BRB by LASA Ezine

artwork by dave wilson

Backtrack

Retrogress

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Art Change......................................... 6 Cathedral of Junk....................... 7-8 The Un-museumed Art............. 9-10 Chase Quarterman..................... 11-14

Music u

Table b of Contents

Austin Guitar Town........................ 16 Behind the Scenes: Of the most Unfamous, Famous Person in my life........................................... 17-188 Has Austin Really Changed?......... 19-200

Best Dessert Shops in Austin......................... 22 2 Top 5 Places to Listen to Music in Austin... 23-24 3-24 Whole Foods Local or Corporate?................25-26 To Be Organic or Not to Be.......................... 27-28 Torchyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tacos.................................................. 29-30 Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Food Trailers............................. 31-32

Food

Letter from the Editors Dear readers, As you flip through this magazine we hope you are inspired to further learn about the beautiful city we live in. This magazine was originally intended for newcomers to Austin, and people who are not yet involved with their surroundings. Over time this magazine bloomed into the beautiful blue bonnet that it is, and it has evolved to be a magazine for the young, old, new and those already here. We hope that you enjoy reading this magazine and find Austin to be a new love in your life, just like it is to us. Discover the areas you live in and that surround you, find new things that you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know were there before, and most important of all: continue to love and cherish this neo-hippy city you live in. Again, as we said before, we hope that you are as content with this magazine as much as we are. BRB ~Stephanie ~Marley ~Cam ~Tempra

3 Stephanie Park is a young, hip chic on the LASA school scene. She loves to play tennis and is an avid school newspaper writer. She loves to just chill with her cool peeps. She’s very fashionable and loves to eat... Like the rest of us. She jams out to her own rules while playing guitar, even though her talent is “not good” according to her. But we all know how modest she is. (Just look at her! SHE’S SO CUTE)! She’s amazing at making layouts (as you will see) and will someday grow up to be an amazing designer (if that’s what she wants to do...).

STEPHANIE A message from all of us AKA BRB: We all hope you are even more interested in the Austin community and get more involved in the wonderful city that you live in.

MARLEY Mysterious Marley. She’s the cool soccer playah who loves to hang out with her friends *cough cough, us* and is an amazing person. She plays Sexyphone in the school band and is really into music. Like her long lost cousin, Bob, she grooves to the music and is an amazing Sax player. In her spare time she loves to read... books? Marley has a twin, Grace, who’s her BFFL and another BFFL named Axel. Those are the top two but everyone else *cough, cough* is her BFFL.

BIOS “PURPLE TEN, HUT!” That’s our football gurlie! Tempra was on the school football team and loves any kind of sport. She’s the athletic one in the group (Although all of us play sports). She goes by the alias MAXZ, so if you ever see that around school you now know who this is. Tempra is very enthousiastic and somehow manages to get all her school work done, even though we’ve never seen her actually do any.... ? She’s always a person that anyone can lean on and like her position in soccer, she’s always the reliable one that blocks all the troubles life throws at you. Can you guess what position?

TEMPRA

CAM Cam is the one who holds everybody together. She knows more about this stupid indesign program than any of us. She’s on the swim team. She has some mad guitair playing skizles. OCD about grammer and spelling she is the supreme editor of the group. She loves to chill with friends, and is now playing soccer. She is the sticky gluey stuff that holds this group together. She likes to take pictures with her olympus pen camera (Lucky ducky). (Tempra wrote this but now I’M TAKING OVAH) I don’t really know what else to say about myslef, I just love to chill with friends and bust a move on random things. I hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as we all did while making it, although we did have our stressful moments.

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Change on the

cover only

the idea for the sake of

cultural renaissance

count the number of people who share weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve improved quality and invested to expand their thoughts space

the only reason to resist was nostalgia. we decided to make the change

we began life

preserve

we became more sucessful

careful to

pages discovered the new opportunity there will be

a great set of voices

we reduc

ed the whole thing

the sould and mission remain the same

a vital time in history, and it is not of sweet memories we make this change Written by: Tempra W. C.

Cathedral of K N U

By: Stephanie P.

CD’s hanging from the branches of the trees glisten, twisting and swirling in the wind. A gallant knight-in-shining-armor made from foil, tubes, and a motorcycle helmet is kneeling down with the sun perfectly crowning his head. A bicycle is obscured within the bright green leaves of a plant, with only its wheel suspend in midair. Stained glass is snugly nestled in a canopy of trees, illuminated by daylight. The Cathedral of Junk is able to draw out childhood memories with its spring horse, and playground-like structure. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never been to the Cathedral of Junk. At least not the unrestricted, complete, one in all its grandeur. Since the month of March, the creator of the Cathedral of Junk, Vince Hanneman has been battling the city council in order to preserve his art. The Cathedral of Junk was not threatened to be dismantled because of safety issues, as the city council claimed, but for real estate issues. The city council claims that they issued deadlines for the Cathedral to meet city requirements because of their concerns about the safety of the structure. The city gave Hannemann only a few weeks to make major changes to the cathedral, or risk it being bulldozed. However, the Cathedral of Junk has been standing for over twenty years, and in all those years, it has never caused

any physical harm towards the neighbors or visitors. The city even sent engineers, over the course of several years, to try to find structural weaknesses, but they all failed to find any. However, in order to make the structure even safer and comply with the city regulations, Vince Hanneman, removed about 30% to 40% of the original cathedral, and forbid visitors from climbing on top or going under the structure. Hanneman, at one point, decided to demolish the entire thing, because he believed the cathedral has little of its original charm left. There is no doubt the cathedral is now a safe place. That is not the issue. But the city does not think the art piece is compatible with the neighborhood. So they are trying to break down any originality present, to make the neighborhood an ordinary, common, dull, neighborhood. They do not want to scare off potential buyers with the eccentricity that differentiates Austin from other cities. Luckily, Chuck Herring, a former senator, persuaded Hannemann not to dismantle the piece any further. He claimed the city of Austin wanted him to keep the cathedral intact. Hannemann is now going through a series of paperwork to keep what’s left of the Cathedral up. However, now the visitors can not climb up or under the structure, which was the interactive part of the cathedral that truly pulled at the nostalgic memories of childhood.

Photo by: Flickr Commons

Photo by: Adrienne Breaux and Apartment Therapy

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Perhaps the most important aspect of the Cathedral is the value it holds for many Austinites. This single art piece connects Austinites. Having been in Austin since 1988, the cathedral isn’t something that Austinites can easily give up on. There were supporters who rallyed to “Save the Junk”, and volunteers who helped clean up the Cathedral to meet city regulations. There was even a concert held to raise awareness about the situation, which ended up raising $1,200 to help pay for the surveyors and engineers for the cathedral. This proves that the cathedral isn’t an object that can easily be forgotten after it is gone. It is obviously worth fighting for, or otherwise it would not have garnered so much support. It will forever impact Austin, in a negative way, if the Cathedral of Junk is dismantled. In addition, The Cathedral of Junk is an Austin landmark with national fame. Not only is this bizarrely interesting piece loved in Austin, but many people from around the nation come to view the art. It is especially a popular location for schools and senior citizen tour groups. The cathedral has gained popularity and numerous visits by hosting concerts, plays, and wedding parties. Over the years, the cathedral has been visited by approximately 10,000 people annually. The cathedral also represented Austin in the promotional materials for the People’s Gallery. The Cathedral

of Junk is a landmark of Austin that epitomizes Austin against the thousands of other cities in the United States. This may seem perhaps too dramatic, but how many sixty ton towers made of junk are in the nation? This cathedral is completely Austin; it unreasonable to destroy a part of Austin, and expect everything to continue on as normal. The Cathedral of Junk is standing now, but it is still in danger of being demolished. How long will it be until the city council changes their mind, and decides to issue another deadline for more modifications of the cathedral? Destroying the Cathedral of Junk would be like cutting off the arm of Austin. Austinites need to support this important Austin monument, and rally for its preservation. This rare piece of art, filled with the creativity that defines Austin is imperative to preserve. If I could go back in time and visit the Cathedral, I would like to be able to climb up the ladders to the second floor, or crawl under to see the lights. I want to see the Cathedral in its original glory, containing the freespirited mind of the artist, instead of the restrictions of the city. Maybe someday, when the city council realizes the importance of the Cathedral of Junk, I will be able to experience the cathedral in its fullest state.

Art by LASA art student

The “UnMuseumed” Art Tempra W. C. Twenty years ago there were barley any unexpected markings on buildings or signs, and if there were the perpetrators were quickly caught. Now-a-days sneaky little ninjas with spray cans rule the night. They are not caught unless by some twist of fate a person looks trough their window in the middle of the night. Even then they are fast enough to escape without the police getting involved. In the morning you see the signs; they have left their mark. On the surface of the victim is their creativity for all to see, a new piece of modern “unmusemed” art. Looking around downtown the mark of taggers is unmistakable. Whether it is the walls painted white or the paint freshly sprayed it is all an expression of somebody. If art is an expression of ones self and ones feelings why isn’t graffiti counted as art? As you are walking

downtown you see countless museums and art galleries in buildings but there are also art galleries on the sides of the buildings. The “un-museumed” art is recognized by some but by others it is a crime. To the anonymous creators of the graffiti it is not only an art but a life style. They spend countless hours planning it and when it comes down to the work it take but a few minutes to put it up. Graffiti is an art worth a felony now. It has now been put up into the ranks of drug use and prostitution. It’s no longer vandalism or criminal mischief, but a form of urban terrorism. People think that this is a sign that the law enforcement have

ART failed to protect property rights and citizens. There are huge amounts of money associated with graffiti: an estimated $12 billion a year is spent cleaning up graffiti in the United States. Graffiti contributes to lost the lost money associated with less people riding on transit systems, reduced retail sales and declines in property value. Also, graffiti raises fear of gang activity. But, most of the opposition to graffiti is because of its location and bold unexpected presentation. The presentation and often illegal location does not necessarily disqualify it as art though. Although graffiti is a felony and many people are opposed to it another part of the population is for it. The people who do it are for it, of course, because they take pride in their work. But another portion of the people that are for it because they understand the art of it. Most people don’t know the difference between the art and the random sprays of paint from taggers. If the art world promoted a better understanding of what graffiti is and where it comes from not to elevate graffiti, but to allow future knowledge to prevent the misrepresentation of the art form.The lack of knowledge and the people not taking the time to gain the knowledge are major restrictions to get graffiti recognized as art. Even though people like to stick to the original sprayon graffiti some are starting to switch to a kind of temporary graffiti.This temporary graffiti is made with lights. The people who put on these light shows have a computer program that projects the lights on the sides of buildings but at the end of the show it doesn’t stay on.The laser artists have invented a new way to let people enjoy the modern appeal graffiti has while still keeping it legal. They mix the element of street art with the lights and make it a show that is fun

for everybody to watch. The good thing about these light shows is that the artist don’t have to hide their work and they can take credit for what is theirs. Things have changed now, we have made advances in technology and found cures for diseases. We have invented new animals and gone back in time to discover new dinosaurs. The one thing we have not progressed in is open-mindedness. Sure we have opened our minds to some things like the democrats and republicans and to the possibility of other life. It’s the things that scare us and test our ability to consider other views we have not opened up to. Consider this, what if you were in the graffiti artist’s shoes? Would you consider what you did art, or would you consider it a crime? Just think about it, you could be just like a sneaky little ninja with a spray can in hand if you had an idea that you wanted to express. Would you be able to express yourself and not have it be known as art? Would you like it if after all you hard work was put up for all to see, a city worker came down to paint over it because the people in the community thought it was gang related or didn’t think of it as art? I dont know about you but Take time to consider another point of view and step into someone else’s shoes.

Chase Creativity By Marley C.

hase Quarterman glances at the empty canvas staring at him from a corner of his studio and for about the third time informs me of how long it’s been since he’s picked up a paint brush; too long. The beautiful day outside illuminating the large window on one side of the room, the sun shining directly on to the acrylic paints all lined up perfectly straight and near at hand, and the amusing vintage objects scattered at random around the room cannot lessen the glum feeling I get when I enter Quarterman’s laid back but organized studio. The way Quarterman speaks of art, the melancholy tone of his voice as he speaks of his last painting which he completed in August, reminds me of the way a mother would talk about the last time she saw her child before she went on vacation. As he looks thoughtfully at his most recent painting it begins to sound like he’s convincing himself, more than me, that he’ll get started again soon. “I think

Chase Quarterman’s art studio. I’m ready, I think Christmas break is going to be when I get back into it, but it’s been a nice break, I think I needed it.” Even though the artist hasn’t produced any new artwork lately, due to his teaching jobs at the Art Institute and UT, art has been part of his life ever since he was a young boy. He sold his first painting in junior high for ten dollars-a small water color he had done for art classand although he appreciated it to some extent in junior high and high school, his appreciation for art and painting would not fully develop until he was twenty-one, and in a different country. Quaterman was primarily a theatre major, with a scholarship, at Old Miss for a month- only one month. Being a young man with nothing to lose, he left only because of a bad vibe. After that, the young artist returned home to Jackson, Mississippi and went to somewhere he had originally refused to go-as it was only thirty minutes from his home- Mississippi College; he went, and loved

ART

is more figurative, I’m more detail-oriented; before I it. Even though he was a theatre major, a great deal on a trip to London is what led him to Mississippi College, and would just paint architecture, I didn’t know how to paint people, I was afraid of painting people.” When I asked it was after this trip that he decided to become an artthe artist if there was a painting he would never part ist. Quarterman took part in five classes while he was in London; British theatre, art history, British history, British with, he surprised me by pointing to a quiet portrait in literature, psychology, “It was a fun semester of, constant- a corner of the room, barely noticeable, being outdone ly, when we had an art class we would go to the museums by a grandiose painting which is Quaterman’s interpretation of the oil spill. It quickly became clear, however, that and see the…you know normally you open a text book and you have the pictures in front of you…but the paint- there is more to a painting than its size or color and there ing were in front of us; we would go to the British library, is more to most paintings than meet the eye. “I painted that in an apartment a the national portrait few years ago, and I still gallery, and actually see need to varnish yet- I these paintings in front still haven’t varnished it of us and that was amazyet… I really connected ing.” After the semester with it, I randomly-I use in London, Quarterman’s to be in advertising, and I father flew over and the would use a lot of time in two continued to travel advertising, when it was throughout Europe, a slow day, to draw at my going to almost all of desk, hiding that from my the countries in about boss- drew a doodle of a three weeks. Quarterman boxer, a 1920s-style boxer returned home, bought a with the fist-wraps and cheap canvas board from everything, and I took Wal-Mart, cheap acrylics that drawing and brought and began trying to paint it home and I thought ‘I from the photos he had want to paint this’; and taken in both London this was kind of a landand England. At the time, mark painting because he thought it was aweI’d never really painted some, but looking back now he seems to think Sullivan Temper ‘The Boxer’ people and I wanted to do it in this abstract, differently. Art doesn’t cartoony, style,” Quarterjust come to every artist man said. “So I did that, and it started this whole slew of as it may seem, according to Quarterman, it took a lot of portraiture and characterture, figurative, painting. Yeah, I work, “It started off me just painting tons, I would just definitely don’t want to part with that one. I’ve tried- I’ve paint,” Quarterman explained. “The spring break after showed it before to sell, and no one bought it, luckily. At that, I didn’t go anywhere- I just painted the whole time at my parent’s house. So, it was just practicing tons, paint- the time I was like ‘I’ll take whatever, if they’ll buy it I’ll ing a lot. So eventually my style evolved in too completely sell it to em’’, but now I don’t think I’d do that, now that its lived with me for a few years it’s mine.” different things and now I’m in a new place that I wasn’t His art has grown and improved so much, in fact, in before-whether it’s good or bad I don’t know, but it’s that one of his painting’s was accepted into a permanent just different.” collection at the Mississippi Museum of Art- and ironiAs Quarterman gestured around the room to the paintcally enough, it was of what he was most scared to do, a ings lining the walls, he talked about his earlier and later person, “He’s a friend of the family and he’s an artist, he’s work, “My later work, which is up on the walls in here,

A painting of Quarterman’s wife, Bonnie, in her ‘cherry pajama pants’. one of those constantly creative people that I admire, and I photographed him sculpting with wire and photographed all his nick-knacks around his house, so it was a lot of fun- I like painting clutter so it was fun painting all that stuff in that room, he was a good subject.” As Quarterman began to talk about creativity and inspiration, he pointed out that those two things don’t come easily and that as an artist anything creatively fulfilling is very rewarding, “It’s hard, I’m not one of those people who is constantly creative, I have periods of time were there is nothing, the well is dry, and then all of a sudden I have a lot of ideas and I sketch a lot and within three pages I have ideas for ten paintings, and that rarely happens, but when it does it’s gold, and the planets align, and I have all these ideas, but it doesn’t happen all the time,” He said. There are so many people, who, constantly, have all these images in their minds, and it’s perfectly fine, they can throw them out there whenever, and I can’t do that.” However, all you have to do to see the range of Quarterman’s artistic ability is look around his cluttered, but comfortable studio; and as he explains each piece further you wonder how someone who paints Picasso’s Minotaur can be so inspired by his wife’s ‘cherry pajama pants’. “That took me a month, that took me a couple of weeks ,that took me just a weekend; Bonnie, she went away for a weekend, I photographed her, and she has these cherry pants that I really like, cherry pajama pants, because I like pat-

terns,” Quarterman explained. “I like Picasso, and he did a lot of Minotaur’s, so I mimicked a Minotaur that he did, and I made it more realistic.” His most recent painting is his unique interpretation of the oil spoil, which include a black, demonic-like creature is holding some sort of clay urn; and when he discusses the emotions, the frustration, that went into this painting it strongly supports his previous statement that when you find inspiration, its like gold. However, this painting is not recent enough for him, as it was finished in August, and, according to Quarterman, this is the longest break he’s taken since he started painting, its been three months since he’s picked up a paintbrush. Although that may not seem like such a long time, as he explains what it feels like to paint, I can only be reminded of someone explaining what it feels like to finally breath after holding your breath for an endless amount of time. However, it almost becomes clear that painting has many ‘downs’ as it does ‘ups’. “It is, it’s letting out everything, and its not always fun, it’s a lot of hard work; your back hurts from being in a certain position for a long time and you may mess something up that you really like… the worst is when you paint a part of a painting that looks really good but its wrong in proportion to other parts, like lets say a face; lets say I paint a mouth really well, like I love this mouth-this is awesome, I did a really good job on this mouth- and I stand back and it’s off to the side, or its positioned wrong on the face and you just have to suck it up and wipe it off and think

ART that ‘if I did it once I can do it again’.” Even when he gets frustrated, Quarterman continues with the piece- he does one and finishes it, one at a time; and clearly this method has worked as he has scarcely any paintings that he is unhappy with. “Sometimes I stop and sometimes I just push through because I’m determined to be happy with it,” Quarterman said. “I don’t want to go to sleep being frustrated because there’s nothing worse than waking up in the

fession but for now he just wants to paint more. “My goal would be to continue too show in different places other than Mississippi, but I guess long term just being able to paint more, just painting more would be a good start, because when you don’t have paints to show that kind of counter intuitive, so I need to just put the brush to canvas and get to it,” Quarterman explained thoughtfully. “ I miss it, I like when I’m sitting painting for hours and it doesn’t feel like hours, it just feels like

Quarterman’s interpretation of the oil spoil. morning, and walking in here, and the first thing you see is a messed up painting, you want to go to sleep fulfilled.” Along with always finishing what he starts, he also always tries to find something to improve on, and uses other artists to do so as well as for inspiration. “Yeah, all the time I try to constantly…when I get to get to painting again I want to always try to improve myself- I don’t ever feel like I’m at a perfect place,” Quarterman said. “When I do feel like I’m at a good place I pull out an art book and look at John, Singer, Sergeant, or one of those guys, and I’m like I don’t know anything” Quarterman said laughing, “I’m not as good as I think I am, so that’s a reality check.” He hopes to always paint, and believes he will definitely will, he hopes to one day make art his pure pro-

it’s a minute and all of a sudden the days gone, that’s the best feeling…there is nothing like it.”

MUSIC

Music

AUSTIN GUITAR TOWN By: Cam V.

3 2

4 1. art by John Rogers 2, 3, 4. art by Glenda Sims

Austin is a great artistic city. It has many different programs that allow Austinites to be creative in any and every single way. When walking around Austin, there are many different things apparent. There are colorful signs and lots of art displayed all around. In specific, there’s one project that many people don’t really know about but everyone notices it: The Austin Guitartown. The Austin Guitartown project is a public arts project who’s goal is to display art to the public and combine visual and musical arts. The project consists of 10ft tall Gibson guitars displayed all around Austin, where everyone can see it. The whole project benefits four specific Austin based charities.

Behind the scenes: All Photos by Tempra

Of the most unfamous, famous person in my life By: Tempra W.C.

American Heart Association Gig

Music Teacher’s Association Gig

The crowd happily dances as the band plays. Then suddenly, both guitarist and bassist jump down form the stage. They stand out in the crowd armed with instruments and wireless controls. The people don’t mind and dance along with them. Towards the end of the song they rush back up to the stage to end the song. When the band finishes the gig the crowd still wants more. A quick decision to play an encore is made. They end the night with “All night long” by AC-DC. It was a good night for the band, because it made 60 dollars in tips. The band tears down the equipment and stumbles home. In the morning defense contractor, Gary Reece, sleeps in after rocking hard with the 80’s cover band, Red Alert, the night before. He is dad by day and rock-star by night. Reece started playing music when he was about 8 or 10 years old. He didn’t want to be an astronaut or a doctor like other kids his age; he wanted to be a rock-star and nothing else. Music was his life. His parents couldn’t afford a good music teacher so he taught himself to play different instruments by listening to Rush and Yes. Not learning any specific instrument he became good at a variety, like drums and guitar. “Being self-taught has taught me discipline but it has also taught me some bad habits. I don’t think I didn’t learn anything that an instructor could have taught me,” says Reece “Looking back on it now I’m glad I didn’t have an instructor. I got to learn things that they couldn’t have possibly taught me.” Picking up a red guitar from the stand he starts to play some exercises to work out his hands. Reece has played for many bands in his musical career. At the top of the list is the Newman Smith High School marching band. He was in the drumline of an award winning band. “I liked playing for a school band,” he says. ”I still got to go see the sports, but it was for free. I didn’t really care about them though. I just liked playing music”. His next band was a cover band. They stayed confined to the garage and didn’t get any gigs but some of players had real talent. In this band they didn’t get paid. They were just having fun. Money wasn’t all they cared about it was just playing to play. While the members were having dreams of making it big his friend Scott Kay actually did. Scott Kay is now a drummer

for the Commodores. ”I’m happy for him. We are still friends and everyone wants to be a rock-star but only a rare few can make it.” he said. Reece admitted that just doing a gig every once in a while does leave a little to be desired. “It’s definitely not the same as being up on stage getting paid thousands or millions of dollars to play.” It is like working two jobs for him, both a day job as a defense contractor and night job as a musician. It’s tiring; sometimes he has a gig on a week day and has to take the next off to get some extra sleep. “Living life now is like being a rock-star is its own way. I have a wonderful daughter and a wonderful wife. Things are going great and I wouldn’t change it for anything.” Reece says. Even though he does have a job as a defense contractor and he didn’t get to live his rock-star dream he still has a life full of happiness. His fifteen minutes of fame will come sooner or later.

Scot Johnson

Gary Reece

Karl Friedrich

has austin

really changed?

by: cam v.

he cool nighttime scene is spread across Austin while the lights enchant the eyes of the public and the slight feeling of freedom overcomes. The smooth, sad music dances on the sound waves like an old dune buggy on a newly-paved road. The individual notes, staccatos and legatos dance and create a mood of uncertainty, sadness, and anticipation. They mix and blend together to form a song. This is Ted Hall’s life, 365 nights a year. A working musician, guitar school owner, and teacher, Ted Hall lives the life that most would envy. This man began his music career at the age of 8. Only a student then, he fell in love the day he picked up the guitar. Flash forward a few decades and you’ll find him mostly on Sunday nights enchanting the ears and minds of local Austinites and

artwork by dave wilson outsiders as well. When Hall first arrived in Austin he was immediately enamoured with the city; with open arms Austin welcomed him as much as it welcomes new comers, filling Ted’s empty well of creativity. The atmosphere, community, and music drew him and others to Austin. Some reasons unknown, and some reasons obvious... Austin is the home of many musicians, artists, and creative citizens all alike. For Hall, Austin has treated him like a brother since then day in 1986, when he arrived here from Houston. After years of touring world-wide, Ted landed in the Texas giant and soon began managing a local music store. Later on, the store owner decided to expand his business to Austin, and Ted followed. Hall was a new comer to the whole music scene in Austin, but in

1987 he knew just what he wanted to do there. Ted left the music store, which is still open today, and on August 1st, 1987, he opened the Austin Guitar School. The school first started with only 15 students and a couple of teachers, now the Austin Guitar School has expanded to teaching about 300 students weekly and it employs more than 15 teachers. The growth of the guitar school has been an analogy of how the Austin music scene has grown. More and more people seem to be more interested in music, or the arts in general and this trend has had many different outcomes. All this growth in the music scene and the art scene have had both positive and negative effects on the Austin community itself. Ted said that “there doesn’t seem to be as many quote on quote, name, clubs.

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different little fast things that you can do...” Austin became home to Ted Hall in 1986 and later on it also became the host of AJ Inzana, a private lesson teacher for the last nine years and also a part of the crew in the Austin Guitar School. “those little things that I heard through the grape vine,” were the ones that drew him to Austin. He was enamoured with the city just like Ted was when he first arrived. AJ became interested in playing the guitar when he was 10. Mostly influenced

you knew, and you always had to be at the right place at the right time. Timing was everything,” according to Ted. The music scene somewhat has changed over the years, it’s not so much about who you know as much as how talented you are. Any musician can easily find a niche in this new era of musical talent, all in the vibrant light of Austin. Maybe that’s what really drives everyone that migrates to Austin to migrate. So... the music continues, the night time scene glows, and the stars on the skyline twinkle and shine to the beats of the song. The dune buggy drives on...

Art by Glenda Sims

Clubs when I came in town had names and now so many have come and gone, so many of the main stays aren’t around anymore.” On the contrary, Austin has grown enormously with its technological advances and with the largely growing population of local musicians. There are many different “cliques” in the Austin music scene. Groups defined by music genre, like Country, Rock, Indie, and Techno distinguish cliques from one another. Although they are different in many ways, they’re all connected through the Austin Chronicle, downtown music venues, and the whole “Hippy Aura” of the area. “There’s a lot of places for bands to play and it’s pretty diversified... but over all it’s a reasonably tight nit community,” said Ted, he also described Austin as,“a cushy couch and you can just get completely locked in with laziness,” others said that it was a city where, “you can plug in anywhere so to speak, so many

by the music his older brother listened to. “[The rock and roll scene was] pretty much where it unfolded,” He said,” From an older brother that was well, really into music, and just kinda diverse background so to speak... I ended buying an electric guitar with my allowance money and my brother took me to the music store... and here I am.” Aj, like many other artists who’ve heard much from the “grape vine,” have migrated like a flock of birds to Austin to figure out what the hype really was all about. Perhaps because of Austin’s early start, when it began its musical talent in the 1930s; first when the local Threadgill’s music venue first opened its doors, and later on in the 1940s when many different venues began to become available all around the area as well. At first the musical community was only, “all about who

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BEST DESSERT ERT SHOPS IN AUSTIN N By: Cam V.

#5.

Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop

5. Sugar Ma-

ma’s Bakeshop is a great place to go. They have amazing desserts and an awesome environment.

#4. Hey Cupcake!

4. Hey Cupcake is delicious! Just like their name, their food consists mostly of cupcakes and is a great way to go!

#3.

Amy’s Ice creams

3. Amy’s Ice

Creams are also totes delish! Their pumpkin ice cream is THE BEST!

#2. The Yogurt Spot

2. The Yogurt Spot, is great for 1. Magnolia’s Cafe. Hands a healthy snack DOWN the best place in the and a sweet one whole wide world. their whole as well. All of menu is full of surprises that their yogurts will leave your palate wanting are all natural more and more... and super mega packet with nutrients 5. art by Sheeshoo 4. art by John Rogers 3. art by Tammy Green 2. art by Dr. Craig, and Sean Dreilinger 1. art by Niklas Pivic

#1. Magnolia Cafe

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Top 5 Places to Listen to Live Music in Austin By: Stephanie Park

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Live music is offered each week from Thursday to Sunday. Performances are outdoors where you can enjoy the fresh air and tranquil scene of Lake Austin. The scrumptious desserts are just an added bonus.

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Top 5 Places to Listen to Live Music in Austin

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Antone’s Nightclub Opened since 1975, Antone’s has hosted legendary musicians such as B.B King, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, only to name a few. The venue is open to all ages.

Jax Neighborhood Cafe

Jax is a terrific family cafe where the Austin Guitar School regularly plays showcases. There is a laid-back environment and a great atmosphere just to hang out. It also doesn’t hurt that they offer great coffee and pastries.

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Stubb’s Bar-B-Que Not only does Stubb’s present their customers with mouthwatering food served in bottomless plates, but they also have great live music. The atmosphere is lively during the performances, and they have an outdoor stage where they hold regular events.

Emo’s There are two stages in Emo’s, one placed outside and the other inside. The outdoor stage is rather spacious but it can get pretty crowded during shows. But there is a beer garden for those who don’t like packed places. The performances are for all ages.

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Whole Foods, local Austin By: Marley C. or gone corporate?

foods. They also wanted to avoid the corporate image, and have a unique staff system that was laid back and casual. The workforce is relatively young, the dress code very liberal and all-in-all most of the corporation is decentralized down from workers, departments, managers, awards, and, even when a customer gets fired, it’s broken down and purified. These things are instead referred to as team members, teams, team leaders, “high fives” (awards), and when someone gets let go the “separation” is announced.

In 1980, the first Whole Foods was opened in Austin TX by John Mackey and Rene Lawson Hardy who wanted to make organic, natural, foods available for reasonable prices, and educate their customers on the importance of such

It all seems to be the quintessence of what a corporation should be, but, like most stores living in reality, these things of course forward the corporation in one way or another. Somehow, John Mackey has managed to gain a multimillionaire status while his employees have stayed in the $8- $13 range for as long as can be remembered. This is made possible by young employees not staying long due to school and other long-term plans, as well as having no managers which mean no raises or promotions. This image, the unique culture,

remember the first time I walked in to Whole Foods; eight years old, filled with curiosity and easily wowed; my eyes bugged at the grandness of it all, the quintessence of it all. The words ‘Thailand’, ‘France’, and ‘Spain’ shouting out at me from the shiny products lining the shelves, things from all over the world, right in my local store. Now, six years later, when I walk into Whole Foods, I can’t help consider the articles read, radio-stations and news broadcasts listened too; all telling me that under the surface Whole Foods business goals are no better than Wal-Marts. Although Whole Foods started local, there are clear signs it has grown corporate.

of this staff, makes it hard for workers to unionize or complain, who wants to fight what appears to be the good guy? As Whole Foods local persona decreased so did their honesty about their products, and as they expanded, so did their prices, and their ‘local customers’ became higher-income clientele who were willing to pay more for partially higher quality products. Last year, when Wal-Mart started promoting their own organic products, Whole Foods southwest regional president made it quite clear that the idea of Wal-Mart posing as competition very amusing. He, Michael Besancon, even told Rocky Mountain news that “There’s no way in the world that we’d win a price battle with WalMart, I’m relatively smarter than that.” America, that is, Americans, are stuck on this idea, illustrated by Whole Foods, that organic, healthy, food couldn’t possibly be cheap; if something is expensive it must be a great product, right? Wrong. Whole Foods products have proven very questionable; especially when they refused to reveal their use of GMO’s and toxic chemicals in products, the cas-

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26 Art by: Flikr Creative Commons

The main office of Whole Foods located in Austin, Texas es of mercury in their fish began more present along with the refusal to advertise that until forced, and, when people started noticing the amount of products in their store labeled ‘made in China’. John Mackey’s actions are not helping Whole Foods newly gained corporate image return to normal; his political stances, which are also considered Whole Foods political stances, seem to be at odds with what the company claims to want for it’s people.. He recently took a very open stance against the government being involved in health care which, even after he claimed it was his personal opinion and not that of Whole Foods, resulted in their boycott, Mackey has faced much public humiliation over this and other statements and actions committed. If the store claims to know it’s customers then Mackey

should know that all ‘organic-loving hippies’ would strongly oppose his health care belief, and would then question the stores goals and beliefs themselves. If Whole Foods wants to help the people, it’s customers, by making local organic food available and affordable why would they want affordable health care to not be available to the customers that it claims to care so much about? So, customers begin to wonder, does Whole Foods really care at all? Now, when I walk into Whole Foods, I no longer stare in awe at the marvelous products, but look closer, and wonder, why does the jar of jelly imported from one of Austins local farms sit next to a jar imported from China, and cost the exact same amount? Does the fact that as the corporation expanded their policies changed-their honesty had to

decrease in order to further their business, and their prices had to increase to support this newly expanded businessmean that Whole Foods is no longer a local business? I think it does.

organic or

NOT? By: Cam V. It’s November; the grocery store is full, and sweet smells of bread, and fresh fruit slowly dance around your nose, all daring you to taste their delicious flavors. To your right you see tomatoes, beautiful ripe and gorgeously red tomatoes. What’s wrong with this picture? IT’S NOVEMBER. Tomatoes aren’t in season, so why are they in your local grocery store? Truth is, they’re imported from different parts of the world and end up costing a lot more than what the price tag says. Why? Because the costs of harvesting, packaging, and shipping those tomatoes from halfway around the world ends up being costly, for the environment. Makes those “going green” efforts go to shame, huh? But what can you do to really save the environment? Buy organic, yes you do have to dig a little deeper in you pocket when at the checkout, but I would rather pay those extra few bucks than spend hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars on medical bills down the road. All those doctors will tell you is what you’ve known all along, the food you’re eating is killing you and the environment. Cold, hard, facts; those year-round tomatoes are treated with harsh chemicals and pesticides, and may be Genetically Engineered (GM). Just because we don’t know what exactly could happen to you down the road after years of eating, and eating conventional food, doesn’t mean that it will never affect you; or the environment.

Although the long term effects of chemicals added to plants and other foods that the world produces are no known yet, it still is a risk factor that down the line will affect millions even billions of people. Pesticides that are used on many plants are harmful, they can cause severe damage to people who are exposed to them. Children in elementary schools have gone into “spasms” due to the spraying of nearby orange trees with pesticides. Also in Earlimart, California many people got ill because of pesticides that blew in from nearby potato fields. A woman’s case shows that pesticides are very harmful; when spraying of pesticides started in 1984 at her workplace; she developed swollen eyes, very itchy skin, and sleeplessness. These pesticide was used to get rid of bugs in the building, it is still used freely on plants to kill weeds and other pests all around the United States. These pesticides could be used in a farm that supplies food to your local grocery store, the risk of suffering the same reactions or even worse are very big. These pesticides that were use in 1984 are still used today even though they are know to be harmful to humans and other animals. Genetically Engineered foods help produce food in the masses and helps reduce world hunger all around the world but it also has many risks that follow it; risks that could in the end harm the world population instead of helping it. Genetically Engineered food fields are so much harder to control than or-

FOOD ganic food fields, the complexity and composition varies from plant to plant so there has to be a different test conducted for each food. These tests help determine whether the food is safe for the public and a profitable crop. When these foods are genetically modified, a set of genes are changed, implanted, or taken out of the genome of the plant. This causes mutations to the plant, these mutations could involve different factors that the engineers want. Many genetically modified foods could cause a spread of antibiotic resistance due to the changes of DNA in the plant. When the plant is consumed these DNA mutations could cause mutations in the body that can harm the person. Many of these factors play a role in the whole picture that Genetically Engineered foods paint. This could set a pedestal for an epidemic to break out. One that could be resistant to antibiotics and drugs that could help cure it. Either these foods harm humans by helping viruses and diseases become stronger and gain on humans, or they can directly harm humans by making people all around the world sick. To those really into the “going green”revolution you should know... conventional food might be cheap but it’s not green. Research shows that fertilizers as well as pesticides are “the

Art by Cam Valenzuela

Some seasonal food being sold at the Hope Farmers Market

single largest global source of greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, and the largest source of agricultural CO2 emissions.” Many people in Europe, especially England, are going green by planting their own organic gardens. This reduces CO2 pollution and also saves money. The machinery that is used in normal farms emits CO2 and doesn’t help the cause; on the other hand, planting home gardens save the planet and wallets. Tough machinery isn’t needed in home grown gardens, and home made fertilizers like manure or compost end up helping the environment. In the end, growing organic gardens or even buying organic from local farmer’s markets ends up helping the planet by reducing CO2 emissions around the world, and stimulates the local economy of the community. So now that you know the shady side of those gorgeous tomatoes, are yous till going to reach for them? I hope not, I hope you go for organic, but if you still don’t care about your future health and just want to save that extra buck now, go for them. Reach for those tomatoes, put your solar panels to shame, and don’t help your local Austin economy. But if this article has changed your opinion, then buy organic or local. Chances are, organic food in your grocery store is locally grown from central Texas, which ends up helping your local economy; also farmers markets are a great place to buy fresh produce. You know most of them grow organic and you’re definitely helping your local economy that way. Even if after reading this article you’re still left with doubts and speculations, I want you to leave this with one question in mind: Does your wallet matter more to you than your health?

“Damn Good” Takes Austin By: Stephanie Park

Torchy’s

Tacos

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Art by: Stephanie Park Outside, it is an ordinary sunny summer day. The trees rustle in the wind, and the birds chirp happily. People are amicably talking with each other as they wait. But amidst all this idealistic tranquil-

ity liess a small whit white tota to trailer where total ensuing ensuin chaos is ensuing. The employees are running around in circles, hurriedly preparing the ingredients they need to provide for the line of people patiently waiting outside. But there is a colossal problem. Someone has forgotten to bring perhaps the most important ingredient of all. They looked everywhere,

searched through every box, opened every pantry. Panic begins to rise as the employees realize they have misplaced a vital ingredient in the recipe. The cheese is gone. According to Torchy’s Tacos owner Michael Rypka, incidents like this occasionally happen since the employees have to get food back from the commissary kitchen to the trailer. “It can be tough,” Rypka says. “You do a big order and then they forget cheese or something simple like that.” Despite these minor problems that it encounters,, Torchy’s iss now an ex extremely uccessful ccessful an and wellsuccessful known business. Just four years ago, Torchy’s was an inconspicuous food trailer, having endured the hardships of being overlooked in the

At this point, for Austinites, writing a review for Torchy’s is like writing a review for McDonald’s—everyone knows what McDonald’s has to offer.

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FOOD Austin community. In fact, Rypka can still recall the bumps in the road when first opening the trailer. “It was mostly just me and a cook to start off with,” Rypka says. “In the beginning, I used to go around and take tacos around on my Vespa... I would deliver those to all the businesses and stuff downtown. But we stopped doing that. We just kind of out grew it.” Soon after, Rypka and Bill Roberts, his former business partner, were able to obtain a trailer. In 2006, food trailers did not have the following it does today, so getting customers to visit was not an effortless task. In attempt to attract customers, Rypka and Roberts had to do some marketing in the beginning. For an example, Rykpa would hand out free chips and salsa. That way, customers would visit the trailer and begin calling in orders. This hard work eventually paid off, for today, Torchy’s is known by nearly every

Art by: Boz Bros

Austinite; in fact, it has turned into a sort of icon for Austin food trailers, gaining a large amount of loyal customers. “I think it really came from the customers,” Rypka says. “[We were] just doing our best, serving the best food we could serve. [But] the customers really spread the word for us.” It’s true. In fact, a recent review on Yelp claimed, “At this point, for Austinites, writing a review for Torchy’s is like writing a review for McDonald’s—everyone knows what McDonald’s has to offer.”

According to Torchy’s customers, the rising popularity of the trailer is undoubtedly linked to the appetizing food served. The mouth-watering food and unique variety in the menu differentiates the taco place from any other restaurant. “I would have to say my favorite [food] is the fried avocado taco or… the Grande burrito. It’s a really tough choice; all their food’s absolutely delicious,” Marley, a frequent Torchy’s customer, says. Cochran goes to Torchy’s nearly every other day. Rypka actually comes up with the popular menu himself; he previously worked as a chef, so he has a plentiful bank of knowledge and experience with food. “[I] start putting ingredients together until I come up with something that I get excited about,” Rypka says. “[Then] I let other people try it, and my cooks and cashiers try it. If everybody likes it we run it as a special.” In addition to the food, high school and college students enjoy the comfortable setting that makes Torchy’s a favorable location. “I think it’s the environment that makes Torchy’s different,” Cochran says. “Usually when people go there, they come back, and everybody really gets to know each other. It’s not just a formal business, but a place where you can get together with friends, socialize, and have a great meal all at the same time.” Due to the immense success of the trailers, Rypka claims that there are plans to open more restaurants in the future. The expansion of this popular food location in Austin will hopefully help spread the Austin experience with everyone. “Other than [opening more trailers], that’s about as far as we can see at this point,” Rypka says. “We’re just taking it as it comes, and just kind of seeing what comes about.”

By: Marley C.

Austin’s Top Food Trailers

Torchy’s Tacos opened in 2006 when Michael Rypka left his excutive chef job and parterned with four other taco optimists. Their ‘taco dream’ has proven worth while with multiple Torch’s Tacos around Austin, and even a trailer park. Torchy’s is open everyday of the week, with times varying based on the day. They offer thirteen different tacos, as well as vegetarian items, their all-famous salsa, and the taco of the month.

Hey Cupcake was opened by Wes Hurt as a way for him to exspress his exspression and creativity. However, it has grown into much more than that since then and is one of the most popular food trailers on South Congress Avenue. This trailer offers twelve different cupcakes, and is most famous for the ‘Michael Jackson’ cupcake whith its cream cheese top and chocolate cake. Also offered is coffee and milk to go along with your sweet treat and very stylish Hey Cupcake t-shirts.

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lulu b’s Lulu B’s Sandwiche’s was opened January 4, 2008 and is the only Vietnamese food trailer in Austin, TX today. They are open every day except Sunday and Monday and offer multiple Vietnamese sandwiche’s, vermicelli bowels, summer rolls, and even offers smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, and their traditonal bubble tea.

Mighty Cone was opened when the owner of Hudson’s on the Bend, Hudson Blank, wanted to make the iconic cones that had he had established at the ACL festival available year round. And so, The Mighty Cone was born March 2009 on South Congress Avenue of downtown Austin. They are open every day of the week except Monday, from 11am to 9pm and offer hot n’ crunchy cones, deluxe cones, their all famous chili dusted fries, sliders, desserts, and shakes.

Yes, even Sushi has come to trailers, with Sushi A-Go-Go. This unique trailer opened in July 2009 and has spread to several other locationans around Austin since then. The trailer specializes in made to order, fresh sushi rolls every day of the week. They have over fifty menu items, mainly sushi rolls, as well as other traditional Japanses style dishes.

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