The News Review:

- Mexican bands invade SXSW
- PERFRMING ARTS
- Banding together raises awareness
- … rock clubs set to transform city nightlife :: CHICAG SUN…
- The father of Gypsy punk

Mexican bands invade SXSW
Houston Chronicle – Mar 11, 2008
And a couple of us come from American backgrounds so it’s always been natural to us” Velasco continues. “I don’t think that I have to learn traditional music blended with rock. Hey if I go to Sweden does it have to be traditional Viking music blended with metal? Rock ‘n’ roll is a global thing. So global in fact that Chikita Violenta’s latest album The Stars and Suns Sessions was recorded in Toronto under the tutelage of producer David Newfeld best-known for his work with Broken Social Scene the Canadian band that includes Grammy nominee Feist. Los Dynamite singer Diego Solorzano tells a similar story. A fan of Iggy Pop and Marvin Gaye he’d like to relocate his group to the U.

PERFRMING ARTS
Washington Post – Mar 11, 2008
Tarik ‘Regan’s "Dorchester Canticles" and Morten Lauridsen’s "Lux Aeterna" followed the Britten. Both are pleasantly derivative — embedded in that British tradition of music for stone cathedrals borrowed by a plethora of American composers as well though ‘Regan’s percussion and harp additions were effective extras. This is music comfortable to sing and accessible to listeners — meaning it sells to the typical audience and choral group… The set started off shaky MacGowan singing of “goin’ where streams of whiskey are flowin’” and looking like he’d arrived there already. He grew more lucid and powerful as the evening gathered steam through two hours and 26 songs mostly from the Pogues’ first three (and best) albums. Singing their lone post-MacGowan hit "Tuesday Morning" and other tunes tin-whistler Spider Stacy proved himself an animated frontman banging his head against a metal tray to give the closing "Fiesta" some extra percussion. Hearing him reminded us it’s good to be anywhere.

Banding together raises awareness
Denver Post – Mar 11, 2008
Baxter top right is known for his goodwill in the city’s indie music scene. Bar in downtown Denver March 2. (L) Justin Hackl 28 is a good friend of band booker John Baxter who is suffering from Scleroderma a rare connective tissue disorder. Sunday night’s show was billed as ‘A Scleroderma Awareness Benefit Show… ” Denver’s “great colors” The indie-arts community has shouldered a lot of responsibility in the past few months thanks to a run of freak accidents and ordinary illnesses. This ctober there was a benefit for comedian Greg Baumhauer which Baxter promoted at the Comedy Works after he broke both hands. About that same time there was a benefit at 3 Kings Tavern for Mykel Martinez of the punk-metal band Black Lamb who suffered head injuries in a motorcycle accident. Jeff Reese and Karl Alvarez members of the band Underminer quickly put together a rock benefit for Magic Cyclops and somewhere around that time Alvarez himself ended up in the hospital with a minor heart attack. Just as Alvarez played in Cyclops’ benefit so did Cyclops play in the gigs that Baxter help promote for Alvarez. All those benefits helped pay off both musicians’ medical bills.

… rock clubs set to transform city nightlife :: CHICAG SUN…
Chicago Sun-Times – Mar 11, 2008
com>JIM DeRGATIS Pop Music Critic. Now after several trying years when live music seemed to be under constant assault the Windy City is welcoming two new clubs that could change business as usual on the local scene… And Reggie’s New Rock Headquarters which opened several months ago at 2109 S. has finally replaced the Fireside by hosting all-ages punk metal and hip-hop shows in an impressive facility that also houses a smaller cabaret stage a clothing boutique and a record store. “I’m pretty amazed: I’ve never really had a venue that was built for what I do I’ve always kind of squeezed into one room or another but now I have two places and that’s really exciting” said Brian Peterson the 38-year-old founder of Chicago’s MP Productions whose four full-time employees book and promote shows at both Reggie’s and the Bottom Lounge. “Sure the competition [with other Chicago clubs] is going to be stressful. But at the same time it’s a lot less pressure because I’m not having to deal with the logistics of a place that’s not made for shows or a staff that isn’t supportive of what I do. With Reggie’s the staff and the owner are great and the Bottom Lounge is the same way.

The father of Gypsy punk
Houston Chronicle – Mar 11, 2008
The poorer areas there’s no production to the music. It’s raw jazz power. They’re still trying to fly as far as they can just solely on the music. You walk up to a guy selling corn and he’ll play the most beautiful unearthly tune. It’s not like Europe or America where if you give a guy a guitar they’re gonna play Smoke on the (Expletive) Water. Hutz has a soft spot for metal… It’s not like Europe or America where if you give a guy a guitar they’re gonna play Smoke on the (Expletive) Water. Hutz has a soft spot for metal. He calls the band’s landmark 1986 album Reign in Blood “absolutely phenomenal. ” Hutz and Gogol fiddler Sergey Rjabtzev were recently interviewed for a Slayer book. “It’s funny — Sergey with his conservatory education ended up in this book speaking in an academic tone analyzing the music of Slayer.