Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > December > 03
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Billy Joe Shaver, Slaid Cleaves and Joe Ely team up for February show
Outlaw country pioneer Billy Joe Shaver, honky-tonk legend Joe Ely and Americana singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves will be performing at the Paramount Theatre Feb. 12, according to Shaver’s publicist.
The show hasn’t yet been added to the Paramount’s Web site, but tickets should go on sale there soon.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Aesop Rock show postponed
Snow anxiety 2009 strikes again.
Renowned underground hip hop artist Aesop Rock has postponed his Friday night show at the Mohawk due to concerns over the weather, according to an e-mail from Transmission Entertainment’s Graham Williams.
Fortunately, tickets will be held and honored for a new date, likely in January, to be announced sometime in the next week. And locals Starving Martyrs and Glitterbillies will play a free show at the inside stage that evening.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs
SXSW announces fresh round of music panels
Amidst the haze of bands and beer that is the South by Southwest Music Festival, the panels often get overlooked. Maybe that’s why the festival took the unique approach of crowdsourcing its 2010 panels, allowing the community to vote on the various proposals online.
Today the fruits of that labor were announced as the festival released a batch of 40 panels selected through the new process. The results are intriguing — the panels address everything from digital distribution to the resurgence of vinyl to spirituality on the road. If you can tear yourself away from the substantially less orderly world of day parties and nightly showcases, there should be some interesting discussions.
Surf on over to SXSW’s Web site for the full list, or check it out after the jump.
1,000 Digital Tools & Strategies: Which 3 Work?, Michael Feferman, C3 Presents
A&R and the Indie Label, Stephen Brower, Vanguard Records
Budgeted Tour Planning: Free and “Must Have” Resources, Jordan Glazier, Eventful Inc
Creating a Music Town, Jared Bailey, AthFest
Creative Capitol: Music, Culture and Policy under Obama, Michael Bracy, Future of Music Coalition
The Cultural Significance of Direct-to-Fan Marketing, Ian Rogers, Topspin
DIY or Sign with a Label, Richard Bengloff, A2IM
Does Rock and Roll Belong in a Museum?, Jim Henke, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Effecting Social Change via Music and Technology, Andy Bernstein, HeadCount Inc
Ethics in the Music Business, Nancy Fly, Nancy Fly Agency
Evolution of Concert Bookings and Programming, Jeff Chabon, Spurs Sports & Entertainment/AT&T Center
The Future of Music PR, Andy Adelewitz, Paradigm
The Future of Online Music Videos, Nick Stahl, Brightcove
Get Your Music Licensed in a Commercial, Sarah Gavigan, Hanka & SG Consulting
Global Music Marketing: How to Reach Fans Worldwide, Adam Rabinovitz, IODA
The History of Music Recommendations, Michael Papish, MediaUnbound
How to Make Money with Vinyl, Jay Millar, United Record Pressing
How to Take Your Music to Market, Erik Gilbert, IODA
How Will We Listen to Music in 2020?, Jonas Woost, heute:pop:blog
It’s So Big! Packaging Design from CDs to Vinyl to Merchandise, Susan Tanner, Righteous Babe Records
Jumping into the Kiddie Pool: Diving for Dollars, Tor Hyams, Kidzapalooza
The Library of Congress: Music for Generations, Butch Lazorchak, The Library of Congress
Making Something Outta Nothing, Howard Wuelfing, Howlin’ Wuelf Media Inc
Marketing 21st Century African Music, Ngozi Odita, Society HAE
Music in the Cloud, Geoff Ralston, Lala.com
Online Marketing Platforms of the Now and the Future, Lou Plaia, ReverbNation.com
Paper Cuts in the Plastic Age, Frank Mauceri, Smog Veil Records
Record Club, Danny Benair, Natural Energy Lab
Recording Industry vs. People, Ray Beckerman, Ray Beckerman PC
A Social Media Case Study of L.A.’s Sunset Strip, Kyra Reed, MarKyr Media
Socialize Your Network: Tech Tips That Rock, Brad King, Ball State University
Spirituality for Nomads, Merrill Wade, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Sustainable Ad-Funded Music Is Not a Pipe Dream, Clive Gardiner, We7
Synch or Swim: Keeping Your Head Above Water, Steven Scharf, Steven Scharf Entertainment/Carlin America
Tax Tips for Musicans and Songwriters, Shane Cook
This Note’s For You, Mike Boris, McCann Erickson
Three Strikes You’re Out: The ISP Debate, Steven Masur, MasurLaw
Too Much Information! Does Interacting Kill Rockstar Mystique?, Ian Heath, SONY BMG Music Canada
Women Write Women’s Experiences in Music, Holly George-Warren, Jackalope Press
Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse & Interviews, Ali MacLean, Ali on the Air
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW, SXSW 2010
Shakeup at Sengelmann: Dean moves to Swiss Alp Dance Hall
This week on “Dancehall Dramas:” The newly restored Sengelmann Hall, which enjoyed a million dollar facelift in Schulenburg, is now under new management. Dana Harper remains the owner, but veteran booker Steve Dean is out as talent buyer
But beginning Jan. 1, Dean will be taking over at Swiss Alp Dance Hall, just eight miles up the road from Schulenburg on Hwy 77. “The owner has to go to Ireland on business for an extended period of time, so when he heard I wasn’t at Sengelmann anymore he asked me if I wanted to rent Swiss Alp,” says Dean, a music historian. “Swiss Alp was where all the rock acts like Roy Head and B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs used to play.”
Dean says he’ll stick more to country music that the locals prefer, with occasional blues and rock acts at the 700-capacity hall, built by German immigrants in 1900.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Raul Malo’s constant momentum
The 45-year-old Americana master and Roy Orbison-styled crooner Raul Malo once ascended to the loftiest heights of commercial success, as leader of the Grammy Award-winning and platinum-selling alternative country outfit the Mavericks. He’s equally used to the sting of a record that flopped - his albums since striking out solo with 2001’s “Today” have performed inconsistently.
To hear Malo tell it, he’s stopped caring about such things.
“I’m used to both. I’m used to having hit records and not having hit records,” Malo said this week. “I can survive any way. To me you just kind of have to keep on swimming. I’m like a shark. If I stop swimming, I sink.”
Malo’s constant momentum is more a help than a hindrance. Always one to chafe under stylistic expectations - he was born in Miami to Cuban parents and consequently is versed in a wide array of styles and influences - he’s taken advantage of that restlessness across his expansive albums. He’ll play selections from throughout his career Friday night at Antone’s, performing a solo acoustic set to benefit the Christmas Bureau of Austin.
Much of the set will be drawn from 2009 album “Lucky One,” his broadest effort yet. It’s a carefully guided journey through zoot-suit anthems, romantic ballads, moments of Latin soul and excursions into honky tonk. It’s an adventurous album that fears only thing: categorization.
“That’s part of the freedom that I have now and that I enjoy. I don’t have to be worried about the needs of a musical genre in particular,” Malo said. “Once you’re successful in one genre, it’s like they just want you to keep doing that over and over again. But to me, it’s just music. Music shouldn’t be in one genre.”
But then, “Lucky One” might touch on so many bases precisely because it’s the musical equivalent of the burst of water generated by untying a knotted garden hose. It’s Malo’s first solo album of original material in seven years, after a series of cover albums and a Christmas album.
“Man, that really just happened. It was just a strange set of circumstances,” Malo said. “One thing after another happened and it just kind of snowballed into me doing three covers records in a span of not that much time.”
That long sojourn into playing the material of others did leave him with a healthy backlog of songs that made for a speedy writing and recording process. He also had time to get comfortable with the new material in the comfort of his own home studio, which led to three of his original demo tracks showing up on the finished product.
That same crafted-at-home approach will be apparent on his next two albums: another solo record and an album of Spanish songs, which Malo expects to release next year.
Some songs from his upcoming projects might make an appearance tonight, but take heart - Malo doesn’t intend to neglect more seasonal tunes.
“I will play some Christmas stuff, definitely,” said Malo. “But it won’t be the full-on Andy Williams kind of holiday show that we did last year.”
An Intimate Evening with Raul Malo takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at Antone’s, 213 W. Fifth St. $25
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Interview
Townes’ unseen poems set to music
What Billy Bragg and Wilco did for Woody Guthrie, writing melodies to go with lyrics left behind for their “Mermaid Avenue” albums, David Broza has done with unpublished poems by the late, great Townes Van Zandt.
The 12-track CD “Night Dawn,” which was produced by Broza and G.E. Smith comes out February 23 on S-Curve Records.
After Van Zandt died on New Year’s Day 1997, Broza was bequeathed a shoebox full of Van Zandt poems. Strangely, the two performed together only once, in 1994 at a “Writers in the Round” show in Houston. They did not remain in touch afterwards. Israeli balladeer Broza had to wonder, ‘Why me?’
So did Van Zandt’s widow Jeanene, who asked Broza to not take the poems, but to let her present them to Townes’ fans like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Lyle Lovett and others. Broza honored that request, but eight years later and nothing happening with Jeanene’s project, asked for them back. Thus started a four year process of writing music for 10 of the poems. One song on the album is a Broza instrumental tribute to Townes called “Too Old To Die Young,” while the other is a cover of a demo of the last song Van Zandt wrote.
“I only hope I’ve done those lyrics justice,” Broza told Billboard, “turning that poetry into song as Townes would have liked.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment
Weekend picks: Abstract hip-hop, hard-rocking locals and fiercely personal folk
Aesop Rock at the Mohawk. Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known as Aesop Rock, was at the forefront of the alternative and underground hip-hop acts that emerged in the late ’90s and early part of this decade. His lyrics might be abstract — and wholly subjective — but they’re fired off with extraordinary passion, making him one of hip-hop’s most striking live performers. With Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. $20. 9 p.m. 912 Red River St. mohawkaustin.com.
Also recommended:
- KISS at the Erwin Center
- Hug at Headhunters
- Patricia Vonne at the Continental Club
- Raul Malo at Antone’s
- Matt the Electrician at the Ghost Room
SATURDAY
Vic Chesnutt Band at Central Presbyterian Church. Folk rock singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt gets around. With 17 albums in 19 years and a lengthy stint with Widespread Panic under his belt, he’s a tireless and prolific artist. His fiercely personal 2009 album “At the Cut” features an all-star lineup of players, including members of Fugazi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who will be joining him on-stage Saturday evening. $15. 8 p.m. 200 E. Eighth St. transmission.frontgatetickets.com. (Interview)
Also recommended:
- KGSR 19th Anniversary with the Gourds
- Bob Schneider and Roseanne Cash at the Texas Union Ballroom
- Erin Ivey at the Independent
- Mother Hips at Emo’s
- Vallejo at Antone’s
- Flametrick Subs at Beerland
SUNDAY
ARC of the Capital Area benefit with Soulhat at Antone’s. If you ever drove a car at 5 p.m. through the Austin area between 1994 and 2005, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard Soulhat. 93.7 KLBJ’s Johnny Walker used to spin the group’s “Bonecrusher” every Friday, unofficially kicking off the weekend. Years later they’re still one of Austin’s most hard-rocking bands, even if they play only occasionally. Sunday they’ll be anchoring an astonishing 12-hour benefit that runs until midnight. With Lil Cap’n Travis and Topaz and Mudphonic. Noon. 213 W. Fifth St. antones.net.
Also recommended:
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Austin’s Conspirare nets fifth Grammy nomination
Austin-based professional choral ensemble Conspirare has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album for its CD ‘Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert’ on the Harmonia Mundi label.
Led by ensemble founder Craig Hella Johnson “Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert” was recorded live at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in October 2008 in cooperation with KLRU.
Last year, Conspirare received two Grammy Award nominations for its CD “Threshold of Night,” including Best Classical Album. Conspirare also received two nominations in 2006.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Armchair quarterbacking the 2010 Grammy nominations broadcast
Among the many, many insults lobbed at the Grammy Awards over the years, few have been as winningly on-point as those articulated by that great bastion of American cultural criticism, “The Simpsons.” In the classic Beatles-parodying episode “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet,” a dispirited Homer Simpson hands his recently won award to the show’s ubiquitous pimply faced teenager, who throws it to the ground after realizing it’s a Grammy.
That episode aired in 1993. 16 years later the criticism of the Grammy Awards as irrelevant and out-of-touch has only grown more trenchant. That much was readily apparent tonight, as for the second year the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences sought to increase the awards’ profile by releasing the nominations for the major categories in a broadcast concert.
It’s hard not to see this as backfiring. Although there were plenty of deserving locals nominated, and the minor categories remain full of promising and exceptional nominees, the bread and butter of any awards show — the major categories — are as baffling as ever.
And those are, of course, the centerpiece of the nominations concert, which thus serves less to get fans excited and more to clarify just where the Grammy Awards have gone awry. There’s generally two varieties of nominees in the major categories: popular but frequently insufferable artists, and old veterans whose best work is long behind them and seem like little more than a token acknowledgment of the past.
The broadcast — capably if cornily emceed, and little more, by LL Cool J — was heavy on the former. The continuing ascendancy of the Black Eyed Peas is difficult to justify, with prominent placement in the broadcast and a mind-boggling six nominations. Or take the debut of Nick Jonas and the Administration, with a hopelessly hokey original that, with its rear projection images of Jonas looking gloomily in any direction except into the camera, might have been the cheesiest moment in an evening full of them. Even the high points — Sugarland’s refreshingly straightforward performance of “Coming Home” and Maxwell’s cover of Michael Jacksons “The Lady In My Life,” one of what will likely be many Grammy nods to the King of Pop — failed to leave any real lasting impression.
Equally bizarre as the focus on young acts of questionable talent is the Grammy Awards’ continuing obsession with nominating acts well past their prime. Although Darryl Hall and John Oates’ nominated performance of “Sara Smile” is great, the song itself is over three decades old. Similarly, does anybody really believe Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood’s “Live From Madison Square Garden” is one of the years’ best rock albums? Or that Green Day deserves a nod in the same category?
Pair that with the confusing reasoning behind the best new artist category — a nomination that may come as a surprise to the Zac Brown Band, who have been together nine years — and it’s easy to see the Grammy Awards as hopelessly out of touch when they’re not pandering to music’s biggest and most obvious artists.
The ball, of course, hasn’t totally been dropped. Plenty of the Grammy Awards’ big names — Beyonce and Taylor Swift come immediately to mind — are certifiable pop darlings and deserve the recognition. 2008 and 2009 have been massive years for the Kings of Leon and MGMT and it’s nice to see them garner so many nominations. But within the major categories, the Grammy Awards are caught between a rock and a hard place, spending much of their time on the dregs of pop music and another solid chunk on veteran artists that are coasting by largely on name recognition. By broadcasting the nominations in the major categories the academy seems to be making a special effort to highlight its own faults.
In one of the evening’s funnier moments, presenter Smokey Robinson advised Taylor Swift with an amusing “Don’t worry, Taylor. Kanye West is not here.”
Which may be too bad. Lacking both the critical cachet that comes from a more well-thought-out pool of nominees and the antics that have attracted popular attention to the American Music Awards and the MTV Video Awards this year, a little spectacle probably wouldn’t have hurt matters.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Jarosz, Foster, Willie, Colvin get Grammy nods
Eighteen-year-old Wimberley High grad Sarah Jarosz and Austin folk/soul singer Ruthie Foster were among the local acts to receive Grammy nominations Wednesday night, in the categories of Best Country Instrumental and Contemporary Blues, respectively. Willie Nelson, nominated three times, and Asleep at the Wheel received a nod for Best Americana Album for “Willie and the Wheel.”
Grammy darling Shawn Colvin was nominated in the Best Contemporary Folk category for her “Live” album, while Patty Griffin and Dierks Bentley are up for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
Austin-based author Douglas Brinkley received a nomination, with Johnny Depp, for Best Album Notes for “Gonzo: the Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.”
Beyonce, with 10, and Taylor Swift with eight, received the most nominations.
Go here for a list of noms in all 109 categories. The Grammys will be awarded Jan. 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.