Elaine Ryan will be performing this weekend as part of Media Arts and Literary Institute (M.A.L.I) Women’s Film and Performance Arts Festival here in Austin, Texas. Music showcases will be held at the Long Center, Cafe Mundi, Green Muse, Austin International Youth Hostel & Hot Mama Espresso, Thursday, May 28,2009 through Sunday, May 31st, 2009. All efforts benefit the M.A.L.I  summer media camp for at risk teen girls and women in the media arts. For more info go to, http://www.blowinupaspot.com/Home.html

AUSTIN DAZE: Tell us about performing as part of  M.A.L.I’s festival.

ELAINE RYAN: I can’t wait. It’ll be my first performance in Austin and my first trip to Texas. I’m really looking forward to hearing all of the other musicians and watching the films. It should be a fabulous time.

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La Snacks–Newfangled: La Snacks got its start in the good ol’ town of Beaumont, TX under a different name with a more punkish sound with front man Robert Segovia pushing schoolmates to accompany him on stage and get loud. Read the rest of this entry »

Scary Mary plays the Continental Club June 18th opening for the Krayolas. Not heard of Scary Mary, well check them out on myspace (www.myspace/scarymarytx.com). Read the rest of this entry »

And walk away feeling fulfilled. If you spend the funds on Terminator Salvation, you will regrettably not be ! I call for a boycott of this flick. Let’s send a message to HOLLYWOOD THAT THIS WON’T DO! Really, how did this get greenlighted?  This is another clear example of what the hollywood machine thinks of the masses. Yes they think we are stupid. Funny that I mention machine, one thing is certain you’ll  be cheering for the machines, as we were.
I refuse to waste any more time. This film was awful.Terrible. Even the whispering Batman and the body cast of Arnold couldn’t save it. Bad Writing,bad acting, bad directing just plain bad

by Bree Perlman

$200 million was spent on Terminator Salvation. They should have fed Africa. This was a story that did not need to be told, and with its shoddy execution, weak plot, and down right bad acting, should never have been. The entire thing seems like an afterthought, an appendix to the several video games available on the website (which also seem to have more personality), and the endless marketing opportunities that surround a painful bastardization of the original machines vs. man cult classic.

The film starts off with a ridiculously convoluted subplot that threatens to suck out all important substances from your brain. Never mind, you do your best to pay attention and make sense of it all until you realize about 30 minutes in that it really doesn’t matter either way and in fact, the possibility of a Muppet mating with Barney while eating their curds and whey and waiting for that cute little spider thing to come along would have been just as plausible a scenario to get the this movie rolling. And by rolling, I mean getting to the part where-we-can-spend-our-overblown-budget-on-blowing-shit-up. Which, after the initial set up, is pretty much all that happens and goes something like this: 2 lines of wooden, nonsensical dialogue, 10 minute blow shit up sequence, music swell, and repeat. The special effects are admittedly “cool as hell” (my inner preteen’s words). Creatively choreographed action scenes will have you jumping out of your seat. More than once I felt compelled to double check and make sure someone hadn’t slipped me those blue and red cardboard glasses as I dodged left and right to avoid the giant pieces of metal coming straight for me. Now if only the actors plodding mindlessly through their scenes could have demonstrated even a hint of that kind of animation. A particularly disappointing Blair Williams (played by Moon Bloodgood), dressed in Urban Outfitters-esque jewelry (one of several styling missteps, Markus’s “distressed” t-shirt being another) and perfect white teeth, is of little more use to the Resistance than those talking Mannequins in the Old Navy commercials. Linda Hamilton she is not, as she mutters something about kicking ass, right before the three slovenly men the threat was intended for overtake her in what appears to be the beginning of a gang rape.

“I’ll be Back” (please, don’t bother). “Come with me if you want to live” (I hoped they wouldn’t) and a naked rubbery -looking computer-engineered Arnold (unintended comic genius) are all hard evidence that this is in fact related to the original, but their haphazard delivery and random existence had many exasperated audience members glancing at each other with the same helpless WTF? expression on their faces. If this is the best the Terminator franchise has to offer, I’m rooting for the machines.

Cooley Fly–Kiss My Converse: Proves dangerous with his lyrical rapping and soul. Pulling double duty rapping and singing he draws crowds in to promote his first album throughout Austin. Read the rest of this entry »

Can You Speak Your Truth?

This was the question posed to a dozen or so participating artists at the The Portrait Assignment, an exhibition currently on view at Flatbed Press.  The answer came in the form of  individual “Portraits” created to convey what each contributor considered to be their “truth”–an up close and personal look at who they are. Each statement is accompanied by a visual manifestation of that “truth”.  Read the rest of this entry »

Scores of enthusiastic fans lined up at 6:30 this morning to buy tickets to Wicked coming to Bass Concert Hall in August.  The event was hosted KAMX-FM and KKMJ-FM, who held a contest where one lucky person on site won tickets. Another contest allowed a ticket buyer to move to the front of the line. The first 100 Wicked devotees received hats and free food was provided by Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you looking for something sexy AND entertaining?  Well you’re in luck!  The 2nd Annual Texas Burlesque Festival is being held tonight and the 16th at Emo’s (603 Red River).  The festival is described on the website as a “two-day hoedown and showdown celebrating the raucous revival of Texas burlesque and vaudeville”.  There are at least 50 different performers from around the nation coming to our dear old Austin to entertain you.  Austin Daze was able to sneak a few moments with two stars from Chicago who will be performing at the festival on Saturday.

Natasha Minsk is model, burlesque dancer, and vintage clothing entrepreneur.  She’ll be dazzling you with her performance Saturday night but first she’ll be answering some of our questions.

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In 1996 Rent hit off-Broadway with a controversial thump.  Everyone was talking about the the rock musical that showed young artists living in alphabet city struggling with drug addiction and AIDS. I was intrigued but also perplexed: at the time New York was gritty, Alphabet City legitimately “rough”, “Bohemia” was enjoying a resurgence with young “creatives”, a mix of minorities who might have grown up in the city and white kids from Scarsdale  and Westport, shirking their parent’s conventional paths in favor of resurrecting a new version of the Beats just east of their original café hangouts (which had been plowed over by Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen). The subjects of the musical were my friends; their dreams playing out some tragically, some successfully everyday. Why would you want to sing and dance about them? With that logic I opted out of seeing it back then, skipped it when it hit Broadway, and ultimately passed on the big screen event all the while wondering, Did I miss something? Tuesday night I finally put the curiosity to rest at the Bass Concert Hall.

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Lights Resolve–Currency: Another SXSW handout that has a three-track sampling which pairs nicely with their trio of a band. They are classic rock, emo rock, rock rock and indie rock all rolled into one (actually three). There is an air of punk urgency with emo lyrics that probably best describe the sound that the band puts forth. Neal Saini on drums, Matthew Reich on vocals, guitar and keys and Sherman on bass, vocals and keys, Lights Resolve uses a trio to make sound happen and decent sound at that.  Syncopation and punchy dance rhythms are incorporated seamlessly.  Myspace and iTunes carry their first and second albums, although Currency is only a three tracker. 4.0 McRiprock’ Read the rest of this entry »

Tomorrow night Antone’s will be hosting a benefit for Ruben Rodriguez, chef and owner of Evita’s Botanitas. Ruben has a brain tumor, no insurance, and mounting medical expenses. Ruben himself insists on preparing a mouthwatering appetizer buffet and Flan Queen Marta Guzman has agreed to come out of retirement and make flan for this one party. Local bakers will donate their best pies for the live pie auction and the silent auction will feature gift items, a variety of professional services, cookbooks, restaurant meal packages, custom-made jewelry, and clothing.

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About 3+ years ago, Wendy and I sat down with Stephen and did an interview. The words  are below. I am sad at the loss of another great musician and friend. Thank you Stephen for all you have given us………..

AUSTIN DAZE: How did you get started in the business?
STEPHEN BRUTON: Well, when I got started it had nothing to do with business-I was just playing guitar in Fort Worth, Texas. And then, you know, one thing leads to another and the next thing you know you are getting paid a couple of bucks to do this or that and your hobby becomes your profession and your profession becomes your calling and pretty soon you’ve made a livelihood out of it. And now it’s too late to stop.

AD: Did you always know this was what you wanted to do for a living, or was there a specific time when it clicked?
SB: No I didn’t really know exactly how you make a living out of it. My dad was a professional musician-he was a drummer-but he always went to school and then had a record store in Fort Worth so he worked six nights a week and then six days a week he worked at the store. I was always surrounded by music. I got out of college during the Vietnam War era and I had a bad back so I didn’t have to go into the service. I got a degree to stay out of it and then said, “Well I’m going to try my luck.” So I wound up moving up to New York just to see. I knew there was a lot of music going on everywhere but Fort Worth, and I thought if it’s like this here it’s got to be great elsewhere. So I did that, went up to New York and lived up there, and wound up getting a job with a songwriter named Kris Kristofferson and wound working with him for years and years. Went back to Fort Worth and worked with Delbert McClinton for years and years and then back to work with Kristofferson at the time his star was born. I stayed with him for a long, long time but worked with other people-always worked with other people. So I ended up working with lots of greats and doing a lot of session work all over the place and was really fortunate. Read the rest of this entry »

Wheels of Wonderland is a  FREE outdoor performance extravaganza based on the works of Lewis Carroll. Presented by the Austin Bike Zoo, featuring performances by Carousel Cabaret, humdrum collective, Jules and Kelsey, The Minor Mishap Marching Band, and The Texas Juggling Society and directed by Rudy Ramirez, the show takes its audience down the rabbit hole of creativity. With lovely costumes, marvelous bikes, and a cast that seems genuinely thrilled to be performing this show it’s hard not to lose yourself in the experience. Ramirez has done a beautiful job staging and cleverly adapting an interpretation of the classic.   Stand out performances by Alice, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Door Mouse.

Sun, May 10th @6pm at Republic Square Park

Read our interviews with some of the candidates for mayor of Austin

Lee Leffingwell is a City Council member dedicated to Austin. Austin Daze got to speak with the mayoral candidate about his popularity with local businesses, public transportation, and what he plans to do to make our fine city even better.

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Many of you attended this event held at the Austin Music Hall on May 6th and hosted by 96.7 Kiss FM’s The Bobby Bones Show. I was unable to go the previous year so I was unsure as what to expect. I was under the impression that it was supposed to be like prom. You know gowns and tuxes, dancing, goofy corsages. Read the rest of this entry »

Austin’s mayoral elections are heating up and the Daze sat down with candidate Brewster McCracken to get to know more about his plans for Austin. Get out and vote Saturday, May 9th.

AUSTIN DAZE: Brewster McCracken is…

BREWSTER MCCRACKEN:…a father of a 5-year-old boy who loves music, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day, and playing Chutes and Ladders with his dad…

…a novelist, guitarist, surfer, technophile and avid reader…

…an admirer of Pike Powers, Michelle Greer, Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Avellan, Barack Obama, Sara Hickman and his great grandmother Maude McFadyen…

…a husband who feels incredibly blessed by his wife’s love…

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THIS IS ONE OF THOSE SHOWS THAT YOU DO NOT WANNA MISS.
Joining Stanton Moore for this trio are Ephraim Owens and Red Young

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR ONLY
SHOW-930PM-2AM