;People often ask me about the worst part of my job. The benefits are obvious — free music, legions of fans, awareness that I'm changing the world — so there must be a downside, right? There certainly is: the Amateur Show Promoter.
;;Any musical venture that takes momentum away from pro players is one I love. These events are usually spirited, adventurous and musically rewarding. But the reason the pros are pros is because they're, well, professional. They solidify lineups early, they promote shows ceaselessly and they try hard to make sure things run smoothly. The Amateur Show Promoter, however, tends to have lineups morphing until show time, typically doesn't announce the show to anyone other than parents/close friends until a week or so in advance and then wonders why nobody came to the awesome show he/she worked so hard to make happen.
;;So, in an effort to mitigate the effects of amateur promoters, I'm going to do my best to drum up some support for the two high school kids behind the embarrassingly titled Andyfest '06. Though it sounds like a backyard party to raise money for a burn victim, and though they didn't bother to e-mail ANY information about it until a week before the scheduled July 2 date, these kids — both, of course, named Andy — have amazing taste in music, and I hope (against hope) that this show is a success.
;;"This festival focuses on music in the experimental/noise/psych/improv vein," reads the e-mail, and that's for real. With artists from New York, Virginia, Ohio and Florida coming into Island Oasis July 2, it's going to be a mess of squalling feedback, major freakouts and general sonic mayhem. Iovae, Irene Moon, Watersports, Yellow Crystal Star and others will be present, presenting, according to the e-mail, everything from "noisy, absurdist theater" and "basement psych" to "back country improvisers" and "weirdo folksters." Doors open at 4 p.m. and the cover is only $5 if you're over age 21.
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;Other late-breaking news
;;Although the guys in the Heathens told me about this while I was interviewing them for the story on page 36, I didn't get finalized details on the I4 Extravaganza until, well, a week before the July show at Austin's Coffee. A lot of the usual Funbalaya/Post Records suspects — the Punching Contest, Dodger's Matt Kamm, Mumpsy and, of course, the Heathens — along with other local excellence like Happy Valley, Fall Apart Machine and others. There will be a dunk tank, a "sleazy kiss booth," a vegan pie-eating contest (yuck!) and beer ring toss (yay!). The event's moniker, though, has nothing to do with the wretched freeway we all endure; instead, it's all about four "I"s of independence — independent coffee shop, independent record label, independent artists and Independence Day.
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;Can't stop the rock
;;Whole Wheat Bread has had a roller-coaster couple of weeks; fresh out of rambunctious studio sessions with Lil Jon (yeah, that Lil Jon), the band was playing some Canada dates with the Aquabats while bassist Nick Largen cooled his heels on the U.S. side of the border. (One Drop's Dan Grundorf was filling in for him.) Impatience (or something) apparently got the better of him, and on June 14, he got arrested on charges of first-degree robbery. To WWB's credit, even though Largen is one-third of the band and another third is his brother, drummer Joe, they just kept trucking along, enlisting the bassist for Atlanta's El Pus to fill in.
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;Also notable
;;Pabst Blue Ribbon is looking for bands to be part of their "Live and Local" promotion (which, as you may have noticed, includes advertisements in this wonderful paper), so if you're interested, e-mail [email protected] … The wonderful and deserving Mecca Nism has gotten herself a little sponsorship love: The "artist" page of Dean Guitars' website features the likes of Randy Rhoads, Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde and, well, Mecca … Question of the week: What's going on at Will's South? Answer: Nothing, it's closed. It's unclear exactly why, but my theory is that a combination of broken beer coolers and area traffic cops had something to do with it.
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;Keep that calendar open
;;Next Friday (July 7), I'll go head-to-head with my friend/colleague/competition Bao Le-Huu in what could only be described as an "iPod battle." We'll both bring our respective audio devices to Redlight Redlight and expose the inner recesses of our (real) musical taste as well as the depth of our musical knowledge. The exact format of the evening is still being finessed, but it will be a good, drunken time. And I will completely destroy him. Feel free to come and witness the carnage ... um, cheer me on.
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