The President’s plan to dramatically cut the numbers of asylum seekers in the U.S. gets the green light from the U.S. Supreme court, at least temporarily. We’ll have the latest. Also, Texas back in the spotlight on the national political stage once again as Democrats descend on Houston for tonight’s round three of that party’s presidential debates. And confusion in Texas and elsewhere when it comes to kids and vaping. We’ll try to get some answers from the commissioner of state health services. Plus the legacy of T. Boone pickens and remembering Daniel Johnston. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Archives for September 2019
Silver Bars: “Lost You to L.A.”
Although each member is involved in at least one other project, Austin quartet Silver Bars is fast on their way to establishing a new standard for dream rock. Silver Bars recently smelted an atmospheric, harmonic, and effects-heavy sound onto their debut full-length earlier this year out in Lockhart. Center of the City Lights came out digitally last month and today marks the physical release show for Silver Bars, who hit the stage 10pm tonight at the Mohawk.
Be sure to catch Silver Bars live and check out Center of the City Lights when you have a chance, but even if you’re strapped for time, you can still hang loose for a couple minutes with “Lost You to L.A.”!
Photo: Nancy Pearsall
But The Walls Do Talk
You’re certainly familiar with the expression, “If these walls could talk…,” aren’t you? Well…let’s suppose they could talk. What do you think they’d say? It may depend on the room.
Room of Resonance is an interactive creation by Lauren Gurgiolo, multi-talented musician and artist, and a familiar face in the local music scene who’s performed with a number of artists (Erika Wennerstrom, Okkervil River). Her latest Dialtones Productions project, funded in part by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division and featuring the Tosca Strings, is a collaboration of nine composers, dancers, visual artists, musicians and installation artists in a prepared room that listens and reacts to all auditory sources – including the audience.
There are two performances of Room of Resonance tonight, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., at Springdale Station, 979 Springdale Rd. This one comes very recommended.
-Image courtesy of Lauren Gurgiolo.
Texas Standard: September 11, 2019
Texas goes back to the drawing board to determine political maps. We’ll look at how recent legal rulings could shape that process. Also, President Trump is looking for yet another National Security Advisor. What the position does and why it matters. And we’ll do some fact-checking on claims about Texas gun violence. Also, we’ll get to know the unique Texas accent of an important labor rights worker. Plus, the music and message of country’s The Highwomen. All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
TWINKIDS: “Eighteen”
Pianist-producer Matt Young and singer-songwriter Gene Fukui first bonded over a mutual love of electronic music while they attended college at Oberlin. After that, it was only a matter of time till the two formed their queer electro-pop project TWINKIDS. TWINKIDS went out west to establish themselves in L.A., and their knack for reflecting talent off one another earned the gemini millions of Spotify streams on 2017’s Boys Love.
2018 saw TWINKIDS tour alongside Matt & Kim and accrue even more praise for their soft vocals and spacey, surreal production, both of which make a return on the duo’s upcoming EP Lizard House, out November 22nd. Lizard House was just announced today with the release of a nostalgic, pleasantly-pulsating, and ’80s-inspired synth-pop single, “Eighteen”!
-Jack Anderson
Bit of Hell In Everyone
There’s an extraordinary beauty in this portrait of heartache. I Am Easy To Find is The National‘s finest reconfiguration yet with treasures throughout its layers, and a cinematic exploration into the depths of emotional torrent.
I Am Easy To Find is The National’s eighth studio album, featuring solid duets with Gail Ann Dorsey on tracks “You Had Your Soul With You,” “Hey Rosie” and “Roman Holiday,” and French songwriter Mina Tindle on “Oblivions,” and all accompanied by a brilliant 25-minute art film directed by Mike Mills (20th Century Women), but the album/film pairing was not about creating a soundtrack. Both were constructed in a kind of synergetic process, complimentary toward one another as an incredible collaborative experience.
The National is in Austin for a performance tonight at Austin360 Amphitheater, with special guest Alvvays opening the show. Doors at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 7 p.m. Recommended.
-Photography by Graham MacIndoe.
Texas Standard: September 10, 2019
Midland-Odessa, El Paso, Santa Fe, Sutherland Springs… We’ll take a look at laws that may have helped prevent these mass shootings. Also, three Texas border cities are part of the Trump Administration’s so-called “remain in Mexico” program. But there’s some confusion in the rollout, we’ll explore. And a think tank with a focus on renewables says now is the time to say goodbye to natural gas. We’ll explain. Plus, lovesick crabs are being lured to their deaths at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. And an analysis of the Democratic plan to victory in Texas in 2020. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Cineplexx: “Hey” feat. La Bien Querida
Born in Buenos Aires and currently based out of London, Sebastian Litmanovich AKA Cineplexx spins a reel of both retro and modern, with seeds in ’70s and ’80s pop culture just as much as in contemporary Latin pop and telenovelas. And after two long decades of collaborating, producing, and recording, Cineplexx has spent the past couple years isolated in his private Madrid studio, steadily progressing towards more electronic elements than his existing discography.
Next Friday Cineplexx doubles up on the auteur approach with his tenth album, Solo Olas, and even though Litmanovich is decidedly at the helm, this latest record is packed full of diverse features. Cineplexx’s lyrical affinity for romance and passion along with its nuances of confusion comes home on Solo Olas‘ lead single, featuring Spanish singer La Bien Querida, “Hey”!
Cenote – Windsor Park
Austin-based label FullNote Records is presenting a month-long musical residency at Cenote – Windsor Park, 6214 Cameron Rd., as a series of benefit acoustic shows supporting various local nonprofits.
These Monday night shows feature awesome music for awesome causes, and tonight’s gig includes stripped-down sets by Otis Wilkins and A. Sinclair, starting at 7 p.m. Donations from this evening’s show support the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM). Recommended.
-Otis Wilkins photo by Kate Blaising.
Texas Standard: September 9, 2019
How do you get the attention of state leaders? A federal judge proposes locking up Texas prison officials in their own overheated prisons. We’ll have more on the latest twist in a 5-year battle over Texas prisons where a judge says the heat constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Also, the Texas Attorney General is leading a multi-state charge against Google to investigate, are they violating antitrust laws? Plus, they say everything’s bigger in Texas. Now, so are the supercomputers. And a prescription for cutting the cost of a hospital visit in the Lone Star State. All that and then some on today’s Texas Standard.
Mikal Cronin: “Shelter”
With three self-titled full-lengths and a steady following outside Ty Segall’s Freedom Band, Mikal Cronin‘s become a household name in power pop rock. But after a stretch of writer’s block and heartbreak, Cronin took a SoCal sabbatical with a retreat to the wooded mountains of Idyllwild, where his time (and home) was ultimately cut short by a series of fires.
This incendiary imagery of rebirth has since come front and center on Cronin’s upcoming LP, Seeker, a record whose production techniques are inspired by The White Album and Brian Eno. Seeker is out October 25th, the same day Cronin kicks off his international tour in LA. Cronin will be making a stop at the Barracuda on Wednesday, November 27th and he just shared another fuzzy single from Seeker, one that seriously hunkers down on the effects pedals: “Shelter”!
Higher Ed: Surviving And Succeeding During Freshman Year In College (Or Through Any Big Life Change)
First-year college student students often encounter tougher classes in a new environment without the familiar supports of home. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore strategies for staying on course when so much is changing.
“You’re going to be homesick. You’re going to be miserable. You’re going to be alone…. You’re going to feel like there’s no one on the planet that gets you.”
That’s how Ed describes those first few days or weeks or months of freshman year in college. While it may not be quite that extreme for everyone, heading off to college is a significant transition. Ed believes successfully navigating those changes starts with acknowledging them.
“We are fragile creatures….we are not accustomed to change,” says Ed, ” and I think that our basic modus operandi is we like things to be the same. So, any kind of dramatic change will cause angst and anxiety.”
Ed says being open to new connections and experiences can ease some of that angst and anxiety.
“You will make new relationships and you will make new friendships,” says Ed. ” And they might not look the same as your old friends and your old friendships. Be open to the fact that you might be drawn to someone who you might not have been drawn to in high school.”
Ed also suggests exercising some restraint in getting involved with multiple activities right away.
“There’s a temptation to join everything,” Ed warns. “So, [be] mindful of your time and [make] sure you have down time.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more of Ed’s suggestions for navigating the major changes that come along with the first year of college (or any major change, really) including what he considers his most important advice for all students of every grade level.
No change with the puzzler; it’s back and ready to challenge with a Roman numeral riddle.
This episode was recorded on Aug. 7, 2019.
Note: After this episode was recorded, Dr. Ed Burger announced that he is leaving Southwestern University in Jan. 2020 to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation.
Vanessa Wyche (Ep. 40, 2019)
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Vanessa Wyche, Deputy Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She is the first African American deputy director at NASA.
ALL BOSSES
Welcome to a festival of champions. It’s filled with outstanding individuals from diverse backgrounds, gathering to find new inspiration, learn about others’ respective fields, and most powerfully of all, support one another. And all proudly brought to you by your friendly neighborhood #bossbabesATX. Welcome to BABES FEST.
Created in 2016, BABES FEST celebrates and amplifies the experience of women and nonbinary artists in a wide range of disciplines, including music, film, art, creative education and comedy. It’s all about supporting, redefining and providing a space for great talent and performances.
The music portion of the festival happens tonight at The North Door with a line-up including Madame Gandhi; Austin band Calliope Musicals; Denton psych rockers Sunbuzzed; Dallas-based experimental harpist Jess Garland; Austin DJ, emcee and performance artist Belladonna, and many more.
The music starts at 8 p.m. And it’s all badass babes. Very recommended.
-Photo of Madame Gandhi courtesy of the artist.
KUT Weekend – September 6, 2019
The Austin school district’s plan to close twelve schools to cope with under-enrollment. Plus, how some Republican leaders in Texas may be dipping their toes into gun control policies. And we meet the Texas ‘ambassador’ who works at the Capitol Visitors Center. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Have Ride-Hailing Services Like Uber And Lyft Reduced Drunk Driving In Austin?
Uber and Lyft said their services would give other transportation options for people who’ve been drinking in Austin.
So — did they?
Texas Standard: September 6, 2019
The Governor promised action, now 8 executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence. But do they go far enough? We’ll take a closer look. Also, money for a border wall? Where’s it coming from? In part, from military projects in Texas. Also a former state musician with a new release: musical, yet this one’s more a treat for the eyes. Plus the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Summer Living
The heat is still on for much of Texas. For those of us with indoor jobs or school, it can be surprising how warm it remains even late in the day. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Kaleta & Super Yamba Band: “Gogo Rock”
Imbued with a birthplace in Benin and an adolescence in Nigeria, guitarist-vocalist-percussionist Leon Ligan-Majek A.K.A. Kaleta is all too familiar with the Afro- genres. Kaleta’s six-string passion for funk and soul has caught the ears of Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Lauryn Hill, beginning with his early church days of the ’70s. And while he was right at home providing guitar for Fela’s Egypt 80 band in the ’80s and ’90s, Kaleta’s got a new HQ in Brooklyn, where he’s since commandeered the psychedelic Afro-Funk/Afro-Rock ensemble Super Yamba Band.
Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are more than willing to get sweaty alongside crowds with a raw, timeless sound that introduces West African languages and some of the rarest grooves to mainstream dance floors. Only a year after their first single together, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band have just released their debut full-length, Mèdaho, today! So what the heck are you waiting for? Put your rump into motion with the album opener, “Gogo Rock”!
Photo: Florencia Saavedra
Try Harder
For Mean Jolene songwriter and vocalist Jolie Cota Flink, it began with the tracks she wrote for her band’s badass debut LP Salty, covering the extreme highs and lows that bring all the feels during tumultuous changes. It’s chock full of heartache, but also a sense of humor – and absolutely no apologies.
For the follow-up Try Harder, you confront multiple sides of the story: The duality of a carefree soul burning brightly, though stepping cautiously with the all-too-natural fear of vulnerability. It’s Mean Jolene delivering guitar- and harmony-driven power pop at its most melodic, with one helluva heart worn on that leather jacket sleeve.
Make plans to join Mean Jolene at their album release party tomorrow night at Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St. And what a bill: Moving Panoramas, The Reputations, and Nevil are there for the awesomeness. Doors at 9 p.m. So recommended.
-Photo courtesy of the artist.