ATX Live by LASA Ezine

aTX Live

FALL EZINE 2021

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TABLE of CONTENTS

6 MEET THE EDITORS

8 AUSTIN MUSIC SCHOOLS

14 KEEPING AUSTIN MUSIC WEIRD 18 ANATOMY OF A MICROPHONE ATX Live | 4

20 COVID’S MUSICAL FOOTPRINT 24 AUSTIN’S MUSIC VENUES 26HEROES OF AUSTIN MUSIC 32 WORD SEARCH Cover Photo Courtesy of Austin Jones.

Photo courtesy of KXAN.

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MEET THE

EDITORS GavIN CuLvER Hi, my name is Gavin Culver, and I have a deep passion for music. I have been producing music since 6th grade. I’m a freshman at LASA and I continue my passion for music in my free time. My favorite artist is Martin Garrix. I’m a huge sucker for electronic music, and no, electronic music is not background music! I would also like to point out that I’m better than Abby at InDesign (*ahem*, I designed this page).

ReeD winkelmann Hi, my name is Reed Winkelmann! I am a freshman at LASA HS. Music is an important part of who I am. I have been playing guitar for 8 years so everything in my life revolves around music and arts. I also love electro swing music. Gavin’s hair is very beautiful and luscious, forget Lorelei.

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aBBY aaRDEma Hi, my name is Abby Aardema! I am 14 years old and am a freshman at LASA HS. To me, music is life-changing. One good song can change the way I see the world and that’s why I wanted to tell the stories of artists. Some of my favorite artists are AJR and Twenty One Pilots. I have to point out that my forehead is not big although Gavin may create propaganda around this topic.

LORELEI DaPPER

Hi, my name is Lorelei Dapper! I am a freshman at LASA HS. Ever since my dad started playing music to me when I was little, it has been a huge passion of mine. To me it is very relaxing. Whenever I feel stressed, I listen to music and everything fades away. Gavin looks like a curly fry, I have no condolences.

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Austin Music Te

Credit to Luca Di Lotti for the image

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c Schools each Students

The Wonders of Austin are full of music, paving a way for a bright music future.

By Reed Winkelmann

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Austin has cool music, always has, always will. It’s one of the biggest parts of Austin — it even has a whole festival dedicated to Austin’s Music that sells out in a matter of seconds. Of course, there were people who taught the musicians of Austin how to toot their horn, there are also schools where you can earn a degree in music. Alex Ballentine is a musician and also the co-founder of the Eastside Music School. He went to college for music, for guitar, to figure out a way to make income. Making income as a musician is difficult, so that’s why he got a degree. He taught guitar for about 10 years, driving from person to person’s house.

other teachers, then together collectively we could start a real business,” Ballentine said. Before COVID-19, Ballentine would spend the majority of his day answering emails, working with a team to come up with an agenda for the day. In the afternoon, Ballentine would teach students how to play the guitar, where he allows the students to choose what they work on that day. “Our motto is custom tailor lessons,” Ballentine said, noting the business model they established since the business started

Alex Ballentine, credit to Ballentine on the photo.

Ballentine realized that the lessons weren’t enough to pay rent. Even though he bought a lease for 11 years, Ballentine began to rethink his decision to buy it. “It occurred to me that if I could make it a music school and hire

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Eastside Music has a wide variety of instruments to choose from that consist of piano, drum, guitar, bass, woodwind and brass instruments. With this large range of instruments, a lot of inspiring musicians have a place to begin. They also allow you to choose the music you learn. For example, if you want to learn Jazz, you can learn Jazz, if you want to learn

Austin Music Festival, Credit to Nick Simonite for the Photo.

Country, that’s on the table too. With such a wide range of music and staff, you can find the teacher that you think is right for you. “...Being a community music school [means] trying to meet people at their level,” Ballentine said. Other music schools exist in Austin, such as the Austin School of Music. It’s executive director, Jasmine Jew, is a bassist who has been working at Austin Music for six years. She loves her job, getting people excited about music. Helping them progress is one of her favorite parts of working there. Jew is responsible for checking emails. She’s also making sure that all of the students feel heard and informed about anything coming up, new events, and payment issues. “We have a pretty dedicated office staff and all of us are musicians as well, so we know we have a good idea of how to make sure

the student teacher match-ups go well so that it’s productive for the student and the teacher as well,” Jew said. Austin Music School also has a wide variety of instruments to offer. Students can choose between string instruments, but they also have a wide choice between woodwinds, percussion, brass, and how to sing. Austin

Jasmine Jew, credit to Robert Jenkins for the photo.

School of Music is one of the good choices to go to if you are new to music and looking to get into music, or even if you’re professional just looking for ways to improve your skill.

so they aren’t affected by school district restrictions, which allows students and teachers to be much more diverse with what is being learned, and who is allowed to learn. “We’re an independent business, so we kind of set our own curriculum and give us the freedom to offer a bunch of different styles,” Jew said. If you want to learn a much more classical focus on music, then you should go to Orpheus Academy of Music. Orpheus believes in their teaching philosophy of encouraging students to discover their own passion. Orpheus Academy is committed to helping our students succeed. “Our goal is to give students such an amazing experience that they just can’t wait to play their instrument,” Klondike Steadman, the owner of Orpheus Academy said.

Orpheus Academy of Music was co-founded by Steadman and his wife, Wendy Kuo. Together, If you’re interested in what kinds they have built one of the most of music they teach, their music successful music programs selection is no smaller than their for kids in the country. The instrument selection. Orpheus Academy website, orpheusacademy.com, says that “We had somebody doing keytar Klondike believes that, with lessons for a little while and a the right guidance, achieving variety of woodwind and brass musical excellence can be fun instruction as well,” Jew said. and rewarding for everyone. His achievements as a teacher The best part is that both Eastside and performer in the music field Music and Austin School of Music have made him a highly sought are both independent businesses, after instructure in the Austin

area. Orpheus may not offer many instruments, but they’re good at what they do offer. They offer instruments such as piano, guitar, violin and viola. They also teach you how to vocalize and get a better understanding of singing. Orpheus has a very well chosen cast that can help you with your musical needs. Orpheus’s faculty is hand chosen and highly qualified under their rigorous standards. They pride themselves on hiring the best and the brightest and require advanced education and degrees. The Orpheus website says that the teachers all pass a teaching background check (including trial lessons in front of current faculty prior to interviewing for the position) as well as a criminal background check. Orpheus does offer a few kinds of music. They offer rock and blues to country and classical on guitar, classical to pop music on piano, and the songs that you love, they’ll teach you how to sing. Austin is a big city that allows one to indulge in the learning of music. It’s one of Austin’s most well known features, having a whole festival about it and all. Attending one of the many music schools of Austin is one of the best ways to spread your gift and allow it to bloom into the spirit of music.

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Austin School of Music Orpheus

Eastside Music

= amount of instruments =amount of kinds of music

By Reed Winkelmann

Austin Music

Austin’s Greatest Music

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Jasmine Jew

Jasmine started playing recently in 2013, shes the Director of Operations at Austin School of Music. She enjoys her job, as it allows her to share her love of music. She’s been working at Austin School of music for 3 years and 9 months, originally as receptionist until 2 years and two months ago, when she became Director of Operations at the school. She plays in a doom band called “Tarantula Mountain”. She’s been said to be the founder of the band.

Dr. Steadman is a pioneering guitarist, entrepreneur and author, as well as the Executive director of Orpheus Academy. He has taught at the University of Texas, Butler School of Music, served on a faculty of South Western University, and the Classical minds guitar festival. As the owner with his wife, Wendy ` He has built one of the most Successful music programs for kids in the country. His work using the Kodaly approach in private lessons has led to the creation of a method book, “Adventures through sound”.

Klondike Steadman

Alex founded East side music school in 2020. He has been playing music locally in Austin for almost 20 years. He preformed his first gigantic continental club when he was a 13 year old guitarist and have been playing ever since. He’s a music teacher, a private instructor, and a camp director. He’s also a music composer, writing a film and TV at Eastside music. He earned his degree at University of Texas.

Alex Ballentine

KeepinG

auSTIN auSTIN

Music Weird By Abby Aardema

Learn about the voices that represent Austin’s music

hen you close your eyes, you can hear the screams of a crowd waiting for you to come onto the stage. The guitar in your hand is heavy and hard to hold, but it’s worth the burden. You smile as you take a deep breath in and out. This is your moment. This is your time to show the world who you are. Austin is home to many artists and music genres. Known as the live music capital of the world, there are a plethora of annual music festivals and resident artists that make it the city it is now. After a rough pandemic, artists are ready to share their stories, opinions and

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hardships, hoping to make a difference in the world.

Keep Music Weird Austin is known for its diverse culture and, more specifically, its music that keeps the “weirdness” of the city. Kori Roy, an Austin rapper originally from Houston has always seen music as a place that only fits one stereotype. In Austin, this stereotype no longer exists. “It’s one big melting pot,” Roy said.“You never know what you’re going to get. Austin bands don’t stick to ‘We’re just doing a country-themed thing

or a rap-themed thing.’ You get everything.” Nico Sanchez, the band leader for Colombian group Superfonicos, shared how this diversity is important in the fight for freedom and equality. “You hear different people’s perspectives and different stories being told, not just in the music scene,” Sanchez said. “In a fruitful community, having many different voices at the table is how we move forward into this century.”

Keep Rap Weird Roy, also known as Mama Duke to her fans, found her passion for music at a young age, specifically, during high school.

Mama Duke pictured to be playing at Cheer Up Charlies. Credit Day Dreamer App.

“It was pretty normal for people to beat on the doors with pencils and bottle caps, and just make music and freestyle,” Roy said. “One day I joined in, and everybody loved it so much. I think that’s where the itch started.” As Roy built her career, she grew bigger and bigger, winning two Austin hip-hop music awards and getting nominated for an Austin Music Award. Although, to her, those weren’t the brightest moments of her career. Roy found that the shows she has played have been a highlight, especially her recent show in Paris. “So many cool things are happening right now in my

life,” Roy said. “It’s really cool to not know

“I want people to know that we all possess a power, regardless if you think you do.” Kori Roy

what to name.” But not every career is sunshine and rainbows. Musicians face many challenges, Roy especially.

Big Bill playing at Swan Dive. Eric Braden pictured singing. Credit Bryan Parker.

As a black, LGBTQ woman, she has faced discrimination throughout her career. “For me to walk in with my wife was a big challenge, because guys try to test you, they automatically don’t think you’re good,” Roy said. “You have to prove yourself. At the beginning of my career, it was really hard to be taken seriously as a female rapper.” Throughout her life, whether it be in her career or not, she has used these traits

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make my own.” To him, these performances are the highlights of his music career, leaving a lasting impact on him. “Knowing it’s not just your friends, but random people Big Bill posing in “weird” costumes that show the keeping it weird motto. Eric Braden is seen coming out,” Braden in the top right. Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III said. “Just those shows, those really big pack shows, with people to promote a message of crowd surfing and doing fun knowing your worth. stuff. It’s the highlight.” “I want people to know that we all possess power, regardless if Braden struggles to find a you think you have power,” Roy balance between his exciting music career and his day-tosaid. “I hope somebody listens to my music and is like, ‘Damn, day job as a biology teacher. that’s power.’” “Teaching does take up a lot of my time except for summer,” Keep Punk Weird Braden said. “I think it’s important to get into music Eric Braden is one of the every day, whether it’s thinking founding members and of a lyric and writing it down vocalists of the punk band or picking up the guitar and Big Bill along with Cody just strumming it for half an Braden, Andy Lauer and Alex hour. It’s kind of like a hobby Riegelman. Braden is also a that takes up most of my free teacher at Eastside Memorial time.” High School in Austin, Texas. To him, music was the desire to be like the other bands he saw and listened to be able to perform for strangers. “I always listened to music,” Braden said. “But I think seeing other bands on a stage was what inspired me to want to

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Braden’s band has always inspired people to be their best selves and be unique, no matter what is going on in their world. “We want to promote a message of staying in touch with your inner child, and your

inner creative drive, in a world that makes it difficult to do that,” Braden said.

Keep International Music Weird Sanchez is a vital part of the international music scene in Austin. Sanchez and six other people make up the Colombian band Superfonicos. To them, Colombian music is not just their job, but their identity. “Through music, I felt that connection back to Colombia, in not being able to be there physically, it helped me get there spiritually,” Sanchez said. “I started realizing that is such an important part of my identity. I always grew up not really feeling fully Colombian, but also not feeling fully American.” Since Sanchez’s family was Colombian, he grew up with Colombian music all around him. Because of this atmosphere, he learned a lot of instruments throughout his childhood. This music stuck with him and became his passion. “I started playing piano and guitar and percussion, all trying to learn more,” Sanchez said. “I haven’t turned back since then.” Sanchez has also been lucky in the music industry. He has been able to check off his bucket list items one by one.

“Always had wanted to play ACL fest, always wanted to do a big New Year’s Eve show downtown,” Sanchez said. “Within Superfonicos, we’ve started checking some of those things off. We’re playing ACL fest for the second time in a couple of weeks. A few years back we did the big New Year’s Eve celebration downtown. There’s all these checkboxes that are getting checked so you have to start dreaming a little bit bigger and bigger.”

Sanchez said. But for him, there are still trials that he has to face as an artist and a band. COVID-19 has left many artists lost, including him. “The pandemic would be one of the biggest hurdles that got in front of us within the last two years, we had quite a lot of momentum going and then everything ground to a halt,” Sanchez said. “We take a little

Superfonicos is pictured to be wearing traditional Colombian attire and makeup. Credit Black Fret

portray is a little reality into what’s going on these days, but also do it with a very dance-able, fun kind of music that not only pays homage to our ancestors, but also incorporates a lot of modern ideas and ethics,” Sanchez said. “Somewhere in between, there are Superfonicos.”

Keep the Future Weird The future for these artists is coming soon with album releases, tours and more that continue to add to the accomplishments of their career. Superfonicos playing at the 27th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. Photo Credit Superfonicos.

Sanchez has a very positive attitude towards his career. Although he has faced many challenges as an artist, he feels fortunate enough to be on a stage and play music. “I’m doing what I love to do, and I know there’s a lot of people that can’t say the same,”

bit of solace in knowing that everybody was in the same boat, nobody was immune to that.” Superfonicos tries to take the purpose of the music in hard times. They have a message in every song whether it be about carrying on in life or a message of love. “What we’re trying to

Roy is aspiring to make more diverse music with many different genres. Instead of just sticking to her hip-hop genre, she is hoping to learn other genres like country or more. Sanchez and his band, Superfonicos, have a new single called Catoliona coming out soon. The title of the song means carry on. The hope of the song is to inspire those to stop wasting time on themselves and instead pay attention to the world around

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HOW DO THEY WORK?

Exploring the intriguing anatomy of a microphone By Gavin Culver

Microphones behave in very strange ways. We can take a closer look when they are laid out for us to see, though, which is exactly what this diagram shows. Did you know microphones convert sound energy to electrical energy to transport the sound?

The diaphrag all of the sou vibrations, wh an electrical s

The windscreen of a microphone protects all the inside components from harmful outside variables such as the blowing air of your voice. The capsule of a microphone is attached to the diaphragm. This is the area where the sound signal is transformed into an electrical signal.

The stand of a microphone is like the foundation of a house; even with all of the inside components, the stand is what holds everything up. The only difference is that you need a foundation for a house whereas you don’t need a stand for a microphone.

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Additional Piece: the

POP FILTER Pop filters can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but their main job is to catch large amounts of moving air before it hits the windscreen and disrupts the sound.

gm of a microphone catches und coming in through hich will later be turned into signal.

The body of a microphone holds all of the inner components as well as providing a space to hold the electrical signal before it gets transported out. The cord that comes out of the microphone, or the output, is one of the most important parts of the microphone. Commonly used as an XLR connector.

SIDE GEAR DYNAMIC MICROPHONES

Dynamic Microphones are specific types of microphones made for better variety usage. Their ability to capture sound in many different ways is what sets them apart from other microphones. The coil and the magnetic core are both part of dynamic microphones that assist in the diverse transfer of electrical energy in microphones.

SOURCES Photos and art provided by: flyclipart.com (lightning) illustoon.com (microphone) Information provided by: micspeech.com (parts of a microphone) gear4music.com (microphone stand)

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COVID’S MUSICAL FOOTPRINT By Gavin Culver

ou haven’t been outside in weeks, the money you saved up almost gone. You go through another day without the phone ringing, the flame inside you fading. Your soul has been iced over. Yet you need to keep going, because that’s what hustlers do. Welcome to live music living in Austin. No paycheck to lean on, yet fueled by passion. COVID’s reach has expanded past what any of us could have predicted since the beginning. It has shut us indoors, we’re missing going outside, doing things. The people that suffered the most, though, are the ones whose jobs depended on people going out and doing things. One of those jobs is being a live musician, especially here in Austin. Historic venues are going out of business, and

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Austin’s history is changing. Jesse Dayton, a country musician that has toured the world and performed hundreds, if not thousands, of live shows, had his own take on this disaster. “I had been playing around 200 shows a year, all over the world,” Dayton said “During COVID, we canceled Australia, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, all these places.” Dayton went on to explain that, although there was the downfall of having a lack of jobs, there’s also the benefit of having a “pause.” A time where people could recoup, a time where people could take a break from the busyness of life.

“It’s actually changed my life, because I’m never going to go back to touring as much as I used to,” Dayton said. “I went and I made two records.” Dayton’s opinion on COVID varies, though, as he goes on to talk about how COVID could drastically change Austin’s culture. “I’ve been out there, and these clubs are hurting,” Dayton said “If they can’t get more people in, they’re going to close, we’re going to lose

Live Event for Joe Jaworski, who’s running for Attorney General | Photograph by Ben Porter

legendary venues, [Austin] will never be the same again.” Dayton explains that COVID could help us if we take it seriously, how it could provide a larger sense of stability, but in all other regards, it will harm Austin and its culture. “Keep Austin Weird” won’t be a thing anymore. Austin will lose its flare, and it’s going to have to build itself back up from its roots. “It’s not going to go away,” Dayton said. “Listen, the genie’s out of the bottle. Pandora’s box is open. This is the new new. We have to take it seriously. I want to be positive. I am a glass-half-full

guy. I’m not a negative guy. I always am rooting for the underdog and for the good

“Pandora’s box is open. This is the new new.” Jesse Dayton

aspects of ideas to win, but I’m pretty nervous about this.” Rebecca Reynolds, president of MVAA (Music Venue Alliance Austin), has a great perspective over the grander

areas of Austin’s live music scene; seeing it all, she has an accurate say on what the future of Austin might look like with COVID. “I grew up in Austin, went to LBJ (high school), and was raised in this culture and saw Austin grow from a smaller college town to the much bigger metropolitan town than it is today,” Reynolds said. “When I decided to go to law school and work in the music industry, I think what I was able to do is bring a sense of history and what it means to be from Austin and how much our music

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Live Event for Joe Jaworski, who’s running for Attorney General | Photograph by Ben Porter

because of the cost of real estate and how quickly that happened,” Reynolds said, talking about the struggles of current music venues “It’s tough for everyone. It’s tough [to get] affordable housing. It’s

community means to us.” Reynolds’ grasp on the culture that Austin holds gives her a view of what COVID’s consequences could be. She talks about how businesses are Pianist David Thacker at Live Event | Photo by Ben Porter being shut down and how it’s even more difficult for COVID than what meets the music venues now due to the eye. nature of their culture. There’s much more difficulty running “We were already seeing a musical business during live music in Austin struggle

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“COVID gave me time to pause and think about what I really wanted from my life.” Mary Bryce

tough for small businesses in general. But for live music, it’s impossible to raise the cost of your product at the same rate that your overhead was

increasing with the cost of real estate.” She goes on to talk about how COVID’s direct impact on music venues caused them to shut down first and how they didn’t even need to have finances as an issue to still have troubles. The standards of the industry go against the principles of staying safe during a pandemic. “When COVID happened, obviously it was our businesses that shut down first, the nature of what we do is mass gathering,” Reynolds said. “There was no way for us to adapt and continue to deliver what we deliver because there’s no way to do a curbside live music event.” Mary Bryce, a musician performing for the band SMiiLE, has a much more positive outlook on COVID’s effects. Looking at the bright side, there’s more to bring to the table.

completely stopped. To be honest, COVID allowed me to rest for the first time in years,” Bryce said when asked about how COVID had an effect on their life. COVID really gave Bryce time to think, time to reformat her life and have a fresh start. It gave her a period of time without responsibilities, which could be looked at both ways. It broke down the walls that were previously in front of her. It built up bridges she never knew could exist. “I think creativity requires a certain level of quiet time or time spent alone,” Bryce said, talking about how her inspiration levels were

be with myself and figure out what it is that I have to share that might have value for someone else.” COVID has still had lasting impacts on Bryce, like with anyone else. The psychological impact of being at home for that long really will have a big impact on anyone, bringing fear for returning to the old normal, especially when coupled with safety risks. “Generally, at the height of COVID, I didn’t go anywhere or see anything, it just didn’t feel right,” Bryce said “Now that we’re in what The New York Times called ‘The COVID Era,’ I have been going to shows, but not with the same regularity I did before. Though I love the idea of virtual concerts and have done a few myself, generally speaking, I think they don’t compare with the real thing, both for performer and audience.” Even with this perspective, it’s worth noting that nothing simulated will ever be close to the real thing when it comes to live music.

Drummer Joe Jaworski at Live Event | Photo by Ben Porter

“Like many people, COVID gave me time to pause and think about what I really wanted from my life. I lost my job, and all live shows (which had been a huge component of my day-to-day)

changed during COVID. “In order to make something that comes from an emotional or intellectual place, for me, I need time to simply

Bryce’s positive outlook is a rare one, with the comforts of old society having been replaced with the abnormalities of the world’s current events. COVID’s footprint will leave a lasting impact, one that we can either learn or suffer from. There’s very little that has remained the same, and the culture of Austin will be forever changed.

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HEROES MUSIC SCENE What it’s like keeping the Live Music Capital of the World alive. By Lorelei Dapper As you step outside the sweaty room, the blinding lights fade away and the moonlight clouds your vision in its place. Worn out and exhausted, you drop your guitar onto the cement and nonchalantly toss the plastic pick onto the ground. Your back hits the brick wall and you slide down, the rough surface scraping against your already rugged clothing. Music still flows throughout your ears and you reach into your pocket to find that you have enough money for one more meal. For decades, Austin has been known for its live music and culture. Historically, there has been no support for emerging musicians. With the popularity of Austin’s music scene increasing, more support for these musicians is needed. Many small artists don’t have the funding to support themselves, and if needed, their families. This is where support organizations such as Black Fret, HAAM, and The Sims Foundation come in handy.

struggling to make a living creating music. This inspired Kendrick and Ott to create a support organization that distributes funding to local Austin musicians. “In our mission to support the music community, we want to support both emerging artists and career artists in town,” Kendrick said. When first starting out in the music

Colin Kendrick is the founder and CEO of Black Fret. When he and co-founder Matt Ott were around 14 years old, they noticed some of their musician friends were Black Fret artist playing the electric guitar. Image Credit: Nicola Gell Photography

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of the austin

industry, it can be difficult to even build a fanbase of 50 to 100 individuals. Black Fret works to try and keep the focus in Austin on smaller, emerging artists in order to help them gain the support they need to continue doing what they love. Some musicians don’t only struggle with maintaining a fanbase. A numerous number of musicians find it difficult to maintain their mental and physical health. Familial issues, medical conditions, and relationships also have a longlasting impact on people. “It doesn’t take long if you spend any time with musicians, you pretty quickly realize how hard it is to make a living creating music,” Kendrick said. A great deal of musicians, especially those in Austin, struggle to maintain their physical and mental health, as well as being unable to support themselves financially. In the music industry, many artists are exposed to drugs and alcohol, which can eventually lead to addiction, increased financial struggles, and health issues. Rikki Hardy is in charge of communications and marketing at The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM). She manages corporate partnerships and fundraising for HAAM and has been connected with them since 2009. “I feel

very protective of the community that we serve, and also very loyal to the cause. At the end of the day, for me, working at HAAM is about [the] self-satisfaction of feeling like I’m not just another peg in a wheel somewhere,” Hardy said. HAAM focuses on ensuring that Austin musicians have affordable access to healthcare. HAAM provides health insurance to lowincome musicians and sets them up with various physicians. They provide almost any medical care service needed.

“It doesn’t take long if you spend any time with musicians, you pretty quickly realize how hard it is to make a living creating music” “In Austin in particular, our whole identity is based around music, and there’s a huge economic driver in the music industry,” Hardy said. “For us, we have to keep Austin affordable for musicians to stay, and we need to keep reasons for musicians to stay in Austin.” If healthcare for musicians becomes unaffordable, local musicians will leave Austin,

and the history of being the Live Music Capital of the World will dissipate. We need musicians living in Austin in order to maintain the title that we currently have. This is

why there is tons of support from the Austin community towards these types of organizations. Even during the heat of the pandemic, Austinites were keen on giving back to the community. “Last year, we actually had a very positive year. I think that people were feeling really helpless, and giving money made them feel connected to supporting causes they cared about,” Hardy said. “Our community was super generous last year and we beat our fundraising goals.” Especially during the pandemic, musicians have struggled with maintaining their mental health. Betsey Boone works for the Sims Foundation, which focuses on providing musicians with mental health and substance use recovery services. Boone is the Director of Development and Marketing. Similar to Hardy, she handles the fundraising and corporate partnerships, as well as interviews musicians and tells their stories. “One thing to make clear is that we’re very different from other organizations,” Boone said. “We don’t just work with musicians like Black Fret and HAAM do, we actually work with anyone in the music industry.” The Sims Foundation

was founded when a musician named Sims Elison committed suicide. When this happened, his family members and friends wanted to ensure no musicians ever went through the same mental struggles. Instead of only ensuring musicians have access to this care, Sims Foundation grants mental health care to family members of musicians and anyone else working in the music industry. “Mental health care isn’t typically seen as a basic need, even though it should be seen as a basic need,” Boone said.

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up through the roof,” Kendrick said. “I think the attractiveness of the Arts culture [and] the music community is part of what has attracted people to those cities, and the result is the musicians are being priced out.” Larger musicians are receiving the majority of the money from Austin tourists because these people are visiting for live music, and they are looking to see already established artists rather than emerging artists. On the other hand, there are many locals that wish to help these musicians. That’s where the volunteers and donors come in to help these organizations. Kendrick, Hardy and Boone said that they are heavily reliant on donations. In order for any non-profit organization to stay in business, they require lots of support from the Austin community. However, with COVID appearing, these organizations began to worry about the financial burden they would soon be facing. “Financially, it’s been very devastating to the music industry, but emotionally, we’re really in a mental health crisis internationally,” Boone said. “Everyone in the world has suffered emotionally, somehow, with this pandemic, whether they realize it or not.”

Musicians in Austin that don’t

receive any of this healthcare

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will most likely either leave the music industry or simply move to another city. Hardy mentioned that HAAM and other support organizations have already seen this type of thing happening. This is one of the main reasons why these organizations are so important to keep the music industry in Austin active. “What’s happening is the cost of living in these cities is going

Boone said that even though this is affecting us all mentally, the industry has found creative alternatives to showcasing music. Many musicians began hosting virtual events and some channeled their creativity through visual art. To keep their creativity alive, they would learn skills like pottery or painting. Although these organizations were struggling financially during COVID-19, the pandemic allowed them to think more creatively and really focus on problem-solving. The Austin community has developed more support for musicians throughout the pandemic and has resulted in musicians gaining the motivation to continue making music. “We had the most impact we’ve ever had last year. We distributed threequarters of a million dollars directly to musicians last year,” Kendrick said.

Although Black Fret had more impact last year, their membership revenue declined because they were not able to put on any concerts or shows during the pandemic. Kendrick says that they have managed to stay financially stable because of the government support that has been received.

Kendrick, Boone and Hardy all have found something they’re passionate about. The idea of helping someone in need while also being able to stay connected to music is something that inspires them to this day. “It is just the most rewarding feeling in the world to know

that you’re absolutely making a difference,” Boone said. Every year, these organizations host various different events in order to raise the money that goes into supporting Austin musicians. You can find the information and details of said events on each organization’s websites.

Black Fret artist Jamiee Harris playing guitar and singing. Photo Credit: Nicola Gell Photography

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aUSTIN MUSIC VENUES

Take a look at what the Live Music Capital of the World has to offer. By Lorelei Dapper

ANTONE’S NIGHTCLUB was established in 1975 by Clifford Antone and is known for being “Austin’s Home of the Blues.”

ZILKER PARK is considered Austin’s most-loved park, and is home to the infamous Austin City Limits Music Festival

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Since the CACTUS CAFE opened in 1979, it has a quired a national reputation. It is located at the University of Texas and is part of the historic Texas Union.

STUBB’S BBQ has cold beer, authentic Texas Bar-B-Q, and live music, as well hav a renowned gospel brunch that takes place on Sundays.

Formerly known as The Back Room, EMO’S first began as a Housston punk club. It has a capacity of 1700 people.

ACL live at the MOODY THEATER is a large capacity live music venue. ACL is the longest running music series in American history.

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aCl

THROUGH THE YEARS

Learn all about how the famous music festival and show came to be!

1974

1984

By: Abby Aardema

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1974

1975

In Oct. of !974, the pilot to ACL is filmed in Austin,Texas. It starred Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson and Bill Arhos pitch the show to PBS as part of the 1975 pledge drive.

The first ACL Festival takes place in 2002. There were 42,000 people altogether and was 2 days. Most bands were local. The festival was inspired by the show Austin City Limits.

The Austin Council votes to make ACL a 2 weekend event. In 2013, the first 2 weekend ACL takes place. Artists like Depeche Mode, The Cure and Kings of Leon headlined the event.

2013

2003 The national medal of arts was awarded to “Austin City Limits” in 2003, Evan Andrew Smith accepted on behalf.

2013

1994

2004

2002

2011 ACL moves to Moody theater from the University of Texas. The show is then rebranded to “ACL Live.” The logo can be pictured on the left.

Information Provided by Austin City Limits, Wikipedia, and Garret Brinker Photos Courtesy of Rent Cafe, The Prospector and Nellis Air Force Base

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NAME THAT AUSTIN ARTIST

Austin’s music, in words.

By Gavin Culver

B C A G H T A S V B Q J K I Z S X

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Y O P G Q F H R A O N V Q Q G U A

G B H A I O P L A B B H G S F P B

U I O R Q S F H M S M N U U Q E G

H J Y Y A V D F R C Y Y H A F R B

T Q G C Y Y U J M H B A W A A F R

Y U Q L T M A S F N N U I S Q O X

H J M A M A D U K E H J H P S N G

Q U I R P S F H B I G B I L L I W

Q T B K I O O P S D K V B G T C I

M J D J A Z X V F E I O S P O O N

G J U R S F G T Y R J M M Q C S R

T Y U Z D F I G T M J A X C A B C

Q B H J U I R N Q Z S D R Y P K M

N S Q V B A H J K I O J Q V W Z X

F G H K V I O O N Q S C B G J I K

P K M E I K N G Q G C A D F B H J

I Q S I V H D S A K F R B N F H K

M D A S V B L A C K P U M A S N H

WORD BANK: 1. Gary Clark Jr. 2. Black Pumas 3. Mama Duke 4. Big Bill

5. Superfonicos 6. Bob Schneider 7. Shakey Graves 8. Spoon

DID YOU KNOW? Austin’s title as the “Live Music Capital of the World” comes from having more music venues per capita than any other city in the world. This was declared three decades ago, and it’s unknown how well this fact holds true today.

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“WHERE WORDS FAIL MUSIC SPEAKS” HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON

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