Sextons
Sign
Finally, Charlie and Will Sexton, teen
prodigies and Austin's favorite sons, have signed a
recording contract. The brothers and their band will be
recording for A&M. As solo artists, both had been
with MCA. But, the new label brings a new sound: their
music as a duo has been softer and rootiser than either
of their solo efforts. Expect a debut CD next year. In
other Austin signings news, singer-songwriter Bruce
Robinson has inked the subsidiary of major-label Sony
Nashville will reissue Robinson's Wrapped, first
released earlier this year on his own Boar's Nest, before
proceeding with an all-new set.
Badu Does
Erykah Badu was the big winner at the recent Soul
Train Lady of Soul Awards. The Dallas
jazz-hip-hopper was named best new artist, while her
debut CD Baduizm was album of the year, and her
"On and On" was both single and song of the
year. Look for her in the forthcoming Blues Brothers
2000 movie, too (and remember -- the inclination of
Blues Brothers movies to tarnish that which they claim to
exault. If she can survive that, she can survive
anything).
Blues on the
Move
The touring Blues Music Festival moves through the state
this week, with B.B. King headlining a bill that includes
Jimmie Vaughan, Jay Geils Magic Bluestime and the Robert
Cray Band. They'll be at Houston Arena Theatre September
18, San Antonio Sea World September 19, and Starplex in
Dallas September 20.
Jackopierce
Kaput
Jackopierce, the popular Dallas band that began life in
1988 as an SMU acoustic folk duo, is breaking up on the
heels of disappointing sales on its second major-label
CD, ironically titled Finest Hour. The band
credits shifting record company politics for that CD's
sales of a mere 57,000, down from a promising 100,000 on
their '94 debut, Bringing on the Weather.
(Before that, they'd released three indie CD's). The band
is in the midst of a three-month tour that will serve as
its swan song.
An Eye on
Houston Blues
Heather Korb, whose Third Ward Blues documentary
premiered last spring, has turned her lens on Pete Mayes,
another Houston bluesman, for her next film. Korb's debut
effort centers on crackerjack guitarists Albert Collins,
Johnny Clyde Copeland and Joe "Guitar" Hughes,
who grew up together in the Third Ward neighborhood that
was a blues stronghold of the '60s. Of the three, only
Hughes lived long enough to see the movie. Korb's next
project focuses on Mayes and the Double Bayou dancehall
that's been in the family since the 1940s. Though it's
usually just a weekend beer-bar, Mayes brings his band
from Houston every now and then for houserocking shows
there in the country settlement where he grew up. (The
next such blowout is October 11).
Lyle
Lovesett
The swing/pop/folk/country/jazz/whatchamacallit star
recently sang one for his alma mater and fellow
Houstonians. Lovett offered up a tune at the opening ceremonies of
the George Bush School of Government and Public Service
at Texas A&M. He's a german major, class of '80.
Chris Duarte
Group: Tailspin Headthwack
(Silvertone)
This Austinite may be the top all-around guitar slinger
in the state at this point, but he's not likely to be so
recognized because he doesn't always play
"tasty" licks. (There's only room in the
non-tasty field for Billy Gibbons). Duarte likes
blues-as-noise as much as he likes blues-as-music, but he
can also play with great delicacy, each note clearly and
carefully enunciated. His lines have a rhythmic snap that
most of his peers are totally incapable of pulling off,
as they're too busy playing ten-minute leads. Which, I
might add, Duarte can also do as well as the next guy.
And hey , his sense of humor extends beyond his album
titles.
Santiago
Jimenez Jr.: Al Mirar tu Cara
(Hacienda)
This is billed as Santiago Jr.'s attempt to preserve the
sound of his father, one of the architects of the
conjunto sound (and the composer of eight of these ten
tunes). But don't believe it too fully. Once in a while,
Junior spins off a long, crying line that his father
would have never dreamed of, and the surprise adds to the
music's effectiveness. Usually he plays the role of the
faithful traditionalist, and that's nearly as
good--there's a spark to his playing time that the
oft-cautious Santiago Jr. doesn't always show when he
works this close to the source.
Buddy
Miller: Poison Love
(Hightone)
Miller, another of those between-Austin-and-Nashville
gypsies, is one of the more notable rising stars of
alt-country (and has an all-star lineup of guest artists
here to prove it). Sometimes it's easy to see why. His
grainy voice is hard to shake, and he does have a way
with melody. But beyond that, his songs are often too
obvious (or, in the case of the well-intentioned
"100 Million Little Bombs," too awkward). And
his arrangements employ the same tricks and licks too
often. It's hard to find fault with what he says, only
with the way he says it.
Texas
Chainsaw Orchestra (Rhino)
Here's the story: Four UT film students making a
documentary about lumberjacks in the Northwest run out of
money, and become lumberjacks themselves. Work dries up
and they become a chainsaw orchestra (augmented by
various other power tools), slashing away at such hits as
Khachaturian's "Saber Dance," Alanis
Morrisette's "You Oughta Know" and
Lennon/McCartney's "Birthday." The results are
supposed to split your sides. Did I listen to it? Hell,
yeah, I listened most of the way through it once -- but I
got it for free. Did I laugh? Can't remember, so probably
not. There's no denying that you can actually pick up
melodies and tell what songs they're playing. But this'll
never cut it up against Lou Reed's 1975 Metal Machine
Music.
You can email me atjmorth@flash.net. Send promo records and press releases to me at
1813-B Drake Ave., Austin, TX 78704. |
