Vicky Garza

Los Lobos tape fourth ‘Austin City Limits’ episode to air this fall

April 16, 2014 By Vicky Garza

Two music legends –Austin City Limits and Los Lobos – celebrated 40th Monday evening at ACL Live. A large crowd turned up for the taping despite the unusually cold spring weather, and many were able to warm themselves up quick once the Grammy-award winning band took the stage by dancing.

Austin City Limits Producer Terry Lickona kicked off the night by saying how stunned he is that the show is still going strong after 40 years. He then introduced the band, playing the Austin City Limits stage for the fifth time.

The five members of Los Lobos, along with a drummer and a percussionist, graced the stage for over two hours, singing both English and Spanish favorites. The occasional grito always received a cheer in response from the crowd, and when the band commanded the audience to cumbia, they really got moving.

We got to see the fun side of Los Lobos, the sensitive side, and the perfectionist side. Late in the set, they played tribute to conjunto star Flaco Jiménez – who had just undergone back surgery – by performing his song “Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio.” When they weren’t happy with the first take, they did it again, and then again; third time was the charm. Fortunately, the crowd was as enthusiastic every time as if it was the first.

The East Los Angeles natives also played their ’80s song “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee),” which appears on their 2013 live album, Disconnected in New York City. The one song the rock and roll veterans did not play was their cover of Richie Valens’ “La Bamba,” which personally left me a little disappointed since that is how I first discovered the band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; I had a great time!

After a couple of encore songs, the band left the stage, but not before thanking the crowd with a huge “Gracias!”

For people who were not able to get tickets to the taping, Austin City Limits live streamed the show on its YouTube page. The broadcast episode will air on PBS Stations later this fall.

Rose Reyes, a Latino music ally

March 7, 2011 By Vicky Garza

Hovering around five feet tall, Rose Reyes may be hard to spot in a crowd, but, if it is a significant music function in Austin, she is sure to be there somewhere. As director of the Austin Music Office in the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Reyes is responsible for promoting Austin music within the city and to visitors from around the world.

The ACVB recently released the tenth volume of its Austin Music album, which Reyes produced. Each year, her office puts together this compilation to feature some of the best musicians that Austin has to offer, and each year it is a diverse mix of genres.

No matter what, Latin music is always represented on the compilation. This year, it is by singer-songwriter Gina Chavez and Ocote Soul Sounds, who describe their sound as “folktronic funklore.” Latin artists featured on past volumes include David Garza, Brownout!, Tish Hinojosa, Maneja Beto, Haydn Vitera, Vallejo, Del Castillo, Rich Trevino, Mary Welch y Los Curanderos, and Grammy award-winning Grupo Fantasma.

“Grupo Fantasma’s Grammy win this year helps shine the light on the Latin music scene in Austin. Latin artists are such an important part of the overall music scene,” said Reyes, who describes the Latin music scene as eclectic. “The bands run the gamut, from very traditional, mariachi, and romantic trios to electronic, indie, ska and everything in between.”

Rise to royalty

Who would have thought that a short girl from the Texas valley would grow up to become part of the Austin music scene royalty?

Thanks to her upbringing in Edinburg, Texas, Latin music was the “soundtrack of her childhood.” Even today, her favorite music is conjunto.

Promoting the Latin music scene is very important to Reyes, not just because she is Latina, but because it’s always been something in which she has been deeply involved.

Before her position at ACVB, Reyes worked for the statewide non-profit Texas Folklife for twelve years, which she describes as her “formative years.” She produced an annual music series at the Paramount Theater called “Texas Folk Masters” and a ten-city tour of “Canciones y Corridos de la Frontera” in South Texas. Her experiences there helped her build a sense of artistic development.

She has also worked with the Austin Latino Music Association, helped create Latino music month in 2005 and is deeply involved in Pachanga Latino Music Festival.

El futuro de Latin music

Where does Reyes see Latin music going and where does she want it to go?

“I think it’s just going everywhere. I see bands like Amplified Heat and La Guerrilla. It is exciting to see that these bands are thriving, recording, touring. They’re making names for themselves not just in Latin music, but in music, period,” said Reyes.

“It’s fun to see all these young bands incorporate elements of traditional music into what they’re doing. That’s something that makes Austin’s live music scene more dynamic. There are these real solid roots here with conjunto, Tejano, and mariachi music, and those sounds are making it into lots of other inventive music forms.”

Reyes would like to see Austin bands have a platform at conferences like South by Southwest and the Latin Alternative Music Conference. “I want to see more of it,” said Reyes. “That’s what we try to do. That’s why we have these compilations.”

MexNet speaker series aimed at advancing Hispanic businesses

March 1, 2011 By Vicky Garza

As part of its mission to promote and advance the growth of the Hispanic business community in Central Texas, the MexNet Alliance will be offering a series of business seminars for entrepreneurs. The 2011 series kicks off with homegrown international speaker and author Keith Cunningham in the Kodolsky Lounge at the Long Center for the Performing Arts from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 3. Tickets are only $25 and the event is free for students and members of the Young Hispanic Professional Association and the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

In “Beating the Odds: Avoiding Fatal Business Mistakes”, Cunningham will discuss the major mistakes that most business make and how to avoid them, as well as the most critical business skills required so that you and your company can beat the odds and join the 4% club. (Only 4% of all start-ups reach their 10-year anniversary).

MexNet, a relative newcomer to Austin, will also be launching its membership program at the event. In it’s first year, MexNet Alliance partnered with General Consul of Mexico, Rosalba Ojeda, to help bring the first U.S. Chapter of “Empresarios por México” to the city of Austin. MexNet also hosted a very successful “Sabores Authenticos de México” event on the Long Center stage with special guest Diana Kennedy, writer and culinary guru in Mexican cuisine.

To register for the event, click here.

Students, YHPA members, and GAHCC members can register here.

Review: Girl in a Coma concert at Red 7

February 15, 2011 By Vicky Garza

1avgirlcoma05 — Girl in a Coma, photos by Mari Hernandez

Fans came from as far as San Antonio and “El Valle” (the Rio Grande Valley) to witness Girl in a Coma headline a sold out all-female lineup at Red 7.

By the time the band was on stage, my friends and I were able to secure one of the booths along the back wall of the club and I had a great view of the entire club when I stood on the bench. It was quite an experience to see the crowd, made up of mostly young Hispanics outfitted in black, waving their arms, dancing, and singing along to many of the songs.

Lead singer Nina Diaz, peering through her long curtain of bangs, told the crowd that she remembers being drunk the last time they played this stage after the release of their first album, Both Before I’m Gone.

The San Antonio trio, comprised of lead singer Nina, her sister Phanie on drums, and Phanie’s best friend Jenn Alva on bass, has come a long way. The band that started by playing a high school talent show and a kid’s birthday party are signed to Joan Jett’s label, Blackheart Records, and have toured with 80’s music icons Morrissey and Cyndi Lauper, as well as punk band Social Distortion and indie rockers Tegan and Sara.

I did not get the chance to interview the band, but I have heard reports that Nina is a bit shy in person; hard to believe since she really knows how to work the crowd. Her face is full of expression as she sings and she even shows off her Gwen Stefani imitation, which is actually pretty good.

The whole band is full of energy, jumping around the stage to some of the punkier songs. Although I am dead tired, I am under their spell and I can’t seem to stop bobbing my head to the music.

As a Valentine’s gift to the audience, GIAC played “El Monte”, the chorus of which is “I do, I do, I do want to marry you.”

“No, I love you!”, Nina screamed back to one of the many fans who professed their love to her that night.

For me, the highlight of the show was their cover of Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight”, from their latest album Adventures in Coverland. If you haven’t seen the video for the song, directed by bassist Jenn, check it out here.

Opening for “The Red Party” were Paradise Titty, an all-girl Guns n’ Roses tribute band, and Agent Ribbons. A portion of the proceeds from the event were to be donated to Girls Rock Camp Austin.

[Show as slideshow]

Photos by Mari Hernandez

HBO documentary examines U.S.-Mexico border fence

September 14, 2010 By Vicky Garza

After receiving a call from her friend, a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Brownsville, informing her that the fence meant to protect the United States from terrorism, smuggling and illegal immigration was about to be built through the middle of campus, Rory Kennedy was intrigued.

He told her how the fence was actually being built north of the natural border of the Rio Grande River, cutting through houses, backyards, and farms, creating a no man’s land of American soil between the fence and the river.

Kennedy began doing her own research and what she uncovered highlights what an “irresponsible investment” the Bush administration made when it passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. “The more I learned, the more absurd it became, and also more tragic,” said Kennedy. This drove her to create a film to hold our legislators accountable for the $3.1 billion in taxpayer dollars they spent on an ineffective border wall.

Kennedy, the youngest daughter of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and co-founder of Moxie Firecracker Films, served as writer, director, producer, and narrator of The Fence (La Barda), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Kennedy, along with co-producer Keven McAlester, attended the Texas premiere of the 36-minute documentary at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at the University of Texas at Austin.

The film is a darkly comical look at the impact of the controversial border fence, in the vain of Catch-22, which the producers admit to reading during the creation of the movie.

The documentary shows where the fence starts, and stops, and starts and stops again and again. It is 670 miles of fence to cover the 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. As a matter of fact, in one spot along the border between Mexico and New Mexico, the fence was built six feet into Mexican territory and had to be dismantled and rebuilt on the proper border line.

The producers met with coyotes, who help smuggle people across the border illegally. They admitted that the fence is just another obstacle, not a deterrent, and point out drainage tunnels and underground passages dug that morning. Border patrol agents shared footage of people not just climbing, but also driving, over the fence.

Producers also spent time with the Minuteman Project, a self-described ‘citizens’ Neighborhood Watch on our border’ that spearheaded the building of the fence. They walk around armed with guns following footprints to track down anyone who has crossed the border. Without emotion, they talk about the hundreds of people who die attempting to cross the border each year, a number which has doubled since before the fence was put up.

Expecting to find a large community of fence supporters along the border, Kennedy was surprised to find that most of the people there actually opposed it. These people are able to see firsthand how ineffective the border wall is in curbing illegal immigration and the destruction it is causing to the environment. 36 federal laws had to be waived to have the fence built in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

“It’s not criminals coming over, but people who want to contribute. We rely as an economy on these people,” said Kennedy during the question and answer session following the screening. She admits that she is passionate about issues around immigration. Her family stems from Irish immigrants and has served the U.S. in many ways, including the country’s highest office.

Professor, historian, bestselling author, and the friend who called Kennedy about the border wall, Douglas Brinkley, served as the discussion moderator. He pointed out that the Kennedy family has a strong history with the Mexican-American community.
Kennedy’s own father, RFK, had worked with Chicano civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and supported César Chávez “in the struggle for justice for the farm worker and in the struggle for justice for Spanish-speaking Americans.” Her uncle, John F. Kennedy, settled the 1895 U.S.-Mexico border dispute, “El Chamizal”, creating friendly relations with our neighbors to the south.

The film refers to the fence as un-American and includes sound bites from the Berlin Wall from former presidents JFK (“We never had to put a wall up”) and Ronald Regan (“Tear down the wall Mr. Gorbachev”).

McAlester said that the fence has become “a monument to our lack of immigration policy and the losing drug war.” Both producers agree that the federal government needs to address the issue of a comprehensive immigration policy.

The free public screening and discussion at the LBJ Library was presented by HBO Documentary Films, Austin Film Festival, and The Texas Observer.

The HBO debut of The Fence (La Barda) is 8 p.m. EST Thursday, Sept. 16, which is coincidentally Mexican Independence Day.

Visitors Bureau to launch online Austin Music storefront

August 25, 2010 By Vicky Garza

Visitors to the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World can be a little overwhelmed by the lengthy list of artists that call Austin home. But a new customized microsite developed for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, a gateway for tourists to all things Austin, will allow visitors to familiarize themselves with the Austin music scene from anywhere in the world.

“Many visitors have heard about Austin’s music scene, but they don’t know where to begin to experience it,” says Rose Reyes, director of music marketing for the ACVB. “Now any band that signs on to sell their music at AustinTexas.org can connect with visitors before they arrive. This allows visitors to find out which bands they’d like to see, learn their music—and maybe even sing along when they get here.”

A little bit MySpace, a little bit Amazon.com, the site will serve up Austin music based on the visitor’s selected preferences and will give them a taste of the music variety in Austin. Visitors to the site will also be able to purchase song downloads and merchandise from Austin musicians, as well as the new line of official “Live Music Capital of the World” merchandise. The new site is meant to be seamless so that visitors to AustinTexas.org looking to explore Austin music will not even know that they have left except for the web address.

Double Stereo

Did you hear the joke about the two bassists? The punchline is anything but funny. They just signed a two-year deal with the ACVB to highlight one of the most important tourist aspects of our city—live music. The microsite is produced by Austin-based retail and blog site Double Stereo, a company merged from cdFuse.com in 2009 that allows record labels and independent artists to upload information and musical content for users to stream or download, connect with one another, sell merchandise and publish show dates. Double Stereo co-founders Sal Silva III and Erik Schaeffer, both former bass guitar players for touring bands, have been in the music industry for more than 10 years and definitely take their business very seriously.

They see partnering with ACVB as a win-win-win deal. “Double Stereo has the database of musicians and [the ACVB site] has the traffic from visitors who want to know what Austin music is all about,” explained Silva. AustinTexas.org receives approximately 120,000 to 150,000 unique visitors a month.

The retail model of Double Stereo is based on consignment, where the site will get a percentage of merchandise sold by musicians, as well as the Live Music Capital of the World branded merchandise.

The third win is for Austin musicians. Silva and Schaeffer, although not currently in bands, still have friends who play around Austin, and they are passionate about supporting not just them but all independent artists. Currently, Double Stereo hosts over 2,000 artists representing over 40 countries.

A better chance to be heard

At the Opa! coffee and wine bar on South Congress, where the interview was conducted, there was a young man singing and playing guitar inside. Asked how local artists will benefit from this deal, Silva used the musician as an example: “The guy jamming behind us may or may not be on our site. If he is on our site, he will also be on AustinTexas.org and possibly have an extra gazillion people listening; it’s a better chance for him to get heard, listened to, and his music purchased.”

Schaeffer, the self-described geek of the operation, explained how the site is free and customizable for bands. In order to be included on the microsite, bands must join Double Stereo and list Austin as their hometown. Once signed up, they can upload bios, band photos, videos, songs for free or purchase, sell merchandise and even post their Twitter feeds.

The database uses open tags for searching, meaning that the artists can type in whatever tags they think best describe their music. Instead of the classic genre divisions of alternative, country or punk, musicians can use tags such as “Smashing Pumpkins,” “Wilco” or “Blink-182” so that visitors who like those well-known bands can find Austin bands with a similar sound.

The microsite will launch Sept. 3 with a party at Club DeVille, located at 900 Red River St. Festivities will take place from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring live music by Hard Proof Afrobeat and Bus Stop Stallions. Food will be available from Austin-based restaurant Frank, and Southside Sanctuary will be selling merchandise.

The ACVB has been doing a lot of outreach to get musicians to sign up before the launch. With more than 2,000 bands in Austin, they have their work cut out for them. They have more than 300 signed up now and hope to encourage more musicians to join the site at the launch party itself.

This first-of-its-kind deal for a convention and visitors’ bureau is part of the ACVB’s continuing efforts to promote the city’s music scene. Earlier this year, the ACVB, which serves as the gateway to Austin Music, released Austin Music Vol. 9, which included a CD of tracks by 14 Austin musicians, along with a guide to the city’s music districts and venues, all of which is now available online at the AustinTexas.org website. The ACVB also assists companies and conventions with booking Austin musicians for special events.