Carrie, Carrie, everywhereIn anticipation of theAugust release of hersecond album, She Ain'tMe, Carrie Rodriguezgets on the media band-wagon with upcomingappearances on M.E.Television (July 7),Austin City Limits (July8) and KUT radio (July9). Then she hits the road
all summer to places across the U.S. andCanada, including several gigs opening forAlejandro Escovedo. The ambitious new CDfeatures an impressive list of genre-crossingco-writers, including Gary Louris (Jayhawks),Dan Wilson (Semisonic) and Jim Boquist (SonVolt).
Tracy Byrd pitches in for mansionTracy Byrd, Mark Chesnutt and Clay Walker,all native Texans, have offered to perform ata concert to raise money for the restorationof the Texas governor's mansion in Austin,Gov. Rick Perry announced on June 18.Investigators say arson caused the June 8fire that nearly destroyed the 152-year-oldbuilding. At the time of the blaze, the man-sion was unoccupied and undergoing renova-tion. “I was so saddened by the news of the
torched governor's mansion, and I felt com-pelled to do whatever I could to see that thebeautiful structure is restored,” Byrd said.“This is the obvious way for me to help makea difference.” An arson investigation is stillunderway, and officials continue to look intoflaws in the mansion’s security system thatmay have contributed to the blaze. The dateand location of the concert have not beenfinalized.
Save Deep EllumBusiness and property owners and residentsfrom the Deep Ellum area met with Dallascity leaders at the Sons of Hermann Hall onJune 27 to discuss critical issues affectingthe neighborhood. The once vibrant musicand entertainment community has in recentyears experienced decreasing crowds andrevenue due in part to a perception of crime,construction impeding access to the neigh-borhood and the increasing number ofvacant buildings. The biggest concerns of thearea that serves as the home to manybeloved live music venues, including ClubDada, the Gypsy Tea Room and Deep EllumLive, stem from the recent development inthe area, changes that many feel could affectthe historic nature and overall hipness of thedistrict. A plan for the area will be presented
07 0308
to Dallas City Hall by several Deep Ellumneighborhood associations by Oct. 1.
Get rockin’ like DokkenLong for the days when San Antonio wasknown as the “Heavy Metal Capital of theWorld”? Then grab your favorite Iron MaidenT-shirt and round up your buds for the SouthTexas Rock Fest July 11-13 at Javelina HarleyDavidson in Boerne (not strictly San Antone,but close enough for rock ’n’ roll). Major actson the lineup include Queensryche, Dokken,Tesla and Skid Row (now fronted by Texas’own Johnny Solinger), as well as Lone Starhead-bangers Innocent Exile (El Paso),Mother’s Anthem and the Cherry Hill Band(Austin), Straightfork (Houston) and OzzKnozz and Jokester (San Antonio). For moreinformation, visitwww.southtexasrockfest.com.
Earl Campbell joins the music bizFormer Houston Oiler, Texas Longhorn andHeisman Trophy-winning football legend EarlCampbell has signed on to QuadraEntertainment Group as Co-ExecutiveProducer along with label head, Randy Willis.Campbell will invest in the label’s promotionaloperations and advise Quadra on new waysto merge music with sports. Collaborationbetween musicians and sporting events is agrowing trend in the world of entertainment.The idea for Campbell to get into the musicbusiness came to fruition when Willis intro-duced him to Austin rock band Vallejo, whosemembers are also partners with QuadraEntertainment Group. The new venture willbe formally announced during the UT foot-ball season.
Rusty Truck rolls againBy day, Amarillo native Mark Seliger is arenowned New York City photographer, witha portfolio crammed full of iconic celebrityshoots for Rolling Stone, US Weekly, VanityFair and GQ. But by night — or at least, when-ever he finds time — he’s a roots-rockin’ trou-badour and the leader of a band called RustyTruck. The band’s 2003 debut, BrokenPromises, has been given a complete tune-upfor a July 29 re-release by Ryko. The new“deluxe expanded edition” comes with a newtitle — Luck’s Changing Lanes — and a bonusDVD featuring the album in DTS 5.1 surroundsound and five videos. Fellow Texans WillieNelson and T Bone Burnett lend a hand onthe album, as do Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow,Jakob Dylan, Gillian Welch and Rob Thomas.The rest of Rusty Truck includes guitaristMichael Duff, drummer Joey Peters,dobro/lap-steel player Andy Gibson, bassistSheldon Gromberg and singer KristinMooney.
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EXTRA
EXTRAPUBLISHER/ STEWART RAMSER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EDITORS LYNNE MARGOLIS
CINDY ROYAL
R ICHARD SKANSE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR CODEY ALLEN
ART DIRECTOR TORQUIL SCOTT-DEWAR
www.txmusic.com
WEB SITE DESIGNER WILLTHING
MAILING ADDRESS PO BOX 50273
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Students headed to DublinOn May 31,Emo’s playedhost to theBlastbeatBattle of theBands featur-ing musiciansfrom Austin-
area high schools. When the evening wasover, Blues Mafia of Anderson High emergedvictorious. Other finalists that performed atthe event were El Guapos from Akins High,the Diving Captains from the Liberal Arts andScience Academy and Next from Austin CanAcademy Charter School. Blues Mafia nowmoves on to the Blastbeat international finalsin Dublin, Ireland in December. They alsoreceive a recording session at the AustinSchool of Music studio and a music videofilmed at M.E. Television. Blastbeat is aninternational music business and socialentrepreneur program and competition forhigh school students.
Texas County Line debutSelections from Country Music Hall of Famerand Grammy-winner Ray Price’s 82ndBirthday Concert will be featured on the pre-miere of the new weekly television programTexas County Line. The first episode will alsofeature a visit to the Texas Country MusicHall of Fame in Carthage, Lufkin singer GlennLenderman performing at Harlon’s Barbequein Nacogdoches and a clip of Willie Nelsonsinging “Crazy” from a vintage episode ofThe Ernest Tubb Show. The show, which willbegin airing on KTRE-TV in Lufkin on Sunday,July 6, will showcase both traditional countrymusic and Western swing. Many artists havebeen scheduled to be filmed at various loca-tions for the upcoming series, including Bob
Wills’ Texas Playboys, Gene Watson, EddyRaven, Johnny Rodriguez, Billy Joe Shaver,Darrell McCall, Tony Booth, Heather Myles,Amber Digby, Justin Trevino, Frankie Miller,Leona Williams, Ron Williams, Crystal Sandsand several others. More info can be found atwww.TexasCountyLine.tv.
Kent Finlay tributeOn June 7, the Brady/McCulloch CountyChamber of Commerce hosted its first annu-al Brady Lake Music Fest. Among the per-formers was McCulloch County native KentFinlay, owner/operator of San Marcos’Cheatham Street Warehouse. Finlay broughthis renowned Songwriters Circle to the festi-val, showcasing such Cheatham regulars asAdam Carroll, Big John Mills, Dub Miller,Jordan Minor and Randy Rogers. At the con-clusion of the Songwriters Circle,Brady/McCulloch County Chamber ofCommerce Director, Brendan Weatherman,surprised Finlay with a host of family andfriends, and presented him with a plaque thatincluded letters celebrating his success fromlocal and county dignitaries, as well as long-time Cheatham Street performers and nota-bles Terri Hendrix, Max Stalling and GeorgeStrait.
Web 2.0 for musiciansThe Austin Music Foundation will host aMusic Industry Boot Camp called “Web 2.0:Effective Strategies for Online Promotion” onJuly 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Scholz Beer Garten inAustin. The panel will discuss strategies forartists to promote their careers via socialnetworking, blogs and new online marketingopportunities. Scheduled panelists includeMichael Feferman of C3 Presents, musicianDave Madden, Paige Maguire, Music Editor atAustinist.com and Director of Web
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Production at KUT.com, and David Wyatt,owner of Wyatt Brand public relations andbranding. Russell Rains, Digital & InteractiveDirector of St. Edward’s University, will leadthe discussion. The AMF Music Industry BootCamp is free to attend and open to the pub-lic. Visit www.austinmusicfoundation.org forinformation on all of their programs.
El Paso loves Tom WaitsHaving a Hollywood starlet like ScarlettJohansson record an album full of yoursongs is nice and all (at least in theory), butit’s nothing compared to being bestowed withthe key to the West Texas town of El Paso.That’s what happened to Tom Waits when his“Gloom and Doom” tour stopped at the bor-der town’s historic Plaza Theatre on June 20.Waits’ concert was interrupted when uni-formed police officer Frank Perez walkedonstage, leading the singer-songwriter toquip, “I paid all those tickets!” and “She wasdead when I got there!” But instead of beingcuffed, Waits was given a plaque with the keyto the city by Councilwoman Susie Boyd.“This is a first for me,” Waits enthused, “areal first.” Congrats are in order — but if Tomleft town without hitting a Chico’s Tacos, thecity really should rescind the honor.
Houston gets new music editorIt’s official. On June 16, Chris Gray, formerlyof the Austin Chronicle, took over for JohnNova Lomax as music editor at the HoustonPress, the city’s weekly entertainment paper.Gray moved to Houston as assistant musiceditor a couple years back, but then, afterSouth By Southwest this year, suddenlyfound himself unemployed due to a tempo-rary shakeout at Village Voice Media, thecompany that owns the Press. All’s well thatend’s well, though. Lomax, who was musiceditor since March 2001, continues to write
for the Press, and Gray, once again gainfullyemployed, can resume doling out his uniquetake on the Houston music scene.
Jones’ duets see light of dayVery few singers can match George Jones asa vocalist, but that has rarely stopped themfrom lining up to give it a shot. Some previ-ously unreleased evidence will turn up onBurn This Playhouse Down: The UnreleasedDuets, a compilation of collaborations withthe legendary “Possum” stretching from anuntil-now-unheard 1977 duet with ex-wifeTammy Wynette to a 2007 duet their onlydaughter, Georgette. Set for release Aug. 19,the collection also features Jones’ duets withthe likes Keith Richards, Dolly Parton, VinceGill and Marty Stuart.
Benny Thurman, 1943-2008Benny Thurman, the original bass player forthe legendary Austin psychedelic rock bandthe 13th Floor Elevators, passed away onJune 22. Thurman, 65, had been in theintensive-care unit of Seton Hospital inAustin, being treated for an undisclosed ill-ness. Originally a fiddle player, he was con-vinced to take up the bass and join the band,fronted by Roky Erickson, in 1965. Thurmanplayed on the group’s first single, “You’reGonna Miss Me,” a song that has become apopular cover for any serious Texas rock ‘n’roll act and has recently been the soundtrackof a Dell Computer television commercial.Thurman left the group in 1967, and went onto play with the Austin band Plum Nellybefore retiring from music in the 1970s.
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Band ofHeathens performat Live at the LakeonJuly 13
J U L Y
Celebrate Big John Mills’birthday with some of thebest in Texas music at theCheatham Street Warehouse.This year’s all-star lineupincludes Houston Marchman,Susan Gibson, Adam Carroll,Max Stalling and, of course,Big John Mills himself. Thisannual event raises moneyfor the Cheatham StreetWarehouse Foundation, anon-profit organization forpromoting the advancementof art and music. A silentauction features a guitarsigned by Randy Rogers,Hayes Carll, James McMurtryand more. The legendaryCheatham Street Warehouse,which celebrated its 33anniversary in June, hasbeen the launching pad forthe careers of George Strait,Terri Hendrix, Todd Sniderand the Randy Rogers band,among others. July 11-13. SanMarcos. For more info, call511-353-3777 or visitcheathamstreet.com/bigfest.
Celebrate with Big John Mills at BIGFestJuly 11-13 in San Marcos.
BIGFest! ‘08Cheatham Street WarehouseSan Marcos, July 11-13
Los Lonely BoysForgiven(Epic)Just when Los Lonely Boysreleased their secondalbum, Sacred, bassist
JoJo Garza was getting bailed out of jailafter his arrest for an alleged domestic dis-turbance. Though he wasn’t charged, there’sno question that the incident impacted salesof the disc, which quickly disappeared fromchart view after debuting at No. 2. Bychoosing Forgiven as this album’s title, theSan Angelo brothers seem to be comingright out and asking to be let off the hook.Unfortunately, this effort won’t give themthe absolution (or second coming of theGrammy-winning “Heaven”) they desire; theunderappreciated Sacred had some wonder-ful songs, but Forgivenmainly has wonder-ful moments that could be turned into won-derful songs, if only they weren’t boggeddown by inane lyrics or built on unfinishedideas. Even their cover of the Spencer DavisGroup classic, “I’m a Man,” sounds kind ofuninspired. But “Staying with Me,” the firstsingle, and “Another Broken Heart” almostmake the grade. There are several spotsthroughout the album when guitaristHenry’s fluid playing takes flight and thetrio’s harmonies are perfect. And for that,we can forgive at least some musical indis-cretions. LYNNE MARGOLIS
Reckless KellyBulletproof(Yep Roc)Any act foolhardy enoughto name an album Bullet-proof is cruising for a criti-
cal bruising. And having never been fully onboard the Reckless Kelly bandwagon — Iremember the parts of 2005’sWickedTwisted Road that I loathed more than the
parts I liked — I approached the Austinband’s latest ready to shoot it full of holes.But damn if the Reckless gang didn’t comeprepared this time, armed to the teeth withsmart, catchy roots-rock anthems that backup the album’s boastful title and really dodeserve to find an audience well outside ofTexas and the Braun brothers’ native Idaho.Bulletproof’smuscular production keeps theaction going even through the lesser songs,which, at their worst, are more ultra-confi-dent filler than duds. The best of the bunchis the centerpiece, “American Blood,” inwhich Reckless Kelly swagger into thecrowded anti-war fray brandishing not justanother embittered, preaching-to-the-choirprotest rant in the Steve Earle/JamesMcMurtry vein, but arguably the most rous-ing battle hymn for a disillusioned republicthis side of “Born in the U.S.A.” RICHARD SKANSE
Mario MatteoliGolden State(www.mariomatteoli.com)Lots of women long to havejust one song written aboutthem. Heck, some of us are
happy when the random band sings for uson our birthday. But, if you’re MarioMatteoli’s girl, you get pretty near an entirealbum. When Cayce Marsh isn’t mentionedin a song title (“Baby Cayce”) or lendingvocals (“Got You Baby” and “Hey You”), thefiancée of the former Weary Boy takes onthe role of muse. The project isn’t all senti-mental love letter, though. Matteoli showshe can also get dark on “Bleeding MyHeart” and “Flying Solo.” Backed by someof the coolest musicians in Austin (MattHubbard, Jeff Johnston, Paul Minor andmore), Golden State weaves rock and popwith an alt-country thread and sharesinsight into the sincere affections of thisrare talent. CINDY ROYAL
July 1 Los LonelyBoys Forgiven EpicJuly 1 Willie Nelson Stardust (LegacyEd.) Columbia/LegacyJuly 8 Willie Nelson TwoMenwith theBlues Blue Note
&VariousArtistsJuly 10 TheDedringers Sweetheart of theNeighborhood DedcrowJuly 15 EricHisaw Natureof theBlues SaustexJuly 15 PaulineReese RollingStone Smith EntertainmentJuly 15 WhiskeyMeyers RoadofLife Smith EntertainmentJuly 22 Brothers andSisters Fortunately The Calla LilyJuly 29 Britt LloydBand The Ink Smith EntertainmentJuly 29 Micky&theMotorcars Naive Smith EntertainmentJuly 29 Rusty Truck Luck’sChangingLanes RykoAug. 5 Carrie Rodriguez SheAin’tMe Back PorchAug. 5 JasonAllen The Twilight Zone Smith EntertainmentAug. 19 George Jones Burn Your Playhouse Down BanditAug. 19 BrandonRhyder EveryNight Thirty TigersAug. 24 JasonBoland ComalCountyBlue Sustain
& theStragglersSept. 2 RodneyCrowell Sex&Gasoline Work Song/Yep RocSept. 2 Bruce Robison The NewWorld PremiumSept. 9 Murry Hammond I Don’t KnowWhere I’m Going Hummingbird Records
But I’m On MyWayOct. 14 Sixpence None the Richer The Dawn of Grace NettwerkFall 08 Lee Ann Womack Call Me Crazy MCAFall 08 Fastball Little White Lies tba
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Fastball caught in someLittle White LiesFastball, the Austin pop band that hit it big back in the ‘90s with the mega hit “The Way,” hasreunited and is in the final production stages of a long-awaited new release. Little White Lies isFastball’s fifth studio album by original band members, Joey Shuffield, Tony Scalzo and MilesZuniga. It is being produced by Zuniga with C. J. Erickson and recorded at Wire Studios inAustin. Zuniga and Scalzo wrote most of the songs together and contribute vocals equallythroughout the album. The title track and “She’s Got the Rain” were co-written with BenMargulies (who co-wrote “Vision of Love” and “Someday” with Mariah Carey). BobClearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones) is currently working on the recording’s finalmix in Los Angeles. This is the band’s first release since 2004’s Keep Your Wig On. Fastball isalready out on the road, giving the new material a workout, with shows on both coasts.They’re back home for a gig at the Continental Club in Austin on July 11. The CD is scheduledfor release in fall 2008.
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Reckless KellyFor a bandformed in thePacific Northwestand named aftera legendaryAustralian outlaw,Reckless Kelly has
become a cornerstone of the still-surgingTexas alt-country scene. Since moving toAustin in 1997, the same year their debutCD Millican introduced fans to the joys offiddle-laced rock ‘n’ roll, Willy Braun and hisbrother Cody have led the band throughfive gritty and melodic studio albums, twobeloved live albums, constant touring, col-laborations with their heroes and friends,and the accumulation of diehard fans inTexas and far beyond. Their new release,Bulletproof (Yep Roc) lives up to its nameby being their toughest, most daring, andmost self-assured work to date. Lead singerWilly Braun gave us a few moments to talkabout some of the great things in theband’s recent past and just over the hori-zon.
The new album takes a political turn onsongs like “American Blood” and“Godforsaken Town.” What inspired youto go that route?Just something new to write about … NewOrleans is one of my favorite towns in thewhole wide world; we go down there quite abit and have a lot of friends down there.After three or four years, with the hurri-cane, there’s still a lot of stuff that needs tobe done down there, so I just wanted towrite a song about that. Robert Earl Keenand I wrote “GFT” together, we hoped itmight help some people out. With“American Blood,” I had a line that I wanted
Q&A to use for a long time. It’s too tough of asubject to pass up on writing a song about,to get awareness out there. We need to getpeople thinking about it.
Considering the divisive times, what kindof response have you gotten so far?Have you heard from people who haveactually served in the war?We’ve had a couple of blogs and e-mailsand stuff, comments on our website … somepeople that don’t agree with it, and some ofthem have been soldiers, and I can totallyunderstand not everyone’s going to agreewith it, but for every person that doesn’tlike it maybe there’s a few other people thatwill get behind it. If nothing else it will makepeople think about it. Maybe someone willgo out and vote or something.
Have you also gotten a positiveresponse?We’ve gotten a really, really good responsefrom it. It’s one of the more asked-for andrequested songs on the record and peoplereally respond well when we play it live. Ithink most people dig it, and most peoplearen’t offended by it, but of course youcan’t please everybody. We just don’t wantanybody to think that it would be anti-troops. We definitely support those guys,and want them all to come home safe —that’s what the song’s about.
Now that you’re usually headliners, theoccasional opening gigs are pretty high-profile. Who were you most excited toshare the stage with?We got to do some shows with ZZ Top lastyear, those were really cool. I got to hangout and talk to Billy Gibbons a little bit. Italked guitars with him. That was reallycool, because they are such a great band.Doing it as long as they have, they’re stillgoing out there and really kicking ass. Justto get to hang out and talk with Billy
Gibbons about my favorite guitar, and hewas showing us some of his guitars, thefuzzy Gibsons and stuff like that … it wasreally cool.
“RKTV” on your website has all the mak-ings of a cult musical, comedy classic.Who was a bigger influence: Spinal Tap orThe Monkees?Spinal Tap, definitely, is a bigger influencethan the Monkees [laughs]. It’s that kind ofstyle — the mockumentary thing, definitelya lot of comedy involved. We’re alwaysgoofing off and coming up with what wethink are funny ideas. Maybe even more ofa Saturday Night Live thing … sketch come-dy stuff … so the short little bits are kind ofour forte … especially with our budget[laughs].
After years of recording and touring,what else do you feel is left that’s impor-tant for you to accomplish?I always just really wanted to make a livingdoing this, and so we all feel like we’vemade it as far as our terms go. We’re tour-ing around on a bus, we’ve got a crew, agreat crowd, and we’re making records thatwe hope will stand up for 20 years. Maybeeven 30 years down the road people willstill be listening to us, and hopefully we’lljust continue to make good music, which isreally our main goal. Anything on top ofthat is icing on the cake. I’ve always wantedto play on Saturday Night Live orLetterman, or those kind of shows. It wouldbe great to do shows with other acts thatwe’ve always wanted to play with likemaybe Tom Petty or the Black Crowes orpeople like that. CODEY ALLEN
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