Two new initiatives in aid of the Austin music community; Weird City Hip Hop Fest’s 2015 line-up; and some of this week’s strange musical happenings. As part of your Austin Music Experience, this is your weekly SoundCheck:
While news of the Austin music scene’s recent difficulties went national this week, the City of Austin has announced the inclusion of the Red River Cultural District in a plan that would help its struggling venues. Officially called the Soul-y Austin Business District Incubator, the project hopes to aid in the formation of merchant’s associations for four commercial districts in Austin, one of which will be Red River. Led by the Economic Development Department, the goal of the pilot initiative is to help businesses establish representation and have their voices heard by coming together and reaching common goals. Initial discussions, which began earlier this month, included representatives from Mohawk, Stubb’s, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Elysium, Red Eyed Fly, and Valhalla to name a few. While further discussions are scheduled for August, the group is hoping to receive its official designation as a merchant’s association by November.
This week’s second initiative comes in the form of the All ATX Music Factory. Headed by Gary Keller, of Keller Williams Realty, the All ATX Music Factory will be a multi-purpose facility intended to meet the needs of Austin musicians. Keller said that the facility will include rehearsal areas, recording studios, a performance space, and offices, and will offer educational programs geared towards musicians as well. Keller also spearheads an annual fundraiser for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. The All ATX Music Factory will operate as a non-profit and offer its services to local musicians for little to no cost.
Weird City Hip-Hop Fest announced its 2015 lineup this week. The event’s headliners will be Jay Electronica, Danny Brown, and Aesop Rock, and the roster will also feature local acts like Riders Against the Storm, Magna Carda, and Modal. This year’s festival will take place September 18th and 19th at Delta Millworks.
And on to the stranger side of things… Roskilde, the largest music festival in Northern Europe, has gone extra green and begun recycling urine to help in the making of beer for next year’s festival. The beer-cycling program utilizes urine collected from this year’s festival-goers and uses it as fertilizer for their campaign “from Piss to Pilsner.”
If you’re short on summer plans for August, you can also attend Sebastian Bach‘s wedding reception… for a fee. For the low cost of just $300, fans can attend the reception-meets-nconcert of the Skid Row front-man and Gilmore Girls regular.
And it also looks like Trent Reznor will be involved in the upcoming Fight Club Rock Opera. Not many details on the project have been shared so far, but the show will be produced by David Fincher and Julie Taymor.
That’s your SoundCheck!