A look at this week’s local events and discussions to booster the Austin music community; and an odd selection of music news from the corners of the internet. This is your weekly SoundCheck:
The new local community organization Human Sciences is holding a roundtable discussion tonight, June 23rd, that will focus on the Austin music scene. Called “State of the Arts,” the event is meant to highlight and share the different perspectives of those within the Austin music community and will include Lindsey Verrill from Annie Street Arts Collective, Andrew Stevens from Punctum Records, Marcus Lawyer from Transmission Events, and Austin Music People’s Jeniffer Houlihan. Moderated by Punctum Records’ Dan Rudmann, tonight’s discussion at Studium is open to the public and will begin at 7pm.
Austin’s music advocate, All ATX is bringing together some big local names for a night of psychedelic rock at ACL Live, all for a good cause. All Along the Moontower: Austin Gets Psychedelic‘s lineup will include special guest Todd Rundgren, as well as Hayes Carll, the Black Angels, Ian Moore, Gina Chavez, Max Frost, Israel Nash, and more. The night’s proceeds will benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, in addition to the upcoming non-profit, the All ATX Music Factory. The concert follows last week’s announcement of the incubator initiative headed by Gary Keller, seeking to provide local musicians with affordable space, educational programs, and collaborative opportunities. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 26th.
The Austin Music Foundation’s 4th Music Industry Collaborative is underway. The applicant-based program was created to facilitate mentoring and communication between local music entrepreneurs. The collaborative and fast-track program not only offers workshops and the opportunity to learn from successful firms, but also provides new projects with the chance to receive a grant to grow their businesses. The application to participate in this year’s MIC is August 1st.
As for this week’s oddities:
Hip-hop duo Run the Jewels have released “Meowrly,” the first single from their upcoming album, Meow the Jewels 2 – their official cat-themed remix album. Funded by Kickstarter, the project came to life after a joke by the duo inadvertently sparked the internet’s eternal feline affection.
Ready for a Zombie Western/90’s boy band collision you never knew you wanted? Backstreet Boy Nick Carter is writing a “futuristic horror movie” that will feature a bevy of former Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync members, including himself. Tentatively titled Dead 7, Carter hopes to extend the cast to include other 90’s pop musicians as well. The project’s production will be undertaken by the Asylum, the company that brought you Sharknado.
And speaking of music and film, this coming year will see the release of Gutterdämmerung, the Loudest Silent Film Ever. Named after Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” and featuring legends like Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Grace Jones, and Jesse Hughes, this Bjorn Tagemose rock ‘n’ roll fairytale is set in a world where God has taken away Satan’s Guitar. The movie is meant to be screened with a live rock band and narrator, and the rest of the musical cast will be announced in August. You can also win free tickets to the event by guessing who they might be.
That’s your SoundCheck!
