Page Two: Strange Days
Surfacing into the riptide of SXSW
By Louis Black, Fri., March 2, 2012
The last half-year or so has easily been the strangest time in my life, which never lacked for strange. Slow rolling into near death, then jerked back, until finally re-emerging into the day-by-day that has been my life. I feel blessed, and I feel hollow; I feel whole and yet broken. The swing of things has gotten back to normal, and it is nowhere near normal at all.
As you read this, SXSWedu is just a few days from beginning, heralding the rush into craziness that is the 10 days of South by Southwest (beginning on Friday, March 9) as we have come to know it. This year, the lineup across the board – Film, Interactive, and Music – is superb. But 26 years into the event, at this point there is nothing I can tell you that would illuminate SXSW for you in any new way or have any effect on your feelings about it.
Consequently, I limit myself to plugging the Austin Music Awards at 7:09pm sharp on Wednesday, March 14, at the Austin Music Hall. The Chronicle has been focused on music since it began. Although over the years our range has expanded dramatically, music has always remained one of the paper's core interests. This is the 30th anniversary of the Austin Music Awards show.
In its honor, Chronicle writer Margaret Moser – cultural agent provocateur, grand show producer, and deadly Zen music master – has come up with a music lineup that is simply stunning.
Included on the bill are Ruthie Foster and Carolyn Wonderland playing with Ruthie's Family Band, Rob Hooper, and Cole El Saleh. Also featured are Alejandro Escovedo and Quiet Company. Sixteen Deluxe will be performing its only show at SXSW this year. Tex-Mex music legend Joe "King" Carrasco & the Crowns will be playing, as well as special guests Mariachi Relampago, Jon Dee Graham, and Shawn Sahm. Finally, there is a much-anticipated exclusive reunion by Christopher Cross.
Co-sponsored by KUT, the Art Institute of Austin, Capital Metro, and Discount Electronics, the Austin Music Awards (presented by The Austin Chronicle and SXSW) is a benefit for the SIMS Foundation. This year, the Music Awards show will air live on channelAustin (Time Warner Channel 10).
Tickets went on sale at Waterloo Records on February 24: $15 in advance, $20 night of show. Your SXSW badges and wristbands include entry to the show at the Austin Music Hall.
Check out previous winners on our Austin Music Awards page austinchronicle.com/musicawards.
