The Laurie Show
*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note
It's just a little over a week before the glorious chaos and insanity known as South By Southwest, and already my brain is about to explode because there's a lot to share with you kids. And that's a good thing.
I've mentioned before that my column typically reflects ideas that inspire me for The Laurie Show on KUT 90.5 FM each Firday night. I think the next handful of Fridays will have no shortage of material because I'll have plenty of inspiration from upcoming events.
First, I'm honored and delighted to play hostess with the mostess for the fantastic day show/party extravaganza, Gonna Gonna Get, Get Down!, presented by the Austinist, our esteemed peeps from the Gothamist, and Gorilla vs. Bear. Pencil this into your SXSW schedule, please: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 14, at the Mohawk on Red River. Admission is free...the best price ever. I'll feature music on my program from some of the artists that will be performing at this big show, so tune in.
Secondly, I'm taking a moment to brag about some KUT peeps who are doing really cool work. Texas Music Matters is a program featured on KUT that presents some amazing stories about the great music and musical artists from the Lone Star State. The host, David Brown, and the talented partners in crime, Asra Syed and Andy Uhler, are working double-time producing a special SXSW-focused episode of TMM I'm really looking forward to, called "The List."
They carefully mulled over ALL the participating artists on the SXSW list, narrowed that down to 50 artists, then painstakingly chose 15 from that pool to feature on "The List." "One of the great things about South By Southwest is you get to be introduced to all these new artists," says David Brown.
The music will be complemented by some very fun tongue-in-cheek mini-lists, artfully compiled by Asra Syed and assorted local peeps who could be considered South-By veterans; for example, lists that include tips on "How To Spot A Tourist," or "How To Call It A Night."
Man, am I gonna enjoy that one...
I'd also like to recommend a Texas Music Matters program airing at 11 a.m. this Sunday on KUT, and again on Wednesday at 2 p.m., that will explore some wonderful classics, and the great stories behind them. This is music that continues to have a profound effect on people today.
While David Brown knows that meeting new artists is a great experience, he says delving into music history undoubtedly offers a remarkable experience as well. "You talk to these people, these artists, and they want to tell you their stories," David explains. "You reclaim these songs, and you rediscover them. You realize just how much [our] musical history owes to all these people."
David's got it right. That's exactly why I have a blast pulling out the classics from the KUT music library to put on The Laurie Show. It's a treasure trove, and you find out just where a lot of your favorite artists get their inspiration from. My hat's off to David, Asra and Andy for their superb work. Check out the show, peeps.
Speaking of show, I must tend to my own! Repeat after me: 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., Friday night, on KUT 90.5. Get, get on it. And, as the great RoboCop would say, thank you for your support.
