TCB
By Christopher Gray, Fri., Nov. 10, 2006
Bullet the Blue Sky
David Zettner, friend and sometime bandmate of Willie Nelson, passed away last Tuesday at his home in Briarcliff. Zettner, 61, grew up near San Antonio in Helotes and played bass in Nelson's mid-Sixties group the Offenders. After he was drafted in 1968, Zettner recommended high school friend Bee Spears to fill his vacancy but continued playing with Nelson sporadically, most recently on 2003's Run That by Me One More Time; he also produced Nelson's 2001 album Rainbow Connection. In addition, Zettner was a talented artist who designed Nelson's Tougher Than Leather artwork in 1983 and did extensive work on his tour buses. "He was a close friend, a great musician," Nelson said in a statement last week. "He will be dearly missed."
What's that racket? Oh, just 7,000 drummers in town for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, yesterday through Sunday at the Austin Convention Center. Events open to the public include the Drum & Percussion Expo today (Thursday) and Friday in Exhibit Hall 4 ($10), free concerts on the Convention Center terrace and late-night jam sessions in the Hilton lobby, and an attempt to break the Guinness Book world record for longest drum roll following Friday's marching festival. See www.pasic.com for more.
Congratulations to George Strait, who at 54 became one of the Country Music Hall of Fame's youngest inductees during Monday's annual CMA Awards. Strait's latest album, It Just Comes Natural, is currently No. 2 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. Meanwhile, R.E.M. and Van Halen were nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2007 last week, joining 2006 holdovers the Stooges, Patti Smith, Chic, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Bell County native Joe Tex. See how the fur flew over the Chronicle music staff's ballot next week.
VH1 Classic will rebroadcast the Cheap Trick or Treat Halloween Ball, recorded last week in Hollywood, Fla., 10pm Saturday. Hosted by Little Steven Van Zandt, the concert features the Romantics and Roky Erickson & the Explosives alongside the "Dream Police." "Roky loved the huge stretch limo that picked us up at the airport!" relays brother Sumner.
Your weekend social calendar: After their success with the Beatles' White Album, Strings Attached turns its bows toward Led Zeppelin 7:30 and 10pm Friday at St. David's Episcopal Church with guests Will Walden, Jean Synodinos, Wendy Colonna, and more. Tickets at StringsAttached.org. Also Friday, melodic rockers the Alice Rose release their debut Phonographic Memory with a 5pm Waterloo Records in-store and 10pm show at Ruta Maya World Headquarters. 4pm Saturday, Red's Scoot Inn hosts a KOOP benefit with Moonlight Towers, Youngmond Grand, Crawling With Kings, Summer Wardrobe, and more for only $5. Stay busy.
Friday is the final application deadline for SXSW 07; all applications must be filled out online at www.sxsw.com/showcase. The application fee is $30.
