| The Skinny Archives |
| Written by Dante Dominick | |
 Kristy Dwyer Playboy models Kelly Hargraves and Kristy Dwyer (an Austin gal) are on the bill this Saturday (11/28, $10) for a charity concert for Movember, a non-profit supporting men’s health and prostate cancer research. Music headliners are The Steps, Austin’s breakthrough power-pop quartet that won the 2008 ACL band competition. Also playing are local indie acts You Make Engine, The Sandworms, Spectre the Cab, as well as DJs PopNoir and Premode. Among the many prizes throughout the night, Movember will be offering two tickets to the exclusive Playboy party at SXSW 2009. So…all it takes is a great rock concert, two Playboy models, and a chance to party with more Playboy models…and then you can get men to pay attention to their health. Go figure.
 Stanton Moore, photo: Amy Opoka Capturing the vibe of the late-night after sets of New Orleans Jazz Festival, the third annual FunkFest in Austin, TX, lights up The Parish on November 21-22. The marquee funkmeister on Friday is the Stanton Moore Trio, featuring Moore (drummer for Galactic), Robert Walter (B3 maniac of Greyboy Allstars), and NYC guitarist Will Bernard; headlining Saturday is Bonerama. Representing the best of Austin funk is The Greyhounds (with sax monster Topaz sitting in), Flyjack, and the stellar soul/R&B revue of T-Bird & The Breaks. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Vonnegut’s birthday gets “Music and a Movie” treatment. Star-studded concert benefits returning US troops. Voices of a Grateful Nation, at Antone’s on Monday, 11/10, will feature a all-star Austin cast to raise awareness and funds for post 9/11 veterans. In the spirit of togetherness, musicians of all political persuasions are on board: W.C. Clark, Ray Benson, Jimmy LaFave, Gary P. Nunn, Susan Gibson, Charlie Sexton, Malford Milligan, and many more will make appearances in support of securing necessary goods, funds, care, and services for homecoming troops. The night will also celebrate the release of the first in a series of Voices of a Grateful Nation CDs featuring these artists and more. The Antone’s concert is $15 ($10 with military ID).
Fun Fun Fun Fest leans green, adds bull.
New additions to Fun Fun Fun Fest.  Photo: Cambria Harkey Austin City Limits has already announced the confirmed dates for the eight annual ACL music festival in 2009, and…drum roll please…it is October 2-4! Perhaps hearing how well-received the decision to push it back one week in hopes for cooler weather was greeted this year, ACL organizers C3 Presents went even further towards fall with the big move to October. While many have been clamoring for an October move since year two, it is a very welcome decision nonetheless. (For a photo recap of ACL 2008, click here.) Also of note, installation of the underground sprinkler system for Zilker Park (paid for by C3 Presents) will begin after the Trail of Lights holiday display is finished. The result should be the disappearance of major dust issues that surfaced again this year, though not as dramatically as 2005.
 Photo: Steven Dewall Under the Radar magazine is auctioning off the hand-made posters of dozens of indie rock musicians (each with the musician’s autograph) starting September 30 on eBay. All the proceeds will benefit War Child International, a non-profit that helps children in areas of war and conflict across the globe. The posters originally appeared in the magazine’s summer “protest issue,” and included Michael Stipe, Isaac Brock (Modes Mouse), Colin Meloy, Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), Chuck D, and many more. Each made their own sign. Spoon's Britt Daniel, who also appeared on one of the two covers for the issue, chose to simply paint “la vida raza,” which roughly translates “long live the people,” a famous rallying cry among Mexican-American labor groups. The auctions will last for seven days; each item will be auctioned individually.
Zein Al-Jundi included in Putumayo’s Acoustic Arabia compilation.  The National Fun Fun Fun Fest lineup announced. Thee stages turn to four as Fun Fun Fun Fest turns three this year at Waterloo Park, November 8-9. The full lineup, curated by Austin-based Transmission Entertainment, includes Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, Deerhoof, Bad Brains, Dead Milkmen, and 60+ more. The festival showcases the best in current indie rock, punk, and hip-hop, with an eye for cutting edge buzz-makers on the rise. Among local notables are Trail of Dead, Shearwater, Grupo Fantasma, Ugly Beats, and Til We're Blue or Destroy. Performers also include comedy acts. Tickets are $60 for a two-day pass. There will be discounts for all students; children under 10 are free. The lineup is not yet available at the festival website, but austin.com has you covered with the full lineup below. 
 Dan Dyer Soulful piano man with a Stevie Wonder vibe, Dan Dyer—whose weekly Momo’s residency started with sparse attendance and has grown to be all the rage—is bound for much bigger stages. As of this July, Dyer is represented by ICM (International Creative Management). ICM is a powerhouse booking agency, among their clients: Mary J. Blige and Patti LaBelle. For their part, Momo’s has proven again to be a goldmine of an incubator for blossoming talent. So the next time you bemoan paying a Lincoln for cover of some band you never heard of, keep in mind that in time, they could be playing for a Jackson…in Jacksonville.
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The city of Austin’s Live Music Task Force is presenting its recommendations to City Council on Thursday afternoon, November, 20. The recommendations touch on issues ranging from noise ordinances, regional economic development based on the music industry, downtown parking issues, foster job growth, give a boost to HAMM, and even define what is a “live music venue.” Hmmmmm. The Austin Music Foundation and Save Austin Music organization are calling on the public to join a march to City Hall as the recommendations are presented to demonstrate public support for the initiatives. Good ‘ol grassroots organizing will let City Council know their voters are keeping an eye on these issues as development and the music industry face the challenges of co-existing peacefully. Well, relatively peacefully…with some rock, and some roll, in the mix. Everyone will convene at Antone’s on West 5th at 1:00pm to convene for the group march to City Hall. 
PKWproductions’ P. Kellach Waddle—who is successfully dismantling barriers of accessibility to classical music—will join in collaboration with Graham Reynolds (Golden Arm Trio, Golden Hornet Project), Peter Stopschinski (Golden Hornet Project), and Brian Satterwhite to pay homage to the literary and philosophical genius of Kurt Vonnegut on Saturday, 11/8. This latest in the “Music and a Movie” series will feature the showing of the 1996 film adaptation of Vonnegut’s Mother Night at Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek along with an entire program of new classical works. The works were composed by Waddle, inspired by and dedicated to the writings of Vonnegut. The following day (11/9), Waddle will present another Vonnegut tribute at BookPeople as an installment of PKWproductions’ “Synthesis of Music and Literature” series. 
Limited Edition Trail of Dead picture disc released.
Co-writers Hayes Carll and Brian Keane won the Americana Music Association award on 9/18 for the song “She Left Me For Jesus,” which appears on Carll’s 2008 CD, Trouble in Mind (Lost Highway Records). The humorous song is sung first-person from a jaded, spurned ex-boyfriend who is clearly chafed at his ex’s new man, some guy named Jesus. As he describes her new habits with this man he hasn’t yet met, it’s clear he’s unaware this guy is actually a religion. The humorous song is but one that has gained Carll comparisons to Townes van Zandt and Johnny Cash. Carll, based in Austin, has gained considerable acclaim for Trouble in Mind as well as 2005’s Little Rock. Keane didn’t have to travel far to claim the award at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium; Keane moved to Nashville this year after being based in Austin for a few years. 
Born and raised in Damascus (that’s Syria), 
Suzanna Choffel selected to represent Texas music. Austin Area Directory - add your business
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