FORTE
Discovering the world of classical and jazz music Hunting for vinyl records in Austin, and Exploring Austin’s music festivals
Table of Contents 06 Austin Live Music Austin City Limits 101 10
12
Inside The Disposition of an Austin Jazz Musician Top 8 Jazz Trumpeters of All Time
18
Having Music Trebles?
16
20
How Classical Musicians Keep it Together
Benefits to Rockin’ it Out
26
Records in Austin
Which Record Store is Right for You?
32
24 30
Letters From the Editors
by Klarissa Tey
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F
radiates.
rom bars on 6th street buzzing with modern pop, to the nightly concerts held at Stubb’s, Austin drowns in its legacy of live music. Out of the different branches of Austin’s culture, music is the largest factor into the “weirdness” it
opportunity, for anyone to get out there and with the right people and with the right sound and people,” Alesia Lani, a growing R&B artist in Austin, said.
Austin’s live music draws hundreds of thousands’ attention to the city, including its famed festivals such as Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) and South by SouthWest (SXSW). Besides these country-wide known events, locally known festivals and free music performances in downtown have dubbed Austin as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Unlike other cities in the United States that specialize in one genre of music and are based on a structural music industry, Austin fosters every quirky style of music by creating a caring community for artists. “It means a great support system and a steady income. That’s what it means. A lot of towns don’t have that so there is not an ecosystem for artists in a lot of major cities. And therefore the artists can’t survive in the climate, they don’t get gigs and don’t’ have any way to make money. You name it. Austin’s the Live Music Capital of the World because we actually have the facilities to support live music and all the stuff that comes with it,” Jackie Venson, a female artist who has grown up and lived in Austin her whole life, said. “Austin is one of the only towns, if the only town I’ve been to that truly supports the musicians.” Because musicians and artists in Austin have their needs supported, they are able to focus on their career and rise up in the music industry. “It means room for
Childish Gambino performs at ACL 2019 on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12. The audience is delighted this year to see the artists because of his absence the previous year due to an injury. (Photo by Alex Kelly.)
“People move here to really perfect their craft, to play with other incredible musicians, to record music together.” — Emily Parker
Austin is not only about getting a music career started, but also developing one’s technique with fellow artists. “People move here to really perfect their craft, to play with other incredible musicians, to record music together, so it’s sort of a mecca,” Emily Parker, the program director of Austin City Limits Radio, 97.1FM, said. ACL is an annual music festival that occurs on the first two weekends of October. Over the course of three days, the festival showcases a wide variety of music, from hits off the top charts and alternative tunes, to heavy beats and R&B bops. The wide selection of music makes the festival’s reputation so well esteemed and appealing to almost half a million attendees. Venson, who performed at ACL in 2018, said, “It’s really intricately run and it was really fascinating to see because you can’t fool around with half a million people. You got to be prepared for anything and everything at
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Tame Impala performs at ACL on Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, 2019. The Australian artist is well-known for his album cover designs. (Photo by Klarissa Tey.)
all times.” The preparation for ACL is not only chaotic for the workers, but also the artists performing onstage. Their days become cluttered with news interviews, practices, and the job of balancing their daily life on top of that. “Try not to stress too much but this, ACL, is a different kind of beast. And so I’m learning and seeing that it is a whole another kind of thing than what I’m used to and it is keeping me a lot more busier,” Lani said. “Its been kind of high-strung in the best way ever.” Run by Austin City Limits Radio, Blues on the Green is a mini-ACL of sorts that takes place on one Wednesday of every month during the summer and is the most popular free music event in Austin. Currently, the event is held at Zilker Park in Austin in order to accommodate the audience, however it was once held at a smaller park. “So it started in the Arboretum believe it or not, 29 years ago. It was pretty small, I mean it was just a group of people with blankets and lawn chairs posted up listening to blues music. As Austin got bigger, Blues on the Green
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continued to get bigger, so I think it was about 10 years ago, we moved to Zilker Park,” Parker said. Before the music starts at 8 p.m., families and friends spread their blankets across the lawn in front of the stage to enjoy the Texas weather while other people crowd at the back to hangout at the event. ACL Radio also has food and beverage vendors lined up around the area. The event was originally named after the blues music that was played, but the radio station has been experimenting with the types of music that are played. “So we try to pick a little bit of something different each time so people get to hear a different side of the Austin music scene,” Parker said. “We look at what bands are sort of buzzing in Austin. Who we feel like is a good crowd pleaser or maybe has a lot of attention or cool stuff coming out. We look a lot for diversity. We don’t just want rock every time or we don’t just want blues every time, you know.” Parker said that ACL chooses the artists playing at the festival a similar way. Headliners at ACL are booked years in advance by C3 Productions, also known as C3 Presents, because of their popularity and expense. Before the festival in 2018, Venson was
Billie Eilish plays at ACL 2019 on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12. Many festival attendees wait for her performances for hours each time she performs. (Photo by Alex Kelly.)
contacted by C3 Productions out of the blue while Lani had previously been involved with the production team and had played at Stubb’s the previous year. “I was like put the idea in their head! And so he did, he just mentioned it. One thing led to another, and it worked! So they were like why doesn’t she come back and do it again. My thing is that I had fun at the Stubb’s show, it was great and they were basically asking me to come back and do the same thing,” Lani said. The beginning of the city’s legacy started by the increasing number of live performances that could be found erratically around the city. “When we started calling ourselves the Live Music Capital of the World, it was because every weekday, every weeknight, every bar, every honky-tonk, every barbershop had somebody playing in it, and this was the type of city that you visited to see live music,” Parker said. As long as Austin strains itself from becoming a music industry, it will forever be known as the best city to go to for live music.
“Try not to stress too much but this, ACL, is a different kind of beast. And so I’m learning and seeing that it is a whole another kind of thing than what I’m used to and it is keeping me a lot more busier.” — Alesia Lani
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101
essentials to bring
fanny packs Fanny packs are the perfect way to carry your important things, such as your phone and wallet. Because pickpocketing is extremely common at music festivals, you will want to keep track of your valuables at all times. Not only are fanny packs fashionable, but they are conveniently worn around the waist.
water bottles Water is a vital step to having the best experience at ACL. Austin is hot and humid, where temperatures can only be 80F but feel like 100F, especially when you are surrounded by hundreds of other sweaty people. Bringing a reusable water bottle or water bladder to refill is the best way to stay hydrated. ACL has two water filling stations located in Zilker so there is no need to purchase any water!
power bank Getting lost at ACL and not being able to contact your friends is no fun, so remember to bring a portable charger for your phone! You’ll most likely need it for pictures, videos, social media etc.
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by Klarissa Tey
baby wipes Baby wipes have infinite purposes, such as cleaning off dirt and sweat. ACL only has porta potties so baby wipes can be extremeful useful after using the restroom.
hand fan Another way to keep cool at ACL is a simple hand fan. They are easy to bring, and unlike the electric fans you plug into your phone, they use no energy!
sun protection To avoid getting sunburnt and protecting your eyes from the blazing sun, sunscreen and sunglasses are a must! ACL lets attenders bring sun lotion as long as it is not in an aerosol container, which are the spray-on suncreens. Just as your skin can get sunburnt, your eyes can too. Sunglasses shield your eyes from the sun and will add to your festival outfit. Sources: aclfestival.com/information/ ; eastonparkatx.com/blog/acl-hacks/ ; adventuresnsunsets.com/ultimate-fest-hacks-know-festival-season/
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Inside the Disposition of an Austin Jazz Musician By Dante Koffler
A
ustin, Texas, is known as “The Live Music Capital of the World,” attracting worldwide attention for its pop and indie artists. Other styles contribute to the culture in this city as well, with their own musicians, venues and lifestyles, but are not as statistically popular among residents. One of these is the music commonly referred to as jazz music. Austin has not been revered for its jazz scene in the past, and for decades, it was hard to say if it ever would be. With the downtown Elephant Room having been the only major venue for many decades, creating a widespread network of performers and enthusiastic listeners has been a struggle. Recently in Austin, there has emerged a community of talented musicians around town with a growing scene in general. Part of this could perhaps be attributed to
Damian Garcia is one of the finest pianists/musicians in Austin, playing locally at popular venues and touring around the world. (Photo courtesy of Damian Garcia.)
the recent opening of Parker Jazz Club, a new downtown venue, as well as Monks, a series hosted at Revival Coffee on the east side of Austin. Both of these venues have brought in artists from around the world, such as Kenny Garrett, Butch Miles and Steve Davis, and these performances have helped spark interest in the community of Austin to come out and check out jazz whenever any night that pleases them.
“Austin is such a great
place to work not only because the quality of life is so good but there is a small ecosystem of talented musicians as well.”
Even with the lack of general popularity for the art form, Austin poses a few benefits in regards to the typical jazz musician’s lifestyle. “Austin is such a great place to work as a musician not only because the quality of life is so good but because there is a small ecosystem of very talented musicians as well,” Damian Garcia said, a pianist specializing in jazz music
— Damian Garcia
12, Forte, Fall 2019
These living legends can be heard at venues around town such as the Elephant Room, Parker Jazz Club, the Skylark Lounge, Monks, among several others. With Parker and Monks being prominent, brand-new venues, the Austin jazz scene seems to making a break, bringing in international sensations of the genre on a regular basis while sustaining themselves on Austinbased talent.
in Austin, said. “When you’re young, grinding and hustling is not a problem— you can do it 24/7. But as you get a little older, that kind of lifestyle will start getting stale and you just need a little more stability.” On the other hand, being an Austin-based jazz musician can be a struggle. “There’s a harsh reality with playing gigs here in Austin with the way musicians get paid,” Andre Hayward, a world-renowned trombonist based in Austin, said. “It can be a pretty horrible situation sometimes, with the exception of a few places. You have to really hustle, and the culture here is tips. You have to collect tips and things like that, but you just try to work around the situation.” Growing up in Hayward soon Roy Hargrove high school then became a of the Jazz at the fall of 1999. band in 2006, he until he would following his in Boston, and after living about three came to Austin, in talent.
“It can be a pretty horrible situation sometimes, with the exception of a few places. You have to really hustle.” — Andre Hayward
Houston, Texas, began touring with following his graduation and full-time member Lincoln Center in When he left the only had two years move back to Texas 10 year residency Massachusetts, in Houston for years, Hayward revitalizing the scene
Andre Hayward (left) with Dante Koffler during an interview at Barnes and Noble. (Photo by Christina Gaviño Gray.)
People like him and Damian Garcia are examples of the Austin-based creatives forming a rich and engaging scene for jazz music. They are giving hope to Austin, a once-dormant environment for jazz music, despite any financial or artistic challenges posed in a devotion and dependence for it. Mike Sailors, a trumpeter, composer and arranger, who moved this fall from New York City, would seem to focus on the positive side of the opportunities presented by the live music capital of the world. “My wife is from here and most of her family is in Austin. We wanted to be closer to them, and we also want to start our own family, buy a house, etc. — things that are fairly impossible to do in NYC given our careers.” Sailors’ wife was an executive at Conde Nast, but the time commitment meant that she was on the job 24/7. “The grind is very real out there, and almost all of my time was committed to music. Here in Austin, it’s just not like that, and for me at this point in my life, that’s a good thing,” Sailors said. When the position for the jazz trumpet professor became available, Sailors took advantage of it. He started teaching full-time at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in the fall of 2019, a gig that proved to have its own merits as well and generally does for freelance musicians.
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“I came back for family, a higher quality of life and to focus on my own projects — not just for a paycheck. With that said, you do get things like a pension, access to reasonably affordable health insurance, etc. Those things are nice,” Sailors said. For a musician lacking a bit of playing experience, Sailors said that a professorship could possibly allow for more financial stability, but he does not think of music in those terms. “As far as teaching at UT goes, I really enjoy it so far. I have some great students who could be very successful if they wanted to be. I’m looking forward to seeing how the program can grow and how I can positively affect the environment there,” Sailors said.
Mike Sailors— a top-tier trumpeter, composer, and arranger renowned nationally— frequently flies out play out at world renowned venues such as Birdland while still being a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. (Photo courtesty of Mike Sailors.
“The grind is very real out there, and almost all of my time was commited to music. Here in Austin, it’s
Andre Hayward and Damian Garcia just not like that (and for work almost every day of the week locally and tour whenever they see the me at this point in my life, opportunity as something desirable. In October 2019, Hayward toured with the that’s a good thing).” Duke Ellington Orchestra, and he would be set to play in New York City in Janu— Mike Sailors ary with Steve Turre and Band of Bones Presented by David Chamberlain. Damian would be on a podcast in November called “Thriving Musician,” a resource for professional musicians who might consider themselves “money focused while still maintaining integrity in their art,” Garcia said. In the article, “Austin musician calls for help despite positive report on industry,” published Feb. 22, 2019, on kxan.com, writer Alex Caprariello said that Austin is working on a few programs to help out clubs and bands. “The city gives microloans to clubs that apply. Owners can use the money to upgrade their business, to keep sound inside and not have it bleed out to neighbors,” Caprariello said. This aid by the city has been one of the driving factors in the improvement in conditions and lifestyles for how musicians live, play out and get paid in Austin, and its progressing influence on the morale and inspiration of the city’s artists is something that perhaps could make Austin not only “The Live Music Capital of the World” but a center for the best treatment of musicians on the planet.
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(Photo by Chris Bair, Unsplash.)
“Take care of the music and the music will take care of you.” — Larry Willis
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By Dante Koffler
Sources: bluenote.com csis.pace.edu biography.com
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?
by Isaiah Williams
Find An Instrument
PLAYING
One you can both enjoy & play!
Learn To Read...
Music Sheets! They’re essential towards mastering most things with music notes.
Posture! It’s more important than you’d think. Proper hand & finger placement when using an instrument can add ease to note location.
PRACTICING Have a Goal In Mind You shouldn’t be playing through old music. Instead, find a specific section of music you want to focus on. It’s much more efficient that way.
Warm-Up!
Don’t just drag yourself out of bed & practice practice half asleep. Before your training session, get mentally & Identify & Overcome Problems physically prepared. Try Everyone makes mistakes, which is playing a song you know ok. What isn’t ok is ignoring them. If you’re getting stuck on one well & enjoy to get specific point, identify the issue & prepped & pepped. try to fix it. You should use a different method for solving different problems.
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IMPORTANT!!!
Write On The Music Take notes in the music where you might need them. Label them too, if necessary. Be In The Right Frame of Mind Just trying to stuff yourself with information all at once isn’t healthy, and you won’t learn anything from it. Instead, make sure you always practice when you’re in a positive mood!
No problem! Although most people think that musical talents are something you’re born with, that’s actually not the case! Anyone can learn how to make or play music... & I can help with the learning part!
Music Theory
The study of the practices & possibilities of music. Pitch
How high or low a sound is. Harmony
Here are some of the most important elements of music! Timbre
The quality of sound, and what makes one sound different from another.
INTENSITY
How loud or soft a sound is. Rythm
The timing of sound.
Play To Your Strengths & Work on Your Weaknesses
Less is More - Don’t Overload Your Music With Ideas
If you’ve ever played an instrument, don’t toss it asied & dive into making a song. That instrumental experience would be more helpful than you could imagine. As for areas you’re weak in, rememebr to work on those as well.
Often, the strongest songs come from ONE idea. Having lots of ideas is great, but rather than trying to create them all at once, just focus your energy on ONE of them. Preferrably the one you see the most potential within.
WRITING
Combining two pitches to create a pleasing sound.
Elements of Music!!
EXPERIMENT Sometimes, the best tunes simply come from mixing & matching, until you find something you really like! If you think that you can find a use for something you come across, DON’T TOSS IT, SAVE IT!!
PRACTICE!!!
Music Theory - Wikipedia 10 Tips To Help You Practice More Effectively 10 Tips We Wish We Knew When We First Started Making Electronic Music
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Listen up, Austin! How classical musicians are keeping it together By Emma Chu
L
isten up Austin! You may know ATX as the Capital of Live Music, hosting popular music festivals such as Austin City Limits and sporting more than 250 live music venues. The live pop, indie, and jazz music in Austin has drawn audiences in the thousands from around the world, and nearly all local Austinites know about big music events and concerts happening within the city.
Violins are hung up in Terra Nova Violins, a popular violin shop in Austin, to be easily displayed and accessible for customers trying out instruments. (Photo by Emma Chu.)
Compared to 40 years ago, Austin musicians haven’t been found performing on the streets as they were in the past, and the demographics of Austin’s musicians have changed. In the past, the majority of Austin musicians were self taught, but professionally-trained musicians have dominated the population since Austin became the City of Live Music. There is still much to Austin’s scene that people miss out on, which is the classical part of it. Music can be appreciated and created in countless ways, but it is important not to overlook branches of music that served as foundations for newer or more recent genres that are popular and current. For many, the struggles of a musician is a mystery, especially regarding the difficult choices that musicians have to make. The majority of performers who aimed for becoming professional symphony players or soloists have had to let go of that intent in consideration of their own lifestyle and health, but still strive to enjoy and play music anyhow. Heather Rae Johnson, a folk and bluegrass fiddler and the manager of Violins Etc., had to do the same thing.
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“After realizing I wasn’t dedicated enough to the symphony lifestyle to make that my profession, I began playing folk and
bluegrass music,” Johnson said. “It is the kind of music that is joyful, and that makes it so much fun to play. I don’t really have to rely on my musical band gig income to make a living, so the simple aspect of playing music you love and sharing that joy with the audience is the primary focus.” Performing always requires lots of work and long practices, even if the nature of the performance is casual or for fun. According to Johnson, basics are still a must to practice, for classical music as well as bluegrass. “Nothing can take the place of numerous hours spent playing scales and etudes! I sometimes have to use ‘bad’ form to get the kind of unclassical sound I need, but it is very important to me to play with impeccable intonation and good tone always,” Johnson said. Most artists have persevered through struggles to reach where they are. Luthiers, or stringed instrument makers, are not excluded from the struggle, even if they are not performers like traditional musical artists. Bradley Bischoff, who’s been making string instruments for over 20 years, considers instrument making as a craft where the real prize isn’t a finished instrument or product, but instead in the process of creating an instrument.
“It’s nice to take a piece of wood, and reshape it, and bend it, varnish it, put it together, and have something that’s like art.” — Bradley Bischoff Two double basses, the biggest instruments of a string orchestra, are stood upright in the studio in Terra Nova Violins. Double basses keep the beat and are the backbone of a string orchestra (Photo by Emma Chu.)
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Two double basses stand upright in the Austin location studio of Terra Nova Violins. The violin shop is owned by Abbas Selgi, who started Terra Nova Violins in San Antonio in 2006. (Photo by Emma Chu.)
“You evolve as a maker because there are certain things that you do to make this instrument,” Bischoff said. “Your thinking is, ‘What can I do while I’m making it to make it better?’ You might change the shape of your bass bar, or the thickness of the top plane. Then you finish that instrument, and you hear, ‘It worked,’ or ‘That didn’t work; I’m not going to do that again.’ Then the next one you’re doing is slightly different. When you have this continuum, it’s like you’re making an orchestra. Not each piece is so precious. It’s when you’re done with everything, and you’re getting feedback that’s the satisfaction.” It may feel as if the art of creating instruments is difficult to connect to the art of performing with one, but both the creation of instruments and performing are related to one another even if it may not seem so. The creation of music is typically what people think of when a musical profession is mentioned, but there is more to working in music than just creating it. Some may create, while others perform or manage musicians in ways one wouldn’t expect.
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“A lot of it is getting with the people that feel the same about what they are doing through music. Ultimately it’s just one step at a time.” — Jeni Gossard
Running an organization is an exhausting, demanding task. With hundreds of students and a staff count in the 90s, keeping everything together suddenly goes from difficult to a baffling feat of communication, organization and patience. Jeni Gossard is the educational director of Austin Chamber Music Center (ACMC), an institute that focuses on chamber music for young musicians and runs a yearly two-week summer camp that is packed to the brim with scheduling and events. Her job is not easy. Gossard was originally studying to become a clarinet performer, but for her, education was a financially safer and better career path. Her job as an educational director builds up the new generation of Austin’s classical community and help student musicians improve their own abilities as well as find fellow musicians to connect with and learn from. “A lot of it just has to be getting with the people that feel the same about what they are doing through music as far as faculty, interns, or anybody that’s helping organize it, making sure that they understand our mission,” Gossard said. “Ultimately, it’s just one step at a time.” Gossard plans to direct ACMC for a long time despite the struggles that Austin’s classical community is presented with, and the same goes for Bischoff, Johnson, and other musicians based in Austin. The community of classical musicians is valuable to Austin not only because classical music plays a large role in the demographics and local culture of Austin, but also because classical music serves as a starting place for musicians to branch out. Though Johnson was trained classically as a student, her music is now far from anything she may have played while studying music. The classical community feeds into jazz, baroque, and more types of musicians who all contribute to Austin’s musical diversity.
Studio Light - Terra Nova Violins’ studio is relaxed and comfortable, with many places to sit, paintings and house plants. The environment of the shop is meant to be calming, because the space is used for testing instruments, lessons, and occasionally performances. (Photo by Emma Chu.)
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Why Music? By Emma Chu
Most importantly: Music is a community where you can find allies and lifelong friends! There is no home like one with music.
Practicing can improve both hand-eye coordination and memory Playing music stimultes the brain and gives it exercise
Sources:
- classicfm.com - joytunes.com - nafme.org
Benefits to Rockin’ It out
Music is fantastic for self expression and is freeing and relaxing to the mind Performing helps overcome stage fright builds confidence
Playing music releases sertonin, the “happy” chemical
A wide selection of records is available at BLK Vinyl in Austin, Texas. This store specializes in 60s and 70s music and also has a large selection of jazz and R&B. (Photo by Lily Prath.)
Records in Austin Austin’s vinyl stores by Lily Prath
26, Forte, Fall 2019
P
ink Floyd, The Beatles, Queen; whatever artist you’re looking for, there’s a record store for you. Each of the stores in Austin has its own unique features, no two stores the same. The record industry in Austin has been present for a long time, and it has continued to progress since it first began. Waterloo record store, one of the oldest record stores in Austin, has been one of the most popular since 1982. Breakaway records is a smaller and well curated store that focuses on 45s and used equipment. Stores like End of an Ear records have rare records that you may not find anywhere else. Some book stores like Half Price books sell records as well, but they are not their main focus. Juiceland also has a few records for sale in each of their stores. One of the reasons these businesses can stay open is the music culture in Austin. The city values its music, and vinyl is no different. Austin is known for its music, and the record stores live up to this reputation. “Austin has a
good community of record stores and everyone has a passion for it.” Dave Plunkett, a co-owner of End of an Ear said. The record store community reflects how much Austin values its music, with many stores around town. The importance of music makes it
“Austin, there’s a lot of bands here, a lot of musicians here, there’s always been tons of record stores here, you know, even when I was younger, it’s a good town for music fans for sure.” — Josh LaRue
possible for many stores to be in Austin. “Austin, there’s a lot of bands here, a lot of musicians here, there’s always been tons of record stores here. You know, even when I was younger, it’s a good town for music fans for sure. There’s been lots of places to buy records, to sell records, for money, there’s always been a decent place to get money for your records, sell them. It’s always been a good town for record stores and for buying records,” Josh LaRue, a co-owner of Breakaway records said. Many locals who have grown up in Austin have been a part of the music culture for a long time. Austin also values its local businesses, and this is how many of the record stores can survive. People buy records online, but there are perks of going into a physical store compared to buying records online. Many of the stores in Austin have playing stations, where customers can play a record before buying them. There are also stores such as BLK vinyl, which gets vinyls from collectors and often features unique vinyls such as first presses. The people in Austin support local stores and will often prefer them to
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BLK Vinyl offers a section for Texan music. Austin music tores commonly have a section for this kind of music, however. (Photo by Lily Prath.)
“Each store has it’s own strengths and focus. I would say our tends to be having a lot of harder to find records and odd titles you might not find at others.” 28, Forte, Fall 2019
online vendors. “A lot of people still will pay more at a local shop for a record that they can get cheaper online just because they like to shop local,” John Brookbank, a co-owner of BLK vinyl said. Companies like Amazon often have lower prices, but the experience of going into the record stores is something that many people are willing to pay a little extra for. Being able to flip through the records and be in the store is something that you can’t get from buying online. Each record store in Austin is unique in its own way. There are chains that have records such as Half Price Books, and there are local shops. Waterloo records has been in Austin since 1982, and it has been one of the bigger stores in Austin. Breakaway records focuses more on 45s as well as selling used stereo equipment. BLK vinyl gets its records from people who bring them in. BLK vinyl is, “Kind of a little closer to like a thrift store, but hopefully the records are in better shape,” Brookbank said. Many people prefer this because the records seem more personal. End of an Ear often has records you can’t find elsewhere or weirder titles. Juiceland has started to sell records in their store as well, but they have a very small, select few. Half Price Books has a relatively large selection, but they mainly sell books. Some people don’t prefer Half Price Books because they aren’t local and they aren’t solely a record store, but some like it because of its variety. Record stores in Austin are supportive of the local bands and artists. Many stores have a specific section for music from Austin or Texas. They also often buy from local artists to support them. This benefits the whole Austin music community. Buying local for record stores is very important. “It goes directly to helping support local artists and bands as well,” Plunkett said. Starting a record collection can feel like a hard task. It can be difficult to find inexpensive things or decide what to get first. Fortunately, some stores have equipment or sections specifically for that. There are record players and speakers that are in many stores. Some places even have used equipment. If you’re trying to find
“Austin has a good community of record stores and everyone has a passion for it. “ what records you want to buy, something that is suggested is to listen to the records at the listening stations that many stores have. “They have listening stations, like you can go and grab a stack of records, things that look interesting to you that you’ve maybe never heard before, and just explore that way, listen to a bunch of stuff that looks cool, that you’ve maybe heard about but never actually heard the music,” LaRue said. Many stores also often have sections of records that are less expensive. If a customer is worried about price, they can go to a store that has a section for one A customer looks through the new releases in a local record store. This dollar records or records store, BLK vinyl, obtains records from people bringing them in. (Photo by Lily Prath.) on sale. Although there are many record stores in Austin, they all get customers. There isn’t that much competition among the local stores. Owners often know each other and visit each others stores. They do, however, have competition with online stores and online vendors. They each have different details about their stores to compete. “Part of the reason why we are secondhand is because it is a little harder to compete with Amazon and things like that,” Brookbank said. Many people do like shopping at the physical store, but online selling is beginning to be a competition because of how easy it is to purchase.
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Which Record Sto Is Right For You? new
yes
early morning?
no
modern
yes
environment?
food/smoothies?
no
yes
exploded records
yes
breakaway records
Sources - waterloorecords.com - breakawayrecords hop.com - antonesrecordshop.com - juicelandmusic.com/records/
ore ?
By: Lily Prath
older or modern records?
old
live music?
no
vintage
big
small or big store?
small
vintage equipment/ turntables?
waterloo records
no
antones records
FROM THE EDITORS
Having been awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music’s Five Week Intensive Program in April 2019, Dante attended the program under the age requirement and was selected as the only trumpeter for the Five Week Jazz All-Stars. Nowadays, Dante is a student of Andre Hayward and frequently sits in with his mentor at venues such as the Elephant Room and Parker Jazz Club. Dante chose this theme because of his passion for music, and he wanted to get the perspective of musicians he looks up to in Austin out to the public. The magazine feature article was a great way to do that, and he’s grateful for the opportunity.
Isaiah Williams is a 9th grader at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. He enjoys playing video games in his free time, and plans to create them someday. Isaiah chose to work on music is because he wanted to learn more about the topic. He hadn’t known much about it to begin with, especially regarding musical trends and such, and felt now would be a great time to learn. Isaiah’s article was both about playing and creating music. He decided to write about music because understanding the creation process of music would benefit him in his career choice. Especially considering how much of an impact the soundtrack has on a game’s quality.
32, Forte, Fall 2019
Born and raised in Austin, Klarissa has grown up in this city’s weirdness with her parents and two older brothers. Home schooled through fifth grade, she spent her childhood playing five different sports and playing piano for regional and state competitions. She is going on her second year of playing club volleyball for Austin Junior Volleyball and played on LBJ’s JV volleyball team as a freshman. Klarissa’s taste in music ranges from indie pop and rock to alternative and pop, which is mostly influenced by what her brothers listened to. She decided to be involved with an Austin music magazine because she wanted to learn more about this aspect of Austin’s culture. Klarissa loved talking to her interviewees about the specialty of Austin’s live music and learning the behind the scenes of it.
Lily grew up in Austin, Texas listening to all kinds of music. Starting with going to kiddie concerts in the park and progressing to ACL, she has been a lifelong music lover. You can find her at record stores with her friends or somewhere with headphones playing way too loud music. She chose to write about record stores because they don’t get as much recognition in Austin as they should. She also has a vinyl collection of her own and is passionate about this music form. Aside from music, Lily enjoys playing volleyball, traveling around the world, and painting stuff.
Emma was born in Maryland, the land of crabs, and lived in Baltimore and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Austin and adopting the cowboy hat for herself. She grew up listening to nursery-edition classical music through Baby Einstein and was gifted a violin at age 6. Emma has been playing and struggling with violin since, but has grown a love for the endearing yet hellish instrument. Writing about the joys and sufferings of classical music felt at home for Emma, and she had a fabulous time co-creating Forte. Outside of music, Emma valiantly battles with the chaos of life and enjoys eating snacks in the face of inevitable academic doom. (Photos by Klarissa Tey and Lily Prath, 2019.)
Forte, Fall 2019, 33