Yep, it’s another reminder to fill out that all-important Chronicle
Music Poll on page 23 of this issue, and I don’t even have to feel
uncomfortable about pummeling you with it, since this year the Statesman has been dedicating more press to it than we have! Having said that, you only
have a couple more weeks to get that puppy turned in (they’re due Feb. 7) and
vote on your favorite acts. So, whittle down that pencil point and get to
scribblin’, and remember, our crack staff of investigators (it says here) have
developed a foolproof system for detecting ballot-stuffing (it says here) so
don’t even try to get away with that second-favorite Austin pastime. Oh, and if
you are a musician, don’t neglect to fill out our Musicians Register
form as well, so you can get your description in our SXSW issue and a free
dinner from Threadgill’s, to boot.
Keen on Keen
Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies was scheduled to join Robert Earl Keenonstage for three songs at last Thursday’s Austin City Limits taping,
but showed she’s no kidder about Keen, and remained onstage through the encore,
a showstopping take on Townes Van Zandt’s “Snowin’ on Raton.” Timmins also
makes an appearance on several cuts from Keen’s upcoming Arista Austin album
Picnic, providing backing vocals on “Undone,” “Waterfalls,” and “I
Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight,” and duetting with Keen on “Lo Mein” — a
hilarious number they did at ACL about having a breakdown at an
all-night Chinese buffet. Cary Prince at Arista says it was Timmins who made
the first move, calling Keen to offer her assistence. Picnic is produced
by John Keane, who’s worked with the Junkies as well as on R.E.M.’s
Automatic for the People, and is due out on April 29.
MIDEM and Weep
“My biggest days of the year are at MIDEM. [It’s] the world’s largest musicindustry convention and therefore the premiere marketing event of the year for
Texas music.” So said Texas Music Office director Casey Monahan last September
in the Chronicle. Monahan’s changed his tune these days, however, and
the conference, which took place in Cannes, France, Jan. 19-23, found him in
his office taking care of business as usual. “I was unable to recruit the
necessary number of registrants to make the stand,” says Monahan, noting that
“MIDEM’s price increase and the overall downturn among nearly all independent
labels made it difficult.” Billboard ran a large item in its
“Declaration of Independents” column two weeks ago under the headline “Indies
Can’t Afford to Attend MIDEM,” which not only addressed the issue, but
specifically dealt with Texas’ planned absence from the proceedings. Monahan
points out that some Texans did make the trip, though not as an official Texas
music industry delegation; those include NAIRD rep/independent conference
contractor Louis Jay Meyers, SXSW Director Roland Swenson, band manager/Munich
Texas’ Mike Stewart (as well as his charges, the Gourds), Trace Elements’
Andrew Halbreicht, Watermelon Records’ John Kunz, and attorney Iris Jones.
All Chore and No Play
Look for a release on the Choreboy album hopefully by March 11 but no laterthan March 25, says Phil Owen. That places its commercial appearance at a hair
over a year since the album’s listening party at SXSW 1996! The problem, says
Owen, was a lack of communication between Triple X Records and Capitol over
clearance of guest vocalist Gibby Haynes. Owen says that he and Haynes finally
had to take the bull by the horns themselves after long delays on the part of
the labels. The band, comprised of former Skatenigs Owen and Matt Mitchell
along with former Big Boy Chris Gates, will play a few gigs in Texas, New York,
and L.A. to promote the album, but don’t plan to tour until the release of a
second album, which will likely include a version of “Autobahn” featuring
another Big Boy, Randy “Biscuit” Turner, and Fear’s Lee Ving. Owen and
Mitchell, along with another ex-Skatenig, Wendy Nelson, are currently working
on demos for Sawed-off, their new, more techno band. In going from theory to
reality, that band has lost Thrill Kill Kult member Charles Levi and gained
former Buttholes drummer Teresa Taylor.
Scabs Cross the Line
In Ugly Americans’ news, the departure of guitarist Max Evans to New York hasled to his replacement — at least temporarily — by Scabs members Adam Temple
and Charles Reiser. If you’ve been keeping count, you know this means that the
Scabs and the Uglies, with the exception of Bruce Hughes, are currently the
exact same band. Maybe the Uglies should just change their name to “Bruce
Hughes & the E-Street Scabs.” It’s kinda catchy.
All Aboard Air Timbuk 3
Pat McDonald has been globe-hopping, but sources close to him say that hislast information was that things were still “up in the air” regarding the song
he co-wrote for the new Aerosmith album. “History of the World” was at one
point scheduled as a “go” for the new disc from the aging rockers, but
following the recording of a new batch of songs by the fivesome, Sony doesn’t
list the tune as one of those to be included. That doesn’t mean it will go
unheard, as the band is known for its common use of non-album B-sides.
The Smell of Burning Vinyl
Fans of local acts like the Inhalants,1-4-5’s, and Lord High Fixers, all
of whom had records out on the Estrus label, had better snap up what copies
remain in local record stores as the Estrus warehouse in Washington has burned
down, destroying the label’s stock, artwork, and any masters that the bands
themselves hadn’t retrieved. (Of course, since the label dealt largely in lo-fi
music, the loss of master tapes might not make that much difference.) All their
mail-order information was lost as well, meaning if you ordered anything from
them, they now have no record of it. Then again, they couldn’t send you
anything now even if they knew you ordered it!
Mixed Notes
I just received — in a plain brown wrapper, sealed with a large day-gloorange sticker declaring “Warning: This package contains everything your
parents hate, everything the church preaches against, everything the government
fears. Enjoy!” — advance copies of the four Bill Hicks CDs due next month from
Rykodisc. Though the advance discs themselves come without final packaging,
I’ve seen photocopies of the artwork at producer Kevin Booth’s house and all
looks pretty much ready to roll on Dangerous, Relentless, Arizona Bay,
and Rant in E Minor making the February 25 in-store date… Local
label Ata-Glance has released its second 7-inch, a clear-vinyl three-songer by
the Angels. Coming up from the label are releases by Monroe Mustang, Movieola,
The Pilot Ships, and Quinlan… Laurie Freelove and Lisa Tingle will be playing
ABCD’s moving party, at their soon-to-be-old location this Saturday starting at
2pm. The store is moving to Concord Shopping Center on Airport, which I assume
is the spot that looks like the big jukebox… Bruce Robison’s new one,
Wrapped, is ready and should be out in about a month on Robison’s own
Boar’s Nest label. That album was produced by Lloyd Maines… With time running
out for his planned 20th anniversary weekend at the end of February,
Steamboat’s Danny Crooks is still trying to lasso two of his planned main acts.
If Christopher Cross and Soulhat can’t make it, Crooks says he’ll be delaying
the shows for a couple of months, admitting that the club’s real anniversary
isn’t until October anyway. Crooks is still negotiating with Cross, who
definitely wants to play the same night as Eric Johnson, so they can do a
special bit together afterwards, and all the Soulhat crew except Kevin McKinney
have made it clear they’re up for the show. Crooks says he hopes to confirm or
deny both shows within a few days… Marc Katz has been living part-time in
Mexico and has really taken to the bands down there. This Friday and Saturday
at the Top of the Marc, he’ll be featuring the Latin Playerz, one of several
south-of-the-border acts he has slated to record for his in-the-works Bagel
label… Watermelon Records, one of the few Austin labels to make it into 1997,
have their first release of the year out. It’s a reissue of Rosie Flores and
Ray Campi’s duet album A Little Bit of Heartache, and it’s an “old time
country” disc featuring originals and covers of tunes by Willie Nelson and
Lieber/Stoller… Okay, quick! Who’s the last New-Waver you expected to run
into in Austin? How about Joerun Boegeberg from A-Ha? (Remember “Take on Me”?)
Boegeberg apparently lives here with his family now and recently called up Dave
Prewitt. The result is that you can see Mr. B performing his song “Sweet Little
Angel” on the Austin Music Network in upcoming weeks… Starfish have a
last-minute in-store performance coming up at Sound Exchange this Friday at
“five-ish.” That’s celebrating their new four-song EP on Trance (see “7 & 7
Is”)… MCA Records says they have no plans to re-release Richard Buckner’s
previous Dejadisc product, but ironically, Buckner himself may end up closer to
home than that former Austin-area label. After this tour supporting Devotion
and Doubt, during which Buckner plans to appear at SXSW, it looks like the
San Francisco native will be settling in Tuscon… Pop Culture Press is
celebrating the release of their second compilation CD on Friday, Jan. 24 from
6-8pm at Fringeware, 2716 Guadalupe, with an acoustic set by Loose Diamonds…
Dale Watson is said to be about a week away from finishing up recording his
next album. February will see mixing going on and with a hoped-for release date
in June… KLUB-FM (c/o Reason Parks,107 North Star Drive, Victoria, TX 77904)
has started a weekly, hour-long Texas Music show and is looking for CDs and
tapes. Send ’em one of yours today — Victoria needs some good music…
Bravo is showing perhaps the best documentary made on Lone Star music, the
BBC’s four-hour Texas Saturday Night today (Thursday), which is a cause
for celebration. Of course, it’s on during the day, when Austin Cablevision
doesn’t bother to carry Bravo. Better luck next time…
— Contributors: Raoul Hernandez, Andy Langer, Margaret Moser
This article appears in January 24 • 1997 and January 24 • 1997 (Cover).