook up such schemes in the boring moments slaving away at their mundane jobs. Mark Jensen hauled off and did it. 

Having attended South by Southwest and ACL Fest for years, Mark finally moved to Austin in 2013 and opened the ABGB (short for Austin Beer Garden and Brewing) with brewery maestros Brian “Swifty” Peters and Amos Lowe right at the dogleg of Oltorf Street in South Austin, about a block from where it dumps into South Lamar. 

The timing was good, because that area would blow up in the coming years, partly due to the anchor of The ABGB. They put pizza on the menu and started booking local bands of all genres, and soon it was a staple of the community born from the good vibes the place put out, and Mark Jensen’s insistence to always put people first, often collaborating with local non profits on all sorts of endeavors. 

“We are so saddened to learn of the passing of Mark Jensen,” says the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians after learning of Mark’s passing on Wednesday, June 9th. “Mark has been a longtime champion of HAAM, Austin musicians and local area nonprofits. He brought that passion to The ABGB where he helped create a culture of giving back to local causes and supporting the Austin music community. Our hearts are with his family, friends, the ABGB crew, musicians who had the privilege to play the ABGB, and the countless number of people whose lives Mark touched, without them even realizing it.”

That’s the thing: Mark wasn’t one of these dudes running around town doing good deeds only for the accolades. He was just a good dude, doing right by musicians especially, who after the news began to spread of his passing, stepped up in droves to offer their thoughts and condolences, including Teri Joyce, Doug Strahan, Beth Chrisman, Tomar and the FC’s, and many more.

“Mark’s recipe was simple: instead of treating musicians as a resource to be exploited, he approached them as he did his other passionate causes (Barton Springs, Austin shelter animals, his beloved Zilker neighborhood, and so many more) as unique Austin resources to be nurtured,” said record label Nine Mile at the news of his passing. “His immense generosity toward every single musician who played that stage was well known around town, and a gig at ABGB meant, not only generous hospitality and a fair payday, but something much more precious: respect.”

Along with being a kickass music venue, ABGB is an award-winning brew pub, winning the Great American Beer Festival Brewpub Of The Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018. 

Tomar and the FC’s show Saturday night (6-12) at ABGB will be a big remembrance for Mark Jensen. No word at the moment of other events or services planned. No word just yet either how Jensen passed. 

Mark Jensen is survived by his wife Maria Mack Jensen and twin young boys Waylon Mack Jensen and Wyatt William Jensen. More information when it becomes available. 

 


https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/beloved-abgb-owner-mark-jensen-has-died/

None of us are getting outta this thing alive.

RIP mah dude.

That really sucks. I remember him from the other site. Damn. Great kid names, I almost named my boy Waylon.

Seeing the pics that definitely was the dude at the shaggy HH. Only time I ever met him but a really cool ass dude. Hate to see anyone go with young kids. Will donate to the fund. 

He named his boys Waylon and Wyatt. That's bad ass!! 

Rest in peace, Mark.

10 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Seeing the pics that definitely was the dude at the shaggy HH. Only time I ever met him but a really cool ass dude. Hate to see anyone go with young kids. Will donate to the fund. 

Same here. RIP

Well that is horrible.

RIP EvilHorn

  • 3 years later...
  • Popular Post

Didn't see a better spot to post this, but wanted to give a shout out to ABGB's pizza and beers. 

Stopped by earlier to pick up a 4pk of Superliner IPA and a calabreze pizza to go with March Madness games. Both are fucking fantastic.

R.I.P. Mark, you fantastic SOB. Thanks for the laughs, the music, the excellent food (+ salet),  and all of the awesomeness you brought to our lives.

 

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  • Author
  • Popular Post

I think about Mark all the time. After his Music Fest at The Far Out lounge Maria, his wife, was handing out small canisters of his ashes to spread where we wanted. Pleased to inform that Mark holds permanent residence at the Disch down the 3rd base line. 🤘🏽 Miss you Mark.

Edited by Bottlecap

I have been to ABGB twice in the last 10 days. I told my companions about Mark and how he owned ABGB etc ...  

My Mexican friends tell me that a man dies three times. Once when his heart stops beating, then when he is buried/cremated and then the last time anybody says his name.  So I'm doing my best to keep him alive.

9 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

I have been to ABGB twice in the last 10 days. I told my companions about Mark and how he owned ABGB etc ...  

I saw you there during sxsw- would've said hello and introduced myself IRL but between the crowd and music you wouldn't have heard a word I said. 😀

9 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

My Mexican friends tell me that a man dies three times. Once when his heart stops beating, then when he is buried/cremated and then the last time anybody says his name.  So I'm doing my best to keep him alive.

Animation Nation: The complexity of "Coco" hot dad, Héctor Rivera - Just  Add Color

  • Popular Post

Hello - this is Mark's wife, Maria. Someone forwarded this thread to me and I read it with Waylon and Wyatt. I can't tell you how much every single kind word means to us. I told the boys how beautiful it is that there are all of these people we don't know out there sending us love and we didn't even know about it. All because of Mark. We miss him every second of every day. Keep the stories coming. Thank you and hook 'em. 

  • 6 months later...
  • Popular Post

I stopped by ABGB today for lunch and beer while running some errands- happy to report they're still doing good work! 

Was there a couple of weeks ago for a semi-ish annual reunion of another Austin brewery long gone, but with connections to ABGB.  Certainly agree that they're still making excellent beer and pizza.  It's one of my favorite places in town to visit with friends, and I don't really get there often enough.  The tables outside are all under tons of shade, and if it's just too damn hot, then the A/C inside is plenty cold.  As there always is on those Sunday reunions of ours, a Texas band playing Texas music was on stage, and plenty of folks were using the dance floor as intended.

As I write this, I'm a little stunned at how many good memories I have of the place, when it really hasn't been around a very long time, and I don't go there but maybe 2 or 3x a year.  I loved that Mark told us all the plan long before it happened so we could follow along, and I remember how cool it was that Mike and the Austin Beerworks crew showed up on opening day with their benches so ABGB could open on time, because their benches hadn't arrived yet.  That just struck me as so very Austin, in the best way possible, and hit me right in the heart.

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