sxsw

Kanye for President?

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:

Discuss Kanye’s West’s announcement that he is running for president.
Touch on the impact of COVID-19 on Austin’s live music venues.
Talk about ACL Radio’s Blues on the Screen curated by Jackie Venson.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh urges the biggest Black artists in Austin to speak out about their experiences of racism in the Austin music scene.
In his Confucius Says, Confucius explains that loyalty is a two-way street.

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Texas Standard: April 27, 2020

More Texans out and about over the weekend as the governor makes moves to reopen the Texas economy. We’ll look at what’s next and the implications for safety. Despite steps to get back to business, no end in site yet for a return to normalcy. We’ll talk about steps to stay mentally well under stay at home guidelines. And bankruptcy predictions for a high end Texas-based retailer: an echo of the culture wars or the end of an era? And it’s one thing to cut a student athlete from a roster, but to cut whole teams? A new normal spreads across Texas higher ed. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Cancelled! SXSW vs COVID-19

This week on The Breaks:

Fresh talks about the City of Austin’s decision to cancel SXSW due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns and the longterm negative impacts it will have on the Austin economy, especially for the individuals and businesses that rely on the festival for a significant portion of their income. Plus, he tells us why he’s got no time for people who dismiss the impact it will have on the city
Fresh dives into the drama surrounding the release of Megan Thee Stallion’s new EP, “Suga.”
Austin artist Drint joins Confucius and Fresh in Studio 1A to play his song”Don’t Save Me,” and to talk about the making of his new EP of the same name.
In this week’s Unpopular Opinion, Fresh tells us how hardworking Austin musicians will continue to hustle regardless of whether SXSW happens or not
The Local Song of the Week is “Dismissed” by Shiela.

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The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Texas Standard: March 9, 2020

SXSW’s cancellation may be just the tip of the iceberg. The warning from economists: the world’s 10th largest economy should brace for impact, we’ll have the latest. Also, a discovery in Dallas county brings demands for a Super Tuesday recount. And a new state law designates all common spaces on public universities as public forums for free speech. Critics blame the new law for campus violence, we’ll have details. Plus acts of dissent south of the border over the weekend as millions of women declare a feminist spring. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 5, 2020

More than two million Texans showed up to vote, but some of them had to wait for hours to cast a ballot. Voter suppression or mismanagement? We’ll explore. Plus now primary results are in, how useful were the polls leading up to the election? We’ll hear from one of the pollster at the University of Texas. Also, the growing number of Democrats who say Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders needs to pick a woman as a running mate, we’ll explore. And Coronavirus fears harming business from Houston’s Chinatown to Austin’s SXSW. And what’s it like to be a U.S. soldier deployed to the U.S. border with Mexico? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

What We Love About Female Rappers

This week on The Breaks:

Confucius and Fresh explain what they love about the latest wave of female rappers like Megan the Stallion and City Girls.
Both hosts talk about their frustration with Snoop Dogg’s episode of Red Table Talk, and express their disappointment with the negative energy people direct towards black women.
They explain why they don’t think the Coronavirus outbreak will cause South by Southwest to be cancelled.
They express their support for Waka Flocka Flame’s assertion that hip-hop is not dangerous.
In his “Confucius Says” segment, Confucius cautions against entitlement and encourages artists to put the work in if they want to get played in the Breaks.
This week’s Local Song of the Week is “Amplifiers” by Deezie Brown.

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Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show

This Song: Patty Griffin on “Secret World” by Peter Gabriel

Patty Griffin’s latest record “Patty Griffin” is a gorgeous acoustic exercise in vulnerability. The album was borne out of a period in her life where she stepped back from music to undergo treatment for breast cancer.

Listen as she explores all the ways that Peter Gabriel’s “Secret World,” from his epic breakup record up US, impacted her life and her songwriting. Griffin also explores how her friendship with George Reif inspired the song “Luminous Places,” and how important it is for her to allow herself to be vulnerable in her work.

“That’s what I would always like to try to arrive at. Something that’s deeply true and that I learn from. Then I’ve really got something to give”

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Hear Patty Griffin’s new self-titled record “Patty Griffin”

Check out Patty Griffin’s Tour Dates

Check out Patty Griffin’s performance at KUTX Live at the Four Seasons

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

Texas Standard: March 22, 2019

Safe or unsafe? After assurances that smoke from a petrochemical fire near Houston was not toxic, concerns grow over the environmental implications. From the Gulf Coast west to Katy and beyond, efforts are underway to assess the full impact of the 4-day long fire. Also, the head of homeland security comes to Texas amid reports of overcrowding in detention centers. Texas lawmakers take up medical marijuana plus other top stories from the week that was in Lone Star politics and a whole lot more.

This Song: Amanda Palmer on Nick Cave’s “Magneto”

Amanda Palmer’s latest release, “There Will Be No Intermission” is a collection of devastating songs that explore her experiences with death, parenthood, miscarriage, abortion and living in this current, chaotic moment.

On this special live episode, recorded at SXSW, she explores how seeing Nick Cave’s performance of “Magneto” in the documentary “On More Time With Feeling” showed her how powerful inviting an audience into deeply personal experiences could be. “The ability too walk into the dark and carefully take people with you is why we do our jobs.”

She also describes how powerful it was to see Nick Cave’s bandmates hold space for his grief in the recording studio and how liberating it has been for her own community to hold space for her during the writing, recording and release of the new record.

Listen to this episode of This Song

Listen to Amanda Palmer’s new record There Will Be No Intermission

Check out Amanda Palmer’s Tour Dates

Check out Amanda Palmer’s Patreon Page

Watch the full, unedited version of this interview on Facebook live

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

Texas Standard: March 14, 2019

The 15th democrat and the second Texan has made it official: he’s running for President. But do the numbers add up for Beto ‘O Rourke? We’ll have more on the announcement by a former congressman from El Paso who wants to take on Donald Trump for President. Also, in conservative Midland, a test for the Castle Doctrine following the shooting death of a policeman. And the east Texas mayor who’s banning the STAAR test, and hoping other mayors will follow suit. It looks like some just might. Plus Omar Gallaga with the tech buzz from SXSW, and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

What Ever Happened To Austin’s ‘Spamarama’?

The spiced ham product was the centerpiece of this longtime festival. For a time, the event was insanely popular — so what why did it go away?

So, About The Origin Of ‘The Live Music Capital Of The World’… We Were Wrong. Here’s The Real Story.

OK, now we have the definitive story of Austin’s official nickname (we think).

Texas Standard: March 11, 2019

Political lightning round: capitalist or socialist? High profile Democrats get a grilling in an unlikely venue as SXSW gets political. Democratic luminaries shining bright this weekend at what many think of as a music and film festival. We’ll hear who was making news and what it means for election season 2020. Also, an infectious disease specialist says San Francisco is beating HIV, why not Houston or other southern cities? Plus the $7,000 film: director Robert Rodriguez gets back to his DIY roots with a scrappy new release about a budding filmmaker. All of those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 8, 2019

After weeks without wedge issues in the legislative session, two GOP lawmakers say Texas cannot remain silent on the issue of late-term abortions. In the wake of fights in Virginia and New York, we’ll have more on how the abortion issue could rattle the work on bread and butter matters here in Texas. Also, former CBS newsman Dan Rather tells us about a story he thinks is as big as the development of the atomic bomb, and his concerns we’re not talking about it. Plus the week in Texas politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:

The Last Man On Rainey Street

The families who once lived on Rainey Street all left. One man is still there.

Texas Standard: March 15, 2018

20 billion dollars in debt: a Texas-based giant in the entertainment industry files for bankruptcy, we’ll explain. Also, big pushback against Putin a day after the UK announces sanctions against Russia, the US issues sanctions of its own over election interference. We’ll have the latest. And Texans getting sandbagged by callers claiming to be from the IRS. How a Texas company is fighting back. And from a magazine known for its progressive politics: a call to drop the turn Texas blue narrative. We’ll hear the thinking behind it. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 9, 2018

For the first time in history a US president will meet with the leader of North Korea. Vindication of a strategy or something else? We’ll explore. Also, an accused pedophile has his conviction thrown out because a judge used electric shock to coerce testimony. What happens to the judge? Nothing, so far. So who’s policing the bench? And a new vision for computing as apple reaches out to visually impaired coders in Texas. Plus fangs for the memories: 60 years of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.That and the week in politics from the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Why Is The Map On The Floor Of The Austin Airport Full Of Misspellings?

It looks like Austin…but the streets are all spelled wrong. Why?

Texas Standard: March 8, 2018

A culture of cover up? Claims of abuse against juvenile offenders are swept under the carpet according to a whistleblower, we’ll have the latest. Also, after Harvey, many homeowners and businesses wondered how the flooding could have happened, given the flood maps. A new study says that’s the problem: the maps are wrong. And a symbol of Texas honky tonk music packing bags for Memphis. What the move means for the live music capitol. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 7, 2018

Greg Abbott goes one for three, democrats from Houston and Dallas to duke it out for the governors race, and more takeaways from the primaries. And another emerging theme for Texas politics in 2018: the female factor. We’ll explain. Also, the most expensive battle in the Texas primaries goes to the woman. We’ll have the latest on a bitter fight for a state senate post. And Beto O’Rourke gets 60 percent of the democratic vote to set up a November showdown with Ted Cruz, and the nation is watching. Also getting the border wired for the web and a questionable claim about the leading killer of African Americans and much more, today on the Texas Standard: