Arts & Entertainment
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- EMO'S A
very admirable club policy, even though hanging out there sometimes makes
Austin feel like far too small a town. Emo's is the perfect start off to the
night, cheap Lone Star Bock before 11pm, and music you can either love or hate
without kicking yourself for spending that five bucks you would have spent
anywhere else. No commitment here - stay an hour, or till closing. Black
bustiers, flannel shirts and tattoos are not required attire, honest, and they
have a great outdoor patio, too - so, go down and listen to some alternative
music for free, and spend all your money on beer! (603 Red River,
477-EMOS)
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- LITTLE VILLAGE IDIOTS
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- DON WALSER AT HENRY'S BAR & GRILL If
you haven't already heard, Henry's as we now know it is not long for its
current address, though owner James Henry is actively scouting a new location.
In the meanwhile, Don Walser's Pure Texas Band is as good a reason as any to go
out on Monday nights. His clear-as-a-bell yodeling, crack back-up band and
surprise guests always make for a well-spent evening. Besides, Henry's is the
only real honky-tonk in North Austin. (6317 Burnet Rd. - for now,
453-9594)
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- CAPITOL CITY PLAYHOUSE Throughout
the years, CCP has provided a venue for some of the finest productions in
Austin, both mainstream and avant garde alike. Though some may yearn for the
theatres of The Great White Way, we prefer the intimate setting that this space
offers - the connection between performer and audience. Try that in the
Wintergarden when you're in row 345 Z. (214 W. 4th, 477-3241)
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- ANYTHING JIM FRITZLER DOES WITH
FLASHLIGHTS Not
only does he make it seem like flashlights are a tour de force
production choice, but he also gets the best actors in town to work under the
wattage of two C-cell batteries.
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- LAMBROS LAMBROU, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BALLET
AUSTIN This
guy loves his work. He loves music. He loves dance. He loves his dancers. All
of it shows when the curtain goes up.
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- THE NUTCRACKER Like
the season itself, the whole story could use some rethinking. Productions of it
reek of habit, sentimentality and the profit motive.
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- CAVITY CLUB Readers
suggested this category. We're not sure whether they meant the music, the
people or the decor. (615 Red River, 472-4757)
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- WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONCERTS AT AUDITORIUM SHORES
Bring
a lawn chair and a cooler. Join bankers, mechanics, psychos, and hippies at
the best and cheapest entertainment of the summer. Austin's coolest bands
play. Best of all, you are home by 10pm. (Riverside off S. 1st
St.)
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- VULCAN VIDEO Why
is it that every time a new movie comes out, Blockbuster has 50 copies of it,
and naturally every single one is checked out. But if you amble over to Vulcan
to get something cool and funky instead, the same new release you were looking
for is sitting right there on the shelf. Does this happen to everybody? Is this
store magic? The motley crew of counter clerks at Vulcan are friendly and
wonderful in a way no corporate training program could ever produce. They
actually try to get all the crazy cult movies people write on the request pad.
And when told that their prices for kids' movies were too high (they were $2.50
compared to 99 cents at the 'Buster), they dropped the price right then and
there. Just the pleasure of being in the presence of all those great movies,
and people who care about them, is reason enough to stop by Vulcan every day
just to browse. With all the movies to see, there's probably still so many one
hasn't. What better reason to live? (609 W. 29th, 478-5325; Mon-Sat
11am-midnight, Sun noon-11pm)
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- HIGH TIME TEA BAR AND BRAIN
GYM If
you're from the generation that grew up believing it simply was not possible to
have much fun without smoking or drinking, well, honey, these kids today can
open your eyes. This little juice bar (?), nightspot (?) - in our day you would
have called it a coffeehouse - is more healthy fun than we've had since last
month's trip to Schlitterbahn. High Time has a whole menu full of juices and
"smart drinks," in which are mixed special (legal!) extracts and potions to
make you feel sexy, relaxed, wired, or other moods of your choice. They also
offer Pacific Northwest quality espresso options. There's good, healthy food,
tables full of every kind of board game, puzzle, mind toy, and neural synapse
stretcher known to man. We rediscovered the joy of backgammon one night at High
Time, and have been at it ever since. Not to mention the interesting art on the
walls, poetry readings, and cool music. Check it out, man. (314 Congress,
472-4757; Tue-Thu 4pm-2am, Fri-Sat 4pm-4am, Sun-Mon 4pm-midnight)
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- MOVIES AT SHADY GROVE Miss
those drive-in, outdoor movies? For the nostalgic motorist or even pedestrians,
Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Shady Grove replace memories of backseat
cuddling with playing footsie under the table, a speaker hooked next to your
beer, and a movie screen waving in the distance above a trailer parked in the
outdoor courtyard. Features start at 10pm; call to get the name of the movie of
the week. (1602 Barton Springs Rd,474-9991)
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- WATERLOO RECORD RELEASE PARTIES Free
live Austin music and free Shiner Bock on tap. At 5pm, just when you need it
most. Need we say more? (600 N. Lamar, 474-2500)
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- THE BLACK CAT LOUNGE The
Black Cat is the only bar on Sixth Street where you can get cheap longnecks,
eat free hot dogs, and put out your cigarette on the floor without getting
tossed out by a bunch of muscled up steroid zombies. On any given night, you
can find a bizarre collection of bikers, skinheads, frat boys, PIBs, slackers
and plain old "normal people," listening to some of Austin's best bands for less
money than it costs to park your car. Sure, there's
no air-conditioning, and you will more than likely want to lift the toilet seat
with your foot, but the advantage is that you get to hang out in the type of
place your parents warned you about. Hell, bring your parents with you. If
you're nice, you might even get one of the bikers out front to take your mom
for a ride on his Harley. (309 E. 6th, no phone)
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- LONGHORN SPEEDWAY Austin's
only stock car track, and the oldest oval track of its type in the Southwest.
It makes for an amazingly fun evening, and registers a lot lower on the
Officious Bubba Index than you'd expect. Another venue to experience the many
moods of Louise, who could be found last season in the grandstands nearest to
the pits, cheering on a stock car she sponsored this year. (6401 S. Hwy 183,
243-1122; Saturdays Apr.-Sept., gates open 6pm, races at 7pm)
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- CHANCES Chances
used to be the ultimate neighborhood hang-out bar for Austin lesbians, but over
the past couple years it has become the ultimate neighborhood hang-out bar for
everybody. The tone is set by the personnel: a beautiful black lesbian at the
door, a terrific gay man behind the bar, and maybe some heterosexual band like
Texas Instruments jamming on the patio. Play pool, play volleyball, lay in a
hammock, groove to the music, and select your beverage of choice from an
extensive array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. Our kind of bar.
(900 Red River, 472-8273)
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- ACROPOLIS You've
probably heard about this incredibly cool new warehouse-turned-club, but have
you heard about the bathroom? You push through aluminum double doors to enter
an airy, minimalist co-ed environment. A partial wall separates the men's and
women's sections as modesty demands, but the sexy, communal wild spirit rules.
And what about that big red velvet couch? Talk about putting the rest back in
restroom. Try to tear yourself away long enough to check out the bar,
monolithic grey cement with chunks of colored glass embedded in the surface,
and behind it, adorable bartenders mixing the best Bloody Marys since the
Crucifixion. Not to mention the lights. Did you realize that technology had
progressed to the point where lasers can respond directly to music, changing
color, intensity and direction according to 50 million programmable options? Go
be amazed. We'll meet in the bathroom. (208 Nueces, 472-7253)
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- "HELP, I'M WHITE AND I CAN'T GET DOWN" - THE
GEEZINSLAWS
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- HOLE IN THE WALL Graffiti
reading is an intensely personal pleasure, but the Hole in the Wall's
renderings are as colorful as they are diverse, and must be read to believed.
Highly recommended. (2528 Guadalupe, 472-5599)
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- JENNA RADKE "Oh,
it's just a little something I threw together... " In some cases, that's a
literal report, like with the earrings the owner of Electric Ladyland/Lucy In
Disguise will Crazy Glue together at the last minute to complete her ensemble
before going out. We're not just talking color coordination here, we're
talking, on her best nights, virtual themes (but not costumes; we're
talking gen-u-wine outfits here). At her best, she's stunning, and even casual,
it always hangs together.
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- MOM AT THE POODLE DOG LOUNGE The
best bartender... hmmm, well, Mom at the Poodle Dog certainly lives up to her
name. While she'll treat you right if you behave yourself, she'll also bash
your head in with her special baseball bat if you don't. They have lots of pool
tables and a great jukebox. But remember, be on your best behavior. (6507
Burnet Rd.)
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- ROSCOE SHOEMAKER Because
the much-maligned job of monitoring incoming and outgoing club patrons requires
maddeningly equal proportions of mediation and muscle, it is often dismissed as
an insignificant position. Not so with Liberty Lunch's debonair Roscoe
Shoemaker, who can check hand stamps, scrutinize for the underaged, and wax
effusive about Flat Duo Jets and the Gear Daddies, all in the same breath. He
has our unqualified respect - what a guy!
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- CARL HICKERSON This
category is a bit confining: Carl Hickerson may well be Sixth Street's most
colorful and recognized personality, never mind the "crazy" appellation
sometimes patched to his name. The clubs come and go and change names, but
along with frat rats, bowheads and street corner musicians, Carl and his
carnations are one of the sights you can always count on seeing. (P.S. He has a
secret to twirling the flowers: he inserts a straight pin into the stem's
bottom and spins them thusly.)
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- BUMMER NIGHT AT LA ZONA ROSA This
regular Tuesday evening theme night - excepting the weeks hostess Sarah
Elizabeth Campbell is out of town on tour - has grown into something of a
hang-out for the local singer-songwriter crowd, and you never know the
surprises that may appear on stage. Some of this town's best-known names and
talented veterans share their favorite sad songs alongside up-and-comers, a
collective sort of therapy that ends up making all comers feel good. Campbell's
own sets are always a nightly high point, with the Queen of the Zona, Marcia
Ball, often joining her. Gives new meaning to the term "a good cry." (612 W.
4th, 482-0662; Tue 9pm-around midnight)
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- JAY CLARK AT THE CAROUSEL LOUNGE Every
Friday and Saturday night, Jay Clark - a blind crooner, keyboardist,
saxophonist and clarinetist - gives the standards a whole new slant with
interpretations that are personal, loving and incredibly sincere. His style is
a perfect complement to this almost hallucinogenic bar where Clark has
entertained for decades, and there's no better way to celebrate the durability
and malleability of the classic American pop song than hearing Clark give them
his own singular treatments. (1110 E. 52nd St., 452-6790)
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- THE BACK ROOM (LARGE VENUE)CACTUS CAFE (SMALL VENUE) Arguably,
the PA systems in many Austin clubs are not state-of-the-sonic-art, but that's
not what music is about here anyway. Nonetheless, when it comes to loud music,
the Back Room's system delivers it with a clarity and presence that only
complements rock'n'roll. Likewise, the Cactus system may not wail, but it
conveys the nuances of singing and acoustic music cleanly. (Back Room, 2015
E. Riverside, 441-4677; Cactus Cafe, Texas Union, UT, 471-8228)
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- LOU ANN BARTON Barton
has done a remarkable turnaround from her No-Show Lou reputation to being
Loulou On The Spot. Lou Ann has provided the soundtrack for some of the best
nights we've ever experienced and these days, she just gets better. That's no
small praise, seeing as how the Fort Worth native's tenure has lasted nearly 18
years here.
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- CONTINENTAL CLUB Maybe
it's that "continental" ambience that comes through in the late afternoon, when
the sun filters through the smokey windows and lights those kitschy scenes
painted on the walls, or maybe it's just the comfy feeling of familiarity, but
Steve Wertheimer has created the quintessential South Austin nightspot. And
after work, it's a fine place to socialize and hear some good music. Toni Price
on Tuesday afternoons is a must-see for any music fan, as is veteran bluesman
Erbie Bowser. Thursdays feature the burgeoning collaboration between Evan Johns
and Charlie Burton. Good rockin' this evening. (1315 S. Congress,
441-2444)
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- CLIFFORD ANTONE On
certain nights, you can find him standing at one side of his club's stage,
soaking up the music with beatific pride. No one in Austin seems to love the
blues more deeply than Clifford Antone, who puts his money where his mouth is
with the activities of his nightclub, record label and record store. A major
force in making Austin one of the top cities in the world for the blues, he's
made the name "Antone's" internationally recognized as a trademark for the best
in blues and Texas R&B.
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- MEXIC-ARTE Since
the Mexican-American Cultural Center proposal was voted down recently, it seems
especially appropriate to mention the numerous contributions made by Mexic-Arte
Museum. Not only does the museum serve the Mexican-American community through
exhibits, workshops, grants and more, the support of the museum continually
goes beyond any racial bounds. (419 Congress, 480-9373)
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- THE BROKEN SPOKE The
Spoke's dance floor is hardly the biggest in Austin, but between owner James
White's devotion to Texas C&W dance music and the dancers it attracts, this
is the place to two-step in style. Even for those with two left feet, there's a
thrill to be had in watching the best couples whirl and glide across the floor
in this authentic and friendly dance palace. (3201 S. Lamar, 442-6189)
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- CHINESE MOVIE NIGHT AT RIVERSIDE 8 Fresh
off the boat from Hong Kong, the movies presented at the Riverside 8's Chinese
movie night (every other Saturday at half past midnight - watch the listings)
comprise the most entertaining cinema being made in the world today. Doubt it?
Then you didn't see Once Upon a Time in China, Days of Being Wild, Twin
Dragons, Once A Thief, God of Gamblers, The Raid, King of Chess or a slew
of others. The chopsocky days of kung fu formula pix are long gone, but HK
movies still race at such a crazy pace it's hard not to wonder how many people
get killed making them. (Riverside Drive at Pleasant Valley, 444-0008)
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- EL COYOTE Just
a short drive east of I-35 on Riverside, El Coyote vies with La Esquina, the
Hwy. 290 flea market, and El Conquistador Ballroom for a pretty close call all
around, but remains the absolute best when security and service are factored
in. The doormen see that everyone behaves, and the music ranges from
rough-trade conjunto to polished touring norteño groups. (2120 E.
Riverside, 444-7042; Thu-Mon, 9pm-1am)
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