Apparently this year just wasn't hot enough. Austin City Limits Music Festival organizers today announced September 15-17 as dates for the 5th annual ACL Fest.

Organizers already are in criticism-deflection mode:

We have to pick a weekend that doesn't have other competing major events, such as a University of Texas home football game. Logistically, the city is incapable of handling both ACL Festival and other activities that draw a large number of tourists on the same weekend because of limitations on hotel capacity and downtown parking facilities. That leaves a narrow window of availability in late September through early October.

Stock up now on sunscreen, bottled water, and bandanas. It's gonna be another hot one next year.

With this year's breakout chart success from Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug, the Houston "chopped and screwed" hip-hop scene is rising in the national consciousness.

The USA Today joins the fray with "Houston grows its own stars":

[I]n the city where the rappers extol a laid-back lifestyle with candy-paint cars, exotic rims and diamond-encrusted teeth, determination and self-reliance are starting to pay off. Set far away from the music industry's coastal power centers, Houston grew its own record labels and distribution networks, and is now fertile with breakout stars.
 
"Texas is one of the biggest states, and if you can just sell units here, you don't have to worry about going outside of Texas to eat real good," says Mike "5000" Watts, owner of Swisha House Records, whose motto is "Major Without a Major Deal."

Read the full article.

Kathy McCarty offers an excellent interview with Jon Dee Graham in this week's Austin Chronicle, covering son Willie's battle with Legg-Perthes Syndrome, ongoing struggle with the insurance industry, the overhwelming outpouring of community support, and the upcoming True Believers / Los Lobos benefit concert at Antone's.

Willie will recover, but it will be years. With Legg-Perthes, it's over the course of the next six years, maybe longer, and the disease itself is like this tree that branches out. A tree of possibilities. You go down this branch, and we end up having to put him in traction for six months; you go down this branch, and we end up having to have the hip bone resurfaced, sculpted, and all that. Or, you go down this branch, and we end up doing a total hip replacement every three years until he's an adult. So, we don't know what's going to happen. What we do know is that he has it in both hips. The left hip is more advanced than the right hip, but it's all interwoven.

Read the full interview.

I know health insurance is a complicated business, but I still can't fathom why there are no options for Willie Graham. The family was not delinquent on insurance payments — their provider went out of business, leaving them without coverage.

For every other provider to now consider Willie's disease a pre-existing condition ineligible for full benefits just goes to show how much the industry is ruled by actuaries and number-crunchers, and just how far removed it is from the human experience.

Publicist Brandy Reed of RPR Media reports that Jason Boland & the Stragglers are going on hiatus effective immediately:

In an official announcement to the fans on their website, Jason Boland and The Stragglers are taking a hiatus. It is no secret that Jason Boland has been struggling with alcohol addiction for several years. All one has to do is sit and listen to the man's library of songs where time and time again you hear the soul baring confessions of inner battles and outer circumstances. His long standing reputation as the "king of alt-swing" and "one of the most powerful and versatile voices in country music" has made him an endearing part of his fans' and peers' lives, and we all now stand behind him as he makes his way down the road to rehabilitation. … Please keep sending in your letters and prayers for his safe recovery. Your support during this difficult but exciting time is something very dear to Jason's heart.
 
Please send all letters to:
4201 Monterey Oaks Blvd. #501
Austin, TX 78749

On my to-do list for tonight — a note to thank Boland for his courage and resolve to get the help he needs.

More than a half-dozen artists gathered at Threadgill's Saturday night to celebrate Austin American-Statesman writer Michael Corcoran and his new book, All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music.

Turnout was modest, despite the perfect fall evening and eclectic lineup. Those who did make it to Threadgill's certainly seemed to enjoy themselves — when there was actual live music coming from the stage.

The celebration was structured as a hoot night, with artists covering songs from musicians profiled in Corcoran's book. No one — including headliner Alejandro Escovedo, who essentially covered his own material since he is profiled in the book — played more than three or four songs. And some played only one song — like Carolyn Wonderland, who left the stage, packed her guitar, and dashed out the back before anyone seemed to realize she was finished.

While the artists shared a drum kit and some amps, each change required significant down time for cable swaps, stage setup, sound checks, etc. Roughly half of the three-and-a-half hour event was spent listening not to live music, but to a CD mix piped through the speakers.

When the stage was occupied the performances generally were good, especially Wonderland, Brian Keane, Calvin Russell, and Escovedo with Jon Dee Graham.

Highlights will be broadcast during an upcoming installment of the "Armadillo Radio Hour" on XM Radio's X Country Channel.

We'll review Corcoran's new book later this month.

"Texas Music Matters" has been going strong now for nearly two months on Austin NPR affiliate KUT. Former "Marketplace" host and executive producer David Brown takes listeners inside Texas music with enlightening and entertaining features at least once each week (and usually more).

This week David invited me into his studio to talk about Texas' nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Doug Sahm's legendary Sir Douglas Quintet, and '60s soul crooner Joe Tex. (For an introduction or refresher, see my notes for the interview). We also talked about the state of Texas music in general, and just what "Texas music" means anyway. It was a tremendously enjoyable conversation.

I'll let you know when the segments will air. In the meantime, check out the show's archives, and subscribe to its podcast feed for regular updates.

This question has popped up at least twice in the past few days: once from Sheryl Crow onstage at fiancee Lance Armstrong's party at Auditorium Shores, and once from a friend in Phoenix who regularly listens to a Frunk recording of one of Schneider's live shows (Nutty Brown Cafe, June 4, 2005).

With regular gigs at the Saxon Pub and Threadgill's, Schneider is a regular fixture on the Austin music scene.

His live shows are captivating. His albums are entertaining. He's a multi-talented singer/songwriter equally comfortable performing solo, fronting shock-rock band the Scabs, jamming with the Grooveline Horns, and even playing a rock-bluegrass fusion with work-in-progress Texas Bluegrass Massacre.

So, why isn't Bob Schneider famous?

Austinite Garrison Reid sits down with indie rock artists from Magnolia Electric Company, the Polyphonic Spree, Shearwater, the Wrens, Zykos, and more at IndieInterviews.com. Well-produced, NPR-like podcasts are added roughly once per week. Highly recommended.

posted by Patrick  # 10/05/2005 0 comments