Children of the Night

Since time immemorial, they -- the dreaded "they" -- have said rock & roll was bad for you. Whether it was Elvis Presley or Ozzy Osbourne, nothing good was ever gonna come out of it. And not just rock & roll. All of it, the arts in general. Somehow, being exposed to creativity was gonna make you rise up and overthrow your parents and the government. Then, a few years ago, out came studies which proved that children taught about music (and jazz specifically) early in the education process were more likely to go farther in school, be more successful -- make more money. What about that? In Austin, it's clear that people recognize the intrinsic value of music. You see children at shows all the time. Families. Music is a fact of life here in Central Texas, no less than food and shelter. One imagines it's the same in New Orleans or Jamaica. And what if those children and those families weren't just hearing Don Walser at a Backyard Fourth of July thang? What if every day was music? What if your father owned a nightclub and you grew up there? How would this affect you, shape you? Five local clubowners and their children have five different sets of answers. One answer, really, and "they" should know.

-- Raoul Hernandez

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Mark and Sarah Pratz: Liberty Lunch	James White and Family: The Broken Spoke
The Sessums: The Black Cat	Danny Crooks and Family: Steamboat
Eric and Brittany Hartman: Emos