About Green Apple Music Series in San Angelo, TX
Live Music Built on Community and Connection Across the Concho Valley
You deserve live music experiences that celebrate artistry, authenticity, and the vibrant spirit of Texas. Green Apple Music Series brings respected regional and Texas artists to intimate venues throughout the Concho Valley, creating concerts where every seat feels close to the stage and every note resonates with intention.
Founded as a nonprofit organization, we're dedicated to bringing high-quality live music to communities across Eden, San Angelo, Abilene, Big Spring, Midland, and Odessa. From our very beginning, our mission has been clear: support the arts, honor musicians, and create unforgettable listening experiences for audiences who value genuine connection through music.
We operate with honesty, reliability, and a deep commitment to serving music lovers and supporting the cultural fabric of West Texas. Every concert we present reflects our belief that live music strengthens communities and enriches lives.
Discover how live music brings the Concho Valley together one concert at a time.
Craig Pfluger and the Green Apple Music Journey
When Craig Pfluger first looked at the cavernous old buildings in Eden, Texas, once a wool warehouse, a feed store, and a meat-locker plant, he didn’t see deterioration. He saw potential. He saw sound waves bouncing off concrete, music drifting through open-cased windows, and a community rediscovering itself through melody. That vision became the Green Apple Music Series, a now-beloved West Texas tradition that continues to grow, evolve, and weave people together through the power of live performance.
The Green Apple journey began modestly in 2013, when Craig, already known for his deep love of Texas music, spearheaded the transformation of those abandoned buildings into what became the Green Apple Art Center, a 150-seat intimate venue where musicians and audiences could truly meet each other. “There’s nothing fancy about our venue,” Craig often said. “But you still feel like you’re transported somewhere else.”
He was right. In no time, the Center was drawing people from Lubbock, Sweetwater, Austin, and beyond. Dinner was served before each show, including fajitas, brisket, and ribs, cooked by local volunteers, as neighbors and strangers mingled under open skies. Craig curated lineups of artists whose authenticity resonated with the heart of Texas, including Slaid Cleaves, Jimmy LaFave, Ruthie Foster, Joe Ely, and countless others. The acoustic quality, thanks to “the greatest sound people we could ever want,” as Craig described them, rivaled theaters in Austin or Dallas.
But Craig wasn’t content with Eden alone. After a decade of cultivating community, the Green Apple Music Series embarked on its next chapter, bringing its spirit to San Angelo.
Celina Hemmeter and the Green Apple Music Journey
Celina Hemmeter, then Eden’s City Administrator, first looked at the cavernous old buildings on the edge of town—a former wool warehouse, a feed store, and a meat-locker plant—she didn’t see deterioration. She saw possibility. She imagined sound waves bouncing off concrete, music drifting through open-cased windows, and a small West Texas town rediscovering itself through song.
That vision became the Green Apple Music Series, now a beloved West Texas tradition that continues to grow, evolve, and weave people together through the power of live performance.
The Green Apple journey began in earnest in 2013, when Hemmeter spearheaded the ambitious renovation of those long-abandoned buildings. Through persistence, creative problem-solving, and a deep belief in the arts as an economic and cultural engine, she helped transform them into the Green Apple Art Center—an intimate, 150-seat listening room where musicians and audiences could truly meet each other. The space wasn’t designed to impress with polish, but with authenticity, and it quickly became clear that something special was taking root in Eden.
As the venue came to life, Craig Pfluger, already well known for his deep love of Texas music and longtime advocacy for songwriters, stepped in to help shape the musical identity of Green Apple. With Craig curating artists and nurturing relationships, the series found its voice—one grounded in heartfelt songwriting, impeccable sound, and deep respect for both performers and listeners.
“There’s nothing fancy about our venue,” Craig often said. “But you still feel like you’re transported somewhere else.”
He was right. In short order, the Green Apple Art Center began drawing audiences from Lubbock, Sweetwater, Austin, and beyond. Each show became a full evening experience: dinner served beforehand—fajitas, brisket, ribs—cooked by local volunteers, with neighbors and strangers sharing tables under open skies. The sound, handled by what Craig fondly called “the greatest sound people we could ever want,” rivaled much larger theaters in Austin or Dallas, while maintaining the intimacy of a true listening room.
Artists such as Slaid Cleaves, Jimmy LaFave, Ruthie Foster, Joe Ely, and many others found a rare environment where their songs could breathe. Audiences listened closely. Community formed naturally. What Celina had envisioned as a catalyst for renewal became a cultural anchor for Eden.
After a decade of cultivating that sense of connection, the Green Apple Music Series embarked on its next chapter, carrying the spirit first imagined in those warehouses beyond Eden and into San Angelo, where its core values—community, authenticity, and the simple power of a well-told song—continue to resonate.
The Expansion: The Chicken Farm Arts Center & Brooks & Bates Theatre
In its eleventh season, the Green Apple team proudly announced that all 2023 shows would take place exclusively in San Angelo, thanks to new partnerships with two uniquely vibrant venues:
- The Chicken Farm Arts Center
- The Brooks & Bates Theatre at the San Angelo Performing Arts Center
The Chicken Farm Arts Center
To Craig, the Chicken Farm felt like Green Apple’s spiritual cousin: eclectic, intimate, artsy, and community-centered. Guests could wander among studios, sculptures, and colorful courtyards before settling into the outdoor listening space—vintage, lively, unpretentious.
It wasn’t long before artists like MADAM RADAR brought their explosive Americana-rock energy to the series’ San Angelo shows, keeping Craig’s tradition of high-quality, high-heart performances alive.
The Chicken Farm also offered something Eden never could—on-site B&B rooms where concertgoers could literally fall asleep to the lingering hum of guitars.
Brooks & Bates Theatre
Meanwhile, the Brooks & Bates Theatre expanded the Green Apple experience indoors, giving Craig’s audience a climate-controlled, polished acoustic environment for summer shows and holiday events. The theater’s comfortable seating and performance-focused design allowed the more delicate, storytelling-driven musicians to shine in a professional setting.
Whether outdoors under string lights or inside a modern theatre, Craig kept the most important traditions alive: BYOB, a pre-show social hour, great food, great people, and better music.
Craig’s Legacy: A West Texas Patchwork of Music and Community
Today, the Green Apple Music Series is more than a concert series—it’s a testament to what one person with a vision can spark. Thanks to Craig Pfluger:
- Eden gained a cultural heartbeat where none existed before.
- San Angelo now enjoys a hybrid music experience—part rustic art village, part refined performance hall.
- Musicians across Texas have a space where they feel heard, supported, and connected to their audiences.
- Listeners have a musical home built on authenticity, generosity, and neighborly warmth.
Craig didn’t just build a venue; he built a community movement that continues to thrive, evolve, and welcome new faces every season. As the Green Apple team likes to say, they couldn’t do it without their sponsors, members, and devoted fans. And all of it began with one man who believed West Texas deserved a front-row seat to great music.