Let’s talk about it.
Leadership Enrichment Arts Program (LEAP), an award-winning non-profit organization which works on behalf of predominately minority middle and high school students, is celebrating 20 years of outreach to Austin area youth. Join LEAP on Friday, Jan. 8 for a benefit dinner and silent auction at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (6121 North IH-35) from 6-9 p.m. The evening features keynote speaker Jonathan Sprinkles with guests of honor Ada Anderson, founder of LEAP, Dr. Kevin M. Foster, and Kim Stewart. LEAP was established in 1989 as an outreach arm of the Austin Lyric Opera to provide African-American students an immersion experience in the opera. Today, it is a motivating force for underserved youth, assuring them that achievement is a viable option. For tickets go to leapaustin.org. or call 512.922.1882 Explore the Austin Climate Protection Conference on Friday/Saturday, Jan.15-16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Palmer Events Center (900 Barton Spring Rd.). Free admission. The two-day event features presentations by national and regional experts, interactive displays and discussions on the latest on climate problems and solutions. AltCar and AltBuild expos will showcase the most innovative and sustainable solutions in the transportation and green building industries, and include a ride and drive area showcasing the latest in environmentally friendly vehicles. The second annual expo will also find Austin Energy launching their new carbon calculator, energy efficiency programs, Texas Gas Service programs, renewable energy, green building products, water conservation products, urban planning, mass transportation, and more. For more info or to register for the conference, visit AustinClimateExpo.com. In 1980s Austin’s nightlife, social behavior wasn’t as it is today. People didn’t quite share the live-and-let-live philosophy that’s prevalent nowadays and often crudely defended their cultural territory, despite all of those stories you might’ve heard about cosmic harmony. Into the void stepped a dance club scene where gays and straights, blacks, browns and whites, alt-rockers and frat boys cohabitated. At the center of the universe was one Roger Wilson, DJ deluxe of Planet 9 notoriety. Wilson is back at the turntable with “Return to Planet 9” at Elysium (505 Red River) Friday, Jan. 15, spinning early 80s new wave fantasy and darkwave. As the promotional materials state, “No words can explain the connection or the power of the Planet that Never Stops.” Austin has long been known as one of the best cities in the U.S. for Hispanics, and much of that reputation can be attributed to the work of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Their Annual Members Meeting comes around on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (6121 North IH-35). Established in 1973, GAHCC’s primary goal is to continue the advancement and progression of a strong and stable economic culture for Hispanic businesses. There are over 14,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in the Austin area today (Austin’s annual Hispanic purchasing power is $7.9 billion) and GAHCC’s active membership includes a broad array of organizations, corporations, small businesses, non-profit and governmental agencies. Go to gahcc.org for more info. Celebrate the opening of the new Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts (1110 Guadalupe St) on Friday, Jan. 22 from 5-9 p.m. The benefit for the downtown school will showcase student performances and feature Austin’s wildly popular rockers Fastball. ASPVA has designed academic and artistic programs for the next generation of Austin artists. The school will provide an environment which promotes academic success, expose students to a variety of artistic endeavors, and challenge students to continue to develop and perfect their unique talents. Its faculty include some of the city’s most passionate, inspiring creative artists in music, voice, dance, theatre and visual arts. The private school promises an integrated and differentiated curriculum allowing students the opportunity to pursue their individual artistic passion. For more, see theaustinschool.org or call 512.773.3398 Beginning Jan. 13, visitors to Austin Children’s Museum (201 Colorado St.) will have the chance to hear inspiring, real-life stories of dreams come true in the new Sueños realizados (dreams come true) bilingual Storytime program. The six-week program, delivered in both English and Spanish, combines festive songs, activities and inspiring stories from books written and illustrated by acclaimed artist Carmen Lomas Garza. “The families that take part in Sueños realizados Storytime will come away with a model for storytelling in their own home, a greater understanding of Mexican-American culture and inspiration for children to follow their dreams,” said Cybil Guess, ACM’s Education Manager. Storytime is on Wednesdays 6-6:30 p.m., excluding 1/27 & 2/10 (these are on Community Night; admission by donation), and Sundays 3-3:30 p.m. & 4-4:30 p.m. (the latter during ACM’s free hour) and is included with museum admission. For more, go to austinkids.org or call 512.472.2499. Local visual arts treasure Cecilia Ling’s new photo exhibition “My Secret Garden-The Misty Water” runs from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 at 360 Gallery of Austin (6720 Capital of Texas Highway). Free admission. Ling’s photography and calligraphy have been featured in several solo exhibitions throughout the area. Her new exhibition focuses on precious moments in the water gardens of Austin, China and France. Artist receptions are scheduled Jan. 3 and Feb. 14, 12-3 p.m. 360 Gallery of Austin is a non-profit fine art gallery located in the magnificent Hsiang Yun Temple facing Bull Creek Park. The gallery is open 6 days a week, Tue.-Sun. from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. with free parking. 360galleryofaustin.org, 512.346.6789
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2010 Promises More Change for Eastside By Katie Walsh
2010 could be a transformative year for the future of East Austin, but only if the range of passionate people who make up its longstanding community come together and create a unified plan. This plan must be organic; created from within and representative of all the various cultural niches that make the community fabric so unique. And most importantly, it must aim to maintain, promote and respect East Austin’s culture and history in the face of the changes that gentrification brings. The reality of East Austin’s gritty past is not part of the city’s general consciousness. That is to say, most Austinites don’t know how the segregation and desegregation of the area impacted what it looks and feels like today. Even those who do, as Alberta Phillips recently pointed out in an Austin AmericanStatesman commentary piece, don’t always get the story right. How many of the folks who pass by John Yancey’s narrative mosaic “Rhapsody on East 11th” see the work for its homage to the area’s heritage and not just a nice-looking piece of public art? How many of East Austin’s new incoming residents understand the implications of their arrival or feel compelled to mitigate the displacement of their struggling neighbors? There exists within and without the diverse neighborhoods of East Austin a network of current and former residents, activists, business owners and patrons, representatives and allies who know and cherish its history. But in order to move forward in any constructive, impactful way, it’s vital to open up that history for all to see. The facts of East Austin’s past must be permanently and accurately woven into Austin’s historical narrative—written and oral— before the whole of the city will honor East Austin for the cultural gem it is. It’s time to tear down the walls of ignorance and misguided perception that have restricted East Austin to being “that side” of the interstate in the minds of so many for so long. If the long-ignored and underappreciated community of East Austin is to itself become a leader in the revitalization of its stomping ground, it will be essential to educate our fellow Austinites about its roots and to implement focused, concerted community priorities. Only then will the interests and needs of the longstanding community be protected; only then will East Austin’s future respectfully transcend the misfortunes of its past. The “Negro District” established by Austin’s first comprehensive master plan in 1928 was enacted by systematically relocating and limiting all black public facilities and services (parks, schools, etc.) to the east side of IH-35 (then East Avenue). Mexicans were not addressed by the plan, but were often impacted by discriminatory practices like “red-lining” in banking and realty. Despite hazardous industrial zoning and infrastructural neglect, East Austin became an established hub of jazz and blues juke joints on the underground “Chitlin Circuit” by the 1950s. The booming cultural center concentrated along 6th, 11th and 12th Streets boasted two black colleges and more than 150 small, black-owned businesses. By this time, Our Lady of Guadalupe church moved to the east side and the Mexican barrio between 1st and 11th streets grew to 13,000 strong. But as an unexpected spin-off of The Civil Rights Act and legal desegregation in 1964, East Austin’s once-thriving music scene dissipated as black musicians “crossed over” to play higher-paying gigs west of East Avenue. Casualties included Charlie’s Playhouse, Showbar and many other juke joints; Victory Grill (still alive and kicking) survived.
Consider the 1990s: Rapid developmental and demographic changes mark the beginnings of gentrification in East Austin. Property values grow by as much as 300% (as compared to 132% in the remainder of the city). Affordability plummets as cost of living exceeds average income levels. The percentage of Travis County’s African-American population in East Austin drops from 41% in 1990 to just over 30% by 2000. 2000 to the present: Booming downtown development fuels gentrification with the added appeal of East Austin’s proximity. Swanky condos and wine bars abound. Culturally-conscious revitalization efforts save historic structures and recruit minority-owned businesses. If the precious resource of East Austin’s small, local, independent business community is to be protected and maintained, the time for change is within “the urgency of now,” to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is time for the East Austin community—its residents, activists, SLIB owners, SLIB patrons, representatives and allies to come together, from within and without its historic streets and diverse neighborhoods, and create a unified plan for and course for its future. If and when this is achieved, the path to equitable, compassionate revitalization, cultural preservation and a thriving Central East Austin community. East Austin holds a unique and valuable cultural history, one that will require increasingly proactive efforts to preserve. And if the long ignored and underappreciated community of Central East Austin is to become a leader in the revitalization of their neighborhood, a focused, concerted and unified effort to create and implement cultural and community priorities must be pursued by all. Only then will the existing interests and needs of the longstanding community be protected and addressed; only then will East Austin’s future rectify the misfortunes of its past.
Austin MLK Celebration The city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 2010 is comprised of five events in nine days this year, culminating in the MLK March, Rally & Community Festival on Monday, January 18. The Scholarship Awards, Oratory Competition, and Day of Service lead up to the Annual Keynote Event on Sunday, January 17. The schedule:
Detail from “Rhapsody on East 11th” mural
The Victory Grill still in operation
The singer-songwriter is a non-stop performer, generally running from one gig to another on any given night. He is also a teacher and very involved in the lives of his two children. Sexton is a music scene mainstay who has played countless benefits for myriad causes. He’s an artist who developed his craft by immersing himself in Austin’s musical diversity from his early teenage years. Always respectful of his colleagues and fans, he has a wide range of credits as a musician, producer and songwriter, from collaborations with Waylon Jennings, to psychedelic pioneer Roky Erikson and punk legend Johnny Thunders. Many of the sounds of his childhood still resonate in his current work. His website reports that he was recently at work on a new record of his own material, the soon-tobe-released “Move The Balance.” Unfortunately, Sexton must give up his normal activities and work on his recovery. A benefit concert will be held in Austin in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, please consider donating what you can to help with this cultural treasure’s living expenses at http:// willsexton.chipin.com. Also, please consider joining We Wanna Help Will Sexton on Facebook.
04 TODO Austin // January 2010 // TOdoaustinonline.com
The Keynote at the Long Center will feature Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, an American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner, and one of the nation’s most influential and renowned public intellectuals. Dyson, presently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, has been named one of the 150 most powerful African Americans by Ebony magazine. Not only has Dr. Dyson taught at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities – including Brown, Chapel Hill, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania – but his influence has carried far beyond the academy into prisons and bookstores, political conventions and union halls, and church sanctuaries and lecture stages across the world. The 16th annual MLK Community March kicks off at 9 a.m. with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus. In previous years, the MLK march has drawn up to 15,000 people. The post march Community Festival at HustonTillotson promises an uplifting program highlighting Austin’s diversity and multicultural strength.
We Wanna Help Will Sexton Last month, 39 year-old Austin musician and songwriter Will Sexton had a stroke. Sexton is expected to have a full recovery, but during the time of his medical treatment he will be losing his primary source of income: live performance.
• Jan 10: MLK Scholarship Program @ A.C.C. Eastview Campus (60 juniors & seniors have been nominated for 12 $1000 scholarships. • Jan 14: MLK Oratory Competition @ Carver Museum (5 elementary schools participating) • Jan 16: MLK Day of Service @ Huston-Tillotson University (in partnership with united Way Hands on Central Texas) • Jan 17: MLK Keynote Event at the Long Center, 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.) (with Michael Eric Dyson & The Fisk Jubilee Singers) • Jan 18: MLK March, Rally & Community Festival (9 a.m. MLK Statue @ UT, 10 a.m. State Capital, 11 a.m. @ HTU community festival until 3 p.m.)
16th Annual MLK March is January 18
TODO Austin Volume I, Number 007 Publisher/Editor Gavin Lance Garcia, Contact@todoaustinonline.com Art Director Dave McClinton www.dmdesigninc.com Associate Editor Erica Stall Wiggins Contributing Writers/Artists: Brandon Ramiro Badillo, Heather Banks, Deborah Alys Carter, Isabel Corona, Brandi Cowley, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Alexandra M. Landeros, Oliver Nicolas, Tom Palaima, Angel Quesada, Marion Sanchez, Blake Shanley, Maverick Shaw, Kristina Vallejo, Kuetzpalin Vasquez, Katie Walsh, Dean Windsor, Jill Winters Advertising sales@todoaustinonline. com/512.380.9021 TODO Austin is published by Spark Awakened Publishing. © 2009 Spark Awakened Publishing. All rights reserved. Unsolicited submissions (including, but not limited to articles, artwork, photographs) are not returned.
Help Will Sexton, an Austin Treasure
photo by todd wolfson
Submissions: Contact@todoaustinonline.com / 512.380.9021
By Angel Quesada
This is a story of freeing art for the people of Austin. Last November, fellow artist Lannea Brooks and I were taken into police custody for painting a botanical mural on a low bridge at 2828 Lyons Road in East Austin. We wanted to beautify our neighborhood and for approximately three months we worked undisturbed painting what I thought was a tasteful mural. Then our well-intentioned project hit a speed bump. On October 24th, police were apparently notified by a concerned neighbor that we were vandalizing public property. I later gathered that the resident (known by some longtime area residents to possess a rather sore disposition) was irked that we didn’t answer to their shouting as they drove past earlier. At various times of the day in our neighborhood, one has to deal with folks yelling from out of their cars for whatever reason, and I was a little worried that the person who did not identify them self, or even stop their car, was looking for trouble. As we continued painting a landscape of bright flowers, police arrived and apprehended us, charging us with a felony for graffiti. One perplexed officer at the scene called a supervisor and asked how to proceed. Three police vehicles with lights flashing and engines running for about an hour lit up the quiet neighborhood. After the officers finished a lengthy photo documentation of the mural, they charged us with a misdemeanor class A violation due to a miscalculation of length. I spent 18 hours in county jail before posting bail with a PR Bond while poor Lannea was moved to the Del Valle detention facility where she spent another four days in lock up. After her release, we were motivated to finish our work even though we faced the potential of more jail time and a steep fine. But first we set out to make things right by studying up on city policy. The mural had been left in a half-finished state, so hitting the streets in the surrounding area, we knocked on each resident’s door and collected over a hundred signatures in support of completing the project. Once citizens caught wind of the story and the arrest, chiefly due to a story in the Austin Chronicle, many were incensed and created another petition to help counter the charges. This petition was spread virally throughout Austin and other parts of Texas amassing another 900 names. The story continued to gain momentum via community advocates and journalists. I proceeded to City Hall to see what my options were before going to trial. I notified the office of Mayor Pro-Tem Mayor Mike Martinez and members of the Art in Public Places (AIPP) Office, personal contacts who I’d been acquainted with
through my work at Mexic-Arte Museum and the Mexican American Cultural Center Parks and Recreation Department. Martinez’s people offered to draw up plans to hold a benefit to help us defray some costs and allow us to create another mural in a prominent location on private property. In the middle of all of this, I had set about getting a lawyer, retrieving my vehicle out of the impound yard, and building my case. I applied for an official donation through AIPP, coordinating with several city agencies and an insurance company to facilitate proper permitting to complete the mural that caused all the commotion. The Right of Way Management Office (ROWMAN) required that I procure a surety bond of $5,000 dollars as well as possession of a $500,000 liability insurance policy to simply work on a public site. It was all rather convoluted.
liaison from the Arts Panel reconsidered her position. After checking out the mural herself, she stated that it was “very beautiful” and said that I had been punished enough. With the unanimous ruling in my favor, I felt a sense of relief. But the struggle was not over. I still had to get the permit in order, and after obtaining it, I went about the work of the mural. I showed up on cool December afternoons around 4:30 p.m. at Lyons Road and painted into the evening. About an hour into my work that first night, the police arrived. Apparently, a neighbor had complained and I had a good idea of who it was as I spied a man standing outside his home waiting to watch me get arrested. It was the same person who had originally called and the same officer who had arrested me in October
arrived on the scene. This time I presented him with a receipt for the permit and proceeded to tell him all that had occurred in the interim. He shook my hand, congratulated me, and told me that he would alert other officers so that I would not be disturbed again. I waved to the neighbor as he sheepishly returned into his home. I have come to truly understand the meaning of “community” through this ordeal and suppose that there is really no end to the conversation of what constitutes public art. I see this as a starting point for Austin’s citizens to help shape a beautiful future for our city, to be a part of what is happening with the city’s visual landscape. I encourage you to attend public city arts meetings, shape the conversation, listen to what is being said, and take action.
With the permit is well within sight, I planned for a week-long painting window in the month of December, provided that the application for donation of the mural was recommended by the AIPP panel as well as the Arts Commission. My first meeting before the panel was held on December 7. I pleaded with its members to accept my mural donation as a part of the “Cultural Heritage” collection, in essence, seeking permission to complete the work and offering to maintain it myself to relieve the burden of the limited AIPP maintenance resources and defray the cost from the city. The panel was split with some members wanting to make an example of me and set a precedent to “control the conversation”; after all, they are charged with being the body who decides who gets permission to do public art in Austin. Since I did not get their express permission to paint, a couple of the panel members brought up a point about the mural not being “community” enough and wanted more input before they would give their approval. Some even admitted to having painted an illegal mural in their past as well. Others held the perspective that I had been punished enough and just wanted to see the mural completed. Their opinion, being, that my experience and history of work was consistent with a “community-first” motivation. In the end, the discussion ended without agreement. No decision was made other than to shelve the matter entirely and reconvene in February. I next moved to send my case to the Arts Panel, a body that makes recommendations to the Arts Commission, and formally requested to Austin Cultural Arts Program Manager Vincent Kitch that I be put on their agenda. I went before the Arts Commission on December 21. Then, Public Works department intervened and gave their one time approval of the mural, after the TODO Austin // January 2010 // TOdoaustinonline.com 05
By TODO Staff
Basketball was invented in the winter of 1891 and adopted a year later by Smith College for women P.E. teacher Senda Berenson. She directed the first women’s collegiate basketball game ever played, albeit behind locked doors to prevent curious male eyes. All fans are welcome this month at the Erwin Center as coach Gail Goestenkors leads her amazing University of Texas Longhorns in six important contests. The schedule: Sat, Jan. 2 (11 a.m., AR-Pine Bluff), Tues. 1/5 (7 p.m., UT-Arlington), Sat. 1/9 (5 p.m., A&M), Wed. 1/20 (7 p.m., OSU), Sat. 1/23 (1 p.m. Iowa St), Sun. 1/31 (4 p.m., Baylor). Tickets range from $8-$16 and are available at the Erwin Center daily, texasboxoffice. com or at 512.477.6060 -///Nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Oprah Winfrey presents “The Color Purple” plays at Bass Concert Hall from Tues., Jan. 12 through Sun., Jan. 17. A soul-stirring musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prizewinning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, the landmark theatrical event is the unforgettable, inspiring story of Celie, a woman who finds the strength to triumph over tremendous odds to find joy in life and her true inner beauty. With a joyous Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, “The Color Purple” is about hope and the healing power of love. Tickets as low as $20 at texasperformingarts.org or 512.471.1444 -///The seventeenth season of the renowned
Hyde Park Theatre FronteraFest is upon us. The five-week, citywide, unjuried fringe festival features alternative, new and off-the-wall fringe theatre from Jan. 12-Feb. 13. The fest includes The Short Fringe at Hyde Park Theatre (featuring a bill of four or five plays no longer than 25 minutes each), The Long Fringe at the Salvage Vanguard Theater and the Blue Theatre, Jan. 18-31 (with productions running approximately 90 minutes each), Mi Casa Es Su Teatro on Sat., Feb. 6, at site-specific productions across town, curated by the DA! Theatre Collective, and B.Y.O.V. (Bring Your Own Venue) Jan. 21-24 at Eponymous Gardens. For more info see fronterafest.org or call 512.479.7530 -///- Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg’s electrifying performances have made her one of the leading violinists of our time and she will join conductor Peter Bay and the Austin Symphony Orchestra Fri., Jan. 15 and Sat., Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Long Center. Salerno-Sonnenberg, a rising, innovative presence on the recording scene, will be featured with organist Gerre Hancock on a program celebrating the hundredth anniversary of composer Samuel Barber’s birth. Bay has selected a variety of Barber’s best loved compositions, each remarkable in their drama and singing quality, including Violin Concerto, Op. 14 and Toccata Festiva. Tickets start at $19 at Austinsymphony.org and 512.476.6064 -///- For five decades, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernandez has presented
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dances in costumes that reflect the traditional culture of Mexico. Now on its golden anniversary tour featuring the “best of the best” from 50 years of performances, the ensemble makes a stop in Austin on Tues., Jan. 19, 8 p.m. at the Long Center. Hernández formed the dance troupe in 1952 and today it performs three times weekly at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. Ballet Folklórico’s dances reflect the diversity of Mexico’s various regions, music and folklore, dramatic events from Mexico’s history, and celebrate the tradition of indigenous Mesoamerican culture. Tickets start at $11.50 and are available at thelongcenter.org or 512.474.5664 -///- Austin Lyric Opera presents Emmanuel Chabrier’s opéra bouffe, “The Star,” later this month. In its initial run in 1877 Paris, the modest boulevard theatre orchestra was horrified at the difficulty of Chabrier’s score. But from the operetta’s first major revival in 1941, it has been performed with increasing frequency and further afield over recent years. The story follows the fates of a king and a peddler who are inextricably linked; the king’s astrologer reveals that the stars predict that both will die within 24 hours of each other. There’s no doubt that ALO’s star continues to shine on the strength of its innovative program selection. “The Star” plays Jan. 30 and Feb 3, 5, 7 at the Long Center. Tickets from $20 at austinlyricopera.org. 512.472.5992
The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a national organization with local chapters from coast to coast. The Austin chapter is a non-profit 501(c)(4) professional networking organization for the South Asian community, fostering professional development, cultural awareness, community service and political awareness. The organization also provides a networking forum and serves as a resource for career advancement as well as personal growth. NetIP Austin also offers leadership opportunities and avenues to give back to the larger Austin community. TODO Austin caught up with Austin Chapter President Sonia Kotecha to learn more.
to instill values and beliefs in us that sometimes conflicted with that of mainstream American culture and traditions. In other words, we have a set of common shared experiences that define us as adults and professionals. As a professional I have also moved around quite
Sonia Kotecha President, Austin Chapter of the Network of Indian Professionals By Erica Stall Wiggins
Can you tell me a bit about your background? I was born and raised in Manassas, Virginia, a suburb outside of Washington, DC. My parents migrated to the U.S in the early 1970s. My parents are referred to as ‘twice migrants,’ they were born and brought up in Uganda. In the early 1970s Uganda was under the dictatorship of Idi Amin who expunged all the Asians from Uganda and my parents’ family found refuge in London, England. Shortly thereafter, my parents immigrated to the U.S. I spent most of my childhood in Virginia and then my family moved to Austin, TX when I turned 16 years old as a result of a job transfer. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Texas. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin 1998 with a dual degree in Sociology Honors and African American Studies. I obtained my Masters in Social Work from the University of Houston in 2001. How did you get involved with NetIP? I was introduced to NetIP while I was an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. UT has a significant South Asian student population and I was involved with the Indian Student Association at the time. Being a part of the Indian Student Association allowed me to feel some pride in who I was as a South Asian for the first time. During my primary years, there was not a huge presence of South Asians at school, and I often wished I could hide my identity in order to fit in. It was not until college when I met other South Asians that I started to feel more comfortable in my skin. The Indian Student Association sponsored a few events with the local NetIP chapter. I was interested in becoming involved with NetIP as a way to stay connected to the community. As the first generation of South Asians born and raised in the U.S., many of us struggle in defining our place in a multiracial/multicultural society that has a history of racial division. Most of us also come from homes where our parents tried very hard
a bit in my twenties from Austin to Houston to Washington, DC. Each time I moved I could look up the local NetIP chapter as a means to meet new people and stay engaged with the community.
image we are trying to change as an organization. We feel that opportunities for social networking are important, but we want to offer a healthy balance. What work do you do professionally? I am currently employed with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Travis County and really enjoy the work I do for children and families. I’ve been in the field of child welfare for the past six years. My career in child welfare began in Washington, DC as a frontline Social Worker in their Child Protective Service system. Having worked in the child protective service system I am aware of all the gaps in care and services. At CASA I am able to serve in the role of an advocate in helping fill the gaps. What I absolutely love about CASA is that we recruit, screen and train a diverse base of volunteers from the community who become a voice for a child in the foster care system. These volunteers walk through the process hand-in-
hand with the child(ren) that they are appointed to. In the process they are exposed to the system and all the challenges that the children, parents and caseworkers face. As a result of their volunteer work, they become lifelong advocates for all children and families in need. Do you feel that Austin is a multi-cultural city? Austin has definitely come a long way since my family moved in the early 1990s. I know the South Asian community is ever growing. When we first moved, there were maybe two Indian restaurants and Indian grocers, now there are so many opening up everyday. I still think Austin has a way to go to be truly multicultural, but I do feel the city is starting to attract more diversity. I appreciate the amount of publicity a variety of cultural events receive in the local news media. For more information about the Network of Indian Professionals, please visit: www.netipaustin.org
What has been the best thing about working with NetIP? The best thing about working with NetIP has been organizing, engaging and empowering the community to give back to the larger society. Just recently we engaged around 30 people in a national day of service in memory of Mahatma Gandhi’s spirit of volunteerism. As an organization we are now committed to conducting monthly service projects. I also really enjoy the networking aspect. As president I’m always being contacted by individuals new to Austin, and I love learning about them and connecting them to others in our network with similar professional interests. The hardest part of working with NetIP is identifying a strong leadership team to sustain the organization in the future. All of us that serve on the board are volunteers and also busy professionals so it can be overwhelming at times to get things moving. What challenges do you feel NetIP faces? NetIP Austin has remained dormant since 2002. Other NetIP Chapters across North America have been able to sustain themselves more consistently but for some reason the Austin chapter does not have a history of sustainability. I believe the professional community is dynamic and as we become older and start settling down, getting married and having children, we need to ensure that there will be a leadership team to proceed us. We also need to ensure that are programming attracts all segments of the professional community. Historically NetIP has a reputation of attracting singles wanting to meet other singles and this is an
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Ethnic change and diversification continued to be a common theme in Austin in 2009. In the face of numerous ethnic conflicts, city residents had many opportunities to say something meaningful and go beyond personal comfort levels. The community, however, chose mostly to avoid doing anything substantial to resolve underlying problems.
Though Austin is enamored by the mistaken belief that we are a city built on tolerance, the city remains comfortable with its economic
Cultural Chaos at texas relays /// Years ago, the annual Texas Relays carnival filled DKR-Memorial Stadium with thousands of track and field fans, making it one of the largest meets in the nation. From its inception, the Relays were attended by a predominantly Anglo public--much like most every Longhorn sporting event today. The Relays grew more interracial when the event moved across the street in 1999 to Myers Stadium. The social transformation that happened next was without precedent in Austin history. African Americans all across Texas began making the Relays a vacation destination. Seemingly overnight, Anglo track fans drifted away as the cultural dynamic surrounding the track changed the environment. Sprint races took on a new luster while distance events waned. Hand in hand with the new age Relays, community events sprouted up across the city, from Sixth Street to Auditorium Shores. Somewhere, someone came up with the idea of calling it the “Black Mardi Gras.” African American youths sought further space for socializing and found it in centrally located Highland Mall. The shopping center became a Relays institution with its parking lot filled with hip hop music and strolling suitors congregating in large number; purportedly, there were a few rough house incidents. In April, 2009, Highland Mall
and cultural segregation. A short survey of issues in ethnic Austin in 2009 bears this out. The Eastside was ground zero for a city in transition. While some continued to view its neighborhoods as a no-man’s land of police sirens, shacks and neglected children, others saw progress--i.e. gentrification--being made. More affluent citizens continued moving into once predominantly African American and Latino dwellings convenient to downtown, raising property taxes and displacing longtime area residents. Natives of all stripes grew more sensitive of the looming shadow of a culture clash and the question of who makes up the dominant group. Elsewhere, some ethnic tensions proved so large in 2009 that they couldn’t be denied. There was a fiasco over cultural events surrounding the Texas Relays, a police shooting of a sleeping black youth, a radio personality getting laughs with the term “wetback.” Each brought public embarrassment to Austinites. The City paraded another of its quality of life initiatives out, this one earmarked for Hispanics, but it only further divided a confused Latino populace. Statistically, few hate crime incidents were reported to Austin police this year, though minority leaders spoke of an undercurrent of racism. Hispanics and African Americans constituted three-quarters of AISD’s student population but remain utterly challenged. The Texas Education Agency calls the district among the lowest performing in the state. Shamefully, Commissioner Robert Scott was led to appeal to Austinites that “kids on the east deserve the same opportunities to learn as the kids on the west.” So what sacrifices are Austinites willing to make for the greater good? What opportunities will be given to underserved communities? As things stand, it’s not for the government and other officials, who often act apprehensively, to direct the course of action. With patience and determination, individuals will move toward building an atmosphere to effect real change. It lies somewhere in the Austin DNA, to say something and alleviate the pains of the suffering. Individuality and uniqueness are important attributes to our collective identity. The trick is to use these strengths to make the hard decisions when the time is right. The conditions seem as good as ever to determine a course of action. Here is a look back at 2009 and the issues that have presented us an atmosphere to build a better community in 2010. 08 TODO Austin // january 2010 // TODOaustinonline.com
General manager Jeff Gionnette had seen enough and stated in an email that the mall would be closed early for “the safety and security of our shoppers.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and community activists reacted with indignation. Likewise, a couple of Sixth Street area clubs weighed the decision of closing their doors for safety concerns. Austin police reported some 70,000 people downtown during the Relays, with fewer arrests than SXSW and other large annual events. As NAACP chapter president Nelson Linder put it, “This is a classic case of xenophobia.” Councilwoman Sheryl Cole held a press conference seeking calm and extended an olive branch to Relays visitors. She also reversed several street and ramp closures blocking off Downtown. The common refrain in the wake of the ordeal was “there’s room for improvement.” Will there be changes in 2010? Promoters are discussing new social events for Relays weekend in East Austin. The City will speak of tolerance and hospitality. As for sending the right message, Austin’s voice is heard throughout the year in regards to its black social scene. It can best described as faint praise.
PubliC safety and right & Just rulings /// It seems like all year there was a cloud over Northeast Austin regarding the police shooting of teenager, Nathaniel Sanders. Two years had passed since Austin Police Department Sgt. Michael Olsen had gunned down Kevin Alexander Brown as he ran from Chester’s Club in East Austin. Then, on May 11 of the past year, APD senior officer Leonardo Quintana answered a suspicious car report at the Walnut Creek Apartments on Springdale Road after complaints of gunshots. Nineteen year old Sanders and Sir Lawrence Smith-both African American--were asleep at 5 a.m. in a car in the apartment parking lot. They awoke in the dark, startled to find Quintana’s flashlight and pistol aimed in their direction. Shots were fired; there was a struggle for a weapon Sanders had at his waist (according to Quintana). Sanders was fatally hit in the back of his head and shoulder and Smith wounded in the chest. No shots were fired in Quintana’s direction. As neighbors awoke and learned of the incident, their rage and number grew. Police arrived in riot gear and community leaders appeared to quell the crowd. Sanders’ body was left at the scene for 5 1/2 hours after the shooting. It was soon learned that Quintana had forgotten to turn on his in-car dash video camera because as he said later, he was too busy watching the suspects. A series of community forums were held and emotional outbursts were recorded. The largest of these was held at Delco Center on June 1 with city officials sitting front and center, and APD Chief Art Acevedo appealing for calm discourse. On the following day, Sanders’ family filed a lawsuit claiming that, among many items, APD employs excessive force against minorities. On August 4, the Travis County grand jury declined to indict Quintana for Sanders’ death, and two weeks later, following city police monitor Cliff Brown’s private meeting with APD’s internal affairs, a city led independent review stated that APD’s investigation was biased toward officers. Members of the People’s Forum and Concerned Citizens met with APD on the eve of Quintana’s disciplinary hearing and claimed the force violates civil rights. On November 4, Quintana received a 15-day suspension for not turning on his camera before approaching the youths. “I believe we have issued a right and just ruling” said Acevedo.
aisd’s ChroniC low PerformanCe /// In general, the children of Austin look similar in appearance across the city. Shocking images of poorly educated boys and girls are nonexistent. But it cannot be argued that some suffer more than others. It’s after all, just a fact of life. Whether we choose
to engage the disparity in education in Austin is another matter. Statistics show that few communities in Texas think less of the welfare of its most vulnerable populace. Nine schools in the Austin Independent School District were deemed academically unacceptable campuses last year, the lowest rating in the state’s school accountability system. On July 8, AISD announced that the Texas Education Agency had ordered the district to close Pearce Middle School in Northeast Austin. The campus, like several others in AISD along the Eastside, has struggled for years to meet accountability standards on state achievement tests and generally underperformed. Area schools such as Lanier and Reagan High Schools, and Webb and Dobie Middle Schools also face a multitude of issues that affect student performance. Austin’s failure brought TEA Commissioner Robert Scott to a tipping point in 2009 and a reprimand of AISD: “This pattern of continuing low performance (in Austin) is not acceptable and currently is unmatched by any other campus in the state.” Like other urban school districts in the U.S., Austin’s is struggling in its effort to redesign schools to better serve an increasingly multicultural student body. But to be labeled the worst community in Texas says something about our values. The root of the issue is poverty and ethnicity/race. Over 60% of AISD students are economically disadvantaged. Twenty-eight percent possess limited English proficiency. Fifty-seven percent are “at risk” kids. The challenges before us are daunting, but other cities have similar statistics with better showings. Scott believes that Austin has done a poor job overall in the way it handles its struggling schools but doesn’t mention ethnicity/race in the equation. The ethnic/ racial distribution of students in AISD is about 60% Hispanic, 25% white and 12% African American. What is no surprise is that AISD’s worst performing schools are those with almost exclusive minority enrollments. Pearce Middle School, located in the demographically changing Windsor Park area near the new mixed-use urban village, Mueller, is on an “accelerated path of improvement,” argues new Austin school superintendent Meria Carstarphen. Accelerated change is a wonderful goal, but it will be a challenge in a city which lived comfortably with segregated
schools for most of the last century. It took the involvement of courts and lawsuits to address the issue of desegregation in 1960s and 70s Austin. But change did come. AISD repurposed Pearce in the fall and the former Johnston High School reopened as Eastside Memorial High Schools at the Johnston Campus, a
passed. Still, there remains the question of whether hate crimes are enforced evenly in Austin, irrespective of ethnicity. In the case of the brick incident, we were left to believe that neither the perpetrator nor the victim acted with any hint of racial motivation. assimilation on the airwaves /// There has been no limit to the love Austinites have for their media personalities and the KLBJ-AM radio duo, Todd Jeffries and Don Pryor, are no exception. So it was with alarm that on July 16 we learned of the pair’s suspension from their weekly show for using the offensive term “wetback” in reference to illegal aliens on air during their July 14 show. Pryor, the culprit who repeatedly used the phrase,
three school-in-one makeover. Suffice to say, there is abundant opportunity ahead to create a more educationally equitable city. another briCk in the i-35 wall /// It’s still sometimes referred to as the “ghetto” or “barrio” by more economically advantaged people, but the redevelopment of the fashionable East 11th Street area remained a big story in 2009. Gentrification brought new housing projects and economic development to the other side of the tracks, but many longtime neighborhood residents find the increasingly rapid change unsettling. African American and Hispanic residents have been in the majority for four generations. As retail areas along East 11th become more like those on the west side, and descendents sell off properties to more affluent white residents, some of the natives have grown wary of all the bustle. In this setting, an unknown figure approached a home on East 13th Street one muggy midsummer night last year and committed an act APD determined as “mischief.” Barbara Frische, a white woman, was awoken by the violent sound of shattering glass on that early Friday morning of July 24. After police arrived, she learned that she had been on the receiving end of a message, sent via a brick though her 4-yearold son’s bedroom window, which read “Keep Eastside Black. Keep Eastside Strong.” Austin police Sergeant Richard Stresing told the media that that the incident didn’t qualify as a hate crime because the note didn’t include hate speech. APD determined that there was no sign that the individual was targeted on the basis of her race. Instead, police files filed a report of a misdemeanor of criminal mischief or deadly conduct. Perhaps it was an act of revenge against Frische, who had lived in the home 10 years, for writing an article for the Austin American-Statesman last May in which she called for action against a neighboring dwelling which housed drug dealers and prostitutes. The NAACP’s Nelson Linder concurred with APD that the incident was a “criminal act” and not one of race, although, as reported in the Statesman, he claimed it was linked to an undercurrent of racism that city leaders have yet to address in East Austin. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, Austin police see only a handful of hate crimes annually (the most recent report of 2007 named a mere five). There wasn’t a lot of further discussion about the incident as the year
apologized on air the next day. A week later, on July 20, the show was canceled altogether after station management met with local members of the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and other Hispanic community leaders. The contractors had threatened a boycott of parent company Emmis Austin Radio and its advertisers. Emmis Austin Radio vice president Scott Gilmore stood shoulder-to-shoulder with three dozen Hispanic leaders at a press conference held in Saltillo Plaza, asking unequivocally for forgiveness. In a twist of irony, the Contractors Association was discovered to have a homophobic video on its website. It was quickly taken down without public protest from the gay community. So the story ended, it seemed, with the community leadership satisfied of the result. Then, on November 17, Emmis announced that the “The Todd and Don Show” would return to KLBJ-AM on December 7. A joint statement by the station’s management and local Hispanic leaders read, “Earlier today, Hispanic leaders and Emmis Austin Radio management met to discuss cultural sensitivity issues and a commitment to open communications and improved relationships. Emmis presented a plan of action which includes mandatory diversity training.” Emmis announced that the show would return “with a transformed perspective on community history, expectations and cultural sensitivity.” Hispanic leaders were assured that they’d be updated on Emmis Austin Radio’s progress in these areas, and that efforts to better serve the entire Austin community would be ongoing. Observers saw the resolution as an effective measure which enabled two ethnic communities to live in harmony in the city. Emmis Austin Radio’s six stations, after all, were mostly the purview of Austin’s white residents. There was another curve ball on November 30 when Emmis announced that the mega influential KGSR, after 19 years at 107.1 FM on the dial, would slide over to 93.3 FM to make way for a Spanish language format station. Therein lay the fly in the ointment. The 107.1 frequency would have a Spanish language, northern Mexican state music format—i.e., banda music—which in no way pleased Austin’s old guard. Organizations such as the Austin Tejano Music Coalition have been working for years to support and expand the presence of native Texas genres of music on local airwaves. Emmis Austin’s move did nothing to help their cause. Stay tuned in 2010. TODO Austin // january 2010 // TODOaustinonline.com 09
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of ATM), Baraja De Oro, Jennifer Marie, ASG, Los Crazy Pimps, Those Guys, Invicto, Monica Castro, Carlos Maldonado, etc. There is so much talent out there that is not being recognized and promoted they way they deserve to be. These are our new artists and should be showcased so that Tejano music branches out to create new categorizes with different styles of Tejano, become diverse, and thus provide an opportunity to attract new listeners. It’s the key to the future of Tejano music. We as artists need to think out of the box as well. We need to do more collaboration with other Tejano artists. This will be fun and more interesting to the consumer and ultimately increase record sales and excitement on the airwaves. One analogy that my brother Paquito Rodriguez has always pointed out is that music is an art, a form of art. With that being said, creating a new Tejano song is like painting a picture. Are there any rules as to how the picture should be painted? Or better yet, is there a wrong way to paint a picture? No, there is not and that is the beauty of a beautiful portrait in that it expresses a sense of originality and spiritual expression. Music, in general, is much the same. It can’t always stay the same, things have to change. New styles emerge in Tejano collaborations with hip hop, country, reggae, and rock.
By Raphael Rodriguez of Los A-T Boyz
What is Tejano music?
I think it’s the responsibility for radio to keep it fresh, up to date, trying new sounds, and showcase new artists to give listeners something to look forward to.
Well to me, Tejano music is not only a culture, but a lifestyle that will live forever. It’s built on the shoulders of many great artists such as Ruben Ramos, Selena, Little Joe, Isidro Lopez, Alfonso Ramos, Hometown Boys, Roy Montelongo, Augustine Ramirez, Freddie Martinez, La Mafia, Paco Rodriguez, La Sombra, Jimmy Gonzales, Conjunto Bernal, Ramon Ayala, David Olivares, and the list goes on.
Tejano is becoming a “Motown” of the music industry, primarily playing the same great artists of another era. In short, program directors are partially to blame for this situation we are in now with the lack of support for Tejano music.
However, the music genre is at a crossroads. Everything has to change, evolve, and adapt as this is the means to survival for Tejano. I believe one of the biggest issues that Tejano faces is its struggle with change. One example can be found in the area of radio. If anyone listens to the most popular radio stations in Tejano Music, you hear great Tejano music for hours, but where are all of the new artists? I love the oldies but goodies so very much, but seriously, do they all have to go by an oldies station format? The sad truth is that even KXTN in San Antonio, our premiere # 1 Tejano station in the nation, seems—most of the time—to play our beloved and most popular artists of another generation such as Mazz, Emilio Naivara, Selena, Ram Herrera, David Lee Garza, David Marez, Joe Posada, Jay Perez, and so forth at the exclusion of new acts. It is literally the equivalence of listening to an oldies station.
If the new Tejano artists are never given the opportunity for their music to be heard, how can they ever become successful? I feel these key points are the main reasons as to why the Tejano industry suffers from the problems it has today. Lots of new artists are never given a chance by major radio stations to have their music heard. So if the new artists aren’t given a chance, what does that mean for our future? Now, you see more and more artists being spun like Kumbia Kingz, Chicas De Canela, DJ Kane, Sunny Sauceda or K1, but there are so many more artists making music who suffer a lack of visibility. Boyz Of Cumbia, La Distancia, Amixion, Jimmy Lee Y Tentacion, A-T Boyz, Los Curitas, Quimicos Del Son, Los Matadors, Beatrice Rojas, Grupo Vision, Frank Gomez, Ernestine Romero, Cinco Doce, La Traizion, Artie V, D (formally
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When musical styles are thrust together, the conjunction of the collaboration of all different types of artists yields great music, be it the union of Willie Nelson and Ozomotli and Jimmy Gonzales. This collaboration will create new listeners, attract the youth, open doors, and ultimately increase record sales and capture more key media outlets for Tejano music. By no means does that mean we leave out all of the great artists like David Lee Garza, Intocable, Bobby Pulido, etc. Instead, we’re looking for a mixture of both new and old, honing in on the mega Tejano hits and showcasing our new up and coming talent as well. Another important message that needs to be related to Tejano fans is that they absolutely need to be more supportive of these new groups when they play around the area at local clubs and bars. Or when radio is putting a major Tejano event together, people need to come out and support it to show that Tejano is a force to be reckoned with and is alive in Central Texas. Remember our youth is the future of our music industry. We need to guide them and teach them how important it is to continue to support the Tejano music industry.
by Brandon Ramiro Badillo
2009 saw a new scene emerge in Austin music. At the center of the zeitgeist were venues which endeavored to provide the proper showcase for more diverse acts and patrons. These clubs strive to accommodate the artist with the right ambience. Likewise, the artists have helped greatly to establish a certain mood and provide the kind of music that compliment the setting. This beautiful relationship between artist and venue is being created at a rapid rate. It makes it all the more imperative for artist and venue to work together to build an atmosphere for ever more sophisticated audiences in Austin who increasingly seek memorable experiences. As this formula is spreading across town, it is helping remove that contagious social and business disease known as instant gratification. Take the relationship of Momo’s and the band Os Alquimistas, whose Brazilian contemporary bossa nova, world electronic style has been featured at the club. Michael Longoria and Frederico Geib “love” to play at Momo’s because “it is definitely a unique club where friendly staff, diverse atmosphere and splendid musicianship take place. Something great is always brewing there and we are honored to share our music and be a part of it, especially World Music Tuesdays.” By establishing and nurturing this modern ambience, a venue can ensure its patrons have the opportunity to soak up their particular club experience. The live music scene has taken some hits throughout the last four or five years and was arguably on a decline due to several factors including noise restrictions and bar
owners shifting their focus too often to gain more customers and thus causing turnover. Fortunately, new venues to see music are popping up and with great timing. Eastside Showroom is a beautiful little restaurant-bar located on the corner of East 6th street and Medina (1100 East 6th St.). The Spencer sisters, Mindie and Mickie, had a vision to create a restaurant that would provide a vibe inspired by France and Eastern Europe pre WWII. “I decided to open the Showroom because as an artist, I’ve always needed a showcasing spot for my work,” explained Mickie Spencer. “As an amateur interior designer, the chances of getting a project with any amount of creative control are slim to none. Finally, as a starving artist for my entire adult life, the service industry is all I know outside my studio. I always thought, why risk investing in just a store/gallery as an unknown artist when I can exhibit my work in a fully designed project that I have complete design control of and create an atmosphere people would enjoy socializing in to exhibit my work. From a financial point, the showroom makes the bills as a restaurant/bar regardless if I sell my work, which takes the finances out of my art and allows me to build what I desire, not just what sells.” On Tuesdays in particular, one can get enjoy the full experience of the Spencer sister’s vision as Austin’s new troupe, The Inheritance, provides the music for the evening. The Inheritance, a six-piece band that specializes in traditional and original Eastern European dance music, provides
12 TODO Austin // January 2010 // TOdoaustinonline.com
a sound that accentuates the venue’s feel. The venue in return provides the perfect setting for The Inheritance to display their beautiful sound. “I feel that Mickie has created an environment which transports us to another time,” said Bruce Salmon of The Inheritance. “She really has provided a fertile space for artists to do their best, be it culinary, visual or musical. We were already playing a lot of Eastern European music which fit the pre-WWII atmosphere, and then began learning some older standards from the 1930’s. I like playing there because we are treated with a great deal of respect artistically and personally, and the food is great.” Mickie Spencer sought a style for the Showroom that would remind patrons of another time that once was elegant in its day but has been through some war. “Hence some industrial nature to the glam,” explained Mickie. “We searched for an older building for almost a year. Once we peeled back the layers at 1100 to expose it, it lended to the idea pretty well. We try to keep the Showroom true to the experience of stepping back in time and going to some European or Eastern European speakeasy. Which is why the music has been so fun and really has been the icing on the cake for me. All our music fits this Showroom’s ‘historic story.’ I’m so lucky that there is so much musical talent in this town to fit the Showroom experience.” The Spencer’s decided to open up their business east of IH-35 because, as Mickie puts it, “I live east and honestly, it’s rare that I cross the tracks. For me, it’s the Brooklyn of NYC, the Eastside of
Berlin, etc. I think the culture on the east side of town is much more creative. Maybe it’s because of the lack of economy flowing through it. Hands down, the people are different on the Eastside as opposed to West, South, and North. I think the community brewing over here is extremely exciting and special. I think it’s only going to get better.” On the other side of the highway, Mi Casa Tamales & Cantina at 503 E. 6th St. is trying to make a go of it with integrity. The venue opened a little over six months ago with a simple yet brilliant concept. Located in the midst of slum bars, the Cantina offers original music, tamales and booze along with a layout that resembles that of an interior Mexican saloon. On any given Wednesday through Sunday night you can see live Latin bands take the stage and embrace the Cantina’s unique ambience. By booking a wide arrangement of Austin’s rising acts such as Kiko Villamizar, Este Vato, and Arthur Yoria, Mi Casa promises to be a haven for those that want the experience of a Central America cantina. The Ghost Room (in the spot formally housing the old Ginger Man Pub) at 304 W. 4th has a very rustic feel to accompany a wide range of musical styles that fit the ambience. The club is planning on hosting Balkan themed showcases featuring a few of Austin’s Slavic bands. The list of thriving new clubs goes on. The Independent, located in 501 studios, will house Bemba Entertainment’s 2nd Annual Nina Simone Tribute on February 20. The venue suits this particular show because of the abundance of multimedia resources it has to accentuate the performances.
By Blake Shanley
Stress. Anxiety. Fear. Frustration. Disappointment. Panic. Concern. Struggle. Exhaustion. Confusion. Anger. Hope. Faith. Determination. I don’t know anyone who isn’t feeling all of these things at all times, especially these days. I assume every human being has felt these feelings regularly throughout history across the globe. It is the reality of being human. And that’s all that we are. There are specifics to each person’s life that define the why, how, who, what, where and when. But the feelings are all the same. It’s easy to assume a judgment on another person’s right to a feeling and to rate each feeling’s relevance based on our individual interpretation of that person’s life, but really, we are all mostly
Brandi’s Cut
By Brandi Cowley
Here’s my advice, start the New Year off with excitement and change. It is positive input everyone is looking for this year and a new start regarding money, finances, cleaning out the garage and most importantly, why not your hair? I know that when women need a style change they subconsciously tend to change their hair
“feeling” the same way most of the time. That should mean something to us, right? Even though I have to check myself on all of the judgments I have on so many things on a regular basis, I am genuinely of the philosophy that every person is doing the best that they can, that every person is in a continuous state of some degree of inner struggle and that every person feels as though they are generally all alone in the grand scheme of things. It’s pretty easy to look at other people and judge them. Judge their lives as being better or worse, fortunate or unfortunate. Judge their actions as being good or bad, right or wrong. We all do it. More often than not. In judging, perhaps we find comfort in the understanding we think we have of who we are by comparing ourselves to others. Who are we if we don’t compare ourselves to anyone? Not as great as we might think. And not as bad as we might think. We absolutely do not, and cannot, know what goes on in another man or woman’s life, body, mind and heart. There is no clear-cut path through life for anyone and I’m pretty confident that very few people actually have any of it really figured out. I would like to think there is some comfort in that for us all. I would also like to think that we are all capable of so much
(it is a sign of growth-evolving). It happens after a break ups a loss of a job, or a new year! So I say to you, change just one little thing about your hair this January and that new appearance will affect you in a most positive and refreshing way. If you’re short of stature, go a little longer with your locks and if long, go just a little shorter. Get bangs! Also, when in a relationship it is exciting for your partner when you make a change and stand out from the crowd.
more compassion and empathy for each other. It seems as though we get more and more disconnected from each other as human beings, as countries, as neighbors, as family members, as friends, as colleagues. Our advances in civilization have stunted our growth as human beings. Our desire to attain has inhibited our ability to receive. Our vision for the future has clouded our awareness of the present. I think now is desperately the time we need to be paying a lot more attention to each other and bonding over the sheer insanity of being human. Smiling at each other. Talking to each other. Respecting each other. Giving to each other. Sharing in the experience with each other. Acknowledging each other. Yes, that sounds super feel-goody, but that’s because it feels good to connect to our fellow human beings in some semblance of a positive way. What I see when I am looking around me and out into the world is the dire need to replace judgment, division, separatism and individualism with compassion, relation, connection and communication. I intend to remind myself of this as often as possible and challenge you to do the same.
Happy Holidays.
As for men, you should want to alter a little something too, to keep your lady excited. She loves it when her boyfriend changes up his look, it means you are trying to keep their attention. And that’s what 2010 will call for.
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Chronicles of Undercover Mexican Girl By Alexandra M. Landeros
When I tell people I ride my bicycle five and a half miles each way to and from work, their response is shock. “That is such a long distance!” they say, or, “That is so dangerous!” I’ll dispel two myths right now: five and a half miles really isn’t a long way unless you’re going up and down San Francisco hills, and well, yes, it can be dangerous. Then again, so is driving my car at 65 miles an hour, walking across the street, or eating spinach. But I have a confession to make. I don’t ride my bicycle as often as I’d like to. On my best week, I’ve ridden four days – three during the work week and once during the weekend for a leisurely adventure. I blame it on hating to wake up early, inclement weather, and most of all, on the fact that my 1983 Diesel Mercedes still runs wonderfully with no end in sight. In order to be at work by 9:00 AM, I need to leave the house by 7:30 AM to make it down to Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop for a $1 shower (towel, soap, shampoo, and conditioner included with the price!). Fortunately, I don’t wear make-up on a daily basis, and I don’t fuss too much with my hair, so cleaning up is quick, and work is just a few blocks from the shop.
a straight line ahead. When crossing an intersection or a driveway, I had learned to make definite eye contact with drivers. That fall, my boyfriend and I traveled to Germany, and my intermittent love affair with the bicycle became the beginning of a lifelong relationship. In Berlin, there are bicycle lanes on both sides of the street that are actually off the road and up on the sidewalk level, clearly marked by a red-paved surface. They even have their own traffic signals. The cars weren’t the ones to fear, but rather, the angry cyclists ringing their bells or squeezing their horns at distracted pedestrians stepping into their lane. Bicycle riders come in all shapes, sizes, and
By 2008, I was averaging one or two bike rides a month downtown. I learned not to teeter when riding through a tight space as long as I focused on an object up ahead, and passing vehicles did not frighten me as long as long as we each maintained
A few weeks later, I joined the ATX Social Cycling group on a 10-mile bike ride through East Austin, frequently interrupted by bar stops and parking lot activities such as jousting and dancing to ministereos strapped to bike racks. There aren’t too many things more satisfying to a cyclist than riding
Take that goodness one step further, and bicycle riding can actually turn into helping out the community. The fearless SkelliCyclist leader, Nam Phan, organized a team of Skellies to volunteer with Meals on Wheels to take over one of the bike routes. The day I joined two other Skellies to deliver meals in East Austin came a very close second to being my favorite bike ride ever (the first was the day we toured all of East Berlin). Now, it’s already the end of 2009, and as I settle on my New Year’s resolution, I think about one that will take care of many other resolutions: ride my bike 4-5 times a week, and take at least one 20 mile-plus journey on the weekends. This will save me money
Volume 1.5
photo by Shand Walton
ages, wearing pants and skirts and rarely a helmet. Then we went to Amsterdam, home of the Dutchstyle commuter bicycle, where the bike lanes extend into the countryside and no more than 3 speeds is necessary because it’s flat as far as the eye can see.
When I returned to Austin, I increased my bike trips to once a week, and told myself if I kept up a good weekly routine, I’d reward myself with a newer, lighter bicycle. I loved my Raleigh, with its stylish The commute downtown takes me approximately fenders and chain guard, but with a steel frame it 45-50 minutes, mostly taking South Congress all was painfully heavy to hoist onto the bus if needed. the way up from Stassney. There is an official bike After intense research, I decided in March 2009 lane a majority of the way, but I admit to using the to purchase a Bianchi Milano Parco with a celeste sidewalk for a great part of my route because there green light-weight aluminum frame and a 3-speed are never any pedestrians, and I feel safer that much internal gear hub, which is critical if you want to be further away from the cars. I don’t ride very fast able to switch gears when you’re at a stop. It also either, especially if I’m going downhill. I fear flying came with fenders and a chain-guard, and once I over my handlebars, so I steadily clamp the brakes. added a rear-basket, it was virtually a modern twin Combine all these elements with the fact that I am of the Raleigh. not an athletic person and that I only started riding an adult bicycle less than 2 years ago – the average On my first long ride on the Bianchi, I suffered my first accident going east on 4th Street from Brazos person can probably out-do me. Street. After being thrilled by the only short stretch Back in 2006, my boyfriend gave me an early 1970s of almost-European-style bike lane in Austin, my women’s style Raleigh with a 3-speed internal gear wheels caught on the rail tracks just west of I-35, hub and a pedal-generated dynamo headlight. leaving me with a bloody knee and knuckles. But With $80 of tune-up work and a milk crate attached after 6 months on the new bike, I had become very to the book rack, I apprehensively rode around our South Austin neighborhood, and slowly worked my confident riding solo or with my boyfriend. We had way to riding all the way downtown. I think I might made the 20-mile round trip trek to downtown have made 3 trips downtown altogether that year Buda on Old San Antonio Road, countless trips – each time getting a mini heart- attack when a downtown and to East Austin as far as Montopolis, car passed me too closely, or wobbling through a and many night rides. So I decided to look for new adventures on the bicycle. narrow passage. In 2007, I probably doubled my rides downtown for a total of 6, the highlight of which was the East Side Studio Tour in November with the luxury of pulling my transportation practically right up to the door and being one of the “cool kids.” That year, I also discovered the Veloway, just off Mopac, south of Slaughter Lane: a 3.1-mile paved loop where no runners or cars are allowed. It’s mostly flat, with a few slight hills, and one very steep hill that I never conquered.
had a fantastic time. I had been afraid of being left behind or teased for being slow, but the ride leaders were encouraging and truly watched out for everyone. All the riders I met were friendly, and even though the group varied in ages, interests, and skill level, one thing united us all: we enjoyed riding our bicycles, didn’t feel obligated to wear spandex, and approved of beer as acceptable hydration.
Surely, we weren’t the only casual bike enthusiasts where were the other riders like us? In the process of planning Mexic-Arte Museum’s Viva la Vida Fest and recruiting participants for the procession, I discovered number of cycling groups – including ATX Social Cycling, Austin Cycling Association, and the SkelliCyclists, a squad of urban street bicyclists who got their name from the founder’s idea that they all love cycling so much, they’d be riding even after deceased. I found this 3rd group to be a perfect addition to the Museum’s Día de los Muertos parade, and several of them did come out with skeleton-painted faces. In return, I joined the Skellies’ Halloween 12-mile day ride through downtown and East Austin and
up a hill and seeing hundreds of flickering red bicycle tail lights up ahead. Of course, it’s not all just for fun. Most of us recognize that riding our bicycles is healthy for the environment and healthy for our bodies. When I ride my bicycle, I am in a terrific mood all day, on a high that even large amounts of caffeine could not possibly give me.
on gas, save me money at the gym, and keep me in shape. And who knows what new friends I’ll make, or how many people in need I’ll help out along the way. So if you have a bike, I dare you to join me – I’ll be the girl with pigtails flying in the wind from under my helmet, scuffed saddle shoes, and a basket packed with everything I need for the day.
ESPERANZA DEVELOPMENT
The historic, diverse, eclectic and rapidly growing
EAST END 11th Street - Jazz + Arts District. Come see what you didn’t know was right under your nose.
EATS + DRINKS + LIVE MUSIC Blue Dahlia BISTRO 1115 E. 11th St. // 542-9542 www.bluedahliabistro.com East Side PIES 1401 Rosewood Ave. // 524-0933 www.eastsidepies.com HOOVER’S Cooking 1104 E. 11th St. www.hooverscooking.com J Kelly’s BBQ 900 E. 11th Street // 499-0910 http://jkellysbbq.com/ Kenny Dorham’s BACKYARD 1106 E. 11th St. // 477-9438 www.diversearts.org LongBranch INN 1133 E. 11th St. // 472-5477 www.scoot-inn.com Primize Osteria ITALIAN Cafe & Wine Bar Primizie CATERING//472-9299 1000 E. 11th St., Suite 150 // 236-0088 www.primizieaustin.com VICTORY Grill 1104 E. 11th St. // 472-8669 www.historicvictorygrill.org
DiverseARTS 902 Juniper St. // 477-9438 www.diversearts.org
East Side YOGA 1050 E. 11th St. www.eastsideyoga-austin.com
VROOM Scooters 1111 E. 11th St. #150 // 524-1455 www.vroomscooters.net
Door Number 3 1050 E. 11th St., Suite 250 // 391-1773 www.dn3austin.com
SOMA Vida 1210 Rosewood Ave. // 628-1580 www.somavidaaustin.com
MORE BUSINESSES ‘N SUCH
ECLECTIC Images Photography 1200 E. 11TH St. #101 // 947.7864 www.eclecticimagesphotography.com
STYLE Rite Beauty Salon 1000 E. 11th St. // 472-5731
Paperoot STATIONERY 1210 Rosewood Ave //334-9199 www.paperoot.com ProArts COLLECTIVE 1009 E. 11th St., Suite 100 // 236-0644 www.proartsaustin.org Shoehorn DESIGN 1010 E. 11th St. // 478-4190 www.shoehorndesign.com Staats PHOTOGRAPHY 1150 San Bernard Ave. // 473-2277 www.peterstaats.com Studio 107 1111 E. 11th St., Suite 100 // 477-9092 www.studio107.com
YOGA + SERVICES + SALONS
Austin REVITALIZATION Authority 1105 Navasota St. // 469-1705 www.austinrev.org
Telepathic TATTOO 1101 Navasota, Suite 1 // 478-5752
Balcones RECYCLING 1101 E. 11th St. // 472-3355 www.balconesresources.com
Tim Sample MASSAGE Therapy 1210 Rosewood Avenue // 426-0083 www.somavidaaustin.com
BiGAUSTIN 1050 E. 11th St., Suite 350 // 928-8010 www.bigaustin.org
STORES + SHOPS + GROCERY
Carver Museum and CULTURAL Center 1165 Angelina St. // 974-4926 http://ci.austin.tx.us/carver/
Car-Nu CARWASH 1201 East 11th St. // 494-0023 Harrie’s ANTIQUES 1000 E. 11th St. // 322-5147 Ideal SOUL Mart 1326 Rosewood Ave. // 320-9929 J & J Drug 1131 E. 11th St. // 472-5328 QUICKIE Pickie 1208 E. 11th St. // 479-0136
ARTS + DESIGN + CREATIVES
Austin NATURAL Family Medicine 1210 Rosewood Ave. // 909-1600 www.somavidaaustin.com
Bercy Chen STUDIO 1111 E. 11th St. Suite 200 // 481-0092 www.bcarc.com
Complements by Abram Professional Hair Designer 1101 Navasosta, Suite 2 // 469-940
Snake Eyes VINYL 1101 Navasota // 220-7019 www.snakeeyesvinyl.com
BYDEE Art Gallery 1050 E. 11th St., Suite 120 // 480-3100 www.bydee.com
Eastbound ACUPUNCTURE 1210 Rosewood Ave. // 506-1608 www.eastboundacupuncture.com0
Trailer Space RECORD Store 1401 A Rosewood Ave. // 542-9001 www.trailerspacerecords.com
RS FOODS 1219 Rosewood Ave. // 320-0082
ECOXERA 1111 E. 11th St. #100//628-1300 www.ecoxera.com Esperanza DEVELOPMENT 1111 E. 11th St., Suite 250//480-9844 www.esperanzadev.com NOKOA-The Observer 1154 Angelina St., Suite B // 499-8713 www.nokoatheobserver.com Paradigm Shift Charles Medearis - Attorney at Law Sandra Ramos Political CONSULTING 1200 E. 11th St. The VILLAGER 1223 Rosewood Ave. // 476-0082 www.theaustinvillager.com