Even though it’s January, supposedly a relatively quiet month, the Austin conferences and festivals are
building up healthy heads of steam. We are less than two months out from the
mid-March insanity, a cornucopia of films, music, multimedia, people and
Austin, Austin, Austin everywhere until you almost want to scream (Note: The
Austin Chronicle is the sponsor of all South by Southwest events. Nick
Barbaro and I and are on its boards of directors).
January is the time to register for the Austin Chronicle‘s Musicians
Register and to vote in the Austin Chronicle Music Poll, the winners to
be honored at the 15th annual Austin Music Awards show.
The annual Austin Chronicle Musician’s Register (co-sponsored by 107.1
KGSR) has become one of the enduring reference works on the Austin’s music
scene. Updated every year, the Register offers information on over 800 acts and
is used and requested all year. The Register offers free listings to any and
all working musicians in the greater Austin area. It is used by club owners,
perused by readers, and requested by industry representatives. We print
thousands of extra copies of the Musician’s Register section to be inserted in
each and every registrant’s bag at SXSW, meaning this special edition not only
penetrates Austin thoroughly, it reaches the national music industry (see p.
61).
Registering is also the way to earn a ticket to Threadgill’s annual
Musician Appreciation dinner (co-sponsored by KLBJ-FM, the Austin Music
Network, and the Chronicle — see p. 56).
This year the Chronicle and SXSW will present the 15th annual Austin
Music Awards (co-sponsored by KGSR-FM) and it should be a hell of a show. Show
director and czarina Margaret Moser is already showing up to work with her
secret marker board, the phone is red-hot, and she has been seen smiling
unusually broadly, so you know the bands are being booked and this year will be
special.
Who gets honored at the show, however, is your decision. The list of
performers and winners at the Awards show over the last 15 years is the list of notable Austin musicians. The poll is your chance to express your
feelings about the Austin music scene. Even XLent. critic Michael
Corcoran ran his ideal ballot response (though complaining about too many
categories, oddly enough he didn’t suggest we get rid of Best Music Critic, a
category he won several times during his Chronicle tenure in the
Eighties). Looking over the years of winners may be the real documentation of
Austin’s musical history, one written not by the critics but by listeners and
fans. SXSW in all its manifestations should be better than ever, but expect our
15th annual Austin Music Awards Show to be especially wonderful this year.
Vote.
The Austin Chronicle Slackers are a street hockey team whom we are honored to
have use our name. In the Fall 1996 Skate Across Texas competition, they were
Junior Champs. We send our very best congratulations to the team.
This article appears in January 17 • 1997 and January 17 • 1997 (Cover).