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, title, and license included). "If we sell as many as we're hoping by the end of the week," he adds, "We may only put out as few as 500 more [that week]." The gist of this is: If you wanna go, you getter get your wristband now. Saturday is also the day that advance tickets go on sale for the big SXSW Tejano show at the Coliseum, about which Swenson says, "Everybody's telling us it's gonna sell out."

The same story applies to the Music Awards, for which tickets are also moving fast, and since wristbands get you into that event this year, well, you get the picture.

So, Suck Some What?

Here's your big reminder that I need to know about all your non-SXSW showcases that the rest of you out there are setting up -- especially if they're at places that don't normally send us listings. Please, though, don't just toss me off a note saying, "My band is playing third at Hoehandle Hank's on Friday." Get together with whoever's organizing the weekend and have them give me their whole SXSW weekend lineup. Trying to assemble these things from all your individual notices always results in people getting left out. Mail or fax your information to me care of the Chronicle at the handy numbers at the bottom of "Page Two." And do it fast. Your hard deadline is March 6.

Antone's on the Move?

"I'm working with this guy trying to buy his building," confirmed Clifford Antone reluctantly after a long silence. The guy is Dennis Allison, his building is Jellyrolls at Fifth and Lavaca, and the two have been mulling over contract details for long weeks now. Antone stays on the slow and steady path when it comes to signing papers, especially since a previous, well-publicized deal with Billy Blues fell through with an ugly thud. "They're all anxious to get it open," he says, referring to his Jellyrolls partners, "but I'm not." Jellyrolls was anxious enough, in fact, that while Antone was keeping a stone face and zipped lip on the deal, they actually ran a classified ad in the Statesman reading, in part, "Antone's is moving!" One thing Antone makes no secret of is his affection for the proposed new location. "There's not a whole lot of buildings you can make a club in," he points out, adding that this one has "real nice big bars already ready, plenty of room, a stage, nice air conditioning...." Another key to the anticipated partnership is that the Jellyrolls team has plenty of experience in running the bar side of things, an area Antone admits is "our weak point." For now, as far as Antone (and the law) is concerned, there is no deal and Antone's is just the same old Antone's. Still, he cautiously allows that "It could happen any day."

Among My Souvenirs

It's getting to the point where naming all of 81/2 Souvenirs potential vocalists could take as long as their happy hour set. Continental Records' Jack Hazard says the number of wannabe singers "that we've run through various stages of the process" is now up to 150. Of course, that includes everyone that's merely sent a demo to the label all the way up to the ones who've been featured in public auditions. The band's second album will feature several of the most prominent of the young ladies who've been performing with the band, including Kris McKay, Toni Price, Julianna Sheffield, and Kelly Willis. (McKay, by the by, is "90% sure" to be the band's vocalist for the Austin Music Awards, says Hazard.)

Lubbock Lockup

As Buddy Holly's hometown prepares for the Grammy Awards to honor the rock pioneer with a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lubbock police made it clear that today's entertainers aren't necessarily welcome in that city. Several members of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, including Rose himself, ended up in the pokey there last Friday facing charges of simulating a sex act. That didn't stop the Circus from coming to the Back Room the following night, where general manager Mark Olivarez says everything went smoothly and that the 600-plus Rose fans in attendance left happy. Olivarez says he quelled the band's fears that Austin might offer the Circus a repeat of Lubbock's welcome, offering that their Lubbock incarceration was merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; the Circus made the mistake of appearing in that town only a few weeks after the community had expressed outrage over the content of a recent Marilyn Manson show. As a result, sources allege that the Lubbock cops were looking for any excuse to bust someone in the outrageous performance biz -- to the extent, says Olivarez, that the band told him the police in the flatlands claimed that the Circus' sumo wrestler's visible buttcheeks constituted "adult entertainment." (With that attitude, they could have just as easily busted The Enigma for being "horny.")

The Crown and the Court

Among the perks that Bryan Bowden is losing by no longer being Crown Heights' drummer is the chance of being on Court TV. Even though the New York-based band hasn't yet had any trouble from stores over their new CD More Pricks Than Kicks, the cable network chose to focus on them and the album for a segment on the program that focuses on censorship. Court TV followed the band around last Friday and expects to run a segment on 'em for the show, which is currently scheduled for March 22 at noon. Prior to that, the band has a SXSW showcase at the Electric Lounge on Saturday.

There's news on another band that formerly featured Bowden; Starfish have reunited with original drummer Scott Marcus. Apparently their parting was due to lack of communication, and when Marcus and Jason Morales sat down for a chat a few weeks ago, they realized there was no reason not to get back together.

Platinum Blondell

Busy bee Jon Blondell, between his own Cedar Street gigs, playing with Jake Andrews, appearing at the season's final Austin City Limits with Miss Lavelle White and Delbert McClinton, and avoiding Dino Lee, just got the word that he's just gone platinum. That is to say, the Sublime album, which features an unmistakable Blondell solo, has sold a million copies, making it the first platinum album he's appeared on. He got that word from the album's producer, Paul Leary, who's currently working toward his next million-seller, producing Dallas' Fugly down at Arlyn studios.

Derek O'Brien, who also played the Austin City Limits gig, hasn't been twiddling his thumbs, either. He's currently working on a new Antone's album for Pete Mayes, using some tracks recorded here and some from Houston. He also reports that Toni Price's acoustic Live in Alpine album is cut but not yet mixed, and that Angela Strehli's new one should be wrapped up by the week of SXSW. That album was mostly recorded with Strehli's band out in California and may in fact have as little as one Austin-recorded track on it. In the talking stages is a possible duet with Doug Sahm. Coming up, O'Brien will be working on Willie Nelson's blues album in the last week of March, has a Lazy Lester record coming up, and hopes to get a Lou Ann Barton disc in the works. He says she's currently looking for songs towards that project.

Mixed Notes

Junior Brown has been heard telling people that he's going to New York Wednesday to "pick up two Grammys." Now, I wasn't aware that the NARAS people gave out the names of the winners in advance, but by the time you read this, you'll already know whether he was in the know or just cocky. If you see Junior at the Continental this Sunday, make sure and ask him if he won any Austin Music Awards this year... Loose Diamonds will have a showing of their new "Just Who's Driving" video this Friday, 9pm, at the Continental Club. The clip was directed by Don Klezsy, who's also shot vids for Morphine and Treat Her Right... Hyperfluff have a release party for their self-titled debut CD at the Hole in the Wall this Friday. They promise free "pop rocks" while supplies last... Buick McKane have an in-store this Friday, 4pm, at Tower Records for their new one The Pawn Shop Years, while Waterloo Records has Steven Fromholz and Rusty Weir in-store today (Thursday) at 5pm for the K.R. Wood's Fathers of Texas release and Slaid Cleaves on Friday, 5pm, for his No Angel Knows CD... Bassist Rob Jewett, who received severe face and hand burns in a recent auto repair mishap, is expected to get out of the burn center in San Antonio next week and plans to take a sabbatical to Michigan for a few months afterwards. More benefits should be forthcoming and I'll try to keep you informed... Sincola drummer Terri Lord says doctors tell her that her freshly broken wrist "looks good for now," and hopes they won't have to operate. What doesn't look good is the band's ability to play SXSW -- at least without some sort of assistance on the drums. Lord says the band is weighing their options, and that if she hears any more Def Leppard jokes, she can't be held responsible for her actions... Yes, that's Gibby Haynes you're hearing (briefly) on 101X again in the mornings. Haynes will continue to give updates every morning at 8:40am with Mark Pauline of Survival Research Labs as the big SRL show on March 28 looms ever closer. 101X's Sara Trexler explains another recent programming change at the station -- the removal of Andy Langer and Don McLeese's Sunday night music chat show Feedback -- with the simple comment that "basically there's another FM talk station in town." She also says this presents a good opportunity to take the former K-NACK show Home Groan and give local music a bigger spot on 101X. Langer will continue to host his new music show from 6-9pm Sunday night, while McLeese is said to be happy that his seventh-day evenings have been freed up so he can attend more early shows....

-- Contributors: Raoul Hernandez, Andy Langer, Margaret Moser