Sunday, September 21, 2003

even though i'm really busy, i've decided to make a practice of writing here daily.  we'll see. the cinematexas eye & ear festival has served as an excellent corrective to the near-hysteria surrounding the austin city limits music festival.  over the weekend, i have seen several, excellent avant-garde musicians, in pleasant settings.  many people in austin, texas profess to love music, and going out to see bands.  the truth (as i've observed it, anyway) is slightly different:  many people in austin, texas love going out to places where musicians are playing, then drinking too much and talking too loud.  many people seem to like bands as a backdrop to their conversation, or as an accessory to their lifestyle.  i went to the austin city limits music festival last year, for a while (i wanted to hear emmylou harris).  the sound was abysmal, and there were a lot of people there behaving very, very badly. so.  on friday night, i saw kaffe matthews at the auditorium on waller creek.  she performed a solo set, processing some sine-tones generated from a sort of mini-theremin (i guess) with her laptop.  i found her music very subtle, warm and meditative, and liked her manner very much as well.  i picked up her new recording, cd eb + flo. last night, we saw the dutch anarcho/punk/squatter outfit the ex, at emo's.  high-energy, experimental fun, though i may not have been in the mood for the punk rock.  the folks around me were having an absolute ball, though.  tonight we'll see kaffe matthews again, this time in a trio format with john butcher and andy moor.  the weather, by the way, has been perfect for the sorts of listening+seeing experiences i've had over the weekend - grey, damp, and still.    9:33:48 AM