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October 2009
Capsule review: ‘The Messenger’
One does not need to witness battles on the screen to understand the horrors of war, as evidenced by screenwriter Oren Moverman’s (“I’m Not There”) incredible directorial debut, “The Messenger.”
Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) has returned from the war in Iraq a decorated hero, but with multiple injuries, he must serve out the final three months of his tour. Relegated to the bleak and thankless work of casualty notification, Montgomery must visit families who have lost a loved one in the theater. His robotic commanding officer, Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), explains to the disciplined soldier that his new job is about “character” and one that must be done “before you can understand it.”
Reeling from the loss of his girlfriend he left behind to go serve his country, and haunted by the vivid images of war, Montgomery’s sole companion is a pager that goes off at all hours to alert him to his latest assignment. Throughout the movie, its piercing beep acts as a sword of Damocles hanging over his head, an audible device that leaves the audience on the same edge as the soldier.
As Montgomery and Stone enter each residence to notify families of their tragic loss, the camera enters behind them, offering the soldiers’ perspective on this horrible journey of endurance and duty, as they gut-wrenchingly deliver news that will forever change the lives of the people they visit.
Montgomery battles to reconcile his humanity with the emotional detachment required of the job, a function that Stone has assimilated so deeply that he seems to have no connection with his fellow man. As the cold relationship between commanding officer and his charge softens, Stone begins to reevaluate his understanding of war, people and himself.
Montgomery finds a kindred spirit in the form of Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), a grieving military widow and mother of one, who is trying to come to terms with the death of her husband, a man whose soul she felt had already been lost to the brutality of life at war.
The script, co-written by Alessandro Camon, offers a loose framework for a movie that features some amazing improvisational work by the actors. The movie unfolds slowly and organically, with lengthy scenes that allow the open wounds of its characters to breathe, as they attempt to repair themselves organically.
Harrelson and Foster are outstanding in roles that should garner both of them Academy Award nominations. The relationship between these two men both dealing with their service and sacrifice in different ways, shifts seamlessly from adversarial to fraternal. While its subject manner is dark and discomfiting at times, the movie has a warmth, robust humor, and eventually, a hopefulness that left me moved unlike any movie I have seen in years.
Moverman and his cast and crew have created a stirring masterpiece that allows the viewer to inhabit a world we almost never see, and reveals the endurance of the human spirit and our need to find solace, love and fellowship in our fellow man even when we feel most isolated.
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Capsule review: ‘The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia’
Inspired by director Jacob Young’s cult documentary, “Dancing Outlaw,” a movie that featured the eccentric tap dancing Appalachian phenom, Jesco White, “Jackass” producers Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine and director Julien Nitzberg decided to follow the entire White clan for a year.
Notorious for their drinking, drugging, violence and illegal behavior, the White family of Boone, West Virginia is a petri dish of dysfunction and amoral behavior.
The documentary, “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia,” opens on a shot of a muddy puddle behind a chain-link fence, an apt metaphor for a family rolling around in slop, trapped by its history and genetics.
Using an animated family tree, the audience is introduced to one bad seed after another. The cameras follow various family members on an apparently typical year in the life in which they battle the law, their addictions and each other.
I’m always a little leery of a documentary that appears to exploit its naïve and foolish characters, but the Whites are more than willing participants in this quasi-sociological excavation of their sins. And the filmmakers don’t exactly seem to be overtly judging their subjects, for whom it seems they have a bit of an affinity. Whether that makes it OK to laugh and guffaw, I am not certain.
At times the movie almost feels like a snuff film, but instead of watching someone get killed, the audience must endure the shock, perverse humor and brutality of a family that is slowly killing itself.
A few glimmers of hopefulness appear in the bond and commitment the family members have to one another and the act of one White mother to try and get clean in order to save herself and her baby. But generally it is a darkly comic and unsettling look into a family set to self-destruct.
In the midst of the madness, Jesco White attempts to philosophize about the fate of this family that is a product of its geography and history. His massive back tattoo, one that features the visages of both Elvis and Charles Manson, may best encapsulate their burden — For as evil as they seem to be, there is a certain charisma to this band of country outlaws.
As the credits roll, the audience can shake its collective head in awe and disgust at the display of grotesque humanity in this unrated version of “The Jerry Springer Show” and then move on with their safe, comfortable lives, but, sadly, for the Whites, there seems nothing left to do but ponder the losing battle they half-heartedly wage against their demons.
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Trailer Treasure : Hat Creek Burger Co.
2209 Rio Grande St. 732-2025, hatcreekburgers.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursdays through Saturdays.
Traveling the country as a reserve guard for the University of Texas men’s basketball team, native Austinite and former Longhorn Drew Gressett had ample opportunity to search for the perfect burger.
But after graduating and splitting his time between Washington, D.C., and China working commercial real estate ventures, Gressett decided to stop looking and just make his own burger.
Thus was born the Hat Creek Burger Co. trailer.
Capitalizing on the public’s growing interest in responsible eating, Gressett takes pride in the fact that his all-natural Angus beef is raised humanely, fed a 100 percent vegetarian diet and can be traced to its ranch of origin.
Don’t let the beef’s heady pedigree fool you. Hat Creek’s Big Hat Burger ($4.99 with cheese, a hand-formed two-fifths of a pound) is a mouth-watering double, dripping with cheese and just the right amount of greasy goodness to evoke visions of the most rewarding of backyard barbecues. The juicy meat is topped with mustard, crisp lettuce, tomato and pickles. For the easily intimidated, the Little Hat Burger ($3.49 with cheese) offers the same delights in a single-patty package. For a more personalized burger, grilled onions and jalapeños can be added for free, with bacon and mushrooms carrying a small charge.
Salty, fresh hand-cut fries ($1.99) complement the burgers, which can be finished off with a sinfully thick, hand-dipped Blue Bell shake ($3.99).
Hat Creek, named in part as an homage to Larry McMurtry’s ‘Lonesome Dove,’ opened last October in a West Sixth Street parking lot behind the Star Bar, which closed in July. The good thing about trailers is they have wheels, allowing Gressett to relocate to a parking lot near UT earlier this month. With an array of picnic tables and college-friendly hours, Hat Creek’s new location gives discerning burger lovers an alternative to bloated fast-food rivals.
For those who dread the labyrinthine infrastructure of the campus area, fear not. Gressett is building off the success of his trailer operation and has opened a brick-and-mortar location at 5400 Burnet Road (in the old Arby’s building) that serves dine-in and drive-through customers.
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Capsule review: ‘Tenure’
Navigating the politics of college bureaucracy can be a tricky path. After bouncing around small liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, Charlie Thurber (Luke Wilson) finds himself nearing the end of yet another academic rope. He’s been at small Grey College for three years and his time to get tenure seems to be now or never.
Adrift in loneliness and dealing with a father waging a battle to be removed from his early placement in a retirement home, nothing seems to be going right for Thurber. When he is not agonizing over the future of his career at Grey or his family, he spends most of his spare time suffering his eccentric Bigfoot-chasing colleague (David Koechner).
When a cute, young, seemingly qualified professor, Elaine Grasso (Gretchen Mol), arrives from Yale, offering a threat to Thurber’s position in the English department and his White Whale of tenure, he goes into overdrive to protect his turf, haphazardly and comically plotting to keep his academic aspirations alive.
Wilson is likeable as the put-upon but charming Thurber trying to hold his family and career together, and Koechner successfully tones down and humanizes his over-the-top shtick in his role of lovable but hair-brained sidekick (think a more mellow and slightly less paranoid version of Walter Sobchak), but the film is a little too restless. Many of the scenes feature clever bits of dialogue, but they aren’t given time to develop, leaving a somewhat forced feel to the narrative.
Rosemarie DeWitt (“Rachel Getting Married”) steals a couple of scenes as Thurber’s rented date, and BobGunton (“24”) brings seriousness and heart to the role of Charlie’s dad, William Thurber, although his parallel story line at times seems contrived.
With his entertaining and at times touching feature debut, writer-director Mike Million shows promise as a filmmaker who understands the humor and heartbreak inherent in the human condition, although his first effort feels slightly too familiar to consider him a refreshingly unique voice.
“Tenure” screens again Wednesday night at 7 at the Arbor.
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Ron Jeremy in Austin
As evidenced by pictures distributed via Twitter last night, porn legend Ron Jeremy was at the Dirty Projectors show last night at Antone’s. (I wasn’t there, so there’s an outside chance it was Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.)
Outside of the band’s name including the word “dirty” in it, it seems an odd pairing — a porn icon and reality TV “star” attending a show by an art rock band from NYC?
Maybe he just wanted to hit up the legendary club, and the Projectors happened to be playing. Or maybe the young vixen with whom he was spotted is a fan of the band.
The pic below came from Chris Saad’s Twitter feed, Twitter.com/drumjam. I don’t think Jeremy has any relationships with movies playing at the Austin Film Festival, but I have a call out just in case.
For what it’s worth, Statesman writer Peter Mongillo, who reports Jeremy seemed to be bordering on sleep at the concert, says the show was amazing. Some folks on Twitter (jokingly) seem to think he is in town for Monospace. Anyone else know why he might be in town?
Update: According to a helpful commenter, and apparently confirmed by this interview with Zach Galifianakis, Jeremy has a cameo in the dark comedy “Little Fish, Strange Pond,” playing at the Austin Film Festival.
As far as I know, Van Gundy (below) was not there …
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Capsule review: ‘Youth in Revolt’
Michael Cera (“Juno,” “Superbad”) has seemingly become the one-valve Miles Davis of the acting world. He plays one note, and he plays the hell out of it. But even if the great Miles could only play one note, the tune would eventually become tiresome.
With his role in the new darkishly comic “Youth in Revolt,” many wondered if Cera would show a little more dexterity and range and break out of his twee cinematic mold. The answer is kind of.
Based on C.D. Payne’s 1993 novel, the film tells the story of young Nick Twisp, a bon vivant (at least in his mind), who prefers the works of Frank Sinatra and Federico Fellini to the immature predilections of his peers. But he does share one obsession undoubtedly similar to those of all adolescents — he wants to lose his virginity.
When his low-brow mother (Jean Smart) and her boyfriend (a woefully underused and unfortunately predictable Zach Galifianakis) head to a Christian RV park for a summer trip, young Twisp’s life takes a turn for the titillating when he meets Sheeni, an intellectual Lolita, played by Portia Doubleday in a sweet breakout leading role.
Determined to win the heart of the peaches and cream young temptress who is a lover of all things French, Twisp develops an alter-ego, Francois Dillinger, who dares the nervous sexual neophyte into a world of arson and bold adventure, promising to “rescue him from himself.”
Director Miguel Arteta spices the film with clever animation (best used in the psychedelic montage of a sex manual) and unexpected plot twist that provide a fresh twist on the well-trodden ground of the horny-boy-goes-on-adventure-to-get-sexed story.
As for Cera, his Twisp is a similar but slightly more confident version of his previous incarnations on the big screen, imbued here with a sense of righteousness not seen in his other work. But his snide, contemptuous, cigarette-smoking Francois is a side of the actor we have not seen. Cera’s deadpan delivery of the imagine Frenchman’s acid lines makes one hope that maybe the young star will eventually end up in a Neil LaBute or Todd Solondz film.
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Capsule review: ‘American Cowslip’
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‘This could end badly, Ron.’
A large crowd gathered at the Paramount Theatre at 3:45 on Saturday afternoon to hear three titans of the business, Ron Howard (“Apollo 13,” “Parenthood,”), Mitchell Hurwtiz (“Arrested Development,” “The Golden Girls”) and Steve Zaillian (“Schindler’s List,” “All the King’s Men”), discus the “The Art of Storytelling.”
The panel was moderated by trailblazing producer Marcia Nasatir (“Ironweed,” “The Big Chill”). While Nasatir at times seemed to have a very loose format to her questioning, her wit, charm and specifically her back-and-forth with the hilarious and sarcastic Hurwitz made for a compelling, if scattered, discussion.
What follows are some of the highlights:
- Hurwitz received a large ovation when he confirmed that, yes, there is going to be an “Arrested Development” movie and he will be directing. While he has been very tight lipped about what will be in the movie, Hurwitz relented to Nasatir, and said, that there would be a heavy jail presence and then made jokes about the inclusion of TARP money, a nod to the inability of a film to be as timely as television due to lag times in production and release.
- Speaking to the fact that many of his movies are based on real events, Zaillian said the reasoning is two-fold: 1) He’s always been interested in telling those kind of stories; and 2) Writers often get pegged with certain types of storytelling, and he has never felt the need to break away from that. As for his influences with regard to telling stories based on true events, Zaillian cited the Italian neo-realism movement and his love for documentaries. He said he has never liked the idea of putting “based on true events” at the top of one of the movies, as he feels that conceit is a loophole which serves as an “excuse to not do it right.”
- Howard on what makes a good script: “No matter what the genre, it has to be suspenseful.” He went on to say that most stories have to be about challenges and tests of character.
- On the writing process, Hurwitz said the things that come easiest to him in writing are the things about which he is the most suspicious, as he thinks it should be hard to write. He also described writer’s block not as the inability to sit down and write, but the fear that what he writes won’t meet his idea of what a screenwriter should be.
- On “Arrested Development” as a TV show versus a movie, Hurwitz said that he is excited to make the movie, because writing “A.D.” for only a 20-minute show is much more difficult because it restricts his ability to go into greater detail.
- While he said that there was a good reason behind why scripts he wrote didn’t get made, Zaillian did confess that he has one idea for a movie that he has carried around with him for years. He said he likes the idea of having one movie in his pocket for the future. In his case, that movie is an adaptation of Geoffrey Wolff’s book “The Duke of Deception.” Unfortunately, he said, the movie would be a period piece, which he said is “a great way to kill a project,” and not just because of the cost to rent the cars, as Hurwitz humorously suggested.
- On the writing process, Hurwitz gave an anecdote about listening to Timothy Geithner talking about trying to fix the economy. Geithner had said that even when they did not know exactly what they were doing or how to fix what was broken, the financial team just kept showing up to work their way through it. Hurwitz said this story correlates to his understanding of how writing works. You just keep showing up to work, and you write. Expanding on the idea of work as being a key to success, Hurwitz also told a story about two sets of children were given a math test. One group was a set of students who were told that they were very hard workers, while the other had been told that they were extremely smart. After the smart kids outperformed the other group on the first test, a second, much more difficult test was administered to the kids. On the second pass, the “smart” kids gave up before finishing the near-impossible test, while those who were told they were hard workers pressed on in an effort to solve the problems that were above their education level.
- At film fest panels, you will often get an awkward “question” from an audience member, and it seems at these large panels with big stars in big venues, you are almost guaranteed one. This year’s most awkward fest moment probably goes to the young lady who called on herself (in her defense, the room is big and recognizing questioners from the stage is a difficult task), and, after thanking the three men for inspiring her, went on a long tangent about the role of Ron Howard and “Richie Cunningham” in her life. She admitted that as a child she always thought “Richie” was a real person, and that instead of seeing the people on her TV as actors playing characters, she felt as if she was getting a look into someone else’s actual living room. This delusion continued, she said, until she was about 12 years old. She then said that when Howard left “Happy Days,” it scarred her and left a wound in her childhood. At this point, with the audience hoping a question was imminent, Hurwitz (who had the audience and panelists rolling throughout) leaned forward, looked at Howard and said, “This could end badly, Ron.” Everyone laughed, but the woman continued her questioning and pleaded with Howard that he produce Dan Brown’s new novel, “The Lost Symbol,” to help heal the wounds from her childhood. Howard laughed, and while admitting that these things take time, magnanimously assured the woman that there were development discussions underway.
- It all ended well when Hurwitz concluded with the sentiment that whatever writers do, they should make sure they enjoy it.
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Panel highlights: ‘What Gets Producers Excited’
Although it was going head to head with a “Conversation with Ron Howard,” the panel “What Gets Producers Excited” had enough of a draw to fill the Maximilian Room at the Driskill Hotel on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Listening to a 50-year veteran of the film and television world is nice and all, but producers are the ones who help get writers jobs, and this festival is packed with screenwriters looking for a break or a tip on how to get their work on the screen. Practicality, then, trumped entertainment in this instance.
The panel, moderated by Drew Yanno featured producers Jeff Graup (“Obsessed) and Dawn Wolfrom (“The Perfect Man”). Garret Basch, a V.P. at Steve Zaillian’s production company, was scheduled to be on the panel, but was not around when things commenced. He would eventually make a belated and humorous entrance about 15 minutes into the proceeding, and his charming wit helped provide some momentum to the talk.
What follows are some of the highlights of the discussion:
- Wolfrom said that one of the most important elements of any writer’s pitch to her — besides the fact that it relate to her field of interest, specifically comedy - is a writer’s passion for the project and his ability to get her excited about the project. In order for successfully pitch the work, she needed to share the enthusiasm and sell that enthusiasm to the next person in the line of development. The writer is not the only one who hears “no,” the producers must battle the same doubts, so they need to feel excited about a script in order for it to get momentum.
- Graup: “The world of studios is a world of followers.”
- Wolfrom on producers only taking on projects they feel can succeed: “I kind of feel like we’ve got three shots with each of our friends (in the business).”
- Just as Brasch entered the room, the talk turned to foreign distribution and pre-sales of a film. Pre-sales are the money that can be made by selling distribution rights to foreign markets. Graup said that foreign market money used to make up for 40% of revenues but is now responsible for 60%. He said that for this reason, studios and producers are well aware of making a film viable internationally. To wit, he said that anyone would be sorely mistaken if they didn’t think Tarantino casting a German actor to play one of the leads in “Inglourious Basterds” wasn’t partially a product of the fact that studios knew it would make the movie more appealing to German audiences.
Brasch went on to explain how pre-sales are basically the way a studio sells raises the money to make a movie before it is made, by selling foreign distributors on a script, director, actor and budget. He disagreed with Graup somewhat in that he said he believes that pre-sales now account for only 10% of a film’s production budget, whereas it used to be in the neighborhood of 95%. While this part of the conversation may not have had much practical use to screenwriters looking to get their screenplays made, it was very instructive in the ways movies get made. Brasch explained how some firms sole purpose is to use a complex calculus to figure out how much money certain stars, depending on the genre of the film, the star’s status and past performance, can be expected to bring in internationally. As a humorous example, Brasch said that while American audiences and executives may not drool over Richard Gere or Kevin Costner, to foreign movie folks, they represent box office gold. A weird system, indeed. As it relates to the theme of the panel, then, I guess it could be said that foreign money gets producers excited - but less and less so in today’s economic climate.
- Graup, speaking on chasing trends and trying to fit a square peg into a round hole: “Don’t try to do what is hot. Do what you do best … Write what you know … Write with passion … and stop trying to sell stuff. Studios are out of money.” Following up Graup’s sentiment, Brasch said, “Don’t think about whether it is going to sell or not. We’re interested in the things that won’t sell. That’s what we buy.” He named “Half-Nelson,” “District 9,” and “Little Miss Sunshine” as examples of these types of screenplays. I would imagine the words of the two men both scared some of the writers in the room and liberated them.
- Although they admitted it was a harsh reality, all three said that they are rarely inclined to take on a massive majority of most of the scripts they read. They all said that they could tell within the first 10 pages, and often in the first page, if a script was good or not. They also picked up on an instructive theme from the weekend: Writers should pitch a script, but always have several other ideas in their back pocket. One good script or idea only has so much heat; it is important to have multiple ideas. And, as always, the key for writers is to keep writing.
- Discussing query letters, Graup said it was of extreme importance for writers to be diligent and original. He said that writers should spend a month crafting an excellent query letter, as it is the first (and maybe only) opportunity to display their writing prowess and creativity. If you’re just going to sit down and fire off an email query that you spend 10 minutes writing, it’s probably best not to bother.
- Brasch, sincerely with a slight bit of self-aware corniness, said the scripts he looks for are “dramas that will make you laugh and comedies that will make you cry.” So, there’s your answer, folks.
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Panel highlights: Write What You Know: Comedy
Judging by the dozens of high school students in attendance (as part of the Young Filmmakers Program) at the “Write What You Know: Comedy” panel, there will be no shortage of comedy writers or YouTube videos anytime soon. The Stephen F. Austin ballroom was packed for the 1:45 p.m. panel Friday, with a strong representation of both young people and local Austin comedians and performers such as Kerri Lendo, Asaf Ronen and Jason Neulander.
The panel was moderated by writer/funnyman Owen Egerton and featured writer-director-actor-producers Mike Feig (“The Office,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Freak and Geeks”) and AFF panel virgin Mike White (“School of Rock,” “Freaks and Geeks”).
Egerton was as affable and prepared as any moderator you will see at an AFF panel, and what he lacked in concision he made up for with energy and earnestness. While the discussion did not have a laser focus on the writing process, it was informative and enjoyable thanks to Feig’s generosity and garrulous nature and White’s oddball humor and struggle to express himself.
What follows are a few of the highlights:
- Feig on what interests him regarding characters and material: “Comedy comes from vulnerability … I like to concentrate on characters who don’t normally get served by Hollywood.”
- White said he likes ambiguity and not pre-digested material, a move that allows audiences to have their own, unqiue reactions. Feig follwed by saying that he and Mike, “both like making audiences uncomfortable … that is where the comedy comes from.”
- White humorously admitted that he gets very emotionally involved in his writing, which generally precludes him from writing in public. The visceral reaction is such that when he is writing about a character crying, he will cry while he is typing. It definitely painted an intriguing picture.
- Feig said that anyone who wanted to be a screenwriter or director should take acting and improv lessons to learn the rhythms of the way other people speak and to better understand what actors are going through when they work with them. He said the role of a director is to provide a safe place for actors to work, and that writers and directors should therefore not force an actor to deliver a line the way they would want them to necessarily.
- “The scariest thing about comedy is you have to trust the people you’re collaborating with,” Feig said.
- Regarding his writing style, White said that “overpreparing before (he writes) is probably the key to getting a lot if stuff I’ve written made.” Discussing his outlining and planning before writing, White said that you have to have an understanding of where you are going and the route that will take you there, as trying to improvise a script can be a very perilous and unproductive method of screenwriting.
- Regarding work he wished got more attention versus fan favorites, White said, “You want the unloved babies to be loved, and the loved ones don’t need any more love.”
- As for his golden rule of writing, Feig says he follows the words of George Bernard Shaw, “All men mean well.” By this he said he meant that if you can understand why a character is doing or saying something — no matter how bizarre or heinous — then you are free to develop a fully realized character that won’t feel like a caricature.
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Panel highlights: Breaking Into the Business
If there was a perfect, fail-proof way to break into the film and television industry, this panel would have to be held in the Erwin Center. As there is not, the panel was held in the Driskill Ballroom to a respectable crowd (given the early start on the conference’s opening day) of about 50 folks, who listened to industry vets rep Bryan Brucks, local Pat Hazell and Dan Petrie Jr. engage with moderator Aadip Desai in a humorous and insightful conversation that likely gave hope to many burgeoning writers in the room.
What follows are some of the highlights:
- Unlike years ago when one had to find film stock and a way to process it, Petrie spoke to the fact that there is now a huge democratization of making and showcasing films. But, as in the past, there is “always a hunger for new material.” There are people whose job it is to go out and find those new voices, but writers can’t be satisfied with themselves if they have one good script. “A great spec script is the premier ticket into the business … that is the most direct way. But you have to be willing to try several times. It’s not enough to have a good script,” he said. “It has to be a great script.” Petrie also made it clear that patting one’s self on the back for writing something that is better than half of the stuff out there in Hollywood is not a very remarkable accomplishment. This got a good laugh.
- “You have to have one thing that people want and will look for,” Brucks said about agents and producers looking for “the next big thing.” He went on to say that he signed a guy two years ago off of a three-minute short. But once you are discovered, Brucks said, “You have to have your next idea” ready. It doesn’t have to be an entire script, but a writer should at least have a page or two of his next idea or his next two ideas. And beyond having good ideas, a writer must be “good in the room.” Writing good material is one challenge, getting into a room and selling your ideas to people is an equally important step in getting something picked up.
- All the men made it clear that doing one great thing is not enough in an industry that is always looking for people’s next project. “You have to break in constantly,” Petrie said, which Hazell reinforced by saying that “heat on one project only lasts a certain amount of time.”
- One of the most important points Petrie hammered was that you don’t want to be in a position of asking people if they will read your script; a writer wants people to be asking if they can read his script. A good way to generate that interest, Hazell said, is by creating a showcase of your work that can serve as a calling card, whether that be a short film, or in his case a three-man play that he produced at a small theater in Hollywood that drove interest of executives.
- Brucks stated that chasing trends is a fool’s errand. With trends shifting so fast, it is impossible to keep up with them. In a prescient comment, he went on to suggest it is pointless for a writer to try and create the next “Paranormal Activity.” If studios wanted something in that vein, it would be more likely they would just go to the people who wrote that movie instead of hiring a new face to produce a derivative. In the case of a stinker, the executives could then say, ‘Hey, we went with a proven winner. How was I to know?’ But if they hire someone to make a knock-off of a successful picture, the executive would take the heat if it failed.
- For those who feel there is no way to get noticed, Brucks was insistent. “Believe me, if you have a great script, someone will find it,” he said. Speaking to that, Petrie said, “It’s a tremendous feather in people’s caps to discover good material.” Brucks confirmed that often that is how people get promoted at studios. To wit, a guy in the mailroom discovered “Paranormal Activity,” and there is little doubt he is no longer shuffling mail.
- There is no certainty in getting a gig, but pretty much everyone is going to face rejection. That’s just the nature of the beast. The key is to get used to rejection and don’t take it personally, Brucks said. And if you are lucky enough to get a job writing in Hollywood, get used to notes and get used to the fact that you are going to get re-written. It happens to everyone, and how you respond to both of those inevitabilities will go a long way in shaping the relationships you make in the business.
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Writer and star of ‘Herpes Boy,’ Byron Lane prepares for his close-up
Growing up outside of New Orleans, Byron Lane always dreamed of becoming a writer and actor.
But with a mechanic father and a mother who worked in insurance sales, the bright lights of New York and Hollywood seemed unattainable.
Instead, Lane made the pragmatic decision to study journalism at Loyola University, settling for telling the stories of others instead of his own.
After a stint as a news reporter and anchor at a television station in Alexandria, La., Lane’s career took him to the deserts of Las Vegas. It was there that Lane began to change course.
“Things were getting a little odd out there, with the news quoting TMZ and things like that. The opportunity came up to get in some acting classes, and I started on that route and loved it,” Lane said this week by phone from Los Angeles.
What happened next is a creation myth that has been told time and again in Hollywood, but that makes it no less true in this case. In 2005, bitten by the proverbial acting bug, Lane packed up all of his belongings in a car and drove out to Los Angeles, where he had a few good friends.
Because of his work history, Lane had the ability to find something many Hollywood aspirants do not — a steady job. Working the night shift as a news writer for the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, Lane had his days free to write and pursue acting gigs. He quickly realized that the life of an auditioning actor in a city littered with broken dreams is one rife with rejection. But after watching the Web series “LonelyGIrl_15,” Lane decided to take his career into his own hands.
“I just thought to myself, ‘You know, I can do that,’” Lane said about his experience with ‘LonelyGirl_15.’ “So I decided to just create my own character. And in the middle deciding what to do, I was at Starbucks and the barista had a big birthmark around her eye. And I thought, ‘That would be perfect.’ Because I did want to do a character who was unique, and I didn’t want to just do an interesting hair style or just do glasses, so I thought the birthmark was totally cool. Then I just thought about where I was going to put it. So I put it on the mouth and called it ‘Herpes Boy’.”
Lane developed a Web series around the titular character, a young man who spoke directly to the camera complaining about the trials and tribulations of his daily life, from the hassles of going to the coffee shop to the nuisance of his mother’s manic dog. “It’s just little everyday things about life from the perspective of a person who is just exhausted with it all,” Lane said.
After receiving modest traffic to his Webisodes, boosted by some serendipitous timing on Funnyordie.com, Lane received a phone call that he could hardly believe. Producer John Baumgartner had seen the videos and was taken by the writing and performance. He met with the nascent writer-actor and asked if Lane could develop a feature script.
Lane spent four months writing his first feature screenplay. Expanding on the life of the character from his short Web series, Rudolph, “Herpes Boy” tells about a young man coming to terms with his own fears and insecurities while working to love and accept the eccentric and aggravating members of his family. While the script is hilarious, “Herpes Boy,” — a movie filled with rich and absurd, yet realistic performances — does not aim solely for the easy punchline as many recent comedies. It has a subtlety and heart that reveals the complexity of its creator.
“I’m not sure I would be that good at writing something that is just laughs,” Lane said. “I enjoy movies that have heart. The funniest comedies for me are the ones that aren’t just slapstick; they’re based in reality. Sometimes life is so weird and horrible that it is just hilarious.”
Baumgartner liked what he read and showed it to his friend, character actor Beth Grant (“Extract,” “No Country for Old Men”), who also felt an immediate affinity for the quirky movie.
From there, things seem to snowball. Lane contacted director Nathaniel Atcheson, with whom he had previously worked on a short film, who agreed to direct the project and bring on a producer and cinematographer. What resulted was what Lane likes to call an “indie film miracle.”
While he prepares for the world premiere of a movie that will undoubtedly put him on the indie film map, the days of sitting at home and dreaming of emulating his heroes Lily Tomlin and Woody Allen seem like a lifetime away to the Louisiana native. “It’s surreal. I literally can’t believe it,” Lane said.
“Herpes Boy” makes its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Alamo Ritz. It also screens Tuesday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. at The Independent at 501.
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My written-in-pencil schedule for Austin Film Festival
Not that my inbox has been overflowing with requests to find out what I will be up to during the Austin Film Festival, but I thought I’d go ahead and share my intended schedule for the Austin Film Festival. Maybe it will help you sort through all of the screenings and panels, maybe it will give you a great opportunity to stalk me or give you a blueprint for avoiding me. Whatever. (Note: All descriptions of panels and movies comes directly from the Austin Film Festival Web site.)
THURSDAY 10/22
Panel: Breaking Into the Business @ 1pm
While seeing your work produced is the ultimate goal, selling the script is a great first step. Many scripts are bought and never produced. But your script can serve as a sample to secure other work. Much of a professional screenwriters’ income lies in script doctoring and assignments, not movies produced from their spec scripts.
Movie: “Youth in Revolt” @ 10pm
“Youth in Revolt” is a coming-of-age comedy that puts a fresh and outrageous stamp on a tale of adolescent obsession and rebellion. Starring Michael Cera (also of the Oscar winning film, Juno, and Superbad) and based on the acclaimed novel by C.D. Payne, Youth in Revolt is the story of Nick Twisp - a unique, but affable teen with a taste for the finer things in life like Sinatra and Fellini - who falls hopelessly in love with the beautiful, free-spirited Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday) while on a family vacation. But family, geography and jealous ex-lovers conspire to keep these two apart. With Sheeni’s encouragement, Nick abandons his dull, predictable life and develops a rebellious alter ego: Francois. With his ascot, his moustache and his cigarette, Francois will stop at nothing to be with Sheeni, and leads Nick Twisp on a path of destruction with unpredictable and uproarious consequences.
FRIDAY 10/23
Panel: Write What You Know @ 1:45pm
A new master class series on writing for specific genres with Paul Feig and Mike White
Moderator: Owen Egerton.
Movie: “American Cowslip” @ 10:15pm
Ethan Inglebrink, an eccentric, agoraphobic heroin addict who is obsessed with his garden, is searching for the perfect moment in a life that is running out of time. And the odds are against him. This darkly comedic tale set in small town California follows the last days of Ethan’s life as he struggles to find love and purpose - at a time when it might be too late to even matter. This colorful film marks the return of AFF alum Mark David.
SATURDAY 10/24
Panel: What Gets Producers Excited @ 2pm
Think you have what it takes to become the next “it” writer? Find out what successful producers are looking for in a script and learn what projects interest them the most. With Garrett Basch, Jeff Graup, Dawn Wolfrom. Moderator: Drew Yanno
Movie: “Tenure” @ 8:15pm
After three years as a professor at Grey College, Charlie Thurber is hoping for tenure. In competition with his colleague, an attractive and seemingly more qualified professor from Yale, he tries a number of tactics that include the founding of an erotic poetry club, showing more school spirit, and the endless pursuit of getting published. Through it all, he finds that his real passion is teaching and that learning is something you’re never too old to do. He also may help his friend catch Bigfoot, they are really, really close this time.
SUNDAY 10/25
Panel: 10/25 The Art of Storytelling with Shane Black @ 1pm
What is it that causes a great script to stand out against all the rest? Why do some scripts seem to pale in comparison to others, even if both capture an interesting story? Three titans of cinema discuss the tools they use to bring a script life with rich characters, authenticity, and memorable dialogue. With Shane Black, Richard Linklater and Tim McCanlies. Moderator: Tom Schatz.
Panel: Turning Your Shorts/Webisodes into a Film Career @ 2:30pm The popularity of short films has exploded thanks to dwindling attention spans, the popularity of Internet sites like YouTube, and the omnipresence of mobile, small screen broadcast outlets like cell phones. How do shorts and features differ in concept and execution? Will the cinema of the future be a hybrid of both? How can you turn your short film into a film career? With Owen Egerton, Michael Fry, Ya’ke Smith and Ben Steinbauer. Moderator: James Macak.
Movie: “The Messenger” at 7 p.m.
The directorial debut of accomplished screenwriter Oren Moverman (I’m Not There and Jesus’ Son) The Messenger is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life. In his first leading role, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to deliver tragic news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival. Not just a well written script, but a showcase for two amazing performances by Foster and Harrelson who bring us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.
TUESDAY 10/27
“The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” @ 10pm
Shoot-outs, robberies, gas-huffing, drug dealing, pill popping, murders, and tap dancing. From MTV Studios and executive producers Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (Jackass) comes a shocking and outlandish year-in-the-life documentary about the White Family of Boone County, West Virginia’s most notorious and surly family. Nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains, the White family lives an existence more like something from the Wild West than modern day suburbified America. The legendary family is as known for their wild, excessive criminal ways as they are for their famous mountain dancing members, including Jesco White, the star of the cult classic documentary Dancing Outlaw. Over the course of one tumultuous year, the Whites deal with a stabbing, criminal sentencing, attempted murder, death and birth. The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia is directed by Julien Nitzberg (producer of Dancing Outlaw).
WEDNESDAY 10/28
Movie: “The Donner Party” @ 7pm
During the winter of 1846, a group of westward bound settlers is stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They must reach California for salvation, but without food and a guide, the group becomes disillusioned and decisions must be made so that others can stay alive. Inspired by the infamous Donner Party tragedy, the film is a harrowing look at survival and how far some will go to achieve it.
THURSDAY 10/29
Movie: “Up in the Air” @ 8 p.m.
The timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham (Oscar winner George Clooney), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection. Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he’s a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he’s close to attaining his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles - and yet … Ryan has nothing real to hold onto. When he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler (Farmiga), Ryan’s boss (Bateman), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Kendrick), threatens to permanently call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.
Possible game-time additions: “Hunger,” “Harmony and Me,” “Cummings Farm” and “The Vicious Kind.” I’ve already seen “Herpes Boy,” so I won’t be seeing it again but recommend it.
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Austin Makes a Book
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The robots prepare their takeover of sports journalism
Imagine that you could push a button, and magically create a story about a baseball game. That’s what the Stats Monkey system does. Given information commonly available online about many games — the box score and the play-by-play — the system automatically generates the text of a story about that game that captures the overall dynamic of the game and highlights the key plays and key players. The story includes an appropriate headline and a photo of the most important player in the game… “The system is based on two underlying technologies. First, it uses baseball statistical models to figure out what the news is in the story: By analyzing changes in Win Probability and Game Scores, the system can pick out the key plays and players from any baseball game. Second, the system includes a library of narrative arcs that describe the main dynamics of baseball games (as well as many other competitions): Was it a come-from-behind win? Back-and-forth the whole way? Did one team jump out in front at the beginning and then sit on its lead? The system uses a decision tree to select the appropriate narrative arc. This then determines the main components of the game story and enables the system to put them together in a cohesive and compelling manner. The stories can be generated from the point of view of either team.”
The disturbing thing is that the “story” that the computer comes up with is fairly decent. I mean, ol’ Stats Monkey could use some help with segues and such, but it’s not horrible.
To demonstrate it powers, the programmers used a recent game from the Angels and Red Sox ALDS. Here is what it spit out:
BOSTON — Things looked bleak for the Angels when they trailed by two runs in the ninth inning, but Los Angeles recovered thanks to a key single from Vladimir Guerrero to pull out a 7-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday.Guerrero drove in two Angels runners. He went 2-4 at the plate.
“When it comes down to honoring Nick Adenhart, and what happened in April in Anaheim, yes, it probably was the biggest hit (of my career),” Guerrero said. “Because I’m dedicating that to a former teammate, a guy that passed away.”
Guerrero has been good at the plate all season, especially in day games. During day games Guerrero has a .794 OPS. He has hit five home runs and driven in 13 runners in 26 games in day games.
After Chone Figgins walked, Bobby Abreu doubled and Torii Hunter was intentionally walked, the Angels were leading by one when Guerrero came to the plate against Jonathan Papelbon with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning. He singled scoring Abreu from second and Figgins from third, which gave Angels the lead for good.
The Angels clinched the AL Division Series 3-0.
Angels starter Scott Kazmir struggled, allowing five runs in six innings, but the bullpen allowed only one runs and the offense banged out 11 hits to pick up the slack and secure the victory for the Angels.
J.D. Drew drove in two Red Sox runners. He went 1-4 at the plate.
Drew homered in the fourth inning scoring Mike Lowell.
“That felt like a big swing at the time,” said Drew. “I stayed inside the ball and put a good swing on it. I was definitely going to be ready to battle again tomorrow, but it didn’t work out.”
Drew has been excellent at the plate all season, especially in day games. During day games Drew has a .914 OPS. He has hit five home runs and driven in 17 runners in 36 games in day games.
Papelbon blew the game for Boston with a blown save. Papelbon allowed three runs on four hits in one inning.
Reliever Darren Oliver got the win for Los Angeles. He allowed no runs over one-third of an inning. The Los Angeles lefty struck out none, walked none and surrendered no hits.
Los Angeles closer Brian Fuentes got the final three outs to record the save.
Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales helped lead the Angels. They combined for three hits, three RBIs and one run scored.
Four relief pitchers finished off the game for Los Angeles. Jason Bulger faced four batters in relief out of the bullpen, while Kevin Jepsen managed to record two outs to aid the victory.
I wonder if the robots are as menacing around a buffet table as sports reporters. I kid, I kid. Just channeling my inner Rick Reilly.
Good thing computers can’t conjure sarcasm or I may really be in trouble. Ok.
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Balloon Boy barfs on live TV
Look (said in Fred Armisen’s Barack Obama voice), I haven’t paid much attention to this 6-year-old kid Falcon Heene and his flying saucer-building dad. From the second I heard the story yesterday about the family that not once but twice appeared on the surreality TV show “Wife Swap,” I figured he was likely hiding or the mad scientist dad was just trying to get some attention for his gadget. It was just a little too “Truman Show” to be real.
Turns out, Falcon was hiding after dad had yelled at him, and now the news channels have something to yap about for 48 hours.
Great. Count me out.
However, there is one thing that can draw me in at least for a minute. (Seriously, at this point they are begging me to watch.) The family appeared on “Today” this morning, with dad looking like he’s spent a few too many hours in the Saxon Pub. But dad wasn’t the one with the queasy stomach. At about the six-minute mark of the video, young Falcon vomits, right after calmly asking his mother for a cup. And the interview just keeps rolling along. Between two “Wife Swap” appearances and being exploited on TV after being shamed by his father, I think young Falcon may end up a tad scarred. In terms of famous child “actors,” I’m thinking Falcon will end up a little more Corey Haim than Ron Howard.
Weird.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Review: ‘A Serious Man’
In many of their previous movies, Joel and Ethan Coen have subjected their protagonists to all manner of inanity and danger. At times these characters fall victim to their own faulty decisions, while at others they are battered by the uncontrollable forces swirling around them.
But never has a Coen brothers character suffered so greatly with so little in the way of response as Larry Gopnik (Tony-nominated actor Michael Stuhlbarg ) in “A Serious Man.” This fact could possibly be the impetus behind their tongue-in-cheek line in the credits that “no Jews were harmed in the making of this film.” That and the fact that many of the Jewish characters here are drawn as broad caricatures. But, then again, rarely are the Coens’ characters not.
Adhering to the quoted words of 11th-century French biblical scholar Rashi at the beginning of the movie, Gopnik attempts to “receive with simplicity everything that happens” to him. But even Job could only suffer so much before questioning God.
In 1967, far from the joy and liberation of the Summer of Love’s epicenter, trapped in a geometrically rigid Midwestern neighborhood, one seemingly reminiscent of the Coens’ childhood in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Gopnik is trying to live a dutiful life as a college math professor and married father of two, but he is constantly besieged by matters both trivial and serious that have left him in an existential funk.
After trying to explain the theory of Schrodinger’s Cat to his class, an apt metaphor for the ambiguity that surrounds Gopnik’s search for spiritual answers, the resigned professor admits to a student who has failed a recent exam that “the stories I give you in class are fables — even I don’t understand the dead cat.”
That which confounds Gopnik does not end with the cat. At home, his wife says that she wants a divorce, not because of anything that her meek husband has done, but simply because she has fallen in love with someone else, the pompous and absurd Sy Ableman (a pitch-perfect Fred Melamed).
Gopnik’s children, meanwhile, are doing nothing to make matters better. His young son, Danny (Aaron Wolff), in a haze of marijuana, TV addiction and Jefferson Airplane, is dragging his feet along the path to his bar mitzvah. His teenage daughter, Sarah (Jessica McManus), is consumed with vanity and the desire for a nose job, which she attempts to expedite by stealing money from her father.
To heighten the domestic aggravations, the Gopniks have been saddled with Larry’s brother Arthur (Richard Kind), who is sleeping on the couch, at least when he is not furtively and frantically working on his probability chart of the universe or hogging the bathroom to drain his sebaceous cyst. Yes, the uncle with a cyst on his neck is actually a pain in the family’s neck. Sometimes the Coens just can’t help but be cheeky.
Trapped in his familial nightmare by a hostile goy neighbor on one side and the sultry temptations of a beautiful neighbor on the other, a sin to which he will not let himself fall prey, Gopnik feels the world closing in on him. And when his wife suggests that he move with his brother to the Jolly Roger motel (more ironic winking), Gopnik hardly raises his voice in protest.
At work, things are no less treacherous. The aforementioned failing student attempts to bribe Gopnik for a passing grade.
Gopnik also discovers that an anonymous letter writer has been lobbying against his receiving tenure due to his alleged “moral turpitude.” And his office phone will not stop ringing with calls from a man at the Columbia Record Club, asking about late payments on Santana’s “Abraxas.”
Oy vey.
Confused and scared, Gopnik turns to his local rabbis for answers, but their tepid offers of assistance consist of obtuse riddles, much like the ancient (and made-up) Yiddish riddle with which the Coens begin their film, and empty rhetoric about Gopnik’s need to change his perspective.
Gopnik, who has made a living working in theorems and proofs, cannot accept that God might perpetually vex us with questions without providing answers. And there is no equation by which moral correctness plus humility equals peace or any other reward, no matter how serious a man one might be.
Despite being manipulated and deceived, Gopnik, betraying a mix of Jason Bateman and Woody Allen trapped in Joaquin Phoenix’s body, can only muster raised eyebrows and a pursed mouth in response to his many injustices. You want to grab the pitiful Gopnik by his shoulders and shake him into action.
The Coens’ script and the eye of longtime collaborator, cinematographer Roger Deakins, paint a surrealistically vivid world stuffed with symbolism and myriad spiritual dilemmas, where suffering is elevated to art.
But the overwrought sadism leaves one feeling not empathy with Gopnik and his universal struggle but disgust.
There is no doubt that the Coens, masters of this cinematic universe, want to see how much torment they can foist on one helpless man. But, after the chuckles die, the question is why?
And just when you think that Gopnik has found some respite from his many ailments, a new storm (or two) is brewing on the horizon. As it always seems to be. Why? That’s just life.
Oy vey, indeed.
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Being beautiful can be a real pain in the buttocks
If only Mexican rock star Alejandra Guzman had followed my advice. It seems the Latin Grammy winner had been undergoing buttock injections to make herself “more beautiful” (when is enough enough?) for her new boyfriend, but something went wrong on her way to badonkadonk bliss.
Guzman spoke Wednesday with Televisa, a day after authorities arrested the director based on other clients’ claims that they suffered complications. Prosecutors told Reforma newspaper the director had no cosmetology degrees, only a high school diploma.
To her credit, Guzman has brought attention to the mishap and hopes to inform people about the dangers of cosmetic surgery. But maybe the 41 year-old should have just been OK with growing old naturally. Buttocks injections? Really?
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Is El Chilito in a cursed location?
Where your business is can help drive business and be a determining factor in success, and it can also be a detriment. We all know the spots on certain streets in towns where we have lived that always seemed cursed. A restaurant or shop is there one day and gone the next.
That has been the unfortunate truth for several restaurants at 1025 Barton Springs Road, at the intersection with Dawson Road.
While the west end of Barton Springs Road may be considered Austin’s Restaurant Row, the stretch of road between Sandy’s and McDonald’s has been anything but, especially for the unlucky spots at 1025.
Maybe you remember the sandwich places Castleberry’s Cafe (2003-2005) or Rockhound’s (2006), but it’s doubtful. There is a slightly better chance you remember Gypsy Italian Bistro (2007-2008), an average joint with a limited menu. They’re all gone, of course. Nothing seems to last. But maybe El Chilito will buck the curse that is featured in this CNNMoney.com story about “5 deadly spots.”
I am not sure if it is the fact that there are limited entertainment options within walking distance of the restaurant or the limited parking or relative inexperience of past restaurant operators at the address, but I have always been somewhat surprised that no place has ever succeeded there. Given people’s brand awareness of El Chilito thanks to El Chile and the original El Chilito on Manor Road, I think if any place is going to make it, this is the one.
From the CNNMoney.com story:
Legend has it that in the 1980s, 1025 Barton Springs Road was a hippie commune, with tents and pods stretched along the cliffs behind the property.“Wacky. That’s Austin,” laughs Carlos Rivero, a six-year veteran of Austin’s restaurant scene. In August, Rivero became the fourth entrepreneur in five years to open a restaurant at the address, which has also been home to an architecture firm and a beer garden.
“I’ve wanted to go into that neighborhood for some time,” says Rivero. “Barton Springs Road is a landmark address.”
Rivero chalks the high failure rate of 1025 up to the inexperience of its recent tenants — newbie restaurateurs looking to capitalize on the neighborhood’s high traffic volume. As the hosting grounds for events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the locale is also home to Zilker Park, a 350-acre area popular for its swimming pool and botanical gardens.
Gypsy Italian Bistro, the address’ latest casualty, received lots of good press for its innovative cuisine but was a little too fancy for the area, says Rivero. Gypsy’s chef, a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, “was a first-time operator with very limited experience in the restaurant business — as a sit-down, full-service Italian restaurant, the place wasn’t very well capitalized for this particular location,” he says.
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Wilco in Willco: Worth the drive
If you were one of those folks who decided that the combination of post-ACL live music fatigue and the 22-mile drive to “the sticks” out in Cedar Park was not worth making it out to Wilco at the Cedar Park Center, you made a mistake.
I had heard horror stories about parking after the George Strait show, but with the center’s Web site directing people to U-turn down U.S. 183 and enter from that side, there was no wait at all. Of course, there was a $10 cash parking fee, but that is to be expected, I guess, at a lot of arenas. The will call line was another story. It twisted its way through the center’s foyer and stretched out into the night. It looked to be about a 45-minute line, which I eventually was able to avoid, thanks to a friend. (Thank you, Emily.) I hear there was a $5 charge per ticket to print them online, so I guess it could be considered a line-avoidance fee, but I would probably do whatever I could to avoid will call in the future. Then again, I am not sure the venue will ever host another concert I want to attend.
Since I know some of you will want to know, there were beer sales on the concourse, 16 oz. Miller Lite and the like for $8 and 12 oz. white Belgians for $7, with liquor served on the outdoor patios. And to add to the surreal factor, vendors walked the aisles selling bottled beer during the show … just like at a game. Yes, weird.
Inside, it was, well, a minor league hockey arena. Picture any arena where you have seen basketball or hockey — think American Airlines Arena in Dallas or the Toyota Center in Houston — and subtract the glitzy TVs and overwrought food courts and divide by two. It was certainly strange to see a band I have seen a dozen times in smaller venues take the stage at the end of an arena.
The back end of the arena was partitioned off, due to ticket sales falling short of capacity, leaving a somewhat intimate space, at least for an arena. The seats, on other hand, were way more than intimate. While my fold-up chairs in the first couple of rows by “the boards” offered a little space, friends in the rows behind me said their leg room was virtually non-existent. It was so bad, they even took pictures and insist it is a massive design flaw. So, you’ve been warned.
I won’t get bogged down in the details of the show, as my colleague Peter Mongillo is writing our official review, but I will give a few thoughts.
It took the band and the crowd a few songs to warm up to the setting … it’s just weird to see Wilco in an arena. But by the time the guys had finished a searing rendition of “Bull Black Nova,” off their new album, everyone seemed on board. And by the time guitar virtuoso Nels Cline finished taking us through his gorgeous and blistering guitar solos on “Impossible Germany,” it felt like old times.
The show, due to its setting, had a weird but cool vibe, almost like Wilco had stolen the keys to some hockey arena in the middle of nowhere and emailed their friends to come check them out. It felt like our little secret. I was worried the band would be off-put by the venue or the fact that the place was not sold out, a fact concealed by the curtain at the end of the arena. But they warmed to the challenge and even gave ironic nods to the circumstances.
At one point, Jeff Tweedy addressed the crowd, as he did often throughout the show, and dryly said, “Just hangin’ out, playing some music in a hockey arena.” And went on to say, after “Deeper Down,” that we shouldn’t be surprised to hear existential rock in an arena, because, really, “Isn’t all arena rock existential?” Tweedy’s sarcastic and innocent pokes at the surreal setting called out the elephant in the room (that was the room) and got everyone to enjoy a laugh.
Some may say that Tweedy chatted too much — at one point he re-gifted a Nolan Ryan autographed baseball to a fan for his birthday — but it all felt natural to me. I think just before “Sky Blue Sky” came out, and for the subsequent tour, it felt like we as fans were still getting used to a “new” Wilco, not only in their lyrics but also in their general demeanor, at least Jeff’s. The band seemed a little less dark and dangerous, and I think some fans were not comfortable with the band’s, well, comfort with their lives. On Thursday night, for the first time in a while, I felt everyone was on the same page. The band was as tight as its ever been (the rhythm section destroyed and the band broke into some rather funky — for them — jams), and there seemed to be a shared joy and camaraderie with band and audience, born out of mutual gratitude not suffering or ennui. The crowd seemed just as into the songs off of the last two albums as they were the earlier stuff. And at one point Cline and Pat Sansone traded solo licks, with Sansone even going all Spinal Tap on us as he preened and leaned against an amp with his axe thrust toward the crowd.
I have heard from some that the sound at the center was a little muddied, but I didn’t really pick up on that too much from where I was sitting. I can say that it was the loudest Wilco show I have ever heard, and one of the most enjoyable.
Tweedy lamented at one point that he really loved being in Austin and preferred two-night runs (at Stubb’s, I would imagine), but was happy to be there nonetheless. From the response of the crowd who made the trek out to the burbs, including Jim Eno of Spoon and Marty Maguire and Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks, the feeling was mutual.
Wilco at Cedar Park Center (10.08.09)
“Wico (The Song)”
“Shot in the Arm”
“Bull Black Nova”
“You Are My Face”
“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
“One Wing”
“At Least That’s What You Said”
“One by One”
“I’ll Fight”
“Impossible Germany”
“Deeper Down”
“Handshake Drugs”
“I Can’t Stand It”
“Jesus, Etc.” (as sing-along)
“I Hate it Here”
“Theologians”
“I’m the Man Who Loves You”
First Encore
“Via Chicago”
“You Never Know”
“California Stars” (with Liam Finn)
“Late Greats”
“Heavy Metal Drummer”
Second Encore
“Walken”
“King Pin”
“Monday”
“Outtasite” (Outta Mind)”
“Hoodoo Voodoo”
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Ben Ali of Ben’s Chili Bowl dies
From the Washington Post:
A fixture of U Street since 1958, the cramped restaurant has outlasted the changing fortunes of its neighborhood and supplied hungry Washingtonians with heaping bowls of chili, hot dogs and its trademark chili-topped half-smokes. Photos of visiting celebrities — including Denzel Washington, Danny Glover and Bill Cosby — lined the walls, and in January the restaurant received its best publicity boost ever when president-elect Obama dropped by for a half-smoke (a smoked sausage).Near a sign that warned, “Who eats free at Ben’s: Bill Cosby. No one else,” Obama paid for his $12 tab with a $20 bill, leaving the change as a tip.
Mr. Ali, a Trinidadian immigrant who had studied at Howard University, opened the eatery with his wife, Virginia, and ran the popular but eccentric carryout restaurant with two of his three sons. The place was known as a gathering spot for Washingtonians of all classes and races, who were united by their love of chili and the restaurant’s excellent jukebox and quirky customs. It was open as long as 22 hours a day and survived several urban renewal efforts on a street once known as Washington’s “Black Broadway” but later hit by severe blight before a recent renaissance.
Through the decades, the sights, sounds and smells of Ben’s Chili Bowl endured as a place of comfort and warmth amid a world of change. It was featured in documentaries and in the 2008 Russell Crowe political thriller, “State of Play.”
A full story is forthcoming, but share your memories of the man, not just the restaurant, in our comments section below or in our discussion area. We also have a huge photo gallery online of Mr. Ali and his restaurant.
Here’s a piece that we ran on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the restaurant and the 45th anniversary. It was one of the few businesses to remain open on U Street during the 1968 riots.
Photo from Associated Press.
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Sandwich stories
- Photos: Check out photos of some of the best sandwiches in town according to me and Statesman restaurant critic Mike Sutter.
Fricano’s Deli
104 E. 31st St. 482-9980, fricanosdeli.com.
A hole-in-the-wall located near the Bermuda Triangle that is the melding of East 31st Street and Speedway , Fricano’s feels like a sandwich shop in a small old college town. The kind of place that, despite being open only three years, feels like it has been around forever. And it feels like the kind of sandwich shop I’d want to open. There are small shelves stuffed with books and board games, a few seats at the counter bar, seating for about a dozen people at tables for two and about two dozen sandwiches and hot dogs on the menu. If my old, imagined, pipe-tugging college literature professor - replete with patched-elbowed corduroy blazer - had a portal in his office that led to a kitchen, this would be the spot.
The sandwiches refrain from trying too hard, offering just the right number of ingredients to provide good flavor without putting on a show. Take, for example, Jamilio’s Italian Cheesesteak ($7.25). Though the only thing Italian about it is the mozzarella, the combination of Boar’s Head pastrami, grilled onions and peppers, homemade Rocket sauce and the cheese on a crunchy, flaky hoagie provide a wonderful combination of savory and spicy. It comes warmed to perfection on a panini press that looks like it gets a thorough workout each day .
It might not perfectly mirror some of the Reubens from the East Coast, but Paul’s Spicy Reuben ($6.95), my favorite on the menu thus far, benefits from the personalized touch of its creator. The bread from the local bakery Panaderia Chuy is pressed and grilled to a perfect crunch that yields to the teeth but not the touch. The sauerkraut, historically an overwhelming feature of a Reuben, is happy to play a minor role here, with the sandwich relying on the Rocket sauce (a combination of spicy mustard, regular mustard, mayonnaise, balsamic vinaigrette and Tabasco) for its mouth-puckering zest.
Longtime Austinite Paul Fricano and his business partners, the husband-and-wife team of Jamil Muhaisen and DeeAnne Bullard, take pride in their attention to detail, fresh ingredients and the fact that almost everything in the store is homemade, except the ketchup. And, really, people can be fussy about their ketchup, so it’s probably safe to stick with the store-bought.
House-made offerings include potato and pasta salads, salad dressings, a red-and-green cabbage slaw, five original spreads that can be added to any sandwich and a soup of the day. Although I have yet to yield to my sweet tooth, one of these days I will give in to the allure of DeeAnne’s Cupcakes , which she bakes daily.
Fricano and his crew are naturals behind the counter, which makes sense when you discover his parents once ran a Chicago-style deli. He and his partners, with their affable vibe and steady stream of regulars, have created a neighborhood joint that, while somewhat new to the block, already feels like a classic.
Tam Deli & Cafe
8222 N. Lamar Blvd., D33. 834-6458.
It’s rare that a sandwich that costs less than $5 would make you want to buy a plane ticket that costs $1,000. But that was exactly what I felt compelled to do after spending an hour at Tam Deli and Cafe on my first visit. If this is what Vietnam tasted like, I wanted to go.
Tam Bui opened the clean, simple shop tucked in a nondescript industrial strip mall on North Lamar Boulevard in 1999, building a menu based on the food she grew up eating.
The menu features close to 100 dishes, but it’s the traditional banh mi that keeps me coming back time and again. The sandwich, full of flavor and history, balances the culinary traditions of Vietnam and its former colonizer, France.
The crunchy cucumber and jalapeño slivers, cilantro and pickled carrots speak to the Vietnamese love of fresh and abundant vegetables. The French might have left decades ago, but their influence remains in the form of fresh, homemade French loaves dressed lightly with tangy mayonnaise. A wonderful marriage of gastronomic cultures. The sandwiches come with a choice of meats or pâté, with my favorites being the grilled lemongrass beef ($4.99) and char-grilled pork ($4.75), which are always juicy and never chewy.
Bui is joined in the restaurant daily by her sister Tran Ngoc and Ngoc’s self-effacing husband, Nick, who will often take his lunch break from his job as a petroleum engineer to offer his services and wit. The charming and friendly women lend their small, delicious deli, which serves not only blue- and white-collar crowds but also chefs from some of Austin’s finest restaurants, a warm and inviting atmosphere.
My trip to Vietnam might have been postponed, but it’s nice to know that I can make the drive up to Tam Deli to satisfy my cravings.
Quality Seafood
5621 Airport Blvd. 452-3820, www.qualityseafoodmarket.com.
When he wasn’t building houses, my grandfather was a shrimper. By the time I was old enough to ride on the boat with him, his seafaring habits trended toward family outings. But it’s safe to say shrimp and their saltwater home in the Gulf of Mexico are in my DNA.
Austin might be landlocked, but you can almost smell the Gulf when you enter Quality Seafood.
The restaurant/market, which has been in the same location on Airport Boulevard for four decades, expanded and added an oyster bar in 2005 under the ownership of Carol Huntsberger. The array of seafood can be tempting to the point of distraction, but I hardly ever waver from the fried shrimp po’-boy .
The fresh, wild-caught, hand-peeled shrimp are dragged through an all-purpose breading, the crumbs sticking to the moisture of the shrimp, and receive one more coat right before being dropped in oil. Cooked at the perfect temperature for just the right amount of time, a paramount chemistry, the shrimp consistently arrive golden brown with a crunchy exterior that does nothing to detract from the moist, tender interior.
The shrimp come served on soft rolls from the New World Bakery in Kyle and are topped simply with lettuce and tomato from Segovia Produce in Austin. The minimalist sandwich allows for personalizing, which I usually achieve by mixing a little tartar and cocktail sauce with some spicy horseradish. You can order the po’-boy a la carte ($8.49), but if you’re going to indulge in Gulf Coast comfort food, it’s always wise to go all the way and get the plate ($10.99), which offers two sides. If you’re not scared to eat multiple fried dishes, the thin, crunchy french fries are a nice option, but it’s hard to go wrong with the combination of cheese and butter that comes from pairing macaroni and cheese with a small ear of corn.
When I want to take a stroll down memory lane and escape to the coast without the hassle of a three-hour drive, there’s no better transportive option than the best fried shrimp po’-boy in town.
Hog Island Italian Deli
1612 Lavaca St. 482-9090, hogislanddeli.com. Also at 407 Lavaca St. 276-8990.
Christopher Columbus. Michelangelo. Federico Fellini. Ferrari. Sophia Loren. Genoa salami.
Thank God for the Italians and their ingenuity, style and taste.
Considering I don’t really recall ever eating mixed Italian meat sandwiches while living in Italy, however, maybe my thanks here should really go to Italian Americans.
While the exact origin of the multimeat Italian sandwich (grinder, hero, sub, et al. ) is debatable, it seems the “hoagie” originated in South Philly . Named after the vessels built in the shipyards of Hog Island, near the convergence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, hoagies were a favorite meal of immigrant workers, who would stack deli meats, vegetables and cheese on bread to form this twist on the basic meat-and-cheese sandwiches of old Italia. New World, new rules.
Philly natives, brothers Steve and Carlo DiMarco knew several years ago that they wanted to open a sandwich shop like their beloved spots in Philadelphia. With hoagie and cheesesteak shops dotting virtually every corner in their hometown, however, they pondered a move to South Beach, Fla., or Las Vegas to do just that. Fortunately, a relative of one of their original investing partners lobbied for a move to Austin. His power of persuasion led to our reward in the form of Hog Island Deli near the Capitol.
The DiMarco brothers, whose grandparents settled in Philly after arriving from Italy, combined Steve’s culinary skills with Carlo’s business savvy to open a deli they believed replicated the tastes of their hometown.
For my money, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Italian hoagie better than the one served at Hog Island. Although the menu is vast, I almost always end up with the Old Italian ($6.99 for a 7-inch and $8.99 for the 12-inch).
Featuring a harmonious quartet of semidry capicola , sopressata , Genoa salami and mortadella , the sandwich is a cured-Italian-meats-lover’s dream. The sandwich’s traditional provolone cheese provides a subtle creamy flavor without detracting from the meats. Crispy shards of lettuce, juicy tomatoes and onion slices drizzled with oil and a bright, savory balsamic provide a fresh crunch to balance the dense flavors of the meat.
Hog Island’s sandwiches were originally served on somewhat hard sesame seed rolls, but the DiMarcos said they eventually had to come to terms with the fact that Austinites prefer softer bread, so they made the switch to the soft, crunchy Amoroso rolls from Philly, thus eliminating the only complaint I had ever heard from fellow sandwich lovers.
Combining recipes they loved from their old haunts back home with a few twists of their own, the Phillies and Eagles fanatics have given some delicious Italian street cred to the Austin sandwich scene.
With apologies to the good people of Philadelphia, when I want a steak sandwich, I want a thick, juicy, grilled cut of meat, not shaved, frizzled pieces of meat. Maybe it’s the seventh-generation Texan in me.
When I think of steak sandwiches, I think of the day after a family dinner or cookout. Eating steak two days in a row can seem a little extreme, but if you throw that steak on some bread and garnish it to suit your palate ? well, guilt removed. If you can find steak experts to make that sandwich for you, all the better.
Opened in 1993, Austin Land & Cattle is Austin’s answer to the stuffy, country club feel of most steakhouses.
ALC offers class with a wink of kitsch (what other quality steakhouse would adorn its walls with a painting of an AC-DC-themed cow named Black Angus Young?) and without pretense and generally lets its beef do the boasting.
Offered only in the bar area - a crowded but not claustrophobic space that feels separate but equal to the main dining room - the steak sandwich ($10, $8 during one of the city’s best happy hours) features a succulent 6- to 8-ounce rib-eye steak cooked to order. I find medium to be about right for this dish.
Served on a flaky sourdough hoagie, the sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato and pickles. At home, I like to add a little blue cheese and horseradish. At Austin Land & Cattle, I have the luxury of letting the kitchen do the heavy lifting with homemade sauces for an extra $1.75. To get my savory and spicy fix, it’s always a tough choice between the creamy jalapeño horseradish and jalapeño blue cheese sauces. A side of crisp, thin-cut fries can be added for $2.75.
None of which is to suggest the sandwich doesn’t hold up just fine on its own. You could pull the meat off the sandwich and serve it with sides and have a respectable steak dinner. But sometimes you just need a steak sandwich the way it was meant to be served in Texas.
10 more sandwiches to love
- Lone Star beef torta from Izzoz Tacos, 1207 S. First St. 326-4996, www.izzoztacos.com.
- Gypsy Grove sandwich (minus the fried egg) from FoodHeads, 616 W. 34th St. 420-8400, www.foodheads.com.
- Pâte de France from Spec’s, 4970 U.S. 290 W. 366-8260, www.specsonline.com.
- Southside Authentic Italian Gourmet sub from Tucci’s Southside Subs, 801 E. William Cannon Drive, No. 240. 440-1850, southsidesubsaustin.com.
- Crawfish po’-boy from Sambets Cajun Deli, 8650 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 111. 258-6410, www.sambets.com.
- Tartine with ricotta, fig and apricot preserves from Blue Dahlia Bistro, 1115 E. 11th St. 542-9542, www.bluedahliabistro.com.
- Apricot chicken salad from Central Market north and south. www.centralmarket.com.
- Chicken pesto panini from Blu Cafe, 360 Nueces St. 904-5666, www.bluaustin.com.
- Tuna melt from Jo’s, 242 W. Second St., 469-9003, www.joscoffee.com.
- Grilled pimiento and cheese from the Counter Cafe, 626 N. Lamar Blvd. 708-8800, www.thecountercafe.com
- Photos: Pearl Jam at ACL Fest 2009
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Parkside gets pink
The evening will include pink champagne, small bites and music from DJ Jeff Strange on Parkside’s second floor that overlooks Sixth Street. Parkside is throwing its hat in the ring in part due to the cause’s personal relevance for Chef Chef Shawn Cirkiel.
“I have family members who have struggled with breast cancer,” says Cirkiel. “But it’s not only personal with my family, it’s personal for a lot of people and their families. I’m in a position where I can do something with the space we have to raise awareness.”
Tickets are $50 and proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Parkside’s 1st Annual Pink Party [info]
Thursday, October 8
8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
301 E. 6th St. (valet parking available)
Update:
Aces Lounge will also be helping raise money for the Komen Foundation, with its Pink Drink Bash, Thursday at 8p.m.. Their event will feature live music from Legs Against Arms, Mobley and Moving Matter.
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The Mighty Cone giving away free food
Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11 a.m., The Mighty Cone on South Congress Avenue will be giving away one free chicken or shrimp cone to every customer. No strings attached. I bet the lines will be longer tomorrow than they were on Saturday in the rain.
Image from Mightycone.com
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My ACL Fest highlights
Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Friday
Medeski, Martin and Wood were as tight as they were when I first saw them more than a dozen years ago at Liberty lunch. Getting to see bassist Wood play mountain blues and roots with his brother Oliver just over an hour later was a nice counterbalance.
Saturday
Bon Iver had a beautiful and aching set that perfectly suited the rainy early evening. Kudos to Ghostland Observatory for bringing out UT band. Although I had to review DMB, I heard GLO killed yet again, and frontman Aaron Behrens said it was a nice added treat to see Mos Def dancing on the back of the stage during their set.
Sunday
No rain! Enjoyed the retro and powerful raw rock from The Dead Weather. Jack White knows how to bring a band together. As for the headliner … wow! Maybe it was the fact that I had not seen Pearl Jam since 1992, maybe I was overwhelmed with nostalgia … whatever the case, Pearl Jam blew me away. Hands down, best headliner ever. C3 may have to coax an incredible performance out of Radiohead at some point if this headlining performance is ever to be topped. Vedder’s voice and presence were as strong as ever, and his gratitude to the fans and the city was touching. I had no idea Mike McCready was that fine of a guitar player. His solos had be cupping my ears to increase the volume. For the record, Pearl Jam’s set list courtesy of Chad Swiatecki’s review:
“Why Go?,” “Corduroy,” “Got Some,” “Not For You” (plus a verse from “Modern Girl” by Sleater Kinney), “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,” “Given To Fly,” “World Wide Suicide,” “Evenflow,” “Unthought Known,” “Daughter” (with transition into first verse of “W.M.A.”), “Hail Hail,” “Insignificance,” “Present Tense,” “State Of Love And Trust,” “The Fixer,” “Go”
(Encore) “Red Mosquito” (feat. Ben Harper on slide guitar), “Do The Evolution,” “The Real Me” (cover - The Who), “Alive”
(Encore) “Mountain Song” (cover - Jane’s Addiction with Perry Farrell on vocals), “Rockin’ In The Free World” (cover - Neil Young)
Food
Restaurant Jezebel’s chicken and veggie skewers were probably the best food I’ve had at the fest, and it was cool/odd to see restaurant owner Parind Vora working the grill in the rain. Runner-up: Moonshine’s corndog chicken tenders with honey mustard.
As for the weather …
Yes, it was a bit a complete mess by Saturday evening and Sunday was simply a mud pit. However, I would rather have the perfect Friday weather and the rain and mud from Saturday and Sunday, respectively, than three days of scorching heat. If you prepared, the weather was not all that terrible. I probably would have avoided the fest Saturday if I was not working, but
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Live review: Dave Matthews Band
Some 15 years after its first concert in Austin, the Dave Matthews Band made its debut at the Austin City Limits Festival. Considering the band’s massive appeal, it was a set that seemed long overdue.
Unfortunately, the band was met with the sloppiest conditions in the history of the fest. That does not mean the fans stayed away. While the crowd was not as deep or thick as with headliners from years past, considering the state of the park after a long day of rain, the numbers were still impressive, with chair people and standing fans having marked their territory for the night’s set hours earlier. In fact, the scheduling of DMB was probably perfect for the conditions, considering his large, dedicated fanbase and songs that could get people moving without much heavy lifting.
After some acoustic whispering, the band, with a possible ironic nod to the day’s events, launched into a raucous version of “Don’t Drink the Water.” No problem there, Dave. Matthew’s primal scream served as proxy for the beleaguered and drenched but appreciative crowd.
As the laser light spectacular and bass overshadowed the back of the crowd, the band tore though “You Might Die Trying,” a tune that fit the mood set by the ominous lingering clouds, as Matthews danced enthusiastically during the bands extended jams that featured the prowess of guitarist Tim Reynolds.
What Matthews lacked in lyrical poetry, he more than made up for with sincerity in the band’s last set of the tour. Many of the band’s newer tunes seemed less melodic, with less room to breathe than his older tunes, but Matthews & Co. have shown an ability to re-seed and renew their crowd over the decades, and the folks up front hardly seemed to care about the mud in which everyone was entrenched.
The set hit its apex with the extended jam of “Jimi Thing,” which had many, some perched atop their boyfriends’ shoulders, singing along in full throat, while others reluctantly, maybe spurred by nostalgia, mouthed along. The song was a testament to the fact that, while DMB produces safe, radio-friendly tunes, years ago they built a reputation as being a jam band, thanks to the group’s collective improvisational and soloing skills.
After the simplistic and cutesy “Love the Way You Love Me,” the band picked up on the energy created by “Jimi Thing” with an unexpected and strong cover of the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” apropos not just for the “nasty weather,” but the fact that David Byrne appeared on the same stage at the festival last year.
With mud people doing running belly-flops amid the hundreds that started to trudge toward the exits, the band reached back to a trio of older tunes (“So Much to Say,” “Ants Marching,” and “Two Step”) that rewarded the diehards and resilient fans who stayed until the fest’s Saturday night conclusion.
Ricardo B. Brazziell photo
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Scene report: More rain, SEC football and Restaurant Jezebel
As the rain started to really come down around 4:15 p.m., Irish band Flogging Molly seemed like the perfect band to have on the AMD stage.
Walking toward AMD, I observed a jam-packed tent of folks watching Georgia vs. LSU. Sure, some were just trying to avoid the rain, but many were there with the expressed intent of watching the game. Every year, as evidenced by the hats and T-shirts, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of SEC football fans at the fest. It seemed there were more Dawg fans than Tiger fans, which is kind of odd, what with the proximity of Louisiana and the number of residents that usually make it to the fest. Maybe the LSU contingency went to see piano man Henry Butler.
Maybe not suprisingly, the lines for food were almost nonexistent (excepting Hudson’s), as every covered spot at which to eat was spoken for. We bashed on regardless and hit up Restaurant Jezebel’s stand. Amazingly, or not, considering he is always on the grill at his restaurant, owner Parind Vora was actually manning the grill in the rain. Talk about commitment. His attention to detail and quality control paid off, as the chicken and vegetable skewers I had were the best meal I have ever had at ACL Festival.
In terms of clothing options, it seems tennis shoes with canvas are a bad idea, flipflops not as bad as one would think and hiking boots or galoshes coming in as the bet idea. The raingear preferred by diehard of a certain headliner? Clear Dave Mathews Band ponchos.
With the rain still coming down, some people are starting to leave, but more are entering than exiting. The beat (and rain) goes on.
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Scene report: No wet blankets here
Despite the morning rain, afternoon foot traffic and lines at the Republic Square shuttle (where I am told people can exchange tickets for wristband) have been undeterred. At 3 p.m., the lines heading down Barton Spings Road seemed as healthy as they are every year.
I have heard more than a few fest-goers mention that they prefer rain to blazing heat. I even heard one guy tell his friends, Whatever! It’s raining … stop being a (expletive).” Easy to say now, as we are not getting spit on much, but dark clouds do seem to be threatening.
The music has as much energy as ever, with the Sam Roberts band tearing up a blazing rock set at the small Wildflower tent, a venue that should have more than a few JazzFest veterans on hand when New Orleans piano legend Henry Butler takes the stage.
!!! (pronounced chick-chick-chick) also proved that you can have a dance party in on a rainy afternoon with their hyper-energized set.
Bon Iver and Levon Helm should fit the soggy but spirited mood well at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively.
Update: At 3:41, the rain returns. Does not look terribly promising. Fans still flocking in nonetheless.
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Scene report: Broken Social Scene, a night of subtext?
Am I the only one from last night who thought that, despite the pretty sweet set of anthemic rock put on by the trimmed-down Broken Social Scene, frontman Kevin Drew might have been a little less than stoked to be in Austin?
Early in the show, he made it clear that the Canadian band was doing this “for the love.” A sweet sentiment that sounded couched in a little sarcasm, however. A few songs later he mentioned how it took him 15 hours to get to Austin, letting us know that he went to great lengths to be here, and also probably hinting to the fans that they should be appreciative, damn it!
Any doubt I had about the champagne-swilling (at least that’s what the bottle looked like) Drew being somewhat passive aggressive were removed by the fifth song when he asked the crowd what they thought about their city, their state, their country! As people’s cheers kind of died, he asked, “Yea, how’s that whole ‘Yes, we can!’ thing working out for you?” A sardonic nod to Obama and America’s ongoing healthcare reform. Drew, possibly realizing his passive-aggresiveness had lost the passivity, then joked, that it was only the fifth song and we were already talking politics.
To be honest, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. With the addition of some local horns near the set’s end, the band sounded great, their epic sound backed by the amazing stacks of the Seaholm Power Plant, a perfect pairing.
Scenes from the Seaholm Power Plant:
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Live review: The Wood Brothers
Chris Wood definitely wins this year’s ‘Most Versatile ACL Musician’ award, along with ’ Festival’s Biggest Hustler’ (as in ‘hustling around,’ not ‘ripping people off’).
Just over an hour after leaving the Livestrong stage following his set with Medeski, Martin and Wood, the bass player appeared on stage with his guitar playing brother Oliver.
Chris made the switch from improvisational jazz to blues & roots with apparent ease. The brothers got the crowd into a bluesy gospel revival mood with a stirring rendition of the almost-100-year-old ‘Lil Liza Jane,’ a song made famous in the 1940s by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. The song was punctuated beautifully by the brothers’ harmonies. Oliver has a rich, booming but syrupy voice, and for a jazz bass player, Chris is no slouch on the vocals. In fact, the qualifier ‘for a bass player,’ isn’t fair. The guy can sing.
With the brothers slapping their stringed instruments while wailing, ‘I know what it means to be senseless,’ and Oliver dancing his slide up and down the fret of his acoustic guitar, the small grove of trees in which the brothers were holding court felt like it could have been in the Georgia pines.
Oliver, with a nod to the wafting scent of marijuana, acknowledged that ‘it sure smells good out there,’ and then launched into ‘One More Day,’ with a bayside bass line that sounded like the theme to ‘The Wire.’
With the boys throwing down the blues while the young crowd up front danced along, the scene was taking on a real New Orleans JazzFest vibe. And just when you thought the brothers couldn’t take us any further down South, Chris broke out his train-chugging harmonica and Oliver put his slide through the paces for the blues tune, ‘Where My Baby Might Be.’
On this breezy afternoon, the two brothers from Georgia looked like two happy towheaded little boys with old souls sitting out on the front porch without a care in the world. As one of their songs put it, ‘the older I get, the less I know and the more I dream.’
Matthew Odam photo
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Scene report: Trouble for vendors along Barton Springs Road
As I was making my way down Barton Springs Road today around 2 p.m., there were fewer vendors than normal. Turns out some city employees were patrolling the streets and shutting down the operations of people who did not have the proper permits.
At least one business had rented out its road-fronting parking spaces to vendors, and they too were told to stop until the proper permits were required.
I didn’t talk to the officials doing the closing, so I don’t know if the crackdown has come as a result of the neighborhood association or C3 intervening or the city simply deciding to play hard ball.
It will be interesting to see if the usual assortment of food, glassware and beverage vendors line the streets this evening as they have in years past.
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Live review: Medeski, Martin & Wood
In the documentary ‘Icons Among Us,’ which aired on TV earlier this year, keyboardist John Medeski said that jazz musicians are never going to be given anything. They’re going to have to go out there and take it.
Medeski, Martin and Wood have been going out and taking it for the better part of two decades now, and today at 2:30 p.m. on the Livestrong Stage was no different.
The band took the stage to a small but appreciative crowd and proved to be the perfect vessel for many fest goers to set their weekend off to sail.
After an opening tune that featured Medeski playing a claviola and had the band building to a crescendo then backing off to settle into some quiet spaces, the band lit into some swampy funk on their second tune. Bassist Chris Wood switched from lilting sounds reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius to the electric-guitar-sounding root notes he played high on the neck of his bass.
That gave way to some playful Sesame Street funk, not a surprising milieu, as the band recently recorded a children’s album.
When Wood switched to upright bass, his deep notes conjured a soft breeze, and with Billy Martin toying with bells, the jam took on a Charles Mingus/late John Coltrane vibe that let people slide into the day’s proceedings.
Not surprising for a band who’s last album was titled ‘Let’s Go Everywhere,’ the guys spent the rest of their set sliding easily from New Orleans funk to Chicago blues and zydeco. The set highlighted each member’s strengths and versatility, all three playing with precision and power, not afraid to go to quiet spaces or erupt in combustible fury.
The only drawback was the longing it evoked in those of us who would like to see the trio play an aftershow at a small, dark club.
