Austinist

SXSW Film Preview: Scarlet Road

NickGioBarbieri — 2012-02-22T10:45:00-06:00

Most humans consider themselves sexual beings or, at the very least, appreciate a little intimacy every now and then. One group that often gets passed over when it comes to any sort of carnal exploration is the disabled. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say they are even shunned from sexuality. In SXSW Documentary Spotlight film Scarlet Road, society's knee-jerk, unsettled reaction gets put to the test and, hopefully, the subject matter gains a bit of awareness, respect, and understanding. [ more › ] ]]> Scarlet Road follows Australian sex worker Rachel Wotton with a few of her clients and their families -- John finds himself wheelchair-bound from Multiple Sclerosis while Mark, also in a wheelchair, must speak with the help of an electronic communication board due to Cerebral Palsy. Beyond Rachel illustrating her philosophy that human touch and sexual intimacy can be some of the most therapeutic aspects to our existence, the doc also includes her involvement with the Scarlet Alliance (Australian Sex Workers Association) that "aims to achieve equality, social, legal, political, cultural and economic justice for past and present workers in the sex industry." An ultimate goal is to help create the first non-profit brothel.

Jezebel recently wrote up the film with a quote from Rachel that helps put things in perspective: "Part of my reason for doing the film was to wipe away the 'us and them' mentality. We're all one car accident away from being in the same position as these guys. Tomorrow we could all wake up out of a coma and not be able to eat let alone have sex or touch ourselves. What I say to people is imagine the next time you go to have sex or masturbate having to call your mum and have her organize it all for you."

Scarlet Road's first SXSW screening is Monday, March 12th at 1:15pm (Vimeo Theater) with additional screenings at Violet Crown and Alamo Drafthouse Lamar. Find the full SXSW Film Lineup here, and check out a few more of our film previews here.

Children of Bodom, Revocation, More at Emo's East [Show Preview]

Adam S — 2012-02-21T17:57:04-06:00

Finnish death metal stalwarts Children of Bodom are celebrating fifteen years together with a big tour sponsored by ESP. They hit Emo's East tonight with a few other bands, including the technical/mind-melting Revocation, Threat Signal, and the "folk metal" Eluveitie. Eclectic but extreme, this is a loud bill for anyone wanting some early evening metal. [ more › ]

SXSW Film Preview - Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

cmoore — 2012-02-21T10:30:00-06:00

More than a handful of the films at this year's SXSW Film Festival focus on music, including the documentary feature Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me. Profiling one of the biggest bands that was never really that big (they've been cited as influences by REM, Belle & Sebastian, Elliot Smith, etc. but the average person probably doesn't know much about them), the film features never before seen footage of the band and in-depth interviews with friends and fans. [ more › ]

Badgerdog's Spring Break Creative Writing Program...You Know, for Kids!

Siobhan Welch — 2012-02-20T11:10:11-06:00

Your eight-year-old prefers Hemingway to Harry Potter and has read The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, twice. Lately he’s taken to carrying around a notebook he scribbles in every time you use a cliché. Other people think he’s socially awkward, but you're certain he’s a budding artiste. Time to sign him up for Badgerdog’s Spring Break Creative Writing Program where published poets, playwrights and fiction writers can cultivate his nascent literary talent. [ more › ]

Austin Kleon's "Steal Like An Artist" Is Out, Has A "Cute Dog Trailer"

Adam S — 2012-02-20T10:39:44-06:00

Resident blackout poet Austin Kleon has a new book out called Steal Like An Artist. Kleon presented many of the ideas in the new work as a talk in April of last year at Broome Community College, and he has expanded on these ideas and pulled it all together in print form. See the book trailer after the jump. [ more › ]

Austin Music Weekly - Listen, Drink, Live Local

JulieS — 2012-02-20T09:53:00-06:00

As one of the most consistent outlets of quality recordings, AMW focuses primarily on live shows in Austin venues. Since its inception on Thanksgiving day of 2010, the goal has been to highlight solely local bands. To do so, AMW's format consists of filming bands on stage during an actual performance, giving online audiences an accurate depiction of the act's live show. [ more › ]

Islands at St. David's Episcopal Church [Show Photos]

Pooneh Ghana — 2012-02-18T15:08:47-06:00

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Austinite Juan Gil de Lamadrid Hopes To Release His Deceased Father's Album

Adam S — 2012-02-18T09:41:56-06:00

Kickstarter is full of projects, and - like so many others - this one by Austinite Juan Gil de Lamadrid is designed to raise funds for an album release. This project, though, is especially unique - the proposed album is the work of de Lamadrid's father, Jose Gil de Lamadrid, who died in 1985. The songs were put onto tape and one vinyl copy decades ago, and Juan is hoping to release his father's music on iTunes, on compact disc, and to create animated videos for two of the songs [ more › ]

I Think His Writing is Well Beautiful: An Interview with Neil of Los Campesinos

Ruth Griffin — 2012-02-17T16:45:08-06:00

Los Campesinos! Not in any way a Spanish or Mexican-based band, the group’s deceptive title serves merely to signify a group of musical companions, and companions they are. This quirky seven-piece band originally comes from Wales, employing pop melodies and heartfelt words of heartbreak and wisdom. In the midst of their huge North American tour (including two nights at the Parish, lucky us!) guitarist Neil Turner was kind enough to give us a few minutes of phone time to discuss the recent Megaupload debacle, among other things, and all in a lovely Welsh accent, of course. [ more › ]

Los Campesinos! with Parenthetical Girls [Double Residency Show Preview]

Ryan Lester — 2012-02-17T14:31:52-06:00

Over the last four years, the men and women of Los Campesinos! have established themselves as one of the UK's most prolific and quality bands, thanks in no small part to their continued artistic growth and willingness to flesh out their sound. A Los Campesinos! show is almost always guaranteed to be a cathartic experience, and a showcase for the group's many talents and collective personality. [ more › ]

Yelawolf at Beauty Ballroom [Show Preview]

Terry Sawyer — 2012-02-17T14:02:36-06:00

Bringing it brassy and crassy from Gadsden, Alabama Yelawolf (a.k.a. Catfish Billy) has had a roller coaster history from underground to major label only to dive back and emerge finally with another major label reinvention, Radioactive. [ more › ]

Good Company at SUPER!ALRIGHT!

Tracie Chan — 2012-02-17T14:00:24-06:00

Seven Austin artists are uniting tomorrow night for Good Company, a collaborative show at SUPER!ALRIGHT! Studios. The one-night exhibition features recent works of various styles, techniques, and mediums by Jason Archer, Paul Beck, Jen Bradley, Adreon Henry, Shea Little, Sean Ripple, and Jacob Villanueva. We checked in with a few of the artists to learn more about their latest works. [ more › ]

Indie Picks: At The Movies This Weekend

Matt Shiverdecker — 2012-02-17T10:30:00-06:00

As we mentioned last month when the Drafthouse did a handful of sneak preview screenings, this Belgian import released by Drafthouse Films was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Today, it officially opens in Austin, New York and Los Angeles (with additional cities expanding next week). [ more › ]

Islands Play St. David's Tonight [show preview]

Jessica Skinner — 2012-02-17T09:34:09-06:00

Following the success of Nick “Diamond” Thornburn’s tour with Mister Heavenly (his star-studded side project with Ryan Kattner/Honus Honus and Michael Cera/George Michael) he’s returned to his Canadian, indie-pop roots. Quick on the heels of A Sleep & A Forgetting, which dropped Tuesday, Montreal’s eclectic, pop-rockin’ quartet Islands will be playing an intimate showcase tonight at St. David’s Episcopal Church with Idiot Glee, the moniker of James Friley’s lo-fi, echo-filled solo project. [ more › ]

Action Bronson at the ND [Show Review]

Luke Winkie — 2012-02-15T20:15:06-06:00

The pictures did not lie. Action Bronson is a massive, cinnamon-bearded white guy. He seemed to average one spliff every three songs. There’s really no telling how much ammunition remains in the Action Bronson ascendance. He’s a good rapper, and there’s certainly a hunger for stepped-back classicalism, and the dude just showed up on Heems’ mixtape so he must be hanging out with the right, career-extending people. [ more › ]