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by Thom White
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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Austin Collins and The Rainbirds
Wrong Control (2010)
 Austin Collins and The Rainbirds are back with a new record of lyrical rock, plain and simple. Wrong Control may be the “rockin’est” record yet from singer-songwriter Austin Collins (based now appropriately in Austin, Texas!), and yet a certain theme of somber resignation and regret dominates in his words.
Because of an ever-so-slight Texas twang in Austin Collins’s singing voice, the music on his 2005 debut, Something Better, was generally classified as “Americana.” His 2008 release, Roses Are Black, took a heavier turn, especially with the debut of his new band The Rainbirds (guitarist Dylan McDougall and drummer Craig Bagby) and the powerful “rock foundation” they provide for Collins’s coy words and melodies to flow over.
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by Thom White
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Monday, July 27, 2009
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L.A. punk legend talks about some of his musical exploits, past and present.
 As the frontman for Fear, Lee Ving has been an icon of L.A. punk rock, and he later did substantial work in Hollywood movies and television shows. Years ago, CITIZINE was a able to publish interviews with former members of Fear, Spit Stix and Derf Scratch, but getting an interview with Fear’s lead singer and primary songwriter was always an elusive task.
Just recently, we finally made contact with the band’s ringleader, and just in time for Fear's 2009 national tour. From his current base in L.A., Lee was glad to talk about his pre-Fear musical career, the rise of Fear, and some upcoming releases on the horizon from Mr. Ving’s extensive back-catalog.
Check out the CITIZINE Radio podcast of the Interview with Fear's Lee Ving
http://citizinemag.podbean.com/
Questions are in bold; Lee’s answers are in plain text.
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by Scott Unzicker
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Friday, May 22, 2009
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Are new noise ordinances shutting down outdoor live music?
 Navigating the intricacies of Austin’s archaic zoning and permitting ordinances is not for the faint of heart, nor soft of brain. It is a convoluted topic. It is a dry topic. It is a bureaucratic entanglement of heroic proportions. However, in order to arm oneself in the fight to maintain Austin’s tenuous claim to the title, “Live Music Capital of the World,” one must have a fundamental understanding of the ordinances governing the venues that host outdoor music.
All the clerical rigmarole regarding zoning has been dragged into the limelight of late following the decision of Fred Nelson, owner of Freddie’s Place on South First, to cancel his restaurant’s entire live music calendar this year because of a noise ordinance violation warning by the Austin Police Department on Friday, April 10. The restaurant simply couldn’t afford the $500 fine if the cops came back a second time, and they sure didn’t want one of their employees carted away after a third call. The first casualty in a conflict frequently becomes a rallying cry for those on the losing side, and the death of music at Freddie’s was no different.
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by Linda Curtis
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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Giving away your tax money to private corporations got a lot easier recently when the Austin City Council unanimously passed a hollow economic incentive ordinance. Dismissing the concerns of 123,000 Austin citizens who voted to stop the Domain Mall tax subsidies last year, the Mayor and City Council passed an ordinance which requires no neutral oversight, no third-party review, and no independent analysis when doling out your hard-earned tax dollars.
Check and balance? “No, thanks! Trust city staff to give away your tax money. We don’t need no stinkin’ oversight!”
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by Kevin Schooley
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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Mastodon, Pasadena Napalm Division, Supersuckers, and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears keep the sound fresh and the energy alive.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!
(Los Highway/UMG, 2009)
 Ain’t nothing like an old soul. Even with the kids today and their “ Screamo” bands and “Hot Topic” fashions, there remains a truly refreshing flashback to how it should be done, and it comes howling out of the Cap City in the form of Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. After years of steady gigging, this group is clearly ready to throw down and make asses shake and rafters rattle. This is especially clear on their full-length debut on Lost Highway Records, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!, a record featuring the expertise of Spoon’s Jim Eno behind the boards. These youngbloods are primed, and the full-bodied sound of this rock, blues, & boogie big band hits like a triple shot of bourbon on an empty stomach.
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by Robert Morrow
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
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Rick Perry is the biggest fraud and phony in American politics today.
 On April 15, Rick Perry had the nerve to speak at Tea Party rallies in Austin, Arlington, and Ft. Worth, where the public came out to protest high taxes and big government programs draining our economy. Yet, as governor, Rick Perry strongly promoted a new business margins tax (small-business killer) that came into effect two years ago, and he has done nothing but promote BIG government for nine years.
Rick Perry has pushed through a gargantuan toll road taxing and spending scheme, and the biggest tax increase in Texas history. Billions and billions of dollars of tax revenues, all for his special interest toll road friends.
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