Hosted by Austin Classical Guitar, Austin Pictures (October 1st, Moody Theater) celebrates our city’s rich artistic tradition by highlighting the intersection between three mediums under one, unifying theme--Austin and Central Texas. Each musical piece, picture, film and mural highlights an aspect of the region. For example, a new piece by Austinite Joseph William II, named for the event, consists of five movements: Hill Country, Floating on Lady Bird Lake, Dance of the Grackles, Violet Crown with Cicadas and Capital City Construction.

Guests will have the chance to view the paintings by young local artists in the gallery before the show begins. Led by Austin Symphony conductor, Maestro Peter Bay, Act I is the world premier of Austin Pictures and will feature a 100-member guitar orchestra composed of musicians from the nonprofit’s school programs playing alongside the Miró Quartet. Following the piece is a 12-minute film about the painters who created the art showcased in the gallery. Act II features renowned classical guitarist Jorge Caballero and the Miró Quartet. Act III places the spotlight on Caballero as he performs Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.  

“At it’s heart Austin Pictures is about promoting an arts-rich lifestyle in Austin,” Dr. Matt Hinsley, Executive Director of Austin Classical Guitar, said. “We’re bringing together members of our diverse community through art, music and film. The world class professionals along side of distinguished students artists will create an evening that will be both entertaining and inspiring.”

Tickets are on sale through AustinPictures.org.

Passions

I’m passionate about words. How each word consists of letters in a sequence that, when the order is correct, conjures an image in ones mind like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top hat. I love that they have a history, and I’m not referring to their etymology. I’m talking about the personal meaning of a word to each person. Take “hippopotamus,” a word according to the OED that means “a large thick-skinned semiaquatic African mammal, with massive jaws and large tusk.” But when I hear “hippo,” I start to sing the ludicrous carol about a little girl wanting one for Christmas. A water-wallowing beast fitting down the flue—imagine that! Absolute madness.

Words are powerful stuff. Four letters spell the difference between love and hate. They have the power to give hope, declare war, and to celebrate Christmas on a blazing summer afternoon.

Brit and Nicki at @ the 2011 Billboard awards

Dear Britney,

The only reason I sped through the DVR recording of the Billboard awards was so I can see you perform with the infamous (at least in the high school set) Nicki Minaj. Your 45-second performance, if you call walking down the stage lip syncing your new single, a "performance." I mean, I was expecting a little watermelon-watermelon action since lip syncing is the standard for you, but where was the glitter? Where was the attitude? Where was the showmanship that I love you for? The billing played up the circumstance, but you were sadly missing the pomp.

You looked uncomfortable, like you stepped on some boo-boo. Check out that fake smile.



Perhaps you were worn out after your opening romp through Rihanna's hit single S&M. I mean any person would be tired after a pillow fight involving whips and chains. But you're not a normal person--you're Britney! Anyone who saw the show could see Rihanna was the main domme in that set, not you.

Love,
your disappointed Resalin

Summer Sessions, July 10, 2010

Summer Sessions at the beatific One World Theater Saturday night was a dance party made better by the gorgeous view, art, cocktails in the gallery. There were a couple of surprises; one being that Cowboy and Indian (and Rider) never saw the stage but was banished to the gallery. Their balanced harmonies and costumes managed to steal a handful of fans from the sunset, the art, and the bar in the opposite corner. L.A.X* began in the upstairs theater soon after Cowboy and Indian dismantled, followed by the headliner.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Black and White Years,” and with flashing red lights, the band launched into a set that got the hipsterati to pause their photo opps and do what they drove out to Bee Caves to do: dance.

For a solid hour pulses climbed as blood pumped by an ecstatic collective heart, which had napped through the preceding acts, was finally awakened by shuddering guitars, thunderous drums, and frantic yips from lead vocal Landon Thompson. His stage presence is goofy but dangerous. Nervous, maniacal giggles and the glare of stage on Thompson’s thick glasses transformed him from mere mortal to demon nerd hopped up on prescription study aides; guitar as his pitchfork. Up-tempo grooves spanning their work induced brownian muscle spasms among the crowd and band. Scott Butler’s twisting grew in proportion to the accelerated thumps coming from Billy Potts’s drums during Steady as it Goes, the climax of a frantic set. It wasn’t until the first song of their encore, Broken Hand, that the band slowed, but only for the verses.

*The second surprise was more of a disappointment. What may have been a nice warm-up turned into a Charlie horse as L.A.X was overshadowed by their own theatrics and over Autotuning.

An excerpt from "The Vegan Affair"

"But symbolism aside, there’s nothing carnal about kale and chickpeas. Brown rice is not sexy even when spiced up with quinoa (keen-wah). FYI, the childhood rhyme about a bean’s side effects is still true in your twenties. Gastronomically speaking, nothing says “lets just be friends” more than a vegan macrobiotic lunch."


Hungry for more? Visit waiting4johnmayer.wordpress.com

The Mercers @ The Parish, 7/3/2010

The Mercers don’t need pillow talk as foreplay or to supplement their sound. Without pomp and circumstance, the four members took their positions and filled the Parish Saturday night with thrashing guitars and keening wails. While two fans expressed their enthusiasm with manic turns and leaps, most showed their appreciation with gentle sways and bobbing heads. More joined the dance party (albeit not as extreme as the spinning duo monopolizing the dance floor) as the waves from the speakers grew stronger, climaxing around lucky number seven.

The Mercer’s sound is like contained liquid bubbling over itself: the only thing keeping it from spilling over is the tension and attraction between individual molecules. Peter Wagner’s voice—evocative and resonant; ethereal and redolent—is backed by driving beats from drummer Ethan Herr and bassist Bryan Ray while synthesist Erik Ray adds ornamental flourishes like the jangling of a tambourine in between sips of Lonestar beer.

The set was comprised of tracks from their full-length album Pretty Things Walk as well as their two EPs, Hovercraft and the recently released Giant. Their new song "Urgency" was welcomed by the crowd, though the two improv dancers were shown the door before the Mercers delivered their rendition of the Genesis song "Abacab".

Scene--Vietnamese restaurant

An Asian woman and her baby eat dinner in a vinyl booth. The baby’s hairs stand on their ends and form an electrified black halo. In a few years the strands will lay flat and form a shiny sheath like her mother’s. Mom keeps a hand on the high chair at all times should the wriggling child slither to the cement floor. Sometimes she gives the baby rice and lettuce, more as a distraction than food. Tiny hands fling the scraps to the floor. With her free hand, she alternates between siphoning water into the child’s mouth with a straw and taking bites of her meal. Finally, she unsnaps the buckle and sits the baby on her lap. Mother and daughter coo at each other for a few minutes before she signals for the check.