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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
First round of SXSW music performers announced
It begins.
The first half-dozen bands that will be performing at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival have been announced on the official Web site. They include Vancouver, British Columbia’s garage rock duo Japandroids and London psychedelic folk rockers Archie Bronson Outfit.
The six bands hail from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Spain, proving that SXSW, as ever, has its eyes on a global audience. If your band applied and hasn’t received word yet, fret not — festival organizers are still in the process of sending out invitations. All acts will be notified of their status by Jan. 29.
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Thursday night bicycle ride to benefit Riverboat Gambler
Since its launch in March, the Thursday Night Social Ride — a weekly casual bicycle ride in central Austin that generally finishes at an area bar — has grown into a force to be reckoned with. This week the ride’s organizers are mobilizing the event’s hundreds of cyclists to help out an Austin musician in need: the Riverboat Gamblers’ Ian MacDougall.
MacDougall, you may remember, was severely injured after being struck by a car while riding his bike home Oct. 17. The Thursday Night Social Ride will meet at 7 p.m. at the Scoot Inn, 1308 E. Fourth St., before making its way to the Sustainable Waves compound, 4704 Caesar Chavez St. Cash donations will be collected for MacDougall, and R&B dub band the Finest Kind will perform. Ride organizers will also be collecting cans for the Capital Area Food Bank at the kickoff. More details are available on the event’s Facebook page.
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Hip-hop radio Hot 93.3FM to let on-air staff go
According to DJ 2DQ in a meeting this afternoon the entire on-air staff of the local Emmis Communications-owned commercial hip-hop station was informed by program director Chase Rupe that their contracts are to be terminated effective immediately. Tomorrow will be the final day for the station to feature on-air personalities. The station will then switch to an automated playlist through Friday, at which point the station will undergo a format change.
“I’ve been through this before,” said 2DQ, who previously worked at now defunct rival hip-hop station the Beat 104. “It’s just hard to see how it affects the people who have families. (On-air personalities) Boogie and Mimi, who have been there from the beginning, have families to support. These decisions are often made without considering the people they affect.” 2DQ would also like to thank the fans who made Hot 93.3 number one in Austin.
Attempts to reach station management for comment were unsuccessful.
Update: We received the following press release from Chase Rupe last night:
As of Friday, November 20th HOT 93.3-KDHT will no longer be broadcasting the Hip-Hop format in Austin, Texas. The HOT 93.3 staff was let go earlier today as a result of these impending changes. A new format will debut on the 93.3 frequency this Friday. More details regarding this event will be released at that time.
Update 2: We received a call from Rupe Wednesday night to comment on the layoffs and planned format change.
“The decision was strictly the result of a business opportunity in the market. It had nothing to do with Hot 93.3 whatsover,” said Rupe. “That station was the number one station in the 18-34 adult demographic and had an absolutely incredible staff. I can easily say they were the best staff I’ve ever worked with. They were incredible all-around. There’s no problem with the product whatsoever. It was just a business opportunity that we felt was in the company’s best interests.”
And what opportunity would that be? Rupe declined to comment but noted that Emmis, which owns and operates six stations in the Austin area, was preparing a statement on the format change, which is planned to take effect Friday.
Hot 93.3 had been in operation under its current format since 2003. Rupe said its success in the 18-34 demographic, according to their most recent data from radio audience research company Arbitron, made the station’s format attractive to competitors. With the station’s departure, the Beat 105.9 is now Austin’s sole hip-hop station.
“Hot unfortunately fell victim to its own success,” said Rupe. “It was such a successful station that did so well that it was attractive to competitors that thought they could shave off some of that success.”
In addition to on-air staff, some employees in promotions and sales were also laid off. Earning employees who had been with the company for more than a year qualified for severance benefits.
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‘Todd and Don Show’ to return, officials say
Yanked off the air in July after co-host Don Pryor repeatedly uttered an ethnic slur, “The Todd and Don Show” will return to KLBJ-AM on Dec. 7, according to a statement released jointly by the station’s management and local Hispanic leaders who met earlier today.
The station’s management could not immediately be reached for comment.
Spokesman Paul Saldaña said Emmis Austin Radio, the station’s parent company, announced its decision during a meeting with the Hispanic leaders earlier today. According to Saldaña, Emmis said the show will return to the air “with a transformed perspective on community history, expectations and cultural sensitivity.”
Saldaña said Emmis also announced a plan for mandatory diversity training for all on-air personalities, producers and station management at all six of its Austin radio stations.
He said Emmis assured the leaders that “efforts to better serve the entire Austin community would be ongoing.”
Pryor, the son of longtime radio personality Cactus Pryor, repeatedly used a slur to describe illegal immigrants, triggering complaints from listeners and from leaders of Hispanic groups.
Emmis Austin canceled the show July 20 under an agreement with local members of the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association, which canceled plans to boycott Emmis Austin’s six local stations and their advertisers.
Scott Gillmore, Emmis Austin Radio vice president and market manager, said then that the decision was made after the station’s ownership and management heard complaints from hundreds of listeners and after it consulted with Hispanic leaders and community members.
Pryor and Todd Jeffries each received two-week suspensions without pay. “The Todd and Don Show” had been on the air about nine months before it was canceled.
Pryor used the word “wetback” during a discussion on the July 14 show about labels for people who are in the country illegally. The use of the slur “wetback” has a long history in the United States, particularly in Texas, and many Mexican Americans consider it hurtful and offensive.
While the use of the slur outraged many local Hispanics, the suspensions and removal of the show also generated complaints from listeners who criticized them as too harsh and as an overreaction to public pressure and political correctness.
UPDATE: This story has been edited to indicate that the statement was sent jointly between station management and local Hispanic leaders.
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Dave Matthews is non-threateningly coming at you … in 3D
If you were one of the tens of thousands to make the pilgrimage to the Austin City Limits Music Festival this year, you might have noticed the several-stories-tall, highly advanced 3D cameras set up near the Livestrong stage. AEG Network Live, inconcert3d and Action 3D Productions shot footage throughout the festival with the same style of high-definition digital 3D camera used for this season’s movie releases “A Christmas Carol” and “Avatar.”
You’ll get the chance to check out the fruits of their labor Dec. 11 to 17, when 3D theaters nationwide screen “Larger Than Live… in 3D.” The film is composed of portions of three 2009 sets from three big outdoor music festivals — the Dave Matthews Band at Austin City Limits, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 at the Mile High Music Festival in Commerce City, Colo., and Gogol Bordello at All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Jersey City, N.J.
The film is the first in a planned series of concert films, with best-of editions covering both ACL and Lollapalooza in the works for 2010. The trailer is available online. AEG was also behind the recent Michael Jackson concert film “This Is It.”
Information about specific theaters screening the film will be announced in the next few weeks — but since the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum’s IMAX theater screened the major 3D concert film, “U23D,” that seems a likely possibility.
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Good news and bad news for Austin metal fans
First, the bad news: after sitting out a scheduled Saturday night performance with Finnish heavy metal band Ensiferum at Emo’s, Swedish death metal trio Hypocrisy has had to pull out of the remainder of their co-headlining tour. The culprit? The ever-present dilemma of visa issues.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are forced to stay home until U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services process and authorize our working visas,” the band said in a statement. “This is the first time the band has faced a situation like this and it’s extremely frustrating, as well as depressing, since the last thing we want to do is disappoint our loyal fans who have waited years to see us live in the US.”
The Ensiferum tour will continue without Hypocrisy.
Fortunately not all is dark and scary in the world of dark and scary music, as Austin’s own Mammoth Grinder announced Monday that their latest album, “Extinction of Humanity,” will at long last see digital and CD release Dec. 8 on Relapse Records. The album saw a vinyl release earlier this year on Austin label Cyclopean Records. Read Statesman writer Joe Gross’ review of the album here.
Finally — although in the world of metal, nothing ever truly ends — Austin’s own hardcore and metal outfit Iron Age will be returning home Dec. 7 for a show at Emo’s. The band is currently gallivanting around Europe on a co-headlining tour with Savannah, Ga. sludge metal act and possible G.I. Joe fans Baroness.
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Record release party: Billy Crockett at Cactus 11/18
Photo of Billy Crockett by Rodney Hatfield
Before he and his wife Dodee built the Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio on 19 acres in Wimberley, where he’s been producing rising star Grace Pettis, Billy Crockett was a touring singer-songwriter. He’s kept his hand in and has just released “Wishing Sky,” a slight departure from the nine contemporary Christian albums he recorded for WORD Records.
Help Crockett celebrate the release with a free show at the Cactus Cafe Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
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Beer and Bingo Night debuts at Jo’s tomorrow
Austin is the live retro capital of the world. We’ve brought back roller derby and old time burlesque and bowling night and the Moose Lodge and mechanical bulls. Top that, Brooklyn, with your pool parties.
The newest old thing in Austin is Beer and Bingo Night. It debuts Wednesday from 7- 9 p.m. at Jo’s Downtown. Beers are $3 and bingo cards are $1 a piece. Proceeds go to Caritas, which feeds the homeless.
The Austin twist? Numbers will be called by transvestite Sapphire.
