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February 11, 2012
Symphony of Soul at the Austonian
Austinites depend on music for many things. Comfort. Entertainment. Inspiration. Livelihood.
Dr. George Rodgers and Leslie Hyland-Rodgers
How about music suited to extreme circumstances in life? Illness? Recovery? Death? That’s the domain of Symphony of Soul, a charity devoted to the healing — or at least soothing — power of the arts. The group sends jazz, rock, classical and other musicians to hospitals, hospices and other places where people need the uplift.
Sam and Jacqueline Hammett
Symphony of Soul held a small fundraiser on the 55th floor of the Austonian this week. Among the guests hovering high above the skyline, listening to jazz and barbershop, were members of the medical community as well as guests either invested in the nonprofit’s mission or, like me, just curious.
Russell K. Shores and Julia Cruz
Businesswoman, arts backer and Austonian resident Emily Moreland arranged the for the classy room. Kind-hearted singer and actress Leslie Hyland-Rodgers served as emcee and later serenaded the crisply attired assembly. Keep the music coming!
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January 28, 2012
'Wicked' + Sam Harris + social scrapes
My little camera got me into two minor social scrapes this weekend. At the ‘Wicked’ cast party — tremendous troupe, plump production values from this touring show at Bass Concert Hall — karaoke wafted from Rusty’s gay bar on East Seventh Street. So I waited by the door to document the arriving cast, crew and guests for this column.
First in front of the lens was Don Amendolia, who looked suitably wizardly even after playing the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Then three pleasant but socially otherwise engaged young women posed for the column. Quick happy snaps.
After that, an energetic group of four approached the door. I separated them out. One actor wanted to check his look before I took his picture. Fine. Not in a hurry.
Don Amendolia and Shannon Boggus
So far, pretty normal for your social columnist. When I asked for the spelling of their names, however, one actor countered by demanding my credentials. How could he be sure that I wouldn’t misuse his image? After all, some of the cast had been stalked, he said.
Courtney Iventosch, Laran Snyder and Lindsay Wood
I was stumped. Out of business cards, I didn’t even think about the employee card in my wallet. The doorman, laughing at my social dilemma, intervened: “Yeah, that’s Michael Barnes with the newspaper.”
Zach Hensler and David Nathan Perlow
Just an actor being an actor. No hard feelings.
The next night, I headed to the YMCA on Ed Bluestein Boulevard for a kick-off event to Black History Month. When I arrived at the center, the place was swarming with young people playing and exercising. Normal. But where was the kick-off? Then I spied two men in suits, who kindly directed me to the reception.
It was not until later that I realized they were dressed almost identically, as were the other men in dark suits and smart ties outside the door of the gathering. I was asked to sign in, then overheard that I would be patted down for security reasons. What was going on?
The actual situation finally dawned on me when one of the suited men took me aside and said I could not use my camera or record anything at the event. My reporting would not be welcome at this Nation of Islam meeting.
Again, no hard feelings. Gotta read those digital invitations more closely. Everyone was exceedingly courteous, but what’s a reporter without reporting?
Headed from there to the Shoal Crossing Events Center, where Sterling Affairs Catering and Event Planning has teamed up with Austin Cabaret Theatre to present musical acts in the barn-like former dinner theater and clothing store.
In this case, when I use the term “barn-like,” it’s not a put-down, but rather a description of the building’s shape. Despite the high ceilings, it fits neatly the big cabaret talents that Stuart Moulton books.
Paul Beutel and Willa Kaye Warren
Sam Harris, veteran of “Star Search” on TV, “The Life” on Broadway and much more in a long career, appeared with Austin Cabaret Theatre years ago. His act has grown immensely. Still in ideal condition are his high, tensile voice and bright stage presence. What has matured is his patter, which reflects his full life on and off the stage, including an enduring friendship with Liza Minnelli.
I was there to check out the new space. I stayed because Harris is a cabaret sensation. And Austin audiences loves him.
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January 24, 2012
Rattle Inn Preview Party
Live music is back — big time — on West Sixth Street. Monday, the Rattle Inn opened with a grand party that included a set by Asleep at the Wheel, co-owner Ray Benson’s act and pretty much the house band. Media and local celebrities rubbed elbows, as all three of the club’s spaces filled to the delight of Benson and his partners, Kevin Williamson and Matt Luckie.
Kevin Williamson and Ava Late
Luckie and Williamson are old nightlife hands, having opened their share of bars, clubs and restaurants in multiple entertainment districts. They were still putting finishing touches on the Texas-themed joint — comic murals, stuffed game, rattlesnake-skin-like banquettes, envisioned by designer Joel Mozersky — when the first guests arrived.
Michelle Valles and Jennifer Ransom Rice
Three distinct spaces allow customers a range of experiences. The heart of the place is a high-ceilinged ballroom with stage and enough floor space for a bit of dancing. The side bar feels more like a club house, filtered through an ironic sensibility about the Old West. Then there’s the immense rooftop deck, giving out to expansive views of the downtown skyline.
Eddie Safady and Olga Campos
Roof decks are in — I can think of at least 11 downtown — and this is among the most impressive, though it might get hot up there facing south and west during summer afternoons. Roof decks are for nights.
We ran into dozens of social regulars, but spent most of the time catching up with our dear friend Sean Massey, whose stepmother, collector and artist, Pat Brown, passed away from cancer early Monday. Her memorial will be delayed until the spring, so friends can converge on Austin from around the world.
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December 11, 2011
People's Community Clinic, Four Seasons Residences, Drink Local, Second Bar & Kitchen, Womack brothers, Longhorns basketball, Pink Panther Party, Zilker cottage
Back to three dots …
The penthouses at the W Austin are just what one might suspect: As swank as the lower condos, but with considerably more space and head room. My first visit to one came thanks to the People’s Community Clinic’s young leadership group, which mixed there merrily. Various leaders made short, impassioned speeches about the Austin charity that provides health care to the needy. Casey Chapman Ross seems particularly promising among the leaders …
Adam Longley and Ana Perkins
Another furnished model opened in the Four Seasons Residences. Super-classy designer Fern Santini introduced the concept to me, among the guests speaking several languages (such is the cosmo club in the clouds). Complementing the Italian mod furniture were heady works of art by Central Texans, including the fascinating Karen Hawkins, about whom I plan to learn more …
Melissa Martinez, Ociel Trevino and Bianca Flores
In just a few short years, Edibile Austin has thoroughly colonized Austin. Thanks Marla Camp, the publication — one of more than 60 nationally — has given succor to the locovore movement. During its popular Eat Drink Local Week, an event that could not have happened just a few years ago, Drink Local matches local distilleries with mixologists competing to make the most potable cocktail with local ingredients. It attracted a crowd, average age 30, to the AT&T Center that seemed as interested in the hot food as the cool drinks …
Tara Hurley and De Olagundoye
Lunched with prosecutor Rick Cofer at Second Bar & Kitchen, which is becoming something of a see-and-be-seen spot there at Congress Avenue and Second Street. Our conversation was off the record, but we both love politics, history and Austin, so you can very well guess. Spied among the luncheoneers Samantha Davidson, Dave Shaw, Elaine Garza, Kathy Blackwell and others …
Fern Santini and Barrett Morgan
The Womack brothers — Brad, Chad and Wes — along with business partner Jason Carrier opened up their West Sixth Street clubs to a long conversation about Austin nightlife. We talked about the ebb and flow of revelers among the city’s entertainment districts and the planned opening of an outpost for their Southern urbane Dogwood club concept in midtown Houston. Expect a longer report on our ramblings soon. …
Michael Wilson and Patrizio Chiarparini
Absolutely riveting was a panel discussion of the park-keeper’s cottage in Zilker Park at the Austin History Center. Three past inhabitants of the cottage recounted their days in the park since the early 1930s! Thanks to Kim McNight for assembling the research on floods, farms and phantom fires and for bringing together the park families. (The cottage will now serve as park rangers’ headquarters.) Again, expect a much longer report soon. …
Chris Pellegrino and Karen Hawkins
Jack and Carla McDonald’s Pink Panther Party brought out the top socials to their West Austin digs. If you are ever invited to this thematic holiday party — the theme changes each year — go, go, go. You’ll make friends you never knew existed. The food, drink and entertainment are impossible to beat. I relaxed and enjoyed. No further report. …
Kerri Poe and Lauren Bennett
Facebook and Twitter followers know I’ve been trying to convince somebody to accompany me to Longhorn games. I love sports and want to report more regularly on the social scenes at games.
David Cotshott and Dasha Yegorova
Though no huge sports fan, tech whiz Ian Carrico accompanied me to a Longhorns basketball game. We arrived around halftime and then watched the men demolish UT-Arlington. The play was wild, sloppy, weird and fun. I suspect the team will tighten up. The crowd rarely got into the action and started leaving way too early for my tastes. Ah well, a million more games to go.
Crystal and Justin Esquivel
Permalink | | Categories: Business, Charity, City, Food, Law, Music, Nightlife, Sports, Style
December 4, 2011
Ryan Nail's BandGym, Stack Burger Bar, Royal Blue, Mexic-Arte Mix & Mash, John Waters & Alpha Rev
The traditional columnist’s three-dot strategy for social reporting works for the following busy 24 hours:
Magnetic fitness trainer Ryan Nail attracted a burnished brood to Dogwood for the launch of BandGym, his system of resistance exercises that can be attached to any door — wonder if he’ll pump up sales during Dancing with the Stars Austin for charity tonight at Hilton Austin (he’ a contestant). …
Erika Haynes and Ryan Nail
Connecticut escapees Roosevelt Cevallos and Robert Pellati, who are toying with opening a gay-friendly coffee lounge downtown, met me for lunch at Tre Dotson’s tasty Stack Burger Bar in the brightly redesigned West Fourth Street spot that once held Soma, Saba and M Two. …
Hobnobbed with architect Girard Kinney and Scenic Austin’s Kate Meehan about how to rid our beloved city of the billboard curse at the Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Avenue, a snug place I invented in my imagination long before it happily opened. …
Marcie Lasseigne and Melissa Robinson
Mixed with the spirited younger and older things at Mexic-Arte Museum’s Mix & Mash art sale, a fundraiser not unlike those held by Arthouse and Women & Their Work, further evidence that its rejuvenated board of directors and staff are going in the right artistic and financial directions. …
At the last minute, chum Carter Wilsford, who steers the lively bar at the new Hopfields on Guadalupe, called to offer an extra ticket to John Waters’ wackily profane Christmas special at the Paramount Theatre, a show crammed with bad intentions and a surprisingly sound sense of etiquette. …
Ruben Valdez, Carolynn Munroe and Don Amel
I scurried over to La Zona Rosa for the Alpha Rev holiday fiesta to benefit Mental Health America of Texas and Casey McPherson’s band sounded terrific with older symphonic blends and newer Americana experiments, along with sonically impressive guests Nakia, Ed Roland, Jon Dee Graham and Carrie Rodriguez.
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November 10, 2011
Willie Nelson statue unveiled at Troublemaker Studios
For a “private” and “off the record” event, a lot of cameras flashed and a lot of social media flared up afterwards.
And no wonder. How often does one see Willie Nelson aside a bronze version of Willie Nelson, larger than life, while holding a scale model of Willie Nelson, much smaller than life?
Elizabeth Avellan, Clete Shields, Willie Nelson and Bill Wittliff
Last night at Troublemaker Studios, Capital Area Statues unveiled its third major public sculpture, that of music idol and cultural touchstone Nelson. At one point, the real Red-Headed Stranger gripped an inscribed maquette of artist Clete Shields’ affable image while leaning against the bronze edition, which is taller, even, than entertainer Turk Pipkin, who stood nearby.
The group’s previous gifts to the city were the Philosopher’s Rock (local author trio J. Frank Dobie, Roy Bedichek and Walter Prescott Webb) at Barton Springs and Archives War cannoneer Angelina Eberly on Congress Avenue. In this case, the subject is living. And he needs no historical elaboration.
Lawrence Wright and Christy Pipkin
The $300,000 future tourist attraction is slated for installation at the base of the ACL Live stairs at the W Austin Hotel and Residences sometime in early 2012. Its arrival was slowed by concerns over the safety of folks who will inevitably talk to bronze Willie, play guitar with Willie and ask Willie advice on the corner site.
“If we make a mistake, it could last a thousand years,” said author and CAST board member Lawrence Wright, while assuring the ecstatic mass of 100 or so guests that new safety measures would make the statue even more magnetic.
Val Armstrong and Ed Bailey
His braids coming back just as the statue will memorialize them in bronze, Nelson beamed and joked, but said little during the outdoor unveiling at the studios where producer and CAST board member Elizabeth Avellan and director Robert Rodriguez make their magic.
(All invitees signed agreements not to reveal anything about ongoing projects we might spy at the converted office complex on the former Mueller Airport site. All I could make out were posters and props from past movie projects, including a mannikin with a gun that I kept thinking was a potential subject for a social photograph.)
Elizabeth Avellan and Sally Wittliff
Rodriguez had secured the services of artist Shields, who had made sculptures for the filmmaker’s previous movies. The Nelson piece was financed, in part, by selling 29 maquettes of the final product for $10,000 each. One remains to be sold.
The reception gathered multiple Austin clans, mixing media, movies, music, business and charity types. Also on the CAST board are author and screenwriter Bill Wittliff, lawyer Amon Burton, publicist Vincent Salas, singer Marcia Ball and author Stephen Harrigan. Representing “Austin City Limits” and/or ACL Live were Terry Lickona, Ed Bailey, Tim Neece, Colleen Fischer and Freddy Fletcher, as well as crucial development connectors Val and Beau Armstrong.
Adding to the evening’s lustre were mayors present and past Lee Leffingwell (who will make “an announcment” about his political future next week) and Will Wynn, notable Nelson family members Bobbie and Annie, filmmaker and humanitarian Christy Pipkin (along with aforementioned towering husband, on his way to the Napa Valley Film Festival), Downtown Austin Alliance’s Charlie Betts, key charity supporter Sally Wittliff, communicator Dan Bullock, U.S. Money Reserve’s Olga Campos and CultureMap Austin’s Kevin Benz.
Why not show the sculpture in its entirety here? Because we agreed not to do so. The public and the rest of the media will enjoy the full visual disclosure in 2012. Promise.
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November 6, 2011
Betting on a Bullish Austin
If Austin were a market, it would be trending upward.
On a sunny, windy Saturday, the Longhorns redeemed themselves with a monster win over what was supposed to be an evenly matched Red Raiders team. Waves of exuberance emanated from Royal Memorial Stadium, fanning out through the city’s proliferating sports bars to family dens and living rooms all over Central Texas. When the Horns are doing well, the mood of the city soars (as does consumer confidence and spending, I’m told).
Barbara Chandler and Sharon Wilson
Meanwhile, the aptly named Fun Fun Fun Fest kicked up dust on Auditorium Shores. Thousands of youngsters — and it is a distinctly youthful tribe compared to other music festivals — convened at Austin’s most scenic concert venue. Luckily, many walked or biked, leaving the surrounding streets pretty clear. All day and well into the night, a heavy bass beat thumped in all directions, lending an extra shot of energy to the Occupy Austin loyalists across the river at City Hall.
Janice Wilson and Jo Elwood
Nearby at the Long Center, a slightly grayer gang in tuxes and gowns gathered to salute the 25th anniversary of Austin Lyric Opera in the Kodosky Donor Lounge. Twenty five years is no small landmark for any arts group, especially one that has hit so many bumps along the way. The scariest blow came last spring, when some backers wondered whether Austin could sustain an opera company, then swamped by debt, at all. Yikes.
Eve Michaels, Zana Bru and Wendi Kushner
From the speeches and the chatter around the Kodosky dinner tables, this outsider felt a distinct optimism for the opera, albeit one that will probably never return to the nervy, irrational exuberance of the past. The mood was confirmed onstage, where a stripped-down and comical production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” was so light and airy, it almost floated into the packed house. The audience, about a third of them late ticket purchasers according to Long Center management, was clearly charmed.
Patricia Vojack and Mike Yates
I prefer Austin when it trends upward. There is much to be learned from adversity, such as the stubborn recession, enervating drought, devastating wildfires and yet another nasty political season. But Austin on the upswing makes everything sunny about this city shine a bit brighter.
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November 5, 2011
Profile: Tricia Forbes of SIMS
Although she runs a serious nonprofit, Tricia Forbes is one of the fun people. Like her friends, publicist Elaine Garza and nonprofit consultant Victoria Neal, Forbes can make almost any talk or task lighter, brighter, more palatable.
Perhaps that’s because the leader of the SIMS Foundation, which provides mental health and recovery services to Austin-area musicians, comes from such a bifurcated background.
“I was quite a bit sheltered,” she says dryly through a composed smile. “I remember when I got to college and met my first actual Democrat, I was surprised to learn she didn’t have two heads. I also met a vegetarian. I had never even heard of the concept.”
Graduate training in social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill broadened her horizons, but not as much as rebelling against her upbringing by moving to Colorado and becoming a Deadhead, one of those rambling followers of the Grateful Dead.
“You swing one end to the other,” she sighs philosophically. Her next move, to Austin, taking on short-term catering chores and longer-term jobs with charities, brought Forbes some much-needed balance.
“I finally figured out who I am,” she says. “I’m not exactly the way my parents thought I’d turn out. I fit into Austin better than anywhere in North Carolina.”
Her first real job after graduate school was serving as executive director for awkwardly named ProTex: Network for a Progressive Texas. There, she tried to organize people around social issues, bridging the gaps between the grassroots and the policy groups.
“With varying levels of success,” Forbes adds. “I learned very early that Texas is a big, big state. Organizing Texans is not easy.”
After backpacking in Europe for a few months and then consulting for various foundations, she landed at SIMS, sometimes confused with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, for which SIMS is an affiliate service provider, in April 2009.
“Everything about SIMS attracted me,” she says. “I have a lot of musician friends who had used SIMS in the past. You could tell they cared a lot, but it was a pretty laid back crowd.”
Happily, the underfunded and understaffed group had just undergone training through the Greenlights for Nonprofit Success turnaround program.
“We finally had the right team and the right connections,” she says. “Twenty years ago, working for a nonprofit, we pretty much had the attitude: ‘We’re the good guys, we are helping people, so give us money.’ People now want to know how you are being successful.” Among her first moves was to implement a 24-hour rule.
“Anyone who called, we called them back within 24 hours,” says Forbes of an obvious choice for a mental-health provider. “To do that, we needed more staff. We took a risk by assuming if we added the staff, funding would follow.”
In just two years, Forbes doubled the staff and raised SIMS’ budget from $400,000 to $700,000. It serves approximately 700 Austin musicians a year.
One of the group’s events, its annual Benefit Bash, hits the Austin Music Hall on Nov. 12. Meanwhile, big funders like the St. David’s Foundation have rewarded the group’s newfound accountability.
“We are closely tracking our clients’ progress,” Forbes says. “We are demonstrating that we are making a real difference with the money.”
Part of her personal success comes from working almost every aspect of the nonprofit world over two decades.
“I’m very gregarious. Just a natural networker. I have a knack for bringing people together.” she says. “It’s all come together in this one job. For the first time I can use all the skills I’ve learned in one position.”
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November 3, 2011
New Austinites Louis and Christine Messina rock stars in their own rights
The guests clattered across the paver-covered courtyard to pry open the enormous wooden doors that could have guarded a Renaissance palazzo.
Dressed casually but carefully, they streamed through the tall, narrow rooms below figurative paintings and beamed ceilings. Here and there, the visitor could spy the captains of Austin’s music industry, delegates from key groups such as C3 Presents, South by Southwest, ACL Live, Austin Music People and Transmission Entertainment.
The hostess, Christine Messina, model-tall, tanned and slender, slipped to each guest’s side, making them feel at home in the otherwise formal spaces.
Her husband, Louis Messina, coiled and catlike, did the same, offering self-deprecating asides about the subjects of the early-evening party: The 10th anniversary of his music promotion business, the Messina Group, and the astonishing 54-page special section in the Aug. 13 issue of Billboard magazine dedicated to his Austin-based company.
“The fact is, he essentially invented the modern concert business,” says Brent Grulke, creative director for South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival. “In an industry rife with blowhards, frauds and all manner of pretenders, he’s the real deal: forthright, charming, passionate, loyal, knowledgeable, and a master at getting things done. He’s the person every music businessperson in Austin looks up to. When he speaks, we all cock an ear.”
Closely cropped and slightly grizzled, Louis Messina could go unrecognized at almost any Austin club or party.
Yet he and his tiny staff, working out of a shady but unremarkable office park on Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360), promotes, alongside sports and entertainment partners at AEG Live, stadium-filling artists Taylor Swift, George Strait and Kenny Chesney, as well as new additions to the roster, such as Reba McEntire and smaller acts such as Austin-based Electric Touch, graced with the talents of his sons, Louis Messina Jr. and Christopher Leigh Messina.
During the past decade, the concerts have earned hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Billboard lists a Swift double-bill at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., as the Messina Group’s highest grossing concert to date, at just north of $8 million.
That’s not all. Before embarking on his current blockbuster projects, Louis Messina helped business partner Allen Becker build what was once the world’s biggest and most powerful concert promotion company, Houston-based Pace Concerts. Pace was sold to SFX, itself later swallowed by Clear Channel Entertainment. That company spun off its concert division, which became Live Nation, still a national powerhouse.
In a way, Louis Messina was born into the promoting business. What he mostly learned, however, from his father, Louis Charles Messina, a colorful New Orleans boxing promoter, was what not to do.
“My dad was full of life,” Messina says. “He may not have been the greatest businessman in the world. There wasn’t a bar he didn’t know. He was more interested in seeing his name in the paper.”
The Messinas of old, gritty New Orleans seemed to emerge from the pages of a Tennessee Williams play or short story. His father descended from Italian, French and Russian Jewish ancestors; his mother, Marian LoBueno Messina, came from a small-town Italian line. She worked at JC Penney to support the family.
“My dad gave away more tickets than he sold,” Messina says. “People say: ‘He must have inspired you.’ No, not at all. As a kid, I would say: ‘What are you doing?’ He just cared about the action.”
Until he was 10 or 11 years old, they lived in downtown New Orleans across from Congo Square and the Municipal Auditorium.
“We integrated that neighborhood — the only white family for three blocks,” Messina says. “I learned to run fast. But they left me alone because everyone was afraid of my grandfather. He was a mean, mean, mean man.”
Later, they moved to middle-class Lakeview. He started promoting music while still at Prytania Private School and distinctly remembers watching Elvis Presley from backstage at the Municipal Auditorium, where his father gained access for them.
“I was so overwhelmed with the energy he created and the energy of the audience,” he says. “I can close my eyes and see exactly where I was sitting. I was a huge Elvis fan. Still am. I decided then and there to get into music business. That or play centerfield for the Giants. I was also a Willie Mays fan.”
After a few odd jobs, Messina landed a sales position at WWOM Mother Radio FM, where actor John Larroquette could be heard on the air as DJ “Judas.”
“There was no format,” he says. “They played what they wanted to play. A record rep would walk in and say: ‘Here’s the new Pink Floyd album.’ And they would play the whole record, not just one song. No kidding.”
He teamed up with a Nashville promoter and a shadier character for his first fateful concert on Nov. 3, 1972, a sellout for Curtis Mayfield (“Superfly”) and B.B. King at the Loyola Field House. There was one problem: Those artists didn’t perform. A rowdy crowd demanded their money back.
“We needed the riot squad,” he says. “My partners left with the money. I was devastated. There’s an old saying: ‘You gotta pay your dues.’ Well, I just took out a lifetime subscription. It can’t get any worse than this.”
But Louis Messina bounced back and, by 1975, he had met Becker, who lured him to Houston to expand Pace, which had started in the 1960s by promoting motor sports. The two guided acts through Texas, basing a national network in the state, happily located in the middle of the country and burdened with lower overhead than on the coasts. To reach ever larger audiences and circumvent the traditional venues, Pace built huge outdoor theaters.
“During the Pace days, when you came to Texas, you worked for us,” says Louis Messina, who swaggered like a rock star back then. “Then we became sort of the Darth Vaders of the industry by building all those amphitheaters. We started invading each other’s turf.”
All along, Messina’s territory was behind the scenes, not onstage. His eyes glisten when he talks about concert experiences that go back to Presley at the Municipal Auditorium.
“I feel that way every show,” Messina says. “Night after night, it’s magic. … There’s nothing like it for me: Watching people, watching their eyes and lips, singing along to every song. I’m excited right now. My hairs stand up.”
The group is fronted by charismatic lead singer Shane Lawlor, whom the Messinas informally adopted when he moved into their guesthouse.
“My daughter thought Shane was one of her brothers,” says Christine Messina, mother of two young girls. Besides the two rockers in Electric Touch, her husband has two adult sons by previous marriages. One, Barak Messina, is operations manager at ACL Live.
If Louis Messina, 64, sometimes plays the scamp — tossing back tequila shots at the Lucky Lounge and insisting everyone join him — Christine Messina, 38, seems the composed manager of personal lives. At the loud, red-shaded lounge, she tends friends and relatives visiting from out of town. Ever watchful, she gently, but firmly warns her family that a reporter is present.
“Louis and Christine are two of the coolest people I know,” Mirkin says. “When I first met Christine, I was immediately impressed by her intelligence, kindness and undeniable beauty.”
Mirkin is among the few dozen Austinites who socialized casually with the Messinas during their first year here. Little by little, the couple is building a public profile as well, helping out charities around town.
“People are interesting here,” says Christine Messina about the couple’s moving from their longtime base in Houston (they had owned a vacation home here). “The last year was about settling in, making a home base for family. It’s been very welcoming.”
Born in Indianapolis, Christine Messina grew up in Coral Springs, Fla. Her father, Charles Thompson, is a retired consumer electronics executive from the Midwest; her mother, Carol Thompson, was born Bach Nhan Nguyen in Vietnam. An unusually tall girl who took etiquette lessons and played soccer and softball competitively, their daughter breezed through school.
In 1991, she matriculated to the University of Texas, where she studied business and marketing. On the side, she modeled, mostly for print advertising and commercials, and befriended a scout, Denise McLemore Shirley, with whom she remains close.
Later marketing efforts led her to banks and branding companies in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Helping Continental Airlines with its charitable contributions familiarized her with Houston’s high-octane arts scene.
“That’s when I found a real passion for the arts community,” she says. While raising money for the newly opened but sometimes empty Hobby Center, she met Louis Messina. After a few friendly business meetings, the previously married acquaintances fell in love. “I knew there was a connection between Christine and me,” says Louis Messina, playfully bantering with his wife on the sofa of their immaculately tended house. After previous entanglements — three marriages for him, one for her — some hesitation remained about the next step.
“You shouldn’t deny yourself happiness just because it doesn’t always work out,” Christine Messina says. They married April 23, 2005, surrounded by immediate family on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.
“I have the love of my life,” Louis Messina says. “We have this beautiful life together and beautiful children. The house is full of this wonderful energy. We did the right thing. We went down the right path.”
“I’ve got six balls in the air today.”
Louis Messina is working the Bluetooth like a pro this morning, landing deals at his Lost Creek-area office for Chesney and Strait on separate calls. He sounds like a Hollywood producer out of central casting, minus the foul mouth and inflated ego. He’s more the soothing diplomat these days, but one that senses the right moment to take care of business.
“What are you going to pay me?” he coos over the phone. “I do have a budget on that end. He won’t be touring then, so you’d have to step it up.”
“Ray Benson just needed someone to put the pieces together,” he says, days before the event. “That’s what we try to do: Make things happen. That’s what sets us apart from other promoters.”
Several of Austin’s promotional competitors collaborated on the charity event, a friendly collusion Messina hopes to encourage in the future.
Only nine people work at the Messina Group Austin office on any given day — another staff of six holds down the group’s Nashville operations, which mostly oversee concerts at the historic Ryman Auditorium — and they are physically arranged into the triangles of veteran promoters dedicated to Swift, Strait and Chesney.
“This is the factory here,” Messina says, giving a guided tour.
“We’re the mechanics. It starts with the artist. Planning the tour. Routing the tour. Putting the cities together. Putting talent together. Making deals with buildings and support artists. All the details. Marketing and promoting the show. And finally, producing the show on the local level.”
His company doesn’t put together, however, the sound, lights and artistry of the concert. The team’s job is to make sure everything is perfect when the artist arrives at the venue. “I don’t tell George Strait what songs to sing, except when I’m really drunk,” he jokes. “I do the front of the stage, and behind the stage, not on it.”
Messina recalls that, during the 1970s, Pace also operated on this kind of personal level. But that changed when the radio conglomerate Clear Channel purchased SFX, introducing what he felt was as a brutal, dehumanizing corporate culture.
“I hated it,” Messina says of the merger. “It was like being in prison. I hated going to work every day. I hated the direction the company was going. … There was nothing but negative energy. It was almost, instead of coming in with an olive branch, they came in with baseball bat. They forgot one thing: the artists. Without the artists, there is nothing.”
When Messina left Clear Channel, he tangled with management over a proposed no-compete clause, which eventually allowed him to promote five country artists, including Strait and Chesney. Nurturing close ties rather than forcing the country artists through a maw of endless tours, he was able to shed the six-shooter mentality of the high-risk promotion business.
“There was a time when winning through intimidation worked,” he says. “It’s a stressful business. … But I’m not as stressed as I used to be. No 12 cups of coffee a day, a cigarette in one hand, a cup in the other. There were times I would pick up the phone in the morning and go through hundreds of calls every day. I was not focused. That was when bands were inventory to me.”
“I think it’s coming full circle again, in a good way,” he says. “Not just buying an act, and here’s all this stupid money, which everybody loses. That model is starting to go away.”
Now Messina plays the role of elder statesman in a city that has already launched waves of music promoters.
“I’ve known Louis for over 30 years. He’s one of the top promoters in the world,” says Freddy Fletcher, partner in Stageside Productions at ACL Live and owner, with his wife Lisa Fletcher, of two top recording studios, Pedernales and Arlyn. “We are so lucky to have him in Austin. He brings a whole new level to our music community. I’m lucky to have him as a friend.”
Although its promotional scope is global, not local, the Messina Group, its leader and his wife are already becoming part of Austin’s musical ecology.
“My world is all about personal relationships,” Messina says behind the desk of his angled office, studded with music industry trophies and mementos. “The corporate world is all about the check. I’m already thinking two years from now for each artist. We’re talking long-term. And this company does everything we say we’re going to do. We work for the artist, rather than the artist working for us.”
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November 2, 2011
Keith Urban to perform at Beyond Batten Disease Foundation gala
Last month, a raft of big country stars played the city’s largest charity date of the year, raising more than $700,000 for Central Texas wildfire relief at the Erwin Center.
The foundation fights Batten disease and other often fatal inherited childhood illnesses. For more information, visit www.beyondbatten.org.
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Permalink | | Categories: Charity, Music
October 21, 2011
Cabaret coming to the Galveston Grand. Road trip?
Daydream about a singer rattling off Broadway tunes at a New York-style cabaret and you’ll envision, first, a very dark room. A narrow, deep, low room with tiny, round tables and a piano with microphones crammed against a back wall or a black curtain. Or, no, maybe a mirror for a backdrop, to make the cramped room seem a bit bigger.
The same daydreamer might have stumbled onto the cabaret’s entrance down a short set of stairs, since many are located in humble basement spaces near one of the city’s theatrical districts.
The visitor to Galveston’s historical district approaches the four-story red brick Grand, once part of a hotel complext built in 1894, through a wide, elegant stone arch. Then the patron passes by a narrow lobby before emerging at a right turn into an enchanting space of curved tiers, hooded boxes and a tall proscenium arch. In other words, a distinctly “grand” performance experience.
Maye, 83, has enjoyed an extraordinary run on the theatrical stage and inside those darkened New York cabarets. Her supper-club slant on show tunes is distinctly jazzy. Ella Fitzgerald once referred to her as “the greatest white female singer in the world.”
Edelman, 53, made his Broadway debut in the 1979 production of “Evita” and has earned Tony Award nominations for his appearances in “City of Angels” and “Anna Karenina,” as well as the revivals of “1776” and “Into the Woods.” He often plays handsome leading men, not always as upright as they might as first appear. Together, they plan to give Broadway their own distinctive turns of phrase in one of Texas’ grandest theatrical venues.
Tickets ($32-$48) for “Broadway Their Way” are available at www.thegrand.com or by calling (409) 765-1894. Visitors to can extend their Thanksgiving weekend experience with a special hotel rate of $89 at the San Luis Resort Spa & Conference Center, 5222 Seawall Blvd. Contact the hotel directly for the “Grand” rate at (800) 392-5937 or (409) 744-1500 Ext. 33. For more information on a charter bus from Austin hired for the Galveston event, contact info@kmpartists.com.
Photo: Mark Britain 2010
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September 29, 2011
It's here! 2011 Out & About 500: Music
The 2011 Out & About 500 will be rolled out today through Friday, one category at a time. Buy Sunday’s American-Statesman for the complete list of Austin’s most social citizens.
Send updates and nominations for 2012 to mbarnes@statesman.com
MUSIC
Music Star: Sara Hickman. ‘Best of Times,’ Theatre Action Project, Care Communities, State Musician of Texas, iAct, Austin Women’s Conference, Theatre Action Project
Greg Ackerman. Austin Concerts Examiner, Build Texas Media, GAC Digital Audio
Susan Antone. Antone’s, Help Clifford Help Kids
Ed Bailey. KLRU, “Austin City Limits,” Austin Food and Wine Festival
Marcia Ball. Health Alliance of Austin Musicians, Charity Partners of Austin
Troy Campbell. The House of Songs, “Long in the Sun,” “Happiness Is …”
Amy Corbin and Charles Attal. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Melissa and Kevin Connor. KUT
Dave Dart. Dart Music International
Lisa and Freddy Fletcher. ACL Live, Arlyn Studios, Pedernales Studios
Eliza Gilkyson. ‘Roses at the End of Time,’ Urban Roots, Sustainable Food Center, Workers Defense Project, Third Coast Workers for Cooperation
Patty Griffin. ‘Downtown Church,’ Save the Children East Africa Appeal, Band of Joy
Brendan Hannah. Fun Fun Fun Fest
Charlie Jones. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Josh and Yvonne Lambert. The Octopus Project
Andy Langer. KGSR, Esquire, News 8 Austin
Terry Lickona. “Austin City Limits”
Dean and Jeff Lofton. Jeff Lofton Quartet, Dean Lofton PR, Writing Your Life as a Woman
Casey McPherson. Alpha Rev, Music for the City, Mental Health Association of Texas
Kathy Marcus and John Kunz. Waterloo Records
David Messier. Same Sky Productions
James Moody. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest
Nakia Reynoso. “The Voice”
Tim Neece. ACL Live
Larissa Ness. “Hello”
Adrian and Celeste Quesada. Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, HAAM
Carolyn Schwarz. HAAM
Shawn Sides and Graham Reynolds. Golden Arm Trio, Rude Mechanicals, Fuse Box Festival
Rose Reyes. Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau
Donya and Randall Stockton. Beerland, Rio Rita, Shangri-la
Charlie Walker. C3, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Annetta and James White. Broken Spoke
Graham Williams. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, Club de Ville, Red 7, Lamberts
Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. kellywillis.com, brucerobison.com, Family ElderCare
Permalink | | Categories: Music, The 500
September 26, 2011
The Big Give for I Live Here I Give Here at W Austin
The nonprofit group I Live Here I Give Here encourages philanthropy in Central Texas. It does so by raising awareness of local giving through numerous means, including its kicky and accessible website.
Erick Smart and Jennifer Porter
Journalists love aggregators. They offer one-stop shopping for those of us seeking information, contacts or links. Yet some argue that such umbrella groups drain the pool of potential donations through its own administration and upkeep. (I’ve heard this for decades, without finding a scintilla of evidence.)
Priscilla Guajardo Cortez and Madge Vasquez
The Big Give, an annual event, helps dampen that skepticism by allowing I Live Here I Give Here to pass along chunks of money to individual charities. There are two primary prizes, one large and one small, and an honor given to a special donor. Very simple. And therefore more powerful than some similar efforts.
Katy Dunlap and Chris Steiner
Sunday, the Big Give filled up the party spaces at the W Austin Hotel & Residences, virtually my second home this social season. (Everybody wants to try it during the W’s first year.) Well, this event and its guests of mixed ages fit the W like a kid glove.
It’s more cocktail party than dinner. High tables arc around the main room. A few low seats are reserved for the fatigued.
Despite the focus on guest circulation, which your social columnist personally loves, the finger food proved excellent.
And then there was the jazz band, complemented by singer Donna Hightower, still a commanding presence at age 84. We’re divinely blessed that Hightower decided to “retire” here in Austin! I wish more people listened to her snappy treatments of American standards, but it is a social event.
The winners: Divine Canines and Animal Trustees of Austin. Year of the Dog?
The honored donor: Ronda Gray, nominated by Austin Children’s Shelter.
Quite the party.
Permalink | | Categories: Charity, Music
September 18, 2011
ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 6
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
I take it back. The 10th edition of the Austin City Limits Music Festival was not a medieval hell mouth.
Social energy ebbed and flowed. Each day started subdued as the heat made its cruel presence felt.
Then came the rains. Euphoria.
After that, a resigned realization that everything would be wet for the rest of the day. The humidity felt most oppressive late Sunday afternoon.
Then the sun set and a collective friskiness returned. Along with some poor festival citizenship. Noticed a few more boorish drunks this year. Someone should remind our guests this ain’t “Jersey Shore.”
Some notes and quotes from Sunday:
Mariachi El Bronx, the Los Angeles alter egos of punk band Bronx, were vastly entertaining. “Look at the (expletive) beautiful day!,” shouted frontman Matt Caughthran. “Focus on the good (expletive)!” …
Later, the costume-clad group were the darlings of the ACL media center, posing with every journalist and appearing on every radio, television and internet broadcast available. ACL breakout? …
An unscientific estimate of the descamisados (shirtless ones): 10,000. Of those, 4,000 needn’t have bothered. Another 4,000 shouldn’t have bothered. …
“I do it through pacing, misting and hydrating,” said Austinite Kay Galvin of her ACL survival routine. “That and a hat and sunscreen. Plus a little Bells of Joy and a breeze.” …
Some of the curious in the crowd for Detroit’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. appeared confused. The guys in gimme caps and aviator glasses probably didn’t expect frontman Daniel Zott’s amazing technicolor dreamcoat or his ironic pop sound.
Around 2 p.m., the tented Zilker Beach was mobbed by refugees from the Honda Stage sun. I half expected a NGO to arrive with foreign aid.
Why does the mere sound of Australia-born, Austin-groomed Greencards — doubly expats — motivate listeners to square dance without a square?
At a certain point, the concept of queuing loses all meaning in the food village. One lines merges with another. Who knows where you will end up and what you will order?
Some day, I should spend an entire Sunday with the Durdens. The gospel group sounds as if they have earned endurance help from above. Never flagged during a full hour set.
Salvation: A Mexican vanilla shake from the Amy’s Ice Cream stand.
Every square inch of shade around the Bud Light stage, where the catchy Airborne Toxic Event played a mid-afternoon set, was colonized. The close proximity of portable toilets didn’t seem to determined discourage shade-seekers.
Courtney Jaye didn’t let the heat and humidity sink her soaring set at the BMI stage. Her audience, however, slowly eroded into the still-hardy turf.
Photo: Ashley Landis
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ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 5
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
Fled TV on the Radio to wait for Stevie Wonder. Alone in a crowd of many thousands — people passed my resting point at an estimated rate of 300 a minute — I had time to observe and analyze the obvious.
Humans are territorial. Finding a spot, they guard it. Chairs become walls. A circle of chairs becomes a walled city.
Younger humans are less likely to respect imaginary boundaries. Blankets only suffice as territorial markers as long everyone remains courteous. Once a certain crowd density is reached, courtesy dissipates.
Humans migrate periodically. They follow tracks blazed by other migrants. The easiest way — in fact, almost the only way — to navigate a colliding set of migrants is behind a tight group or a very large person.
Otherwise, humans like stability. Chairs provide that sense of security. Even those of us who never use them at festivals recognize their civilizing potential and gravitate in their direction.
Humans are natural architects and engineers. The chair people — the civilizers — create wide, straight, intentional pathways for the migrants. How does this happen?
Humans are stubborn. Having expended considerable energy to see and hear Stevie, they were reluctant to abandon the project once it became clear the amplification half way to the back of the crowd and dead center was severely flawed.
Humans survive through nimbleness and flexibility. Those festival-goers who fled Stevie early were more likely to have exited freely, happily, perhaps to return for one last day of music, people-watching and as much sun or rain as Nature divines.
Photo: Laura Skelding
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September 17, 2011
ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 4
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
At least the mature turf is holding up. In 2009, the tender shoots turned to smelly mush by the end of Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Despite more sustained rain today, an cursory inspection of the field from end to end turned up no significantly bald spots.
The ponchos, umbrellas and makeshift shelters popped up by mid-afternoon. The additional tents, intended for sun protection, were used to keep music lovers dry.
“It good for our skin,” said Beth Bellanti, marketing guru for Tito’s Handmade Vodka. “We curly-haired people have to pin it down!”
“The rain’s not going to stop us,” said Brandon Erickson, temporary caterer for Central Market, which served 1,200 diners last night and expects to serve 1,700 today at the Grove Cafe. “It’s nice to have this year.”
“We were here for ‘09, so this is no big deal,” said San Antonio small businessman Michael Hoyle, whose family stocked up on ponchos, umbrellas and other gear at Costco. “Our problem is the lack of big (printed) programs. We don’t know half the bands.”
(Pictured: Chris Bunk, Denise Bunk, Rachel Fisher and Nina Hoyle)
That was a frequently heard complaint: The gap is huge between the marquee acts and the day bands, according to some patrons.
“It just amazes how smoothly this thing runs and how big it is,” said entertainer and humanitarian Turk Pipkin, praising the new wristband accounting system, the nested circles of behind-the-scenes zones and the relative dearth of crises.
“We have been hoping and praying for rain,” said fashion leader My-Cherie Haley. “So it finally comes on the first day of the festival.” (She sighs.)
“I’m from Houston,” said her husband and lobbyist Anthony Haley. “So it feels like home. I was flying back from Houston yesterday and, out of the window, we saw something that people were trying to figure out: Is it smoke or is it mist? It was rain!”
“God must like music festivals,” joked Democratic political activist Austin Adams. “But he must not like Rick Perry’s grandstanding.”
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ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 3
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
Just as the Austin City Limits Music Festival evolves each year, ACL-themed parties do, too.
Susie and Jeff Turk have been throwing the “Turk ACL ADL” in one form or another since the fest started. (“ADL” stands for “all day long.”) Yet for the past three years, they’ve entertained in a more organized way at their Zilker neighborhood home.
“The first year, we were just a married couple, and it went from 9 in the morning to 11 at night,” Susie Turk says. “Last year, I was nine months pregnant, so we cut it back to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. This year, with a 10-month old child, it’s noon to 7 p.m.”
“This year, it’s our smaller, kid-friendly version,” Jeff Turk says. “But by the end of the evening, everyone will be on the third-floor deck listening to the concert.”
Two years ago, the Mud Year, guests used the Turk’s house as a clean-up and dry-off station. Last year, as many guests were watching football as heading to and from the fest.
Neighbors, normally vigilant about festival traffic, are more gracious about the party guests.
The Turks home was designed for entertaining. In the past, Susie Turk, who sells software, cooked for two days to prepare, but with a small child, the couple decided to opt for catered barbecue.
While guest lists often ballooned to 200 or 250 — including friends of friends of friends — the Turks expect no more than 50 over the course of the day.
“People use our house to drift back and forth,” Jeff Turk, a furniture maker, says. “It’s never gotten really crazy.
“This is our second year of not doing ACL,” says one guest, Austin Business Journal editor Colin Pope, relaxing over chips, beer and mimosas with fiancee and wedding planner Livia Gross and nine-year-old son Fox Pope. “We still get the vibe without the hassle of going down there. You want to get away, but you want to get a taste of it, too.”
At 2 pm., about 20 guests gathered around a long wooden table, shoes off in deference to Susie’s Korean heritage. Perhaps half were talking bands, but every other topic under the sun seemed fair game.
As rain began to fall lightly, the only rock star at Turk ACL ADL at this gig was tiny frog-adorned DJ RiBbiT.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
September 16, 2011
ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 2
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
During the day, the Austin City Limits Music Festival does our city proud. People behave respectfully and kindly. Even when the sun is unforgiving, as it was for a couple of hours Friday afternoon, they make room, pardon themselves for bumping into you, and invite you to take advantageous spots in lines.
When that sun goes down, bad behavior creeps out. Lines grow tense. Drunks get boorish. And, as predictable as the day is long, smokers smoke.
My age clearly was no deterrent to those smoking within my immediate vicinity. I tend to take a libertarian stance when it comes to this sort of activity, but an exceptional drought is an exceptional drought, even though it rained earlier in the day. General safety trumps the urge toward intemperance.
The ecstatic consumers of Pretty Lights, a mesmerizing electronica act with hypnotizing visuals flashing on an urban skyline, were particularly careless about smoking, littering and forcing their way through the masses.
This is the first time at ACL I’ve allowed myself to be swallowed up by a crowd — I really didn’t have a choice — and, to some extent, it felt liberating to be part of such a joyous aggregation. As a rule, I prefer the margins of an unpredictable horde.
Yet I found the audience for Kanye West, on the whole, better behaved. Perhaps because they enjoyed more elbow room at the eastern end of the field, which, by the way, blanketed me in digital silence. Soon as I left the area, key texts, emails and tweets flew my way.
(West’s fully committed performance amid epic production values should be mentioned. Didn’t really understand his superstardom until now. But I’m slow about such things.)
Sweetly, I ran into more than a dozen friends, some I hadn’t seen in ages. This, despite then tens of thousands of random, lightly dressed folks on the field. I guess that will also happen, too. Unfortunately, the one friend I sought out fell victim to that texting outage, so we must try to meet up again another day of ACL.
Photo by Jay Janner
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ACL Fest: Made in the Shade: 1
Made in the Shade series: During the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2011, how will music lovers respond to the changing weather conditions and crowds as well as the acts they came to hear?
One way to avoid the heat is to stay off the field altogether. That’s the solution for Danielle Thomas, the Austin event planner (pictured) who relaxed under a tent at the Xbox Music Lounge as DJ Dan Gentile took the loungers back to club life in the 1980s.
Thomas slipped into the lounge at American Legion Hall across Lady Bird Lake from Zilker Park earlier to hear Big Boi playing to an intimate gathering of a dozen or so. Nearby were husband and filmmaker Adam Garner and their infant Bowman Thomas Garner.
She had already soared to a musical high at the “Austin City Limits” taping of Coldplay the previous night.
“It was unbelievable,” she says. “I had some religious experiences last night. There’s something Eastern European about the way he moves.”
Republic of Austin blogger Chris Apollo Lynn (pictured, too) had a subversive plan to stay cool: “Water gun fights,” he says. “I have two water guns in my backpack.”
His biggest thrill so far was encountering the act Twin Shadow.
“They’re electro band from L.A with an ’80s bathhouse ambiance,” Lynn says “There’s something playful and sarcastic about them. Not in a snarky way but in a tongue-in-cheek way. They have this video that looks like it was made for a snuff film.”
Lynn planned to head to East-East Sixth Street later.
“I am more excited the Ditch the Fest Fest,” he says. “It’s $5 for something like 250 bands. And it benefits wildfire relief.”
At Zilker Park, public relations intern Shawn Chapman has depended on all forms of water to stay cool.
“Been visiting misters regularly,” she says. “Lots of kids hang out there. It really cools you off in this breeze. And it doesn’t feel that humid out here just now.”
In the shade of tree near the Vista Equity Stage, Austin criminal defense lawyer and former music writer Jeff McCrary thought he would stay cool simply by drinking ice water.
“Today, with this weather and this cold front, you don’t really need to worry about staying cool,” McCrary says. “At least not like some previous years.”
“Up until 3 p.m. it was cool enough,” agrees Richard Stokes, a teacher from Pflugerville. “Now I just go where there’s shade. Hat is required. That and I put water on this handkerchief.”
Javi Soto, who recently moved to Austin from Laredo, was attending his first ACL Fest. He walked into Zilker Park just as it began to rain.
“It was so beautiful,” he says. “The rain was falling hard, there were clouds and a breeze. I could hear the bass booming on the field. Then I saw all these people. That was an experience in itself.”
Doesn’t get old: Walking onto the field, engulfed by this sea of humanity.
At almost 6 p.m., the breezes are kicking up again. Plenty of room in the shade of tents, trees and stages. In some ways, the best time of day at ACL.
Photos to come.
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Coldplay Taping at ACL Live
They felt lucky. You could tell. The full house at ACL Live witnessed pop sensations Coldplay playing an intimate venue, free of charge, since it doubled as a taping for the “Austin City Limits” show.
William Johnson and Marianna Kovars
A New Year’s Eve episode, by the way, with confetti and black-light effects. Kind of unsettling in brutally hot September. That’s how television production works, however, and the noisy crowd go into the spirit of the theme.
Jay Herman and Marni Jade Evans
Coldplay’s charisma cuts across age brackets. Pretty sure that I spied from my upper-balcony perch Texas Tribune publisher Evan Smith rocking out mildly. Not far away was “The Voice” contestant and Austin stalwart Nakia Reynoso, shaking with more conviction.
Lance Mixon and Sameen Ahmad
It seems that everything KLRU does with its ACL brand rewards. The name graces the city’s second-largest festival and its newest concert venue. Both are mega-hits, though booked by fiercely rival teams, which is, in itself, interesting. Enough of ACL love to go around, I guess.
(How does Stubb’s, ACL Live, Long Center, Emo’s, Bass Concert Hall and Paramount Theatre manage to divide up the acts and still remain friends — and in the black?)
Dork that I apparently am, I loved the Coldplay set, though, perhaps because of an ear-blasting I’d received at an earlier event, Chris Martin’s vocals kept fading out for me. Didn’t mind. And now I can choose Kanye West tonight at the ACL Fest, instead of Coldplay.
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ACL Pre-Party at W Austin Hotel & Residences
Like SXSW before it, ACL has attracted a host of pre-parties, post-parties, side-parties and after-parties. One that drew a comely crowd was staged by W Austin Hotel & Residences on Thursday. While the ground-level bars hummed, this party occupied the banqueting rooms upstairs.
Raul Borromeo and Takkara Brunson
Some top socials were present: Wendi and Brian Kushner; Andrea and Dean McWilliams, etc. The main tribe, however, were more the clubbing kind. And why not when the musical attraction is eclectic British singer Katy B., herself a mere 22 years of age?
Ty Pryor and Keli Rabon
While most of the sleekly dressed masses soaked up the sounds, but I was forced to retreat to the hallway and balcony because of the amplification. Here’s my problem: My job is to listen to Austinites and then tell their stories. Can’t do that when every word is drowned out. Luckily, plenty of folks joined me in the comparatively quiet hallway.
John Goeth and Phillip Solomon
We aren’t allowed to share any details yet, but we heard of a smashing party planned for the tiered decks around the W’s pool. If all goes as indicated, it could be the social smash of the season. Will report at the right time.
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September 15, 2011
'Jack & Jim' Gallery Opening at ACL Live
You really don’t expect a crowd to gather in Austin at 4 p.m. Or for said group to be packed into the fourth-floor lobby of a concert venue at that time.
Yvonne Lambert and Josh Lambert
Yet Wednesday, the city’s music, media and related communities showed up in numbers for “Jack and Jim,” the opening of an exhibit of startling images by rock photographer Jim Marshall. (The Jack of the title was sponsor Jack Daniels. Apt.)
Danielle Thomas and Adam Garner
These visual treasures complement the documentation of Austin City Limits shows by Scott Newton, displayed on other floors at ACL Live. As I understand it, they will remain on view until 2014.
Lisa and Freddy Fletcher
Two couples I hadn’t seen in ages were there: Event planner Danielle Thomas and filmmaker Adam Garner (they’ve been occupied with a certain infant) and Yvonne Lambert and Josh Lambert (busily expanding on their Octopus Project successes).
The major ACL Live players mingled and indicated their favorite images. I met former star quarterback and current real estate player Peter Gardere for the first time. He proved quite gracious as I peppered him with questions, especially about the Longhorns’ ongoing quarterback dilemma.
The pictures are worth perusing further at a quieter time.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
Austin Music Beyond ACL
As music lovers gorge on the Austin City Limits Music Festival this weekend, those not on the Zilker Park field might feel olive-green with envy, or they might giggle at the image of so many grown people broiling in the September sun just to hear a few tunes.
Write it down. Live music hums all around us. At parties, galas, clubs, bars, restaurants and concert venues. Yet how often, on the way home, do we think: What was the name of that artist? Put it in writing as soon as you hear something you like. I use the notes application on my iPhone.
Join the club. Austin supports more than 100 music venues — and dozens of informal music spots. Why not try a different one each week? Years ago, I visited 100 clubs during the course of one August. That way, I quickly learned the layout, clientele, dress code and musical style for each joint.
Open the package. At countless Austin social events, one receives gift CDs, often samplers of an artist’s work rather than a completed commercial product. Additionally, emails arrive each day with links to MP3s or videos. Social media generates even more samples. Go ahead. Open them up. What can it hurt? You might discover the next great Austin artist.
On the radio. Hardcore music fans complain there’s not enough local music on the Central Texas radio dial. Yet I still hear plenty on KGSR, KUT, KOOP, KVRX, KAZI and elsewhere. Guided by enlightened DJs, the world of Austin music is as close as your low-tech radio. (Or your computer, on our own Austin360radio.com.)
Just ask. Social almost as rule, Austin’s music community is not shy about sharing their most recent obsessions. When I find myself at a party with anyone associated with music — artists, managers, techs, promoters, publicists — I try to ask: “Which Austin act should I see next?” An endorsement from within the community is just as valuable as a critic’s imprimater, perhaps more so.
Pick a winner. My first 25 years as an Austinite, I assiduously avoided choosing a favorite act. I thought: “Keep it fresh. Mix it up each weekend.” Then along came Alpha Rev. Something about its socially liberating sound invited me to return to them again and again. I learned the joys of watching a local act, step by step, grow into a respected regional and national one.
Keep it local. This is the hardest part. So many touring acts stop in Austin, one could easily skip all the local talent and never run short of top-shelf concert options. And, absolutely, one should stay in touch with national and international trends. But if you consciously put local acts first, you learn about the breadth and depth of the Austin music scene.
All bragging and self-promotion aside, Austin’s music scene is so vast and so rewarding, you’ll never run out of options.
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September 11, 2011
Dart Music International's Icon Awards at KLRU Studios
I kept whispering: “Is Earl Campbell really here?” “When will Earl Campbell arrive?” “Where the heck is Earl Campbell?”
Claire Hermes and Greg Vendetti
They must have thought I was nuts. (Also because I made it to Dart Music International’s Icon Awards at the KLRU Studios late on Friday, having detoured by way of a mistaken stop at Austin Studios.)
Amanda Russell and Amy Holloway
After all, the awards go to heroes in the field of music, or at least Austin culture. That would make the Campbell of the evening House of Song’s Troy Campbell, who won the 2011 honors alongside Waterloo Records’ John Kunz, moviemaker Richard Linklater and Health Alliance for Austin Musicians’ Carolyn Schwarz.
Laura Gunn and Gina Castillo
Sigh. I made the best of my embarrassment. Told Kevin Connor how happy I was to hear his voice on KUT. At long last met Greg Vendetti’s indulgent girlfriend Claire Hermes. Spoke with Amy Holloway about her adventures trying to help Miami diversify its economy, and the House of Song’s Nathan Felix about his movie scoring and the recording of his symphony by one of the SUNY universities.
Listened to gorgeous Sahara Smith’s supple voice and unflappable Jackie Bristrow’s soulful sound. Gosh this city is mad with musicians of the highest caliber!
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September 8, 2011
Profile: Audiologist Soriya Estes
When Soriya Estes visits the Austin City Limits Music Festival this week, the audiologist will worry about ears.
“Without any protection at all and noise levels exceeding 100 decibels for longer than one hour, then they are susceptible to permanent hearing loss,” Estes says. “Anywhere close to the chair line, you are already close to 100 decibels. And (guests) aren’t there for just an hour. They are there all day. For three days.”
“It’s just really important to have that hearing protected,” she says. “Even if you don’t have the hearing loss at that time, studies show that, when age factor kicks in, it’s going to go quicker.”
Estes, 36, is one of that rare breed who has always known what she would do.
Born in Perry, Okla., she grew up in nearby Tonkawa, alongside members of the tribe that formerly populated Central Texas. (“I’ve never lived more than 20 miles off Interstate 35 all my life.”)
Her mother, DeAnna Smith, worked as a hospital administrator and now manages Estes’ practice with offices in Georgetown, Kyle and New Braunfels.
Her father, Iranian-born Majid Hamidi, owned restaurants and has since retired to Henderson, Nev. (Her first name, pronounced Sor-EYE-ya, is borrowed from Persian royalty.)
“Growing up, I never felt that different,” she says of her Iranian ancestry. “The very first time I ever had a concern was after the Oklahoma City bombings. I was in college at Oklahoma State. Before they knew who did it, my father called and said ‘Don’t go to class today.’ I thought: ‘Wow. My name could ignite prejudice.’”
The same anxiety followed 9/11, says Estes, who grew up Christian.
Estes became fascinated with the relatively young field of audiology on a sports field, where her boyfiend — now husband of 14 years — played high school baseball.
“There was a pitcher in the playoffs who was in a zone: Killing it, killing it, killing it during a championship game,” she recalls. “I looked over at his coach, who was signing to him. You didn’t see deaf students incorporated in the mainstream back then, not in a small town. It was one of those quirky little moments.”
She sat down with the deaf player’s family and started researching audiology. From that point, she never deviated, studying first at Oklahoma State Univeristy, then the University of Texas and — long-distance — finishing her doctorate at Pennsylvania’s Salus University.
She and her husband, Brian Estes, who serves as business development director for a precast concrete company, settled in Austin, where they are raising two young daughters.
After teaming with a ear, nose and throat specialist to build a practice in New Braunfels, she worked for Phonak Hearing Systems, a global hearing-aid manufacturer. Then Estes Audiology was born in 2005. (A fourth office is planned for Austin.)
So what causes hearing loss?
“Noise,” she says. “That’s one of the leading causes in people under 65. The mistake is thinking: ‘Hearing loss means I’m old.’ It effects all ages. Mainly because of noise.”
A recent study shows that the incidence of hearing loss in teens is on a sharp rise. “I thought: Holy cow! We are trying to educate hunters and musicians. We are forgetting teens,” she says. “Go to the mall and you see all the teens with iPods in the hands and in their ears. We are not doing a good enough job of looking at that.”
Very high numbers of active-duty soldiers are coming home with noice-induced hearing loss, too.
Variable hearing loss can be experienced by anyone who attends a concert or a dance club. (Just ask your social columnist. If he can hear you.) This is called a “temporary threshold shift.”
“You have these tiny, thin, upright hair cells,” Estes says. “Repeated beatings tend to make them not stand up straight all the time.”
Less glamorously, allergens can inflame the middle ear for temporary loss. That condition is treated with allergy medications.
Musicians and music lovers tend to suffer from permanent damage at different pitches inside the snail-like inner ear.
“The hairs here look like keys on a keyboard,” Estes says. “Every center is a pitch. High-frequency keys on the outside go first. Low-frequency hairs — protected, hidden, warm, fuzzy — they go last.”
The music clan tends to ignore such hearing loss, hoping it will go away. “During early hearing loss, people tend to ‘squint’ for a little bit,” Estes says. “Ray Wylie Hubbard would say: “I find my ears are squinting. I have to squint to hear people.”
So how did the HEAR program start four years ago? Estes: “I was getting ready for work one day. Tim Taylor, local attorney and HAAM Board Member, was promoting HAAM benefit day on the radio. I thought: ‘There’s the Seton part of HAAM (general medical) and the SIMS part (mental healthcare and addiction recovery). Where’s their hearing health care? Wait a minute. We are talking about musicians. This doesn’t make sense.’”
She contacted Taylor, who talked to HAAM executive director Carolyn Schwarz, who in turn surveyed her members. The vast majority requested hearing health care.
“Screen, educate and protect are the three missions,” Estes say of the HEAR sessions.
Up to 80 HAAM musicians may sign up at one time. Estes closes down her practices and they meet at a central location. Musicians learn about their hearing levels and types of exposure. Then the audiologists take silicon castings of each ear, sending them to labs to make custom ear plus with filters that allow all frequencies to be evenly attenuated, so sound quality is not compromised when volume is reduced.
Musicans pay $25 for a pair that would normally cost $150.
Estes says: “It is so rewarding when we can actually tell most of the musicians they have normal hearing or they are doing the right thing by beginning to protect their ears.”
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September 1, 2011
Profile: Pianist and Composer Reuel Meditz
A slender musician plays the piano for the first time at the Four Seasons Lounge. Guests keep up their chatter, snug in their comfy nooks, scattered around the city’s classiest bar.
As the tunes rise and fall, they grow quieter, putting down their top-shelf cocktails. At the finger-crunching finale of Ernesto Lecuona’s “Maleguena,” they cheer without reserve. Some even give Reuel Meditz a standing ovation.
As is Meditz, 23, who composes movie scores when he is not improvising at the keyboards in a fluent, melodious manner one observer has called “classical free-styling.”
Yet another Austinite who, creatively, doesn’t follow the rules. The Arlington-born former model comes from an Austin family that tends to veer off in inventive directions.
His mother, Jeanette Ingles Meditz, a writer, came to this country from Zimbabwe via Australia. His father, John Meditz, was the son of Greenwich, Conn. residential architects; he designs systems for Fidelity Investments.
Besides Reuel, there are six siblings with Biblical names: Adriel, Shiphrah, Shealtiel, Tirzah, Cassia and Shalisha.
“We’re not Mormon or Catholic,” Meditz says. “Just a big family.”
Slightly dylexic, Meditz was schooled at home and through correspondence courses. “Never scratched the door of a school until some classes at ACC,” he shrugs. “I’m not sure if I’m even on record there, other than enrolling before dropping the same classes.”
Instead, he studied the literary classics and, of course, piano, which he started comparatively late, at age 11.
“I think I missed out on some things in high school, like the social stuff,” he admits. “But this way, I could be different. I had very little pressure to be like everyone else. It gave me the option to look at people and not judge.”
Helped by teacher Julia Kruger — plus master classes from Victor Bunin from Russia’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory — Meditz moved from painful practicing to more advanced composition on the keyboards by age 13.
“Improvising saved my whole future on the piano,” he says. Not that the gangly kid remained indoors. He played adventure games with siblings on the family’s three acres above Lost Creek.
“I risked my hands like crazy with swords, jousting and quaterstaffs,” he says. “But you could be free out there. Do whatever you wanted.”
He stays in shape running along West Austin greenbelts and works out, gently, without doing heavy weight training, because it messes up his piano reaction time. He continues to risk those digits, though, rock climbing, paddle boarding and kayaking.
“I’m less fragile than most pianists,” he jokes.
For two years, he lived in the artsy Metropolis apartment complex while playing in a Yes-like band called Interstellar Transmissions. Now he occupies a small spot on a green hill off Southwest Parkway, a quieter place to delve into his piano improvisations, influenced by composition lessons from University of Texas doctoral student Greg Bolin.
“I create pieces on the fly as if dreaming,” he says. “I can tap into that subconscious state while playing, like a lucid musical dream.”
And that’s exactly how he went about scoring films, starting with the ultra-low-budget martial arts movie “Crosshairs,” for which he was recruited after meeting actress Laura Evans in a coffee shop.
“Like Danny Elfman, I improvise as I watch the movie, then score it,” he says.
Joining the Recording Academy — best known for the Grammys — helped Meditz network his way into a series of other movie jobs after that.
He helped Lexie Beard score the bigger-budgeted, Texas-filmed “The Legends of Hell’s Gate,” for instance, and served as lead composer on the even plumper “Ije: The Journey.”
Like other musicians, he teaches on the side, writes for commercials, and puts out albums on iTunes.
While he has played for the Grammy Foundation and he was among the first-place winners during the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall, the Four Seasons gig was his first venture into small-scale concerts at upscale venues.
He hopes to build up to concert-hall tours in the footsteps of entertainers and composers like Victor Borge, David Lanz and George Winston, whose sound his pieces sometimes echo.
“My absolute biggest dream would be play the Sydney Opera House!” he says, getting ahead of himself. “I call my playing style ‘Mod-Class’ for mixing up modern and classical during shows.”
Still, he’s not so much a lounge stylist as a fairly earnest romantic.
“I don’t play for show,” he says. “I play for emotion.”
Single, Meditz recently ended a long-distance relationship and now concentrates on his music and a network of Austin friendships. Meanwhile, he is polishing his sartorial image for this new phase in his career.
“I like dressing up,” he says. “If people enjoy the look as well as the sound, that’s all for the best.”
Meditz plays the Four Seasons again on Sunday evening.
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August 16, 2011
Christine and Louie Messina reception at Barton Creek home
I frankly didn’t know that Christine and Louie Messina lived here.
Louie and Christine Messina
She’s a marketing sharpie who attended the University of Texas in the 1990s. He’s the former Pace Concerts wunderkind who now runs the Messina Group, which promotes monster acts like Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and George Strait. His Austin company is subsidiary of Los Angeles-based AEG Live.
Kris Krishna and Manjeri Karthik
The handsome couple welcomed about 50 people to their baronial Barton Creek home on Monday. The reason: To toast TMG’s 10 anniversary and also an interview with Messina in Billboard magazine “Special Stars” issue. Although Louie is on the road much of the year, the family has lived there, I understand, for a year.
Beau and Val Armstrong
Powerhouse music and media guests included C3’s Charles Attal, Stratus Properties’ Val and Beau Armstrong, ACL Live’s Fish and Colleen Fisher, KGSR’s Andy Langer, philanthropist Milton Verret, media maven Olga Campos, Austin Monthly’s Erin Quinn and Cory Rivademar, Giant Noise’s Elaine Garza and Pachanga Festival’s Rich Garza, writer Michael Hoinski, and so forth.
Fish and Colleen Fisher
The Messinas are gracious, attentive hosts — even though Louie was recovering from his usual treadmill of travel — and it looked like guests would linger under the massive, beamed ceilings for as long as they could get away with it.
CORRECTION: AEG is based in Los Angeles and TMG in Austin.
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August 15, 2011
Voodoo Cowboy/Mueller Law Bash at Roial
Something is going on when two dozen people — separately — cross-examine me about the crowd at a large, loud party. Lawyer and creative backer Mark Mueller casts such a wide social net that his friends and acquaintances couldn’t possibly all know each other. Or how Mueller would know them.
Lesley Robbins and Leah Gross
I could easily identify four main tribes at the Voodoo Cowboy/Mueller Law summer bash at Roial on Saturday: Music, movies, law and nightlife. Another element — I can’t put my finger on it — pumped up the social interaction.
Christine Moline and Karen Janstch
It was such a large party, I never saw Mueller himself. And he’s usually easy to spy in his peacock finery. Yet, once again, he picked the spot for this kind of bacchanalia.
Melody Denoia and Devon Downs
Roial is superbly tricked out, especially the wide rooftop bar above the former location of Apple Bar and the Onion pizza joint.
Chris Krager, Nancy Higgins and Christian Moore
More on the club later. Mueller just knows how to throw a party. And I’m sure the energy didn’t flag until long after we left.
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July 22, 2011
Creative Media Center Launch at Studio 4
Wind up musician Alejandro “Alex” Vallejo and he’ll tell just about anyone about the Austin Music Foundation and its newly opened Creative Media Center at Austin Studios. He’s intent on your understanding their missions, and his alert, concise features help tell an efficient and uplifting story.
Rich Garza and Rose Reyes
Vallejo, the drummer for the cheeky Austin band Vallejo, explained how each station in the darkened room at the SoundCheck Austin complex could operate for prospective musicians. Here, one could learn to edit and organize band photographs; there clinics could be conducted on audio recording software. All in a place that feels more like a homey clubhouse than a classroom.
Amiee Gonzalez, Erik Johnson and Rob Davidson
A few dozen music industry types joined Vallejo and leaders such as AMF founder Colin Kendrick, ACVB music divinity Rose Reyes and music producer Rich Garza in Studio 4. What a beehive of activity! I peeked into the music-related equipment storage rooms and creative offices for the first time.
Alex and Monica Vallejo
One word was repeated by hosts and guests alike: Motivation. Apparently, a lot of young musicians dream of starting up a band, but don’t gain any traction because they lack certain skills and wisdom, thus sapping their motivation. The Creative Media Center was opened to help mentors usher in the next generation of Austin artists.
Russell Dizer Jr. (RuDi Devino of the SubKulture Patriots) and Jessie Davis
Speaking of next generations: By the time you read this, Alex and Monica Vallejo are expected to have become proud parents of a young female Vallejo. Best wishes to all three.
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July 2, 2011
Milton Verret: The man behind the Michael Jackson jacket
Who spends $1.8 million on a lightly used red and black leather jacket? Formerly low-profile Austin businessman Milton Verret, who plans on leveraging the outfit Michael Jackson wore in the 1983 video “Thriller” for children’s charities.
Verret is a lifelong collector — of cars and guitars, especially — and an astute trader, having made millions of dollars in the gold business.
A recent visit to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, however, rededicated the former television crewman to kids’ causes.
“He’s a very generous man,” said Maureen “Missy” Wood, executive director of the Children’s Medical Center Foundation. “We feel it’s coming from the heart.”
Groups such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and ChildHelp had already received big chunks of the more than $700,000 Verret has given away in recent years.
“I saw all these kids pushing around little IVs, making their way to their books and things,” he said of his hospital visit as part of the upcoming Cow Parade charity campaign, to which he has donated $50,000. “I’ve encouraged everybody to go volunteer and help there. It’s a whole new chapter in my life.”
Go here for the rest of the story.
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June 23, 2011
Leslie Cochran's 60th Birthday Party at Threadgill's
Bearded cross-dresser Leslie Cochran probably reached the peak of his celebrity 10 years ago after placing second in the race for Austin mayor against current State Sen. Kirk Watson. Yet he has remained a constant in the lives of those of us who live, work and play in the central city.
Samantha Gallion and Leslie Cochran
Despite his periodic medical problems, I greet him about once a week while walking in South Austin. A practical man, he often prefers the shady sidestreets. When I spot Cochran downtown, however, he’s usually “on” and the center of curious attention. Nothing like creative eccentricity to attract the tourists.
Kristina Vallejo and Isabel Corona
Several less persistent showmen — including a man who wears the tiniest thong in the world while bicycling (ouch!) — have attempted to borrow of some Leslie’s limelight, but to little avail. Now the resilient Cochran has turned 60 and his admirers threw him a party Wednesday at Threadgill’s on Riverside Drive.
Andy Lane and Cheyenne Jannise
The party was connected to the production of a documentary film about Cochran, so it was tough avoiding the cameras. Toni Price was slated to play the outdoor venue for the party’s climax, but before that, Mayeux and Broussard brought a Southeast Texas fervor to the stage. I talked mainly to multi-gifted Kristina Vallejo who was working on the film. Any project she joins gains instant credibility in my book.
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May 18, 2011
Paramount and State Gala
The evening came with surprises. First, that Smokey Robinson, 71, is still so spry. And his voice, like Tony Bennett’s, has lost little of its upper glories. Sure, like Bennett, who performed recently at ACL Live, Robinson took instrumental, dance and back-up breaks, but holy cow, he still performed the heck out of the songs he wrote for the Temptations, himself and others.
Jim Ritts and Lisa Jasper
The second little shocker at the Paramount and State Gala was the amount of money raised: Over $750,000. Of that, $500,000 came from the live auction, run by outgoing theater executive director Ken Stein. The man who helped turn the Paramount and State around with “demographic booking” said, if the theater wanted, he’d return next year from Dallas, where he follows partner Ken Lambrecht, to auctioneer again. Stein also said he’s scoping out several jobs that would fit him to a T in Big D.
Liz Leverson and Daniel Ramirez
The next surprise is funny: Former ABC and LPGA exec Jim Ritts strode out on the stage to announce he was the new executive director. As previously reported, I’d engaged Ritts in conversations at two previous parties and he didn’t drop the slightest hint of his new job. Well played.
Grayson Cecil and Dick Clark
Finally, it should have come as no surprise that gala guests were having a ball. I mean, some parties amuse. Some stimulate. This one rocks. (And I try never to use that expression, if possible.) The dinner in the ultra-long tents, the ultra-extended silent auction, the multiple dance bands. Why not bang the drum loudly?
Adam Stewart and Emmeline Bone
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May 14, 2011
Profile: Larissa Ness
In August 2005, I sat on the sun-punished patio of Alligator Grill, the former bar on South Lamar Boulevard. A few yards away, cars hurtled home. Not the ideal place to sample music.
At the appointed hour, a slender, dark-tressed, fair-skinned woman hauled a huge keyboard into the faltering light. After a shy introduction, she sang.
Hers was a supple, breezy voice. Along the lines of Norah Jones, say. After a few songs, the scorched patio cooled down. My drink tasted sweeter. Although some customers spared scant attention, the artist had made at least one early convert.
Almost six years later, Ness is making a decent go of the Austin music biz. She has recorded snappy pop songs and slinky hip-hop cuts. She appeared in dance videos that were cheered during launch parties at chichi clubs. She has landed roles in movie shorts and pays the bills by teaching and playing jazz clubs and corporate events.
On a recent evening, she revved up a dapper audience on the terrace of the W Austin Hotel and Residences. As the wind swept aside the party decor for Lance Avery Morgan’s Society Diplomat launch, Ness, waving her flute aloft, and, aided by DJ Johnny Bravvo, pried the guests’ attention from each other — and themselves.
It appears that Ness, who will admit only to being in her 20s, has found a niche on the transient margins of Austin’s music scene, playing a luxuriant blend of pop, dance and hip-hop.
“It’s a motivator,” Ness says. “I can make a difference in this town by doing something different.”
Ness was born in Freeport, the only child of Ken Ness, a carpenter from Wisconsin, and Carol Ness, a piano teacher and former travel agent from Montana. Her childhood was spent in Sargent, an unincorporated community in Matagorda County. She lived in a bay house on stilts near the beach. Not many such boxy, unpretentious houses on the Texas coast contained a grand piano.
“It was basically one big room with one big piano,” Ness says of the un-airconditioned house. “I’d be in a swimsuit 24/7, either on the beach or playing the piano.”
Her well-traveled parents met randomly on Sargent Beach. (Ness: “Hippies? I think a little bit, but not typical hippies.”) She was home-schooled through third grade, then she attended the small schools in the Van Vleck district, perhaps best known for producing Olympic high jumper Charles Austin.
Ness hewed to a musical and theatrical bent, winning contests that honed her competitive edge. She played piano and flute. Growing up, she heard a lot of jazz and classical music, as well as show tunes. Later, she was exposed to pop and grunge, although fellow students were mostly into country. She started writing singer-songwriter pop ballads in the mode of Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette and Celine Dione.
For college, she chose the ambitious theater and music programs at Texas State University San Marcos, which also allowed her proximity to markets in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. But she found that that cold-calling clubs for unpaid gigs — the standard first step — no fun.
“It hardens you,” she says with a bit of a grimace. “You keep on; don’t give up. Eventually, you meet the right people. And you say, OK I’m not doing that any more. Instead, you start singing in places that pay well.”
The first places to fit Ness’ burnished skills were jazz clubs and lounges: Three Forks, Fours Seasons Hotel, the former Reed’s Supper Club.
“It’s a totally different clientele,” she says. “I’d play on nights where I could mix in my own interpretations of jazz standards.”
Turns out piano bars paid well compared to most Austin music venues. But that routine got a little stale.
“I want to put out the music I truly love,” she says. After a required term with a rock band, she worked with a experimental hip-hop artist Ernst Bernard, who goes as Young Mischiff. She recorded the album “Hello” that includes lush vocals and a shiny pop sound.
“With every new project, you learn, meet new people,” she says. “It was a lot of fun.”
Her song “Thoughts of You,” used for a promo ad on CBS, elicited a video shot in a grand Lakeway mansion. Recently, she has written, recorded and remixed with DJ Prepmode and producer, Ryan Parker (aka DJ Elstar).
When not singing, dancing or acting, Ness works Austin’s social scene with rare finesse. “I think you should always be having fun, no matter what you do,” she says.
“I like the new metropolitan Austin. I’m sure some people don’t feel like it’s Austin any more. But why not find the good in it? Funky Austin is still all around us. But the city has opened itself up to making more people happy, not just a certain spectrum.”
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April 28, 2011
Tony Bennett at ACL Live
Photos: Tony Bennett at ACL Live
All great artists should age like Tony Bennett.
Here he is at age 84, looking bronze, chipper and handsome as ever on the ACL Live Stage.
Bennett dances a little, gestures a lot, giving quick salutes for the cheers, applause and multiple standing ovations that erupted before, during and after his 90-minute Wednesday concert to a packed house.
He still sings like a god. It seems impossible, but he may sound better now that at any time in his 62-year career.
Never maudlin, never sentimental, his supple tenor still carries a potent emotional charge.
“I guess you can tell by now that I just sing old songs,” he beamed.
Wouldn’t have it any other way. Although he sang post-1950 pop hits, romantic ballads and show tunes, he returned repeatedly to the standards of the 1920s-1940s, what he calls the “classical music of the world.”
But first, the audience was warmed up by his daughter Antonia Bennett, who put contemporary spins on the family’s familiar jazz phrasing. Her finest moment was an ultra-slow arrangement of Noël Coward’s “Sail Away.”
Her red hair blazing in the stage lights, she returned later in the concert to add her unforced voice to Stephen Sondheim’s “Old Friends,” given a father-daughter duet twist.
The elder Bennett, dressed in a buttery yellow blazer, frequently acknowledged his extraordinary sidemen: drummer Harold Jones, pianist Lee Musiker, guitarist Gray Sargent and bassist Marshall Wood. They played long, inventive introductions and bridges and received almost as much adulation from the music-savvy audience as the legendary singer.
The instrumental sections may have given Bennett a few breaks, but he didn’t seem to need them. He purred the quiet notes and rocketed the big ones to the moon.
His patter included polished, but not gimmicky stories about his discovery (by Pearl Bailey, in tandem with fellow talent show contestant Rosemary Clooney — in 1949!); the acquisition of his stage name (given him by Bob Hope); and his interactions with composers like Hank Williams (not so good) and Charlie Chaplin (good).
But this consummate concert returned again and again to the immortal songs: “Smile,” “Just in Time,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “For Once in My Life,” “The Good Life,” “Once Upon a Time,” and, of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” He deferred to the singers who had introduced certain songs to a wider public, nodding to Liza Minnelli, for instance, before he pulled out all the stops singing “Maybe This Time.”
Now, touring artists generally compliment the cities they play. It’s an easy way to pump up a crowd. But Bennett seemed genuinely moved that the “sweet town” of Austin that he visited decades ago, now has become “the most beautiful, bright city in the country.”
If only Bennett could do for Austin what he did for San Francisco. And for American music.
Correction: In an earlier version of this post, guitarist Gray Sargent’s name was misspelled.
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March 26, 2011
Audience for Bernadette Peters at the Paramount Theatre
If the audiences for Liza Minnelli at the Long Center were gluttons for gushing celebrity (I was one), those for Bernadette Peters at the Paramount Theatre two weeks later were connoisseurs of finely burnished musical talent (I count myself lucky to witness it). The first tribe bawled “We love you Liza!” at every turn. The second responded to each gem from Peters with firm applause and, eventually, three standing ovations.
Aline Mayagoitia and Brennan Martinez
I suppose what was missing in the house was the nightclub element. The core Broadway base — young and old editions — certainly attended. And Peters returned the favor by singing show tunes almost exclusively, albeit with fresh twists. And not always the ones you might expect from her own hits — “Into the Woods,” “Gypsy,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Mack & Mabel,” etc.
Dustin L. Struhall, Cathie Sheridan and Walter Pohlmeyer
No, Peters often chose songs that might have been sung by males originally, or belonged to minor characters, especially if taken from a Stephen Sondheim show. In fact, a good half of her program was borrowed from the Sondheim songbook. Her voice sounded miraculous, as curvaceous in the lower and upper registers as her gloriously accentuated figure.
Bob and Elizabeth Boone
Back to the audience: They listened. They didn’t drool in awe. They respected each minutely rounded note — OK, a few wobbles and forgotten lyrics — delivered with an orchestra almost the size of a standard Broadway show’s. This was no cabaret miniature. Peters cooly took center stage and never once flinched in the spotlight. Her fans responded with the kind of devotion an artist deserves.
One last celebrity note: Her drummer: Carl Patrick O’Brien, aka Cubby from “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Yes, a blast from the 1950s!
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March 4, 2011
Liza Minnelli ascends at the Long Center
“I’ve been waiting to present this lady for 30 years,” beamed Paul Beutel, Long Center for the Performing Arts managing director, on Thursday night before Liza Minnelli’s long-awaited, intermission-less concert.
Anybody ready for Bette Midler, Kristin Chenoweth, Barbara Cook, Audra McDonald or Christine Ebersole? (La Streisand? Forget about it. Not in a billion years.)
A distinct crowd showed up for Minnelli on Thursday. You know who I mean. One part older Broadway fans, one part Generation Glee, one part Friends of Dorothy. It wasn’t quite Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, but one could take bets on which part of the ecstatic, nearly full house would rush the stage first.
The questions in each sentient fan’s mind: Which Liza would show up? How would she look after multiple surgeries and enhancements? How would she act after years of erratic behavior and a partly postponed concert tour? Most importantly, how would she sound?
Except for a few dropped lyrics and non sequiturs, Minnelli proved the all-round pro onstage. She blazed her way through the big numbers, then settled down for the smaller pieces. She mocked her image admirably. Explaining a character in “Chicago” who killed her lover, she quipped: “I know how she felt.” Reaching the part in “Cabaret” when Elsie dies of “too much pills and liquor,” she paused, twitching her features in recognition to expected audience laughter.
Now for the voice. During the concert’s first half, when she obliged fans with numbers she has sung from Broadway to Hollywood and Las Vegas, her upper register sounded shot through and through. Just gone with wind. It wasn’t quite painful, but one wonders why pianist and friend Billy Stritch didn’t convince her just to take a safer, more circuitous route to the knock-out moments.
Just two big songs remained. She totally nailed “The World Goes Round,” but should have let the audience finish “New York, New York.”
Finally, she sat next to the nimble Stritch on the piano bench and reeled out a heartfelt song nobody in the audience will forget: Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye.” Three or four generations of family show business history were concentrated in one tender, exquisitely executed number.
For that alone — and so much more — we love you Liza.
Statesman photos by Deborah Cannon
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March 1, 2011
Liza Minnelli speaks to Out & About
There was only one Judy Garland. And there is just one Liza Minnelli.
Her longtime pianist, Texan Billy Stritch, whose work is featured prominently on the album, recently played the Long Center’s Kodosky Lounge with Klea Blackhurst for Austin Cabaret Theatre and will return with this concert.
Bubbling and boisterous, Minnelli chatted with us between rehearsals.
American-Statesman: What’s the story behind the album title ‘Confessions’?
Liza Minnelli: It’s a song that I heard when I was, I don’t know, 12. My father had a recording with Judy Holliday singing, arranged by Gerry Mulligan. I learned right away. And I remembered it.
This is among your most personal, intimate albums, along the lines of 1970’s ‘Come Saturday Morning.’
I sang it from my bed! (Laughs) I was having my knee replaced. So I sang it in my bedroom, accompanied by my small piano. I couldn’t walk at all. I’m one of those people who, God forbid I don’t do anything.
How do you put a personal twist into a standard song?
I think of the words always and what they say and how I relate to them. I always pretend. I take it from: “What happened to her? She was thinking these thoughts. Where is she? Does she live in the country with decals on her refrigerator? Does she live in the city and looks out on the river and sees the boats? What’s the situation?” So an actor’s point of view. That way the words become more personal to me.
Will you sing selections from this album in Austin?
I sure will. Will you be there?
You bet. ‘On Such a Night as This’ is one of my cabaret favorites. (Austin’s Sterling Price-McKinney popularized it here.) I think I’ve only heard one or two other recordings. Michael Feinstein was one …
I talked to him! Hugh Martin (composer for Garland’s “Meet Me in St. Louis’) wrote it for his show. (One lyric: “Twas such a night this / When Judy Garland swore / I just adore him / How can I ignore the boy next door?”)
You certainly have plenty more material to choose from, with two dozen films, two dozen stage shows and a dozen TV specials under your belt. How do you select songs for your concerts?
I try to find a point of view. Most concerts are thematic. Like the Radio City show, or the Carnegie Hall show, which started with “I Happen to Like New York.” People travel with me on this road we are taking for an hour and half. The audience is as much a part it as anyone. It won’t ever be the same. It changes a little each time. I pay attention to what they are enjoying or laughing at or going with or grooving on. It may be the same songs, but the point of view of the set changes.
You’ve got an eye for zany material. I’m thinking of ‘Arrested Development,’ ‘Drop Dead Diva’ and even the Snickers commercials. How do you choose your guest roles?
If I can recognize the person. For instance, in “Sterile Cuckoo,” Pookie was somebody that everybody knew, or was, or was related to. So I understood her. So it’s if I think I can bring something to it.
Your name is associated with the ‘Arrested Development’ movie. Will you be doing it? I love that show! So much fun to work on. The people were so smart, so nice and imaginative. But I haven’t heard from anyone about the movie. It’s been a rumor for years.
Your professional career is now 50 years old. Your mother’s career lasted 45 years. That’s almost 100 years between you. To what do you attribute this astonishing longevity?
And my father (movie director Vincente Minnelli)! He started at 15. Didn’t die until he was 83. I have no idea why careers last. You just keep trying to do your best. You stay curious about is happening and what are the new ideas, the new people and the new things. And I guess people like my shows.
In the early ’70s, you said in an interview something along the lines that what distinguished you is that you’re a survivor.
I love life, and I’m curious and I’m grateful.
Liza Minnelli in concert When: 8 p.m. Thursday Where: Long Center for the Performing Arts Cost: $39-$99
Photo courtesy of Ruven Afanador
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February 25, 2011
KLRU gala at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater
Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater tunes the heartstrings of downtown Austin. The shockingly intimate venue at Second and Lavaca streets harmonizes Old and New Austin. It blows warmth into the slightly chilly W Austin Hotel & Residences. And from the evidence of the KLRU gala on Thursday, it will permanently shift the center of social gravity in the direction of lower downtown.
These thoughts raced through my mind, not while enjoying dinner seated between former KEYE dazzler Michelle Valles and Assistant City Manager Sue Edwards, not listening to soulful wailer Carolyn Wonderland or the breezy Steve Miller Band, not exploring the never-a-bad-seat balcony and mezzanine, not even when a long strip of mostly gray, white and black Austin skyline was unveiled by big-hearted Ray Benson, who reminded everyone that there was no backdrop for the first “Austin City Limits” seasons because the audience sat behind the artists.
Ray Benson and Michelle Valles
No, my Austin moment came on the terrace. Looking west, one peers through the glass curtains of the Malverde club and La Condessa restaurant, which brilliantly match the W’s concrete-and-glass masses.
Sue Edwards and David Bodenman
The eye drops to the buff-colored, expertly preserved Schneider Brothers Building, now serving as home to already iconic Lamberts, and Second Street shops twinkling under decorative lights. In the darkness beyond lies land primed to raise a central library, as well as retail, residential and other projects where once stood city utility facilities.
Becky Beaver, Anthony Haley and My-Cherie Haley
To the south, across the lake, one can spy the Long Center for the Performing Arts, ACL Live’s slightly elder sibling, smartly lighted. And of course, almost within reach, the Austin City Hall, draped with sonic symbolism as the music pours out the heavy doors of the Moody Theater.
Carla and Jack McDonald
To the east, more bustling shops and cafes, towering homes and, at the end of Second, the Austin Convention Center. Nose around the terraces and one can just make out the Warehouse District, now firmly linked to Second Street.
Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez and Lara Wendler
So much of social Austin right within easy reach. The only things missing are visual ties to East and West Sixth Street, as well as the State Capitol and University of Texas campus. The last two are boldly represented on the new “Austin City Limits” backdrop. The only other landmark so treated is, oddly, the Frost Bank tower, nowadays blocked from most directions by newer buildings.
Former State Sen. Ray Farabee and Mary Margaret Farabee
Enough has been written about the sensitive acoustics of the hall. Eventually — given Tim Neece’s eclectic booking — many Austinites, as well tourists, will discover this for themselves. If not during rock concerts, instead at social gatherings like the one on Thursday. The flat floor downstairs makes for an ideal gala dining space.
Chairwomen Bobbi Topfer and Berry Crowley made sure of that, helped out by Victoria Hentrich of Creative Consultants and celebrity florist David Kurio. Catering from the W’s restaurant, Trace, delighted as well, though the logic of the serving sequence baffled.
As the night progressed, the KLRU backers and, especially, volunteers grew rowdier and rowdier — in a good way. One is supposed to have fun at a party.
And there is much to celebrate at the this bold valentine to Austin music, culture and society.
Party pictures to come on Saturday, when my laptop is fixed.
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February 14, 2011
Willie Nelson launches Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater
How does one soak up history in the making? This question ping-ponged around my brain Sunday night as Willie Nelson played a three-hour concert to inaugurate the new Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater.
So Nelson and ACL. It wouldn’t be Austin without them.
Here Nelson was, breaking in the stage at the new studios/concert hall. (Two other artists played the previous nights, almost as trial runs.) Others will report on the actual performances, but suffice it to say that Nelson played the first hour, sometimes tentatively, with a full orchestra, then returned after a long break to perform what seemed like his entire touring set, much more vigorously, with four other musicians.
A word about that. Surely drink sales will keep the ACL Live profitable, not the $168 top ticket for Diana Ross-level artists, which likely will go straight to their agents.
So it makes sense to not only keep open multiple bars, but send servers trolling the house for empties and refills. But during a three-hour concert, that amount of indulgence can go wrong, as several of us witnessed Sunday. Oddly enough, the variations on rude or inconsiderate behavior seemed associated with those wore laminated badges, not a good sign.
This is a small thing, but something to watch for the future. This magnificent, incredibly intimate house was built for casual good times. Let’s keep those times good for everyone in the Moody Theater.
Alberto Martínez photos
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February 7, 2011
Datri Bean CD Release Party at Swan Dive
More than 30 years ago, artists and their audiences looked to the 1920s and ’30s for inspiration. Bertolt Brecht, W.H. Auden, James Ensor, Evelyn Waugh. “The Great Gatsby,” “Cabaret,” “Pennies from Heaven.” Layered looks and New Vaudeville. Melancholy images and impending doom. Klezmer, jazz, brass and cabaret. To my generation, anything from before World War II seemed impossibly distant and yet familiar thanks to novels, songs, movies from the era, as well as the memories of parents and grandparents.
Diamond Gregg and Chase O’Brien
Austin artist Datri Bean has revived that fascination for a new generation, now removed from the Depression by 70 years. Along with White Ghost Shivers and the Minor Mishap Marching Band, which she leads, Bean has brought back the sound and mood of the pre-WWII era — one hears echoes of Kurt Weill — but with completely fresh musical and lyrical inventions that reflect her laid-back personal life here in Austin. A selection of those songs are collected on “Ruby,” which I’ve forced myself to put away.
Determinedly anonymous, in keeping with the atmosphere
I convinced Zach Theatre’s producer and director Dave Steakley and his partner, Tony Johnson, to meet me at Swan Dive for Bean’s CD release party. The commodious white-clad club on Red River Street is devoted to a more sophisticated vibe than some previous occupants along that row. It serves serious cocktails that come with serious prices.
Alex Randall and Wes Ducey
Bean’s fans ran the gamut, but I was delighted to find they listened intently to her melodious set. Some were dressed in vintage wear, others not. Like me, almost all were gripped by Bean’s almost off-the-cuff delivery of songs that will dig deep grooves into our collective memories.
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January 31, 2011
Graham Reynolds and Friends at the Continental Club
A few words about Graham Reynolds, if I may.
I first encountered the composer, pianist and band leader in 1999. He scored a dance for the sprightly Andrea Ariel. Right away, it was clear his music defied conventions: Serious yet playful; intellectual, yet appealing first to the ear, then the heart.
In short, Reynolds is, as violin prodigy Ruby Jane put it on Saturday night at the Continental Club: “A genius.”
Consider this: That very night, he played for Robert Wilson, among the world’s leading experimental theater artists and a University of Texas ex, at the Blanton Museum of Art gala. The normally reticent Wilson gave him a big bear hug.
Then he skittered down to South Congress Avenue for three sets at a packed Continental Club, mostly zooming off into musical space, as inspired by Duke Ellington. (Jane revealed her vocal potential in a terse version of “Satin Doll.”)
My date that night, Eugene Sepulveda, has been a Reynolds fan since he collaborated with choreographer Stephen Mills and visual artist Trenton Doyle Hancock on the astonishing Ballet Austin creation “Cult of Color: Call to Color,” one of the most sophisticated bits of culture this city has ever witnessed.
Sepulveda introduced me to a covey of young musicians form Mother Falcon who have worked closely with Reynolds lately, although I must admit, in the club din, I didn’t memorize their names. I’m hoping that I learn more about them soon.
Next to me during the thrilling climax of the last set, as Reynolds forced the piano to do the impossible, I stood next to Ariel herself. We smiled. It’s a been an amazing run.
Other journalists have written more astutely about Reynolds. I’m just reconnecting. As I type this, I’m listening to his CD “The Difference Engine.” Hard not to imagine that Reynolds’ music will be remembered long after all of us have abandoned this earthly plane.
Photo: Jay Janner
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January 22, 2011
Jim Cullum Band at Annies
Every night should be like Thursday night at Annies. Place was packed. Tables were hopped. Appetites were sated.
Why the commotion? Jim Cullum’s jazz band played. Cullum, who entertained Louis Armstrong and lit up the White House during President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s administration, nurtures special ties to Austin. The San Antonio frontman (pictured center) is related to several key local connectors, who spread the world about Cullum’s four-night residency at the Congress Avenue bistro.
Bonnie Cullum and Robert Nash
Our table alone included theatrical director Bonnie Cullum, professional connector Robert Nash and partner Paul Simmons, writer and jazz promoter Dean Lofton, social angel Christine Perrault Moline, power blogger Chris Apollo Lynn (dressed as if lolling around Paris of the ’30s), new-to-me Michele Foster and Earl Lundquist, a jazz blogger.
Dean Lofton and Michele Foster
Bouncing to the Dixieland sounds elsewhere at Annies were drink entrepreneur Clayton Christopher, prodigal returnee Adam Ayres, cafe owner Love Nance, peripatetic Charles Gentry, recent acquaintance Frank Rivera, and many others recognizable to followers of this column.
Frank Rivera and Chris Apollo Lynn
The music? What can I say? As authentic as New Orleans gumbo (a dish prepared to perfection, by the way, by NOLA expats Moline and husband Terrence Moline at their house recently!)
Cullum returns Jan. 27, Feb. 3 and Feb. 17, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. There’s no cover charge, but one must order food from the simplified menu.
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January 9, 2011
Spinning time with DJ Manny
Few of us spent the holidays like Manuel Muñiz, better known as DJ Manny, who worked a range of private parties for a week in Southern California.
One noisy night, he spun for friends Sunny McMillan-Kientz and Rob Kientz, who own a mansion in West Hollywood. For the past few years, the Austin lawyers have hired Muñiz to entertain an eclectic assembly of 150 or so guests.
On another night, he acted as DJ for a tiny party that included “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert at friend Hans Haveron’s art studios in Glendale, Calif.
“It was really chill,” Muñiz, 37, says. “We talked about art and music until early in the morning. I played atmospheric tracks, combined with ’80s Cure, Depeche Mode, house music.”
A fixture on Austin’s DJ and dance scenes since the late 1990s, Muñiz is exquisitely sensitive to the shifting moods of any social gathering.
“I watch the attention span on the dance floor,” he says. “I pick it up from the room. The room creates a certain energy.”
Muñiz, who doubles as a graphic artist, certainly looks the part of the modern DJ — long face, aquiline nose, salt-and-pepper beard, streaky hair, oversized brown eyes, self-designed tattoos and wing-shaped earrings made of bone. A microscopic, blue stud glints from his nose.
Regulars in Austin’s vast nightlife scene best recognize Muñiz, however, from this radiant personality.
“People enjoy seeing me get into it — dancing, rocking out, connecting with crowd,” says the San Juan, Puerto Rico native.
His father, Tomás Muñiz, is a writer; his grandfather, Tommy Muñiz, an actor who starred in the 1989 Oscar-nominated “Lo que le Pasó a Santiago.” His mother, Margarita Garcia, is a painter and teacher who married three times. He is a middle child among three brothers and two sisters.
Muñiz attended private Catholic schools in San Juan before moving to the Houston area in 1985, switching to Sugar Land public schools. From an early age, he was employed in retail stores, at restaurants and at entertainment events.
“I was brought up to work hard and try new things,” he says. “By the time I was in my 30s, I realized that I always had everything I needed.”
In 1994, brother Tomás Muñiz lured the future DJ to Austin.
“My brother called at two in the morning from dance club,” Muñiz recalls. “He said Austin is small enough for somebody young to get started, but the amount of art and music is really going to blow your mind.”
Jeff Strange of Strange Tribe Productions — also owner of the Downstairs apparel store on South Lamar Boulevard — gave him his first breaks, including opening for the band Thunderball at Texture dance club. Soon after that, Muñiz earned his first regular gig at the Red Fez, where he played for eight years on Tuesdays. (He left that engagement six months ago.)
Typically, he throws Top 40, hip hop, reggae, jazz, punk, techno, anything Latin oriented into the mix. Early on, he noticed that club guests noticed his outgoing performance style.
“At first, I wondered if they were making fun of me,” he smiles. “But my personality is friendly, eclectic. I feel like a chameleon and attract a lot of different people into the same place.”
As he struck out on the road to parties in New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans and elsewhere, he wondered what to play. “I told myself: Think that you are at the Red Fez. Be that. Following that, everything flowed naturally.”
In 2006, Muñiz started DJ Dojo, a combination record store, studio and DJ school, with Javier Arredondo a.k.a. DJ Bigface. That magnet on South First Street closed two years later because Muñiz was traveling more and wanted to spend time with wife Talitha Wallick, a Montessori teacher, and daughter Phoenix Love Muñiz, now three years old.
He still teaches the DJ craft — from choosing the right hardware and software to mixing music — one-on-one as DJ Dojo by appointment in the Art Department building at 503 Neches St.
“You’ve got music going in your head that sounds different than what’s being played in the speakers,” he says. “You must be in right place to make two records match and make them sound in harmony. I see people sweat it, but when they get it, the student starts to get really excited. I teach everybody from four years old - my youngest - to my oldest - I never ask - over 50.”
Muñiz nurtures a few collaborative projects with fellow DJs and MCs. He divides the DJ scenes into older, club crowd that dances to spiky music from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m., and mostly teen dancers, who haunt private parties under waves of electronica until dawn. His current regular gig is at Qua — the once controversial West Fourth Street lounge — on Wednesdays.
“Austin’s tastes are diverse,” he says. “We’re into blending as many genres as possible with an edge of heavy base or something that really moves the body.”
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December 6, 2010
Headliners revealed for Austin City Limits' studio gala
The top tickets for the seated dinner on the studio floor are already sold out. Still for sale are dinner-by-the-bite-plus-performance tickets at $500, and performance-only tickets in the balcony at $150. Following the performance, the entire theater will open up for a reception with snacks and a chance to tour every seat in the surprisingly intimate house. Get more information at KLRU.org.
The hotel itself opens to the public on Thursday.
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December 4, 2010
Bleet-Up and Alpha Rev
Bleet-Ups — parties where bloggers and tweeters meet — are meant for networking. As promised, major mixing transpired on the Whole Foods terrace Friday night. Holy cow! I met dozens of people previously known to me only by their digital personae.
Amanda Garcia and Rose Reyes
Among the many folks wandering around Austin Eavesdropper Tolly Moseley’s carnival + concert + awards show were web editor JJ McLaughlin, newly arrived arts journalist Claire Spera, “funtrepreneur” Amanda Winters, Downtown Austin blogger Jude Galligan, attorney Luke Stanfield (who introduced me to business cards with QR codes), distance runner Rob Wetzel, iPad app-er Discovery Gerdes, Realtor Amber Gugino, some fresh faces from Public School’s creative pod, SXSW Interactive’s new word-spreader, Kelly Krause, loads of Statesman folks, local music advocate Rose Reyes, the pop-pleasing band MoTel Aviv, and Kahona Coffee honcha Piper Jones (who saved me some delicious decaf).
Megan Kelly and Rob Wetzel
The man of the hour, however, was Chris Apollo Lynn, who announced the winners of the Austin Blogger Awards at the end of the ceremony. To make the City of Austin’s noise-ordinance cut-off hour, he raced through the honors.
Kelly Johnson and Meghan Erwin
Dear ones, I did not win. Nor did newsroom colleague Addie Broyles of Relish Austin. We were nominated in the category “Best Blog from a Traditional Media Outlet.” Coming out on top was KUT’s exquisitely composed Texas Music Matters.
Claire Spera and Discovery Gerdes
I dragged my loser boots to Antone’s for the Mental Health America of Texas benefit. I wasn’t really there as a reporter, but rather as a fierce fan of Alpha Rev. (I promised the Mental Health folks I’d check into their good work soon. The band’s Casey McPherson sits on the charity’s board of directors — all the musicians and the club owners donated their services.)
Jude Galligan, Amber Gugino and Luke Stanfield
The band played songs from “New Morning,” also numbers I didn’t recognize. They interrupted their own compositions with incredible forays into blues, country and other genres with guests Junior Brown, Charlie Sexton and members of the Soldier Thread and the Gourds. I’ve always liked Alpha Rev’s music. Now I respect their musicianship even more.
Indiana Adams, Sandhya Ganesha and Amelia Raley
Odd thing happened: I was minding my own business — not reporting or photographing, just swaying to the band — when two separate individuals approached me with story idea pitches. I hope I behaved politely, but I could barely hear a word they were saying. I encouraged them to contact me by e-mail, when I was not blissing out to Alpha Rev. Hope they do.
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November 22, 2010
Help Clifford Help Kids at AT&T Center
Reasons to attend Help Clifford Help the Kids repeatedly over the years: 1) American YouthWorks, the beneficiary, efficiently and effectively helps students who slip through the public school safety net. 2) Respect for the late clubman Clifford Antone, his devotion to this cause, combined with the continued efforts of his equally committed sister, Susan Antone. 3) Also, philanthropists Carla and Jack McDonald often spearheaded the financial backing, reason enough for anyone to attend a charity party.
Jody Denberg and Andy Langer
A few others: 4) The music is usually top notch, this year Los Lonely Boys. 5) The ringleaders on stage often come from the world of radio — this time Andy Langer and Jody Denberg — so they bring an appreciation of the musical context to the evening.
Matt Curtin and Jackie Curtin
Thursday — I know, I’m way behind on posts while on vacation — my chivalrous companion for the night, Devin Ellis, and I arrived late after working through the Big Reds and Bubbles party at the Driskill Hotel, and strolling briskly from there to the University of Texas campus. So we didn’t need dinner. Nevertheless, thoughtful Stephen Moser insisted we sit at his table. We did, at least to catch our breaths, until we were told by another guest that the seats were previously spoken for.
Robbie Wickham and DeAna Ortiz
No problem! Because our replacements were the dear, dear Avila sisters, Sofia and Victoria, the masterminds behind Mandarin Flower Co. As others drifted away — I caught up with several clusters of longtime Austinites meanwhile — the Avilas, Ellis, Moser and photographer Seabrook Jones — a warm hug of a man — and I basted in the soul-stirring sounds of Los Boys.
That is, till I stupidly tried to get a better look at the band from the makeshift AT&T Center stage. Boing! My ears nearly bled as I bounced back from the speakers. That hasn’t happened in while. Eventually, I dragged my sore ears out of the center and into the windy city streets.
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November 19, 2010
Symphony Arbor Series at the Four Seasons Hotel
Let me come clean: I never gave much sustained thought to the Women’s Symphony League of Austin. From a distance, it seemed a relic from another era. I imagined high teas. Costume gowns. Genteel gossip rather than musical connoisseurship.
Kilyong Natho and Peter Bay
And what about the gender distinction in an age when women could serve — in some cases, completely dominate — an actual governing board? Well, like most unfounded prejudices, this one melted away in the light of day. I’ve attended several League functions in the past few years and found them entertaining and enlightening.
Jeri DeAngelis and Wendi Kushner
The Arbor Series luncheons, for instance, bring together about 100 League members and guests just before the nine classical pairings from the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The upcoming two require some considerable explanation, even for a devout follower of classical music, since the bill is pegged to the double celebration of Mexican independence and the following revolution 100 years later. Thursday, conductor Peter Bay did a champion job of explaining the works of Galindo, Ponce, Revueltas, Marquez and Moncayo, also the flowering of Mexican symphonic music during the 1930s.
Anthony Corroa and Pat Harris
Before the event, ASO manager Anthony Corroa described in detail the painful procedure required to extract young violinist Francisco Ladron de Guevara-Finck from Mexico City to Austin (last-minute visas, fees, plane tickets, the intervention of diplomats). The host at my table, Pat Harris, introduced me to almost everyone in the room at the Four Seasons luncheon.
The most interesting was Kilyong Natho, a retired interior designer whose remarkable life journey from China to Japan to Korea to Germany and the United States, story I will save for what I hope, with her permission, will be a Tuesday profile column some day. (Our chat allowed me to sharpen distinctions picked up from Jacques Gernet’s 800-page “A History of Chinese Civilization,” which I just finished today.)
You just never know who is going to sit next to you at lunch or dinner in Austin.
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November 11, 2010
Dan Bullock at Zach Theatre
One might guess, on first acquaintance, that Dan Bullock was a seasoned politico. Or a lobbyist. Or at the very least someone who spends most of his time hobnobbing with politicos and lobbyists at their favorite Capitol haunts. Blame the thick-as-crude West Texas accent, the campaign-ready haircut, the ready hand clasp and the utter, unassailable lack of shyness.
Annette Carlozzi and Dan Bullock from a previous party
Yet there’s a unassuming, creative side to Dan, as anyone who has spent more than five minutes with him discovers. He’s married to Blanton Museum of Art curator Annette Carlozzi, for one, and their Jester Estates house is packed with art. He regularly hosts musical salons at the that house and he raises money for various arts groups, including Zach Theatre, where he has served on the board of directors for years.
Clayton Bullock and Eric Groten
Bullock combined all those interests Tuesday night during a concert to raise money for Zach Theatre’s performing arts school. (Applause! Applause!) The night was staged to match the momentum of Zach’s push for the new Topfer Theatre and its Karen Kuyendall stage. (I spoke with Zach’s managing director, Elisabeth Challener, on their complicated plans to ensure adequate parking during and after construction. No small thing.)
Pat Henneberry and Brenda Thomp
To support his supple singing and guitar playing, Bullock assembled a crack team of musicians: Landis Armstrong, Chris Johnson, Conrad Choucroun and Ted Roddy. They played country, jazz, folk and pop music, all artfully rearranged for the group’s particular skills. They played in memory of Dan’s late son, Graham Randle Bullock (1977-1989).
Tony Johnson and Dave Steakley
Bullock’s self-deprecating humor is legendary. He related how his recent campaign to lose weight and get into shape was motivated by being mistaken in public for John Madden and Billy Joe Shaver. Ouch. At one point during the concert, he glided over introductions of all the VIPs in the house, saying “Just look to your left and right. You can’t miss the VIPs.”
Included in that prominent gang were Rep. Donna Howard, Becky Beaver, Dana Friis-Hansen, Suzanne Booth; Ted Whatley, Eric Groten, Jeanne Klein, Larry Connelly, Rusty Tally, Gary Cooper, Mickey Klein, Carol Adams, Barbara Chisholm, Maria Groten, James Armstrong, Melba Whatley, Brett Bachman, Mary Tally, Tony Johnson, Richard Hartgrove, Robert Faires, Bob Wade, Dave Steakley, Candace Partridge, and Brenda Thompson.
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November 8, 2010
From Pakistan to Austin, Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami
Kings, presidents and premiers applauded Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami.
During a 39-year career, the Sufi poet, songwriter and player of sitar, tabla and harmonium let loose an overflowing repertoire of Pakistani and Indian classical compositions, as well as folk music.
“It was suggested I not come back to Pakistan because the situation was not good for me,” he says, sitting barefoot and grim-faced in the crimson-tinged Tea Embassy shop on Rio Grande Street.
Born in the Rahim Yar Khan district of the Punjab, Nizami, 47, moved to Karachi, then spent most of the past 20 years in the cosmopolitan, cultivated capital, Islamabad.
Descendent of a long line of musicians, he began playing and studying music and poetry at age 4 with his father, Ustad Ishaq Nizami. Although Nizami traces his family’s heritage back to the court of 16th-century Moghul Emperor Akbar the Great, he ultimately decided to settle in Austin after teaching at the University of Texas from 2008 to 2009 as a Fulbright Scholar.
He lived without his family for two years; gave lessons at his Spicewood Springs studio; also playing and singing at events around town, gaining devoted followers along the way.
In the faltering light at the Tea Embassy, his features curve into folds and his oversized fingers reveal hard callouses. Those curves grow into a grimace when he talks about intolerance — not just in Pakistan — and the same lines open like a flower when the subject turns to his old or new homes — or to peace.
“I love my country, Pakistan,” Nizami says. “I want peace, love and a strong culture there.”
During the 1947 partition that accompanied the imperial British departure from the subcontinent, Nizami’s family fled from India to Pakistan. Some died in the ensuing struggle, but they had found the newly created, mostly Muslim country welcoming.
“Pakistan was peaceful and accepting,” he says. “Now again there are terrorists in Pakistan and they hate Sufism and culture. My country has struggled so much against terrorism. My country’s people are facing so much difficulty.”
Happily, he has reunited with his wife, seven daughters and one son. Four of his children attend the private Khabele School in the Original Austin neighborhood.
“I tell them at Khabele: You are not teaching just my four daughters, you are symbolically teaching all Pakistani girls,” he says. “You are setting an example that girls should be educated.”
He is especially gladdened to pass along his professional skills to his son, Faraz Nizami.
“I am happy my 11-year-old son is here with me and now has the freedom to openly sing and play sitar, tabla, harmonium with me,” he says. “Whereas, before in Pakistan, it was impossible because of the Taliban. The Taliban is against education and music. The Taliban brainwashes.”
Picking his phrases with extreme care, Nizami remains concerned for his family’s safety. Yet this adherent of a tolerant, mystical version of Islam finds bigotry an international phenomenon.
“Terrorists of all religions are not tolerant,” he says, citing the Florida preacher who threatened to burn a Koran. “They are everywhere. And terrorists everywhere use the name of religion to justify actions.”
While he worries about his homeland, he’s grateful that Americans, especially locals, have embraced his finely honed craft, and he hopes to build a Nizami School of Music here.
After an hour of conversation that bumps along some inevitable cultural miscues at the Tea Embassy, Nizami stirs up a soothing balm of melodies on his sitar for an audience of one.
“Music is a bridge of peace,” he says. “I heal the human heart with my music.”
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November 5, 2010
Jimmie Vaughn Dinner and Concert for Palmer Drug Abuse Program at Antone's
It was an evening of highs and lows. The venerable Antone’s club was decked out for a gala dinner to benefit the Palmer Drug Abuse Program on Thursday. Big names came out for the event, which raises half the $150,000 budget for the respected recovery sequence for teens and their families.
Mary Tally and Eloise DeJoria
The unquestionable high was a long, soul-stirring set by Jimmie Vaughan and his band, including guest singer, the rarely seen Lou Ann Barton. Both were in top form, pleasing a loyal core of fans among the guests, who danced into the night with cheerful abandon.
Laura Villagran and Kevin Smothers
Other high points: Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton’s big-energy introduction to the auction; support for said auction by prime backers John Paul and Eloise DeJoria; the veggie-slanted meal from the Four Seasons Hotel; seeing folks like Susan Antone grinning with pride at the event; and the feeling of authentic dedication among the guests to the Palmer program, known by the kitchen-cleanser-sounding name PDAP.
Bobbi Topfer and Maria Groten
Among the personal highs for me was not completely flubbing as emcee. I don’t do this sort of thing often, so the kind indulgence of the audience was much appreciated.
The lows? Let’s not get into that. Suffice it to say there were stretches of silence during an otherwise spirit-lifting occasion.
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October 26, 2010
On the Austin fan 'stalked' by Taylor Swift
It started with a cross-country road trip organized by Schupp’s mother, Rocio Hendrix for her three children (Victoria was adopted from a Kazakhstan orphanage when she was four). When asked where in all the United States she wanted to travel, Schupp had said: Nashville “to see what Taylor Swift’s hometown was like.”
Shopping for snacks, the country singer spotted Schupp wearing a concert T-shirt and followed her, peering into several stores before surprising her in a game shop.
Swift asked Schupp if she was from Nashville, to which the girl responded: “No, we are from Austin and came here to go to the Blue Bird Cafe, where you were discovered, we were just there taking pictures.”
Fans and star talked for at least 10 minutes, says Hendrix.
“She basically just listened to us blabber about how we couldn’t believe how amazingly nice she was for following my daughter,” Hendrix says. “I was in tears so excited to see my daughter radiating happiness and hugging Taylor.”
The Austinites were in such shock, they forgot to ask for an autograph — Hendrick’s walls are adorned with 19 Swift posters — much less a back-stage pass.
“Taylor made that day the best day of my life,” Schupp says. “She is a wonderful, caring person and it’s cool that she gives back to her fans and treats us so nicely.”
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Music
October 10, 2010
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Day 3
This would be a good time to stop. There is no way to beat the warm days and cool nights of 2010. The soft grass and the softer shade. The free water and savory, reasonably priced snacks.
And, oh yes, the music. The music. Isn’t that what the Austin City Limits Music Festival really conveys? Or is it the people? The shared festival experience, all the sights and sounds and tastes and smells and sensory overload.
The music is not an afterthought. For a festival — or any outdoor venue — the sound is superior. But in most cases, one watches the artists on giant screens (except the truculent M.I.A., then not at all). Maybe we are spoiled by all the top acts we can see in intimate Austin venues. I actually expect to see the action.
Which brings us back to the setting. Except for the sweatier afternoons Saturday and Sunday, one could hardly ask for more blissful weather. Karma finally blessed C3. And once the crowds settled in a bit, one could get around fairly easily, especially skirting the margins.
Over the course of three days, I talked to some 50 people about how they related, socially, to the musical acts on stage. Most of those responses were tweeted, but in case you missed them, here’s a sampling from the third day.
On the Henry Clay People, before they played: Jeremy Day, Houston, 35: “Actually heard them on a podcast. Searched Internet. This was 1 of 2 band I had to see.” Terri Lee, Ausitn: “Watched clips of them on the ACL website. They play a raw kind of angry rockabilly.” Cori McDonald, Woodland Park, Co.: “I started planning 2 months ago, mapping everything out with the ACL schedule tool.” Alex Price, Dallas: “Our son is in the band. (!) He lives in Los Angeles. But we’ve seen him several times” Rhonda Price: “We follow Jonathan on Facebook & Twitter. They pick up fans every place they play.”
On Midlake, before they played: Kerry Allen, Phoenix, banker: “Read about them in Paste magazine. Bought CDs. Look at the gray in my hair.” Kate Wittengel, Austin, 31: “Started at ACL site, then Googled. They are our style, more mellow indie rock.” Brownwyn Wingo, San Antonio, 29: “Friends suggest acts. We don’t know what we are in for, which is so cool.” David Murphy, San Antonio: “It’s a blend of really-want-to-see shows we can’t because of crowds and ones we stumble one who are great. Case in point, we had never heard of Dead Mouse, but they just rocked the (expletive).”
Maybe I will stop. No ACL next year. Or maybe I’ll go, but without the media pass. Instead I’ll hike in with friends and drink beer and lie in the sun and bask in the shade and it will be all about the music. Just once.
Photos: American-Statesman staff (not me)
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Austin City Limits Music Festival, Day 2
It hit me late Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival: If all went as well as it had so far, there would be, for the first time in nine years, no ACL survivor bonding; no social merit badge for having made it through the mud, dust, heat or rain; no grim sense of ultimate endurance; the gorgeous weather instead ushering Austin back into the laps of the Lotus Eaters.
More reporting on how fans bond with their bands these days: Radio came up more often on Saturday. Previously, most of the media mentioned veered toward iPhone applications, ACL’s website, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook and, for a distinct minority, old-school MySpace. The first mentions of KGSR and 101X came as something of a shock on Saturday, as if we were back-peddling through time.
Sue McArdle and Jean Gilbert
On Dan Black, before he performed: Evan Lykes, 22, Austin: “Not really huge fan. Don’t need any social media. In Austin, it’s more convenient for us.” Lydia Zambrano, Charlotte Roehm from Buffalo, NY: “To be honest, we don’t know him. We’re with (Jorge).” Jorge Plaza, 33, Austin: “I use ACL app on iPhone. I’ve been listening every day for a month. Heard Black, just added. Christopher Hamilton, Austin: “We went to YouTube to hear everything before ACL, especially ones I didn’t know.” Casey Bush, Austin bartender/student: “Heard on radio first. Then downloaded via iPhone. Watched vids on YouTube.”
Selina Rose and George Caseres
On Temper Trap, before they performed: Jean Gilbert, Columbus, OH: “I read up on most groups. Not a lot of music in Columbus. Came for Eagles. Love the mix.” Sue McArdle: “Follow on local radio, KGSR. Everything is planned out. Write-ups don’t always match what we see.” George Casares, Austin, Selina Rose, San Marcos: We use Hype ‘Em and MySpace. So much music available here every day, though.
Shanley Paine, Patrick McCormack, Lauren Sander and Jason Mills (my nephew)
on Gogol Bordello, before they performed: Katherine Garcia, 29, Houston: “We’ve done good so far. I heard of GB from a buddy of mine. Downloaded iTunes.” Stephanie Cacace, 24, Houston: “When you are from out of town, you have to have a plan.” Kim Brown, UT student, 21: “If we walk by something and like what we hear, we’ll stop.” Mark Richards, 23, Austin: “Heard them on 101X. Read about them, how they recruit people from different nationalities.”
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October 9, 2010
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Day 1
My column follows people, not music, per se. So my assignment for the three days of Austin City Limits Music Festival this year is to find out why people bond with their bands.
The afternoon began with a stop at the Austin Music Lounge at the American Legion House across the lake from the fest. The mood among the VIPs was profoundly relaxing as musicians, actors and promoters strolled from the lawn games to the product booths, some ascending the stairs for a last-minute massage or comb through. I ran into entertainment promoters Kevin Williamson and Clif Loftin, also Daniella Alonso from the sadly canceled Austin TV show, “My Generation.” “Just taking the week off to soak up Austin,” she says. We shared rumors who might pick up the show, if anyone.
Daniella Alonso and Sally Breer
Because of the cooler, clearer weather this year, the drumbeats to and from Zilker Park felt more lively. Yet entering from the Lady Bird Lake gate dismayed. The fans for the AMD and Honda stages had merged, creating a people wall, blocking all who entered.
Jake Stokes, 24, bailiff, Austin: “Fall into groove between two stages. Then you can pull out. More people are camping this year.” Mark Alexander, Fort Worth: “You can really feel the extra 10,000. Especially between the stages. You’re stuck. Then a corridor suddenly opens up.”
The field is not a place for low body esteem. The number of cut torsos overwhelms personal morale. G3 Never really worked at Zilker. WiFi best at TV tent behind Rock Island, but even that petered out. Texting best for anything essential.
Kevin Williamson and Clif Loftin
On bonding socially with bands: Black Keys fan Blair Renner, 36, Austin: “I follow them on Facebook. Not so much to learn, but to keep up with friends who are fans.” Alan Boyd, 38, Dallas: “Black Keys are part of indie scene, and you just find out about like-minded bands from those in the scene.”
Nancy, Arlington, on Band of Heathens: “They opened for the Black Crowes in Dallas. I follow them on Facebook & MySpace to see what they are doing,” she says. “You have to hit our area, too. The Heathens have. So they’ve gained status in DFW.”
Alvaro Cantu, 30, Dallas, on Band of Heathens: “Never seen them, but if good enough to open for Black Crowes. Found out more about them on ACL website.” Emily Williamson, Corpus Christi: Band of Heathens opened for bands in CC. So we checked website, follow on Facebook.” Matt McCauley, 31, Corpus: “I go to Amazon to get their music. We have very selective venues in Corpus. Meaning two.”
Clearly we in Austin have it good. We can see the bands live rather than just follow them digitally.
Austin hospital techs Jill Reyes & Stephanie Ayala on Spoon: “Someone says: You gotta hear Spoon. Who’s Spoon? You check YouTube, iTunes and the ACL site” Randy and Barbara, OK City: “I know people who are into music and I ask questions. Don’t like Facebook. Review the music online though.” Julia Ranger, Marble Falls: “I used to follow Spoon. Didn’t like the last album. I go to Amazon.com for the music. Or to their website” Richard Patterson, Dallas, 28, banker: “I use HypeMachine. I used to be obsessive. As you grown older, you just consume the music.”
Jill Reyes and Stephanie Ayala
Waiting for Ryan Bingham: Deb Crowell, San Antonio loves ACL Web site. Sampled every song. Mocked up her schedule with digital tool. Her ote to bands: “No songs, no clicks” Robert Gardere, Texas State student (related to form UT QB Peter): He’s new to Ryan Bingham. Friend recommended. Relies on iTunes to sample. Sally Allin, Austin: Saw the movie “Crazy Heart.” Fell in love with Bingham’s tunes. Wanted to see him in New Braunfels. Finally a chance … Al and Sandy Sawicki, Austin, also saw “Crazy Heart.” Downloaded Bingham’s songs on iTunes. “He’s awesome.” Also liked ACL site as an overall guide.
Why not MySpace? Momo’s owner Paul Oveisi: “MySpace is not a functioning community. Good for a quick glimpse of music. So cumbersome. I’ve abandoned it altogether.”
Livestrong’s Doug Ulman: “I’m a novice. Lance (Armstrong) sent me a link through Twitter to Charlie Mars. Said ‘You’ve got to hear them.’”
On my way out, I waved to the vast masses for Phish. From the hill, the undulating crowd resembles one of those post-Soviet soft revolutions. Flags, swaying, smiles.
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October 2, 2010
Texas Folklife Gala at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Texas Folklife was yet another Austin group that benefited from beatific weather this week. Their gala site, the plaza of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is always blissful at night. Especially so this time of year, when one feels ushered into the middle of the Hill Country.
Mary Ermel and Moira Foreman Porter
The backers of Texas Folklife — now 25 years in the preservation and celebration biz — comprise a distinct subset of Austin social life. They value authenticity. They hunt for culture some Texans might find exotic, yet they embrace as essential as it is indigenous.
Amy Mitchell and Mitch Baranowski
Case in point: The musical act that played while I patrolled the margins of the gala. African American musicians. Louisiana sound. Houston roots. Austin favorites. (I’d tell you their name if the Texas Folklife’s website was available for visits.) May Texas Folklife always elevate such unbridled cultural exuberance.
Alexa Wesner, Terri Bailey and Erlin Ibrecht
Winners of Texas Folklife Awards: Santiago Jimenez, Jr. (Tejano accordionist from San Antonio), Johnny Gimble (Western swing fiddle player from East Texas), and Barbara Lynn (R&B guitarist, “The Empress of Gulf Coast Soul”).
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September 25, 2010
Monahans and TV Torso at the Parish
If a music lover saw two different Austin acts every night, how long would it take run out? Weeks? Months? Years?
By the time the experiment was over, fresh acts would take the place of the stale.
Late Thursday, Monahans and TV Torso played the improved Parish. Part of the new Parish regime: Staff that treats patrons as adults. Acts that start on time. Signs that clearly announce the order of the acts.
It’s as if the service revolution of the 1980s finally caught up with Sixth Street!
But that’s not the reason to go. Enough has been said about the room’s extremely sensitive sound amplification. Now acts can also benefit from nimble lighting. And there are more points of observation, despite the vertical obstructions.
The fans of Monahans looked a little scruffy, like students enrolled in a serious anthropology course. The band did, too, echoing 1990. Yet its musical mesh is sophisticated, dreamy, driven, balanced. Rightly, this act has earned its buzz.
TV Torso, headed to its first Austin City Limits Festival, has attracted an outgoing following, more like communications majors. Age range: 20-35. The connected more directly with the music, rough at first, but increasingly dynamic, brainy, rising to an almost aggressive, exhilarating climax.
I’m interested in the process by which bands like these socialize their fan base. A column idea.
Note: I take dreadful action shots in clubs, thus the publicity hand-outs.
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September 1, 2010
Open House at the Parish
Music lovers love the Parish. The upstairs venue on East Sixth Street molds sound almost to perfection. Only a half dozen Central Texas clubs compete in its class.
Amanda DeLeon and Susan Menta
The Parish leadership has not always matched its audio quality. Indifferent upkeep and marketing dampened consistent attraction for tourists and locals. Unkempt was equated with funky, which, in Austin, meant authentic. So why bother with the comforts of musicians or fans?
Kassie and James Purpura (Catering with a Twist)
Since Doug Guller purchased the spot, he and his management team have carefully refurbished the place. The changes did no damage to the sound. Now, the look reflects the street below’s New Orleans heritage with darkened woods, lighter brocades and even brighter mirrors. The unmentionables no longer need mentioning.
Scott Standley, Chris Saad and Danny Yirgou (Jungleset)
A pleased crowd of unfussy party planners — caterers, music bookers, managers, etc. — scanned the product on Tuesday at an open house. Everyone we spoke to joined the chorus of praise. It is now an ambassador for Austin.
During the open house, I wondered for a long time about the identity of the lovely singer onstage. Turns out Corrine had been one of my students at St. Edward’s! Absolutely gorgeous, papery, jazz voice. The next Kat Edmundson?
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August 5, 2010
Robert Earl Keen & Hayes Carll taping for Austin City Limits
The KLRU staff were especially gracious to me and my guest, theater director Mark Pickell (“Killer Joe,” “Bug”), also a ACL taping virgin. I appreciated the extra friendliness because ACL customs are deeply ingrained. Some of the volunteers and fans communicate through a shorthand code that I can barely decipher.
On to the music, which is the point after all: I had admired Carll’s flinty songwriting and had grown to appreciate his distinctive voice, but I didn’t know he sheaves these talents within a dry wit. For his part, Keen has been entertaining Central Texans for more than 15 years, and he assembled an all-star cast for his band this night, including ACL’s most frequent performer, Lloyd Maines.
Well, my first time was good. How was yours?
PHOTOS by Jonathan Jackson.
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July 28, 2010
House of Songs Scandinavian Summer Showcase at Momo's
On a microscopic level, the world comes to Austin thanks to various musical campaigns from Dart Music International, KUT, South by Southwest and the House of Songs. Tuesday, the last of these presented its Scandinavian Summer Showcase at Momo’s with Danish artists Strawberry Blonde and Anna Rosenkilde.
Erin Ivey and Brian H. Conway
Music industry insiders populated the early hours of the line-up, which included Austin artists such as Erin Ivey, Troy Campbell and David Garza. House of Songs pairs locals with visitors to write new material, but also to perform in Austin venues. (I caught a wild Irish-tinged House of Songs party during SXSW at the Gingerman.)
Aimee Bobruk and Nathan Felix
Gracious Nathan Felix invited me to this particular showcase, blessed by singer/songwriter Rosenkilde’s shadowy, ethereal voice and Ivey’s slow, sweet allurements.
Anja Følleslev and Betina Følleslev
My unanswered question: Will KUT’s World Music Night move to the Cactus Cafe from Momo’s now that the radio station has taken over management there?
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July 27, 2010
Austin City Limits picture book evokes city's other shrines
Paging through “Austin City Limits: 35 Years in Photographs,” Scott Newton’s devotional record of the PBS show, transported me to the concerts.
The new book also made me think: I’ve never actually attended an ACL taping. I’ve enjoyed musical acts on the ACL stage on the University of Texas campus. But never a taping.
Maybe I’ll resolve that failing at show’s striking new studio in the W Hotel & Residences. (Intimate despite the room’s size.) It’s a short walk from the newsroom, after all.
The book also reminded me of the Central Texas shrines and traditional events I’ve never experienced.
B. Buda Wiener Dog Races
C. Cathedral of Junk
D. House Park Stadium (Aztex); Cedar Park Center (Texas Stars)
E. Oktoberfest in New Braunfels
F. Austin Powwow and American Indian Heritage Festival
G. Kerrville Folk Festival
H. Luling Watermelon Thump
I. Texas Music Museum
J. National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg)
L. Palm House Museum (Round Rock)
M. Republic of Texas Museum
N. Texas Military Forces Museum
O. Austin Steam Train (or MetroRail for that matter)
P. Playland Skate Center
Q. Wonder World (San Marcos)
S. Fantastic Fest
T. Reggae Fest
U. Southside Market (Elgin)
V. The Backyard (new edition)
W. Segway Nation tour
X. Lake Austin Spa
Y. Fall Creek Vineyards
Z. Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library
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June 27, 2010
2010 Out & About 500: Music
2010 OUT & ABOUT 500: MUSIC
Music Stars: Dean and Jeff Lofton
Previous Music Stars: Rose Reyes (2009), Paul Oveisi (2008), Sara Hickman (2007), Cash Edwards (2006), Casey Monahan (2005)
Susan Antone. Antone’s, Help Clifford Help Kids/American Youthworks, Palmer Drug Abuse Program
Ed Bailey. KLRU, ‘Austin City Limits,’ Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival
Marcia Ball. Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Charity Partners of Austin
Suzanna Choffel and Paul Oveisi. Momo’s, Austin Music Commission, suzannachoffel.com, Austin Music Foundation
Amy Corbin and Charles Attal. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Festival
Melissa and Kevin Connor. ME Television, KUT
Gerard Cosloy. Matador Records, Casual Victim Pile, Can’t Stop the Bleeding
Dave Dart. Dart Music International
Joe and Sharon Ely. ely.com, the Flatlanders
Alejandro Escovedo. alejandroescovedo.com, ‘Street Songs of Love’
Eliza Gilkyson. elizagilkyson.com
Patty Griffin. pattygriffin.com, ‘Downtown Church’
Charlie Jones. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Festival
Josh and Yvonne Lambert. The Octopus Project
Andy Langer. KGSR, Esquire, News 8 Austin
Terry Lickona. ‘Austin City Limits’
Casey McPherson. Alpha Rev, Music for the City, Mental Health Association of Texas
Martie and Gareth Maguire. Dixie Chicks, Court Yard Hounds
Harold McMillan. DiverseArts
Kathy Marcus and John Kunz. Waterloo Records
Casey Monahan. Texas Music Office
James Moody. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, Club DeVille, Red 7
Tim Neece. Texas Performing Arts
Tim O’Connor. Back Yard, Austin Music Hall, Austin Help Haiti
Don Pitts. City of Austin
Carolyn Schwarz. HAAM
Shawn Sides and Graham Reynolds. Golden Arm Trio, Rude Mechanicals, Fuse Box Festival
Rose Reyes. Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau
Nada and Hartt Stearns. One World Theatre
Donya and Randall Stockton. Beerland, Rio Rita, the Good Knight, Shangri-la
Steve Wertheimer. Continental Club
Annetta and James White. Broken Spoke
Graham Williams. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, Club de Ville, Red 7, Lamberts
Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. kellywillis.com, brucerobison.com Eddie Wilson. Threadgill’s
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June 13, 2010
Dock Ellis Doc + Pink Martini Mix
First out of the docket on Saturday was a party at the Highball. Packed as always, Highball hosted a benefit for the Center for Independent Documentary. This also served as a demo for the documentary “No No: A Dockumentary.” This movie recalls the life of Dock Ellis, the late Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who said he threw a no-hitter in 1970 while on LSD.
Mike Blizzard and Jeff Radice
Key movie players Mike Blizzard and Jeff Radice were in high — sorry — spirits, as the Highball — there we go again — party room filled. (The guy can’t help it.) Musical acts and film excerpts were slated for later in the evening. I had time to catch up with a dear friend from Houston, Glen Politte, and make a new acquaintance, Ron Beal, originally from Bryan and acutely attuned to politics. For outtakes, updates, etc. go to the doc site.
Ruby Painter and Steve Sanders
Entertainment editor Sharon Chapman and I then scampered over to the Palmer Events Center for Pink Martini. This Oregon-based act has been tickling audiences for many years with their international takes on standards, lounge sounds and dance music. They played with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, which also provided a brief first act of consonant music.
Ron Beal, Sarah Searcy and Sunit Sikri
Hearing anything in the Palmer Events Center is a challenge. For the Butler Pops Series, guests also bring along picnic feasts and purchase comestibles from the copious selections at the concession stands. Dreamy Pink Martini, however, felt detached, distant in the vast exhibit hall. I know the table arrangement on Palmer’s flat floor enhances a long, casual tradition for the pops, but so much else suffers, socially and musically.
Permalink | | Categories: Movies, Music, Sports
May 26, 2010
Your A List: Best Rapper
Oh my. I don’t think I’ve seen this happen before.
Ratarue won 78 percent of the A List readers poll vote for Best Rapper. Seventy-eight percent. That’s a rout.
From the rapper’s MySpace page: “Ratarue emulates what is now considered an old school style of hip-hop, with an innovative, envelope-pushing edge. More concerned with content than with industry driven image, Ratarue’s music takes his listeners back to their earliest memories of hip-hop.”
Other Austin rappers on the list all made 5 percent or less. That means Overlord, Zeale, SparkDawg, Bavu Blakes, Dirty Wormz, KJ Hines, Terp 2 It, Young Nick and Dred Skott.
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May 20, 2010
Your A List: Best Local Album from the Past Year
Regular readers of this column know that my favorite local album of late was Alpha Rev’s “New Morning.”
The Sour Notes won with “It’s Not Gonna Be Pretty,” reaping 42 percent of the vote.
Shearwater skimmed into second place with “The Golden Archipelago” at 25 percent.
Veteran Bob Schneider held his own with “Lovely Creatures” at 11 percent.
Critics’ darling White Denim squeezed in 6 percent for “Fits.”
Roky Erickson and Okkervill River — a killer combo — was not far behind for “True Love Cast Out All Evil.”
Taking 4 percent or less were Harlem (“Hippies”); Brownout (“Aguilas y Cobras”); Balmorhea (“Constellations”); Brazos (“Phosphorescent Blues”) and Strange Boys (“Be Brave”).
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Your A List: Best Outdoor Music Venue
That’s because the venerable concert corral in Bee Cave went off-grid while Direct Events moved across the highway.
This week’s winner is certainly an outdoor trendsetter. The Mohawk on Red River Street stomped up 36 percent of the vote.
Stubb’s — down the street and much larger — sweated out 23 percent.
Zilker Park, mainly home to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, managed 10 percent.
Tied at 7 percent were Auditorium Shores and Threadgill’s.
Tied at 5 percent were Cedar Street Courtyard and Emo’s.
Scoot Inn, Tim’s Porch at the Backyard (Direct Events’ smaller venue at the old location) and Club de Ville came in under 4 percent.
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May 12, 2010
Your A List: Best Dance/Electronica Group or Artist
Ghostland Observatory, a charismatic act if Austin ever produced one, won 57 percent of the vote in the A List readers poll for Best Dance/Electronica Group or Artist.
DJ Manny George was their only serious competition with 28 percent of the tally.
LAX managed 5 percent. Taking 3 percent or less were D:Fuse, Trey Lopez, J.A.M.O.N., Charanga Cakewalk, Ohn, Learning Secrets and Govinda.
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May 5, 2010
Your A List: Best Punk Group
As always with club music, we face a genre problem here.
Not matter. Hard-driving Riverboat Gamblers were the big winners with 36 percent of the overall vote.
The theatrical and boisterous Flametrick Subs kicked up 23 percent.
The demonstrably undiluted Krum Bums banged out 15 percent.
World Burns to Death and Midgetmen tied exactly at just under 6 percent of the tally.
Meriting less than 4 percent were Hex Dispensers, Sex Advice, Spin Alley, Manikin and Camp X-Ray.
If they really rate as punk, they probably don’t care what readers think.
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April 21, 2010
Your A List: Best Rock Singer or Group
While Austinites revere their musical gods — Willie Nelson as a benevolent Zeus? — they open up creative spaces for relative newcomers.
More established Ghostland Observatory trailed with 17 percent of the tally.
Musical chameleon Bob Schneider placed a respectable third with 10 percent.
Consider the names and reputations of the artists who managed 6 percent or less: Alejandro Escovedo, Okkervil River, Vallejo, White Denim, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Broken Teeth and Black Angels.
Image courtesy of We All Want Someone to Shout For.
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April 14, 2010
Your A List: Best Recording Studio
Improvements in home recording technology have not ruled out the need for professional studios with the latest equipment. Austin has many.
Pedernales, Willie Nelson’s nationally respected creative hive, came in second with 20 percent.
Congress House did nicely with 9 percent, followed by Bubbl with 8 percent and Sweat Box with 7 percent.
Ohm and Addison tied at 6 percent. Bismeaux, Finishing Studio and Wire sufficed with 3 percent or less.
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April 7, 2010
Your A List: Best Club DJ
DJ Mike Swing, who spreads hip hop to spots like the Hudson, the Madison, Six Lounge, Union Park and Red Fez, handily won the A List readers poll for Best Club DJ. With 59 percent of the vote.
DJ Chicken George bravely followed with 11 percent and socially connected DJ Kurupt responded honorably with 8 percent.
Spinning 5 percent or less were DJ Manny, Toddy B, DJ Mel, Seth Cooper, Rapid Ric, DJ Dallas and Soul Happening DJs.
We revere them all.
Permalink | | Categories: Music, Nightlife, Your A-List
March 31, 2010
Your A-List: Best Place to Hear Local Bands
This is a contentious category. Every music lover defines the best place to hear local bands by different standards. Some emphasize the size and feel of the house. Others the audio capacity. Still others, the kinds of bands that play there.
The Continental Club, SoCo’s musical anchor, nailed down 20 percent. Saxon Pub, which performs a similar function for SoLa, maintained 14 percent.
Mohawk and Emo’s, the bookends for the Red River district, tied at just under 10 percent. (Pretty cool, huh?) Momo’s, the musical mecca on West Sixth Street, got 6 percent, while Elephant Room on Congress Avenue tied with Red Eyed Fly, right at the midpoint on Red River.
The Parish, critics’ and artists’ darling for audio quality on East Sixth Street, made of with 4 percent, while campus-area Hole in the Wall took just under that.
Here’s what’s weird: All of these are are geographical markers, the best in their individual entertainment districts. Prediction: On next year’s list, West Fourth Street will be represented by the Ghost Room.
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March 20, 2010
SXSW 38: South by San Jose
Were I a lazy person. Or just one with less time. Or less curiosity. Or another job. I’d just settle in the parking lot of the Hotel San Jose for South by San Jose. Three blocks from the house. Fine food and drink from Jo’s. San Diego weather.
Karen Lederer and Ali Landorf
And some of the best music associated with SXSW. In the bad old days, the SXSW hierarchy would have trampled on shows like SXSJ. No need to do so when you’ve got people lining up for every official showcase, and huge sideshows going on all over the central city. (And I mean all over.)
Lori, Wayne and Roxy Dodd
Those who were just idly exercising the children or the dogs earned an extra-special treat when Amy Cook too the SXSJ stage (to be followed by the producer of her most recent album, none other than Alejandro Escovedo). Cook’s voice carries one over the horizon, sweet and salty, innocent yet knowing. Her songs are honeyed with recurrent imagery and personal insights. Bliss. Just bliss. It was enough for me that day.
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SXSW 37: Auditorium Shores
Compared to the kinetic energy charging through the streets of downtown at dusk, the atmosphere at Auditorium Shores was relaxed, congenial. Multi-generational tribes streamed from nearby streets to spread out over the tramped-down grass (surely a sea of mud this rainy morning, which is why SXSW organizers delayed performances for today).
Gina Recamier and Pambo
This free event helps sell SXSW to Austinites with no chance to earn a badge, wristband or VIP pass. They could attend some of the day parties — and they do — but here they can bring children and dogs. So the event is indistinguishable from other warm-weather outdoor fairs with craft booths, food stalls and beer galore. (Also, in this case, a very vocal campaign for a Texas lottery game.)
Because of the open meadow and the vast skyline as a backdrop, attention to the music on the shore-side stage ebbed and flowed. While I visited, a small group of music lovers swayed up front, but the vast majority hung back on blankets or chairs, or they roamed the booths. (I left before ’80s rockers Cheap Trick performed. Their fans reportedly have not lost their zeal.)
Kellie Solis and Justin Petition
I talked to Gina Recamier and Pambo from Mexico City. They said Austin was a party all over the city. Also with Kellie Solis and Justin Petition, who used the Auditorium Shores event to catch up on their San Antonio ties.
Remember: Everything is social.
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SXSW 36: Express Rocks at the Phoenix
With 700 SXSW sideparties out there, your social columnist didn’t need a Music badge or a wrist band to follow the buzz from event to event. Word spread quickly that the bigger traditional parties — Spin, Rachel Ray, Paste — were thoroughly subscribed and already covered by other Statesman reporters. So I tended to hit the smaller assemblies, which were sizable enough.
Ericka Jamarillo and Toree Roy
The Express Rocks Lounge Party at the Phoenix offered a line-up of five bands, along with various retail enticements that journalists firmly avoid. (The party was underwritten by the men and women’s clothing store by the same name.) A crowd of more than 100 mingled between sets, some of them super-social Austinites like Allen Beuershausen and Jen Shoemaker.
Natalie Bell and Steve Moakley
The one act I caught was Southern California’s idie rockers the Like. The four young women affected 1960s pop fashion and played in a snappy manner, but I couldn’t help thinking they would sound better in a studio. As their time onstage extended, my admiration grew for the fierce drumming of Tennessee Thomas and the sophisticated vocals of Elizabeth “Z” Berg from this former teen ban.
I left to explore the MTV video hideaway at the Seaholm Power Plant, which was closed to the public. But such a lovely day to trod across downtown once again …
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March 19, 2010
SXSW 32: Official Austin Music Showcase at Ghost Room
One can become so jaded in Austin. Live music? Scores of options every night. Why bother? The acts come and go. Who could keep up with all of it?
Well I was introduced to two that took my reason away at the Ghost Room, an astonishingly sensitive room for various genres of thickly layered music. First was Monarchs, a band Austin shares with Birmingham, Ala. The players run the gamut from rootsy to indie, but it’s frontwoman Celeste’s supple voice that elicits the most awe from an appreciative throng.
I thought, OK, so far three good acts my first night of SXSW (see House of Song Showcase post). How long will my luck hold out? That’s when Charanga Cakewalk squeezed all their instruments onto the small corner stage. Lordy. All manner of Latin dance music ensued.
I danced with friends. I danced with strangers. I danced until the Cakewalk ended their too-short showcase set.
Well, I wanted to end the night on a high point, so I started to leave, then Reyes told me about the other celebrated local talent that night — Zeale, Danny Malone, the Black, Carrie Rodriguez — and I mentally noted their names. If they are anywhere as accomplished as Monarchs and Charanga Cakewalk, then I will ferret out their club dates.
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SXSW 31: House of Song Showcase at the Ginger Man
Blown by the winds of chance, I took refuge at the Ginger Man the first night of SXSW Music. Clearly, many in the crowd were still still indulging their St. Patrick’s Day itch. Yet out on the patio, a goodly number were primed for the House of Songs unofficial showcase.
So one more band, then on to the next showcase. This was an exceedingly charming Danish act called Leaving a Small Town. Their simple melodies proved contagious, especially one written with Austin’s Matt the Electrician. OK, so pop music is the universal language.
I’ve run across the House of Songs on occasion, but I must pay more attention.
[I’d credit the Leaving a Small Town photo, but my Danish is rusty.]
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March 17, 2010
SXSW 20: Ray Benson Birthday Party + Closings
Next year, I’ll loiter longer at this event: Ray Benson’s Birthday Party is a feel-good fiesta. Staged on Tuesday, the ligature night of SXSW, the event at La Zona Rosa, now in its 10th year, generated generous crowds to support the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. It’s an ideal union of food, fun and top music in the Texas tradition.
Anika Kunik and Josh Watkins
Start with that music: Besides Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, audiences covered the dance floor to Texas Tornados, Raul Malo, J.D. Souther, Kat Edmonson, Tim Curry, Gary Nicholson, Carolyn Wonderland, Shelly King, Dale Watson, Band of Heathens and Radney Foster. (Thanks to music writer John T. Davis for the full list.)
Emily Brandt and Nick Albino
Meanwhile, over in the food bay, some of Austin’s top restaurants were dishing out the delicacies, including Frito pie from Ranch 616, short ribs from Carillon and mini-tacos from Garrido’s. Among the more amazing sights: super-chefs David Garrido, David Bull and Josh Watkins all in one place.
David Bull and David Garrido
In ran into so many people, including Shimmer and Bliss’s My-Cherie Haley, San Antonio friends of Ranch 616’s Kevin Williamson (who helps organize the food area), author/actress Anika Kunik (we spoke of Bud Shrake’s “Blessed McGill” and “The Borderland”), former Statesman know-it-all Jane Grieg, agent/promoter Clif Loftin, marketer Dave Shaw, magazine entrepreneur and writer Deborah Lynne-Hamilton.
Josh Coffee and Casey Ellis
I left too early to drop by an informal film festival at the Belmont (a chaotic event featuring Anthony Pedone’s woozy “The Why”), then I steered through the thick crowds on Sixth Street, veering left onto Red River Street, where the throngs did not dissipate. I was headed to the SXSW Interactive/Film Closing Party at Mohawk.
I knew better. Two blocks away I could see the sidewalk-thick line. I considered just hanging out with the standers, but headed home instead. One lesson from this year of vastly expanded Film and Interactive sections: If you are going to invite the entire SXSW badge list, book a place, like the MACC, that can hold them.
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March 13, 2010
SXSW 5: Voodoo Cowboy + Dart Music International at Mi Casa
Well, this is fresh: A small music event welcoming the SXSW film and interactive folks with an overseas twist. Not an entirely new concept, but this one links the worldwide web of nonprofit pioneers Dart Music International and local entertainment shape-shifter Voodoo Cowboy.
Just making it to Mi Casa for the event was a trip. Sixth Street was at its best. Happy. Energetic. Diverse. And some of those tribes — including a local prosecutor and a Houston visitor who kindly chatted me up — filtered into Mi Casa for the Dart/Voodoo welcome party.
Lisa Wood and Dave Dart
Dave Dart told me about the 40 or so international acts he’s helping at SXSW this week, including a contingent of Chinese acts. (I score a press copy of “The China Invasion Tour 2010: Featuring Bands from Maybe Mars.)
The act onstage while I was tapping away at my laptop was entirely local, including two sons of Voodoo Cowboy’s Mark Mueller — Max and Andy. They threw themselves into a pounding ’70s sound with enthusiasm.
Max Mueller, Mark “Lion King” Mueller and Andy Mueller
Later, I headed to the Peter Wenz / Gym Class Heroes party at the Phoenix, but the line was even longer than at the TechSet party at Speakeasy — and neither line was moving. So what to do? Take a break from SXSW by checking out Score, the new sports sidebar at Oilcan Harry’s. I liked it. Knowledgeable staff. Beer on tap. Four big screens. Watched Kansas State kick Baylor out of the Big 12 tourney, then walked home.
On Earth as it is in Austin.
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March 5, 2010
Close encounter with John Mayer?
So I’m running Nora the Explorer Lab this morning, circumnavigating the perimeter of the Texas School for the Deaf in South Austin.
As I near the bus stop on the school’s South Congress Avenue border, I catch, out of the corner of my eye, an unusual sight: A parked black SUV with deeply tinted windows.
Security? No lettering on the SUV. So, serious security?
Behind the SUV waits an elegant, white limo. And behind that, lumbers up a black, stretch Hummer.
Now this is odd. As I slow, the driver’s window slides down.
“Michael!”
“Uh, yeah,” I sputter, leaning over to see the driver.
“I read your columns!”
“Thanks.” Then, into his phone, the driver says: “I’m talking to Michael Barnes with the newspaper. If anyone knows, he will.”
Gulp. Are we playing celebrity Jeopardy with the people behind the tint?
“Where’s the nearest mansion in this neighborhood?”
“Mansion? This is not a fancy neighborhood …”
“I love this neighborhood!”
“I do, too. I live here. What about the Hotel St. Cecilia around the corner? It’s not big, but it’s nice …”
“Yeah, I drove Pearl Jam when they stayed there.”
“Or you could try Green Pastures on Live Oak Street. It looks like a mansion from a distance.”
“Great! We need it for a photo shoot. Thanks Michael.”
So who would need two limos and serious security for a photo shoot?
The former president was in town earlier this week. No, surely his people would nix the Hummer. Wynton Marsalis was seen eating breakfast here this morning, someone texts me. But he doesn’t need security.
John Mayer! It has to be John Mayer, who’s playing the Erwin Center on Monday. (But he has a tour date in Houston on Saturday.)
Later I call Green Pastures.
“Hey, I sent John Mayer over there for a photo shoot. Did he show up?”
“No. But too bad. The peacocks were out today. The albino ones were doing a mating dance.”
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March 4, 2010
The arrival of jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton
Did jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton really immigrate to Austin just three years ago?
It seems like he and his writer/publicist wife, Dean Lofton, along with collaborating artists, have permeated local jazz for ages. Without the benefit of multiple jazz clubs — the Elephant Room remains Austin’s mainstay — or dedicated radio stations — KAZI, KOOP and KUT do their parts — the Loftons make it seem like there’s an actual jazz scene out here.
At that West Austin artistic hub, he will again assay his grandest project— “Jeff Lofton’s 1950s Miles Davis Tribute” — on March 13. As he did earlier at the Victory Grill and Elephant Room, he and four other instrumentalists — and a singer — will attempt to replicate the sound from the jazz great’s cool and blue periods. The show will resurrect music pioneered by the Miles Davis Quintet, and will include selections from the multi-platinum album, “Kind of Blue,” which turned 50 last year.
Lofton hopes to tour the act extensively to museums and specialty venues in North America and Europe, then move on to Davis’ more radical 1960s evolutions.
Why has Austin embraced Lofton, 43, so thoroughly, that he can brave such a nervy self-assignment?
“There’s a culture of appreciation for musical artistry here,” says the native of Germany who grew up in a South Carolina military family. “Not just what sounds good and looks good, but: ‘Do you have the actual technique and are you saying something musically?’ ”
Loften has connected with local music critics and record buyers as well, though they might not know that his wind and control are amplified by a missing front tooth, the result of a front-yard accident at age 10 or 11 that left it shattered, but oddly not painful.
Lofton’s first gig after moving to Austin from Columbia, S.C. was the no-frills Club 40 on East 12th Street.
“They paid just enough for me to hire a drummer,” he says. “Someone else provided left-hand keyboard. But the audience was very receptive, as all Austin audiences have been.”
Despite monumental efforts over the years from folks like Tina Marsh, Harold McMillan, Pamela Hart, Alex Coke, Hannibal Lokumbe, Reed Clemons and even Marc Katz —who opened the ambitious but short-lived Top of the Marc in the 1990s — as well as the legions of Victory Grill revivalists, no musicians, promoters or club owners have managed to make jazz a pivotal Austin genre.
“Well, there’s so much of a deep-rooted connection with blues, country and, of course, rock, here,” Lofton says. “When you are blessed with so much of that, it’s hard for a different music to emerge.”
In one of those serendipitous Austin moments, as we spoke about the relative dearth of jazz, Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green” came on over the speakers at Snack Bar on South Congress Avenue. The insinuating sound competed with a loud scrubbing from a service area. “She could at least do it on the one,” joked Lofton.
“Miles Davis has always been a big influence on me,” he says. “I’ve wondered if we could pull off a show that would really recreate his sound. For one thing, you have to get exactly the right piano: Bebop, Bud Powell-influenced, mixed with blocked chords and the harmonic bounce of stride, ragtime and earlier styles. So you’ll hear the Fats Waller, Art Tatum and Bud Powell.”
Lofton is not alone in thinking that Davis’ 1950s sound permanently affected the way we hear music in general, including standards like “Bye, Bye Blackbird,” “My Funny Valentine” and “I Thought about You.” But while jazz artists often dip into Davis’ later periods, including his fusion phase, they treat his earlier work as sacrosanct, not a subject for revival.
“He’s a sacred cow,” he says. “The truth is, the music is difficult to emulate, and musicians feel it’s set in stone.”
Before returning to the subject of Davis, Lofton and I detour into a routine complaint for Austin jazz lovers: Talking. We shared anecdotes about clueless clubgoers who chatter at the top of their lungs, even during hushed instrumental interludes.
“In Austin, people will go to a classical concert and won’t talk at all,” he says “They don’t realize jazz is another high art that takes a lot of concentration, especially with 13 conversations going on.”
Are Austin audiences just the worst at this kind of interference?
“It’s not so much worse here, it’s that clubs don’t (discourage) it,” he says. “In a New York club, they’d say: ‘You can hold it down, or pay your tab and never come back.’”
Lofton won’t have to worry about aural interruptions at One World, where audiences treat music with a reverence appropriate for Davis.
“If you don’t recreate his sound, it goes out of mainstream consciousness,” Lofton says. “And of any American music, this should be in the mainstream consciousness. Miles Davis should be as popular in this country as Michael Jackson.”
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February 6, 2010
Sascha Stone Guttfreund: Music Promoter Comes into His Own
They grow up so fast.
Less than two years ago, Sascha Stone Guttfreund was a round-faced boy with a fast lip and exactly one concert promotion under his belt. Yet he was so confident of his slapdash team of volunteer University of Texas students, Guttfreund was ready to turn Austin nightlife upside down.
Some of that wisdom was hard won, promoting more than two dozen full-fledged concerts, along with parties and nightclub events, courting burnout and controversy, and learning that he didn’t know quite as much as he thought he did.
“Stuff has definitely happened,” Guttfreund admits. “A lot I never would have expected.”
Guttfreund — self-described “Jewish Latin American” on his father’s side, with Canadian and Russian Jewish roots on his mother’s — comes from a Los Angeles show biz family. Yet one alert to the potential traps awaiting youngsters who stray into the Hollywood entertainment minefield.
“The kids drive Mercedes and BMWs,” Guttfreund says. “There’s a skewed concept there of what people deserve as kids. Nobody wanted to cruise off in our ‘89 minivan.”
Although his father, André Guttfreund, won an Oscar (shared with Peter Werner for the 1976 short “In the Region of Ice”), and his mother, Andrea Stone-Brokaw, is a successful casting director, Guttfreund has insisted on making his own way. When it came time for high school, it was off, at age 16, to small, international Verde Valley School in Sedona, Ariz., exactly where his father had boarded as boy, protected by his prominent family from civil unrest in El Salvador.
“My first-year roommate spoke no English,” says Guttfreund, whose family name, in German, means “good friend.” “The students were from everywhere you could imagine.”
Mediating between his parents, divorced when was he was 7, and establishing new friendships across international lines helped Guttfreund pick up priceless communications skills.
Guttfreund arrived in Austin in 2007, right out of Verde Valley, a year before he registered at UT, so he could work and qualify for in-state tuition. Why a university 1,500 miles from Southern California?
“A counselor told me I couldn’t possibly get in,” Guttfreund says with a sly smile. “Well, if somebody tells me I can’t do something …”
He now studies corporate communications, with an eye on law school.
Music continues to captivate him. His first and entirely accidental exposure to promotion came when rapper Shwayze was booked for the Monday after the 2008 Austin City Limits — a terrible time slot. That didn’t daunt Guttfreund, who jumped at the chance to spread the word.
“I utilized the tools at my fingertips,” he says. “Which was the university.”
Guttfruend went around to social clubs, fraternities and even his classes, announcing he was promoting the show, “who wants to help?” He assembled a team of 13 who sold 900 tickets in three weeks.
For a few months after that, Guttfreund marketed local nightclub events, but found the nightly grind a challenge to his health.
“I figured out a formula, though: A lot of boys go where the girls go; girls go where their friends go; so if you can get the girls and their friends on board …”
Eventually, he turned back to concerts, promoting in May 2008 Afroman at Aces Lounge, the former Hard Rock Cafe on East Sixth Street that Brendan Puthoff had opened with a novelty burlesque theme. Puthoff was so impressed, he asked Guttfreund to skip a summer job on a New Mexico movie set to book Aces on a regular basis.
“Sascha’s been a tremendous asset,” says Puthoff, who also owns the Third Base Sports Bar group. “The best way I can describe it is that he’s always on. He lives and breathes live music every hour of every day.”
What about the challenges of employing somebody who’s also a college student?
“There have been times that I know for a fact he’s in class, but I’m getting text messages or e-mails from him about the next show he’s booking for me, or ideas for an open night,” Puthoff says. “I’ve worked with a ton of promoters and talent buyers in the past — and none of them were also full time students — but Sascha is by far the most prolific in his ability to connect with the college demographic and draw great crowds for shows, week in and week out.”
One stumble gave Guttfreund the lesson of his life. A third-party promoter came to him with a deal too good to be true, a reggae headliner that, supposedly, Emo’s, downtown’s leading live-music club, had wanted. The promoter offered Guttfreund Buju Banton, who made a name in the 1990s with extreme anti-homosexual lyrics and pronouncements.
“I had heard the name,” Guttfreund says. “But I was born in 1989. I didn’t know this other stuff. Well kid, you should probably do your research! I when I heard what he’d said, I was disgusted.”
The act was moved to reggae-centric Flamingo Cantina, and Guttfruend received credit for canceling it, but also hate mail from those accusing him of insensitivity to Jamaican culture.
Guttfreund typically books mixed-genre acts — techno, dub, the “indie intellectual end of hip hop.” His artists attract, in his words, “hippies, frats, ‘sneaker heads,’ the clothing demographic, Texas State students. We love mixed crowds”
There’s also the homebody side of Guttfreund who likes nothing better than kicking back with old friends for Los Angeles, catching up with family, meeting with acquaintances at UT. He can do all that because his first career — an extremely social one — is well in hand.
“I finally have my tools in order,” he says. “I know what I’m doing when I book an artist.”
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February 3, 2010
Your A List: Best Jukebox
My personal test for Best Jukebox: It must include the movie theme from “Valley of the Dolls.” If a dive is wise enough to include that ode to dissolution on its play list, then I promise to recreate Neelie’s hysterical Shubert Alley scene, personally, histrionically, every time I visit.
Other imbibing establishments were not far behind: Deep Eddy Cabaret (15 percent); Casino El Camino (13 percent); Ginger Man (12 percent) and Side Bar (11 percent).
Then we move on to the real dives, not the pretend variety (I like ‘em both): G&S Lounge (9 percent); Poodle Dog (8 percent).
The final three gin joints are good, too: Club de Ville (5 percent); Barfly’s (4 percent) and Longbranch Inn (2 percent).
If I weren’t suffering from a horrible, mean, nasty cold right this very minute, I’d be out testing each spot for their “Valley of the Dolls” credentials. And I’d bring along my sister in crime, Stephen Macmillan Moser.
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Your A List: Best Newcomer to Austin's Music Scene
Ooooo. I love this sort of A List contest category. Asking readers to name the Best Newcomer to Austin’s Music Scene means exposing me, along with everybody else, to some fresh talent. And more social options built around live music in the coming weeks.
Jazz sweetheart Kat Edmonson led the rest of the pack with 6 percent of the tally. The followers — Neon Indian, the Trishas, League of Extraordinary Gz, Downtown Rulers Club, LAX, TV Torso and Shurman — managed 3 percent or less.
Still, I’m up for sampling them all. Kat’s the only one I already listen to obsessively. In fact, she’s on the Bose right now.
Permalink | | Categories: Music, Your A-List
January 22, 2010
Grounded in Music at the Paramount Theatre
Grounded in Music, like Dart Music International, is one of those community nonprofits that took off like a rocket. Both groups took perceived needs seriously, then the community took them seriously. The first nonprofit provides musical training in area schools; the second connects international musical acts to Austin.
Scott and Lori Morrison
Dart Music held its first big fundraiser at the Parish on Tuesday. Grounded in Music staged its annual party at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, featuring headliner Patty Griffin. It sold out quickly, even with a $90 top ticket. Impressive.
Jeff Kreinik, Tere Hernandez and Zach Baker
At the VIP pre-party, held in the State Theater lobby, I spoke with co-founder Jeff Kreinik about the group’s new studio, located on the campus of the South Austin Boys & Girls Club. He expressed interest in collaborating on projects with Dave Dart’s outfit, with which he was unfamiliar. (Another Out & About social dot connected!)
Shanna Howard and Jeremy Rathke
One thing that struck me about this crowd: It almost exactly matched the group that attended the earlier Dart Music fundraiser. The music community knits ever closer together with the charity, education, media and arts sectors. I like that.
Note: Due to other social commitments, I couldn’t stay for the Griffin concert. But I’m sure it is covered elsewhere.
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January 20, 2010
Dart Music International's Icon Awards at the Parish
Clearly, a need existed. When I first met Dave Dart, not that long ago, he was helping foreign acts navigate the logistics of the South by Southwest Music Festival. It was just Dave. No organization. No student interns. No board. No fundraisers.
Kevin Connor, Dave Dart and Derek Woodgate
Now Dart Music International arranges concerts for all manner of far-flung acts and connects regional artists with those from abroad. And the nonprofit group has evolved into a community force. One could tell from the industry professionals on hand for the Dart’s first Icon Awards on Tuesday. ME TV’s Kevin Connor emceed. Insiders Derek Woodgate, Cash Edwards, Roger Polson, Lynn Margolis, Kathy Cordova, Ihor Gowda and Randy Miller darted in and out. Lovebirds Paul Oveisi and Suzanna Choffel — off to Taos, N.M. for a getaway — made the rounds.
Cash Edwards, Lynn Margolis, Kathy Cordova
The Parish, looking and sounding better than ever, welcomed the elegance of Patricia Vonne, then wistful northern songs by Stanley Samuelsen, a leading musician from the Faroe Islands.
Lisa Wood and Sean Foster
Much later in the evening, Icon Awards went to City of Austin’s Jim Butler, local legend Roky Erickson, Austin City Limits’ Terry Lickona, and Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s Rose Reyes. The Black and White Years, currently finishing up a new record, wrapped the show.
Roman Gonzalez and Vicky Garza
It never ceases to amaze me how music types can network while an amplified band is playing. Sometimes, I just read the facial cues, nod and laugh. This strategy has backfired disasteriously before.
Rob Hinton and Eva Musoke
Another amazing thing about this industry: Their Zen patience. Guests for the awards were invited to arrive by 6:30 pm. By the time I left, almost 9:30 p.m., no awards had been conferred. I’m still learning this culture.
Paul Oveisi and Suzanna Choffel (off to Taos, N.M. for a romantic getaway)
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January 16, 2010
The Regulars on a Rainy Night
The streets change character when the city turns cold, dark and wet. Creeks and crevices fill up quickly, the flood gray-green in the streetlight. Trees and shrubs, burdened by the rain, block the walker’s path. Drivers lose their famous Austin equanimity. At least fellow pedestrians acknowledge the dreary conditions, and shout out encouragements to the sodden passersby.
Moontica and Raina Leigh
Once inside, however, the old, familiar warmth spreads quickly. Thanks to a sturdy Four Seasons umbrella lent me by Linda Ball, oh, ages ago, I forged across hill and dale to reach the Saxon Pub on a Friday night when almost nothing else beckoned (at least, within walking distance). A microscopic drop of Jameson’s and some flat Shiner Bock didn’t fire my mood much, but the first performer did.
Ron Ramelli and Steve Bernstein
Raina Leigh sang one song and danced one semi-comic burlesque number. Yet she burned her talents into my memory. After the tip jar circulated, she asked for a few extra bucks to eat at a good restaurant. “That’s a New Orleans tradition,” she happily claimed. Even if it isn’t, it should be.
Alex Bernstein and Lee Anne Huskey
Up next, the Regulars, a rootsy act featuring former American-Statesman advertising ace Ron Ramelli (vocals, harmonica, accordian). The eight-piece band — graced with a surfeit of guitars — nimbly roamed over the musical map. I particularly liked the songs spiked with a little funk. Also anything aided by saxophonist Steve Bernstein, who, it turns out, currently works at the Statesman. Small world.
During the course of the set, I met Steve’s son, Alex, and his wife, Lee Anne. In fact, the near-stage tables seemed packed with Regulars regulars. “I think I see some people we don’t know,” cracked limber frontman David Allan from the stage. Yes, some folks from the “talking area” filtered forward t hear the band. The musical cheer warmed my bones on the journey home.
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January 15, 2010
Carlos Sosa and the Great Idea
Carlos Sosa has figured out what to do with all those talent-rich, cash-strapped Austin musicians working for tips at more than 100 area music venues.
Export them.
Not permanently, mind you, but just long enough to piece together living incomes and accrue such essentials as health benefits.
The sociable saxophone player, musical director and president of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy has been helping to stuff Austin musicians into the touring acts of Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, Christian Castro and other marquee artists.
It’s just the latest campaign in a life of campaigns for the son of a Brazilian air force officer, deported before Sosa got to know him, and a single mom who died when he was 9. Sosa was raised by his grandmother on San Antonio’s rough South Side.
She insisted the young man drop his pursuit of music and study computers. Yet, even before he could be admitted into clubs legally, Sosa was playing sax with a punk funk band. He later studied music at Texas States University-San Marcos, where he was admitted into a selective program for recording technology, a skill that would amplify his later careers as a producer and musical director.
Bonding almost by accident with other brass players, some from the University of North Texas’ jazz program, he started his first campaign: “To build a horn section that could play with any act, anywhere.”
That band, Grooveline Horns, which included trumpeter Fernando Castillo and trombonist Raul Vallejo (later replaced by Reggie Watkins), became phenomenally successful by Austin standards. They played with bands at Catfish Station during its heyday and backed the Scabs, Ian Moore and other hot acts. At one point, they were playing with different bands at Steamboat, then the center of local musical energy, almost every night of the week.
(Back to Sosa’s grandmother: A few years ago, she attended a Scabs concert at Antone’s. She sat in the VIP box and, when recognized from the stage, waved proudly to the crowd.)
During one South by Southwest, he and his brass buddies were sitting at Paradise Cafe on East Sixth Street, thinking: “We’ve made the big time.” A chance to open for James Brown convinced them otherwise.
“Now that was a horn section!” the hazel-eyed, boxer-jawed Sosa remembers. “It freaked me out.”
His background in recording helped boost the next step in his career. He bought Music Lane recording studio, working night and day for four years, even sleeping there. “We never made any money,” he says. “But I learned everything I needed to know.”
At the end of those four years, he brought home the digital sound package, the Pro Tools System. Not long after, the hit Christian band Salvador called, needing help with their Pro Tools. They were delighted to meet Sosa: “Dude, you’re the guy with the Scabs!”
Sosa then toured with Salvador, making more money than he ever had in his life. For that group, he produced their first Spanish-language album, which became their most successful and earned Sosa a 2004 Dove Award.
His next campaign: Start Boombox ATX as a corporate umbrella for cover bands to play weddings and corporate gigs.
“Let’s face it, Austin musicians can be a bit lazy,” he says. “These gigs give them a paycheck so they can actually start doing the basics, as well as health insurance.”
Sosa’s musical and organizational gifts have not gone unnoticed in Los Angeles, where he began putting together teams for established artists and producers. He continues to use his connections there to help Austin musicians.
While in L.A., he stays with actor friend Alan Tudyk (“Firefly,” “Serenity,” “Dollhouse”), whom he met at a party for “28 Days,” which included music from Austin artist Bob Schneider. Sosa could return the sleepover favor, since Plano-bred Tudyk has been dating Adrianne Palicki from Austin-shot “Friday Night Lights.” (Both actors were in town recently.)
Sosa, who recently moved to a rural spot between Austin and Bastrop, continues to widen his social circle. As president of the regional wing of the Recording Academy, he works with Washington, D.C., contacts on the passage of a bill to pay musicians for their work when it appears on traditional radio. Here, he helps build the Academy, best known nationally for conferring the Grammys.
“I want to bridge the gap between Austin musicians and the world,” he says. “And create a ripple effect along the way.”
Permalink | | Categories: Music
January 6, 2010
Your A-List: Best Hard Rock/Metal Group
Reassuring news: Sex, violence and ribaldry still rule the names of hard rock and metal acts. That’s a quick conclusion one can draw from the winners of the A List reader poll for best Central Texas band in that combined category.
Only Tia Carrera appears to break the naming rule, although there may be a ribald reference to actress/model Tia Carrere somewhere in there. Although her last name is spelled slightly differently, she did inspire the local artists. (When he first arrived in Austin, former Statesman music critic Joe Gross thought he was going to review her pop band, then three shaggy musicians came out on stage to make big noise.)
Those rolling up 6 percent or less of the vote fit the norm, name-wise: New Disaster (6 percent); Devil’s Right Hand (5 percent); At All Costs (5 percent); Amplified Heat (3 percent) and — ta da! — Supercrash (3 percent).
Permalink | | Categories: Music, Your A-List
December 30, 2009
Your A-List: Best Music Store
Seems like just yesterday I was writing about which business had won the A List contest for Best Record Store. It was, to cut the suspense, Waterloo Records.
Music Mania did well again with 16 percent, as did Cheapo, taking 11 percent.
Critics’ darling End of an Ear summoned 9 percent and Texas tradition Half-Price Books kept in the race with 8 percent.
Low on the charts with 1 percent or less were Antone’s, Friends of Sound, Backspin and DJ Dojo.
Permalink | | Categories: Music, Your A-List
December 23, 2009
Your A-List: Best Record Shop
And, in a city that worships local businesses, as well as music, especially live music,Waterloo Records can do almost no wrong.
Witness the A List contest for the Best Record Store, which gave Waterloo a staggering 58 percent share of the readers’ vote.
Other shops did not do too shabbily. Music Mania (11 percent); Half-Price Books (8 percent); and Cheapo (7 percent) kept Waterloo honest.
Other cherished outlets for music include Antone’s (5 percent); End of an Ear (4 percent); Backspin (3 percent); Friends of Sound (2 percent); DJ Dojo (1 percent) and Austin Record Convention (less than 1 percent).
Permalink | | Categories: Business, Music, Your A-List
December 11, 2009
Music for the City Launch at Highball
I must admit my first impression of the Music for the City event at Highball was not about the party, but the magnificent mob outside the roped sanctuary. On a Wednesday night. People with serious hair bopped between the long bar, the articulated banquettes, the scattered dining tables and vintage bowling lanes. The mood was bright and brittle, and I wouldn’t credit holiday cheer. By itself.
Fastball
The charity socializing, snug behind a velvet rope, filled Highball’s special-event area. The musical act easily held the stage. Then I realized it was Fastball. Yes, that Fastball, the power pop band behind “The Way” and “All the Pain Money Can Buy.” True, it’s been an age since they produced such a big hit, but what a way to kick off a charity series —- with mellifluous sounds from a gifted songwriter and his live team.
Alex and Angela Van De Walle
So what is Music for the City? From its Web site, it: “Exists to encourage and enable Austin’s artists to give back to the community by partnering with charitable organizations serving our city. (It) does this by producing benefit albums and concerts that directly benefit charitable organizations serving our city.” Ah, so a sort of CharityBash for music types.
Angela Dinkel and Clark Hamilton
I met founder Nate Navarro, a charismatic personality to watch, given this ambitious project. I also ran into Jason Poe of the sadly defunct Jets Under Fire, as well as his wife, Jade Poe, who reports for the NBC station in Waco and covered the recent Killeen shootings close up.
Jade and Jason Poe
Jason promises a new musical act, which I appreciate, since I always grouped Jets Under Fire among other quintessentially New Austin acts: Alpha Rev, Soldier Thread, Pompeii, Ghostland Observatory, Black and White Years and the nearly invisible Ghost of the Russian Empire. (Future column alert.)
Aaron Ivey and Nate Navarro
Anyway, a fertile evening at the Highball, story-wise, and confirmation that Karrie and Tim League’s latest entertainment outlet is a smash.
Permalink | | Categories: Charity, Music
Grammy Texas Rocks at Gibson Guitar Showroom
Sometimes, the Gibson Guitar Showroom feels like the Austin music community’s secret club house. Parties here at Penn Field are constructed around live music. There’s enough elbow room for a multiple points of focus, should you need them, and traffic moves fluidly among three indoor and two outdoor spaces.
Marie-Laurie Carvalho and Terrany Johnson
The Grammy Texas Rocks fundraiser Wednesday fit the Showroom like tight harmony, in part because the Recording Academy’s state headquarters is on site. Musicians bumped into invited media and supporters with supreme ease. Just about anyone who promotes local music — Rose Reyes, Casey Monahan, Elaine Garza, Theresa Jenkins, Ihor Gowda, etc. — hung around the neon-colored rooms.
Billy Henry and Carlos Sosa
My big find: Carlos Sosa. He’s the president of Grammy Texas board. He grew up wanting to play saxophone for Stevie Ray Vaughn, but arrived in Austin after the blues great died. He carved an extremely successful career out of music-directing in Los Angeles. His big long-view push is convincing California artists to record here, because local backups can be a comparative bargain and often better than their LA counterparts. Area studios are now top-notch. (Future column alert.)
Phoenix Hart and Chris Bell
But then again, everyone I talked to came with a story. And when people are relaxed, as they were at the Showroom, they share. And luckily, the amplification is trapped in the east room, so one can actually hear a conversation in the rest of the spaces, while still enjoying the music.
Elaine Garza and Rose Reyes
It was a strange delight to run into Billy Henry, whom I know from his theater work. Now he’s got his Americana musical career — maybe he had it all along and I just didn’t notice. I wanted to know more about how he blends those worlds, but didn’t get a chance. (Another column idea?)
Amanda Potter and Rameses Bramer
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December 9, 2009
Your A-List: Best Music Festival
Never say the underdog can’t win an A-List reader poll. The top dog in the fight for Best Music Festival is, once again, Heart of Texas Rock Festival. It pounded the competition with 47 percent of the vote in heavy balloting.
Everyone else — Old Settler’s, Kerrville Folk Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Raggae Fest, Urban Music Fest, Extreme Texas Metal Fest and Chaos in Texas — barely registered.
So what is it about the Heart of Texas? Their fans voted. And they know the rules. Plain and simple.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
November 24, 2009
One word on ... Barbra Streisand, Ann Hampton Callaway, Steven Pasquale, Tony Desare & Judy Carmichael
I recommend these five recent albums of Standards and Neo-Cabaret … with one word each.
Barbra Streisand: “Love is the Answer” — luscious.
Ann Hampton Callaway: “At Last” — heartfelt.
Steven Pasquale: “Somethin’ Like Love” — smooth.
Judy Carmichael: “Come and Get It” — frisky.
Tony Desare: “Radio Show” — inventive.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
November 21, 2009
Margaret Wright & Joyce DiBona at Eponymous Garden
I first heard Margaret Wright sing at an Austin hotel lounge in 1984 …
Sister and brother Colleen Ryan and David Ryan
Back then, I requested “Tenderly.” Twenty-five years later, at the Eponymous Garden, I requested “Tenderly” again …
Joyce DiBona and Diane Perella
Wright’s voice remains eloquently supple, radiating jazzy warmth, just like her hug-happy personality …
Sterling Price-McKinney and Margaret Wright
Wright sang at the baby grand with Sterling Price-McKinney during a party at Price-McKinney and Lorne Loganbill’s Eponymous Garden …
Cathy Wallace and Carol McClendon
It was an EAST tour event in honor of painter Joyce DiBona, whose exuberant canvases lined the walls and sparked many a conversation …
Olivia Walker and Martha Koock Ward
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Arts, Music
November 20, 2009
Larissa Ness Video Release Party at the Phoenix
Larissa Ness is made for pop …
Larissa Ness and Neil Diaz
She’s extravagantly pretty. Her middle range hooks words and tunes together ably. And she’s attracted a platoon of producers, managers and other collaborators …
Sara Deeds and Ryan Tietz
Thursday at the Phoenix, a suitably various crowd, assembled by Neil Diaz, greeted her live set with alacrity …
Marion Kellough and Coi Burress
Truth be told, Ness’ studio-friendly sound was not well served by the mix …
Joy Scott, Angel Diaz and Monica Piñon
She sounded profoundly better on the video of “Thoughts of You” from “Hello,” shot at a mansion in Austin with formally dressed party people and projected for the convocation …
Brandon Wang and Tyson Macomber
I’d like Ness to expand her range, but for a city with so little pop — whatever that ultimately means — it’s refreshing to hear somebody dig into it.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
October 27, 2009
Official Opening of Same Sky Productions
Boston was home to David Messier and Andrew Cantave …
David Messier and Andrew Cantave
Austin became home for their Same Sky Productions, a music recording business …
Kristina Lanuza and Brendan Kelley
In just a few months, they’ve established a reputation for polished professionalism …
Asa Kittfield and Christin Menendez
Saturday, they took their smooth moves out onto their office terrace, which overlooks Congress Avenue and downtown …
Kelly Vidovic and Nate Vargo
Everyone I talked to at the party came with an crunchy story, including Brendan Kelley, a Boston high school student whose new Same Sky recording is being compared to ones by Rod Stewart et al. Pretty heady stuff.
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 19 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Six more posts to go.]
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October 22, 2009
Alpha Rev at Antone's
Music and politics make regular bedfellows in Austin …
Travis County Democratic Party ED Laura Hernandez and Austin Adams
Susan Antone hand-picked some buzzy bands to play for a Jack McDonald fundraiser on Wednesday …
Cathy Ziller and Ashley Ziller
McDonald’s campaign remains in the “exploratory phase” prior to a bid for the U.S. Congress against incumbent Michael McCaul …
Julia Genin and Matt Buford
I don’t generally cover political fundraisers for Out & About, — and I already run into McDonald at countless charity events — but this one at Antone’s on Wednesday featured Alpha Rev …
Jack McDonald and Anne Olson
I know, I know, I’ve lost my head over the Rev, but so did a lot of other people that night. They sound better than ever.
Jeff Rogers and Lana Coy
Permalink | | Categories: Law, Music
October 21, 2009
Your A-List: Best Karaoke
Two clubs fought it out for the coveted A-List Best Karaoke crown. Nobody else even came close.
Winning outright was Beerland, the music venue on Red River Street, with 52 percent of the vote for its Rock ‘n’ Roll edition.
Fighting to the end was Common Interest, which specializes in karaoke and sports on Burnet Road. It dialed up a very competitive 42 percent.
Note the drop-off after that. Everyone else plugged in 2 percent or less: DK Sushi, Karaoke Apocalypse, Austin Karaoke, Rain, La Palapa, Baby A’s, Water Tank, Seoul Karaoke Studio and Too Much Music.
No cracks about that last entry.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
October 19, 2009
U2 in Austin?
Over the weekend, sharp-eyed and sharp-eared reader Deann Alford noticed that a U2-marked plane was parked on the tarmac in the charter area of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Noting that the band, which by coincidence shares its name with a famous American spy plane, was headed to Norman, Okla. for an Oct. 18 “360 Tour” concert after its Oct. 14 Houston date, Alford wonders what the heck they were doing here.
Are the artists and crews flying in multiple aircraft, given the tour’s massive UFO-like set? Or did the Edge, Bono and crew sneak in a quick night in Austin?
We throw it out there for the masses … and promise to report anything credible.
Update 10/20/09: The main local guesses are Lance Armstrong (whose LiveStrong Rally is upon us) and Turk Pipkin (whose Nobelity Project has attracted Bono’s attention).
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Music
October 14, 2009
Your A-List: Best Record Label
Here’s another contest with only two serious contenders.
Xylo was started in 1993 by musician Woode Wood: “My first release ‘Brothers”’ was cassette only and my latest on CD was ‘Be,’ released last year,” Wood says. “I’m half way through recording my latest, ‘Come On Sun’ which will be out by 2010.” Xylo won 40 percent of the vote.
Chicken Ranch Records was a tad easier to track down. Note that they back Knife in the Water, Willie Heath Neal, Beautiful Supermachines and other acts. The label came in a strong second with 30 percent.
Deep Eddy, New West and Texas Music Group/Antone’s exactly tied at just over 7 percent. That’s pretty neat. Taking 2 percent or less were Arc Light, Peek-a-boo, Sweatbox, I Eat Records, Dead Oceans, Australian Cattle God and Dorato.
Based purely on cool names, I’d pick Australian Cattle God. But I know little or nothing about recording, so don’t listen to me.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
October 12, 2009
Buju Banton gig at Aces canceled
Austin promoter Sascha Stone Guttfreund has canceled an appearance by controversial raggae artist Buju Banton at Aces Lounge. Banton’s notoriously anti-gay views — including song lyrics from the 1990s about execution of Jamaica’s gay population — had stirred up strong local feelings before the planned Oct. 21 concert. Aces owner Brendan Puthoff sought the advice of gay activists such as Mark Erwin and Bettie Naylor about deflecting the impact of the third-party booking, but Guttfreund avoided the collision through his cancellation.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Categories: Music
October 7, 2009
Your A-List: Best Music Venue
Austin claims more than 150 music venues. 150. Yet not all of them are ideal for consuming music. Blame lazy bookers, poor acoustics, chatty customers.
Stubb’s, alternating indoors and outdoors on Red River Street, pounded out 30 percent. Antone’s, originally home of the blues, now incredibly eclectic, fell far behind with 6 percent. Finely tuned the Parish got 5 percent, while critically acclaimed Emo’s drummed up 4 percent, Just ahead of indoor/outdoor La Zona Rosa.
Settling for 3 percent or less were Paramount Theatre, Momo’s, Elephant Room, One World Theatre, Beerland and Tim’s Porch at the Backyard.
Really, there’s not a bad spot on this list.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
October 4, 2009
#ACL Mud Report 3
I’ve come to the conclusion that Austinites love hordes of other Austinites, no matter the underlying conditions.
Bonnie and Eliza Mead
In just this past week, I looked on as more than 100,000 gathered in Royal Memorial Stadium for a game with UT-El Paso that was, by any stretch of the imagination, a foregone conclusion. Just a lot of people wanting to wear burnt orange together.
Emily and Dave Shaw
A few days later, 65,000 or so — on each of three days — gathered in Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Granted, the first night was unadulterated paradise, but the rain on Saturday and mud on Sunday would daunt even the most fervid music fan.
Mandi Thomas and Chris Petersen
The rest of the year, we attend street festivals, political rallies, multi-various sporting events, enormous clubs. And each weekend night, the whole downtown turns into one big party.
What’s with that? I must ask some experts.
That’s my way of saying that, long before Pearl Jam takes the stage, I’m impressed enough with Austin’s fortitude, but I’m out of ACL for a thorough shower and long rest. Until next year.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music
#ACL Mud Report 2
“Austin undaunted.” That judgment from Austin’s Dave Shaw says it all about the continued crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Charlie, Harper and Stephanie Wood had no complaints of all three days. Tough campers.
Despite the membrane of mud that covers everything, Austin marches on to the music.
Eric Mowery, Amber Armstrong and Brett Hansen. “An hour and a half of rain was OK,” says Hansen. “Then that was enough.”
Now it’s just hot. And we know know how to survive that.
Daniel Berkowitz and Amelia J Loving
Permalink | | Categories: Music
#ACL Mud Report
It’s much worse than I imagined.
A fetid, steamy, barnyard pall hangs over the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park. Blame the hay spread to keep down the mud, now mixed into an appalling stew.
Nella Robbi, Rachael Padgett and Tammy Lin
“The rain and mud was a great change of pace from the heat and the dust,” says lawyer Tammy Lin. “People paid good money for this mud.”
Merritt Fields and Jeremy Royce
“It’s a madhouse of music and mud,” says ACL staffer Jeremy Roye, catching his breath behind the scenes.
Joan Pratt and James Barnett
“You go from the best day ever at ACL on Friday …” says Joan Pratt.
“… hey, the rain wasn’t so bad, or the mud,” says James Barnett. “But that smell …”
Permalink | | Categories: Music
October 3, 2009
#ACL Rain Report 3
People got grumpy. The west parking lot was closed because of mud. Music lovers slid and fell into the muck. The rain returned again and again, finally driving some fest-goers from the field.
Big umbrellas kept Erin Beaudkofer and Adam Scott in big smiles
Still, I was able to find some merry folks who made the best of the mess. The musicians played on and some took the opportunity to feed into the wet masses.
Eric Marley and Caroline Duncan, at their first ACL Fest, were worried about the grass, which they cherished the blissful night before
Ticket holders were still streaming toward the park after dark. Scalpers wanted my wristband bad. Uh, no.
Matt Aderhold, Zane Weave, Chris Combs, Georgia Thomsen and Mark Hill ducked into the Rock Island football tent — full most of the day
Meanwhile, over at the ACL studios, we hear that Laura Dern, Meg Ryan and Lance Armstrong attended the Pearl Jam taping.
My favorite quote of the day came from former Mayor Will Wynn: “My 13-year-old daughter is out there in the pit having a safe Woodstock.”
Permalink | | Categories: Music
#ACL Rain Report 2
Music firing up on all the stages. Sounds especially celebratory now that the rain has stopped. People filtering out of the dry areas — food tents, football-viewing center at the Rock Island, makeshift shelters.
Lynn Brennan and John Semmens
How did festers survive the rain? “We just got wet,” says Vijay Ravula. “I thought we brought the right gear, says Sefaly Ravula. “She didn’t listen to me,” says Vijay.
Sin City Social Club’s Shilah Morrow and Bug Music’s Eddie Gomez
“Garbage bags,” says John Semmens of Califorinia, sojourning with Austin’s Lynn Brennan. “And Tito’s vodka.”
Clayton Harrell and Sarah Caddell
“The music keeps you in the spirit,” says Eddie Gomez of Bug Music, hanging with Sin City Social Club’s Shilah Morrow. “Rain or shine.”
Permalink | | Categories: Music
#ACL Rain Report
Scattered showers have not scattered the crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Ponchos on. Raincoats on. Umbrellas up. Bands blaring.
Sweet Leaf CEO Clayton Christopher and Paul Haybood, who runs a juice joint on Barton Springs Road
The mood has slipped from blissful to boggy. No panic. No bad behavior so far. But the hurried gaits will ultimately lead to some pedestrian smash-ups.
In the VIP Grove, children gather in tents like chicks under a hen’s wing. Coffee, probably for the first time, the most precious liquid. Mature pecans providing unexpected shelter for awhile, then laughing festers shoulder up under cafe umbrellas (and here inside Dell Internet Cafe).
Danielle and Diego — A Rock & Recycle romance?
Ran into Maxine Labovsky and Martin Fay from San Francisco, Labovsky recently transferred to Austin. They wore ponchos over their raincoats and kept their umbrellas at the ready.” We came prepared,” said Labovsky. “We even brought toilet paper.”
Maxine Labovsky and Martin Fay
Wasn’t sure what that meant at first. Weather channel says it won’t stop raining until 6 p.m. Dave Shaw learns the difference between water proof and water resistant.
Heard inside the Dell tent: “It’s (expletive) (expletive) out there.”
Permalink | | Categories: Music
October 2, 2009
#ACL Second Report
The gentle weather made for gentle souls. Feelin’ groovy, the Austin City Limits Music Festival merrymakers treated each other with consummate kindness, even as the Zilker Park fields filled to capacity towards dusk.
Picking up parts of Coheed and Cambria, Phoenix, K’Naan and Raphael Saadiq, we roamed irrationally, luxuriating in the fresh, spongy turf. Others were doing the same. Didn’t seem to matter where you were in the park, music, forbearance and balmy weather banished every care.
Kim Power and Matt Garcia
Who knows if the bliss will hold up Saturday; weather-prognosticators are threatening 90 percent chance of rain. I imagine the good feelings will last through at least the first shower or two.
Melissa Fernandez and Amanda Lea
Side note: The skyline behind the Livestrong Stage has changed so drastically in the past eight years, fewer than five of the currently visible skyscrapers witnessed the inaugural festival.
Luis Otoya and Martha Livermore
We watched a little drama after returning to the VIP Grove. A young man and woman raced across the otherwise torpid scene under sheltering pecans. Two security fellows followed at a fast pace. The female tripped and her companion abandoned her. What in the world was going on? Theft of appetizers?
Permalink | | Categories: Music
#ACL First Report
Snippets from the first hours …
Outside the park: Scalpers and pedicabbers stationed further to the east this year, all the way along Barton Springs Road to South First Street. Full scalp press. More pressure for late tickets? Curious about those clearly dressed for the fest heading away from the park so early in the day (before 2 p.m). Mood ebullient outside the gates. Entry process smoother, happier this year.
Richard and Carissa Roper deployed their sail-like chairs into a protected cove, right in the middle of the field. This is their fourth ACL Fest. “Twenty degrees cooler,” says Richard Roper says. “Are you kidding? It’s fantastic.”
On the field: The breeze lifts every spirit. Shoes optional on the magical mystery turf. Masses shifting easily from one stage to another. Not much act loyalty at this stage. Flags of many nations leading brigades from spot to spot — Spain, Italy, European Union … Texas Tech?
Julie Mata and Allison Hall carefully calibrated their multi-hued ACL look.
The bands: The first act to fit the outdoor bill comfortably is the pop-friendly Dr. Dog on the Dell Stage. Waves of good feeling passing through crowd. Nobody inclined to leave. Communal bonding among fest-govers this year based on mutual pleasure, not shared survival of the elements.
Jennifer Wijangco of Texas Cultural Trust (though she’s moving to another post soon) and lawyer friend Bradley Coburn.
VIP Grove: Even cooler this year. I mean, actually cool, temperature-wise. Treats like bison tartare from Olivia. No lines at the bar tents. Impeccable restrooms. Some local celebrities, including former Mayor Will Wynn and activist-humorist Turk Pipkin. Will continue to report. Hear Phoenix in the distance. It’s a tough gig.
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ACL Pre-Party at Austin City Lofts
Not everybody with a south or west balcony in those downtown residences is upset about promised noise from the Austin City Limits Festival in Zilker Park or the Live at Seaholm After-Party …
Former Mayor Will Wynn and Laura Hodges compare ACL charts
One party last night in the Austin City Lofts was packed with people delighted by their proximity to these revels. By 10 p.m., you’d have thought the guests were about to descend on the street and start their own festival …
Shyana Golden and Andrei Martel
Our hosts were Texas Tribune’s Alisha Ring and her fiancee Jamie Lagarde. Look for a December wedding. They were drowning in happiness …
Greenling.com’s Mason Arnold and Ann Richards School Foundation’s Michelle Krejci
Left my satchel — with my ACL credentials!!! — at their loft. They kindly left it downstairs with the doorman. My good luck with satchels didn’t extend to ponchos, which cannot be had for ready money in Central Austin. I assume scalpers will sell them.
Off to show. Will post for 12 hours each day.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
October 1, 2009
Controversy on Sixth Street
Brendan Puthoff, owner of Third Base sports bars and Aces Lounge on East Sixth Street, called with a dilemma.
The singer now produces songs with anti-violence lyrics and has donated the proceeds of a 1993 song to AIDS charities. Others are not convinced Banton is reformed. A Web site, Cancel Buju Banton “Rasta Got Hate” Tour, is devoted to protesting his appearances.
Puthoff says he can’t break his contract with the promoter, but he wants to make it clear he doesn’t approve of Banton’s views.
He’s talking to respected Austin gay activists Bettie Naylor and Mark Erwin about an appropriate way to assure the gay community that he finds Banton’s lyrics abhorrent.
“What’s kind of ironic is my sister is a lesbian,” Puthoff says. “I walked her down the aisle at her wedding.”
Permalink | Comments (13) | Categories: Music
September 25, 2009
Interview: Live at Seaholm's Jason Hicks
Day-dreaming of a life in music, Jason Hicks waited a long time for a project this colossal.
“We never lost money,” Hicks says. “We rarely made much money, but in this business …”
Now he’s producing the biggest after-party in Austin City Limits Music Festival history. (For a full list of before-, during- and after-parites, go to my earlier post.)
Hicks, teaming up with WOXY Internet Radio and Voodoo Cowboy, has secured the iconic Seaholm Power Plant for a two-night bash. Friday, after ACL breaks up across Lady Bird Lake at Zilker Park, Broken Social Scene will headline a free, outdoor concert for up to 4,000 revelers on the Seaholm grounds Generationals and Corto Maltese will precede them. Another line-up, to be announced Monday, follows late-night Saturday.
Meanwhile, inside the vaulting post-war plant, fewer than 300 invited guests will mingle to the sounds of DJs and clinking glasses.
“I’ve been working 20 hour days,” Hicks, 33 and looking a bit like actor Paul Schneider on “Parks and Recreation,” says over iced tea at Cissi’s Market on South Congress Avenue. “So it better live up to its potential.”
For Hicks and his boss at Rare, publisher Taylor Perkins, this is the chance to break into the big-time Austin party scene. (Admission is gained through a complicated process that includes confirming an RSVP request at LiveatSeaholm.com, obtaining wristbands and tickets. People, mostly young, have learned how to navigate this process for major promotional events.)
“Just think of the site itself: Crowds watching Broken Social Scene, those famous smokestacks rising over their shoulders,” he says with transcendental gleam in his eye. “Everyone has always wanted to see some event at Seaholm. They finally have a chance to.”
Won’t the former industrial site — slated for mixed-use development when the economy heals — present insurmountable crowd-control problems?
“Nothing a little fence can’t handle,” Hicks jokes.
This is exactly what Hicks wished for while he was working day jobs and Dell, Inc. and other companies, and raising two sons.
“I didn’t think the music thing was going to happen,” he says. “But it became my obsession, my passion.”
Over the years, he learned a lot from giant Austin promoters, working with C3, for instance, on ACL and Lallapalooza. Joining Rare in June, as the magazine underwent a massive staff turnover, meant overseeing smaller events, such as monthly parties and the recent charity-geared Restaurant Week. The Seaholm project is his moonshot.
He says with a far-away look: “This is why I’m here.”
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September 24, 2009
ACL Before, During and After-Parties
Not everybody can make it out to Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In fact, a fair number of people don’t want to brave the elements for the massive, three-day fest, no matter the weather. That’s why promoters invented after-parties, before-parties and during-parties. Ask those folks who have been doing the same during South by Southwest, almost since its inception.
Here’s a selective list of ACL weekend parties, presenters and acts. Some are free. Others charge cover. Check with austin360.com for updates.
OCT. 1
Emo’s: The Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper, Wye Oak (oustide); School of Seven Bells, Phantogram (inside)
Beauty Bar: “Art Disaster No. 9” (8 p.m.) DJ Tweedy, the Lemurs, the Steps, Speak, Wallpaper (outside); DJ Orion, Bright Lights Social Hour, the White White Lights, Whitman (inside) Scoot Inn: Charlie Hurtin and the Hecklers, Rick Shea, Dave Insley and the Careless Smokers, Jamie Shuey
FRIDAY
Seaholm Power Plant: “WOXY and Rare Live at Seaholm”: Broken Social Scene, Generationals, Corot Maltese
The Independent: “Imeem Live After-Party”: the Knux, Bird Peterson, Table Manners Crew, DJ Sober
The Parish: The Raveonettes, Here We Go Magic
Emo’s: Deer Tick, the Henry Clay People;(inside); Harlem, Neon Indian (outside)
La Zona Rosa: Devotchka, Los Amigos Invisibles
Stubb’s: STS9, Virtual Boy (outside); the Virgins (inside)
Scoot Inn: Sin City Social Club Presents Tim Easton and guests
Aces Lounge: Lotus, Evol Intent Live
Momo’s: Los Lonely Boys, Quiet Company, Whitman, Mechanical Boy, Stegosaur
Mohawk: The Intelligence, Dikes of Holland, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Woven Bones
Antone’s: Bob Schneider CD Release
Trophy’s: The Pursuits, OK Sweetheart, Audio Amore, the Beauvilles
Beauty Bar: Voxtrot, Ocote Soul Sounds
The Independent at 501 Studios: The Knux, Bird Peterson, Table Manners Crew, DJ Sober
SATURDAY
Seaholm Power Plant: “WOXY and Rare Live at Seaholm”: acts TBA
Emo’s: Grizzy Bear, Beachouse
Antone’s: Der Auerbach, Rodriguez, White Dress
La Zona Rosa: Bassnectar
Stubb’s: Thievery Corporation, Federico Aubele (outside); Rebirth Brass Band (inside)
Back Alley Social: DJ Rich Medina, Martin Perna, Peligrosa All-Star DJs, DJ Chorizo Funk
Scoot Inn: “Localability”: Kevin Jack, Kid Slice & DJ Digg (Table Manners), Mixed Use Media, Kill City, Mutual Trust
Aces Lounge: Lotus, Evol Intent Live
Saxon Pub: Black Bone Child
Lamberts: Funky Batz
Beauty Bar: “Dancefloor” with DJ Mel (inside); L.A.X. Motel Aviv, The Laughing, ISHI (outside)
SUNDAY
Paramount Theater: Iver, Megafaun
Stubb’s: Ghostland Observatory
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September 23, 2009
Your A-List: Best Singer-Songwriter
You knew this would grow into a long list. Ask Austinites their favorite singer-songwriter and they’ll shout out various rockers, folkies, country storytellers and Americana mavens. They are among Austin’s most common musical species.
Roadhouse rouser and part-time Flatlander Joe Ely tamped down 11 percent. Revisionist Iron and Wine, otherwise known as Samuel Beam, took 10 percent. Hugely talented Patty Griffin followed with 8 percent. Musical family man Bruce Robison secured 7 percent, while still-young-sounding Ricky Trevino held strong at 6 percent.
Virtually tying at 4 to 5 percent were Alejandro Escovedo, Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtry and Adam Carroll. Three percent or less: Eliza Gilkyso, David Garza, Ruthie Foster, Carolyn Wonderland, Slaid Cleaves, Matt the Electrician, Patrice Pike. Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jon Dee Graham, Kevin Russell, Jimmy LaFave, Bill Callahan, Terri Hendrix, Jimmy Smith and Sam Baker.
Austin’s overwhelming riches.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music, The 500
HAAM Benefit Wind-Up at Paggi House
Everybody loves HAAM, the group that brokers health insurance and clinical help for Austin musicians …
Jackie Campbell and Jory Hanus
That’s why HAAM Benefit Day spreads all over town like a good feeling to music venues and unconventional spots, all to raise money and awareness …
Paggi House owner Tori Tinnon with Emily Emmerich and Tyler Guthrie
When all is said and done, HAAM volunteers, staff, backers and guests gather for a happy hour, this year at Paggi House …
Ram Vela and Marissa Alemany
One could hardly pick a better place, as long as the weather holds out, and Tuesday evening, the rain had left behind the cool …
Chad Smith, Elizabeth Smith and Michael Bepko
A good chunk of the radio and TV music press were there, along with the usual do-gooders, event-planners and word-spreaders …
Ali Johnson, Taylore Cunningham and Erin Connolly
Also, these last three pictured ladies who were not there from HAAM, I discovered, but were celebrating a birthday. Congrats to you, too.
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September 13, 2009
2009 Fortunate 500: Music
2009 FORTUNATE 500
MUSIC
For a previously posted micro-profile of Rose Reyes, go here.
Susan Antone. Antone’s, Help Clifford Help Kids
Ed Bailey. KLRU, ‘Austin City Limits,’ Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival
Marcia Ball. Health Alliance of Austin Musicians, Sweet Home New Orleans, Charity Partners of Austin, ‘Peace, Love & BBQ’
John Bernadoni. The John Bernardoni Production Group
Suzanna Choffel. suzannachoffel.com, Austin Music Foundation
Amy Corbin and Charles Attal. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Festival
Melissa and Kevin Connor. ME Television, KUT
David Cotton. Saxon Pub, CottonAustin, Threadgill’s
Dave Dart. Dart Music International
Ihor Gowda. Star Making Machinery
Sara Hickman. The Roots Agency
Charlie Jones. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Festival
Andy Langer. KGSR, Esquire
Terry Lickona. ‘Austin City Limits’
Dean and Jeff Lofton. I Buy Austin, jefflofton.com
Griff Lundberg. Cactus Cafe
Martie and Gareth Maguire. Dixie Chicks
Harold McMillan. DiverseArts
Marsha Milam. Solar Power Concerts, Milam & Company
Casey Monahan. Texas Music Office
James Moody. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, Club DeVille, Red 7
Nakia. ‘Water to Wine’
Tim Neece. UT Performing Arts Center
Tim O’Connor. Direct Events, Austin Music Hall, La Zona Roza
Paul Oveisi. Momo’s, Austin Music Commission
Bob Schneider. Bob Schneider Music, ‘Tarantula’
Shawn Sides and Graham Reynolds. Golden Arm Trio, Rude Mechanicals
Nada and Hartt Stearns. One World Theatre
Roland Swenson. South by Southwest
Stephen Tatton. Launch787, Sea Change Records, SureFire Media + Promotion
Greg Vendetti. GV Evolutions, GV Music Enterprises, GregVendetti.com
Charlie Walker. C3, Stubb’s BBQ, Austin City Limits Festival
Steve Wertheimer. Continental Club
Annetta and James White. Broken Spoke
Graham Williams. Transmission Entertainment, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, Club DeVille, Red 7, Lambert’s
Eddie Wilson. Threadgill’s
COMPLETE 2009 FORTUNATE 500 LISTS:
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September 10, 2009
Guest Blogger: Phillip Bradshaw
Last year I spent a great deal of my Thursday nights at Polvo’s on South First Street for four reasons. 1. I enjoy socializing. 2. I enjoy margaritas. 3. I live down the street and don’t have to drive home. 4. End of an Ear record store is almost right across the street.
So last week, my friends and I re-established our Thursday night margarita ritual. And today, I reinstituted my End of an Ear day, night, and pretty much anytime I have half an hour to spare.
Walking into End of an Ear is a little nerve-racking the first time. You cannot see into the store. The door is old and wooden and probably doesn’t lock completely. And you really can’t hear anything going on in the inside. You must be curious and willing to find out exactly what is inside.
Most of the time you are not disappointed. End of an Ear does not boast the largest selection of records, or even the most up to date. However, if you are in the mood for browsing in an easy-going, no-pressure environment, End of an Ear is the place.
As you browse the columns, make sure to flip through the records one by one, even if you know what you are looking for. The tangible aspect of record shopping is one thing that really appeals to me. I flip through each row and enjoy the artwork on each vinyl cover, many I’ve never seen or heard of, but I enjoy nonetheless.
Another aspect that I enjoy is the space you are given by the employees. To me, browsing records is not really a social thing. I am in the store to find music for myself. And if I feel like an employee is waiting for me to ask them a question, I become preoccupied with that thought.
The selection does not take long to browse, so I appreciate that I can probably look at every section in the store in a reasonable amount of time.
I almost always leave with something, whether it is a new record I had been waiting for, or a record I simply don’t have. I might be the only one who is attracted to this sort of shopping environment, but End of an Ear has a loyal customer in me.
For more of Phillip Bradshaw’s entertainment journalism, visit “The View from Austin.”
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September 7, 2009
Fortunate 500 Top Picks: Music
The Top Picks for the 2009 Fortunate 500 list of socially active area citizens were published in Glossy on Friday. In Out & About, we’ll mete out those Top Picks over the next few days. Then, beginning Tuesday, we’ll release the full lists and galleries.
Top Pick: Rose Reyes
This Edinburg native threw down deep roots when she moved to Austin in 1984. Some of those roots related to business (Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Texas Department of Commerce); others dealt with music and the arts (Texas Folklife Resources, Tish Hinojosa). These tendrils sprouted four years ago into an ideal job for the busy promoter when she was named director of music marketing for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. Meanwhile, she has served on boards for La Peña, National Academy of Recorded Arts Texas Chapter, Cine Las Americas and the Live Music Task Force. She’s consulted for Americans for the Arts, Library of Congress, Lainto USA, the Alejandro Fund, Ballet Austin, ALLGO and the International Accordian Festival, serving on deliberative bodies for Fund for Folk Culture, National Endowment for the Arts and Texas Commission on the Arts. And, oh, she’s out hearing music all the time. All kinds. Wave when you see her.
For more 2009 Fortunate 500 updates, follow the category link below.
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September 6, 2009
Guest Blogger: Ryan Lester
I retain a fond affection for the MP3 format and the economic model that it advances. Stores like iTunes, Amazon, and streaming services like Napster, Rhapsody, and Lala have made discovering and obtaining new music easier than ever.
Despite the MP3’s varied uses and strengths, I still buy at least two to three CD’s a month from record stores if I have the money. I am one of the few people that I know who still prefers albums over singles, and I don’t mind paying a few extra dollars to more thoroughly support a band. Although I do admit that buying music online and getting albums from my friends is extremely convenient and easy, there are several reasons why a trip to the record store still has its place in a digitally dominated society.
First, buying a CD requires a certain commitment that downloading a single will never have. When you buy a song off of iTunes, you can do it from almost anywhere. Whether it is on your laptop at a coffee shop, at home on your television, or on an iPhone in a busy airport, if you have a connection to the internet you can have your music. Going to a record store requires planning to make a special outing, the time to escape from the house or the office, and the desire to want a full album rather than a single song that had a catchy synth line. This makes the trip itself a sort of special occasion, something that can be looked forward to at the end of a long week. When the music is delivered to you through fiber optics, that sort of magic is taken away, and buying music becomes more of a habit than a cherished moment in time.
Perhaps the most important arguments for independent record stores come from the feelings going to one. There is something about the thrill of going to a place like Waterloo Records the morning an album comes out and holding the physical product in your hand. It is almost as if you holding a piece of art.
Additionally, these stores have their own unique qualities. Whether it’s the knowledgeable staff, the funky atmosphere, or the plethora of in-store performances, there are many endearing qualities that can be had at a record store. Then, there’s the epic struggle to break the shrink wrap off of a jewel case, which only amplifies the amount of anticipation to hear the packages’ contents. One feels a great a sense of triumph when at last the case can be opened. None of these feelings can be replicated when music is bought on a computer.
At the end of the day, even though I will continue to download music online and establish friendships via a portable hard drive, I will always have a soft spot for my local record stores. They are places that you can spend hours by yourself, or with good friends, browsing through their collections, taking in the overall aesthetic of the place, or see an up and coming artist. Until the online stores and services come up with a way to accurately replicate the qualities that are unique to brick and mortar establishments, I will continue to make my trips to Waterloo, Chaeapo, End of An Ear, or any other of Austin’s many record stores at least twice a month.
For more of Ryan Lester’s entertainment journalism, go to Musings on Music.
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September 5, 2009
Guest Blogger: James Bingham
I first heard about “The Incident” from a message posted on the Porcupine Tree Web site. Along with some stand-alone tracks, their new album would include a “35-minute song cycle” written by band frontman Steven Wilson.
I first got into Porcupine Tree back in 2003, after they had done a stint with Dream Theater, playing opening sets on the World Tourbulence Tour. All I had really heard about them was that they had opened for Dream Theater. Other than that, their album “In Absentia” was a complete blind buy. I had no idea what I was going to get. With my money, I’m stupid like that.
My impulsiveness paid off. The album was great, and Porcupine Tree has since become one of my favorite bands EVAR. But I digress … What is The Incident? In an interview with Roadrunner Records, Wilson explained the concept behind the album…
“There was a sign saying ‘POLICE - INCIDENT’ and everyone was slowing down to rubber neck to see what had happened … Afterwards, it struck me that ‘incident’ is a very detached word for something so destructive and traumatic for the people involved. And then I had the sensation that the spirit of someone that had died in the accident entered into my car and was sitting next to me. The irony of such a cold expression for such seismic events appealed to me, and I began to pick out other ‘incidents’ reported in the media and news. I wrote about the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a family terrorizing its neighbors, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more. Each song is written in the first person and tries to humanize the detached media reportage.”
That description really sets the mood for the album. It’s deep and complex. I have to liken it to Dream Theater’s “Octavarium.” It took a few spins before I could appreciate everything the band had done, and how each individual track contributed to the larger whole. It’s the same here. Fans of Wilson (and Porcupine Tree by extension) will know that for the most part, they don’t really release records-they release concepts. A group of songs that, when taken together, will convey a certain meaning. In this way, The Incident marks a departure from albums like “In Absentia” and “Deadwing,” and a return to some of their earlier work, like “Voyage 34.”
There’s going to be a large group of casual fans who probably won’t dig this album, but the hardcore folks will definitely have fun with it. Aside from a few missteps, Porcupine Tree has brought together a great mix of both the hard and the soft, heavy rhythms and soaring melodies-another worthy addition to their catalog.
You can preorder “The Incident” at amazon.com. The album will be released on Sept. 15.
For more on “The Incident,” and other entertainment journalism by James Bingham, go to Working Title.
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September 4, 2009
Guest Blogger: Chris Saad
A couple of months ago, I received an e-mail from Marty, the director of a teen cancer organization called “The Sunshine Kids”. He asked me if my theatrical percussion group DrumJam would be available to perform for the 19th annual “Teen Lake Escape” in Lago Vista on July 10.
July 10, I gathered 40 different types of percussion instruments that we use in my band, including djembes, dirbekis, a concert bass drum, cowbells, cymbals, snare drums, trashcan lids, wood blocks and various kitchen utensils. I drove almost an hour and a half to the other side of the lake, where the event was being held at an incredible mansion. The kids had been enjoying themselves on the lake all day, taking part in activities such as jet skiing, para sailing, tubing, water skiing and swimming. I was a bit nervous about meeting all these children with a terminal illness.
I knew I had to be careful about what I would say, but I also felt that I was on a mission to inspire these kids to not give up, and to keep fighting against their sickness. Apprehensively, I rounded up chairs and put them in a circle on the patio, then placed the bass drum on a stand in the very center.
Shortly, all the kids migrated towards the patio, sat down, and waited quietly to see what was in store for them. I stood at the center of the circle and introduced myself. I proceeded by saying, “you may not have known this previously, but all of you are drummers. Since you all have hearts beating inside of you, you all have natural rhythm, and all you need to do is figure out how to communicate that rhythm to the outside world.”
For more of Chris Saad’s story about his time with the Sunshine Kids — and to read more of his entertainment journalism, visit “Got Entertainment?”
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September 2, 2009
Your A-List: Best Country Singer or Group
You thought this would be competitive? Austin’s best country singer or group? Really? Really?
Western Swing vets Asleep at the Wheel boogied into second place with 12 percent, while hard-working Kevin Fowler took third with 10 percent. Jack Ingram and Dale Watson stayed pretty close with 8 and 6 percent respectively.
It drops off rather steeply after that: Pulling 4 percent or less were Derailers, Mother Truckers, Dale Watson, Heybale!, Kelly Willis, Alvin Crow, Pauline Reese and High Country, Jon Emery, Sunny Sweeney, James Hand, Wes Hayden, Cornell Hurd Band, Jesse Dayton and Roger Wallace.
Sounds like a music scene all to itself.
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Kat Edmonson at Vino Vino
I had heard Kat Edmonson in passing …
Kat Edmonson and Alice Banks
Usually on MP3s, or at loud locations, which don’t match her soft, distinctive voice …
Joe Gavin and Devyn Marzuola
But no mistaking it: Edmonson possesses one of those offbeat instruments that, combined with jazzy phrasing and expert arrangements, produces a sound like no other …
Nicole Willis and Jeanne Jordan
I caught her working through the American Songbook at Vino Vino, an ideal spot for wine, food and an intimate chat …
Laurie Viault and Heather Leahy
But not exactly right for listening carefully to a softer grade of jazz …
Dan and Kimberly Renner
That didn’t stop the full house from appreciating Edmonson when they could hear her. For a sense of what she can accomplish, sample this video taken at the Elephant Room …
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August 29, 2009
Ear Candy: Austin Music Vol. 8, The Flatlanders, Porterdavis
For our freshly revived “Ear Candy” micro-picks series, we offer more Austin music, some of which has been out for many weeks …
The Flatlanders. “Hills and Valleys” — Weatherbeaten West Texans Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely never sounded more trustworthy than under producer Llloyd Maines’ guidance in this New West blend of politics, guts and rootsiness. (References to Woody Guthrie can’t be ignored.)
Porterdavis. Self-titled. I’ve worn down the digital coding on this deep imprint of Austin Americana from this five-year-old act. I can tell, too, from this and MP3 downloads that they are a dynamite live act. But I still haven’t seen them! Missed the listening party at the Gibson Guitar Showroom and the CD release gig at Saxon Pub, both by my own fault. The omission will not be repeated.
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August 27, 2009
Music feeds the soul at the Squirrel Ranch
Music assumes a commanding role in the lives of Dan Bullock and Annette Carlozzi. Their Jester Estates house, which they wryly dub “Squirrel Ranch” for its treetop views, rings with it, as with art and opportunities for entertaining.
So naturally the business leader and the museum curator wanted to share the gift of music with others. So they regularly invite a dozen or so friends over for an evening of listening. But not just ordinary listening.
Bullock, who takes the part of emcee at these parties, invites the guests to choose, in advance, a CD with a song that holds special meaning for them. When the time comes, each guest explains their attachment to the music. And their choices scatter all over the map to include jazz, classical, rock, pop — anything that touches the soul.
Early Wednesday evening, I attended one of these sessions. Bullock talked about his West Texas roots and played two cuts from the soundtrack of “Giant.” I picked a cut from an Alpha Rev album, after explaining that my favorite Austin band represents the “Open City” sentience in Austin and how, at each concert, I felt connected to everyone in attendance, in part because of the complexly symphonic sound of the band. (I promised to alert the group when Alpha Rev’s first major-label album is released with better production values.)
All other revelations were off the record, but suffice to say they were touching, funny and uplifting in turn. These gatherings take on the characteristics of party game, spiritual testimonial and meet-and-greet. I’m sure Carlozzi and Bullock wouldn’t mind if you borrowed the notion.
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August 26, 2009
Ear Candy: Suzanne Abbott, Black Joe Lewis, Phoenix Down
After many months absence, we revive “Ear Candy” micro-picks with three Austin CDs already long on the market.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. “Tell ‘Em Your Name.” The volcanic soulfulness of Lewis’ performances are a throwback to the golden days of R&B. How much is ghetto and how much is satire in this hugely popular act?
Phoenix Down. Self-titled. This quiet Austin band deserves more attention, and this bare-bones recording documents the promise of its pop-rock building blocks.
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August 20, 2009
Willie Nelson's 'American Classic"'
Don’t do many record reviews. Yet when the American-Statesman music department asks, I oblige.
Willie Nelson once again stamps familiar standards with his ineradicable musical personality on his new album, “American Classic.” Nelson simplifies and slows down the tempos, then applies his tawny, world-weary voice to mostly melancholy lyrics, as he interprets songs from the mid-century catalog.
He leaves it to Joe Sample, Diana Krall and Norah Jones on piano, Christian McBride and Robert Hurst on bass and Lewis Nash and Jeff Hamilton on drums - along with dashes of sax, harmonica and organ — to supply the welcome jazziness.
Nelson had perfected this stripped-down strategy on 1978’s “Stardust,” recording immortal versions of “Georgia on My Mind,” “Blue Skies,” “September Song,” “Moonlight in Vermont” and the title song. Nothing on “American Classic” matches those intense refinements.
Nelson is weakest here in the duets with Krall and Jones, whose zesty playfulness contrasts with his drifting vocal responses. He regains his storytelling balance on “Angels Eyes” and he unspools homespun joy for “On the Street Where You Live.” Nelson saves the album altogether with his last two cuts, a soulful version of “Since I Fell for You” and a bigger-band retake of “Always on My Mind,” which he canonized in 1982.
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August 2, 2009
The WhoDo at Jovita's
Who suspected Lawrence Wright rocks out?
The WhoDo (or some of them)
The Austin author of substance (“The Looming Tower,” The New Yorker) slapped the keyboards (quite well) and sang (well enough) with the roots band, the WhoDo, at Jovita’s on Saturday.
Claire and Katie Breihan
Must be his alter ego, “Larry.” The South Austin assemblage delighted in the tunes, including a jazzy version of “The Eyes of Texas.”
Heyden and David Walker
Many in the crowd go back to Armadillo days (1970s). Others trace their Austin credentials even further back to Giant Armadillo Days (1950s).
Jim Hightower and Susan Demarco
One sweet lady coasted up to me, saying “Must be a slow weekend, if you’re covering this …”
Laura Castro and Daphny Dominguez
Truth is, I live spittin’ distance from Jovita’s, a short stroll across the steaming pavement, so a natural choice.
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July 18, 2009
Betty Soo and Fate
How often does this happen?
It’s a version of Jimmie Davis and Hank Williams’ “Lonesome Whistle.” My ears prick up.
In a hurry, I fail to find out the singer’s name. Oh well.
An hour later, I’m tapping away in the newsroom. I plop in a CD randomly selected from the promotional drawer.
It’s Betty Soo, an Austin singer-songwriter I’d admired, but never closely followed.
It’s lovely. Really lovely. Then the final track of “Heat Sin Water Skin” — a welcome title in this weather! — is Soo’s rendition of “Lonesome Whistle.”
The one from the radio.
The record, produced exactingly by Gurf Morlix, is a giant step up for Soo.
Go here for Joe Gross’ review (B+).
By the way, she’s the rare musician with a cool, accommodating Web site.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
July 15, 2009
Charlie Faye at Saxon Pub
In Austin, I fall in love every night …
Last night, it was with Charlie Faye …
Luke Fontenot, Mary Flynn
She’s an accomplished Austin singer-songwriter associated with the upgraded Americana line …
Mike Wacker, Lisa King
Faye introduced her CD “Wilson St.” at Saxon Pub — and the multivarious crowd could not be more pleased …
Ruby James, Ruby James (daughter, mother
This city is supremely blessed with talent. And this one was backed by a six-member band including over-arcing Will Sexton on guitar. Abra Moore contributed back-up vocals.
Deanna Kuykendall, David Holmes
This was my first Faye gig. It won’t be my last. Imagine adding one Austin act every week to one’s favorites list. How soon the musical wealth would pile up.
Permalink | | Categories: Music
July 9, 2009
Res Publica at Mohawk
A story unique to the Facebook Age …
Res Publica
Late Wednesday afternoon, Facebook alerted me that a Michigan band was playing at Mohawk that night at 8:30 p.m. Working on my iCal additions, I realized I could squeeze the gig in between two other social events. I made that whimsical decision because of the band’s name: Res Publica …
Heather Beckel, Alan Luecke
That means “commonwealth” or, in rougher Latin, “the civic thing.” Any band that employs ancient languages is OK with me. So I swam through the balm from my first party on Lower Congress Avenue to Red River Street. Paid my 6 bucks. Part of which went to Sudan relief. The band had started. And …
Brad Yeager, Shelley Ralph
They sizzled. Afro-Caribbean influences on a firm rock foundation. Tight rhythms. And lead vocalist Connor Ralph was channeling Jim Morrison ecstatically.
Audrey Huntsberger, Zach Ralph
I found out from Dell Inc.’s Alan Luecke, who greeted me on my arrival, how Res Publica made it to our fair burg. Turns out Alan knows the parents of one member of this Lansing act, and he passed along the word to James Moody of Transmission and Mohawk that these young musicians had dreamed all year of playing Austin.
Sloan Foster, Elise Flick
Magic. The artists even get to see Pinetop Perkins at Antone’s for his 96th birthday party. In the presence of legends.
Spencer Ralph, Peter Nelson
Connor — along with lead guitarist Sean Stynes, bass player Spencer Ralph, percussionist Peter Nelson and saxophonist Royce Phillips — are not ready for a formal review for such a short set. But keep an eye on the road from Lansing. You could be seeing another visitation during a future South by Southwest.
Guys, take heed from your final number: You are welcome here / There’s no need to fear
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June 26, 2009
"Thriller" or "Smooth Criminal" for choreography? You decide.
My response: “Thriller” broke new ground. Although it relied on the Bob Fosse triangle for core structure, the moves were revolutionary, influential. “Smooth Criminal” is sleek, more creative in it use of space and props, but more conventional, too, in the tradition of MJ heroes Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. MJ adds his astonishing little pops, kicks, leans and shimmies, but it remains firmly in the mainstream of theatrical dance.
Which is better? Depends on if you value impact and innovation (“Thriller”) over complexity and sophistication (“Smooth Criminal”).
You?
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June 25, 2009
Dart Music International Happy Hour at Tiniest Bar
Even when the temperature hits 100 degrees …
Kirish Dirkson, Melody Lemonds
Dave Dart can attract a decent crowd …
Fred Ensminger, Alan Benavides
for a fund-raising happy hour — competing with the final College World Series game — at the Tiniest Bar in Texas …
Beena Thomas, Sheetal Malhotra
to support Dart Music International …
Alexis Hanson, Kyle Pollard, Candace Copeland
the nonprofit group that promotes and helps international acts …
Haley Oyler, David Markaverich
during SXSW and year-round.
June 17, 2009
Moment of Silence: Tina Marsh
For decades, Marsh was identified with experimental jazz through Creative Opportunity Orchestra and with the dance community through her collaborations with Sally Jacques and others. She was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2008.
I recall a lunch with Marsh. She, like many established artists, couldn’t understand why the media didn’t produce more standard reports — previews, reviews, profiles, etc — about her and fellow artists. By the end of the lunch, what was obvious to everyone else dawned on Marsh, that her story never conformed to standard press formulas. She was an artistic law unto herself — and that was tough to cover in a conventional way.
Her death has lit up the online networks among Austin artists and fans. “It’s a profound loss for the arts and for so many of us who loved her dearly,” said philanthropist Carol Adams. “What a gift she was!” says fellow artist Lauri Raymond.
Jan Hill recommends joining the bclub in Marsh’s memory. The group raises emergency funds for breast cancer survivors, similar to the highly successful Octopus Club.
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May 31, 2009
Alpha Rev at Antone's
Am I going to become one of those annoying fans who insists that every live set from a particularly favored artist sound like the Platonic Ideal of my youth?
Set aside the obvious fact that my youth has long since passed. (In fact, one polite young man at Antone’s late Saturday asked, in essence, why an decrepit guy like me would show up for an Alpha Rev concert. He was reallypolite. As was everyone else I talked to before and after the midnight set.)
Katie Ferguson, Tyler Guthrie
Back to that Platonic Ideal. Saturday’s playlist — with a few additions — was exactly what I want to hear 20 or 30 years from now, no matter how many dozens of orchestral pop albums Alpha Rev releases.
Brian Chavez, Henna Bixler
That will not please Casey McPherson and crew. They are artists, after all. Like Joni Mitchell, they won’t want to paint “Starry, Starry Night” over and over, metaphorically.
Did not give their real names. Grow up.
Maybe they can include some of these songs — first recorded live more than a year ago and soon to be released on a national label with improved orchestrations — in their inevitable encores when they play arenas and such. And when somebody films their concerts in 3-D.
Brandon Gibbs, Rachael Gibbs
I’m getting ahead of Alpha Rev’s ascent. Roomier Stubb’s next. The wall-to-wall crowd at Antone’s predicts it.
Bryan Lambert, Emily Krol
BTW, I saw that Rare magazine picked the Rev as Rarest Austin band. Rare is way ahead of some scribes in the press scrum.
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The Belleville Outfit at Momo's
Every so often, a band comes along that radically renews one’s joy in Austin music.
Admission: I’m late coming to the Belleville Outfit. Rightfully, they’ve already been lionized by the music press.
Jessica Spence, Ian Villamin
Better late than never, don’t you think? After their CD-release set at Momo’s on Saturday, I eagerly joined the Outfit’s ragtag army of fans.
Becca Gonzales, Celeste
Austin likes artists who can’t be categorized easily. Just try to count the number of influences on this band that starts out with a bluegrass flair, then branches out into jazz, classical, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and honky-tonk in the space of a few songs.
Bas Rokers, Molly Cummings
The Outfit’s followers, who snapped up copies of “Time to Stand,” are suitably heterogeneous. A good number of the grayer folks may have heard the band’s playful appearance on KUT, or maybe they were family friends of the sprightly Fire Ants, the teen group that proceeded the headliners on stage.
Katy Larkin, Miranda Dawn, Mary Derosa
Anyway, don’t take my word for it. Sample the Belleville Outfit, then get in line to follow them where ever they go.
Jeremy Cohen, Stephanie Hunt, Dick Jarrell
May 30, 2009
Jeff Lofton at the Driskill Hotel Bar
I nominate Forrest Preece and Linda Ball as Best All-Round Downtown Residents.
You may recall that I posted about Jeff’s wife, Dean, earlier in the week. Soft-spoken, extravagantly dreadlocked Jeff’s a phenomenal jazz trumpeter, playing with a bassist and a drummer at the Driskill. Keeping the tone soft and the song selections drawn from the ballad repertoire, the trio matched the room optimally.
I watched the faces of the bar and hotel guests, astonished to find such a snazzy act in what essentially operates as an over-decorated hallway for the establishment. As Preece and Ball kept saying, “In New York, you’d be paying a stiff cover for this!”
You bet.
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May 28, 2009
Dean Lofton at Matt's El Rancho
If you are at all connected digitally — e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. — you know Dean Lofton.
She linked up with me at Matt’s El Rancho, however, to discuss IBuyAustin.com, the nonprofit that spreads the word about local businesses and business districts. She knew in advance I didn’t need conversion.
After all, I live two blocks from South Congress Avenue. There’s only one national chain there: American Apparel, and I can’t fit into their skinny clothes.
Lofton’s from South Carolina. She’s spent time in California and Colorado, too, but she seems more closely suited to Austin, which she calls “peachy.” (Her only linguistic concession to the Deep South.)
She had met — or rather re-met — Jeff after many years and other other relationships because they had played in the same school horn section at one time. Now, Dean is helping to raise Jeff’s child; all three are thriving in Austin.
It’s largely thanks to Jeff’s professionalism and Dean’s grassroots marketing skills that jazz has bumped up its Austin profile in the last year. Catch him at the Driskill Hotel, Elephant Room and elsewhere soon.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Business, Music
May 20, 2009
Your A-List, Best Album from the Last Year
Austinites produce scores of albums each year. So one might guess that the A-List vote on “Best Album from the Last Year” would be split among many artists.
Yet only two ended up in the serious running: Spin Alley’s “Victims” (34 percent of the vote) and the Gourds’ “Haymaker” (30 percent). Critically acclaimed Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears’ “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is” and Alejandro Escovedo’s “Real Animal” lagged far behind at 12 and 11 percent, respectively.
Populist Reckless Kelly’s “Bulletproof” swung for 9 percent. Kat Edmonson, whose set at the recent Paramount Gala excited a full house, came in fifth with 6 percent. Infectious Grupo Fantasma’s “Sonidos Gold” and Los Lonley Boys’ “Forgive” virtually tied at 9 percent.
Clustered together below 4 percent were Del Castillo’s “Del Castillo,” Riverboat Gamblers’ “Underneath the Owl,” Balmorhea’s “All Is Wild, All Is Silent,” Ruthie Foster’s “The Truth According to Ruthie Foster,” Eliza Gilkyson’s “Beautiful Word” Ian McLagan and the Bump Band’s “Never Say Never,’ Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada’s “The Alchemist Manifesto,” Ume’s “Sunshine,” Seth Walker’s “On the Outside,” Rapid Ric’s “What It Dew 5” mixtape, and Nakia’s “Water to Wine.
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May 11, 2009
Walt and Tina at The Crossings
I accepted the invitation because I had never been to The Crossings. Heck, I’d never even been to Volente, the village of 300 souls on the north shore of Lake Travis.
The buildings leading to an eye-catching view of the lake are arranged like a summer camp. The place radiates wellness and good will. I can see why people look forward to retreats at this holistic resort.
The Treehouse Cafe lies to the rear of the dining hall. Its high ceilings allow for a relaxation niche up among the treetops. Beer, wine and sparkling water can be had at a narrow counter downstairs.
Here I came to see Tina and Walt Wilkins, who host fellow musicians on the shallow stage. At first, they seemed like any other duo I’d heard while wandering the parks, lodges and resorts of the West. Both sported long, straight blond hair; to that, Walt added a Michael Murphy beard. Their patter spooled out, sweet, soft, as if delivered on public radio.
Yet as the set progressed, I heard more distinction in Tina’s piping voice and Walt’s resonant guitar-picking. Their songs, some written by Walt, revealed a purity of vision along with a largeness of heart.
This husband-and-wife duo are Americana music industry vets and know the entrapments of Nashville as well as the joys of singing for an ever-expanding circle of friends and family.
The two dozen guests looked supremely relaxed in lake-wear, golf-wear and western-wear. I imagine these free Sunday concerts will remain a treat for those in the know. And someday, I’ll return the The Crossings for another event among the scent of the cedars.
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May 4, 2009
HAAM Benefit at Congregation Agudas Achim
Joshua Newburger is a lucky Austin student.
Kristina Winters, Joshua Newburger, Ora Shay
Not only has he earned an excellent musical education, as evidenced by his violin performance on Sunday at Congregation Agudas Achim.
Sandra van Tilburg, Kees van Tilburg
But he also is receiving a socially connected education at the tiny Khabele School in Central Austin. Part of that program insists students devote two weeks out of the year to special projects; one of those must count as community service.
Mary Wood, Robin McKeever
Newburger chose the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians as his beneficiary, and staged a fundraiser with silent auction and reception, besides the concert. Now how many times does a high school student do all that?
Claire Nassaux, Micah Sutton, Aubrey Boozer, Theresa Woodsong
The concert was delayed a bit as the audience searched for the venue at the Dell Jewish Community Campus. I took the time to explore the synagogue. This Lake/Flato masterpiece is one of the finest buildings in Austin, a symphony of wood, concrete, metal and, of course, Texas light. Acoustics crisp. I could spend all afternoon there, if there weren’t other events …
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April 22, 2009
Your A-List, Best Rock Singer or Group
Almost tied with Ghostland was Americana act Reckless Kelly, also at 21 percent. Austin mainstay Bob Schneider came in third with 13 percent. Indie rock band Zykos took 6 percent, closely followed by singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo and Boxing Lesson. Okkervil River snuck up behind this tight cluster with 5 percent.
The list is long of those earning 3 percent or less — a good thing if you like democracy. They include Broken Teeth, Vallejo, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Angels, White Denim, Octopus Project, The Strange Boys, Patrice Pike, Shearwater, Gulf of Mexico, The Mercers and Tammany Hall Machine.
Lots of talent on parade.
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April 15, 2009
Your A-List, Best Recording Studio
Years ago, to record a really hot disc, musicians were forced to camp in Los Angeles or New York, or at the very least, Nashville. Now Austin is home to numberless high-quality recording studios, along with domestic improvisations that, because of the digital revolution, can equal the top products of the past.
Bismeaux stomped with 38 percent of the vote. Nelson’s own Pedernales Studios — with its magnificent equipment — came in second with 18 percent, while Xylo, unknown to this writer, picked up 16 percent.
Congress House came in fourth with 6 percent. Receiving 3 percent or less were Ohm, The Finishing Studio, Sweatbox, The Bubble, Wire Recording, Addison Studio, Cacophany, Murray Music, Music Land, Premium, Top Hat and Flash Point.
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April 14, 2009
DrumJam booms at Stubb's
Over the course of months, I continued to check in. Late Friday, I caught them inside at Stubb’s after the sold-out Blue October concert (outside). At my suggestion, theatrical director Dave Steakley, along with his partner, Tony Johnson, met me there. I also ran into SureFire Media’s Stephen Tatton, a sure spotter of emerging talent. He appeared to be on his way out after the marquee act, but stayed for the entire set instead.
DrumJam has evolved. Zack Attack, the charismatic guitarist, is now way more than a metal hair act in the making. He adds a controlled layer of wiry melody to the mix. Chris Saad remains the magnetic core of the band, focusing the audience’s attention and leading his cohorts in frenetic drum play. They all contribute, though, equally and with disciplined frenzy.
The band closed their set with mass audience participation, Saad bringing guests up on the stage. Steakley, king of such things, must have loved that.
(Later, Steakley, Johnson and I repaired to the Rusty Spurs and the attached bar next door. We ran into the owner who promised good news soon.)
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April 5, 2009
Austin talent galore: The Soldier Thread, 'Shooting Star'
Sometimes, I break down and do what I want to do. And that often means luxuriating in Austin’s bottomless pool of talent.
Late Saturday night, I caught the CD release party for the Soldier Thread, now among my top Austin bands, at La Zona Rosa. The artists kept apologizing for technical difficulties. Somebody must be an obsessive perfectionist, because this blend of alt and ambient — symphonic in its own right — was just right for me. (Before they took the stage, Pompeii, a longtime crush, proved they still have the stuff.)
Sunday afternoon, I strolled down to Zach Theatre to catch the very last performance of “Shooting Star,” a wise comedy about a former couple stranded in an airport. Austin is supremely lucky to have artists with the goods such as writer/director Steven Dietz, as well as actors Barbara Chisholm and Jamie Goodwin. You knew it was going to be worthwhile, but still … fantastic when they all deliver.
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March 19, 2009
O&A SXSW 33: Exclusive Perez Hilton Interview 2
For Part 1 of the Perez Hilton interview, see earlier post…
How do you know when an act is going to break?
It’s definitely something I’ve thought about. If the right opportunity presents itself, hopefully it will happen. Things don’t always go at the pace you’d like. I’m used to working on the Internet where everything is “now, now, now.”
Your party was the talk of last year’s SXSW. What drives this intense interest in your presence?
It’s not about me. it’s about the music. If I picked really bad people, nobody would show up. Because I’m passionate, because I have supported these artists in the past, they want to be involved. They hear, “So and so is going to do it, I’ve got to do Perez’s show. That’s a priority.” That’s great to hear as well.
But you will be there. That’s a draw.
I’m going to show up and be very Perez. I’ve chosen the most over-the-top outfit. The music industry people will cover the event, but I want the mainstream publications to talk about it as well. I want to get on some worst-dressed lists.
So many breakthroughs — technically, legally, tonally — have made you the gossip columnist of our time. To what do you credit this ascent?
Just hard work. I work harder than anyone. I don’t sleep much and I don’t have much of a life.
Are you still having fun?
Absolutely. Tons.
How long can you keep up this pace?
Another four years. Till I’m 35. I’ve given myself a limit. Not that I will retire. I’ll just work 8 hours a day, rather than 16. If I cut my work hours in half, I’ve gotta hire people. I don’t think it’s healthy to work like this for a more than a decade.
Hilton will sign “Red Carpet Suicide” at Bookpeople 2 p.m. Saturday.
“One Night in Austin” party is 7 p.m. Saturday at the Dell Lounge. Very limited access.
O&A SXSW 32: Exclusive Perez Hilton Interview 1
Lining up a phone interview with Perez Hilton, Queen of All Media, is only slightly less complicated than scheduling an audience with the pope. But once offered — through several filters of publicists and handlers — one can’t resist the temptation.
Our first telephonic attempts on Wednesday were frustrated by the late arrival of his Austin flight and the SXSW curse on iPhone connections. But eventually, we spoke with the ultra-hardworking columnist on Thursday.
Went to a couple of shows, and to a bar for one drink. Because my flight was late, I missed a lot of earlier shows. I did catch The Temper Trap and Aqualung. And I went to Oilcan’s. For a little bit. I can’t rage because I have to get up at 6:45 Austin time for East Coast radio shows. Good thing I don’t need booze to have a good time.
Your “One Night in Austin” event during SXSW on Saturday complements your informal role as musical tastemaker. What’s the guiding principle of your musical tastes?
What connects all them is they make good music. That’s it, really. Their genres vary, but the songs connect with me. A good song instantly catches your interest. There shouldn’t be much thought involved. You like the first time you heart it.
Looking at your lineup on Saturday, what connects Kraak & Smaak, Solange, Lady Sovereign, Margaret Cho, Ladyhawke, Little Boots, Ida Maria, Thunderheist, Rye Rye and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head?
Well, it’s all female performers and all guy DJs. It just sort of ended up that way. I definitely have a preference for female vocalists and I’m thrilled they will get a chance to rock out on Saturday. I think it’s the hottest lineup at SXSW ,if I can toot my own horn. I mean, there are acts (at the fest) like Tori Amos, but not this much talent at one place at one time. And they are from all over the world.
Why female vocalists? Is it because they express emotions more easily?
I tend to prefer solo artists over groups. When guys become musicians, they tend to be in bands. There are solo male singers, but they prefer groups.
More to come…
Hilton will sign “Red Carpet Suicide” at Bookpeople 2 p.m. Saturday.
“One Night in Austin” party is 7 p.m. Saturday at the Dell Lounge. Very limited access.
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O&A SXSW 31: Austin Music Awards
If anyone needed a full-immersion preview of the chthonic SXSW nights ahead, the 2008-2009 Austin Music Awards would have done the trick.
Jacquelin Innes, Ray Boyd
The mussy ceremony really does belong in the equally raw Austin Music Hall. Guests — some showing their years of hard living, others who have hardly lived — poured onto the main floor, spilled over into the balcony, crushed onto the terraces and slipped into semi-private VIP enclosures.
Julie Choffel, Jason Chang, Lizzie Choffel
In many ways, the ceremony, with its themed musical performances and endless acceptance speeches, reflects its origins in the Austin Chronicle — jumbled even as it is rigidly programmatic, endearingly opinionated if not always rhetorically effective, always in need of one last edit.
Kivett Bednar, Jennie White, Hudson Mueller
The Doug Sahm tribute attracted the most attention from close observers of the music scene.
John Sanchez, Lauren Gaines
The Awards, like the Chronicle, have always done an admirable job honoring certain slices of Austin’s cultural inheritance.
Tracey Ramsey, Karen Peterman
In many ways, the Hall of Fame is its finest contribution — all the inductees deserved permanent honors this year — but the Awards also recognize what’s happening on the street and with the critical community, thus the multiple nods for the Black and White Years and Alejandro Escovedo.
Emily Hoover, JD Cronise
Like many guests, I grew restless in the auditorium, and spent much time scanning the lobbies for familiar faces.
Noël Conley, Christine Ann, Raven
Most precious moment: Recognizing but not believing I had just photographed Ruthie Foster. Halfway through the spelling-of-her-name ritual, I yolwed: “I know who you are! I adore you! I’ve just never seen you so close up!”
Ruthie Foster, Katie Hostettler
Like many performers, Foster’s persona expands for the stage.
Zach Stetson, Ashley Schiltz
Then it was off to Mulberry, the wine bar across the street, which has doubled its capacity with outdoor seating. Out & About experience: At least one person from every group that entered knew me — or met me.
Mark Groutas, Stephanie Groutas
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March 18, 2009
Your A-List, Best Latin Group or Singer
Ages ago, the musical category “Latin Group or Singer” would have naturally attracted a long list of Tejano artists. No longer. Austin’s Latino music scene has diversified in a dizzying manner, leaving A-List voters with a hemisphere of candidates.
No. 3 on these particular charts was an old Austin hand who still retains a boyish charm — David Garza with 11 percent. No. 4 is one of the city’s ecstatically embraced bands — Grupo Fantasma with 9 percent. Critically lauded Alejandro Escovedo took 7 percent, while large-sound Del Castillo snapped up 4 percent.
Salvaging 1 percent or less were Brownout, The Brew, Manejo Beto, Patricia Vonne, Lila Downes, Los Bad Apples, Ocote Soul Sounds, Charanga Cakewalk, Kanko and Latin at Heart.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
March 11, 2009
O&A SXSW 2: Selling Mishka through Matthew McConaughey
A very professional firm has been pitching to anyone who will listen an interview with Mishka, a reggae singer signed as the first act on Matthew McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin’ recording label.
Well, the artist is virtually unknown in this part of the world. And his patron is Austin royalty. Why not a short interview with McConaughey to pump up interest?
Nothing doing, says the firm. A phoner with the nebulous singer or nothing. Predigested compliments from MM will be available.
Well, both parties will be in Austin for SXSW (official showcase, Stubb’s indoors March 19), so we’ll see who actually lands a credible interview with McConaughey about his fondness for Mishka. Meanwhile, we’ll borrow this quote from TwentyFour Bit Music News, which we assume graciously took the publicist’s bait.
“He’s intense,” Mishka said of the Hollywood star turned hit record producer. “Like I say, he’s a very grounded person, but he can be very meticulous. Going over everything with a fine-toothed comb. He wouldn’t overlook a single millisecond of recorded sound.”
Tip Jar: Out & About had planned to cover 100 parties during the 10 days of SXSW. Not gonna happen. Not with these roasted gams. Yet your social columnist promises to post 100 juicy SXSW reports with your help. Send news tips, street anecdotes, celebrity sightings and party pics (only the best) to mbarnes@statesman.com and check my Facebook, Twitter and austin360.com blog accounts for updates on your own good reporting. It’s my party and I’ll post if I want to …
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March 1, 2009
Jonas Brothers thrill Austin fans with surprise visit
When metal meets metal at a high speed, the collision produces a screech that could pierce a concrete bunker.
“I just touched Nick Jonas’ hand!” shrieked Ashley Volk, 15, into her cell phone.
Well, it wasn’t completely unexpected.
Early Sunday, reporters were bussed out to Austin Bergstrom Airport to meet the “Surprise Theater Invasion” entourage as they reclaimed earth from their Marquis Jet. The expertly managed press conference inside an airline hangar lasted only five minutes, then it was back to the theater as part of a police-escorted motorcade.
During those five minutes, though, the assiduously wholesome New Jersey siblings revealed a few details about the foibles of fame as Disney-fueled pop stars.
“In Spain, one crowd was so enthusiastic, we had to run through a mall to escape,” said Kevin, the eldest, side-burned brother. “And I read once that I was married to a Pakistani woman.”
“I read we were breaking up,” said Joe, the quieter, middle brother. “That didn’t happen. We did receive, as a gift, a dead shark in a glass tank.”
The Jonas clan has made several sneak attacks on fans during their movie’s opening week, including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Dallas.
“We also are doing some smaller towns like Austin and Charlotte (N.C.),” said Nick, the youngest, most theatrical member of the band. Nice to be included.
They called their Grammy Awards ceremony appearance with legend Stevie Wonder “inspiring,” then spun off some musical influences — Elvis Costello, Prince, Kings of Leon.
Later, at the theater, social temperatures rose in anticipation of the Visitation.
“I love it!” said Meredith Warren, 11. “I love Joe!”
“I love Kevin!” countered Avery La Rue, 11. “I love them all! When I get to school tomorrow, I’ll rub their noses in it.”
Addie Bueide, 8, burst out with a series of responses: “Excited. Nervous. Shaky. I’m going to scream. Loud.”
Sabrina Arispe, 8, likes the team’s music, movies and inherent cuteness, but her brother takes a different tack: “They’re funny,” says Ricky Arispe, 12.
Oh, kind of like the Monkees? Reference lost.
When the act entered finally entered the room, three hours after the first fans lined up outside in 40-degree weather, they spoke for less than a minute, then waded into crowd, buffeted by heavy security.
“It’s for the love of fans,” Nick said. “We wanted to make sure they were a part of this.”
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Movies, Music
February 25, 2009
Stray Austin celebrity news, including one last Clinton item
You might already know the emerging band No Show Ponies, whose CD, “The End of Feel Good Music,” arrives April 7. One of the Ponies, Ben Brown, caught up with Pres. Bill Clinton at the big initiative here, along with his fiancee, Courtney Spence, of the celebrated Austin Spence family. All three pictured.
Marshall Kuykendall dropped us a note saying that Haley Haiser, his granddaughter by the late Karen Kuyendall, is performing in the Kids Acting Theatre . Recall that Haiser is also related to humorist John Henry Faulk (Karen’s uncle) and movie actor Guich Koock (Karen’s brother). “It’s in the genes,” Marshall says.
Belated congratulations to Michelle Polgar and her team for “Cyrano de Bergerac” at Mary Moody Northen Theatre. It all the right romantic notes. Especially keen was MMNT’s new artistic director, David M. Long, as the panache-plashing Cyrano.
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February 20, 2009
IT'S WAR!
The sovereign state of Out & About declares total and permanent war on the outlaw tribe of music-club babblers, bags of wind, bigmouths, blowhards, chatterboxes, gabbers, gasbags, gossipmongers, jabberers, loudmouths, motor-mouths, windbags and yappers.
(Yes, that’s a synonymal selection from thesaurus.com.)
From now on, I vow to confront them with more than freezing looks and discreet remonstrations. They are the canker sores on Austin’s smooth-featured music scene.
And yes, I know Austin columnists far more brainy and influential than I have battled this biblically proportioned plague with little apparent success, but for me, it’s once more into the breach.
I sat on the “music side” of bar, aware from previous visits that the north section was more chatty, bleeding into the pressure-valve pool hall and always-occupied smoking perches outside.
In between sets, a couple of sandal-clad young men were hitting on two expertly groomed young women (“The Sandia Mountains are off the charts, man!”) to my left, while a clutch of co-workers mourned the end of a colleague’s relationship (“I want to fall in love with a woman — for a week.”)
All well and good. They were stationed just far enough away that, once the Hyland launched into his first plaintive song, I could ignore them. But just before his arrival, two ladies squeezed into the tiny zone between my bartsool and the one occupied by one of the well-groomed young women.
“We’re taking over this space, OK?”
Animated does not begin to describe their conversation (“I knew when I moved to Austin, I’d get a divorce!’). They chattered vigorously, then invited various unattached men to join their party, even as Hyland slowly cranked up his vocals in response.
At one point, an Earth-goddess of a woman — bless her — came over, smiled, hugged the women, then begged them to move to the other side of the bar. “We’re listening to the music,” she rather obviously explained.
They declined. No amount of head-craning or stool-scootching from my end helped. There was no place to sit otherwise, and I needed to sit at the end of a long social day.
Later, one of the chatterers disappeared, leaving her high-volume friend in conversational despair. So she turned to me — of all people! — to complain that some tall man was now blocking her view. What could I say?
I boiled. I fumed. Now I declare open hostilities. This outrage must end.
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February 18, 2009
Chatting up Madonna's DJ Enferno, Part 2
For Part 1, see post below …
So tell me a little about your Live Remix techniques.
What will you try to accomplish with the Pangaea crowd next Friday? Is it all planned, or do you respond to the audience’s physical cues?
The Pangaea gig is my straight club set-up, not Live Remix. These are never planned out and are always based on give-and-take between myself and the audience. You learn you’re not there to shove music down people’s throats, but you’re also not there to play jukebox. If you do it right, you can control the crowd, sure. Music touches on so many emotions, especially if people are drinking. (He laughs.) It becomes a dance between the DJ and the crowd. You can take them on a ride, take them to places they’ve never been.
I ask every DJ this: Short or long tracks?
It’s a matter of what’s relevant at the time. Sometimes it’s right to just play snippets, or mix quickly, or to give the audience a quick adrenaline boost. But then you just don’t cut them off. You have to know when to let it go, to let the song take its course. Still, nothing works all night. You have to watch the crowd and feel it out and know if you’ve gone too far. You can get the audience to listen to something they didn’t want to listen to in the first place, and you can see it in their faces: ‘Hey, I’m really getting into that.’
Photos by Douglas Sonders.
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Chatting up Madonna's DJ Enferno, Part 1
Eric Jao, spinning as DJ Enferno, will manipulate the crowd at Pangaea Feb. 27. The D.C.-bred spinner, 33, recently finished playing a key role in Madonna’s “Sticky & Sweet Tour.” (He was discovered at an Orlando club by her music director, Kevin Antunes.) During his debut with the hard-driving pop star, Jao didn’t just show off his turntable tricks, he was asked to help remix some of Madonna’s classic songs. Pretty cool by any standard.
We talked to Jao by phone. He sounded more like a serious, conservatory-trained composer or performer than your average DJ. Personally, I’m awed by what these guys can do when they get it right. You can bet I’ll drop by Pangaea that night.
Eric Jao: It was definitely sweet. Actually, it was an epic experience. It spanned a period of eight months, four months longer than the actual tour, including rehearsals and promotional tour.
Big change in your life?
Before that, I was doing all right with my own solo work. It’s a big change playing in a club environment for a couple thousand people, then being on stage — with the band the entire time — and with the biggest star in the world, performing for 75,000 people. It’s a different type of animal. At the beginning, there was the shock factor. I couldn’t believe I was there. Once I was there, I realized I’m working among the best at whatever it is they do — drummer, keyboard player, staff member, accounting … On one hand, it made me feel comfortable, but since it was my first experience of this type, I thought ‘I hope I can live up to what everyone else is doing.’ Eventually, I started to really realize I belonged here. Until you actually do that, you never know.
But you did more than that…
After the promo tour, another part of me was tested. Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, was on phone saying: ‘We want to keep getting your input on the creative process.’
What do you think Madonna was listening for?
She never said exactly what she wanted. She just said: ‘Keep talking, we want your input. Work directly with Kevin (Antunes).” I went from doing something performance-based, then I had this added responsibility of doing something creative, something vital to the flow of the show. I don’t do that for a living, so for her to see me in that role, it was a big deal. You can’t help but learn more about what you are capable of doing in such circumstances. That was another emotional boost.
More to come …
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February 15, 2009
Mandy Lauderdale at Aces Lounge
How to describe Miss Lauderdale of “Temptation Island” repute? (Oh, you thought we forgot? Never.)
A fine-featured Atlanta belle turned scandalous by New Orleans dixieland? A New York stage gypsy determined to scratch her way into the national limelight, one sculpted fingernail at a time? An accomplished vaudevillian who can turn any page from the songbook into a novelty number?
All of the above?
Lauderdale’s is the most theatrical cabaret act I’ve witnessed in Austin, replete with audience participation that would make Zach director Dave Steakley blush with envy.
Let’s see, she set up a kissing booth, staged a toenail-painting session, shimmied with her mom and sis, blasted “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with an endearing clown in a kilt. Come to think of it, she’s like an early, less raunchy, less sassy Bette Midler, caressed by class.
Her material is shaded light blue — woman-proud, man-crazy, faintly campy, slipping right into the Aces aesthetic. Lauderdale helped prove that Aces is one of the liveliest music stages in town. (Thrilled to hear the new club will be a SXSW venue.)
Lauderdale, you’ve got it.
Note: Photo is of Lauderdale at an earlier Belmont gig.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Music
February 4, 2009
Your A-List, Best Newcomer to Austin's Music Scene
The raw rockers, the Steps, gained entry into the Austin City Limits Festival — not once, but twice — the second time by winning the fest’s battle of the local bands contest. They do well at contests, drumming up 42 percent of the vote in a hotly contended A-List rally.
SXSW-headed songwriter Ben Mallott and his band came in second with 31 percent of the tally. Indie rockers Built by Snow took third with 18 percent.
After that, the vote drops off precipitously. T-Bird and the Breaks lead a parade receiving under 2 percent: Bellville Outfit, Harlem, Foot Patrol, Dana Falconberry, Goldcure, Joanna Barbera and Gospel Truth.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
January 30, 2009
The Hold Steady to play for Rachael Ray SXSW party
Last year, guests raved about a hot time at the Beauty Bar with Ray and the band-of-the-moment Raveonettes as well as the Cringe and Holy (Explextive).
She’s also throwing a pre-SXSW party in New York on Feb. 25 at Santo’s Party House, rocked by Semi-Precious Weapons, the Orion Experience and the Cringe.
January 28, 2009
Ear Candy: Jonathan Sacks, Jon Lord, Cameron Carpenter
Three micro-reviews that don’t fit into any category:
Jonathan Sacks “Fifth (S)eason” (Navona) I was thinking: This sounds like high-end soundtrack music. Then I remembered Sacks writes for the movies. Craggy and spare at times, orchestrally fulsome at others. The seriousness of the packaging is a little off-putting.
John Lord “Boom of the Tingling Strings” (EMI Classics) The Deep Purple artist pulls from whatever disparate sources — musical and emotional — that his life has provided. The title composition and accompanying “Disguises” pull more from classical than blues/rock.
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January 26, 2009
One World Gala
It’s easy staging a gala if you’re One World Theatre.
David Hubbard, Lidya Wati
You’ve got the right place. Performing arts venue upstairs. Lobby downstairs. Banquet tent in the plaza. Views of the green valley below.
Gloria Ward, J. Rene Ward
You’ve got long-lasting relationships with national and international artists, which is why high-note crooner Michael McDonald played One World’s fundraiser on Sunday.
Creek Ford, Cassie Ford
You’ve got a worthy cause, since the group, better known for its Bee Caves Road facility, educates schoolchildren about global arts. (That was its original mission.)
Peter Rehme, Harper Ford
You’ve got an unusual social mix, which includes folks from Lakeway and Barton Creek you don’t often see at Austin events, as well as stragglers from out of state. (I once compared the One World crowd to the Malibu set — tall, tanned, yoga-smoothed — but that’s not quite right.)
Gabe Young, Danielle Young
You’ve got the potential for an efficient catering affair, although, I must say, Sunday the nodal buffet strategy stretched out the dinner hour.
Ashwin Ghatalia, Bhanu Gatalia
You’ve got hardcore supporters who not only donate premium auction items, they also bid on them. (A classic guitar signed by all the Rolling Stones when for three or four times another signed by Brooks & Dunn. Not a big Brooks & Dunn crowd. Designer Marla Bommarito-Crouch and Vignette’s Neil Webber were big bidders.)
John D’Acierno, Jill Skinner
You’ve got certifiably adorable auction items, such as the Coton de Tulear named Muffinhead (later renamed Doobie), which went to a bidder who already owns two of these lap toys.
Nada Stearns, Muffinhead, renamed Doobie
You’ve got a natural audience in the attendant social media. (Note to organizers: Don’t seat the press together. We already know each others’ stories. If we are to report, we need fresh meat.)
Claire Winslow, Matt Pfohl
You’ve got a lovely hillside location that’s immeasurably improve by valet parking. For once, I was delighted to leave a fat tip to avoid navigating out of One World’s lower lot.
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January 24, 2009
Bass Concert Hall social scene with Estelle Shine & John Legend
The hype did not match the Long Center’s — by a long shot. But then again, the alterations were not as dramatic. Except out front, where Bass Concert Hall is a completely transformed building, ripe for social engagement.
Mindy Graves, UT Pres. Bill Powers
For the John Legend kick-off concert, Austinites flocked to the five lobbies, doubled in size. The welcome began in the capacious ground-floor lobby, continued to the third-floor cafe and fourth-floor private club. As one guest put it, the modern lounge feel of these areas felt “metropolitan.”
Dean Doug Dempster, Kath Anderson
UT President Bill Powers spoke, although the corner conversation nooks in the members club echoed every competing conversation. College of Fine Arts Dean Doug Dempster also addressed the mob, which included former Performing Arts Center Director Pebbles Wadsworth.
Paul Beutel, Cliff Redd
Dempster announced the incoming director of the PAC (for that news and more, go to Jeanne Claire’s blog).
Ann Butler, Michele Baylor
Representatives from the major Austin presenting houses were there: Cliff Redd and Paul Beutel from the Long Center; Ken Stein plus board members from the Paramount.
Andrew Heller, Mary Ann Heller
Ready for the entertainment were Zach Theatre’s Dave Steakley and partner Tony Johnson. (Later, Steakley interacted ecstatically with the opening singer.)
Kathryn Garvey, James Gorski
We ran into Mary Ann and Andrew Heller, both glowing from their inaugural ball experience (Andrew sang with the Austin Community College Jazz Band). Joanne and Chris Crosby huddled with Wadsworth, who looked beautifully relaxed in retirement.
Dr. Netsanet Hopkins, Quincy Hopkins
So were politicos past and present, such as Texas Rep. Dawnna Dukes and her predecessor Wilhelmina Delco, who shared stories, gleaned from a Wildflower Center gathering, of supreme politeness during the presidential inauguration in D.C. (She watched from the comfort of her home.)
Beverly Silas, Rob Lippincott
Also everywhere was former Mayor Roy Butler and his wife Ann, who has served on the PAC’s board for ages. I asked the mayor if he remembered the Bass opening in 1980. He smiled wisely and said, “I remember it, but not the year!”
Glen Hitchins, Melissa Hutchins
Others in attendance included Texas Cultural Trust honcha Amy Barbee, Shout editor Rob Faubion and his partner, JoeLane Schumann, hostess and assistant dean Sondra Lomax.
Mark Rosen, Kanitra Fletcher
I noshed on tiny deviled eggs and chocolates tipped with coffee beans, then settled into the slightly altered hall (see Jeanne Claire’s previous descriptions of the sound and decor improvements). Opener Estelle Shine lived up to her name and put smiles on the full house with her bouncy dance music. Sitting on the second row, I lost some of the front sound — and most of her words — but that was redeemed by proximity to her electric presence.
John Legend
That dear proximity was only amplified when Legend took the stage. The 30-year-old songwriter with the baby-boxer features knows he’s a smooth sex symbol and he played it to the hilt. If his songs soon start to sound alike, he never let his performance droop.
I didn’t drool. But I did dance.
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January 23, 2009
Grounded in Music at Gibson Guitar Showroom
I report on a lot of community-based charitable groups, or at least on their social events. Few have impressed me, right out of the gate, as much as Grounded in Music.
Katherine Patton, David Campbell
The group matches professional Austin musicians with needy youngsters in a program that’s recreational, educational and potentially life-altering at the same time.
Joe Garcia, Jessica Garcia
In just a few months, Grounded in Music was duplicated in Philadelphia and now other cities are looking at this little Austin miracle. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Austin is a steady partner.
Traci Goudie, Lindsay Hoffman
Yet here’s the most amazing thing: The annual budget is $20,000. Has that sunk in? $20,000 buys you almost nothing in most nonprofit situations.
SaulPaul, Gina Fant-Saez
There’s more: In one heart-warming event Thursday night, the group raised $35,000, says leader Joe Stallone.
Brett Robbins, Zach Baker
Austin TacoDeli catered. Gibson Guitars lent their expanded showroom. Musical instruments were auctioned. Pretty darn good for such a boostraps operation.
Scott Morrison, Lori Morrison
We heard various musicians, including a trio of young rappers and soulful Nakia (not together).
Lainey Fisher, Jeff Fisher, Surrenden Gillespie
But feeling a post-inaugural energy lag, I didn’t stay for exquisite songsmith Patty Griffin, the reason so many had paid to attend.
Sean Garrison, Leah Bystrom, Jeff Etheredge
Well, I’d heard her at the KUT Anniversary Party just a few months ago, so…
Martha Dillon, Frances Rivera, Mary Ermel
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January 16, 2009
Ear Candy: The Soldier Thread
Regular readers will recall my previous scribblings on modern Austin bands. And music critics tell me, sometimes helpfully, sometimes dismissively, that my favorite Austin acts of late descend from strands of Beatles, REM, U2, Mogwai and Coldplay DNA. And this is a Stones town, not a Beatles redoubt.
Recently, I added the Soldier Thread to my addiction list that has recently included Ghostland Observatory, Ghost of the Russian Empire, Pompeii, Alpha Rev, Jets Under Fire, Meridianwest, Explosions in the Sky, Baker Hotel and, in a more historical or soundtrack-like vein, Noise Revival Orchestra, Grupo Fantasma, White Ghost Shivers and Asylum Street Spankers. (Some of these acts are already defunct or on the way to extinction, I fear.)
The Soldier Thread has now released “Shapes,” which thickens their fine live work with textural agents from Tosca String Quartet, Kullen Fuchs and Lars Goransson, who also produced the album for the core group: Todd Abels, Patricia Lynn, Justin McHugh and Drew Vandiver.
It’s splendid from beginning to end. The basic rhythm seems to derive from New Wave antecedents, guitar from the so-called Epic line, harmonizing vocals from various tensile traditions. Yet the strings, and, to a lesser extent, horns and keyboards, give the band a distinctive edge. Or, perhaps, they soften that edge. More thoughts on another day.
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January 9, 2009
Ear Candy: Joshua Bell, Denis Matsuev, Zuill Bailey, Boston Baroque
Denis Matsuev “Unknown Rachmaninoff” (RCA Red Seal). Buy this album today. Matsuev, who won the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition, peels away the encrustations on Rachmaninoff’s lesser known piano works (plus a couple plums reinterpreted).
Zuill Bailey “Russian Masterpieces for Cello and Orchestra” (Telarc). Just when we despaired of finding radical cello talent, we stumble on Bailey — OK we’re late to the brand — who reinvents conversant Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Another highly recommended.
Joshua Bell “Vivaldi: The Four Seasons” (Sony Classical) and Boston Baroque “Vivaldi: The Four Seasons” (Telarc). You want a soloist pulling out the fine threads of an over-familiar composition? Go with Bell. Want something along antique lines? Boston for you. Two lovely Geminiani come with it.
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January 8, 2009
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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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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January 7, 2009
Your A-List, Best Hard Rock/Metal Group
Coming in Numero Uno is glammy, New York Dolls-ish Broken Teeth, with 20 percent of the vote. Not far behind is Sword with 18 percent. Tia Carrera and Super Heavy Goat Ass (would love to have witnessed that band-naming session) follow with 12 percent and 10 percent respectively.
Whore of Babylon hustled up 8 percent, while Honky and Grady split the difference at approximately 7 percent. Devil’s Right Hand pulled off 5 percent. Cashing in at 3 percent or less were At All Costs, New Disaster, Amplified Heat, Supercrash, Set Aflame, Rhoades Diablo, Ruins of Honor.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Music, Your A-List
December 31, 2008
Your A-List, Best Music Store
The shatteringly popular choice for austin360 readers is — ta da! — Waterloo. The local biz with the longtime local buzz tuned into 58 percent of the vote. Was there ever any doubt?
Music Mania lagged far behind with 14 percent and Cheapo chimed in with 12 percent. The Half-Price Books chain got 4 percent, narrowly beating out End of an Ear, Antone’s, and Sound on Sound. Bringing up the rear with less than 2 percent were the nevertheless fascinating resources Encore, Backspin, DJ Dojo and Friends of Sound.
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December 24, 2008
Your A-List, Best Place to Buy New Records
Where’s the best place to buy new records? Our A-List voters overwhelming chose a shop that serves as a poster child for local businesses. Waterloo Records, which earned 67 percent of the vote, not only provides a pleasant, welcoming place to browse, it stages countless special events — a proven way to personalize and socialize the music experience.
Antone’s, with its deep, broad collection of blues and related forms, came in second with 7 percent. Cheapo Discs, the warehouse-style retailer of discounted and recyled records, came in just behind. End of an Ear, the South First haven beloved by afficiandos, nabbed 5 percent, while multiply located Half-Price Books and Backspin tied with just under 4 percent. Copping less than 3 percent were Austin Record Convention, DJ Dojo, Music Mania, Sound on Sound and Friends of Sound.
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December 14, 2008
Alpha Rev for Guardian Angels
I don’t want to know. Mystery increases the attraction. Late Friday at their Christmas show, I found, once again, during an Alpha Rev concert, I didn’t care. Let music writers dissect the styles and chronicle the histories. For once, I just want to be transported by an Austin musical act.
Without a doubt, others agree with me. As always with Austin shows, I was not the youngest or oldest in the fairly full Antone’s house, not the most dressed up or the least, not the most fanatic nor the most cynical. I just drifted in the crowd and considered myself blessed to live in their city and afford the opportunity to hear them virtually whenever I want.
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December 10, 2008
Your A-List, Best Music Festival
Stranger things have happened. Yet it sends a little shock to the system to find that Heart of Texas — also known as the Heart of Texas Quadruple Bypass Music Festival and Texas Rockfest — won the A-List vote for best music festival. Ten years old, the March event receives a tiny fraction of the attention lathered on SXSW or ACL. Here, it trumped both with 48 percent of the vote. Not content, the fest’s fans increased its lead — RockFest won with 35 percent last year.
ACL came in second with 28 percent; SXSW third with 14 percent. All the rest — Kerrville Folk Fest, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Old Settler’s, Extreme Texas Metal Fest, Raggae Fest, Urban Music Fest and Chaos in Texas — accrued 3 percent or less each, totally less than 10 percent combined.
When will that blizzard hit?
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December 7, 2008
Guy Forsyth & Asylum Street Spankers at Cactus Cafe
The Cactus Cafe stands for the highest quality concert music, amplification and social intimacy. That they would pair singer-songwriter Guy Forsyth and the Asylum Street Spankers for a semi-holiday show pleased the Cafe’s core audience, heavy on post-doctoral, post-Armadillo beards, ponytails and tattered jeans.
During the late show at the Cactus on Saturday, Forsyth commanded attention with his center-of-gravity presence and undistorted man’s voice (how seldom we hear that in this business). His songs, for the most part, avoid sentimentality, bitterness or melancholy, which pleased a crowd not gathered for those emotional crutches. Wish I could have seen more of his instrumental work, but a standing patron decided to park his body right in the aisle, cutting off the view for about 12 people behind him.
Before the Spankers show, lead artist Wammo whisked past me in the hall, mentioning that he remembered hearing the cast album of “Skyscraper” in my West Campus house. That must have been the mid-1980s, when I was still foisting bad musicals on captive students, friends, anyone who would listen. Loved those bad musicals. Still do. But only purists should listen.
His group — started with Forsyth, before the retro hipster thing really took hold in Austin — skips from one historical style to another, adding contemporary twists and playful lyrics. Even throat-singing gets a hearing. It’s a joyful, full-out show showcasing at least four singers and amazing instruments, a combination that the audience adored. I don’t know what it would take to reintroduce this band to a larger range of Austinites, but it should happen.
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December 6, 2008
Masquerade Ball with Noise Revival Orchestra at the Beauty Bar
Summoning the spirit of Florenz Ziegfeld, Erte or Busby Berkeley, one costume doubled as a gown and a draped pastry display. Among the first performers — after the Southern Comfort hot hour — were practiced burlesque dancers, one performing adroitly to a naughty Eartha Kitt song (is that redundant?). And where did all these women in their twenties learn the art of a performance form that died out 40 years ago? Did every high school in Texas stage “Gypsy” during the past decade?
Anyway, the show followed a vaudeville structure, climaxing with the marquee act, the Noise Revival Orchestra, a dozen or so young musicians who blend jazzy horns, soulful singing and an elevated soundtrack sensibility for long, symphonic songs. (One of the members dropped a flash drive on me at Ame Shillington’s D-List party earlier this year. Smart move.) By 1 a.m., I was totally hypnotized. My only complaint: The stage is too low for seated musicians. Only the first few people in the crowded club could see the whole action.
Promo picture from The Jezebelles, The Goddesses of Go-Go Dancing. For incredible shots of the party, see the A-List gallery.
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December 1, 2008
The Ear Candy 3: Renaud Capucon, Xuefei Yang, Frederick Moyer
The Ear Candy 3 turns now to classical albums that deliver small surprises.
Xuefei Yang “40 Degrees North” Classical guitarists must fight over-familiarity with the core repertoire. Chinese-born Yang battles this by pairing Spanish nuggets with arrangements of Chinese traditional music. Clever.
Frederick Moyer “Edward McDowell/Clara Schumann” The mid-major Romantics of this album’s title provided the two epic piano concertos. Moyer stirred the waters by recording McDowell’s No. 2 with a obscure Bulgarian orchestra and the Schumann with a Midi Orchestra of sampled sounds. Try to tell the difference.
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November 25, 2008
The Ear Candy 3: O'Death, Bigbang, Randy Hauser
O’Death — “Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin.” Wailing hillbilly punk. At first, repugnant. Then one is swept into the entangled rhythms. The musically and theatrically sophisticated blend of humor and horror recall Graham Williams and White Ghost Shivers.
Bigbang — “From Acid to Zen.” Throwback harmonic rock. Too mellow by half. Wouldn’t be worth a second or third listen if it wasn’t for the occasional rougher edge or wiser lyric.
Randy Hauser — “Anything Goes.” Standard-issue country. Down to the arrogant honkytonk and God cliches that don’t add up. But Hauser is a catch-happy tunesmith with a plummy voice and, in this case, an extremely sympathetic producer. Lots of commercial potential.
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November 24, 2008
Guest blogger Alison Willis: Red River Street
We’ve been working on the December XL club and bar guide. Guest blogger and St. Edward’s University student Alison Willis provided this excellent run-down on the Red River Street scene. Remember, these are her conclusions.
Emo’s: A name synonymous with live music for many years now. In addition to a small indoor dive-y venue, Emo’s also has a large outdoor venue that attracts many big-name artists. They also run a lounge next door, but I heard that they were closing it to put in El Sol Y La Luna (a restaurant on Congress). Not sure when that will happen or the details. Also known for the nastiest bathrooms in town.
Plush: A lounge club that specializes in dance, hip-hop, primarily DJ-based music.
Elysium: Goth-y dance bar straight out of the ’80s.You will see people clad in black with tons of eyeliner looking like they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They also have a good ’80s night, where old people like me can dance to all the favorites from high school and junior high. They also attract a gay/lesbian crowd. Elysium features live music from time to time.
Beerland: Dive bar featuring live music. Usually punk-y bands, with a good mix of indie and garage thrown in. Problemmatic sound if you happen to be playing there. Love the name.
Red-Eyed Fly: Another dive bar. Has good-sized stage and bar in outdoor area. Think that this bar is mostly metal and hard rock, with a few hair metal-ish bands thrown in for good measure.
Room 710: Live music. Metal, metal, metal! Used to be a little more diverse in its musical tastes, but seems to be steering towards the heavier bands these days. Gutter punks and aging metal musicians (the old skool Red River crowd) are at home here.
Headhunters: The name says it all. Another bar that caters to old skool Red River crowd. Usually the same mix of people. Metal and hard rock.
Stubbs BBQ: Premier live music venue. Music featured outdoors and indoors. Outdoor area showcases touring bands that have achieved a larger measure of success. Indoor is more local bands and smaller touring acts.I heard that they were doing a renovation of the outdoor area to make the stage more accessible and expanding to make the capacity higher.
Club Deville: A hipster hangout. Great outdoor area that now features bands often. Indie-rock is the main staple at this joint. Mostly local bands, but sometimes touring bands are featured.
The Mohawk: Another hipster hangout for the late-twenties/thirtysomething set. Owners have been successful in turning this formerly cursed location into a crucial component of the live music scene. Indie-rock/pop/dance touring acts frequent the outside stage, while the inside stage keeps it mainly local. Transmission Entertainment, which features Graham Williams, the former booker of Emo’s, and another local booker, Rosa Madriz, is the main reason this bar is so successful.
November 19, 2008
Checking into Baker Hotel
Barrett contributes keyboards and vocals to a pop band called Baker Hotel. They’ve played the Tiniest Bar in Texas, Uncle Billy’s and Saxon Pub, among other gigs in their first year or so together. They trace their roots to rock, folk and, especially, Southern antecedents.
I’ve been listening to their samples on MySpace and on their dedicated Web site. Songwriter Carter Beckworth starts with a clear, clean concept of melody and an accessible, light touch with lyrics. You hear shades, not tones. The instrumental mesh is hospitable, and it rests reliably in a recognizable comfort zone, which is not a bad strategy for a still-evolving band.
I’ll catch them as soon as I can.
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November 18, 2008
Getting to know Reuel Meditz, with or without shirt
So, after much jockeying for the right hour, I met Reuel Meditz for coffee. Big, cool, moist eyes. Husky voice, perhaps from a cold. A font of enthusiasm about his composing career, his new keyboard CD, “A Journey of Dreams,” and his singular path in the music industry.
Meditz grew up in the Metroplex, attended a small private school (Kolbe Academy) and moved to Austin with his family when his grandmother grew ill. Inspired by KMFA’s “Film Score Focus,” all the classically trained artist ever wanted to do was compose movie music. You don’t hear that line every day. (As always, the best way to get to know someone better — befriend them on Facebook.)
So how did he end up working at Cuba Libre and modeling — sans chemise — at W3LL? (“Pays the bills,” he says.) He started out at Abercrombie & Fitch, which would explain his blitheness on our first meeting. But he spends almost all his time working on scores, like the one for “My South, My Soul,” a PBS show still in production. (In fact, he was tinkering with lyrics in a notebook when I arrived at Jo’s.)
Meditz’s music is melodic, plumply scored and entirely right for movies. He’s working on his live performance chops and plans to add a vocal element. If he’s as charismatic onstage as he is sitting in an Austin coffee shop — or just serving drinks — Meditz will thrive. (As always, the best way to get to know someone better — befriend them on Facebook.)
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Coldplay's Chris Martin in town?
Makes some sense. The band plays Houston tonight and Dallas on Wednesday.
Why didn’t the tour organizers add the Erwin Center on Monday or Thursday, making for a Texas triad? Women’s basketball is booked on both nights, for one.
Or has Coldplay grown too big for Austin? The smallest market on this leg of the arena tour is Salt Lake City with 2.7 million. (Central Texas: 1.5 million.)
I’d scour the city streets for reports of Coldplay artists sitting in with some local band last night, but it was Monday, after all, darkest night of the week. Tips?
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November 17, 2008
The Ear Candy 3: Vintage Cinema
“Film Music by Bernard Herrmann” Austin Symphony Orchestra conductor Peter Bay is a big Herrmann fan. So am I. Expressive music of the highest quality from “Citizen Kane” to “Taxi Driver.” Soundtracks of my life. “Psycho” is the headliner here, but there’s so much more, including the weirdly whistled theme to “Twisted Nerve.”
“The Essential Michael Legrand: Film Music Collection” Tinkling pianos. Aching strings. Sentiment and melancholy. More soundtrack of my life, or perhaps of my romantic adolescence: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “Summer of 42,” “The Thomas Crown Affair” I had almost forgotten the once ubiquitous “Brian’s Song.”
“Vintage Cinema” (Cincinnati Pops) — The big symphonic scores of epic movies, mostly from Hollywood’s Golden Era. The kind of shows you’d hit during a rainy matinee — and dream all week of Taurus Bulba or the Sea Hawk. Swept away in the tempest of images and sound.
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Jeff Buckley Tribute at Lamberts
God bless Kristina Vallejo. Every year, the St. Edward’s University teacher and administrator organizes a Jeff Buckley tribute. No mere worship service for the late artist, it’s evolved into a community get-together, with local musicians and music-lovers gathered around the warm hearth of Buckley’s tunes.
Luckily, American-Statesman spark plugs Isadora Vail and Brandon Cobb were there to fill me in. Unluckily, I had reserved merely an hour for the tribute on a busy Saturday night, and the show started 90 minutes after I arrived (I should be used to this by now). So, adjusting my schedule, I heard a few songs and, the next day, downloaded “Grace,” Buckley’s only album completed in his lifetime, therefore the one maintaining full artistic integrity, according to Cobb.
I love being able to say this: I underestimated Buckley. Others may treat him with too much reverence because of his early death and ephemeral beauty. I’m just glad to be a johnny-come-lately. An oh yeah, I haven’t made an Alpha Rev reference so far this week. Indeed, as Reed Barrett of Baker Hotel points out: “Star of Wonder” is Alpha Rev’s “Hallelujah.”
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November 13, 2008
The Ear Candy 3: The Chemical Brothers, John Adams, Conspirare
I give up. No more extended CD reviews for Out & About. Just doesn’t work. So I’m taking a page from Matt Dentler’s inspired blog. He publishes a frequent feature: “Five New Albums Worth Your Dime.” Well, CDs, even at Cheapo, cost more than a dime. So I’m going with “The Ear Candy 3.” Yeh, it’s close to the name of a Seattle critic’s blog, a magazine and musical equipment company. But not everything can be original. And titles are exempt from copyrights and trademarks.
Conspirare/Tarik O’Regan: “Threshold of Night.” Can we come up for a new word for “haunting”? O’Regan’s compositions escape like scents from a warm room. Craig Hella Johnson’s Austin-based choir floats along with each suggestive, mostly melancholy atmospheric.
John Adams: “A Flowering Tree.” This opera in two acts, based on a South Indian tale, returns the masterful California composer to his most dramatic and decorative, at the same time. Recalls as much Zemlimsky and Mahler as much as his minimalist roots or his Asian influences.
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November 11, 2008
Late catching the MP3 train
A full 10 years after the MP3 phenomenon gathered musical steam, I jumped on board. (Does anyone appreciate that I used a 19th-century locomotive expression to describe a 21st-century phenomenon?)
I was not completely ignorant of the digital music format. By accident, I had uploaded CDs into my iTunes Music component. That was convenient, up to a point. But I already owned the CDs, and I’m not an iPod kind of guy. Music players abound in every space I occupy.
Still, I had never purchased an MP3 at the iTunes Store or Amazon or anywhere else. Until today. That’s when Monica at the Barton Creek Apple Store melted my intimidation over a process that everyone under 50 must enjoy on a regular basis.
I purchased one song for 99 cents, then synced my MacBook Air with my iPhone. Viola! Ten years late, but now a part of the game.
The first song? I’ll let you guess. Three cues: “V.L.V.” A band that sounds like my favorite Austin acts of the moment. Toyota Center in Houston.
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November 10, 2008
Mixing it up for the Golden Hornet Project
When Victoria Corcoran says attend to an event, I attend. Questions can wait. Still, when I showed up at her South Austin home, on Sunday, I wasn’t quite sure what was in store. After all, the development consultant for nonprofits collects such a varied group of friends, matching her eclectic cultural tastes, which run from punk and rock to jazz and classical. (The woman knows more about contemporary art than almost anyone else in town.) So we all pulled up our chairs to find out what the afternoon had in store.
Landscape designer Jeff Neal and management consultant Barbara Engel
“You are here because you love music,” she told the 20 or so guests, which included philanthropist and National Instruments leading light Jeff Kodoksy and visionary projectionist Luke Savisky (who just won a Creative Capital grant for a project in Marfa), as well as board members from groups Corcoran advises.
Luke Savisky, Paige Swift
We listened to snippets of music by Graham Reynolds and Peter Stopschinski of the Golden Hornet Project. They are assembling the creative elements for their next set of symphonies, set for May 2 as part of the Fusebox Festival. These founders of Austin’s underground classical scene — both from rocker backgrounds — presented recorded and live music with effortlessly dry wit.
Graham Reynolds, Victoria Corcoran, Catarina Sigerfoos, Jeff Kodosky
If you want to back the symphonies in the making — the sixth for both of them — I’m sure Victoria will find a way for you to help.
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November 7, 2008
Guest blogger Ian Gillespie: Bob Dylan vs. Mariah Carey
Some readers have wondered who our guest bloggers have been this week. Students in the St. Edward’s University Entertainment Journalism class. The same group contributed the House of Torment fragments.
Today, Ian Gillespie pits two very different musicians against each other in What’d I Say.
Now if I had to pick anybody in the world to hit a high C, it would be Mariah. On top of that she earned 18 No. 1 singles, the most for a solo artist in the U.S.; she also tucks five Grammys under her belt. But despite all of her success and talent, Mariah is not necessarily who I want standing behind the microphone. Now I admit, I have listened to her music sparingly, but when I have heard it I only hear a voice. She sounds like a producer told her to sing this way. No edge, no real distinctiveness.
Now I don’t mean to put Mariah down, she could do things with her voice that seem impossible. But I’ll take Dylan every day of the week.
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November 6, 2008
Reconsidering Elgar: The Collector's Edition
At times, the eminent Victorian not even considered part in their company — too emotional, too picturesque, too provincial. Elgar is all those things. Yet with virtually no formal training and life spent only intermittently refreshed by the mainstreams of new music, he produced a large, ripe repertoire of Romantic scores and some of the finest orchestrations of his time.
All this comes to mind because, in San Francisco, Kip purchased EMI Classics’ “Edward Elgar: The Collector’s Edition.” That would be 30 CDs of varying quality, including symphonies, marches, concertos, sontatas, dances, cantatas, oratorios and, of course, glorious choral music. Listening to it this week in sequence reveals a composer who, while conservative in form, toyed with all sorts of inventions within those constraints. He deserves better from our time.
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October 28, 2008
Pompeii & Soldier Thread at La Zona Rosa
That CD is ages ahead of the band’s earlier efforts. We’ll let the critics parse its particular qualities, but vocalist Dean Stafford’s contributions have grown both more supple and more accessible. The act is coming into its own, thanks in part to its evolution from mere ambiance to pop transcendence.
The Soldier Thread depends in part on a new Austin essential — symphonic use of strings, horns, keyboards, woodwinds, strings and guitar, played out in long chord progressions and subtle dynamic interplay. So for those of you keeping score, that would also include Ghostland Observatory, Explosions in the Sky, Alpha Rev, Ghost of the Russian Empire, Grupo Fantasma, White Ghost Shivers, Del Castillo, Jets Under Fire and the former Meridianwest.
Who else would you nominate?
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October 21, 2008
Save Austin Music at One World Theatre
Like certain other events on this busy weekend, the Save Austin Music fundraiser started slowly, but swung definitively upbeat once the artists started playing. Politicians rubbed shoulders with hard-core musicians on the plaza where Hartt and Nada Stearns plan a new amphitheater at One World Theatre.
Hartt Stearns, Paul Oveisi, Dan Dyer
That’s right—the former Iluminada is now Mrs. Stearns.The longtime couple and owners of One World got married in a surprise Nevada ceremony. They hid their wedding gear from their families in order to spring the happy event on them. So romantic.
Lea Koury, Michael Hale
Save Austin Music appears to have grown up alongside the Austin Music Task Force’s studies on the future of the city’s artistic infrastructure. The best explanation came from musician and budding entrepreneur Greg Vendetti, who talked about the kinds of changes in civic culture that would be needed to keep Austin musical.
Tracy Cook, Shannon Cook
Public request: Greg, send me three paragraphs so I can share with readers.
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October 1, 2008
Kyle Park's 'Anywhere in Texas'
Kyle Park is upbeat. Breakups and other adversities don’t break his spirit. His mood, like his music, spirals up and up and up.
The Central Texan is good at evoking the concrete: The feel of a blanket on a cold night, the moonlight hung above a summer trail. (Actually, weather reports might appear a little too frequently in “Anywhere in Texas.”)
His big subject, however, is lovin’.
Young lovin’, married lovin’, cheating lovin’. Especially the physical manifestations of lovin’.
Park seduces with his confident, almost athletic sensuality in “Living Room Loving,” “Don’t Look,” “Day by Day,” “A Woman Like You,” “The Other Man” and “First Day of Summer.” Even in songs of lost or losing lovin’ — “Cold in Colorado,” “Baby I’m Gone,” “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” “Nightmare and a Dream,” “These Days” — he still beams with the promise of tomorrow’s romance underneath the sigh of melancholy.
The album’s title song is country’s umpteenth paean to our big state, written as rejection of Europe after a short musical tour. Even homesickness turns upbeat at Park’s hand. He ought to give foreigners another chance — your first out-of-country tour is going too be like “Survivor,” no matter who you are, and don’t order Jack and Coke overseas — because Park is authentic enough to avoid the commercialized Nashville trap, while writing songs catchy enough to saturate the airwaves.
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September 29, 2008
Who dropped by the Blender Lounge & Lamberts during ACL?
Logistics prevented me from hanging out at the Blender Lounge at the American Legion Hall, dubbed the “Music Mansion” during ACL.
Andrew Van Wyngarden of MGMT and Nathan Felix of TNRO
But we’ve got Mansion sources, who said they saw Carla Gugino (“Spy Kids,” “Entourage”); Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) and wife Melissa; Jamie Hince (the Kills); Taylor Kitsch and Derek Phillips (“Friday Night Lights”); Nicole Atkins and the Sea; Austin indies What Made Milwaukee Famous; 1970s-inspired the Black and White Years; Roky Erikson’s band - Spiritualized and the Octopus Project.
Meanwhile, over at Lamberts, one of many sit-ins: MGMT dropped in to check out the Noise Revival Orchestra with DJ Jester the Filipino Fist. At 2 a.m., the artists of MGMT made their way to the stage, much to the delight of TNRO.
Got more sightings? Send ‘em in.
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September 26, 2008
Paste & Moximity parties -- and in between
Where does one find a glockenspiel at the last minute in Austin? If you’re Mates of State from San Francisco, playing the Paste magazine pre-ACL party at Emo’s on Thursday, you turn to Austin’s Quiet Company, which once again had made the Final 5 cut during the Sound and the Jury contest the previous night. They just happen to be hauling around a portable set of the orchestra bells.
Rebecca Ewing, John Erik Metcalf
Paste Party host Tim Basham, welcomed industry types to the ultra-cool upstairs lounge at Emo’s, which apparently has been there for a while. Big hit at the party: The austin360.com Twitter mode. I entered the above item, shortened, into my iPhone via Twitter and seconds later it appeared on the lounge’s giant iMac for all to see. Paste editors were very interested in the technique. (No photos were allowed at that party? Why? These guys love publicity.)
Larry Chiang, CEO of Duck9 and writer for GigaOm; Angela Tang, Bare Essentials
How often does one witness a street crime in Austin? On a huge tourist weekend? Just after 10 p.m. — between the Paste pre-ACL party at Emo’s and the Moximity launch party at the Belmont — a woman screamed at Congress Avenue and Sixth Street. “Stop him!” Fleet friends chased the perpetrating purse-snatcher north on Congress. After a block, your 53-year-old reporter ceased pursuit.
Jason Black, Drew Dunlavy
Still don’t know exactly how Moximity links all your social media, but sounds like a helpful service. Considerate Bryan Jones threw a lovely party for the new company at the Belmont. Too bad the audience began to abandon the mesmerizing Dublin band, Automata. Omar Gallaga reported some drama from the TechCrunch panels earlier in the day.
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Stan Watts, Illustrator of Anxiety, Part 3
Continued from posts below…
Watts’ biggest triumph — an album cover with a “Silence of the Lambs”-like mask for one-hit wonders Quiet Riot — also represented a low point in his business acumen.
“When I met them, they were practicing in a hand-made studio next to a Midas brake store,” Watts remembers. “I thought: ‘These guys are not going anywhere.’ I did the job for just $2,000 (with no royalties). The album went triple platinum. They sold that image on everything. Just when MTV started, I walked by the television to see a Quiet Riot studio concert. The camera panned audience and everyone wore a plastic replica of the mask I made. It as a real freak-out moment.”
Watts was primed for big profits when the second album Quiet Riot came out — his contract was “the size of the New York phone book” — but the recording tanked. He was never into QR’s music anyway, preferring classical or class rock from his youth, acts like Led Zeppelin.
“I don’t lift a brush without music on,” Watts says. “I get lost in it”
To be continued…
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September 24, 2008
Beats 'n' Treats Music Festival coming soon
Carson met me for sushi at Maiko to preview the upcoming Beats ‘n’ Treats Musical Festival. Inside and outside at the Mohawk on Oct. 24-25, it will feature acts such as DJ Veedub, Blackolicus and CTRL. Obviously, the fest will also showcase Open Labs’ products.
Founder and chairman Victor Wong is giving away his personal gold NeKo keyboard — valued at $24,000 — as part of the Gold Rush Beat Competition. Sounds tempting to enter a contest for an instrument like the ones used by Timbaland, Morris Hayes (Prince) and Lil Jon.
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September 22, 2008
Pecan Street Festival VIP Party at Maggie Mae's
A VIP Lounge for the Pecan Street Festival is almost a contradiction in terms. After all, the rowdy fest is among Austin’s most egalitarian events. The twice-annual street fair brings together people of more varied backgrounds than almost any other local party, looking a little New Orleans, a little Lubbock and a little San Antonio.
Marcy Hoen, Bijoy Goswami, Allen Beuershausen
Yet we were intrigued by the invitation. So we ascended the stairs at Maggie Mae’s and immediately ran into Mexic-Arte Museum director Silvia Orozco and friend, listening to a frenetic band called Los Bad Apples. We also chatted about the concept of the “nice gossip columnist.”
Donna Branham and her $75 cockatoo
Later we talked about the latest affairs with inveterate socializers Marcy Hoen, Allen Beuershausen and Bijoy Goswami. You always want to see Goswami at an event. It means people are connecting.
Sipriano Vega, Damien Martinez
They pointed me to Ike evacuee Donna Branham, who had purchased a distressed metal cockatoo from Nuevo Laredo. It was the type of art ubiquitous at the fair. Branham was very happy — and grateful for the breeze on Maggie Mae’s roof. We also talked to a couple from Iowa and two guys from Kansas — all soaking up Austin culture at its least elitist.
Jennifer Alexander, Chad Allen
Later, we retreated to the cool confines of the Gibson Guitar room. With a terrifically friendly crowd, we watched the UT-Rice game on the giant screens. At first, the defense gave us tremors. But all was well in hand by half-time, so we walked over to South Lamar Boulevard for the next event.
September 21, 2008
Aces Opening Night on Sixth Street
In Aces, nightlife empire builder Brendan Puthoff has opened a burlesque club along the lines of Las Vegas and Hollywood’s 40 Duece. And certainly his dancers hold one’s attention with their trained skills. Yet I think Puthoff has created something even more breathtaking — a mid-sized music venue on East Sixth Street that could fill a vital social and cultural niche.
Cassandra Schlosser, Dustin Nix, Kelly Fuller
You see, Emo’s, situated with its three rooms at the intersection of the Red River and Sixth Street districts, rules supreme over the live music scene east of Congress Avenue. Most of Sixth Street, with the notable exceptions of Flamingo Cantina and the Parish, is given over to cover bands. Most of Red River, conversely, sounds more authentic, or should I say, original. Yet if one is fatigued by emo, hardcore, punk and indie, or if sweating outside at Stubb’s doesn’t appeal to you on a particular evening, the choices narrow.
Jason Brown, Kristen Dietrich, Jamie Wilson
Besides, Red River is almost completely dominated by two booking juggernauts. What if Puthoff, whose Aces offers a capacious stage, sensitive sound system and no less than six viewing tiers serviced by at least three bars, were to follow the lead of Paul Oveisi’s Momo’s and book top-notch acts in his 540-capacity club? It could go crazy.
Page Finan, Shon McKinley
Now look, Puthoff knows a lot more about running a club than I do. His Third Base sports bars have scored well beyond all predictions. The burlesque thing will probably flourish at Aces for a while, but like most novelties, it could wear thin, so to speak, especially among younger audiences. After all Nouveau Burlesque has already been with us for a few years.
I think Aces, rescuing the former Hard Rock Cafe site, is a stupendous space. Puthoff should celebrate.
For photos of Aces opening night, go to our A-List gallery.
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September 20, 2008
South Padre International Music Festival Party at the Belmont
They take care of their artists. That’s what I kept hearing from the musicians who have played the South Padre Island International Music Festival. They were gathered for a promotional party at the Belmont for conversation, drinks and … music.
Ali Cox, Caren Bamberger
I had run into Nakia, my favorite Southern roots rocker, on the street before the party. He had nothing but praise for the event, which looms Halloween weekend. Among the big Austin acts: Willie Nelson, Ghostland Observatory, Grupo Fantasma, Alejandro Escovedo, Del Castillo, Vallejo and Sara Hickman.
Jeff Anderson, Alicia Kalanj
I love that Ghostland gets second billing! Seems like just months ago they were a local luxury. One of the treats at this party — besides running into co-workers for a second time that night; we are a outgoing group — was encountering hugsome Elaine Garza from Giant Noise, for whom I’d travel to South Texas just to relish her company.
Josh Johnson, Monica Vallejo
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September 17, 2008
Richard Topfer and HAAM Benefit Day, Part 2
Continued from post below…
Richard’s family, including stepmother Bobbi, already have made a huge impact on Austin. The Long Center for the Performing Arts is just one of their projects. Yet most of the family’s civic investments go to health care and related charitiets. (Another portion of the foundation’s magnanimity helps charities in the Chicago area, where Richard’s sisters live.)
“We pay a lot of lip service to musicians, but we don’t do a lot to support them.” says Richard, who generally stays out of the spotlight himself. He’s delighted artists actually use the services. “They are so appreciative and so taken aback when we reach out to them. That’s huge for them. And for us. In fact, they pass along their slots to other musicians when they take jobs with benefits.”
HAAM Benefit Day, Oct. 7, includes Austin City Hall festivities, a concert at Antone’s with Gary Clark Jr. and other local bands. More than 90 bands have pledged to play at restaurants, clubs and retail outlets that day. Meanwhile, area businesses pledge 5 percent of their profits or make cash donations. The Cain Foundation, represented by entertainment attorney Wofford Denius, will make a $10,000 matching grant that day.
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September 12, 2008
Networking prodigy Greg Vendetti
Anyway, Greg is a friend of Chris Chafic of DrumJam, whom I first met when speaking to a public relations class at UT a year or so ago. I heard the theatrically rhythmic band at First Night and, later, at Stubb’s. The BBQ joint is also where I first heard Vendetti sing. The Connecticut native graduated from the music business program at Loyola University in New Orleans, and he’s already helping improve the infrastructure for the Austin music community.
Greg and I met at Jo’s on Second and discussed entrepreneureal schemes for compensating musicians and preserving the city’s cultural treasures. People he should know include UT dean Doug Dempster and Entrepreneurs Foundation director Eugene Sepulveda, just to start. He later introduced me, electronically, to John Worthington, one of his former Loyola profs, who worked for Disney Animation, Photoshop, and is the inventor and principle developer of Quicktime player.
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