Dancing About Architecture
Commissions, Committees, and Comments
Both the Austin Aqua Festival and the Sixth Street Music and Heritage Festival
have wound to a close. Well, not quite; Aqua Fest had to delay their boat races
until the 26th and 27th due to Tropical Storm Dean, but despite bouts of
heat and rain over the first few days, the Fest's Jack Macy figures they
did "at least even" with last year's attendance. Heritage Festival
organizer/Austin Music Commission chairman French Smith didn't have
exact numbers available, but reports about 21-22,000 people paid to see the
bands performing on Sixth Street during the fest. Some have been questioning
the timing of Smith's events, as the Heritage Fest was held in the middle of
long-established Aqua Fest and his July Cajun weekend on Sixth Street went
head-to-head with the Clarksville Jazz Festival, resulting in disastrously low
attendance for the latter, says CJF's Harold McMillan. CJF was left
owing money and McMillan says, "I once again have to consider why I do this
stuff." McMillan feels that something is wrong when the Music Commission
approves one event and commission chair Smith then schedules his own event in
competition to it. At a Music Commission meeting on the Tuesday following
Clarksville, a CJF staff member suggested that Smith should perhaps resign as
chairman (though not necessarily from the commission altogether); a committee
was formed to investigate the possibility of conflict of interest. For his
part, Smith notes that, while his detractors' concerns "may have some
validity," he contends that "what I do is perfectly legal" adding that he has
been organizing similar festivals for 18 years, over a decade longer than the
commission has been in existence. The committee delayed a report that was due
at the last meeting of the commission a few weeks ago. (Smith says he was
interviewed by the committee and that he is not sure of the reasons behind the
delay.) The report is expected to be given at the next commission meeting in
early September.
Aus-mosis
That bat-biting Ozzy Osbourne was in fine, sober form this week when he
took a break from his rehearsal time at the Austin Music Hall to hold a press
conference. In it, the teetotaling terror announced a special show at the Music
Hall this Saturday (I assume tickets will be sold out by the time you read this
- I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do) and promised to be a good boy next
time he visits the Alamo (he was allowed to reenter San Antonio a couple of
years ago following his famous watering of the mission in the Eighties). He
also says that people should expect some surprises on his upcoming
Ozzmosis album (due September 12), as he's spent the last three years in
"musical exploration." He didn't say whether or not he's been spending
any time under the Congress Avenue bridge.
Mixed Notes
I don't have a confirmation on this, but it sure sounds like something that
would happen: I'm told that Bryan Bowden, ex-drummer of Sixteen
Deluxe, no sooner completed his recent move to New York than he managed to
break his foot attempting to play basketball. Smooth move, Little Bry... Those
nasty little hairs! Toni Price is proud of 'em, it seems. The word going
around is that T.P. is upset that the crops in her underarm farm were
airbrushed out of the cover of her new album Hey (the #1 seller at
Waterloo Records last week, by the way). Well, kids, grab a pen and scribble
'em back in. You have the artist's approval! Interestingly, the
Antone's/dos label won't have such worries about Candye Kane. Her new CD
Knockout is due next month, and I hear the cover photo is a TKO ... The
10th (yow!) annual SXSW music Conference's early submission deadline is coming
up on October 15. To get a showcase application, either call 512/467-7979, fax
512/451-0754, or e-mail 72662,2465@compuserve. com. If you're already on their
mailing list, just hang loose; you'll get one automatically... Among the
goings-on at Arlyn and Pedernales studios are Gurf Morlix producing
Jimmie Dale Gilmore's next Elektra release; the Rev. Horton Heat
working on one with neither Gibby nor Al, but Randall Jamail at the
helm; Guy Forsyth and Ruben Ramos preparing new ones for Antone's
and Bobwire Records, respectively; and Ian Moore working on his own
"Don't Mess With Texas" ad. Oh, and Paul Leary has finished production
of Euripides Pants' album, about which normally withdrawn drummer Rey
Washam has reputedly been beaming... I hear Buck Owens made it to
one of the Continental Club's annual shows in his honor. I also hear he was
pretty impressed by the attention - or should I say he was in "hee-awe"? Buck
spent so long in his bus with Kelly Willis, though, that people were
starting to wonder if a picture of them coming out would end up in the
Enquirer. Kelly keeps hanging out with older and older men - I'm afraid
the next scandal will be over a shot of her leaving Ernest Tubb's
grave... A couple of corrections in last week's list of local bands making the
trek to New Orleans' Cutting Edge Film Festival next month. Wheel (who
have a CD coming out soon called Hip Eponymous - say it fast a few
times) will be playing, though their name came out somewhat mutated in the
list, and Liquid Mice will not be playing; rather, two ex-Mice, a few
members of Brown Hornet, a Jazz Pharaoh, and one of the
Presidents will be performing together as Thwack!... Ed Hall
will be heading to Lafayette, LA, this weekend to make up for a show they
were scheduled to play two weeks ago at Grant Street Dance Hall. It seems that
a disgruntled customer who had a bone to pick with the club manager was calling
bands booked at the venue and telling them not to show up, as the club had been
raided... You can add Kathy McCarty's name to the list of locals who
have gotten some interest from Geffen. Then again, it seems like pretty soon
you'll be able to add every band in town to that list... Sector 2 Records has
inked a worldwide distribution deal with Koch International. The first new
releases from the label under the new arrangement will be albums from Dash
Rip Rock, Fear, and the Beat Farmers... For those who had
been wondering what has happened to Michael "Curly" Jobson since he was
last seen leaving the Ministry compound with suitcase in hand and thumb
in the air (or was that his middle finger?), did you notice his name listed in
the Lollapalooza "guide book" as road manager for Hole? Can you say "out of the
frying pan and into the fire"?... Jimmy LaFave has an in-store
appearance at Waterloo Records this Friday at 5pm... Gals Panic's Goopy
Pyramid Label has been picked up for national and international distribution by
Cargo Records and Dutch East India Trading Co. The band is heading off on a two
month tour as their I Think We Need Helicopters enters its third
pressing... Following a trip by Chris Smith to Midget Studios to lay
tracks on Chris Chambers' (ex-Skatenigs) latest project, Smith
and the rest of Sixteen Deluxe headed off to L.A.last week on Atlantic Records'
tab. The band's first priority on the trip was reportedly to ride the Star Wars
shuttle at Disneyland. (It broke down midway through the last time I was there
- luckily, they keep a spare)... I just ran across somebody (on the Internet,
probably) who was wondering what's up with Terminal Mind founder
Stephen Marsh. Well, the answer just got dropped in front of me: He'll
be at the Electric Lounge this Friday with Marble Index... Mourning
Jerry Garcia? AM15 just got some Grateful Dead videos to air this
Saturday night at 12:30am... Confidential to vacationing rock
critics: The Green Room forThe Late Show with David Letterman is
not located on sidewalk outside the CBS studios.