Benefits
Inkululeko, The Paranoids, Dizzy Luna, & Shindigs will perform to benefit Austin Rape Crisis Center, at Spider House, 2809 Fruth, 6-10pm. Cost is $5. 445-5776, ext. 210. SAT 12 Family Fun Festival Fundraiser to benefit the Sierra Ridge Scholarship for Success Program, at Sierra Ridge, 201 W. St. Elmo, noon-4pm. 416-6828. SUN 20 Hike for…
The Dragon & the Tiger
y photograph by Crawford Morgan Welcome to the shadow world of Glorium, a band shrouded in enough mystery to give Raymond Chandler writer’s cramp. The Austin quintet’s discography is subtitled “Evidence of existence,” and their public profile is generally so low that their assorted singles, EPs, full-lengths, and compilation tracks are about all the evidence…
Best Bellyflop Wins!
It may be hotter than Hades everyplace else around Austin, but Barton Springs Pool will be 68deg. cool just as it always is. And it will be even more fun than usual next Saturday, July 19, as a whole lot of folks make mighty big splashes off the diving board at the fourth annual Barton…
The Myth of Che
“I have said that all the reputedly powerful reactionaries are merely paper tigers. The reason is that they are divorced from the people.” — Mao Tse-Tung, 1957 Biographies are a bitch. The best, like Evan Connell’s Son of the Morning Star, can easily surpass its fictional equal: The magic combination of an interesting life as…
Recommended
Edited by Christopher Gray ANTONE’S 22ND ANNIVERSARY Antone’s, Friday 11-Saturday 19 Flowering in its palatial downtown location, Antone’s has made a bigger 1997 comeback than “Rocket” Roger Clemens. Time again to bow down to the blues. Anniversary time. Friday 11: Sue Foley, Toni Price, Lou Ann Barton, Miss Lavelle White, Sarah Brown Trio. Saturday 12:…
Cinema Splash
Ahhhhh. The gentle lap of water against skin provides cool comfort on this hot, summer night. But the calm is not to last. I’m being watched. Carefully, I turn around…. Out of the dark veil of night emerges a crowd of hundreds of kids floating in the water, bobbing up and down, all wearing tell-tale…
Postscripts
Four Walls Eight Windows, a New York firm, has recently published Dallasite Steven Culbert’s third novel, Lovesong for the Giant Contessa. Contessa is a poetic, nostalgic, but not overly wistful gaze at the lives of two adolescents in and around La Vaca Bay and the Coastal Bend region that takes a cue from Southern Gothic…
Texas Platters
DALE WATSON I Hate These Songs (HighTone) For Dale Watson, the reigning alt-country trend doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. It’s just a convenient way to snag well-deserved attention for his first two pure-heart albums, Cheatin’ Heart Attack and Blessed or Damned. But last summer, Watson set out on a marathon tour of truckstops…
Summer Splash Party Movie Nights
Floating around in a pool and watching movies are two great ways to beat the heat of summer. Splash Parties allow you to do both each week at a city pool. Splash Parties begin at 8pm, with a feature movie that starts at 9pm. Refreshments are also available. Admission is $2 for adults, 75cents for…
About AIDS
Building Lean Body Mass Is Vital to Survival AIDS Wasting Syndrome is one of the most common – and one of the most life-threatening – conditions facing a person in later-stage HIV disease. Many factors cause AIDS Wasting Syndrome: increased metabolism through infection and fever; malabsorption and diarrhea; diminished food intake because of mouth ulcers,…
Roadkill
The Muffs Liberty Lunch Saturday, July 12 Anyone who grew up in South Texas when hurricane Celia came blowing through knows that in the temperamental lady’s wake, products ranging from chain-link fencing to building bricks were advertised as being “Celia-tested.” The guitar amp manufacturer who is clever enough to build a product he can truthfully…
Austin Parks and Recreation Pool Information
photograph by Minh Pool Fees, Rentals, & Pass Options Daily Fees Municipal Pools: Adult $2, Junior (12-17) 75 cents, Child (11 and under) 50 cents Barton Springs: Mon-Fri, Adult $2.50, Junior (12-17) 75 cents, Child (11 and under) 50 cents; Weekends, Adult $2.75, Junior 75 cents, Child 50 cents 40 Visit Swim Ticket Senior (62+),…
Hearth & Soul
Dear Suzy, Here in Austin it is damp, really damp. I live in a pier-and-beam house built in 1952, and it is presently sitting in a mud puddle. Friends have given all sorts of ideas — run the AC (yuk), buy a de-humidifier, seal the ground under the house, move… What are your ideas on…
Road Shows
JULY FRI 11 Kepone, Arm Chair Martian, Emo’s FRI 11 Edwin McCain, Treehouse, Electric Lounge FRI 11 Clandestine,Hole in the Wall FRI 11 Little Jack Melody & his Young Turks, Cactus Cafe FRI 11 D.R.U.M., Flamingo Cantina SAT 12 Teen Cool, Boozers, Emo’s SAT 12 The Muffs, Chixdiggit, Groove Ghoulies, Liberty Lunch SUN 13 Hi-Fives,…
Swimming the Distance
photograph by Minh When I was young, I sunk. I was a skinny, pale, wheezy, grouchy, hyper kid, probably at my most appealing when viewed through eight feet of murky pool water. Nevertheless, my parents wanted me to learn to swim near the surface where I could occasionally take a breath of air. They enrolled…
Coach’s Corner
Last weekend, hidden from the intense media scrutiny normally associated with our better known brethren like the NFL owners, the Texas Golf Writers Association met for their tenth annual meeting, secreted away at the Las Colinas Golf Resort, in Irving, Texas. Now we all know I’m not really a golf writer, but if you’ve followed…
How Firm a Foundation?
How much difference can a year make? Just ask the folks at Cornerstone. When the Austin gay and lesbian community center opened last summer after years of effort, its founders had big dreams for the new site: It would provide information and referral services, rooms for meetings, and office space for professionals and organizations serving…
Glorium
Eclipse (Golden Hour) Like the late night warble of a distant radio station slowly fading away, Eclipse takes us deeper into the dark and mysterious elements that make Glorium the aural equivalent of REM sleep. The music and narrative flow gently from place to place, but the band’s high angular pastiche frees the listener to…
Day Trips
The Monument Cafe in Georgetown lives up to its name. This small town cafe with a big city menu is a testimonial to fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere that won’t soon be forgotten. The cafe, just south of the downtown business district at 1953 S. Austin Ave., was opened in March 1995 by two…
No Trespassing
On June 14, Dick Droese and a couple of friends were planning to float Barton Creek. But as they were preparing to put in their canoe at the Highway 71 bridge on Barton Creek, they were accosted by Jim Fries, who heads the Austin office of the Texas Nature Conservancy (TNC). According to Droese, Fries…
Page Two
Robert Mitchum and Jimmy Stewart died last week, and with them went some of the magic of films. I fell in love with Jimmy Stewart as a child watching Carbine Williams over and over on TV, so you can imagine how I felt when I encountered the good stuff: Destry Rides Again, It’s a Wonderful…
Naked City
The search for the chiefs continues down at city hall. The police department was supposed to have a new chief by the end of July, but City Manager Jesus Garza now says that deadline has been moved back. Rumor was that the entire eight-man candidate pool and the selection process had been scrapped, but Garza…
Public Notice
Hey! It’s about time that bug finally crawled out of your… get off the couch; move around, your thumb could use a break from the remote control. That’s it, tiger. Oh, that? Don’t worry about that… that’s just sunlight; your eyes will adjust. Mmmmm, isn’t Mother Nature marvelous? Ahhhhhhhh. Mothra Nature? Nooooo, no, love! That’s…
News Boss
Reading the Austin American-Statesman used to be such a painful experience. In a community that is known for being so well-read and politically involved, the local daily could be nothing less than downright insulting. Every morning, one could pick up a copy of the Statesman and marvel over what fresh atrocity it had committed against…
Mister Smarty Pants Knows
Henry VIII was fond of tennis and had a court built, Hampton Court, now the world’s oldest. About 180 million years ago, a piece of space debris crashed into Mars, created a crater, and blasted rocks off the Martian surface. In 1911, one of these rocks landed in Egypt and reportedly killed a dog. About…
The Daily’s Dollars
Rich Oppel has undoubtedly improved the quality of the local daily. But a better product may not matter. The Austin American-Statesman would likely be profitable with a staffer from The Daily Texan at the helm. That’s no slap at Oppel, it’s a happy fact of life for the American-Statesman’s parent company, Cox Enterprises. The Statesman…
Food-O-File
A drive down the Drag revealed the demolition of the restaurant building at the corner of Guadalupe and 20th Streets. Though the most recent tenants were ill-fated regional chain outfits, for many years the site was home to the campus-area Night Hawk restaurant. That particular Night Hawk location saw many study dates, former student reunions,…
The Paper Trail
July 25, 1871: The Democratic Statesman begins publishing. 1891: Austin Daily News begins publishing. 1898: Austin Tribune begins publishing. 1904: Austin Tribune takes over Austin Daily News. 1914: The Democratic Statesman takes over Austin Tribune. 1914: Hal H. Sevier launches the Austin American. 1916: Democratic Statesman shifts to afternoon publication, changes name to The Evening…
If You Knew Suzi…
photograph by John Anderson Suzi’s China Grill 7858 Shoal Creek, 302-4600 Sun-Thu, 11am-10pm Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm In this age of celebrity chefs, it’s somewhat rare to see a non-cooking restaurateur put her personal stamp on an establishment, although many cities have at least one such star. Nationally, there are Drew Nieporent in New York and Rich…
Here, Girl!
Lassie, Lassie, Lassie… what is the secret of your enduring appeal? Once upon a time, a bunch of us from the Chronicle went to the circus. Our publisher Nick had been excited about seeing the Pink Panther in person and was getting out of hand about it. Finally, I smugly informed Nick that it was…
7 and 7 Is
Bass. It’s all about bass, innit? How low can you go? As low as a good throbbing permits. Volume Two of Trance Syndicate’s The Kahanek Incident series finds Austin’s former Furry Thing(s) Ken Gibson bass `n’ drumming the Electric Company’s “Furmented Omens,” with the remix sounding like samples hurtling through a windstorm. Or, as it’s…
The Post Man Always Saves Twice
At a time when few Internet experts seem to agree on anything, one Web theory is emerging: Over the next five years, what is now an open market of data will likely shake down to only one, two, or three real winners. According to this spin on traditional media theory, these sites (or network of…
Articulations
If you’ve been yearning for a program of theatrical training that combines strenuous physical work with intensive explorations into the definitions of theatre, yearn no more. The folks at Physical Plant Theater have begun just such a program, and they’re actively seeking folks to join them in it. According to Katie Pearl, who helps lead…
The Big Bang
illustration by Jason Stout The lineup at Emo’s recent fifth anniversary show speaks volumes about the evolution within underground music in Austin and beyond. Headlining act Mudhoney would represent the long-faded surge of excitement that preceded Nirvana’s Nevermind in the salad days of Sub Pop, Austin’s Lord High Fixers would embody the malt liquor-spraying chaos…
Scanlines
D: Scott Hicks (1996) with Armin Mueller-Stahl, Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud After piano aficionados gave David Helfgott’s recent performances a lukewarm reception, the story of the not-all-together Australian prodigy may have lost a bit of its titular luster, but not to my eye. To me, Shine still stands out as a…
Exhibitionism
Eeka Beeka, through July 18 Somewhere between the fantastical visions of Salvador Dali and those of Dr. Seuss lies the lunacy-laden world of Scott Scroger. Scroger, a recent transplant from Denton and former University of North Texas art teacher, paints pictures inhabited by garish and frenzied clusters of strange creatures, the kind you’d expect to…
Bonus Tracks
BOBGOBLIN The Twelve-Point Master Plan (MCA) This Devo-crazed novelty act from Dallas wears uniforms and professes to be part of some kind of secret underground organization, with the Twelve-Point Master Plan as some unclassified document that makes it obvious membership doesn’t require originality or songwriting skills. And because so much of what’s supposed to be…
Shortcuts
The July 15 deadline has almost arrived for submitting works to the CinemaTexas 1997 Short Film+Video+New Media Festival to be held Sept. 25-28 at the University of Texas at Austin. The organizers encourage submissions that “explore short cinema as a free genre” and are not simply “industry calling cards.” Eligible for the juried competition are…
You Are What You Art
You have so much stuff!” a friend commented when she came to visit. It sounded suspiciously like criticism, but she was right. In my house there is art on the wall, art on the furniture, art on the floor. Where did it come from? What does it mean? Enter your own house one day wearing…
Dancing About Architecture
AMN DOA? Or: Don’t Torch That Dial! The Austin Music Network recently issued its annual Team Report, asking for an increase in staff and budget. AMN General Manager Ester Matthews says the cable channel has been scraping along for a good while and that it was time to tell the powers that be they needed…
No Gizmo Swimming
photograph by MInh In a society obsessed with sport-related gadgets, swimming is a wet form of socialism. Maybe that’s why I like it so much. In the water, the rich and the not-so-rich are just the same, wet. You don’t have to have special shoes or the latest $500-super-titanium-graphite-aluminum-air gizmo to be able to splash…
