OneTwoThreeFour!

Cory & Jack get rained out; ¡Cubanismo! gets locked out

Whatever happened to Cory Morrow and Jack Ingram? Both were slated to play last Saturday's astonishingly wet Gridiron Heroes concert, but neither took the stage. Capital Sports & Entertainment spokeswoman Lisa Schickel says they were cut from the program to save time -- there was a 10:30 p.m. curfew at Auditorium Shores -- and for safety reasons. "The rain was so bad during their set time, it was just not a good idea for anyone to be on stage," she said. ...

Speaking of missing musicians, the members of the 15-piece Cuban pop band ¡Cubanismo! were denied visas to enter this country (joining hundreds of other prominent artists, scientists and intellectuals since 9/11). Therefore, the band's entire 40-date U.S. tour has been canceled, including a planned April 25 stopover at La Zona Rosa. They had never been denied entry to the U.S. previously and the reasons for this denial remain unclear at press time. ...

After a pair of triumphant shows last weekend by the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet and The Thing featuring Joe McPhee, production company Epistrophy Arts founder and driving force P.G. Moreno let it slip that he was taking some time off after upcoming gigs by pianist Marilyn Crispell on May 1 and percussionist Han Bennink on June 6.

Since he and his wife are having a baby in late summer, Moreno says he's going to take the time to pull back from the day-to-day operations of Epistrophy Arts, which presents modern jazz and classical music, and concentrate on long-term planning.

"The goal is to appoint a board of directors and incorporate as a not-for-profit," Moreno says. "I think there's a real audience for this music here in Austin and it's something to develop and give a more solid foundation."

While Moreno plans to stay on as artistic director and retain curatorial control over Epistrophy Arts, he will be spending much of the rest of the year concentrating on fund-raising and sponsorship from local businesses. Local percussionist Chris Cogburn, who also works with the Creative Music Workshop, is slated to handle day-to-day affairs and do a little bit of booking. ...

The New Braunfels Museum of Art & Music hosts an exhibit titled "Musicians that Make Art," showcasing artworks from Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Sara Hickman, Bob Schneider, and many more. More than 150 artworks will be on display, and each artist is participating in individual interviews that will document their respective disciplines and motivation. According to museum director Charlie Gallagher, the participants will be interviewed in public workshops about the commingling of music and visual arts. These interviews will eventually be made into a DVD which will be included with a catalog of the exhibit.

Central Texas musician and engineer Larry Nye, who runs the La-ZL Studio in Kingsland, is installing a 24-track digital studio in the museum that will be used for recording the interviews. Both parties intend to make it a permanent part of the museum, where it will be used as a working recording studio. Gallagher says the museum is also used by local garage bands and schools as a practice space. It hosts teen-oriented gigs every other Saturday night. "Teenagers just don't have a place to play music," Gallagher says. The DVD/catalog should be completed in June, while the exhibit runs until July 24th. ...

Wristbands are on sale now for the Austin Music Foundation's inaugural Spotlight Series event to be held May 8. Designed to highlight Austin acts, the concert will feature 34 bands on seven stages at the following venues: Stubb's BBQ, two stages at Emo's, Red Eyed Fly, two stages at Caucus Club and Headhunters. Wristbands -- which are on sale now through Front Gate Tickets -- are $20. Each wristband entitles the purchaser to visit any of the seven stages from 8 p.m.--2 a.m. Doors are at 7 p.m. Performers include I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Knife in the Water, Young Heart Attack, The Real Heroes, The Rockland Eagles, Dynamite Boy, Wideawake, Two Guy Trio, Broken Teeth, Tia Carrera, Tee Double and more. ...

The Butchies, Ms. Led, Bonfire Madigan and Anna Oxygen will headline this year's Ladyfest Texas, the nonprofit feminist music and arts festival. This is not too surprising, since the Butchies have a new album out. Ladyfest Texas 2004 will take place May 27-30 at such girl-positive clubs and spaces as Emo's, the Hideout, Continental Club, Church of the Friendly Ghost and Ruta Maya. Last year, the fest raised more than $5,000 for GENAustin, which addresses self-esteem issues in young women, and Casa Amiga, a women's crisis center based in Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso. Ladyfest Texas has chosen GENAustin and The Lilith Fund, a reproductive rights assistance fund, as the 2004 beneficiaries. ... VH1 has added the video for Los Lonely Boys' single "Heaven" to its rotation. ... Ten finalists, all under the age of 20, have been named in the "Texas 10 Under 20" Showcase Competition and will perform live sets at the Dallas Guitar Show and MusicFest April 18, starting at noon. The finalists from Austin are Admiral Status, a band based at Westlake High School, and FortyFingersPat, all of whom attend McCallum High School. ... We both know you are looking to unburden yourself of tips and news. Don't suffer any longer; call 912-5926 or write jgross@statesman.com.