Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > January > 08
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Books: Sarah Vowell, John Pipkin, Michael Druxman
Has anybody read “Woods Burner”? It’s a novel about an incident in the life of Henry David Thoreau by Texas Writers League executive director — a relatively new Austinite — John Pipkin. I was pleased to receive my very own copy in the mail, but dismayed by the mile-high stack of books on my bedside table. Looks like I won’t get to it for months and months. What I scanned looked pretty polished. If you’ve read it, send in your thoughts…
Michael Druxman is the screenwriter behind “Dillinger and Capote,” “The Doorway” and “Cheyenne Warrior.” Currently living in Los Angeles, he is said to be building a house in Austin. Recently, I received a call from Druxman regarding his signing at the South Lamar Borders 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Unfortunately, his book, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker” did not arrive until today, so no chance to advance it.
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Ephraim Owens at the Elephant Room
At first I thought his sound was under-supported. Not enough breath. Then I listened more carefully. Ephraim Owens’ trumpet is a whispery, yet exacting instrument, taking tunes like “Bye Bye Blackbird” on atmospheric flights beyond the horizon.
Ephraim Owens, Patti Cox
Owens played as part of a quartet Wednesday at the Elephant Room — the piano, upright bass, drums complementing his sometimes subtle, sometimes bold playing. Owens doesn’t push himself forward like some frontmen, sharing the stage instead, benevolently, harmonizing with a guest horn player who, I believe, is from San Marcos.
Sam Lewis, Jessica Mauricio
Although I was swept away by Owens, the evening was adulterated by yackers at tables around us. One group did not glance in the direction of the stage for the entire first set. Why, oh why would you choose the Elephant Room on a Wednesday to catch up on real estate gossip at top volume when, no exaggeration, there are 150 other bars and clubs downtown?
Nathan Toews, Delfina Garcia
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Catching up with Kyoto
I sampled my first sushi at Kyoto. It was my ex’s favorite restaurant. Those who know that Kip and I will be celebrating our 18th anniversary soon can calculate that my main Kyoto days date to the 1980s. (Brian Lieske, my ex, has been living with his partner, also named Michael, in San Francisco, for almost as long. We remain dear friends.)
Cody Hale, Erika Canales
I returned to Kyoto, the still-popular joint on Congress Avenue, last night after a long hiatus. Robert Nash met me there prior to an Ephraim Owens gig at the Elephant Room downstairs.
Emily Watson, Jim Watson
Everything Robert and I ordered rewarded our expectations, especially the “spider” with lightly crunchy soft-shell crab. For a place that deals in volume — its Monday-Saturday happy hour generates lines down the block — the sushi here is dependably invigorating. And thanks to the happy hour, a fresh tide of youthful sushi-lovers washes in punctually. The customers we talked to agreed that Kyoto keeps its standards pretty high.
Harrison Beauchamp, Aimed Work, Blake Cash
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Dave Dart of Dart Music International
Therein lies his renewed dedication and his relatively new job: Running Dart Music International. It’s a small nonprofit — budget: $80,0000 — lubricating the machinery so musicians from around the world can connect with Austin.
Hundreds of far-flung musicians will arrive in Austin this March, for instance, not knowing what awaits them at SXSW. Dart deals with visas, housing, exposure, scheduling, budgeting. He even counsels some bands to wait until the time is ripe for their ascendancy.
He’s also branching out into regular sponsored concerts of foreign acts in order to expose Austin’s club set to distant cultures. Sweet. Hope Dart collaborates with older, more established nonprofits for joint ventures.
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John Thornton’s reading list for media blogs
We asked him for his reading list for media blogs and he kindly complied. All of them go immediately into our RSS feeds.
Biz Blog; Jarvis; Content Bridges; E-media Tidbits; Fitz and Jenn; Gannett Blog; Journerdism; Media Shift; News After Newspapers; Newsless; Newspaper Death Watch; OJR; Online Journalism Blog; Paid Content; Public Journalism Network; PressThink; Publishing 2.0; Recovering Journalist; Newsosaur; Romenesko.
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