Personal Dances II: The Schedule
Through March 8, Hyde Park Theatre will be the site of a wealth of solo performances by dance artists from Austin, Seattle, and New York City. The performances are part of Personal Dances, a festival of solo movement from Margery Segal/NERVE Dance Company and Frontera @ Hyde Park Theatre. Performances are at 8pm. Tickets are…
Live Shots
Iris Dement at the Texas Union Ballroom February 25photograph by John Carrico MAX NOFZIGER’S FLOWER POWER HOUR La Zona Rosa, February 13 Max’s Nofziger’s “Flower Power Hour” — a Maxstravganza if you will. Three hours of nothing but Max. Or so you might think. Actually the “Flower Power Hour,” the half of it that I…
Naked City
In a cold drizzle outside an East Austin convenience store on Monday, Bill Spelman laid out his platform for the Place 5 seat on city council. He declared his candidacy in a neighborhood all too familiar with the ring of gunshots that two weeks ago left a woman dead. An associate professor at UT’s LBJ…
Dancing About Architecture
South by Southwest director Roland Swenson reports that wristbands for the music festival are moving faster than expected, and as such they’ll be going off sale after this Saturday. After that, they won’t go back on sale until the week of SXSW at which time, they’ll jump in price from $51 to $60 (tax, service,…
Not Rocking
photograph by Bruce Dye These guys do not rock,” says Lisa Roschmann, laughing. “Yeah, we were in Houston, opening for Luna,” says Andrew Kenny. “And we played one song. It was probably a quiet one. And right as we stopped playing — it was, of course, very hushed, because nobody knew who we were –…
Been Down So Long
illustration by Nathan Jensen Karen Worley used to be an English and journalism teacher, and a pretty good one. At 23, her energy and devotion at one of Ft. Worth’s inner city public schools won her several commendations, and helped her 10th grade students regularly meet or beat the honors classes in TAAS scores. But…
Postscripts
For the fourth year in a row, Austin short story writer Tom Doyal has been invited to participate in the Texas Bound program of the annual Arts & Letters Live series at the Dallas Museum of Art. Doyal’s “Suppressing the Grief Response” will be read by Dallas actor Katherine Owens at 6:30 and 8:30pm on…
AISD Notebook
The AISD Board of Trustees on Monday tackled two quite controversial issues: the district’s “new” grading policy, and site acquisition for new schools south of the river. AISD Superintendent Jim Fox gave the nod last month to some members of his inner circle, including Deputy Superintendent Kay Psencik, who abruptly implemented an interesting new regulation:…
Teachers Eye Union Label
Louis Malfaro, President of the Austin Federation of Teachersphotograph by Jana Birchum In Sandy, Oregon, about 20 miles east of Portland, all but one of the 190 teachers employed by the public school system made history last week by calling the first strike in Oregon in seven years. Among the disputed issues: the scope of…
Viva Sinatra
Michael Ventura is my kind of writer. That is to say, he exhibits a formidable intelligence, yet doesn’t just soothe your preconceptions. He’s always passionate, frequently challenging, often innovative in his thinking. Sometimes, he gets it all wrong: I still remember his essay on the links between voodoo and rock & roll. I don’t have…
Rebellious Young Woman
photograph by Jeff Cannon Whatever else happens for Kacy Crowley this year, she can rest assured knowing she saved herself $150. That’s the cost of a decent press kit bio these days, and “Rebellious Young Women,” a frank, blow-by-blow self-portrait from her forthcoming debut, Anchorless, makes this formality virtually obsolete. “I went home unrecognizable, my…
How Many Members, How Much Money
MEMBERSHIP OrganizationNationalStateLocal Annual Dues NEA/TSTA/AAT2,100,000*90,0001,400$345 AFT/TFT/AFT900,00026,000900 $342 ATPE/AATPEn/a80,0001,550$108 TCTAn/a36,000200**$90 *Note: This includes about 30,000 “life members” who joined the organization before it was affiliated with the NEA. **$75 plus $15 for insurance All figures are reported by the heads of the organization themselves; they have not been independently confirmed. — R.A.
Hearth & Soul
Yankee Ingenuity Dear Suzy, Now that it’s cool enough to get in the attic, I need some practical information about radiant barriers. Can one be put up with an electric staple gun? How many people does it take to put it up? What is the best and/or cheapest brand? Does it come in rolls or…
Beyond the Belt Buckle
photograph by Joey Lin For three admitted ZZ Top fanatics like the guys in El Flaco, inking a deal with Lone Wolf Management — the music-biz empire built around that Li’l Ol’ Band From Texas — was better than guitar lessons from Eddie Van Halen. Now, bassist/singer Rob Gray watches a real-time El Flaco Internet…
Postcards from the Fringe
Paco Nathan, president of FringeWare, Inc.photograph by Kenny Braun Granola Farmers meet Virtual Reality on 42nd Street.” That’s one of the phrases Paco Nathan, president of Fringeware, Inc., has used to describe an organization indefinable; a kind of mind-bending retail outfit where shoppers try on original thought for size along with counter-culture T-shirts. But the…
About AIDS
“Looking Out for Your Eyes” Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common eye disease affecting people living with AIDS. It occurs in approximately 20% of individuals with CD4 counts below 200. Although CMV can affect many organs in the body, the most common CMV infection occurs in the retina portion of the eye and can…
The Nineline Theory
These days, Laurie Freelove is given to quoting Albert Einstein: “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” Maybe Freelove, a career musician, finds these words an apropos reminder to shift gears even when the brakes have been put on, as they were in 1991 when her contract with Chrysalis/Ensign was…
Road Sign Language
Patricia Arquette in Lost Highway Barry Gifford is on a roll. The movie Lost Highway, which Gifford and co-screenwriter/director David Lynch describe as a “21st-century noir horror film” opens today throughout the country. Furthermore, Grove Press has recently published a paperback edition of Sailor’s Holiday: The Wild Life of Sailor & Lula. Another movie, Perdita…
Benefits
Maia Quartet perform to benefit the Austin Waldorf School, at First Unitarian Church, 4700 Grover, 7:30pm. $15 adults, $10 children. 288-5942. SUN 2 Glover Gill, Dee McCandless & more perform to benefit Bear Belmares (for medical expenses), at Electric Lounge, 302 Bowie St., 7pm. Cost is $5. 476-4596. One Ton Tug-in-the-Mud to benefit Austin/Travis Co.…
Four-Track Amusement
photograph by Bruce Dye Like most other young bands these days, Furry Things exude a virulent aversion to being affiliated with any musical scene or movement. They are keenly aware of how quickly a bandwagon travels from boon to bane, and they’re very careful to describe themselves in a way that won’t give scoop-hunters the…
The Job Goes on Forever
Tim Perell In 1990, when I lived in New York, my college buddy Tim Perell and I spent a lot of time at the movies. Every Sunday afternoon, in fact, we would walk downtown to the Angelika Film Center — kind of like the Village Cinema, only with better food and snootier ticket-takers — and…
Coach’s Corner
This week’s lesson on how the media creates and perpetuates a myth: Fact: Bill Parcells coaches the Pats to the Super Bowl (not a shock, even I predicted it three years ago). Fact: Over the last four years, New England’s record is about .500. Fact: Two years ago, the Patriots faltered badly, finishing 6-10. Bill…
Immediate and Timeless
photograph by Shelley Rutledge A Gourds show is a joyful event, an exorcism of angst, a tall cold one and a smoky tree; “It’s a bone white smile of a night.” For those who know and see them regularly, their holy hoedowns are a grounding mechanism, a necessary component of life which, once taken away,…
Scanlines
D: Howard Smith, Sarah Kernochan. VHS Home Video Vulcan Video, 609 W. 29th In 1948, at the age of four, Marjoe Gortner was called to serve the Holy Spirit — not that his parents gave him much of a choice in the matter. Preaching fire and brimstone from revival tent to revival tent, Marjoe not…
Day Trips
Liendo Plantation outside of Hempstead has witnessed the good and evil of Texas history. Built in 1853 with slave labor, the plantation home was a center of social activity until it fell into disrepair and was purchased by the world-renowned sculptor Elisabet Ney. The stately old house has been restored to its original grandeur and…
Picks 2 Click
The Nineline Theory: Laurie Freelove by Melissa Rawlins Department of Hope: Trish Murphy by Michael Bertin Immediate and Timeless: The Gourds by Christopher Hess Rebellious Young Woman: Kacy Crowley by Andy Langer Beyond the Belt Buckle: El Flaco by Christopher Gray Four-Track Amusement: Furry Things by Greg Beets
Shortcuts
by Jen Scoville South by Southwest is officially only one week away, with the SXSW Film Festival and Conference kicking off a week from this Friday and the Multimedia/Interactive Festival following right on its heels. It’s not too late to register for the conference portions of the event; walk-up registration takes place at the Convention…
Page Two
Lots of information to get through this time, but first, let me remind you that SXSW Music Festival Wristbands go off sale on Saturday, March 1. They are available at all Star Ticket Outlets (including Waterloo Records) for $51 ($45 plus tax and service charge). If you want to know what a SXSW wristband gets…
Bradley’s Blackball
The following letter was sent by Gary Bradley to Andy Sansom, head of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). Bradley, a local real estate developer whose debt-laden deals have cost federal taxpayers at least $90 million, wanted to prevent the addition of David Bowles to the Barton Springs Salamander Conservation Team (BSSCT), which was…
Peter Mayle
One of the most regrettable aspects of the transition from childhood to adulthood is the loss of whimsy in literature. Think about it. Children, who are by and large happy, get to read books about talking animals. Adults, who are by and large unhappy, get to read books about dressing for success. Coincidence? No. Fortunately,…
Public Notice
Project PHASE, the program which effectively addresses problems faced by the university area’s homeless, may find itself in a similar housing crisis after June 1, 1997 — the date their current space deal with the Congregational Church concludes. Tonight, Thu, Feb 27, 7pm, the University Baptist Church Missions Committee calls an area meeting at San…
Department of Hope
photograph by Todd V. Wolfson The good news is that you can still jump onto this bandwagon while it’s in its formative stages. There is no bad news. Trish Murphy has only been in Austin for about six months, but she’s been in Texas most of her life, and she’s been around music, oh, since…
Mister Smarty Pants Knows
Henley shirts are named after rowers (the equivalent of river drivers) in Henley, England. Fish trucks say FISH on the back because when they back up to a loading dock for a pick up or delivery the people loading the truck know to only put fish in the truck. The white part of your fingernail…
Recommended
Friday: The Funky Meters, Liberty Lunch Saturday: Sister 7, Steamboat Sunday: Sexton Sextet, Asylum Street Spankers, Toni Price, Alejandro Escovedo, Waterloo Brewing Company Monday: Ted Roddy’s Tearjoint Troubadors, Ego’s Tuesday: George Devore, La Zona Rosa Wednesday: Gwil Owen, Duane Jarvis, Continental Club, Sharon Shannon, Cactus Cafe Thursday: Tomas Ramirez, Elephant Room
Connecting a Few Dots
illustration by A.J. Garces What does it mean when American kids can play I-Net games with French kids, but can’t find Paris on the map? It means that the world’s at their fingertips but not in their heads. As for grown-ups, who say very grown-up things about the globalization of culture: e-mailing about your favorite…
Road Shows
FEBRUARY FRI 28 Seamas Egan & Solas, Cactus Cafe FRI 28 Thrall, Emo’s FRI 28, SAT 1 Funky Meters, Liberty Lunch MARCH SAT 1 Bobby McFerrin, Bass Concert Hall SAT 1 George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars, Austin Music Hall SAT 1 Sugar Shack, Demolition Dollrods, Emo’s SAT 1 Cheryl Wheeler, Cactus Cafe SAT 1…
Art of the State
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART presents “Animals With Attitude,” wood sculptures of real and imaginary animals by Dallas artist Isaac Smith, through March 30; “Animals in African Art: From the Familiar to the Marvelous,” an exhibit of 90 works from central and western Africa, through April 27; “Concentrations 29: Per Kirkeby,” large abstracts drawn from the…
Food-O-File
by Virginia B. Wood When chef/co-owner Stewart Scruggs left Zoot to pursue new challenges late last year, co-owner Erica Brown was faced with the challenge of replacing a popular chef and maintaining the justifiably stellar reputation of her West Austin eatery. In a conversation last week, Brown explained her plans for keeping Zoot in the…
Change As You Go
illustration by Jason Stout Councilmember Ronney Reynolds considers himself an easy target, and not just because he weighs 240 pounds. The mayoral wannabe prides himself on consistency, and while you may have knocked his politics in the past, you could at least be sure of where he stood. “I put my rudder in the water…
Articulations
Add to the list of local humanitarians those longtime purveyors of improvised comedy, ComedySportz Austin. Seems that troupe of talented madcaps can hardly let a week go by without doing a benefit for some charity or other. Last Sunday, it was Chili Bowl IV, the latest round in the group’s ongoing “battle” with ComedySportz San…
The Reale Thing
photograph by John Anderson A new pizza joint opened in our neighborhood recently. It’s called Marcello’s and it advertises New York Style Pizza. My pizza-eating partner, a local writer named Marion who is frequently published in these pages, insisted that we call the place the same day the brochure was hung on her door. We…
Static Interference
The Pacifica Radio Network and Austin’s KOOP (91.7FM) would seem to be a match made in heaven. Pacifica, which owns stations in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and Berkeley, was founded 50 years ago with a mission — to provide a national radio network that would serve the interests of peace, social and racial…
Getting in Step
illustration by Robert Faires Dancers are loners. At least, it’s easy for us who watch them to think that. Their art is often wordless; we don’t see them converse, and that suggests an image of aloofness, separation, each keeping to herself, himself. It’s a stereotype based on a flawed perception, but in talking to local…
Crusty Business
Reale’s Pizzeria 13450 N. Hwy183, 335-5115 It’s all there, the smell of garlic, the collection of empty Chianti bottles, the Frank Sinatra tapes, the paint-splattered naugehyde booths. On the East Coast, it would be nothing special, but in Austin, Reale’s is a miracle. Drop what you’re doing and drive out there right now. On the…
A Light-Rail Named Desire
Capitol Metro took the public for a ride on the RegioSprinter last wekk to drum up support for light-rail It finally happened. Capital Metro took a first step toward light-rail this week when it voted 6-0 to spend $5-10 million on preliminary engineering and environmental studies of a commuter rail line — the so-called Red…
