by Ken Lieck
If
last week’s column raised
any hopes, however slight, about the future of Chicago House, I hope you didn’t
get too worked up over it. The last hurrah at the club’s
just-off-Sixth Street location will be on the 29th of this month, and if the
club is to find another home (which seems unlikely in any case) Peg
Miller and company are going to need help in dismantling and storing the
club’s fixtures and general innards. You can call 473-2542 to retrieve any
items you may have loaned to the club or to help with the workload, or attend
benefits, like the Trippin’ in Austin-sponsored one at the House this
Sunday) to help pay off the club’s debts. You can also make tax-deductible
donations to the Austin Circle of Theatres Chicago House Phoenix fund (see
sidebar in the Music section).
It’s ironic to note that Chicago House is having to shut its doors now that
the concept of singer-songwriter that it nurtured has grown and evolved to the
point where clubs where one never would have expected to see a solo act have
embraced the form. It’s even more ironic that Miller’s stated main reason for
the venue’s demise is the frequent closings of Sixth Street during recent
weekends, which have crippled the club financially to the point of its death
knell. Those comments, seen here in the Chronicle, may have added
fuel to the already white-hot flame of an investigation that was brewing under
French Smith, chairman of the Austin Music Commission and the
entrepreneur responsible for those street closings. A scant week and a half
later, Smith, who had previously made it clear that he felt no conflict of
interest in his actions and that he had no intentions of stepping down from his
Commission post, did just that.
If Smith’s sudden change of mind is a puzzler, however, so were the findings
of the committee that had been investigating him. From this bunker it appears
that there has now become confusion as to whether there is a
comprehensive policy extant on the matter of street closures. The city, which
has always been mighty dim when it comes to the value of its music scene, seems
to have been awakened a bit by the awareness of the money that Smith’s
festivals were raking in. It has now dived into the fray with a new Downtown
Subcommittee, dedicated to figuring out how to best rent out the Sixth Street
area and, hopefully, find an ethical way to operate such procedures. If I may
speculate, it seems that the days of French Smith: six fixures, vs. Peg Miller:
zilch, are over. Unfortunately, it’s too late for Chicago House, but the
fall of the pebble has helped set in motion an avalanche in the city’s
entertainment district, the result of which is now a quagmire, but will
certainly begin to reveal itself in the months to come.
Absentee Austinites
A nice place to live, but I wouldn’t want to be there. That seems to
be the theme building lately, especially among those involved in the media.
Michael Corcoran‘s departure for Dallas, while he remains a local
reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and radio personality for
Austin’s 101X, echos similar situations with fellow Michaels
MacCambridge and Ventura. Now, 101X’s superstar Gibby
Haynes has headed off to New York for six weeks of long-overdue recording
with the Butthole Surfers. 101X program director Sara Trexler says that Haynes will continue his nightly ramblings on the station, but admits
to some confusion as to how things are going to proceed. “We’re trying to do it
by remote,” she says, with the station calling Haynes’ hotel and having him
report in, letting the engineer at the station deal with the music that plays
during the time slot (which, as regular listeners know, already happens
whenever Gibby needs to run out for smokes or something). Things will get more
vague as the band gets more active. Trexler says that after recording, Haynes
will return to town for awhile, then likely leave again for remixing, and so
far, the station is prepared to deal with him through the above methods. When
the band actually gets to the touring stage, however, she’s less sure about
what will happen. “Obviously the band will always come first,” she says,
emphasizing that the station’s deal with Haynes has always been with that
understanding, and muses that his role at that point may be as a “roving
reporter” – or something altogether different.
Gone Phishin’
How do you make a big jam on Sixth Street? One good way was demonstrated this
weekend, when the guys from Medeski, Martin & Wood, whose shows at
the White Rabbit (Friday) and Emo’s (Saturday) were already destined to be
sell-outs, showed up to jam at the Phish gig at the Austin Music Hall on
Saturday. Afterwards, the Phish gang, cast crew, and audience, followed the MMW
guys down the street, where one Phish jammed with them at Emo’s and two more
did the same with Espiritu at the Rabbit (the next night at Bass Concert
Hall, Espiritu were joined by more jammers, this time members of Paco De
Lucia‘s band). Of the hellish line at Emo’s, doorman Lonesome Dave
Fisher says that the club was at capacity before the Phish people arrived,
and while Phish had arranged in advance to have those with laminated badges
from their show admitted, somehow people thought that backstage passes, crew
passes, and any number of alternative identification also guaranteed them entry
to the already full venue. Says Fisher: “A Phish T-shirt ain’t the same as a
badge, buddy.”
In-Stores & New Releases
Gary Primich and John “Juke” Logan have a duel Waterloo Records
in-store performance next Thursday plugging their respective Mr. Freeze and The Chill albums. Cool. Rene Russell has a CD release at DJ’s
this Friday at 8:30pm. bo bud greene will be doing the in-store thing
this Saturday at Tower Records. Their new whatever album has just come
out on Backyard Records. Row Zero‘s Your Turn… My Turn CD is
out and that band will be playing an album release show on Monday at the
Electric Lounge. A whole passel of acts from the True Sounds of the New
West compilation album will be performing at tonight’s (Thursday) release
party at La Zona Rosa. That precedes, of course, the next night’s big Grand
Re-opening of La Zona, with Ivan Neville and the Lee Person Band.
More stuff on the pile: Cassettes from Call North (Feeling Good is
Good Enough) and Asylum Street Spankers (Live) and 7-inchers
from Dragworm and Dead End Cruisers.
Mixed Notes
Just when the blood was flowing so smoothly, Bloodfest headliner
Auschwitz 46 has lost three-fifths of its members, who have decided to
move to Dallas. I don’t know if they’ll be staying at Michael Corcoran’s house,
but I can tell you that vocalist Corey Wilson will be keeping the name
and searching (quick!) for new members… Black Pearl, on the other
hand, have just plain broken up. One source tells me that the band was
disgruntled over lack of media coverage. Funny, they seemed to be doing okay
audience-wise either way, and kinda liked their grass-roots approach to the
rock thing (call everybody you know and make them come to the show). And
anyway, weren’t they on the cover of Texas Beat?… I still don’t know
much about this Reese Whitley that’s hit the town with a sudden media
blitz and most recently was seen opening for the Fabulous Thunderbirds,
less recently producing tracks for Power Snatch. I do know
that after living in Austin for awhile, he currently resides in Horseshoe Bay.
Hmmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that a large property
appropriate for a house and studio recently became available?… The newest
announcement from Trance Syndicate is an LP to come next year from local
instrumental quartet Windsor for the Derby. They’ll be opening the Fury,
er, Furry Things single release (along with B�gsk�ll)
and can also be sampled in January when they’ll appear on a split single with
Desafinado… I may not have been the first to use the word “slacker” or
“World Beat,” but I am the one who tagged Dah-Veed with that
spelling. And if he keeps hooking up with hot acts as tour opener (Blind
Melon currently, Better Than Ezra in November), maybe I can start
asking for a cut of the proceeds… I know I’ll never see a penny from naming
Monday’s at Emo’s “Emo-dillo” night, but the country-fried action continues
there, with the next three Monday’s being taken by Marti Brom, Dale
Watson, and Teddy & the Tall Tops, respectively.
Heroes of the West open each show… The first volunteer meeting for the
Austin Acoustic Music Festival (to be held November 17-19 at the Electric
Lounge) will be next Tuesday at 7pm at Se�or O’Brien’s restaurant. Those
interested in helping out, get down there… This just in: Kyle Ellison has snagged the rhythm guitarist gig on the Meat Puppets‘ upcoming
tour… The Threadgill Troubadors are recording next Wednesday’s
performance for release as Supper Sessions, Vol. 2 on Watermelon
Records… What’s with these “flyers” for the Brown Hornet/Ant Man
Bee/Cactus Smack Conspiracy show next Thursday at the Hole in the Wall
being made of tie-dye T-shirt pieces? Is this some new way around the postering
law?… Two independent sources confirm an Emilio Estevez sighting at
the Discovery Incubator, where the actor was spotted logging on to the Net and
examining the sheen of the babes on Penthouse magazine’s Website…
Here’s a freebie: The Texas Music Office has just printed up a 60-odd page
Texas Recording and Production Guide, describing all recording studios,
cassette duplicators, CD manufacturers, and studio equipment outlets in the
state. It don’t cost you nothin’ to write Casey Monahan at the Texas Music
Office, Office of the Governor PO Box 13246, Austin, TX 78711, or call
512/463-6666 or fax 512/463-4114 or e-mail: music@governor.texas.gov or just
stand in the street and yell his name real loud. By the way, Monahan reports
that the governor himself dropped by the Texas Music Office the other day – in
the first such appearance since Monahan took the job two administrations
earlier! Maybe George, Jr., really does care… President Bill
Clinton didn’t seem to take a lot of interest in the music scene here,
though since he showed up at G�ero’s, maybe he’s more of an art man. Boy,
wouldn’t Rush Limbaugh love to make a Clinton/Frida Kahlo (“Mexicommie feminazi”?) connection! There were those silly rumors flying
around that the prez planned to show up and jam at Cedar Street and such, but
none of that materialized. Or was that Bill in drag at the Blue Flamingo?… n
This article appears in October 20 • 1995 and October 20 • 1995 (Cover).