Most musicians need only go back a generation or two to discover ancestor
musicians in their family fronds. Ours goes back two, to a certain Uncle Clyde
or “Red” as he was better known, whose gospel and country twangings earned him
both a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame and a son-in-law named Pat Boone
(which, yes, ties us inadvertently to ol’ “White Bucks” — helluva coming-out
tale, eh?).
The point of touting this musical pedigree is to draw the line between
generations and culture and impress upon you, dear readers, that the past can
inspire the future. It is important for us to invest in the kid musicians of
today — brimming with drive, yet struggling for resources.
The Austin Music Commission is on a mission to match donated instruments
with potential virtuosos. Take ol’ Aunt Bessie’s clarinet out of the attic, let
the commission restore it, appraise it (tax break for you!), and hand it on to
the next local Benny Goodman. The Musical Instrument Pool Program will find a
home for your old guitars, horns, trap sets, etc.
And yes, we think of dear Uncle Red Foley each time we plug the SG into the
Big Muff and dream about what our humbuckers could do for “Ol’ Shep.”
404-4368. Babies Making Babies
You don’t have to be a dedicated follower of afternoon TV to know that the
stats of teen pregnancy are busting out like a belly in third trimester. Travis
County is hovering around the 500 mark for annual pregnancies in females age 16
and younger, which means that many more kids (hello, young males, we know
your role in this) are making some serious errors in judgment when it
comes to sexual responsibility. The Family Health Unit of the Austin/Travis Co.
Health and Human Services will present No Way Baby, two half-day conferences
for boys and girls ages 10-15, Wed-Thu, Jul 24-25 at Kealing Junior High. The
program will hit hard on two levels: The session on July 24 will highlight
postponing sexual activity. The July 25 session will provide comprehensive info
on preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. They’ll spring for
breakfast, lunch, and entertainment in addition to the program.
Pre-registration is highly recommended.473-4273.
Everybody’s Revolting May Day it ain’t, but here’s a revolution of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural
variations on the Independence Day theme:
[[perthousand]] The All-American Fourth of July en el Barrio celebrates to the
sounds of Los Garcia Brothers, C’est La Vie, Rebelde, Fama & Jay Perez,
Thu-Fri, Jul 4-5 at Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Bergman. Gates open at 12 noon, Thu,
Jul 4 and 5pm, Fri, Jul 5. Admission is $5, senior citizens — $4; and kids 12
and under — free. Proceeds benefit the Greater East Austin Youth League.
499-6718.
[[perthousand]] The Black Citizen’s Task Force is taking their cue from
the words of Frederick Douglass: “What to the American slave is your Fourth
of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the
year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” The task force offers an alternative statewide celebration of African culture,
called Self Liberation Now, Sat, Jul 6, 9am-7pm at the Doris Miller Auditorium,
2200 Rosewood. Admission is free. 469-6450.
[[perthousand]] Hooray for the rouge, blanc, et bleu! Celebrate the
revolution! Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! Fourth? Schmourth! Bastille Day will
be done up right at the French Legation Museum, 802 San Marcos St., Sun, Jul
14, noon–7pm. The Alliance Fran�aise hosts the shindig with the sound
stylings of Bayou Beaujolais and Christine Albert, plus popular dancing,
theatre, and other outdoor frivolities. It’s $4 for non-members; members of the
Alliance get a buck knocked off; and admission is free for kids under 12 and
veterans (Surely, they don’t mean of the French Revolution…).
495-9818.
[[perthousand]] See additional Fourth of July/holiday fun listings in
both the Music and Calendar sections. Lakewatch Due to heavy holiday boat traffic and the resultant visibility problems, Jet
Skis, Wet Bikes, and similar personal watercraft are PROHIBITED on Lake Travis
for Fourth of July. The ban runs Thu, Jul 4, 12 midnight — Fri, Jul 5, 12
midnight. Austin Parks & Rec means it! Violators could be fined up to $500.
Or maybe Lt. Mitch Buchannon or his mammarily enhanced pal C.J. will just whack
you over the head with their big, rosy… rescue cans. In your dreams, pal…
499-6718. n
This article appears in July 5 • 1996 and July 5 • 1996 (Cover).