Echotone Premieres at the RItz
Sunday, April 24 at 9:45pm
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street)
Opening Sunday and plays all week
[info] | [tickets]
Not that it should come as a surprise; between our “keep Austin weird” aesthetic and the fact that you can see 100 different bands playing around town on any given night, the ATX is a breeding ground for young musicians to flourish. Hey, we’re not called “the Live Music Capital of the World” for nothing.
But the local landscape has changed in recent years, and we’re not just talking about the 20-story cranes that seem to be everywhere or the skyscrapers they leave behind. As the city continues to grow, we are forced to evolve as well. After all, those new condos are full of people that still need to be able to sleep at night.
The new documentary Echotone takes a long look at the issues that are arising out of these new circumstances with Austin as its focus. By definition, the term ecotone is “a transitional zone between two communities containing the characteristic species of each.” That’s a good way to describe where we are today; as the economy grows and the city prospers, where does the music scene fit in? How does the city maintain its identity while accommodating all these new changes?
Director Nathan Christ examines this dichotomy focusing on Austin’s music scene, getting up close and personal with local rockers like Black Joe Lewis, Bill Baird (of Sound Team) , Dana Falconberry, The Black Angels, and more. Their struggles to succeed (which are modest by rock and roll standards, i.e. to make enough money to play music full time) without “selling out” (a term with a changing and amorphous definition, to say the least) are real and relatable, bringing Austin’s current identity crisis into sharp focus. Cari Palazzolo (of Belaire) actually delivers blueprints for the very condominium projects responsible for all these changes.
But don’t let us fool you into thinking this movie is dull. Entertaining, insightful, and packed with an incredible soundtrack (Paste Magazine called it “the best (free) soundtrack we’ve ever seen” (You can download here—you’re welcome), Echotone made quite a splash at last year’s AFF and for good reason. It’s a powerful portrait of a city in flux, struggling to find the right balance between old and new, culture and commerce. It’s a must-see for every Austin resident who cares about the future of this town.
Echotone opens at the Alamo Ritz Sunday at 9:45pm and will continue through the week.
