A time for reflection and healing as El Paso holds a city-wide memorial service for the 22 victims of the August 3rd mass shooting. We’ll have the latest. Other stories were watching: two incidents half a world away. How protests in Hong Kong and an explosion in the arctic circle could have ripple effects for the Lone Star State. Also, a tale of two governments fighting HPV. How a nation with a population and economy the size of Texas is beating the Lone Star State, and what we might learn. All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Archives for August 2019
Make Some Noise
It doesn’t matter if it’s a “school night”…whatever that’s supposed to mean. This Tuesday is hoppin’ with all manner of great shows, including the one you’ll find tonight at Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St.
Making the scene all the way from Melbourne, AU, it’s rowdy rabble rousers Drunk Mums invading the space, along with two super cool ATX bands – mighty rock ‘n’ soul outfit The Reputations and trash garage rock duo Teenage Cavegirl (“Area 54” from the album Candy Cigarettes is featured on today’s AMM).
You’ve got all the punk, all the rock, and all the badassery. Get in touch with your primal side. Doors at 9 p.m. Recommended.
-Photo of Teenage Cavegirl courtesy of the artist.
Supporting Mommas and Babies
Listen back to KUT’s Rebecca McInroy along with KUT’s Ashely Lopez, Lanall Coultas from Conscious Birthing Austin, Trachell Trice from Mama Sana Vibrant Woman, and Nicole Mills from Deep Root Doula Service as they talk about where we are as a nation, society, community, family in supporting mommas and babies, and why it’s especially important to focus on supporting women of color.
Texas Standard: August 13, 2019
Bracing for a blue wave, Senator John Cornyn concedes reelection in 2020 will be tough. How much of a challenge do the challengers pose? We’ll have the latest on what’s expected to be the hottest electoral battle in Texas as more Democrats enter the race for U.S. senate. Plus, a massive raid at a Mississippi food plant. Will employers face charges? Not if recent past is prologue. We’ll explore why. And what’s being described as a comprehensive oral history of a Texas music legend. Why it’s taken so long to tell the full story of Stevie Ray Vaughan. That and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Daddy NAT: “1Night”
For someone who’s fed up with the same old six strings, run-of-the-mill love songs, and the gentle baking of flannel under dive bar spotlights, it’s not too hard to believe that they’d say, “to hell with this,” take a hard left turn and aim to become a pop star. That’s the case with seventh generation Texan Daddy Nat, who moved to Austin after a decade of performing strictly rock n’ roll in East Texas and New Zealand. And it’s here that Daddy NAT linked up with Mobley co-producer Lonely Child, a collaboration that’s proved fruitful in 2019.
Following the deep-house inspired “Nineteen”, Daddy NAT recently shared his second single of the year, a bass-heavy, horn-laden, and above all, intoxicating pop-fusion banger, “1Night”!
Why Do Lifeguards At Austin’s City Pools Blow Their Whistles At Break Time Like That?
Madeline Fening heard the break whistle at Austin city pools and just had to know why it was so dramatic.
Pat Metheny
Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the life and work of jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny.
This is Just To Say-Tribute To Tony Hoagland
Listen back to a live taping of This is Just to Say with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy and Carrie Fountain as they welcome actor Richard Robichaux, scholar Dr. Carra Martinez, playwright Kirk Lynn, and poet August Huerta for a reading and tribute to the late poet Tony Hoagland.
No Dogs Allowed
In today’s adventures in music-listening, your Austin Music Minute humbly presents exhibit A: Sidney Gish‘s deviously delightful No Dogs Allowed (2017), her second independently-released full-length LP.
Why “devious,” you ask? It’s a compliment. In addition to Gish’s superb musicianship, with her mastery of infectious hooks and bubbly melodies throughout, there’s a marvelous self-deprecating humor illuminating the experiences and challenges of a 20-something mind. It’s the lyrics sung in a seemingly plaintive tone – but not quite plaintive…maybe varying degrees of insecurity? – that makes it laugh-out-loud funny at times, and it’s fantastic.
Treat yourself by catching Sidney Gish tonight at Barracuda, 611 E. 7th St., on an excellent bill featuring ATX bands Why Bonnie and Space Heat. Doors open at 7 p.m. Recommended.
-Photography by Hester Konrad.
Texas Standard: August 12, 2019
There’s another legal challenge to the state’s voting procedures. And it looks like this one could have some success in court. We’ll break it down, on today’s Texas Standard.
The national makeup of asylum seekers at the Southern U.S. border has been changing. We’ll explore why.
And we’ll take you to El Paso- where a community continues to mourn and search for healing after a deadly attack.
We’ll also hear voices from other parts of Texas- reacting to the targeted nature of that El Paso shooting.
And we’ll remember a songwriter’s songwriter. Someone, who at least according to one person, penned the best song about Dallas.
Cowboy Diplomacy: “The Get Down”
The hustle and bustle of Austin as a tech hub can take you out of the Texas mindset, but if you need a rugged reminder of the Lone Star style, look no further than Cowboy Diplomacy. This locally-based quartet and their raucous brand of grizzled rock has been quick to congregate crowds for the past couple years, and there’s plenty of Southern hospitality when it comes to distortion, unbridled vocals, and beyond bold rhythm arrangements.
Cowboy Diplomacy just released their first single since 2017 in anticipation of their upcoming debut album, due out later this year. The four-piece’s grit and haggard energy are front and center on this new one…even though it’s all about ditching the vapidity of casual self-destruction in favor of showing love and respect for oneself and others… Get your dose of frontier negotiations started with, “The Get Down”!
Best of “Higher Ed:” The Well-Read Grown-Up
This episode was originally posted on Nov. 18, 2018.
In school, our reading choices are mostly dictated by what is assigned for classes or from reading lists. But once we are out of school, the decisions are up to us. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the joys and impacts of lifelong reading.
Ed believes that there are a couple of keys to staying well read beyond our school years.
One: expand the canon of what is considered “must reads” in school and beyond.
“Those canons traditionally are Western, usually written by white dead men,” says Ed. “What about the voices of individuals who are out there, in history and beyond, who were creative beings, or even not, but just having their story told….And so now, the question is, how do we find a balance where we can get a diversity of voices and perspectives?”
Two: read books that will push us in reading and in other arenas.
“Reading can transport you to a world where you might not be comfortable but you can actually find your way,” Ed believes. “That’s really the exciting world of ideas which can be reflected through reading.” Ed says exploring new ideas in our reading can lead us to exploring new ideas in other aspects of our lives.
What are on Ed’s and Jennifer’s bookshelves? Ed says he prefers non-fiction and likes reading about the art of comedy. But he also was completely mesmerized by the “Harry Potter”series. Jennifer also favors non-fiction but cites “The Thorn Birds” and “The World According to Garp” as favorite reads from the past.
What is the one classic series that Jennifer has never touched? And what is the one book that Ed suggests everyone read?
Listen to the full episode to find out, and to get the answers to the riddles about veggies and witches!
This episode was recorded on Oct. 30, 2018.
Mike Haynes (Ep. 36, 2019)
On this week’s In Black America program, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback and prostate cancer survivor Mike Haynes, about his 14 year NFL career, his cancer recovery, and his Know Your Stats campaign.
Shake It Up
Taylor Wilkins is feelin’ all the feels over “Shaker #42,” the latest single by his band Otis Wilkins, or whom your AMM host refers to as Otis the Destroyer‘s alter-ego of sorts.
Produced by Walker Lukens, featuring vocals by Sara Houser (Löwin) and Jane Ellen Bryant, with Jud Johnson on drums and engineer/mixer James Westley Essary on bass, the new tune owns this classic rhythm-and-harmony vibe spanning the decades, from ’50s bit o’ doo-wop rock right on through to late ’70s/early ’80s ELO magic.
The new release is paired with a special occasion. Tonight is Taylor Wilkins’ first time playing The Continental Club, 1315 S. Congress Ave., with Otis Wilkins. Really, the first time playing there ever, and Wilkins couldn’t be more thrilled. His band shares the bill with fellow ATX badasses The Joe Jacksons, Altamesa and Hong Kong Wigs. The music starts at 10:15 p.m. Recommended.
-Otis Wilkins by Kate Blaising Photography.
Fantastic Fangs
Metaphorical fangs bared and claws out, Queue Queue steps in to show you a multi-faceted punk brilliance. Primal beats, wicked guitar shreds and sardonic wit come into play on the band’s thought-provoking summer release, Fang and Claw, a must-add to your collection of badass LP’s.
Better still, you can catch Queue Queue at their early show tomorrow night at Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St. They share the bill with fellow Austin outfits Semihelix and Prom Threat.
This would be the triple threat of ridiculously awesome. The music kicks off at 7 p.m. So recommended.
-Photography by Tristan Ipock for KUTX.
KUT Weekend – August 9, 2019
Gun politics in Texas after a mass shooting in El Paso. Plus, who cleans up bat guano under the Congress Avenue Bridge? And the story of a woman who helps older Austinites stay connected. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Texas Standard: August 9, 2019
Understanding El Paso… Nearly a week after the shooting tragedy, a sense of outrage and grief persists. Could this be a tipping point? A discussion today on the Texas Standard.
Though many fear Americans have grown numb to mass shootings like the one in El Paso last weekend, some journalists covering the tragedy feel this time its different. We’ll take a closer look.
Also reverse mortgages. Many see them as a way to stay in their homes in older age, others consider them a trap.
Plus, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more.
El Paso
The deadly shooting at an El Paso Walmart devastated that community, Texas, and the country as a whole. El Pasoan Oscar Garcia requested this poem.
PJ Morton: “READY”
Through the past decade and a half of his career, New Orleans’ PJ Morton has shown some pretty colossal growth…and that’s putting it lightly. He’s been an ongoing keyboardist for Maroon 5 since 2010, has been taken on by Solange as her music director, and with ten Grammy nominations and a win for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Morton’s even got his own record label. You’ve seen Morton at the Super Bowl Half Time, The Tonight Show, NPR’s Tiny Desk, The Daily Show and sharing the stage with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Lil Wayne.
And while 2017’s Gumbo was originally slated to be PJ Morton’s solo career studio swan song, upon returning to his hometown he gained a fresh perspective on his identity and doubled down on what made him stand out in the first place: himself. With that, today marks the release of PJ Morton’s sixth full-length, Paul, a ten-track recorded in NOLA between sold out tour dates, and as the title suggests, this is one of purest offerings yet from PJ (who was born Paul Morton Jr.). Uplifting sounds of soul, jazz-fusion, R&B, funk, and pop make for a bold contrast against bleak societal observations and themes of struggle, injustice, oppression, and confrontation. Get started on Paul right now with the upbeat retro-inspired album opener, “READY”!
Solid Gold
Perhaps your humble Austin Music Minute host missed out on an announcement, or just plain skipped the details. Then again, it would be just like Mike Harmeier to keep things on the down-low and concentrate instead on the work at hand, with no bragging and little fanfare.
Harmeier and his band The Moonpies created their beautiful, stunning LP, Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold, within the hallowed walls of Abbey Road Studios – the one and only Abbey Road, baby – with some assistance from the world-renown London Symphony Orchestra. The first listen will leave you completely blown away, proving once again that Mike & The Moonpies move above and beyond any confines of a dancehall country outfit, with a constantly-evolving sound that’s simultaneously classic and fresh. “”Every time we’ve taken a step forward, it’s a result of us refusing to become stagnant,” Harmeier says. “…Ten years into our career, we’re still finding our voice…and we’re realizing that maybe it’s not one voice, but a collection of voices.”
Hear the latest from Mike & The Moonpies at their release show tonight at the Mohawk, 912 Red River, on the outside stage. It’s another great line-up featuring Western Youth and Altamesa. The show gets going at 8 p.m. On the inside stage, catch Ego Deaf, The Big Fix and the mighty T. Englert, starting after 9 p.m.
All of this is so damn good. So recommended.
-Photo courtesy of the artist.