Artz Rib House Shuttered, Perhaps Temporarily, After Back Taxes and Medical Bills Double-Whammy [Fundraisers]

South Austin restaurant Artz Rib House has been serving up BBQ and live music for nearly twenty years, but all that may soon come to an end.

As John Kelso reports today in a column that's absent of his usual wisecrackin' tone, Art Blondin, the proprietor of Artz Ribs, was forced to close the restaurant on Sunday because of back taxes owed to the IRS and mounting medical bills from his wife's serious illness. Zenobia Sutton, Blondin's wife of 24 years and the reason for the 'Z' in the restaurant's name, is currently at Brackenridge Hospital.

Blondin cited the general recession as contributing to his financial woes, but was careful to admit that he'd made "some basic bad business decisions." The exact amount needed to rescue Artz Rib House is unknown.

Local musician and friend of the family Danny Britt has organized a small fundraiser tonight at Artz, starting at 6 p.m. Another event at a larger venue is being organized, and expected to take place in the next few weeks.

"Art has fed countless musicians and countless people at benefits, so it's basically time for us to help him now," Britt told Kelso. "Anybody who has ever eaten barbecue at a benefit show, it probably came from Artz. Art has employed musicians, he's supplied food at benefits for musicians. He's just had a huge role in the musician community for years."