Here is an interview that the lovely Bree did with the director of Seventh Moon, Eduardo Sanchez.

Hello my friends and welcome to another fun filled issue of the Austin Daze coming at you from the consuming throws of Fantastic Fest and on the brink of ACL. These are very busy days for us and yet nary a complaint. I love this. I mean, would I do it if I didn’t? I’d have to be some kind of maniac. Well, there are some that say I am, some that say they have seen me on rooftops, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on…

WAIT…WAIT…WAIT…damn you Fantastic Fest! Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Smith is the guy you want around when your girlfriend dumps you, you have to bury your dog, or find a couch when your parents cut you off and make you move out of their basement. He’s also the guy you want to keep making movies, particularly the ones that involve porn. Read on.

AUSTIN DAZE: We loved this film. Did you have to struggle this time with the MPAA?

KEVIN SMITH: I don’t think they ever fully came around on the movie. Ever since they got involved it was one problem after another. First they gave the movie an NC 17, then we went to the appeals screening and flipped it without having to cut anything, so that was good, we got the R. But then, maybe because of that or maybe just in general, they were very stringent when it came to the marketing. We submitted trailers and they kicked them all back. We submitted Red Ban and Green Ban and they had issues with them—tiny issues too. There was this one shot where Craig Robinson was sitting on the bed and behind him is a poster, and you have to be looking ridiculously hard to see the poster, and it has a drawing of two little kids, a boy and a girl holding their diapers out and looking down into their diapers. It’s a play and it’s called, “Girl Parts for Boys”. So tame–it’s got clip art—nothing offensive. And they kicked that back in the trailer saying, “It depicts children looking at their genitalia.” I’m like, “What are you talking about? Yes, that’s what they are doing, but it’s hardly offensive.” They kicked all the posters back. Because we had the word “Porno” in the title, they definitely paid a lot more attention to the movie than they would if it was called anything else. It eventually led to the poster that we have now which is just two stick figures and a camera. We finally made a joke of it, it was out of frustration more than anything else, that we came up with a poster that was like, “The movie is so titillating this is all we can show you.” It’s been problematic. Read the rest of this entry »

Tenor Saxophonist, Topaz McGarrigle is back with a new sound, new band and new album. The band, Mudphonic gathers inspiration from the rugged Texas landscape. The album, “Music for Dorothy” is steeped in the soul of the humid southern air. We caught up with the quartet before they headed out on a month long CD release tour. They’ll be back in Austin on October 10th to celebrate their homecoming with a post-Panic show at Antone’s.

AUSTIN DAZE: You guys have all been in different projects before. What makes Mudphonic different or better than the rest? How do you know?

ALEX MARRERO: For me musically, it’s a new start in a new instrument. In Ghandia, I was the head of the thing. I was the singer and the guitar player and it was my baby. My role was different. In Mudphonic, I’m the drummer, so my approach is very different. I can’t compare them. I’m enjoying the experience tremendously and I’m happy to be playing with just about everybody in the room. Topaz gets on my nerves. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Franti is a musician, activist and filmmaker dedicated to making the world a better place. An inspiration to anybody that comes in contact with him, we were lucky enough to grab an interview while he was in town for the World Wellness Weekend . Here he talks about the spirit that drives him and how he has dedicated his life to communicating it.

AUSTIN DAZE: Tell me about the Power to the Peaceful Festival. What is your philosophy on that? How did you get involved?

MICHAEL FRANTI: In 1999, I started this event called Mumia 911. It was 150 artists around the country and we did this day of art and action for Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is a man on death row. So we decided to do this concert in the park and called it 911 because of the emergency number. So we did it in ‘99 and 2000. And then in 2001, the attacks of September 11^th occurred, and suddenly this concert that was about Mumia and the prison industry and the death penalty became this day of remembrance for the attacks. And what we said in our community was that we wanted to remember not as a day to call for war and more violence but a day to call to end all political violence. So we galvanized support in our community amongst spiritual leaders, people that work with domestic violence, gang violence, veterans groups and we put on this big Power to the Peaceful movement. It’s now grown to 50,000 people. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the first installment of our LOCAL BUSINESS FEATURE where we, you guessed it, feature a local business. We are particularly interested in ones that positively contribute to the economic, social, and all around fiber of Austin, Texas. Cafe Mundi owner, Jessica Nieri, was somewhat of a pioneer, conquering what was not too long ago considered a new frontier–East Austin. She took a chance on the “other side” of I 35 and its residents have been singing her praises ever since.

An editor’s note. Cafe Mundi has a special place in my heart. Way back, in the day, Jess and Hans brought me in as a friend and opened up many doors for me. Many friendships I have to this day, came out of that spot. Some of the greatest parties I have had were in that parking lot. Dave, Jess and I  folded and stapled many of the fiirst editions on that porch. I even had an octopus painted in the lot, it faded but the memory and what it represents is strong within me. Jess and Hans believed in what I could do, whether I failed or succeded, it was their support of my efforts that gave me confidence. Thanks for the love guys. I will stop in for a Chai one of these daze soon……….

AUSTIN DAZE: What brought you to Austin and why did you stay?

CAFE MUNDI: We planned a winter trip from Milwaukee to Texas, bypassed Dallas and made Austin our first stop. We drove through town and headed straight to Barton Springs and pretty much decided from there. We moved to Austin 10 months later with the crazy thought of opening a coffee shop.

AD: So did you always have a plan to do what you do?

CM: Pretty much. Jessica’s father, Jano, had some connections with some folks over in East Austin from when he used to live in Crystal City. So, we planned another trip down in the spring and focused on the eastside. At the time there was only 1 other coffee shop, Manor Road Coffeehouse, then and we thought that is what the East side needed a place where people could form a great community. Read the rest of this entry »

Belly dancing is good for the soul. I recommend a viewing as often as possible. These girls do it right.

AUSTIN DAZE: TELL US FOR THOSE THAT DON’T KNOW WHAT IS BELLY DANCING?

RAKS HELWA: One of the first things to know is the term “belly dance” is only used in the United States, Britain, Australia, and a few other English-speaking regions. This is a popular, but debatable term as some may feel this term to be sexist, while others relate the belly with maternal, goddess and world beliefs. In countries of the dance’s origin, it is mostly known as Raks Sharki (dance of the East). Other terms and styles include Oriental Dance (refers to dance of the Orient or the East), Middle Eastern Dance, American Tribal Style (created in California using dances and costume styles from a multitude of Eastern countries), and Cabaret (an American term for the Egyptian nightclub style of dance).

Read the rest of this entry »

Move over ACL, there’s an indie kid in town. Fun Fun Fun Fest is almost here and we can’t wait (well, November, but hey). A weekend full of bands “your parents wouldn’t go see” this year promises to offer an alternative music experience that won’t disappoint. Graham Williams explains.

AUSTIN DAZE: Tell our readers what Fun Fun Fun Fest is.

GRAHAM WILLIAMS: I think it’s a festival that definitely goes after a specific audience that likes progressive and underground music, so folks like my parents wouldn’t normally go–although they will go because it’s mine. But I do think there are a lot of people who haven’t gone and may not have heard of a lot of the bands that would love it because it’s a great time of year, the weather is perfect; it’s much more intimate setting than most festivals - you’re not a mile away from a band. It’s a very Austin festival—it’s cool, cutting edge music. It’s local vendors, local food and art. It’s pretty diverse and nothing typical that you would have heard a million times over. It’s fresh and new but a wide enough spectrum that you can pop around and still find something you would enjoy.

AD: And great parking.

GW: There is a lot of parking.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lance Armstrong is Austin’s hero. He’s also the hero to countless cancer survivors. He teamed his charity LIVE STRONG with the NIKE + HUMAN RACE for an unbelievable event that brought out even the most devoted couch potatoes. Lazy folks everywhere put down their remote controls on a sweltering Sunday afternoon to give the man that has made us all proud to be Austinites, something to be proud of.

On how it feels to have the Nike + Human Race in Austin…

LANCE ARMSTRONG: Well, some people may not know, but Austin is one of the fittest cities in America. It has a huge running population, cycling population, and fit population so I think it’s a logical place to have it. Austin is also a pretty tough critic so to have that kind of turn-out I think speaks for itself.

On what it means for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, affiliated with the race…

LA: It’s a huge honor. We obviously have a tremendous partnership with Nike—I have had one for 10 plus years. The birth of the association, the birth of the Yellow Band, the launch of the Livestrong brand really began with Nike. With the Livestrong Collection, for the first time ever in corporate philanthropy, you see a company where all the profits and proceeds go to the cause–that in and of itself was mind blowing for us. But then to be able to be one of the three charities for the Human Race with World Wildlife Fund and Nine Million, again is a huge honor. It’s great to be in the city and great to have the foundation be part of it. Read the rest of this entry »

I am proud to call Nick D a friend. He has really pulled through for me at tight times. I am becoming a fan of hip hop with every show he does. Thanks Nick ………………

AUSTIN DAZE: FIRST OFF HOW DID YOUR (STAGE) NAME COME ABOUT?

NICK D: REALLY, PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS CALLED ME NICKY D. AND mISTA NICK, BUT i ALWAYS LIKED THE OLD SCHOOL WAY OF USING YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME AND BY THE TIME I GOT REALLY SERIOUS, I JUST SHORTENED IT TO NICK D. A LOT OF MY FRIENDS STILL CALL ME NICKY D.

AD: DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE A PERFORMER? AT WHAT POINT DID YOU SEE THAT THIS COULD BE A PROFESSION?

ND: YES. MY PARENTS WERE HIPPIES WHO HUNG AROUND A LOT OF AUSTIN MUSICIANS AND THEY TOOK ME TO ALL OF THE CONCERTS AND BARBEQUES GOING ON BACK IN THE DAY. WHEN NO ONE WAS AROUND AND THE INSTRUMENTS WERE LAYING AROUND AND MICS WERE TURNED ON, I WOULD SEE WHAT IT FELT LIKE IF I WAS ON STAGE. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Herrera and his band of all star musicians will be visiting Austin City Limits music festival on Saturday afternoon at 5:45 bringing both virtuoso talent and high energy Cuban dance music to Austin. I had the opportunity to speak with this man who has a personality that is instantly engaging, energetic, yet relaxed as if sitting on a veranda one steamy Havana afternoon.

Austin Daze: Could you tell us a little about your background and musical path?

Nachito Herrera: I am originally from Cuba. I was born in a little town southwest of Havana. I started to study piano at the age of 7 with a concentration on the classical styles of the great composers. I was hearing many things as I grew up. There were many influences. My dad was a jazz player also. At the age of 16 or 17 I became interested in the world and in the traditional Cuban music. I began to think about it and began to take classes and play with my father. The rhythms and the music really interested me. At the age of 23 I became the musical director of the Tropicana Orchestra in Havana. Read the rest of this entry »

In case you haven’t read our interview with Jessica Nieri yet…

Welcome to the second installment of our LOCAL BUSINESS FEATURE where, you guessed it,  we feature a local business. We are particularly interested in ones that positively contribute to the economic, social, and all around fiber of Austin, Texas.  Leslie Martin ’s Bouldin Creek isn’t just a coffehouse, it’s a way of life. This vegetarian “second home” is  dedicated to doing their part to help  reduce our carbon imprint and are achieving this important goal one coffee mug at a time.

editors note- Bouldin has long been a supporter of the Daze. The food is great. The vibe and the people are the best. I am known to eat their veggie burger with cheese, weekly. Thanks Leslie…

AUSTIN DAZE: What made you want to start Bouldin?

LESLIE MARTIN: Honestly, I just wanted to be a part of keeping the local flavor–that drew me to love Austin, alive and kicking. I saw some of my favorite places close and thought something had to be done to put back what had been lost.

AD: When you started out, did you have a specific image in mind for sense of how you wanted it to be?

LM: Being a long-time Austinite, I “grew up” from the time I was 18 hanging out at places like Les Amis, Quack’s on the drag, and the original Tom’s Tabouli on the UT campus. Read the rest of this entry »