rare magazine :: march 2009 :: music

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DRINKJ. Black’sKey BarMolotov Lounge

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PHOTOGRAPHERS

In the words of Patty Griffi n, “Oh, Heavenly Day!” And that it

is — our Music Issue has arrived!

Featured artist William (Bill) K. Stidham continues his famous

Sacred Heart Series throughout the pages of this issue. Patty

graces our cover, and paintings portraying several other

Austin musicians introduce the various sections.

But, who’s the artist with the biggest heart? That’s Bill himself.

His unconditional love for Austin musicians and dedication

to bringing a musician’s passion and energy to his canvas is

truly breathtaking. For that, he has our heart!

And, back by popular demand: Our Music Makers Series! This

year, 17 local musicians strike a pose for our recurring tribute

to Austin’s up-and-coming rock stars. Special thanks to Cory

Ryan and Jennifer Nichols for workin’ your photo magic and

Tolly Moseley and Darcie Duttweiler for your copy genius.

Photo by A La Vie Photography

Whew! Spring has offi cially (well, not “offi cially” but who’s

really counting?) arrived! The sense of hope (yes, an overused

word) is here, the doldrums of winter are behind us, and now

it’s time for some food and music.

Yes, Austin Restaurant Week is back this month, so get out

there and EAT, EAT, EAT! After it’s all over, work it off by walking

back and forth all over Austin for SXSW. Be nice to tourists.

Point them in the direction of great LOCAL food, shopping,

spa services and everything in-between.

I know it’s Carrie’s job to talk about the editorial content in

this issue, but I just have to comment about the Music Makers

Series this year. It was Carrie’s idea to use the red umbrella

as a reoccurring prop to tie the series together, and I think

it’s truly brilliant. Carrie, I don’t say it enough, but your vision

is astounding. To all the bands we shot: you never cease to

amaze me with your talent. Keep on keepin’ on.

Photo by A La Vie Photography

Matt Swinney,

Publisher

Carrie Crowe,

Associate Publisher

& Editor

In the words of Patty Griffi n, “Oh, Heavenly Day!” And that it

Carrie Crowe,

Associate Publisher

& Editor

Whew! Spring has offi cially (well, not “offi cially” but who’s

6 Cover Artist: William K. Stidham

8 JB Rants

10 DOWNTOWN

12 Music Makers: Built By Snow

16 DJ Orion

18 Music Makers: The Soldier Thread

22 Tommy Dean

26 Music Makers: Sara Hickman

28 CAMPUS/HYDE PARK

30 Music Makers: The Rocketboys

34 Dart Music International

36 Music Makers: Kacy Crowley

38 MIDTOWN

40 Austin Guitar School

42 Music Makers: Brothers and Sisters

46 Music Makers: The Lions

48 EAST

50 Music Makers: White Denim

54 The Music Gym

56 Music Makers: Sounds Under Radio

58 SOUTH

60 Music Makers: LC Rocks

64 Whitewater Amphitheatre

68 Music Makers: Lady Legacy

72 Musicmakers

74 Music Makers: Ume

76 WEST

78 Music Makers: Hollywood Gossip

82 Music Makers: Eliza Gilkyson

84 Music Makers: Black and White Years

86 NORTH

88 Music Makers: The Gourds

92 Music Makers: Kevin Fowler

94 Rare Gives Back: HAAM

96 Index/Maps

William K. StidhamThe Sacred Heart of Charlie Sexton

22" x 30," Watercolor

Each issue, Rare Magazine chooses a local Austin artist to feature on our cover and section introduction

pages. This month’s feature artist is William K. Stidham. Make sure you check out his art scattered

throughout the magazine.

ON THE COVER:William K. StidhamThe Sacred Heart of Patty Griffin

22" x 30," Watercolor

THE DIVINE INSPIRATIONS OF WILLIAM K. STIDHAM

6

“Everything for me is a spiritual equation,” Stidham says. “A lot of this might sound esoteric, but I don’t care.”

And, he doesn’t. Over the hour I spend drinking coffee across the table from him, he tells me about his work, but more importantly, about his beliefs, which are (as he suggested) both esoteric and significant.

Stidham never trained as an artist, although he did make a significant foray into writing, dedicating four years of his life to a book that ultimately went unpublished. Feeling a bit dejected about the experience, he quit writing, but eventually turned to watercolor portraits as a creative outlet. A friend convinced him to complete a portrait of Willie Nelson, and Stidham finally acquiesced, completing a piece in shades of black, red and metallic gold. He’d included a sacred heart as a last-minute decision, and, drawing on a technique he’d been developing, doused the entire work in water. The effect gives the works an almost weathered appearance, causing parts of the image to shift or soften.

Since that fateful portrait of Willie, Stidham has completed over 45 sacred heart portraits, ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Elliot Smith. What the subjects have in common? They are people Stidham sees as having done something significant with their own passion and energy. For each portrait, he does a substantial amount of research, and, in the case of musicians, spends the entire portrait work session listening to the performer’s music.

Although he’s quick to point out that the musicians he’s chosen to feature in this issue of Rare are just a quick sketch of the rich and varied music scene in Austin, he feels strongly about each of them.

“It’s not just about painting musicians,” Stidham says. “It’s about what they mean to people — their passion.”

That passion is something clearly reflected in Stidham, both as a person and as an artist. He wants his work to challenge people to think about what they’re doing with their own “sacred hearts,” and he believes that his success with the series has been a gift, a stroke of inspiration that may well be divine.

“I have to think a lot of these things are more than nice coincidences,” Stidham says. “It’s not some trained style, it’s what’s been given to me. When you are actually conscious of connections as a divine experience, it changes you.”

Carly Kocurek

Photo by Shannon Cunningham

williamkstidham.com

William K. Stidham has the glow of a true believer. But, when I sit down with him at Central Market, he isn’t selling me anything — not Amway, not life insurance, not even God. Stidham is quick to point out that he’s no religious zealot, and that while his Sacred Heart Series relies heavily on imagery drawn from his Catholic upbringing, he feels the symbolism is universal.

7

I STRUGGLE WITH BEING A CHILD OF THE 1980s, THE WORST DECADE SINCE HUMAN LIFE BEGAN.

Honestly, I would rather be a fi sh making my way to land for the fi rst time 375 million years ago. At least man was progressing instead of digressing into the bubblegum, new wave, wimp pop that fi lled the airwaves during the 1980s. It’s just fl at out humiliating to be associated with that decade. I’m a music lover and whenever anyone refl ects on music from the 1980s, they always reference all the garbage that unfortunately defi ned the era. I’m here to tell you that the 1980s DIDN’T suck, just the popular 1980s that everyone remembers.

It’s typically the decade of your teenage years and the music you loved that defi ne your generation. Most are proud of how music represented them. Lets refl ect on a few decades and why most are quite proud.

Teenagers growing up in the 2000s have to feel pretty solid. The last eight years have kicked @ss and there’s a lot of musicians to be proud of — John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Green Day, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, Jay Z, Beck, Jack Johnson. I could go deeper into how the Brits are back but let's just say this, it’s been pretty solid.

The 1990s dominated. This decade was completely saved by one band, Nirvana. I’ll never forget when Nevermind came out. It was on my birthday, September 24th, 1991. I bought it that day. This is the band that offi cially killed everything that sucked about the 1980s. God bless you guys. If Kurt Cobain were still alive today,

8

I would make-out with the man and give him the keys to my car and house, just as a small debt of gratitude. Courtney Love would have to wait outside with the dog.

The 1970s go without saying. Classic rock dominance. Zeppelin, Floyd, Stones, The Who, Bowie, McCartney, Lennon, P-Funk, Earth Wind and Fire, Kiss, Skynard, Yes, War, ZZ — I could go on and on for hours — Steely, Jethro, James Taylor, Doobie, Supertramp, Cat Stevens, Petty, Journey…

The 1960s trump everyone. All you have to do is say The Beatles and the game is over. The Beatles trump everything musical over all space and time, forever and ever. Sure, you can pull out “Ebony and Ivory” because of McCartney and try to ruin the argument, but that happened in the 1980s. Again, we sucked in the 1980s.

My dad would argue the 1950s were the best by playing the Elvis card and referencing old blues players he listened to on The Wolfman Jack Show broadcasting out of Tijuana. I swear he makes up blues players’ names by combining a “weather condition with a former “President.” He’ll rattle off names like Shady Johnson, Sunny Jefferson, Cloudy Nixon, Lightning Van Buren…you get the idea. It doesn’t matter if he’s making them up — still better than the 1980s.

Even in 1810, I’m sure that teenagers were going dognuts in Vienna over Beethoven. They probably got tattoos of metronomes with the words Ludwig kicks Mozart’s @ss in a crazy font they called “Newe English.” Kids would battle Typhoid, Whooping Cough and even Plague just to get out and take in a show. My options in the 1980s were Corey Heart at the Frank Erwin Center or Wang Chung at Southpark Meadows. Unfortunately, I went to both.

I’m telling you, you could time travel back two million years ago, go out for an evening and hear “Lucy and the Knucklewalkers” banging rocks together, and even that’s more impressive than A Flock of Seagulls.

However, I'm here to tell you that the 1980s didn’t suck. They were only ruined by what the media decided to make popular. It goes without saying that any retrospective of music in the 1980s will feature Milli Vanilli, Boy George, New Edition, Poison, Twisted Sister, Bobby McFerrin, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and that ridiculous “We are the World”

single. That's why it has always been a fantasy/dream of mine to release a compilation called The 1980s Didn’t Suck (10 volumes available for three payments of $39.95). The infomercial would be killer. Just to give you an example, I offer up The 1980s Didn’t Suck Disc 1 and 2:

DISC 1

Track 1 The Rave Ups “Positively Lost Me”Track 2 Gary Myrick “She Talks in Stereo”Track 3 XTC “Dear God”Track 4 Julian Cope “World Shut Your Mouth”Track 5 The Stranglers “Always the Sun”Track 6 Big Audio Dynamite “E=MC2”Track 7 The Cult “She Sells Sanctuary”Track 8 Echo and the Bunnymen “Do it Clean”Track 9 The The “This is the Day”Track 10 Don Dixon “Praying Mantis”

DISC 2

Track 1 Husker Du “Everything Falls Apart”Track 2 The Clash “Straight to Hell”Track 3 The Bolshoi “Sunday Morning”Track 4 The Church “Under the Milky Way”Track 5 Flesh for Lulu “Stupid on the Street”Track 6 Gene Loves Jezebel “Desire”Track 7 Public Image Limited “Rise”Track 8 Violent Femmes “Gone Daddy Gone”Track 9 The Smithereens “Blood and Roses”Track 10 The Talking Heads “And She Was”

JB Hager is half of the hit morning-show duo

“JB and Sandy” on Mix 94.7.

Photo by Annie Ray

9

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Townes Van Zandt / 22" x 30," Watercolor

11

builtbysnow.commyspace.com/builtbysnow

Geek chic and keyboard-happy, Built By Snow credit their first big musical break a Battle of the Bands competition in April 2006. “None of the other bands knew who we were,” says Built By Snow’s JP Pfertner. “We even heard them saying that their only real competition was Band A or Band B. We got lucky and drew the straw that allowed us to play last...and we killed it! It was like the scene at the end of “Revenge of the Nerds” when everyone realized that the nerds were the cool ones! When we fi nished, the whole crowd was chanting our name, and the other bands seemed shocked to have never heard of us.”

Built By Snow won the contest, and used the prize money to record their fi rst CD, Noise. Today the band is a Red River fi xture, and just released a second album, MEGA. With hand claps aplenty and a sound reminiscent of The Cars, it’s enough to make nerd rock fans dance with glee.

FAVORITE MUSIC VENUE IN AUSTIN? “I love a lot of the Red River Clubs,” says Pfertner. “Mohawk, Emos, Club DeVille, Stubbs. Oh, and The Parish, Antones. I guess they all have their own charm, and I like them all in different ways. They've all been really nice and helpful with booking.”

HOW DO YOU FIT INTO AUSTIN’S MUSIC SCENE? “We are still one of the slightly unknown bands. It can be diffi cult to stand out in Austin with so many great bands playing every night in any of the hundred clubs that have live music,” laughs Pfertner. “I think that people who like catchy rock music just need to hear us and we can win them over.”

YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “The local restaurants!” says Pfertner. “Chuys, Enchiladas Y Mas, Top Notch, Phil’s Icehouse, Torchy’s, Romeo’s, and that meat pie place on Guadalupe! Delicious! Also, the laid back atmosphere. I’ve lived in Austin my entire life, and can’t imagine living anywhere else...it’s my home.”

Writer: Tolly Moseley

Photographer: Cory Ryan

Shoot Location: Sola

GENRE: Rock/Pop/Indie

INFLUENCES: The Cars, DEVO, 8-bit Nintendo, Mates of

State, Tegan and Sara,

The Rentals, The Strokes

CURRENT CD: Mega Available at Waterloo Records

and online at CDBaby, iTunes

and builtbysnow.com

MEMBERS:JP Pfertner vocals/guitar/keys

Matt Murray guitar/vocals/keys

Ben Bauer bass/vocals/keys

Brandon Stein drums

CURRENT CD: Mega

Available at Waterloo Records

all in different ways. They've all been really nice and helpful with booking.”


YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?restaurants!” says Pfertner. “Chuys, Enchiladas Y Mas, Top Notch, Phil’s Icehouse, Torchy’s, Romeo’s, and that meat pie place on Guadalupe! Delicious! Also, the laid back atmosphere. I’ve lived in Austin my entire life, and can’t imagine living anywhere else...it’s my home.”

all in different ways. They've all been really nice and all in different ways. They've all been really nice and helpful with booking.”


YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?restaurants!” says Pfertner. “Chuys, Enchiladas Y Mas, Top Notch, Phil’s Icehouse, Torchy’s, Romeo’s, and that meat pie place on Guadalupe! Delicious! Also, the laid back atmosphere. I’ve lived in Austin my entire life, and can’t imagine living anywhere else...it’s my home.”

12

DJ ORION IS A FRONTRUNNER IN THE 7TH STREET MUSIC SCENE AND FRANKLY, HE’S A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE TITLE, CREDITING EVERYONE FROM TABLE MANNERS, HYPE HEADZE AND LEARNING SECRETS TO NARD, CITY ON FIRE, FBC AND WEIGHT IN HELPING TO SHAPE THE SCENE AND MAKING IT WHAT IT IS TODAY. ORION BELIEVES THAT 7TH STREET HAS ACTUALLY SHAPED HIM.

16

Playing music that speaks to him at the time, including everything from Latin, Hip-Hop Gangsta Rap, GrimeStep/DubStep, Jazz, Metal and Funk, he brings a cacophony of sound from many genres and makes them work — crowds from Creekside Lounge, Black N’ Tan, the Music Gym and several others are certainly responding.

He’s seen changes throughout the 7th Street area over the past few years: clubs no longer turning over as quickly and booking agents becoming more interested in a diverse sound instead of one specific genre. DJ Orion sees the future holding an influx of Latin sounds, theorizing that currently Cumbia and Salsa are like Hip-Hop was back in the day — obscure enough for those to enjoy without criticism and incredibly danceable.

When he’s not on the turntables, DJ Orion is involved in what seems like a thousand projects. Raw Records was formed due to Orion’s affinity for people and music. The name came from an old newsletter that he and his cousin Yadira Brown used to produce when he ran a poetry reading at the old World Beat Café (formerly on MLK). He uses Raw Records as an umbrella for all of his projects. Instead of functioning as a traditional music label, Raw Records serves as a public front that composes and records music, books venues and provides Internet promotion and show promotion for Orion and other artists.

He runs a blog that provides opinion, insight and fact. “It feels like I’m doing six teen tons. Web work consumes a large portion of my day —blogging, making flyers and websites, socially networking, sending out emails and such,” says Orion. “I like meeting in person

with everyone I work with at least twice a month. I write with pen and paper, drink way too much coffee, walk and ride my bike and get debaucherous with friends into the wee hours.”

Born in Panama City, Panama to a Colombian father and Puerto Rican mother, DJ Orion spent his formative years growing up in Germany af ter his parents joined the Army. Eventually, the family made their way to Georgetown, and in 1999, DJ Orion moved to Austin — the longest place he’s lived and always an integral component to his motivation.

Upcoming projects include Peligrosa, a crew started by DJ Orion that plays every third Friday at Creekside, video and documentary work with BeachOnline and a collaboration project with Prince Klassen and Lydia Reynolds. His rap group CO2 is cutting an album, writing beats, touring and working with a multitude of other artists on those sixteen tons of projects, as well as, keeping 7th Steet alive and full of diverse sounds and loud beats.

Kathryn-Terese Haik

Photo by Derris Lanier

djorion.com

myspace.com/oriongarcia

rawworldrecords.com

Orion is a DJ who describes himself as not being part of a music scene in a literal sense, but as a “sociologist by self-proclamation whose interest with people

and music happens to coincide behind turntables and a mic."

17

GENRE: Indie Rock

INFLUENCES: Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Bloc Party

CURRENT CD: Shapes Available at Waterloo Records

MEMBERS:Todd Abels guitar/vocalsChance Gilmore bassPatricia Lynn viola/vocalsJustin McHugh rhodes/guitars/vocalsDrew VanDiver drums

Although the band is still quite young, both in personal and band age, The Soldier Thread’s debut album, Shapes, touches on some poignant and bittersweet themes — namely that of love, albeit the unrequited kind. “I write about the desire to fi nd love,” says guitar player and singer Justin McHugh. “If I said anything else, I’d just be lying. I write about wanting what I don’t have.”

While this sounds quite melancholic for a 22-year-old, the band and the album coalesced under McHugh’s obsession with shapes, meaning all the pieces fi t together. These pieces include McHugh’s fellow high school band members, guitarist Todd Abels, drummer Drew Vandiver, singer and viola player Patricia Lynn and new bassist Chance Gilmore, who tips the age scale at 25. “Justin, Drew and I were in such a crappy high school band that I never thought I’d ever see Justin again,” laughs Abels.

While none of the band members have given up their not-so-beloved day jobs yet, every member dreams of one day, just playing music. “I don’t have to be this big and crazy rock star, but if I can make a living doing what I love to do, that would be just ideal,” Gilmore says.

Even though the band has played the Austin circuit for almost two years, the group says they’re not quite sure where they fi t in. “We haven’t solidifi ed our place in the scene here,” McHugh says. “We don’t want to claim a place yet, but maybe one day.”

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “I rarely listen to music, which is unusual for a musician,” McHugh says. “When I’m home, I don’t have music on, but I’m constantly working on it. Sorry, we’re boring people.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? Abels: “Bloc Party’s Intimacy.” McHugh: “I’m still listening to M83’s Saturdays = Youth.” Gilmore: “My iPod is always shuffl ing, but I enjoy Mogwai or Sigur Ros.”

BEST BAND MEMORY? “We all drove down to the Alamo to sign our record deal, but Chance wasn’t there, so we’ll have to do something big when he signs his,” McHugh says.

Writer: Darcie Duttweiler

Photographer: Jennifer Nichols

Shoot Location: Field in West Austin

myspace.com/thesoldierthread

just ideal,” Gilmore says.

Even though the band has played the Austin circuit for almost two years, the group says they’re not quite sure where they fi t in. “We haven’t solidifi ed our place in the scene here,” McHugh says. “We don’t want to claim a place yet, but maybe one day.”

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE?listen to music, which is unusual for a musician,” McHugh says. “When I’m home, I don’t have music on, but I’m constantly working on it. Sorry, we’re boring people.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW?IntimacyYouthor Sigur Ros.”

BEST BAND MEMORY?sign our record deal, but Chance wasn’t there, so we’ll have to do something big when he signs his,” McHugh says.to do something big when he signs his,” McHugh says.

Shapes

18

thesingingconcierge.com

Four Seasons98 San Jacinto Blvd.512-478-4500fourseasons.com22

TOMMY DEAN IS A CHARACTER. AND

A TRUE ARTIST. HE’S BEEN A CONCIERGE

AT THE FOUR SEASONS FOR 22 YEARS. AND A MUSICIAN FOR ALMOST FOUR DECADES. HE CALLS HIS

PROFESSION “PERFORMANCE ART” AND HIS PASSION. BUT HIS MUSIC? THAT’S THE SOUL OF TOMMY

DEAN, THE SINGING CONCIERGE.

I meet with Tommy at a local coffee shop. I’ve heard him described as “a hoot.” And that would be a signif icant understatement. He walks in, full of energy, personality and warmth. And he greets me as if we’re old friends. I instantly feel at ease as we begin our chat.

This is what makes Tommy Dean such a well-known and well-loved figure at the Four Seasons. As the hotel’s senior concierge, he readily acknowledges that his choice of career is not for everyone.

“After you’ve been in the business as long as I have, you can instantly tell who’s cut out for being a concierge and who isn’t. You have to love public service — love people and understand them,” says Dean.

Which, of course, he does.

“Being a concierge allows me to express my love. It’s an artistic expression, my public life. But in my studio at home, that’s where I’m concierge to myself. Music is a way of listening to my soul,” he says.

Dean’s soul-satisfying music career began in the 1970s, but his love affair with all things jazz began years earlier. The son of classical musicians, he began taking piano lessons at age 7. Within a year, Dean began arranging his own compositions.

“ I had an in te res t ing way o f p rocess ing information,” says Dean. “I wasn’t the best at school, but I could hear something and play it.”

And despite his training in classical music, Dean was always attracted to jazz. “I wasn’t your typical kid. I wanted an André Previn jazz album for my eighth bir thday,” recalls Dean. “By the time I was 15, I had all but lef t classical behind and decided to go into jazz and pop. I learned to swim upstream to my own lure.”

It was this early love of jazz which Dean has returned to time and again. Influenced by composer Henri Mancini and jazz pianist George Shearing, among others, the genre has had an important role in his life.

“I’ve played with six different bands. I’ve played all sorts of venues, big and small,” he says. “But I’ve always come back to where I began years ago.”

His latest release, The Best of Tommy Dean, doesn’t disappoint. With a late 1950s feel, every track is produced, arranged, engineered and performed by Dean. Pick up your copy at the Four Seasons or Waterloo Records.

And as for the name “The Singing Concierge?” Dean has his fellow concierges to thank for that. “I’m very involved in the national organization of concierges. They came up with the name,” Dean laughs. “There’s a whole network of people that know me as that and I love it.”

Kathy Farley

Photo by Ed Verosky

23

myspace.com/sarahick

GENRE: Pop/Folk/Jazz/Children’s

INFLUENCES: Ella Fitzgerald, David Byrne, Tom Zé,

The Partridge Family, Billy Bragg

CURRENT CD: Motherlode Available online at sarahickman.com



Location Shoot:

Side of La India Bonita

CURRENT CD: Motherlode Available online at sarahickman.com

Most people only associate Sara Hickman with her children’s albums, Newborn, Toddler and Big Kid, and it might be easy to categorize the bubbly and motherly singer as a kid’s singer until you delve into her most recent album, Motherlode. The album touches on themes from despair, insomnia, addiction and violence, and even contains a haunting rendition of “Mad World.”

Perhaps it’s Hickman’s work with local charities that make her so aware of bigger issues going on in the world. “I’m so inspired by the things that move me,” she says. “I’m involved with current events and local politics, and my music reflects that.” For Hickman’s fi rst children’s album, she donated $50,000 of the proceeds to the Hill Country Youth Ranch, a home for abused and neglected children.

Although her latest album may refl ect an understanding for the hardships of the world, Hickman performs many family shows and enjoys including children in her performances. “There’s this amazing connection children have, and I always have to share the mic with them because they are so innately hilarious and honest. It’s so endearing to hear them sing,” she says. Hickman is currently working with a 60-piece orchestra, singing big swing songs. “I’m defi nitely moving into a new territory,” she says.

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE? “I have so many treasured moments from the Cactus Café. The audience is just there to listen to you.”

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “I’m pretty transparent, but my high score in bowling is 196. Actually, people probably already know that because I talk about bowling a lot.”

WHAT IS YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? “I always want to use my music for healing. There was a little boy a couple of years ago whose babysitter shoved paper towels down his throat, and he went into a coma. I asked his family if I could sing to him. When I went into his hospital room, his mom was sitting there with her little boy on her lap just like the ‘Pieta.’ I got on my knees and played, and his mom just smiled at me. It made me feel like my music is bringing love where there’s sorrow. He passed away a week later.”

27

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Bob Schneider / 22" x 30," Watercolor

29

The Rocketboys, formerly Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys, may remind you of Eisley, another ambient indie rock group from an unassuming Texas town. While going to school in Abilene, Mitchell Holt, Brandon Kinder and Daniel Wheeler started playing acoustic sets at college events four years ago, and quickly developed a following. Bassist Josh Campbell and drummer Phillip Ellis joined in next, rounding out the band’s rhythm section, along with keyboard player Justin Wiseman — all while everyone was still in school.

“Once we all graduated from college, we were really excited to become a full-time band,” says Holt. To that end, the band effectively packed their instruments, beloveds and belongings, and made the move from Abilene to Austin in late 2008. “Austin has so much to of fer creat ively, occupat ional ly and recreationally,” says Holt. “We could not be happier with our decision to join the Austin community!”

The band is now focused on recording their fi rst full-length record, coming June 2009. Look for them at this year’s SXSW.

FAVORITE BAND MEMORY? “On a whim, I signed us up for a band contest to play at ACL in the summer of 2007 (Dell Lounge’s 'Sound and the Jury Competition'). We didn’t think we could win, but it was free, so we decided it wouldn’t hurt to try,” says Holt. “We ended up winning the contest and getting to play at ACL, which was by far the biggest show we’ve ever played. It was an incredible experience, and we were so honored to be chosen to play.”

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “The white cheese dip at Kerbey Lane, the music, the creativity oozing from its seams and just the small-town-in-a-big-city feel,” says Holt.

FAVORITE PART ABOUT PERFORMING? “One of our favorite parts of getting to play music full-time is the people we meet,” says Holt. “Come out to a show and hang out. We want to meet our new neighbors!”

GENRE

rocketboyband.com

myspace.com/rocketboys

GENRE: Ambient Indie Rock

INFLUENCES: Sunny Day

Real Estate, Radiohead,

Jeff Buckley, Absinthe

Blind, Sigur Ros

CURRENT CD: Sing, Bird, Sing EP

Available online at

iTunes, Rhapsody and

Tune Core a band contest to play at ACL in the summer of 2007 (Dell Lounge’s 'Sound and the Jury Competition'). We didn’t think we could win, but it was free, so we decided it wouldn’t hurt to try,” says Holt. “We ended up winning the contest and getting to play at ACL, which was by far the biggest show we’ve ever played. It was an incredible experience, and we were so honored to be chosen to play.”

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?Kerbey Lane, the music, the creativity oozing from its seams and just the small-town-in-a-big-city feel,” says Holt.

FAVORITE PART ABOUT PERFORMING?parts of getting to play music full-time is the people we meet,” says Holt. “Come out to a show and hang out. We want to meet our new neighbors!”

Tune Core

MEMBERS:Josh Campbell bass/vocalsPhilip Ellis drumsMitchell Holt guitar/ vocalsBrandon Kinder vocals guitar/pianoDaniel Wheeler guitar/auxJustin Wiseman keys


Photographer: Cory RyanShoot Location: Space 12

rocketboyband.commyspace.com/rocketboys


Available online at


Available online at


Available online at

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Dave Dart and Patricia Albright34

Introducing Dart Music International, an Austin-based nonprofit organization founded in 2007, bringing international musicians to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. “Discovering a new band from an exotic country is the next best thing to traveling there,” says founder Dave Dart.

A diehard music fan from a young age, (he was that kid cruising the block with the boom box on the handlebars) Dave was also fascinated by other cultures. Tuning in to Mexican, Cuban and Latin American music enhanced his college Spanish classes, and he realized it also enriched his perspective. “Exposure to other cultures teaches us that some of the best people we could ever hope to call friends live on the other side of the planet or grew up speaking a different language,” he says.

The idea for a one-stop shop for international musicians first struck Dave when a Brazilian band that he signed up to host through SXSW’s International Housing Program couldn’t make the trip after missing

their visa application deadline. The next year, Dave hosted a UK band that managed to make it to town, but didn’t get to make the most

of their time promoting themselves locally.

Taking a cue from his systems analyst experience at UT, Dave decided to apply his planning and logistical skills for an entirely different end — helping artists do what they do best without having to sweat the small stuff. Thus, Dart Music International was born, providing bands services like sponsorship, work visa aid, booking, promotion and local partner discounts on merchandising, rentals and hotels. Plus, Dart uses any and all means to get the word out locally. “Dart uses social networking quite a bit. We find that people who are following us on MySpace, YouTube or Do512 will come out to support our artists and spread the word to their friends, real and virtual,” explains Dave. “Our goal is to minimize the costs as much as possible, so the artists can perform at their very best.”

The DMI team is comprised of a small local staff, a board of directors, an advisory board, and is partnered with non-profit organizations throughout the country. As a charitable organization, it relies on donors, including its own board members, each who has personally contributed financially to DMI.

The bands represented defy categorization, ranging from 127 (a band from Tehran, blending traditional Iranian melodies with jazz) to the Irish band We Should Be Dead (self described “indie rock bubblegum pop”) whose regional tour Dart is planning and includes a stop at SXSW. “Our

bands fall into genres like punk, power pop, indie rock and brit-pop. As long as it’s good music, the genre doesn’t matter,” says Dave.

To hear something refreshingly different, come out Tuesday, March 17th, for DMI’s “International Night,” a free show spotlighting six bands from around the world.

Cynthia Houchin

Photo by Derris Lanier

Dart Music International512-296-1156dartmusicinternational.org

Dave Dart and Patricia Albright 35

GENRE: Folk/Indie/Pop

INFLUENCES: Right now my favorite artists are Bon Iver, The New

Year, Mimicking Birds, Kings of

Leon, Midlake

CURRENT CD: Cave Available at Waterloo Records or

online at iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon

kacycrowley.commyspace.com/kacycrowley


Photographer: Cory RyanShoot Location:

The Courtyard Apartments

In a time when most bands introduce themselves to the world via MySpace, it’s refreshing to talk to a girl who cut her performance teeth on Austin’s street corners. Fourteen years later, Crowley’s pensive melodies are still making people stop in their tracks.

“In 1995, I arrived in Austin with all my stuff in a truck, knowing no one and just looking for a break. Someone mentioned to me that a music festival was going on downtown, so I took my guitar and sat on 6th Street, playing to anyone who would listen. That was SXSW,” say Crowley. “Three years later, I was lucky enough to be onstage at the Austin Music Awards. That was a really important moment for me personally.”

YOUR EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORIES? “My mom is a piano teacher so there was always melody in the background of my house. Also, my father is one of those people that sings everything including things like, ‘honey, how would you like your eggs?’ and ‘no you cannot take my car to a club tonight.’ So it was inevitable that I would end up putting my thoughts to music. I basically grew up roaming around my house in pajamas...singing.”

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “The people,” says Crowley with a smile. “I know some of the weirdest, smartest, funniest and most talented people ever! Oh and HAAM and SIMS! These organizations have literally gotten me through the last few years by providing me with desperately needed medical and mental health care. They are amazing and unique to Austin, and I love them.”

FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? “I love Momo's. It's a wonderful venue to play and to hear music,” says Crowley. “The staff are almost all in bands that perform there regularly and there's a constant exchange of musical ideas and inspiration. Artists like Band of Heathens, Suzanna Choffel and Dustin Welch have come directly out of that scene in the last two years.”

CURRENT CD: Cave Available at Waterloo Records or

smartest, funniest and most talented people ever! Oh and HAAM and SIMS! These organizations have literally gotten me through the last few years by providing me with desperately needed medical and mental health care. They are amazing and unique to Austin, and I love them.”

FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN?wonderful venue to play and to hear music,” says Crowley. “The staff are almost all in bands that perform there regularly and there's a constant exchange of musical ideas and inspiration. Artists like Band of Heathens, Suzanna Choffel and Dustin Welch have come directly out of that scene in the last two years.”

37

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Patricia Vonne / 22" x 30," Watercolor

39

GUITAR HERO

Austin Guitar School

5501 N. Lamar Blvd.

512-442-2880

austinguitarschool.com

GUITAR HERO

Austin Guitar School

5501 N. Lamar Blvd.

512-442-2880

austinguitarschool.com40

After valiant attempts to teach myself guitar back in high school, I fi nally gave up after picking my way through a sad rendition of Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me” and writing a dreadfully embarrassing love song for my boyfriend. So, I feel completely inadequate when Ted Hall, owner of Austin Guitar School, tells me about a 5-year-old who will be playing “Iron Man” in their December showcase.

“Are you sure you don’t want to play ‘Slow Ride’?” Ted says to his student. To which his student replied, “No, I played that last time.”

Darn it — a 5-year-old who not only plays two awesome rock songs, but who has also performed live twice. I am so not as cool as this kid.

Austin Guitar School boasts a wide range of classes, from stringed instruments and drums to voice lessons and piano. They also serve an equally wide range of students.“All styles, all ages, all levels,” Hall says. “Our youngest student is fi ve. Our oldest is 67.”

The school’s extensive offerings can be attributed, in part, to the fact that they have been around the block a few times. The Austin Opera House, where Hall says he once paid his rent to Willie Nelson, was the school’s fi rst home when Hall started the school in 1987. They have been expanding ever since, in large part due to the thriving, close-knit Austin music scene.

And it is easy to tell there is something really special about Hall, too. Music is his life, and it is clear that teaching music gives him great joy. When he mentions an instrument I’m not familiar with, the Dobro, he runs into a room in the back and brings one out for me, pleased with a chance to share his knowledge. He talks about the history of music and different genres, and is clearly excited about a new addition to the school — the music library, where students of all levels can read music magazines and watch fi lms to aid in their learning. In that same vein is the new Austin Guitar Gym, where aspiring artists (who may not have the money for lessons) can sign up for $20 a month to be around other musicians, ask questions, use the library and jam with other students.

After talking with him, his simple love for all things musical has reminded me of why I picked up that guitar so many years ago.

“People should not take learning to play an instrument too seriously,” Hall says. “Not everyone’s going to become a virtuoso. But, it’s a great feeling to be able to play a song and put a smile on somebody’s face, I don’t know a greater feeling than that. Music itself has such healing qualities.”

Sarah Morgan

Photo by Annie Ray

41

GENRE: Indie Country/Folk Rock

INFLUENCES: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, The Band, The Byrds, Moby Grape

CURRENT CD: Fortunately Available at independent music stores, and online at CDBaby, iTunes and brothersandsisters.com

brothersandsisters.com

myspace.com/brothersandsistersmusic



Shoot Location: Liz Carpenter Fountain

MEMBERSLily Courtney vocals/ autoharp/tambourineWill Courtney vocals/guitar Ray Jackson pedal steel Greg McArthur drum David Morgan bass Daniel Wilcox lead guitar

The Band, The Byrds, Moby Grape

CURRENT CD: Fortunately Available at independent music

Calling to mind another family-monickered band, The Mamas & The Papas, Austin’s Brothers and Sisters fall somewhere between a sun-dappled meadow and a crackling campfi re. After a successful debut album, a song featured on “The OC,” SXSW appearances and two cross-country tour stints, the eight-piece band has attracted a variety of fans all over the country. It’s no surprise, either, given their affection for 1960s pop and folk ballads — a nice change of pace from today’s jaded rockers.

“Their music entirely lacks the calculated cool of contemporary indie rock and seems totally obliv ious to the cynical machinations of the music business,” Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff has said of Brothers and Sisters. “In an indie world currently hell -bent on exhuming the still -warm corpse of post-punk, Brothers and Sisters reach back to a sunnier age, when idioms as disparate as polished West Coast pop, rock and roll choogle, AM radio balladry and classic country could still rub up against each other at the same hazy Topanga canyon party.”

Brothers and Sisters’ “family band” is led by real-life brother and sister Will and Lily Courtney, Houston natives who eventually made their way to Austin. After moving west to explore the L.A. music scene, Will returned to Texas to start a band with his sister, along with six more band members who managed to stumble into the group. How? Let’s just say it’s nice to know that even the most hippie of folk bands still rely on that modern accoutrement of the Information Age, Craigslist. “After posting Craigslist ads and asking friends, we found each other sometime in the summer of 2005,” says Will. “We played our fi rst show in November of that year to a pretty big crowd, and it kinda went from there.”

HOW DO YOU FIT INTO THE AUSTIN MUSIC SCENE? “Somewhere between the gutter punks and CEOs,” says Will Courtney.

FUN FACT: Will and Lily Courtney’s mother, Cynthia Clawson, is a Grammy-winning independent gospel artist once dubbed “The Christian Barbara Streisand” both for her voice and for her support of the Christian gay community.

43

lionstheband.commyspace.com/lionstheband



Shoot Location: Rooftop of Trophy’s

MEMBERS: Matt Drenik lead singer/guitaristJake Perlman drummerAustin Kalman lead guitarist/singerMikey Sellman bass

GENRE: Psychedelic Rock/Hard Rock

INFLUENCES: Think Kurt Cobain rocking out with The Runaways

CURRENT CD: No Generation Available online at iTunes. At press time, the band started recording a massive full-length album in January 2009.

Their album No Generation grapples with the problem of a fragmented society. Their shows call up adjectives like “furious” and “full frontal assault.” The Onion linked their music to “a tab of LSD chased with Southern Comfort.” Now, kindly erase all of that from your mind, and imagine two really sweet guys playing on the Today Show with a choir comprised of third, fourth and fi fth graders, alongside a beaming Al Roker. All facts apply to the anarchists-with-hearts-of-gold, Lions.

“Since the 1960s, every generation has kind of had its own cultural thing — we were kids in the 1990s with grunge, 1980s kids had their Devo. A formative experience when they are younger in life,” says Lions lead guitarist Austin Kalman. “Now that everything’s so fragmented, because of the Internet and everything else, that doesn’t really happen anymore. So that’s where the title for No Generation came from. We’re not saying we have a solution for it, but some of our angrier riffs come out of that. We live very segmented lives now, and I guess the way we feel about that comes out in our music.”

Lions have channeled those feelings in various interesting ways, taking a circuitous route to musical success. At age 19, Kalman decided to become a musician, bought a guitar and taught himself how to play it. He and Lions’ drummer Jake Perlman met playing with The Palms School Choir, a group made up of school kids and music pros (hence the afore-mentioned Today Show gig). Soon after, in July 2005, the Lions’ lineup was formed, and they wrote and recorded their fi rst album in less than three weeks. Today, one of their songs has been featured on the Showtime series “Californication,” and High Times Magazine gave Lions a Doobie Award for “Best Local Austin Band” in 2008.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT A TYPICAL SHOW? “To leave half-deaf and disoriented,” says Lions’ vocalist/guitarist Matt Drenik.

MOST RECENTLY TOURED WITH? The Toadies

FUN FACT: Their song “Metal Heavy Lady” is on Guitar Hero III.

CURRENT CD: No Generation Available online at iTunes. At press time, the band started recording

47

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Ray Benson / 22" x 30," Watercolor

49


Photographer: Cory RyanShoot Location: Trailer in Driftwood, TX

GENRE: Garage Punk/Blues Rock

INFLUENCES: They’ve been dubbed "Steely Dan of the Digital Age," compared to The White Stripes and reprimanded for stealing beers out of the hands of fans in the front row when they were still noise-rock group Parque Touch.

CURRENT CD: Explosion Available online at whitedenimmusic.com and transmissionentertainment.com.

MEMBERS: James Petralli vocals/guitarJoshua Block drumsSteve Terebecki vocals/bass

whitedenimmusic.commyspace.com/bopenglish

They won “Best New Band” at the 2008 Austin Music Awards, they played 11 shows at SXSW 2007, and already have two record labels – one for U.S. listeners, one for Europeans. At one point, they performed under pseudonyms, their bassist taped his glasses together, and their band bio appears to be written in 17th century English:

“The sirs before mentioned in these modern times are near to themselves and becoming daily in their times at the ‘free wheel’ of disposure. At the brink of it all is the concretality of a format being contributable to outcomings. If not to simplify too; so, I retrace in my unstated, potentially radical view, of the eventual occasion to this at present one may encounter upon; whether enduring or adoring, but presently existing continually.”

...Well, ok then. Meet the quirky, hip-swiveling, hard-working indie kids, White Denim.

After an encounter at Beerland in March 2005, bassist Steve Terebecki, then playing with Peach Train, joined forces with Petralli, Josh Block and Lucas Anderson of Parque Touch. Lucas skipped off to Russia, and the remaining three reincarnated themselves as White Denim. “We passed our demos onto booking agents until we got asked to play a gig,” says White Denim’s James Petralli. That was 2006. Their ensuing gigs around Dallas and Austin led to enthused whispers on Gorilla Vs. Bear and other music blogs, and the band released their fi rst EP in 2007 titled Let’s Talk About It. Talk we did: White Denim was one of the buzziest bands coming out of SXSW 2007, and today, they’ve played at ACL and CMJ Music Marathon.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “Food walkability.”

WHERE DO YOU RECORD? “In a 1940’s Spartan trailer in Driftwood, Texas.”

FUN FACT: Lead vocalist James Petralli is the son of former Major League Baseball catcher, Geno Petralli.

around Dallas and Austin led to enthused whispers on Gorilla Vs. Bear and other music blogs, and the band released their fi rst EP in 2007 titled Denim was one of the buzziest bands coming out of SXSW 2007, and today, they’ve played at ACL and CMJ Music Marathon.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?

WHERE DO YOU RECORD?Driftwood, Texas.”

FUN FACT:Major League Baseball catcher, Geno Petralli.

Steve Terebecki vocals/bass

and today, they’ve played at ACL and CMJ Music Marathon.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?

WHERE DO YOU RECORD?Driftwood, Texas.”

FUN FACT:Major League Baseball catcher, Geno Petralli.

still noise-rock group Parque Touch.

CURRENT CD: Explosion Available online at whitedenimmusic.com and

50

The Music Gym is actually not the place to sculpt your abs while taking in your favorite tunes. It’s one of Austin’s newest rehearsal and performance venues on East 6th St. And it’s the second location for owners Ryan McVinney and Robert Edward, who years ago saw the need for an affordable, laid-back and professional facility for musicians.

“I dreamt of a chain of musician-run music communities and venues while working for an hourly rehearsal studio in Manhattan,” says McVinney. “I collaborated with Robert back in Boston where we converted the basement of an old factory into a digital recording studio with multiple rehearsal rooms and a lounge.”

In 2001, the Boston location of the Music Gym was born. And as the location boomed, the duo also started their record label, Get Nice Records. They signed several of their Music Gym regulars and released four full-length albums.

So, why the jump from Boston to Austin? McVinney found himself in the Live Music Capital of the World while touring with his band, The Second Hand. He realized the potential for another Music Gym location and began the search for studio space.

“The band and I were living in the Pecan Grove RV Park and I invited Rob to come down and check out the 6th Street location. We convinced the previous owner to sell to us instead of selling the space to Starbucks,” laughs McVinney.

With four rehearsal rooms stocked with amps, microphones, drum kits, PA systems and Pro Tools, musicians can rehearse, relax and even record their sessions. It’s also affordable. A $200 monthly fee gets a band

eight hours of rehearsal time per week, with slots available 24 hours a day, every day.

But perhaps the most tempting part of the package for bands? The chance to perform in The Music Gym’s monthly showcase. This show give up-and-comers, as well as more seasoned bands, a chance to hit the indoor or outdoor stage and give friends and fans a free show.

It’s no surprise The Music Gym already has fans of its own. Everyone from musicians to music lovers have come out in force, making this spot a popular gathering place for fundraisers, parties (including The Texas Roller Girls soiree) and even the 2008 SXSW after-party.

Hit t ing the gym now has a whole new meaning. Check out this east-side find to lounge, play, listen or enjoy everything from beer to spirits to the all-vegetarian and vegan menu. Just be sure to leave the spandex and sweatbands at home.

Kathy Farley

Photos by Ed Verosky

The Music Gym815 East 6th St.512-939-2524musicgym.commyspace: austinmusicgym

55

myspace.com/soundsunderradio soundsunderradio.com

GENRE: American-Style

Brit Rock

INFLUENCES: Led Zepplin,

Muse, Radiohead, Queens

of the Stone Age,

Pink Floyd

CURRENT CD: Cinematica

Available at

Waterloo Records

Sounds Under Radio were plucked from obscurity when their single “Portrait of a Summer Thief” serendipitously fell into “Spider-Man 3” director, Sam Raimi’s hands. He placed the song on the movie’s soundtrack, and the band was then signed by Epic Records. What would have been placed into the “and the rest they say is history” category when an indie band is signed by a major label, turned sour when the record company was wishy washy about when the band’s album would be released. The group and the company parted ways af ter less than a year, and the band’s debut album, Cinematica, came out last fall.

“We learned that we can do this all on our own with the right tools and people,” says lead singer Lang Freeman. “There’s a lot of room for indie musicians to spread their music without the corporate foundation.” Bassist Bradely Oliver agrees: “Epic just gave us a better relationship with our lawyer.”

As for the much fought about record, Freeman says it was incredibly personal to write. “The album is about relationships, both good and bad, and all the things that evolve the human condition. It was a creative piece for me as a personal catharsis, but I wanted to make the words accessible to others.”

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? “Stubb’s,” Freeman says. “Their indoor stage is our home away from home. People go to Stubb’s to be a part of the show. Plus they have great barbeque.” “Just not right before a show!” chimes Oliver.

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? “We played at the Mercury Lounge in New York City after ‘Spider-Man 3’ came out, and there were a lot of people singing along to the music. We hadn’t even offi cially released anything yet!” Oliver says. “It was a cool thing to be reaching people we didn’t know in a different city,” Freeman adds.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “Before Lang became a rock ‘n’ roller, he was a high school baseball star for the South Lake Herald Dragons. He got injured and hates sports now,” Oliver says. “Because I found rock ‘n’ roll instead!” laughs Freeman.

MEMBERS:Doug Wilson guitar

Bradley Oliver bass

Lang Freeman guitar

Sonny Sanchez drums

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN?says. “Their indoor stage is our home away from home. People go to Stubb’s to be a part of the show. Plus they have great barbeque.” “Just not right before a show!” chimes Oliver.

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY?Lounge in New York City after ‘Spider-Man 3’ came out, and there were a lot of people singing along to the music. We hadn’t even offi cially released anything yet!” Oliver says. “It was a cool thing to be reaching people we didn’t know in a different city,” Freeman adds.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE?Lang became a rock ‘n’ roller, he was a high school baseball star for the South Lake Herald Dragons. He got injured and hates sports now,” Oliver says. “Because I found rock ‘n’ roll instead!” laughs Freeman.

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN?says. “Their indoor stage is our home away from home. People go to Stubb’s to be a part of the show. Plus they have great barbeque.” “Just not right before a show!” chimes Oliver.

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY?Lounge in New York City after ‘Spider-Man 3’ came out, and there were a lot of people singing along to the music. We hadn’t even offi cially released anything yet!” Oliver says. “It was a cool thing to be reaching people we didn’t know in a different city,” Freeman adds.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE?Lang became a rock ‘n’ roller, he was a high school baseball star for the South Lake Herald Dragons. He got injured and hates sports now,” Oliver says. “Because I found rock ‘n’ roll instead!” laughs Freeman.


Photographer:

Jennifer Nichols

Shoot Location:

Alley behind Lucky Lounge

CURRENT CD: Cinematica

Available at

56

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Casey McPherson / 22" x 30," Watercolor

59

MEMBERS:Matt Bray lead vocals/keys Chris Max vocals/guitar Paul Cano vocals/bass Randy Erwin drums

GENRE: 1980s Rock

INFLUENCES: Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Journey, Def Leppard, Poison, 0zzy 0sbourne...you get the idea.

CURRENT CD: None yet, but trust us, it’s the live show you want anyway. Find the band rocking their favorite venues, Cedar Street and Speakeasy. If you happen to be booking a private event — say, a wedding — LC Rocks does that too.

Screaming vocals: check. Blowing hair: check. Tight-fi tting leather: double check. Seven years ago, 4 friends in a variety band decided to try an experiment. Instead of playing a few 1980s songs at the end of their set, why not launch a full-on, 100% indulgent 1980s hair band?

“We saw that our 1980s songs were really working with audiences, so we quickly evolved,” says lead vocalist Matt Bray. Now, thanks to smoke machines, studded belts and plenty of glam posturing, “our shows are reminiscent of 1980s music videos,” he says. “We’re now known as Austin’s most popular 1980s rock/hair band.”

With Bret Michaels on reality TV and the release of a 15 -years - in - the -making Guns N’ Roses album last November, 1980s rock appears to be having a renaissance. And amidst a cold world of hipster irony, who wouldn’t want to revisit a time when men proudly swished long hair, cried earnestly into microphones and enjoyed 20-minute guitar solos? Fans love LC Rocks for the nostalgia factor, and it shows. But it’s the audience participation that makes this group truly unique. “People just seem to let go at our shows...and we love it,” says Bray. Expect to see several “groupies” hop on stage during LC Rocks concerts, usually at the prompting of Bray and his fellow band members.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN: The people. “We love to watch how the audience here in town reacts to our songs, with fi sts in the air,” says Bray. “Sometimes people crowd surf or stage dive.”

FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? Austin Music Hall or Stubb’s

FAVORITE POWER BALLAD? “I Remember You” by Skid Row

lcrocks.commyspace.com/lcrocksmyspace



Shoot Location: Parking Lot,

3rd St. and Colorado Blvd.

60

For some, fl oating down the Guadalupe is an annual tradition. After all, it’s one of the easiest ways to do absolutely nothing and cool down when the temperatures star t to rise. But after your tubing trip, Will Korioth invites you to take part in another Austin tradition: some live music. And it’s just steps away f rom the r iverbank at the Whitewater Amphitheatre.

“Everyone from Cross Canadian Ragweed to Ghostland Observatory to Robert Earl Keen and Pat Green have played here,” says Korioth.

Over the past five years, Korioth and his partner, Daryl Burttschell, have created an

oasis on the Guadalupe that includes the Whitewater Sports Campground, tube rental, an 18-cabin resort called Hideout on the Horseshoe and the two-acre Whitewater Amphitheatre. For those looking for a laid-back and nearby getaway, these properties are an oasis indeed.

“About fi ve years ago, we started with a few cabins on the Guadalupe River. We posted an ad and booked them all in eight minutes,” recalls Korioth. “So, we continued to expand. And in 2007, that included the amphitheater, which can accommodate 4,000 people and includes 411 VIP seats and nine skyboxes.”

Whitewater’s Saturday night shows on the river have quickly become a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. And with a great lineup of performers planned for the 2009 season, including Willie Nelson, Jack Ingram and the Eli Young Band, the crowds and the bands are sure to keep coming.

“The musicians love hanging out in the green room off of the stage. It has a patio that faces the river so they can see everyone fl oating by,” says Korioth. “And at night, we light up the Amphitheatre with tiki torches, which reflect off of the water. It creates a great ambience for shows and just to have a beer and kick back.”

It’s all part of the Whitewater experience, which typically lasts from around Memorial Day to Labor Day each year. But in 2009, Korioth plans for an additional music series at the Whitewater Amphitheatre’s beer garden, which has a capacity of up to 2,000 fans. Lasting for 16 weeks, the series begins on April 16th.

Tubing is just the beginning at this New Braunfels hot spot. So be sure to plan your getaway before the summer rush.

Kathy Farley

Photo (Crowd) by Pixel Peach

Photo (River) by Victor Yiu

Whitewater Amphitheatre11860 FM 306830-964-3800

whitewaterrocks.com

Whitewater Amphitheatre

65

myspace.com/theladylegacy 1205productions.com

GENRE: Rap

INFLUENCES: Janet Jackson’s "Pleasure Principle," Teena Marie, Salt ‘N’ Pepa

CURRENT CD: Out There Bad Available online at 1205productions.com

Lady Legacy got hooked on music in the sixth grade when she learned to play the recorder in school, and she’s been hooked ever since. It wasn’t until she enrolled in St. Edward’s University for a music management degree that she discovered she could perform live and make a living at it. “I did what I did onstage, and no one left,” she shrugs. “I fi gured they must have liked it.”

Legacy left behind her recorder days and took on Austin as its self-declared “premier female rapper.” Legacy even formed her own production company, 1205 Productions, where she markets and produces herself and other artists. But living in a man’s world isn’t always so easy for the tenacious rapper. “You just have to deal with it,” she sighs. “But, I’m a business woman. Men treat you like you’re their baby mama instead of an individual. They get really intimidated when a female starts talking business.”

Legacy not only knows the business of hip-hop, but she also sees its potential for shaping potentially troubled teens. She started a program called Positivity for Purpose, which uses hip-hop to educate kids. “I help young people learn what their talents are and then prosper. I want to put them in the right direction,” Legacy says.

As for her music, Lady Legacy writes songs that everyone can relate to, even ones called “Kill a Muthaf**ka,” but she is inspired ultimately by her own life. “My whole culture is hip-hop,” she says. “I live the lifestyle, and it’s a form of expression much like poetry.”

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “We have an amazing sky. People can talk about our tree huggers if they want, but for the beautiful sky, I’ll slap the p*ss out of anyone putting their hands on an offi cial Austin tree hugger.” SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “I’m a practicing messianic Jew. I can read and write Hebrew block letters.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? "A homemade disc of UGK classics. R.I.P., Pimp C!"



Shoot Location: MLK Car Wash

Marie, Salt ‘N’ Pepa

CURRENT CD: Out There Bad Available online at

inspired ultimately by her own life. “My whole culture is hip-hop,” she says. “I live the lifestyle, and it’s a form of expression much like poetry.”

FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?People can talk about our tree huggers if they want, but for the beautiful sky, I’ll slap the p*ss out of anyone putting their hands on an offi cial Austin tree hugger.” SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE?messianic Jew. I can read and write Hebrew block letters.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? of UGK classics. R.I.P., Pimp C!"


WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? of UGK classics. R.I.P., Pimp C!"


69

Musicmakers517 S. Lamar Blvd.512-444-6686musicmakersaustin.com

David Baldry and Allen Kirsh72

“We specialize in providing the best possible customer service, along with an incredible selection, at low prices,” explains co-owner Allen Kirsh. “Whether you need a guitar, harmonica, keyboard or an entire sound system completely installed, we can help!”

In addition to offering several products, repair service, rentals and commercial sound installations (that the national stores don’t have), Musicmakers has managed to maintain a quality that Austin customers want and have come to expect — a more personal experience.

“We rent this equipment out to many of the concerts, clubs and theme parks all around Texas,” says Kirsh. “We also have a repair and service area for guitars, amps, keyboards and sound systems.”

As part of the main store, Musicmaker Rentals also has one of the largest rental inventories in the Southwest with top of the line drum kits, hard to fi nd keyboards and professional bass as well as guitar amps.

No matter what your rental needs, the professional team at Musicmakers works with customers to make events look and sound exceptional, as well as make sure costs stay well within a budget.

When visiting Musicmakers, no trip is complete without a visit to the PA department. Along with accessories, the department contains a complete lighting showroom and DJ section.

“Our showroom has over 160 rack spaces containing the latest professional equipment, which is always hooked up and ready for listening pleasure. Musicmakers’ trained professional audio consultants are always happy to help solve music needs,” says Kirsh.

In addition to having a retail store, Musicmakers also has a large installation department. Led by Chris Beall, Musicmakers’ professional audio designer and consultant, the installation department has installed custom sound and light systems in hundreds of churches, schools, restaurants, nightclubs and homes.

As mentioned, Musicmakers recently expanded out its sales and service departments with a daily department for rentals such as amps, keyboard, drums, sound systems and wireless microphone systems, which includes one of the largest professional backline rental departments.

“With clear cut goals and good old fashioned customer service that caters to the musician’s every need, we still prove more than ever to be a strong link between musicians and the tools of the trade,” says Kirsh. “Musicmakers Austin has no intention of slowing down and will continue to be around for generations to come.”

Lindsey Krauss

Photo by Ed Verosky

73

umemusic.commyspace.com/umemusic

GENRE: Indie Rock with Punk Influences INFLUENCES: Descendants, Fugazi, The Runaways,

Minor Thread CURRENT CD: Sunshower EP Available at Waterloo Records

Ume got its name from a Japanese plum blossom. While bassist Eric Larson says that ume “sounded cool and had cool imagery,” his wife and singer/guitarist Lauren, puts it ever so succinctly: “It’s this delicate, dainty little fl ower, which totally contrasts with the music. And people don’t really associate us with our music.” With two scruffy and almost bookish-looking dudes and Lauren, a diminutive, incredibly polite and soft- but well-spoken blonde, they pretty much look night and day from their music, which consists of the two men rocking out while Lauren growls into the mic. “When people see us, they think we’re something really different, but we have an explosive live show and intense music,” Lauren says.

She picked up her brother’s guitar at the age of 12 and learned a Nirvana song in one night. “I thought it was pretty easy, and I got hooked,” she says. At 14, Lauren started a punk band, and in high school, she and Eric started playing together. Their drummer, Jeff Barrera, joined later. Sunshower EP, the band’s latest record, was released earlier this year, and although the band has punk tendencies, the name of the EP isn’t being ironic. “While we maintain our intensity, we incorporated melodic elements too,” Lauren says. “Overall, it is very hopeful.”

WHAT IS YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? “Jeff caught a goat on tour!” Lauren says. “We were at a gas station, and people were trying to catch this wayward goat. I had never even touched a goat before, and I just caught him,” Barrera says. “It was defi nitely the funniest band memory,” Lauren says.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “Everyone is always surprised by looking at us and then watching us play,” Lauren says. “We don’t look rock ‘n’ roll, but we literally leave ourselves on the stage.”

YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? "There are so many people making things happen here," Lauren says. "It's such a dynamic, involved community."

MEMBERS:Eric Larson bass

Lauren Larson vocals/guitarJeff Barrera drums



Shoot Location: 6th St. and Brazos St.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY?on tour!” Lauren says. “We were at a gas station, and people were trying to catch this wayward goat. I had never even touched a goat before, and I just caught him,” Barrera says. “It was defi nitely the funniest band memory,” Lauren says.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE?is always surprised by looking at us and then watching us play,” Lauren says. “We don’t look rock ‘n’ roll, but we literally leave ourselves on the stage.”

YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN?many people making things happen here," Lauren says. "It's such a dynamic, involved community."

CURRENT CD: Sunshower EP Available at Waterloo Records

75

William K. Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Trish Murphy / 22" x 30," Watercolor

77

PopPopPop

GENRE: Pop

INFLUENCES: The Smiths, the Decemberists, Saturday

Looks Good to Me, Beulah,

Smoking Popes

CURRENT CD: You're So Quiet EP Available at Waterloo Records



Shoot Location:

Ben White Carnival

myspace.com/hollywoodgossipband

MEMBERS:Tyler Womack vocals/guitarJustin Crowelllead guitarCory Ryan bassTom Hudson drums

No, Hollywood Gossip doesn’t have a love for all things Perez Hilton, but rather an affection for Charles Bukowski poetry. The band in its current — and offi cial — line-up has only been performing together since last March, but it has already made a name for itself, opening for bigger Austin bands, such as Voxtrot, and throwing an EP release shindig for You’re So Quiet in December.

Singer Tyler Womack and guitarist Justin Crowell joined forces after being introduced by a mutual friend, and after spending numerous afternoons working on songs, the duo played a set at Womack’s 26th birthday party, where they successfully charmed Cory Ryan into joining the band.

The fi rst two full band outings of Hollywood Gossip included a stand-in drummer. During one of those shows, the band mesmerized former Silver Scooter drummer Tom Hudson into being the group’s full-time stick man.

Womack says for their EP, they were inspired by catchy melodies and tried to build songs around them. “As far as words are concerned, we try to tell good, coherent stories. Many of our best songs come from crushes, break-ups, surprises and failures. Lately, we’ve been trying to write more songs that capture the feeling of situations — parties, sexual tension, the Austin scene,” he says.

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? “Club DeVille.”

YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “Breakfast tacos. In particular, Maria's and Curra’s. Traveling out of town, you realize the huge gulf in breakfast taco production throughout the country. You wonder how so many people throughout the U.S. survive Sunday morning hangovers without them,” Womack says.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “The band is named after a horse in a Bukowski poem called ‘A Day at the Oak Tree Meet,’ and it follows Bukowski through a day of betting. Hollywood Gossip is the last horse he bets on before he starts winning, which is to say it’s a losing horse. But at least it’s a sign of good things to come,” Womack says.


.

Looks Good to Me, Beulah,

Smoking Popes

CURRENT CD: You're So Quiet EP Available at Waterloo Records

78

From the moment you arrive, your eyes are overwhelmed

with the picturesque Texas Hill Country view, while the

Tuscan inspired architecture enraptures your soul and

beckons you to the stylish home interiors. Then you

discover the extraordinary resident privileges such as an

exclusive Sky Lounge, Yoga Studio, Tranquil Pools with

Wi-Fi Hot Spots, Wii Game Lounge, Culinary Presentation

Kitchen with ongoing cooking classes, 24-Hr Fitness

Studio… and you realize this is an exceptional life

destination. Alexan Vistas… An Address With Altitude.

Toll-free: 866.372.9738 | 512.794.8439

[email protected]

VISTAS

GENRE: Socio/Political/Spiritual/Folk/

Americana/Rock

INFLUENCES: Terry Gilkyson (her dad), Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie,

Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cochburn

CURRENT CD: Beautiful World Available at Waterloo Records

elizagilkyson.commyspace.com/elizagilkyson

Eliza Gilkyson’s fi rst album came out 30 years ago, but as the daughter of legendary songwriter Terry Gilkyson — of the folk band The Easy Riders and the Academy Award-nominated “Jungle Book” song “Bare Necessities” — she knew that her life would revolve around music. “I got into it for all the wrong reasons, more as a survival tool than anything else, but it proved to serve me more than I dared to imagine,” Gilkyson says.

At the age of 14, Gilkyson sang on some of her dad’s recordings, and this got her comfortable in a studio. During her long and esteemed career, Gilkyson has been recognized as one of Austin’s most political folk musicians, and she released one of her honest and political records with last year’s Beautiful World. The record, which sometimes feels morose with lyrics such as “down on the corner of ruin and grace/I’m growin’ weary of the human race/hold my lamp up in everyone’s face/lookin’ for an honest man” actually celebrates the beauty that shines amidst dark days of war and corruption. The troubadour, who sings of environmental issues and cuts down on her carbon footprint even when touring, says she’s most inspired by “[her] struggle to be a decent human being.” Gilkyson’s next project will be recording a collection of her father’s children’s songs.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “Hardly anyone knows I lived in an old wooden boxcar alongside the Santa Fe railroad line when I was 18 years old. It was my fi rst rental experience. It was primitive with a wood cook stove, and the rent was $15 a month.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? “Tarik O’Regan’s Threshold of Night with Conspirare, Austin’s Grammy-nominated choir, and conducted by Craig Hella Johnson. There is some serious singing going on there.”

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? "I have 40 years of incredible moments in music. I can't say any one is the best."



Shoot Location: Gilkyson’s Front Yard

Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cochburn

CURRENT CD: Beautiful World Available at Waterloo Records

anyone knows I lived in an old wooden boxcar alongside the Santa Fe railroad line when I was 18 years old. It was my fi rst rental experience. It was primitive with a wood cook stove, and the rent was $15 a month.”

WHAT CD ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? Threshold of Nightnominated choir, and conducted by Craig Hella Johnson. There is some serious singing going on there.”

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY?moments in music. I can't say any one is the best."

Shoot Location: Gilkyson’s Front Yard

83

“By the age of 16, the average American child has witnessed 18,000 murders on television.” “Experts predict computers will exceed human intelligence in 100 years.” “Some of these facts will change by the end of this video.”

All snippets from The Black and White Years’ music video for “Power to Change,” a thoughtful critique of modern culture couched in a deceptively playful ska beat. But despite its cynicism, The Black and White Years’ story is the stuff indie band dreams are made of.

“The Black and White Years has existed for about three years,” says Butler. “We started playing at any place that booked us, then found a great manager, then found a producer, then made a record.” That producer happened to be none other than Jerry Harrison, former keyboardist of Talking Heads, who saw them play at Opal Divine’s during SXSW 2007 to a crowd of about 15 people. After whisking them off to San Francisco’s Sausalito Sound, Harrison helped the band record their fi rst full-length album, which took fi ve weeks to record, and a little over seven months to mix, rework and shape it into a sound that felt right. Bolstered by blog buzz and sterling reviews, The Black and White Years made their ACL debut in 2008. Today, armed with a Roland synthesizer, signature drum machine loops, and abundant mustaches, their catchy dance pop is winning fans from Austin, Texas to Cannes, France.

WHERE DID YOUR BAND LIVE BEFORE AUSTIN? Nashville

WHERE DID YOU FIRST START PLAYING? Pizza Parlors

BIGGEST MISTAKE? “We went to Cannes, France to play the MIDEM Festival, and all of us got so fabulously drunk on the first night that we spent the rest of our time there nursing misery,” laughs Butler, who had a show the next day. “Our show went well despite everything, and we learned a lesson about mixing Tsingtao, Johnny Walker and champagne. Now we drink in moderation, like the liquor commercials say to do.”

will exceed human intelligence in 100 years.” “Some of these facts will change by the end of this video.”

All snippets from The Black and White Years’ music video for

then found a great manager, then found a producer, then made

White Years made their ACL debut in 2008. Today, armed with

MEMBERS: Scott Butler

vocals/ guitars/

keys/words

Landon Thompson

guitars/keys/vocals

John Aldridge

bass/brass

Billy Potts drums


Photographer: Cory RyanShoot Location: Gorilla

at Lamar Blvd. and Hwy 183

theblackandwhiteyears.commyspace.com/theblackandwhiteyears

GENRE: Dance Pop/Ska/New Wave/Rock

INFLUENCES: "Everything from Stephen Sondheim to

Kanye West," says frontman

Scott Butler.

CURRENT CD: The Black and White Years


or online at iTunes and

theblackandwhiteyears.com

CURRENT CD: The Black and White Years


from Austin, Texas to Cannes, France.

WHERE DID YOUR BAND LIVE BEFORE AUSTIN?

WHERE DID YOU FIRST START PLAYING?

BIGGEST MISTAKE?MIDEM Festival, and all of us got so fabulously drunk on the first night that we spent the rest of our time there nursing misery,” laughs Butler, who had a show the next day. “Our show went well despite everything, and we learned a lesson about mixing Tsingtao, Johnny Walker and champagne. Now we drink in moderation, like the liquor commercials say to do.”

from Austin, Texas to Cannes, France.

WHERE DID YOUR BAND LIVE BEFORE AUSTIN?

WHERE DID YOU FIRST START PLAYING?

first night that we spent the rest of our time there nursing

went well despite everything, and we learned a lesson about

85

William Stidham / The Sacred Heart of Alejandro Escovedo / 22" x 30," Watercolor

87


Photographer: Jennifer NicholsShoot Location:

Knight Realty

thegourds.commyspace.com/thegourdstx

GENRE: "We have created the genre of Country

Art Rock and Soul or

CARS," lead singer Kevin

Russell says.

INFLUENCES: Burl Ives, Neil Young, Bob Wills,

Monty Python, Al Green,

Muhammad Ali

CURRENT CD: Haymaker! Available online at

thegourds.com

MEMBERS: Kevin "Shinyribs" Russell

vocals/mandolin/

guitar/harmonica

Jimmy Smith vocals/

guitar/percussion,

harmonica/bass

Claude Bernard

accordion/electric

keyboard/vocals/

guitar/percussion

Keith Langford drums/

harmonica/vocals

Max Johnston vocals/

fiddle/lap steel

mandolin/guitar/banjo

CURRENT CD: Haymaker!

Available online at

thegourds.com

mandolin/guitar/banjo

Despite playing for more than 14 years and recording nine studio albums, the Gourds are probably best known for a song they did not write. Nearly 12 years after its live debut, fans can still be heard calling out for the band’s cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice,” often before they have even taken the stage. While The Gourds can’t be categorized by a Snoop cover, it does give some insight to their sense of redneck irony and love of music, including the ukulele. But it also demonstrates why the band gets some fl ack from critics.

“We are regarded by some to be too dense and reference laden to comprehend. But, they lack imagination. We are explorers of linguistic imagination. We are not journalists or bedtime story tellers. But there are characters and storylines in there. One might say we are ‘all over the map,’ for lack of a better expression. But, ‘the map is not the territory,’ eh?” says singer Kevin “Shinyribs” Russell.

Their latest record, however, was built on the strength of a ballad, a type of song the Gourds aren’t typically known for. “I wasn’t really sure how all the ballads would sound with the band just because they aren’t really our style traditionally, but for some reason, I thought it would be cool just because we had never done anything like it before, and now seemed like as good a time as any,” Russell says.

SOMETHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE? “We have all stopped smoking over the last few years,” Russell says. “We all are raising beautiful, happy children with adoring wives in wooden houses with indoor plumbing and color TV. We are a pure democracy.”

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? "These days we rather enjoy playing Threadgill’s South Biergarten when the weather is good," Russell says.

YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? “Playing the River Roots Festival to 10,000 people in Missoula, Montana. We played a club there in 1998 to absolutely no one. And over the years, we have built it into one of our best cities,” Russell says.

89

kevinfowler.commyspace.com/kevinfowler

GENRE: Honky Tonk, Texas Country

INFLUENCES: "I grew up on hair metal bands, so my

influences are everything

from Merle Haggard to

Metallica. You gotta put

all your influences in your

music soup, stir and see

what you come up with."

Chances are, even if you’re not a country music fan, you can sing the chorus to Kevin Fowler’s “Beer, Bait and Ammo” due to its catchy lyrics and abundance at karaoke joints.

Fowler has been performing live for more than 20 years, but it was his mom who inadvertently pushed him into music when she signed him up for piano lessons. “At the time, I rebelled against it, but it came so naturally to me,” Fowler says. “I’ve played some instrument since I was nine years old. I started on the piano, but then I eventually moved onto something that would p*ss my parents off: the drums!”

After attending the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, Fowler moved to Austin, where he learned he was maybe a little more country than rock ‘n’ roll. “I played in rock bands, but everyone kept saying the songs I was writing were country,” he says. It is his rock ‘n’ roll upbringing that puts Fowler in the new “outlaw sound of country music,” which he says is not restrained by the traditional rules of Nashville. Country, rock, whatever you call it, Fowler has people hooked with his tongue in cheek, redneck humor and larger than life performances.

YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUSTIN? “I love the hill country, the lakes and the hunting and fi shing. It’s what really sold me about Austin: the outdoors. It amazed me all the cool things you could do outdoors.”

YOUR FAVORITE VENUE IN AUSTIN? “Broken Spoke. I don’t get to play there much anymore, but I love the Spoke.” YOUR BEST BAND MEMORY? “My coolest memory was on my record High on the Hog, and Willie Nelson came to record a duet. He was in the vocal booth, and it struck me that he was singing a song I wrote while driving down MoPac in my truck. I had to pinch myself!”

CURRENT CD: Bring it On

Available at Best Buy or

kevinfowler.com

MEMBERS:Kevin Fowler vocals

Gary Herman bass

Tracy Martin guitar

Ken Tondre drums

Arty Passes steel guitar

Jason McBride fiddle



Shoot Location: Next to Midnight Rodeo

CURRENT CD: Bring it On

Available at Best Buy or

92

Omar Dykes and Carolyn Schwarz | HAAM | healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org

SPOTLIG

HTIN

G AU

STIN'S N

ON

PROFITS

94

HAAM started nearly four years ago with a simple goal: Make health care affordable for all those rock ‘n’ rollers, crooners, singer-songwriters, classical virtuosos and other music makers that help make Austin the Live Music Capital of the World.

Live music in Austin is big business, bringing a billion dollars into the local economy. However, t he bu lk o f mus ic ians f ind themselves strapped for cash most of the time — a situation that, combined with a lack of health insurance, can lead many to avoid seeking healthcare.

HAAM works to remedy this si tuat ion, offering affordable, sliding scale healthcare to its nearly 1,000 clients, most of whom make less than $15,000 a year. The care ava i lab le, wh ich ranges f rom denta l appointments to cancer treatments, helps keep musicians working, and also enables them to seek care when necessary, even for ongoing or chronic conditions.

“Most of our clients are younger than 35,” says Carolyn Schwarz, executive director. “And, they’re using services for prevention and care. We’re keeping people out of the emergency room.”

Since its founding, HAAM has relied primarily on grants and donations, as well as fundraising efforts like HAAM Benefi t Day (a city-wide event that aims not only to raise funds, but to educate the publ ic through publ ic performances) and the Corporate Battle of the Bands (a typical battle of the bands event that features bands whose members’ main career interests are more likely to be the boardroom than the stage).

When HAAM fi rst launched, the client capacity was just 500, and those slots were donated in kind by the providers, which include the SIMS Foundation, the Seton Family of Hospitals and St. David’s Community Health Foundation. HAAM has nearly doubled its capacity since its founding in 2005, and as the organization continues to grow and change, new services are being added. A recent customer satisfaction survey has pushed HAAM to pursue vision and hearing care, including custom-fi tted earplugs to help protect musicians’ hearing.

“It’s the classical musicians who are actually the most at risk,” says Schwarz, “because the decibel levels are higher at classical shows.”

For musicians interested in HAAM’s services, the barriers to entry are low and ways of verifying income include letters from managers and similar forms of documentation designed to accommodate the freelance, piecemeal nature of many musicians’ income.

And, for those who might want to support HAAM from the sidelines, the organization is a lways eager to take donat ions or volunteer work, especially for major events like HAAM Benefit Day and the Corporate Battle of the Bands.

Carly Kocurek

Photo by Caroline Mowry

A big thanks to our friends at Kerbey Lane Cafe for supporting local austin non-profi ts. When you purchase Kerbey Lane Cafe gift cards in February 2009 through RareAustin.com, a portion of the proceeds will benefi t this organization.

Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM)

95

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINKMama Fu’s100 Colorado St.512-637-6774mamafus.com

Delish209 W. 3rd St.512-539-7502delish-cupcakes.com

219 West219 W. 4th St.512-474-2194219west.com

Imperia310 Colorado St.512-472-6770imperia-austin.com

Cuba Libre409 Colorado St.512-472-2822cubalibreaustin.com

Speakeasy412 Congress Ave.512-476-8017speakeasyaustin.com

J. Black’s710 W. 6th St.512-296-2101jblacks.com

Melting Pot305 E. 3rd St.512-401-2424meltingpot.com

Mean Eyed Cat1621 W. 5th St.512-472-6326themeaneyedcat.com

Truluck’s400 Colorado St.512-482-9000trulucks.com

Manuel’s310 Congress Ave.512-472-7555manuels.com

Moonshine303 Red River St.512-236-9599moonshinegrill.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTStudio 563202 Colorado St.866-251-0677studio563.com

Paramount Theatre713 Congress Ave.512-472-5470austintheatre.org

Ballet Austin501 W. 3rd St.512-476-2163balletaustin.org

HEALTH & BEAUTYMilk + Honey Spa204 Colorado St.512-236-1115milkandhoneyspa.com

Milk + Honey Salon237 W. 3rd St.512-236-1112milkandhoneyspa.com

Joie de Vie713 E. 6th St.512-542-9220joiedeviesalon.com

Avant Salon318 Colorado St.512-472-6357avantsalon.com

Alite Laser1412 W. 6th St.5112-328-1555alitelaser.com

LIVINGUrbanspace Realtors800 W. 5th St.512-457-8884urbanspacerealtors.com

Austin City Living1145 W. 5th St.512-206-0959austincityliving.com

Red River Flats901 Red River St.866-988-7647greystarredriverflats.com

Gables 5th Street Commons1611 W. 5th St.512-474-0900gables.com/5thstreetcommons

Lofty Dog403 W. 2nd St.512-476-5050austinloftydog.com

Hem Jeans908 W. 12th St.512-478-5326hemjeans.com

Underwear916 W. 12th St.512-478-1515fetishaustin.com

Touch of Sass500 N. Lamar Blvd.512-478-7277touchofsass.net

IF+D208 Colorado St.512-469-0870ifdaustin.com

Sparks1014 W. 6th St.512-477-2757sparksaustin.com

Kruger’s Diamond Jewelers722 Congress Ave.512-472-2485mellowjohnnys.com

96

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97

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINK

HEALTH & BEAUTY LIVING

Tyler’s2338 Guadalupe St.512-478-5500tylersaustin.com

Cream Vintage2532 Guadalupe St.512-474-8787creamvintage.com

Forbidden Fruit108 E. North Loop Blvd.512-453-8090forbiddenfruit.com

Montage Clothings508 E. 53rd St.512-944-7523ecofashionmontage.com

Room Service Vintage107 E. North Loop Blvd.512-451-1057roomservicevintage.com

Toy Joy2900 Guadalupe St.512-320-0090toyjoy.com

Pangaea Trading Co.2712 Guadalupe St.512-472-3533

Cuatro’s1004 W. 24th St.512-243-6361cuatrosaustin.com

Hyde Park Bar & Grill4206 Duval St.512-458-3186hydeparkbarandgrill.com

Torchy’s Tacos2801 Guadalupe St.512-494-8226torchystacos.com

Asti408 E. 43rd St.512-451-1218astiaustin.com

Kerbey Lane Café2606 Guadalupe St.512-477-5717kerbeylanecafe.com

Food Heads616 W. 34th St.512-420-8400foodheads.com

Fino2905 San Gabriel St.512-474-3706astiaustin.com

Epoch Coffeehouse221 W. North Loop Blvd.512-454-3762epochcoffee.com

Salvation Pizza624 W. 34th St.512-535-0076myspace: salvationpizza

Taco Shack2825 Guadalupe St.512-320-8889tacoshack.com

Spider House2908 Fruth St.512-480-9562spiderhousecafe.com

The Parlor100 E. North Loop Blvd.512-454-8965myspace: theparlor

Judges’ Hill Restaurant1900 Rio Grande512-495-1800mansionatjudgeshill.com

Dog & Duck Pub406 W. 17th St.512-479-0598dogandduckpub.com

Mint Salon4023 Guadalupe St.512-302-9990

Perfection Tattoo4205 Guadalupe St.512-453-2089perfectiontattoo.com

512 Realty600 W. 28th St.512-322-0512512realty.com

Venue on Guadalupe2815 Guadalupe St.512-473-3706venueonguadalupe.com

98

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99

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINK

HEALTH & BEAUTY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTLIVING

Triangle Residences4600 Guadalupe St.512-450-1500triangleaustin.com

Inviting Affairs2105 Justin Ln.512-331-2133invitingaffairs.com

Soigne Boutique4800 Burnet Rd.512-300-2929soigneaustin.com

Paper Place4001 N. Lamar Blvd.512-451-6531paperplaceaustin.com

Blue Elephant4001 N. Lamar Blvd.512-371-3259shopblueelephant.com

Santa Fe Optical1601 W. 38th St.512-451-1213santafeoptical.com

Verbena Floral Design1601 W. 38th St.512-420-0720verbena.com

Architects & Heroes4700 W. Guadalupe St.512-467-9393shopheroes.com

Russell Korman3806 N. Lamar Blvd.512-451-9295russellkormanjewelry.com

Precision Camera3810 N. Lamar Blvd.512-467-7676precision-camera.com

Adelante1206 W. 38th St.512-452-5322adelanteaustin.com

Atomic Cherry Boutique5535 Burnet Rd.512-258-2226atomiccherryboutique.com

Blue Star Cafeteria4800 Burnet Rd.512-454-7827bluestarcafeteria.com

Sampaio’s4800 Burnet Rd.512-469-9988sampaiosrestaurant.com

Mama Fu’s4615 N. Lamar Blvd.512-637-6773mamafus.com

Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina1206 W. 38th St.512-419-7482santaritacantina.com

Teo1206 W. 38th St.512-451-9555caffeteo.com

Austin Diner5408 Burnet Rd.512-467-9552

34th Street Café1005 W. 34th St.512-371-340034thstreetcafe.com

Taco Shack4002 N. Lamar Blvd.512-467-0833tacoshack.com

Kerbey Lane Café3704 Kerbey Ln.512-451-1436kerbeylanecafe.com

The Art Pad4520 Burnet Rd.512-323-0802theartpadstudio.com

Austin Guitar School5501 N. Lamar Blvd.512-442-2880austinguitarschool.com

Rae Cosmetics1206 W. 38th St.512-320-8732raecosmetics.com

Urban Betty Salon1206 W. 38th St.512-371-7663urbanbetty.com

Sirens Salon4207 Medical Pkwy.512-419-7789sirens-salon.com

Bob Salon1815 W. 35th St.512-454-4262ilovebobsalon.com

Birds Barbershop6800 Burnet Rd.512-454-1200birdsbarbershop.com

Embellish Nails & Boutique4615 N. Lamar Blvd.512-452-7465embellishnails.com

100

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101

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINK

HEALTH & BEAUTYLIVING

Deanfredrick902 E. 5th St.512-493-0943deanfredrick.com

Solid Gold1601 E. 5th St.512-473-2730solidgoldacademy.com

Tree House Gift Shop4900 Mueller Blvd.512-324-0147dellchildrens.net/gift_shop

Domy Books913 E. Cesar Chavez St.512-476-3669domystore.com

Big Red Sun1102 E. Cesar Chavez St.512-480-0688bigredsun.com

Mode Apparel1601 E. Cesar Chavez St.512-436-8924myspace: modeaustin

Blue Dahlia1115 E. 11th St.512-542-9542bluedahliabistro.com

Primizie Osteria1000 E. 11th St.512-236-0088primizieaustin.com

Uncorked900 E. 7th St.512-524-2809uncorkedtastingroom.com

Juan in a Million2300 E. Cesar Chavez St.512-472-3872juaninamillion.com

Progress Coffee500 San Marcos St.512-493-0963progresscoffee.com

Rio Rita1308 E. 6th St.512-524-0384riorita.net

Bossa Nova2121 E. 6th St.512-478-8700bossanovaaustin.com

Stortini1917 Manor Rd.512-391-9500stortini-austin.com

El Chile1809 Manor Rd.512-457-9900elchilecafe.com

Vivo2015 Manor Rd.512-482-0300vivo-austin.com

Hoover’s Cooking2002 Manor Rd.512-479-5006hooverscooking.com

East Side Café2113 Manor Rd.512-476-5858eastsidecafeaustin.com

Casa Columbia1614 E. 7th St.512-495-9425casa-columbia.com

Longbranch Inn1133 E. 11th St.512-472-5591eastinns.com

The Music Gym815 East 6th St.512-939-2524musicgym.com

Method.hair1601 E. 5th St.512-469-0044methodhair.com

Vain Salon1803 Chicon St.512-524-1057vainaustin.com

Urbanspace Realtors900 E. 6th St.512-476-0010urbanspacerealtors.com

Urbanaxis Mortgage900 E. 6th St.512-473-2947urbanaxismortgage.com

The Ends on 6th2608 E. 6th St.512-663-8847endson6th.com

Good Life Team1114 E. Cesar Chavez St.512-892-9473goodlifeteam.com

102

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103

SHOPPING

Moxie and the Compound2110 S. Lamar Blvd.512-441-6699moxieandthecompound.com

Craft-O-Rama3100 S. Congress Ave.512-707-2405austincraftorama.com

The Black Sheep1115 S. Congress Ave.512-914-4771blacksheepaustin.com

Angelica de Biase2900 S. Congress Ave.512-366-3954angelicadebiase.com

Beyond Unique2900 S. Congress Ave.512-709-5816beyonduniqueaustin.com

Ornamental Things2900 S. Congress Ave.512-462-2544ornamentalthings.com

Buy Definition2900 S. Congress Ave.512-670-7448buydefinition.com

Fanny’s Fabrics1150 S. Lamar Blvd.512-442-8255

Lowbrow Emporium2708 S. Lamar Blvd.512-462-3739lowbrowemporium.com

Austin Handmade507 W. Mary St.512-383-9333austinhandmade.com

Musicmakers517 S. Lamar Blvd.512-444-6686musicmakersaustin.com

FOOD & DRINK

WineStyles4301 William Cannon Dr.512-892-9463winestyles.net

Maudie’s Hacienda9911 Brodie Ln.512-280-8700maudies.com

Maudie’s Too1212 S. Lamar Blvd.512-440-8088maudies.com

Doc’s Motorworks1123 S. Congress Ave.512-448-9181docsaustin.com

Doc’s Backyard5207 Brodie Ln.512-892-5200docsaustin.com

Kerbey Lane Café2700 S. Lamar Blvd.512-445-4451kerbeylanecafe.com

Cissi’s Market1400 S. Congress Ave.512-225-0521cissismarket.com

South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery1207 S. 1st St.512-366-0537torchystacos.com

Torchy’s Tacos2809 S. 1st St.512-444-0300torchystacos.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Kneadcraft2900 S. Congress Ave.512-592-9208kneadcraft.com

Frenchy’s Beauty Parlor913 W. Mary St.512-444-6000frenchysbeautyparlor.com

Urban Groove Salon4301 William Cannon Dr.512-891-7070

Avant Salon9600 S. IH-35512-291-5000avantsalon.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Austin Art Garage2200 S. Lamar Blvd.512-585-6780austinartgarage.com

Mark Herron Photography2214 Iva Ln.469-223-6196markherronphotography.comLIVING

Akoya2200 Dickson Dr.512-799-3777akoyaaustin.com

Greystar South Congress3809 S. Congress Ave.866-414-5508greystarsouthcongress.com

Irons Austin2607 Stacy Ln.512-589-5795theironsaustin.com

104

RIVERSIDE

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105

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINK

HEALTH & BEAUTY

LIVING

Alexan Vistas7000 FM 2222512-794-8439alexanvistas.com

Cupidz Clozet3345 Bee Cave Rd.512-328-6446cupidzclozet.com

Tyler’s701 S. Capital of TX Hwy.512-327-9888tylersaustin.com

Dolce Baby701 S. Capital of TX Hwy.512-306-8882

Santa Fe Optical701 S. Capital of TX Hwy.512-327-1913santafeoptical.com

Goodwill701 Newman Dr.512-478-6711austingoodwill.org

Hutson Clothing Company3663 Bee Cave Rd.512-732-0188hutsonclothing.com

Tesori6507 Jester Blvd.512-346-8100tesoriaustin.com

Fab’rik12801 Hill Country Blvd.512-263-1644fabrikaustin.com

RunTex2201 Lake Austin Blvd.512-477-9464runtex.com

Fetch3636 Bee Cave Rd.512-306-9466yourdogwilldigit.com

The Hip Chick3636 Bee Cave Rd.512-330-1701thehipchick.com

Valentine’s Too3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-347-9488

Ven Shoe Salon3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-306-8200venshoesalon.com

Hang Town Grill701 S. Capital of TX Hwy.512-347-1039hangtowngrill.com

Maudie’s Milagro3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-306-8080maudies.com

Thistle Café3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-347-1000thistlecafe.com

Maudie’s Café2608 W. 7th St.512-473-3740maudies.com

Berryhill Baja Grill3600 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-327-9033berryhillbajagrill.com

Bistro 882712 Bee Cave Rd.512-328-8888bistro88austin.com

The Grove Wine Bar6317 Bee Cave Rd.512-327-8822grovewinebar.com

Siena6203 N. Capital of TX Hwy512-349-7667sienarestaurant.com

Milk + Honey SpaHill Country Galleria512-236-1116milkandhoneyspa.com

Body Business3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-306-0557bodybusinessfitness.com

La Di Spa3801 N. Capital of TX Hwy.512-328-2288ladispa.com

Peach Body Boutique1107 Westlake Dr.512-347-7546peachaustin.com

Kinsei Mind & Body2700 Bee Cave Rd.512-327-1771kinseimindbody.com

106

111

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107

SHOPPING

FOOD & DRINK

HEALTH & BEAUTY

ART & ENTERTAINMENT

Dance Institute6612 Sitio del Rio Blvd.512-346-6612danceinstitute.com

Hewlett VWIH-35 at Westinghouse888-796-7722hewlettvw.com

Lights Fantastic7532 Burnet Rd.512-452-9511lightsfantastic.com

Junior League Resale Shop6555 Burnet Rd.512-459-4592jlaustin.org

Austin Furniture Consignment7511 Burnet Rd.512-467-1700austinfurniture.net

Personally Yours5416 Parkcrest Dr.512-454-7534pyaustin.com

Bicycle Sport Shop10947 Research Blvd.512-345-7460bicyclesportshop.com

Petticoat Fair7739 Northcross Dr.512-454-2900petticoatfair.com

Zinger Hardware2438 W. Anderson Ln.512-533-9001zingerhardware.com

LoftThe Domain512-377-6857lofthomedecor.com

BettysportThe Domain512-339-0011bettysport.com

Luxe ApothetiqueThe Domain512-346-8211myspace: luxeapothetique

St. Thomas BoutiqueThe Domain512-835-8300stthomasboutique.com

The Steeping RoomThe Domain512-977-8337thesteepingroom.com

JaspersThe Domain512-834-4111kentrathbun.com

CruThe Domain512-339-9463cruawinebar.com

Eddie V’s9400 Arboretum Blvd.512-342-2642eddiev.com

Grape Vine Market7936 Great Northern Blvd.512-323-5900grapevinemarket.com

WineStyles115 Sundance Pkwy.512-218-9463winestyles.net

Truluck’s10225 Research Blvd.512-794-8300trulucks.com

300 Austin9504 N. IH-35512-834-77333hundred.com

Maudie’s10205 N. Lamar Blvd.512-832-0900maudies.com

Melting Pot13343 Research Blvd.512-401-2424meltingpot.com

Manuel’s10201 Jollyville Rd.512-345-1042manuels.com

Burger House4211 Spicewood Springs Rd.512-346-7200burgerhouse.com

Kerbey Lane Café13435 N. Hwy 183512-258-7757kerbeylanecafe.com

Vanity Rocks9801 Anderson Mill Rd.512-258-0009vanityrocks.com

Aesthetica Hair & Skin13359 N. Hwy. 183512-336-2639

Avant Salon9901 Capital of TX Hwy.512-502-8268avantsalon.com108

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109


Now Taking Reservations.RestaurantWeekAustin.com

benefi ting

Austin Restaurant WeekNow Taking Reservations.

RestaurantWeekAustin.combenefi ting

Austin Restaurant WeekNow Taking Reservations.


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