Dancing About Architecture

Still awaiting "official" word from Arista Records president Clive Davis as the Chron went to press Wednesday, Cameron Randle, Vice President and General Manager of the locally based Arista Austin and Arista Latin imprints, confirmed what was being whispered on the street: Arista is closing up its local offices. Well, sort of. "Arista Latin is closing," says Randle, May 1. "They'll be rolling a portion of the existing roster into BMG [Arista's parent company], the U.S. arm of the Latin division." As Randle points out, most major labels have yet to tap into the enormous North American Latino market, and consolidating Arista Latin within BMG's already-existing Latin arm (sporting Los Fabulosos Cadillacs among others; see "Roadkill") is the company's way of doing just that. Of Arista Latin's existing roster of bands (five, none local), La Diferenzia and Ruben Gomez will go to BMG while the other three, including Nydia Rojas - in town this week for the Mariachi extravaganza (see "Recommended") - are considering their options. Same goes for the five local Arista Austin staffers, says Randle. He also confirms a major by-product of these changes: more attention paid to the Arista Austin roster, which put up impressive numbers last year with Robert Earl Keen and Abra Moore, and is currently finding success at radio with the new Sister 7 single (and is hoping to do the same with Jeff Black's upcoming release). "This move underscores the fact we will be focusing exclusively on Arista Austin."

Tube Tips

"Eeew! I look like a fag!" That line came as part of another one of those weird moments that happen at the Hole in the Wall. Randy Beckett of Rebel Train looked up from the stage between songs and noticed that the TV over the bar was playing the movie Hollywood Knights, specifically his big scene in the film, so he narrated the events in the flick for a while, then went back to rockin'. The Hole's Debbie Rombach says she can only remember this sort of thing happening there once before, in the heyday of Timbuk 3, when the video for "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" appeared on the TV screen just as the band began performing it - the two remaining nearly in sync for the duration of the song. Speaking of videos on TV, who even knew that Friday Night Videos was still running? I thought that thing was just an early Eighties pacifier for people whose cable providers hadn't picked up MTV yet. In any case, I flipped past it and saw that Fastball's "The Way" was one of their phone-in choices for Video of the Week. Tune in this Friday to see if Tony Scalzo and company won. Oh, and I don't know if the Gourds "won," but their new album Stadium Blitzer was recently reviewed on MTV's Indie Outing.

Picking Up After the Derailers

Continuing our TV theme, count the Derailers among the Austin acts who are getting big exposure from the small box. Their video for "One More Time" has been added to CMT. And as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the group is set to appear on Conan O'Brien's Late Night chat-fest on April 24. Somehow, though, I think an appearance with Jay Leno would have been far more appropriate. I say that because of the crescent-moon-chinned Leno's taste for Doritos; it turns out that the band will soon be appearing on a million bags of the snack chips as part of a "Bands to Watch" promotion being waged by Time Warner and Frito Lay! "I don't know if it'll sell any records," says Watermelon Records' Eric Zappa, "but these sort of things raise a band's profile." He says that in addition to the photo and information on the packaging, each bag of the Doritos will contain an official Derailers guitar pick. Reading my mind, Zappa quickly adds, "I hope they're wrapped in plastic or something. I'm sure they know what they're doing." Assumptions aside, I say hats off to the Derailers (who have a number of West Coast dates with the Mavericks on the way) and Frito Lay for at least temporarily solving the problem of where to find a friggin' guitar pick at two in the morning - just head for the 7-Eleven.

Mixed Notes

"It's only been a few weeks since South By Southwest '98, but there's no time to rest!" says SXSW's David L. Thomson III, who needs to drop that snotty "III" or I'll have to run that photo of him in his underwear again. North by Northwest is coming to Portland, Oregon again this August (20-22). If you are interested in applying for a showcase, check the web site at http://www.NXNW.com, and download an application. Or call 512/467-7979 and they'll mail you one. The festival is open to all interested parties; you need not be from the Northwestern area. Deadline for submissions is June 1...

Talk about a press blitz! SXSW even made the Congressional Record this year, in a transcript of Lloyd Doggett speaking about the recent Music Theft Act. The Record quotes Doggett as saying, "In my home city, the city of Austin, Texas, where [the] South by Southwest Music Festival pulled people from around the world to enjoy and build on the success of our musical capital; our claim [is] to be the `Loud Music Capital of the World.'" One assumes the Record's stenographer misheard the last bit - either that or Doggett has a house in Bouldin Creek...

Can't go a week without a music festival. This weekend you might try the Hill Country Hoedown in Dripping Springs featuring Alejandro Escovedo, Gourds, 6 String Drag, Slobberbone, V-Roys, Cheri Knight, Damnations, Horseshoe, and Jasper Stone on Saturday. If you go on Sunday (or just can't find your way home Saturday night) there's a Sunday Brunch with Duane Jarvis...

In conjunction with Dee Dee Bridgewater's performance at Hogg Auditorium this Saturday (see feature), there will be a free panel discussion Friday, 2pm, in room GRG 220 of UT's Geography Building (24th and Whitis). "African and African-American Women's Musical Expressive Culture" is open to the public...

Big Foot Chester's second CD on Sympathy for the Record Industry is out (see "Texas Platters"), and the disc features guests ranging from Texacala Jones to fiddler Amy Tiven to ex-Blaster/T-Birds member Gene Taylor. The band will have a release party at the Hole in the Wall this Saturday...

There's a CD release party next Wednesday for the new compilation, Chicken Ranch Round Up IV. That starts at 10pm at the Bates Motel...

The Kenneth Threadgill comic book is out, but don't worry, the closest thing it features to a mutant is Janis Joplin. Drawn by underground comix great Jack "Jaxon" Jackson, the comic is included in today's American-Statesman. If that's not enough crossover of music and literature - comics are literature, dammit! - a benefit book signing and concert will be held 2-4pm, Saturday, at Hostelling International-Austin, 2200 So. Lakeshore Blvd. with the Kerrville Folk Festival's Rod Kennedy reading from and signing his new book Music From the Heart. David Roth, Floyd Domino, and Polk & Barton will provide music for the event...

Next Monday will be the grand opening for CD-store within a CD store, Rolling Pin (inside Duval Discs), whose proprietor corrects my assertion that it's an all-promo CD store; he stocks out-of-prints CDs and imports as well. Denkernase and East Babylon Orixa Contemporania will provide music starting at 7pm...

The Austin Record Convention is this weekend, and Eeyore's Birthday Party is next weekend. There! If you forget either one, don't come crying to me...

Finally, regarding last week's teaser about a Charles Manson family member and a Frank Zappa groupie/cohort being in town, Mansonite White Rabbit phoned to verify his identity and presence, saying he seriously doubts that the local person claiming to be Suzy Creamcheeze is for real. "I knew her when I lived in California when I was living with Zappa," says the Rabbit. "If she's around, I ain't seen her." White Rabbit can currently be found playing music on the Drag near Tower Records, and publishers with serious interest can ask to check out the manuscript for his book-in-progress at Fringeware. As far as Suzy is concerned; Hey, it's your turn to give us a call...

- Contributors: Raoul Hernandez, Andy Langer, Margaret Moser