Best of Austin 2006Readers PollArts & EntertainmentBest Actor/Actress: Lee Eddy Improv darling and actress extraordinaire, Lee Eddy charismatically charms her audiences with a quick wit and a face of a thousand expressions. She's best known for her prodigious comedic timing and is a core company member of the Salvage Vanguard Theater. Ms. Eddy's credentials include her original one-woman production The Ladee Leroy Show, Salvage Vanguard's The Intergalactic Nemesis, Zach's The Santaland Diaries, and Hyde Park Theatre's Something Someone Someplace Else. Salvage Vanguard Theater, 902 E. Fifth #103, 474-7886 www.salvagevanguard.org Best Annual Festival: Austin City Limits Music Festival Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges! We do, however, need masks, sunscreen, and gallons of water to protect ourselves from the punishing elements while we’re waiting in line for cold drinks. Oh, and enjoying all all those awesome bands – Al Green, Cat Power, Elvis Costello, Massive Attack, Tom Petty, Aimee Mann, Gnarls Barkley! They almost make braving Mother Nature’s more sadistic side worth it. Capital Sports & Entertainment, 98 San Jacinto #430, 478-7211; Charles Attal Presents, 98 San Jacinto #430, 385-3602 www.planetcse.com; www.capresents.com Best Art Gallery: TIE: Women & Their Work, Gallery Lombardi In the year that the Blanton has dominated arts news, two galleries off the beaten track have provided outlets for rising new voices. Gallery Lombardi, home for new Austin artists, is so far off the beaten track it’s almost on the tracks – the abandoned train sidings on Third at Bowie. Women & Their Work on Lavaca has given exposure and support to female artists from diverse backgrounds around the state. Both continue to use their spaces to keep Austin’s artistic life vibrant. Women & Their Work, 1710 Lavaca, 477-1064; Gallery Lombardi, 910 W. Third, 481-1088; 602 W. Seventh Ste. A, 481-1088 www.womenandtheirwork.org; www.gallerylombardi.com Best Cheap Date Place: Original Alamo Drafthouse, Alamo Lake Creek Tim and Karrie League’s minicinema-chain has been open for a decade; try imagining Austin without it. While the Rolling Roadshow made Alamo a national institution, ever-soaring downtown business rates almost closed the original downtown site. Yet even with those financial pressures, the Leagues have stayed true to their ambition of providing accessible, affordable, and innovative cinema, whether it’s the regular, free midnight Weird Wednesday or Terror Thursday series, throwing the doors open for World Cup screenings, or the perfect coupling of cuisine and ciné. Alamo Drafthouse, 2700 W. Anderson, 459-7090; 1120 S. Lamar, 707-8262; 320 E. Sixth, 476-1320; Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, 13729 Research, 219-5408 www.originalalamo.com; www.drafthouse.com/lakecreek Best Clothing Designer: Chia In just a few short years, South Austin has watched the charming Chia grow from a small crafter into a serious entrepreneur. Her simple styles of vintage and new fabrics are inexpensive and coveted by all the SoCo girls and her imagination is as big as her list of fans. Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! 457-9456 www.chiahats.com Best Composer: Graham Reynolds A brilliant composer of all genres, Austin's Graham Reynolds has attacked live scores for theatre (the Rude Mechs' upcoming Have You Ever Been Assassinated?), soundtracks for films (Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly), and live music of his own in the Golden Arm Trio. Whether it’s experimental, classical, or avant-garde, Reynolds is the man. Golden Arm Trio, 773-4653 www.goldenarmtrio.net Best Cultural Asset: Conspirare Though its name comes from the Latin "to breathe together," when this professional choral ensemble starts to sing, it's more likely to take your breath away. The voices in this company meld together so seamlessly, into luxuriant harmonies with such purity of vocal tone, they seem to be pouring down from some celestial source. Having recently released their second heavenly CD and received a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host a national conference on American choral music, director Craig Hella Johnson and his astounding choir have proven anew how they enrich our city, giving everyone cause to sing. 2702 McCullough, 476-5775 www.conspirare.org Best Dance Club: Elysium Four years running, and John Wickham’s Elysium is holding strong as Austin’s Best Dance Club. Whether it’s New Wave, no wave, goth, house, electroclash, Eurotrash, or the occasional Eighties revival band, the Elysium is the fabric of Austin nightlife. The drinks are cheap, the dance floor huge, and there are few things cooler than a remote-controlled smoke machine. 705 Red River, 478-2979 www.elysiumonline.net Best Dance Company: Sally Jacques, Blue Lapis Light Magical and magnificent, Sally Jacques' contribution to local culture makes her an Austin treasure. Her compositions and choreographies take us into dimensions only she dreamed of. From the breathtaking Where Nothing Falls to her dazzling Whispers of Heaven to her etherally beautiful Requiem, Jacques is rewriting the book of dance. Jacques Productions, PO Box 3614 www.bluelapislight.org Best Dance Lessons: Go Dance Talk to owner Mylie Alrich for two minutes and you can tell: She is absolutely in love. With dancing. She just wants everyone to dance. All the time. Any time. She's that lady at weddings tugging the unwilling onto the wood. Just go dance, she says. Do it by yourself (private lessons) or with a sweaty mess of friends (socials and dance parties are part of the studio's fun). So … go dance. Because Alrich and her gang can teach you how. Because it just feels so darn good. Because it's your God-given right as a human being to feel the music and move. Just move. Just go. 2525 W. Anderson, 339-9391 www.godancestudio.com Best Drag Queen/Drag King: TIE: Jamé Perry, Dusty Sadsack Tough as nails and smooth as silk, divine diva Jamé Perry has worked the Austin clubs for years. Be it Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé or Li'l Kim, Miss Perry's got 'em all covered with her inimitable style and consummate showmanship … or is it showwomanship? Either way, watching this drag doll is no drag at all. Same goes for Dusty Sadsack, aka, Jimmy Dean, the new kid on the block. Hard as nuts and soft as an infant's behind, this brand-new baby king has the ladies by the aortas. Whether slicked down with a buttload of Murray's pomade or in his/her bro-fro au natural, Dusty is no sad sack on the stage. And since the world-renowned International Drag King Extravaganza is happening here in October 2006, look for both of these winners representing Austin to the world! www.charliesaustin.com; www.myspace.com/haughty_hottie Best Film Series: TIE: Paramount Summer, AFS@Dobie For 31 years, Paramount's Summer Classic Film Series has been a tradition in Austin. Showcasing popular to obscure classic movies and foreign features in a classic theatre with a big screen and adult beverages, it's a great way to revisit old memories and make new ones. Also, this year the Austin Film Society debuted AFS@Dobie. In the tradition of Dobie, this three-month series shies away from the mainstream and focuses on documentaries, independent films, and foreign titles. All in all, two great theatres, two great series, and one great love of film. Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress, 472-5470; Dobie Theatre, 2025 Guadalupe (Dobie Mall, second floor), 472-FILM; Austin Film Society, 1901 E. 51st, 322-0145 www.austintheatre.org; www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/Austin/Austin_Frameset.htm; www.austinfilm.org Best Gay/Lesbian Hangout: Rain “I’m only happy when it rains,” crooned Garbage lead Shirley Manson. Austin’s gay community appears to agree. Offering weekly karaoke, blasting out dance and (thankfully) hip-hop’s latest, and offering some of the cutest bar staff in tight shirts, Rain’s meteoric rise should come as no surprise. And with newbie Fabric and old timers Rainbow Cattle and Oilcan's, Rain has solidified the Fourth/Fifth Street parallel as Austin’s own gay(er) district. 217 W. Fourth, 494-1150 www.rainon4th.com Best Improv Group: TIE: Coldtowne, Girls Girls Girls Austin's getting funnier by the minute, and it's thanks to folks like these guys … and gals. The nine talented ladies of Girls Girls Girls have been performing long-form improvised musicals since Sept. 2003, which makes them the oldest performing improv troupe in town. With this much talent, we can only hope they'll be around forever (Golden Girls Girls Girls?). We wish the same for Coldtowne, a coed troupe that's been in Austin since they were displaced from New Orleans by Katrina. In just a year, Coldtowne has opened up their own theatre behind the Space on Airport Boulevard where they put on shows and teach all levels of improv classes to those of us who aspire to one day be even half as funny as they are. ColdTowne, 4803 Airport, 524-2807; Girls Girls Girls, PO Box 301026 www.coldtowne.com; ggg.austinimprov.com Best Jukebox: Casino El Camino We couldn’t think of a better soundtrack machine for this eclectic neighborhood bar, either. An 11-year streak shows you agree. Outside of the occasional Ramones staple, you’re guaranteed to hear something new each visit. The genre jumping can be a pleasant surprise – kinda like walking through a gargoyle-themed dungeon bar, past Hell's Kitchen, to an Aztec garden patio. 517 E. Sixth, 469-9330 www.casinoelcamino.net Best Karaoke: TIE: Austin Karaoke, Common Interest While the choice between karaoke venues might seem immaterial, consider this: “How confident are you in front of a deeply inebriated crowd?” If you were short-listed by a Simon Cowell-inspired reality contest, consider the recently reconstructed Common Interest, where brave souls have been belting tunes since 1974. However, if you’d prefer not to subject total strangers, no matter their degree of incomprehension, to a mangled version of Journey’s "Small Town Girl," Austin Karaoke’s private rooms might be a better fit. Austin Karaoke, 6808 N. Lamar Ste. B-120, 323-9822; Common Interest, 8440 Burnet, 453-6796 www.austinkaraoke1.com; www.ciaustin.com Best Live (Club/Party) DJ: DJ Veg, Dizzy Rooster No shit, this guy's a vegetarian. And a Terp fan. No wonder those Real World brats never left the Rooster. The place is packed, nightly, with hot crowds drunkenly muttering "That DJ." What is he up to this time? Is it a spoof video, showing a nut-hugging version of the DJ as Britney Spears? Or is it a freshly spun set that gets you four sets of digits? Or any one of his many get-the-crowd-into-it-and-rowdy (that's rowdy) antics that spin frenzies of excitement, wall to wall. You might just get diz-zay. Really. 306 E. Sixth, 236-1667 www.thedizzyrooster.com Best Live Music Venue: TIE: Emo's, Antone's Emo's: dark, loud, and hip. Antone's: colorful, rootsy, and historic. Those might be generalizations, but you'd be hard-pressed to find two live-music venues that differed more. Nevertheless, both clubs boast regular clientele, top-notch bookings, and fantastic sound. Where Emo's concentrates on contemporary rock & roll, Antone's leans more toward blues-based rhythms. Emo's is to Spoon as Antone's is to Bob Schneider. Whatever your cup of tea, these two venues are your favorites of which to take a sip. Emo's, 603 Red River, 477-3667; Antone's, 213 W. Fifth, 320-8424 www.emosaustin.com; www.antones.net Best Local Filmmaker: Richard Linklater The hometown hero best known for his sprawling, dialogue-driven, philosophical films about disaffected youth, is surely a favorite because he appeals to everyone. He tackles every film genre, from the lighthearted heroics of School of Rock, to the serious and somewhat disturbingly revelatory Fast Food Nation. Linklater is nothing if not inventive, and his rotoscopic techniques overlay film and animation into dreamy visual scapes. Also, it's always fun to watch films and cheer a little when you see faces you know and places you go. 3109 N. I-35, 322-0726 www.detourfilm.com Best Movie Theatre: Original Alamo Drafthouse, Alamo Lake Creek Tim and Karrie League’s minicinema-chain has been open for a decade; try imagining Austin without it. While the Rolling Roadshow made Alamo a national institution, ever-soaring downtown business rates almost closed the original downtown site. Yet even with those financial pressures, the Leagues have stayed true to their ambition of providing accessible, affordable, and innovative cinema, whether it’s the regular free midnight Weird Wednesday or Terror Thursday series, throwing the doors open for World Cup screenings, or the perfect coupling of cuisine and ciné. Alamo Drafthouse, 2700 W. Anderson, 459-7090; 1120 S. Lamar, 707-8262; 320 E. Sixth, 476-1320; Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, 13729 Research, 219-5408 www.originalalamo.com; www.drafthouse.com/lakecreek Best Museum: Blanton Museum of Art The opening of UT's new improved Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art this past spring gave Austin the largest university art museum in the country and the third largest art museum in Texas. With a permanent collection of more than 17,000 works, it is recognized for its old master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and an encyclopedic collection of prints and drawings. Though the old masters shine at the Blanton, this is a museum as cutting edge as it is traditional. Having recently exhibited the graphic flair of Paul Chan; the magical compositions of Daniel Joglar; and video art from Burt Barr, the Blanton continues to blaze the contemporary art trail with upcoming exhibitions including the sculptures, installations, videos, and drawings of Cristian Silva; the installations of Matthew Day Jackson; and performance art by by Michael Smith and Joshua White. The building is cavernous with endless galleries and exhibits, which have already been put to good use in a seemingly endless flow of parties and monthly B-scene gatherings. MLK & Congress, 471-7324 www.blantonmuseum.org Best Painter/Sculptor: Charles Ferraro Our readers' favorite artist works in a wide variety of mediums including sculpture, painting, photography, film, and mixed media. He has exhibited his work regionally, nationally, and internationally. As president and founder of the GAT5 Artist Collective, he helped make it possible for Mayor Will Wynn to take a sexy turn on the runway at the GAT5 Showcase in February 2006. Gat 5 Studio, 3403 Larry Ln., 680-0532 www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/Participants2005/gat5studio.htm Best Place to Find a Lover: Whole Foods Market It happens every time. You're just stopping in to buy your week's supply of oysters and chocolate, and the next thing you know, you're back up at Make-Out Point (what you've come to call the second floor courtyard). It makes sense: Your witty remarks are audible (hear that, Sixth Street?), there's no swimsuit body anxiety (sorry, Barton Springs), and a shopping cart full of personal items can be far more revealing than the most ardent online profile. 9607 Research #300, 345-5003; 525 N. Lamar, 476-1206 www.wholefoods.com Best Place to See New Art: Blanton Museum of Art The opening of UT's new improved Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art this past spring gave Austin the largest university art museum in the country and the third-largest art museum in Texas. With a permanent collection of more than 17,000 works, it is recognized for its old master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and an encyclopedic collection of prints and drawings. Though the old masters shine at the Blanton, this is a museum as cutting edge as it is traditional. Having recently exhibited the graphic flair of Paul Chan; the magical compositions of Daniel Joglar; and video art from Burt Barr, the Blanton continues to blaze the contemporary art trail with upcoming exhibitions including the sculptures, installations, videos, and drawings of Cristian Silva; the installations of Matthew Day Jackson; and performance art by by Michael Smith and Joshua White. The building is cavernous with endless galleries and exhibits, which have already been put to good use in a seemingly endless flow of parties and monthly B-scene gatherings. MLK & Congress, 471-7324 www.blantonmuseum.org Best Place to Watch Hipsters: TIE: SoCo, Emo's With darker plumage and a diet of veggie chips and Roppolo’s pizza, the hipster is more comfortable in an urban setting. Unlike the reclusive cassowary, this species flocks around central Austin. In particular, music from Emo’s and South Congress’ live stages soothes their nerves and aids in mating dances. Binoculars are not a necessity when viewing the creatures in their own habitat, as they are friendly and might accept you as one of their own. South Congress Avenue, South Congress between Lady Bird Lake and Oltorf; Emo's, 603 Red River, 477-3667 www.emosaustin.com Best Theatre Director: Dave Steakley One of Austin's most creative theatre directors, Steakley graces the stages of Zach Scott with his visions of life and drama and spirit – and we are better for it. His original production Keepin' It Weird is a homegrown showcase of the quintessential elements that make Austin what it is; his direction of Crowns presents one of the most spiritually uplifting productions ever; and I Am My Own Wife was an incredible tour de force. Wow, are we lucky to have Dave! 1510 Toomey, 476-0541 www.zachscott.com Best Theatre Performance Space: Zachary Scott Theatre As one of the premier theatrical venues in Austin, Zach Scott may be the most versatile. With its 135-seat Whisenhunt Arena Stage, and the 250-seat Kleberg Stage, and the new Grace and Andrew Groten Stage created out of the former bike shop on Toomey, the theatre complex maintains an intimacy even as the venues expand and grow to accommodate more fans. We can hardly wait for the new 500-seat theatre addition to see how Artistic Director Dave Steakley and Co. spread out and thrill the crowds with their popular signature shows like Beehive, The Santaland Diaries, Keepin' It Weird, and Crowns. 1510 Toomey, 476-0541 www.zachscott.com Best Video/DVD Rental/Purchase: Vulcan Video Yes, the mainstream video chains will have a copy of the new Freddie Prinze Jr. straight-to-DVD release. Hooray! But if you’d like to try to get the lowdown on what was well-received at the Vienna Film Festival or go for an episode of old-school Dr. Who, those savvy folks at Vulcan can point you in the right (and a little more off-center) direction. 609 W. 29th, 478-5325; 112 W. Elizabeth, 326-2629; 13729 Hwy 183 North Ste. 620, 512-996-0377 www.vulcanvideo.com |
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