TROUBLE IN MIND We hear that sizzling chanteuse and former Austinite Candye Kane ran afoul of a legend when she recorded a new version of the title track from John Waters’ Female Trouble. It was recorded in Amsterdam with Ana Popovic and Kane was very pleased … but apparently John Waters was not pleased, because when Kane sent it to him and inquired about where to pay royalties, she received instead a letter notifying her that she was infringing on Waters’ rights and would be sued in 10 days if she didn’t destroy the masters. Kane was able to locate Bob Harvey, who wrote the music for Female Trouble, and he gave her permission to record the song against Waters’ wishes. Kane didn’t want to take the chance, however, and axed the song from her CD. The CD will be out on April 22, and Kane will launch a tour of Texas, the Gulf Coast, and beyond.
DOMAIN-ING Among the many happenings at the sparkling new Domain, the fashion-design students from UT’s Division of Textiles & Apparel are showing 20 evening gowns at the new Macy’s Grand Opening Show, Friday, March 9. We’ll be attending the Neiman Marcus gala, touring Martin + Osa’s new store, doing breakfast at Tiffany’s, and visiting with the folks at the fab Intermix store. Plenty to report on from there.
LOL I laughed endlessly to hear our beloved Whole Foods be referred to as Whole Paycheck.
SOCO GLOW I love art glass and have a reasonably sized collection of globes, spheres, crystal balls, and other ornaments. So it was a visual feast to walk into glass craftsman Aaron Gross‘ shop, Austin Art Glass (1608 S. Congress, www.austinartglass.com), and see the handmade wonders he has wrought: free-form bowls and plates in brilliant colors, paperweights that dazzle with embedded shapes that conjure visions of undersea life, multipiece sculptures that tantalize the imagination, and iridescent vases that seem to have lives of their own. The friendly and knowledgeable Mr. Gross is a pedigreed glassmaker, and, in addition to being a shop owner and artist, he gives glassblowing demonstrations and lessons, too. But let his existing work inspire you to order a custom piece for yourself – it will be a treasure that gives back to you every time you look at it.
Art-SEE We took a tour of the beautiful Urban Roots Gallery (1202-A W. Sixth, www.urbanrootsgallery.com), featuring the work of gallery owner Edgar Moises Diaz, who does simply amazing things with folded aluminum and paper. Huge and intricate cityscapes as well as still lifes and other subjects pop off the walls in a blend of natural and industrial influences. Diaz also has the silver gelatin photo montages of Thomas Barbèy (www.thomasbarbey.com), which are magnificent and surreal, and the gallery also carries the dreamily beautiful paintings of Ava Sharifian (www.avasharifian.com).
TRÈS GAY Talk about high profile: In addition to all the official South by Southwest hoopla, Alan Cumming (Spy Kids, X-Men II), David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel, Bones), John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus), and Hollywood icon Karen Black (!) are all coming to town as a part of Shout magazine’s Absolutely, Positively, the Gayest Party Ever! on Saturday, March 10, 9pm. This three-club event (Oilcan’s, Rain, and Charlie’s) is but one of the stops Shout is pulling out for this already cram-packed SXSW season! See Gay Place (p.108) in our Community Listings and Shout mag’s Web site (www.shouttexas.com) for more information.
This article appears in March 9 • 2007.