HRC and Southern Boi Entertainment are co-hosting this month’s community mixer with Legacy of Success Foundation at Absinthe Lounge (1409 S. Lamar in South Side at Lamar lofts) from 6:30pm to 8pm on Wednesday, January 20, and it’s free to the public (although donations are accepted) and a good way to find out how you can volunteer your time when organizations in the community. Speaking of Southern Boi, the Red Carpet All-Star Event is selling out fast! Get your tickets today! ...

Just when Space Jesus thought Americans couldn’t be more un-Christian, he finds New Testament Scripture inscribed into gun sights used by the US Military. How can the Mujahedeen, the Taliban, al Qaeda NOT say they were shot by Jesus Rifles? America once again gives the enemy ammunition. It’s good to know that Jesus has their back. Unfortunately, the US forbids the use of any religious connotation for the obvious thought of a crusade that would ensue. Trijicon, the makers of the sights, of course say nothing is wrong with the incorporation of religion text on their killing machine ...

“Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping… waiting… and though unwanted… unbidden… it will stir… open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us… guides us… passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love… the clarity of hatred… and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we’d know some kind of peace… but we would be hollow… Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we’d be truly dead.” To find someone ...

The Merry, Merry Martini Mixer is as guileless as a University of Texas freshman peeking into Oilcan Harry’s for the first time. Becca Powell and Tim Haney It’s got martinis. Those boys lubricate social mixing. Nothing more complicated than that. Michael Chad Carter (working on a photographic project about Lady Ga Ga fans), Michael Gomez and Tim McCabe (leaving for Thailand) The annual event — now in its fifth year — raises money for Equality Texas, the anti-discrimination advocacy group. I’m guessing it raises a lot of dough, because this baby was sold out way before Saturday, when it returned to ...

Even though I reviewed Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso I, it's not the only recording I had in rotation. I was listening to two recordings of his chamber music, in addition to the Kronos' set of string quartets. His Symphony No. 4 and Requiem are in the wings, but these days I'm not fond of orchestral works. (The way they're recorded doesn't allow the kind of immediacy as chamber music.) I would have liked to review them all, but I would be repeating myself. So instead, I'm relegating the other recordings in a round-up. Chamber Music: Piano Quintet (Tale String Quartet, Ronald Pötinen, ...

“Say What?” – Grant Geissman “Peace and Quiet” – Cloudberry Jam “Acht O’ Clock Rock” – Duke Ellington “Growing Up” – Dave Binney, Alan Ferber “How High the Moon” – 7notemode “Early Morning Rose” – Dawn Clement “Last Good Day of the Year” – Cousteau “Wake Up Everybody” – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes “We Jazz June” – Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets + 2 “Fur Turban” – The As Is Ensemble “Cleo’s Bounce” – Jeff Gauthier ...

http://twitter.com/baratunde ...

The streets change character when the city turns cold, dark and wet. Creeks and crevices fill up quickly, the flood gray-green in the streetlight. Trees and shrubs, burdened by the rain, block the walker’s path. Drivers lose their famous Austin equanimity. At least fellow pedestrians acknowledge the dreary conditions, and shout out encouragements to the sodden passersby. Moontica and Raina Leigh Once inside, however, the old, familiar warmth spreads quickly. Thanks to a sturdy Four Seasons umbrella lent me by Linda Ball, oh, ages ago, I forged across hill and dale to reach the Saxon Pub on a Friday night when ...

Carlos Sosa has figured out what to do with all those talent-rich, cash-strapped Austin musicians working for tips at more than 100 area music venues. Export them. Not permanently, mind you, but just long enough to piece together living incomes and accrue such essentials as health benefits. “Some of the best musicians on the planet are in Austin,” Sosa says. “But they are not being used often enough for scoring, backup talent and touring. They just don’t know how good they are.” The sociable saxophone player, musical director and president of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy has been helping to stuff ...

In celebrating 2009 accomplishments of out-and-proud R&B artists, Nhojj and Ari Gold, I want to know when we’ll hear more music from the R&B/soul vocalists are that out-and-proud. Will they be some new Rashaan Patterson or Donnie this year? Tim’m West mentioned that he was also planning an R&B/soul project. Eagerly awaiting the new Soulkiss project, a hearty side serving of vocalist, Tim Dillinger. How soon, sir, how soon? And where are the women in this list? Kudos to Tracy Chapman and Ruthie Foster for their recent Grammy nods. Me’shell, I’m loving your latest! Jianda, more please! Know more independent ...

While reading Behind the Mask this morning, I ran across a repost of a story from the Daily Monitor which mentions Speaker Edward Ssekandi’s insistence to debate the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in the Ugandan parliament despite rebuttal from the international community and President Yoweni Musuveni’s pledge to the US State Department to veto the bill should it pass parliament. It was Speaker Ssekandi’s statement at the end of the article that caught my eye. “As black people, the way we understand this issue (of homosexuality) is not the same way the whites understand and we should be able to decide ...

For nearly 21 years, only one work defined my perception of Alfred Schnittke -- his third string quartet, which Kronos Quartet recorded for its third studio album Winter Was Hard. It took a long while before I got around to listening to the rest of his string quartets, but once I did, I became curious about his other works. So off to eMusic I went to download a number of recordings on the Bis label, and the richness of his string quartets were amplified by the heterogeneity of his orchestrations. Schnittke's Concerto Grosso I is often cited as a major work, and ...

Live Chat with Tito Beveridge on teh State of Austin Nighlife ...

Liz Carpenter, legendary journalist, author, speechwriter, press secretary, humorist and host, has shuttered her home on Scenic Drive in West Lake Hills to enter the health care unit at Querencia retirement home at Barton Creek. Carpenter’s health had been faltering for months. At her unpretentious home on Scenic Drive she had entertained old friends such as Bill Moyers, Carol Channing, Walter Cronkite, Gerald Ford, Cokie Roberts and Lady Bird Johnson, for whom she served as press secretary in the White House (1963-1969). Carpenter, born in 1920, started her reporting career at the Austin American-Statesman in 1942. ...

The United States government has earmarked $100 million to help earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Ordinary people are sending in $5, $10, $100 apiece through various digital tools. Celebrities were not far behind, many of them sending out pleas for massive relief on Twitter and Facebook. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Adam Lambert were among those tweeting outside Austin. Eugene Sepulveda, Sloan Foster and Turk Pipkin are among the local socializers using social media for good. Austin’s Lance Armstrong has donated $250,000. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have set aside $1 million for Doctors Without Borders. And George Clooney is set to host ...

In earlier podcasts, I’d played tracks from electronic musician, Daniel Berkman, that I’d learned about and been granted to play from Magnatune. His projects there featured his performance on the kora, a 21-stringed harp-lute played extensively in West Africa. As I was mining Bandcamp (which I find myself doing often), I run across what I would learn to be another Daniel Berkman project called Colfax. I really like the dreamy mood of the entire project, and I chose the track, “Electricity”, because it reminds me of a Prefuse 73 rendition of a Wendy and Lisa instrumental track. Enjoy! ...

Thanks to cave_canem Yahoo! group, here’s a list of organizations that you can contribute to in aiding victims of the recent 7.0 earthquake near Port Au Prince in Haiti on yesterday. Save the Children – http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/earthquake-10/ Partners in Health – http://www.pih.org/home.html Yele – Wyclef Jean’s organization – http://www.yele.org Lambi Fund of Haiti – http://www.lambifund.org/ In such a time of chaos and pain, let’s hope that the food, medical supplies, and other aid be received in enough time (and without government “red tape”) to save as many as possible. ...

Before we get to the winner of the A List readers poll for Best Low-Fat/Health Conscious Option, let me share a little story. Earlier this week, I met Carlos Sosa, president of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy, for lunch at Mr. Natural on South Lamar Boulevard. I did so as a sort of favor, since the vegetarian Mexican restaurant had been his regular haunt when he lived in the neighborhood. Everything I had was fantastic! Cheese and pepper tamales, black beans, spinach salad and stir-fry veggies all spiced and cooked to perfection. Just goes to show what an ...

Years ago, the State of Texas clamped down on really cheap alcoholic drinks. Remember 10-cent-drink nights back in the 1980s? Probably a good thing that trend dried up. Yet it’s nice to know some bargains exist, for those seeking them. Our A List voters chose among a multitude of Austin establishments to name the “Best Cheap Drinks” winners. The top dog is located on East Sixth Street, land o’ shots: Treasure Island (24 percent of the tally); as are two of the other contenders — Cheers (11 percent) and Jackalope (2 percent). Others are scattered up north: Barfly’s (12 percent); Ginny’s Little ...

Come on! Mike Barnes, what happened? Sharing a name with the newspaper’s social columnist was not enough? I can’t believe you didn’t win. Punishment laps for you, sport. Kidding, of course. KVUE’s Mr. Barnes did very well, placing second in the A List reader poll for Best Sportscaster, racking up 32 percent of the vote. But the winner is KXAN’s Roger Wallace, pictured, who stretched for 37 percent. FOX 7’s Dave Cody and KEYE’s Bob Ballou were neck and neck for third place, taking 14 percent and 12 percent respectively. News 8’s Jeff Power rounded out the list with 5 percent. ...