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AUSTIN MUSIC AWARDS
Austin Music Hall/Wednesday March 18
SXSW '98
Everywhere/Wednesday March 18 thru Sunday March 22
This year's hallowed fest kicks off as usual with the Austin Music Awards, possibly the choicest star-spotting opportunity of the year. Amidst the hoopla and gladhanding will be fine musical offerings from Asleep At The Wheel, an amalgamation of the Damnations and the Gourds (the Damn Gourds), more togetherness from Kacy Crowley, Anna Egge and Trish Murphy, still more collaberation with MC Overlord hooking up with Hot Buttered Rhythm (the most interesting combination of the evening), the Derailers, and Malachi. Wish me luck in the Best DJ poll . As for SXSW, I've found the selection a bit lackluster this year, which is nothing new, and also which has never prevented me from having a great time in the past (as my new co-worker Andy Langer informed me the other day, it's never been much of an AOR thing). Nevertheless, here are a few shows I'd recommend you catch, although in my experience, the real fun of SXSW is wandering throughout the city aimlessly until something catches your ear...and it will.
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MO' SXSW '98 MUSTS
Wednesday March 18: Doosu (from Dallas) at the Backroom, 12 midnight...REO Speeddealer (also from Dallas but old Lubbock homeboys of mine) at Bates Motel, 11PM...Charlie Robison at the Broken Spoke, 11PM...Chlorine (from Houston) at the Copper Tank's North Room, 9PM...Sangre de Toro at Emo's Jr., 10PM...Spoon at Liberty Lunch, 10PM.
Thursday March 19: It's not officially a SXSW event but you really really really should check out the independent showcase at Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar (6th & San Jacinto) which will feature Voltage at 8:30, 50 Mission Crush at 10:30, and this little band called
 Human at 12:30...Shameless self-promotion aside, go see Ursa Major at Bob Popular, 9PM...Cinderleaf (part of the astonishing San Antonio metal scene that is just recently beginning to bite Austin in the butt) at Bob Popular Upstairs, also at 9PM...Olivia Tremor Control (experimental country-pop-folkie-stuff from Athens, GA) as part of Flydaddy Records' showcase at Electric Lounge, 12 midnight...A one-two punch from Daddy Longhead (12 midnight) and the best band on earth,
 El Flaco (1AM) at Emo's Jr...the appropriately named Morningwood at Hole In The Wall, 11PM...Clarissa (of "All But White" fame) at Liberty Lunch, 10PM...get there early for Soul Asylum (yes, they still exist) at Stubb's, 12 midnight...Austin wunderkind Kacy Crowley at Waterloo Brewing Co., 9PM.
Friday March 20: Best bet for a full night of great bands is at Liberty Lunch, featuring Reckless Kelly at 9, the Damnations at 10, the Gourds at 11, the Old 97's at 12 midnight, and Kelly Willis at 1AM...Catch an old-fashioned Austin love-in with Doug Sahm, Kim Wilson, Angela Strehli, and Lou Ann Barton at Antone's, 12 midnight...Choreboy at Atomic Café, 12 midnight...Don Walser and the Pure Texas Band at the Continental Club, 11PM...Bad Livers at Scholz Beer Garten, 12 midnight...11 hip-hop bands play the State Theatre (719 Congress) between 8 PM and closing time...Three in a row at Stubb's with the Ugly Americans at 11PM, Gov't Mule (featuring ex-Allman Warren Haynes) at 12 midnight, and
 Vallejo at 1AM...Headswim at Waterloo Brewing Co., 11PM. Saturday March 21: First off hit the free outdoor stage (wristbands NOT required) at Waterloo Park (12th & Red River) for three of Austin's most reknowned guitarists.
 Ian Moore at 5:30, Junior Brown at 6:30, and Jimmie Vaughan at 7:30...Damn! Antone's is on with ex-Stray Cat Lee Rocker at 9, Chris Whitley at 10, the amazing Buddy Guy at 11,
 Storyville at midnight,
and the Scabs at 1. Damn!...Another full house at the venerable Back Room with Connecticut's Hatebreed at 9, Denton's Baboon at 10, Stanford Prison Experiment at 11, the much-anticipated Sawed-Off at midnight, and Skrew at 1...The Recliners at the Caucus Club, 9PM...Watch out! SXSW legends Sixteen Deluxe hit Liberty Lunch at 10PM followed by Sean Lennon at 11...Wannabes play at 11PM followed by TVT's showcase with Royal Fingerbowl from New Orleans at midnight, Brian Jonestown at 1AM at the Electric Lounge Pavilion... Scarlitt (featuring former Sincola screamer Rebeccas Cannon) at the Copper Tank's North Room, 11PM...Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin label takes over Emo's and Emo's Jr. for the entire night, highlights include Honky at 8PM and the Fuckemo's at 1AM...Fat Tuesday features two lovely Austin ladies early in the evening via Kris McKay (who actually lives in LA now) at 9PM and
 Trish Murphy at 10PM...Spacehog ("Mungo City", "In The Meantime") at Liberty Lunch, 1AM...Local faves Jon Dee Graham and
 Jimmy LaFave play Scholz Beer Garten at 11PM and 1AM, respectively...
 Dale Watson at Stubb's, 11PM...Iris Dement, one of the finest Southern female singers around, plays the Texas Union Ballroom at 11PM...My fellow KLBJ type A.D. recommends Tito & Tarantula (Quentin Tarantino does too) at Waterloo Brewing Co., 11PM.
Things wrap up on Sunday with a Who Hoot Night at the Hole In The Wall and the traditional Sunday show with Alejandro Escovedo at La Zona Rosa.
International music is always a big thing at SXSW, and the hot spots this year are Maggie Mae's, who feature almost exclusively foreign acts during the entire festival, and Tropical Isle, where you'll find Canadian bands on Wednesday, German bands on Thursday, the acclaimed Japanese Night on Friday, and bands from Australia and New Zealand on Saturday. Liberty Lunch features Muddy Frankenstein and Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her (both from Japan) at 8PM and 9PM, respectively, on Saturday. Bob Popular has a Canadian showcase sponsored by SXSW's Northern counterpart NXNE, also on Saturday.
Like I said up top, hit a few of these, but it would be a mistake to schedule yourself too rigidly during SXSW. Go out and see something new. That's supposedly what it's all about in the first place.
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Austin's Harder Edge!
