Truth in advertising

July 19-25

Vegas was certainly an interesting experience. I expect many of you have been there, but this was my maiden voyage, so to speak. I would definitely put the whole 'Las Vegas Strip' in the category of 'things that make you go hmmmm'. Hmmmm.

What I'd like to talk about today, inspired by what I saw there, is truth in advertising. Love, Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles, certainly lived up to the hype. (For the best review ever, the one I wish I could have written, click here. Maybe you've seen the trailer, if not, then here it is.

But back to the truth in advertising issue. I know you may find this hard to believe, but not everything in Las Vegas is as advertised.

Take hookers, for example. Our second favorite activity on our trip (after the C du S show, of course), was collecting promo cards for prostitutes -- sort of like baseball trading cards, only hos. There are guys on the streets handing out these cards, so we devised a little game to see who could collect the most. Extra points were awarded for artistic merit, difficult poses, creativity, interesting names, etc. [Pardon me while I go off on a little tangent here... it seems that while prostitution is legal, photography is not. So most of these young ladies were adorned with starbursts or dots or, in some cases, buttons (?!?!?!?) in strategic places. And sometimes they must have sort of "shifted" in the printing process. Very odd.]

Well...

Imagine our shock and dismay when, upon closer scrutiny, we realized that some of the girls in the pictures appeared on different cards under different names! How can Bree be Demi? Same costume, same backdrop, same hairstyle, same starbursts -- just a different pose and a different name. Ditto Lana and Summer. And that made us think -- gosh, what if these girls in the pictures are just models and not the actual hookers? What if the actual working girls are not this pretty or well endowed? Or perky? Or congenial? Or clean? Some of the cards said 'real girl' or 'actual entertainer', but most of them just had a price and a phone number. Who can you trust?!?!?!? There are a lot of gullible tourists in a place like that, and somehow this just doesn't seem fair.

I say the advertising industry should be held to at least the same standards as the gaming industry. I know when I put money on the table or in a machine that the odds are really good that I won't see my money again. But if I have fallen in love with Demi, I don't want Bree showing up at my hotel room, y'know? (Or Suki or Fantasia. Or Extasy.) I'm just saying.


Thursday, July 19

Cornell Hurd
Jovita’s / 1619 S. 1st; 447-7825 / 8 pm (family)

Glovertango
Lambert’s / 401 W. 2nd; 494-1500 / 7:00 pm

Jesse Dayton
Broken Spoke / 3201 S. Lamar; 442-6189 / 9 pm

DJd Swing Dance
The Fed / 24th at San Gabriel / 8 pm
Read all about the Austin Swing Syndicate and their activities.

Ted Roddy
Ginny’s Little Longhorn / 5434 Burnet Road; 458-1813

Cerronato
Ruta Maya / 3601 S. Congress; 707-9637 / 9:30 pm

Two Hoots & A Holler
Ego’s / 510 S. Congress; 474-7091 / 11 pm


Friday, July 20

The Kat's Meow
Lambert’s / 401 W. 2nd; 494-1500 / 6:30 pm; no cover

Aunt Ruby's Sweet Jazz Babies
Treehouse Italian Grill / 2201 College; 443-4200 / 7:30 pm

DJd Swing Dance (and CONTEST)
Go Dance / 2525 W. Anderson Lane (Northcross Mall) / 9:30 pm
The dance is open to everybody, but the contest is only for folks who have been dancing 3 years or less. Since I started dancing in high school and it's been "slightly" longer than 3 years since I graduated, I guess that leaves me out of this one, eh?

Weary Boys
Central Market / 4001 N. Lamar; 206-1000 / 6:30 pm (family)

Music Under the Star
Bob Bullock State History Museum / 1800 N. Congress / 6 pm; free (family)
This is a great opportunity to hear (and dance to) live music and view the exhibits for free. This week features The Stingers ATX, an amalgam of ska, reggae and do wop. Fun!

DJd Milonga
Texas Union Quadrangle Room / 23rd at Guadalupe / 8 pm

The Eggmen
Nutty Brown / 12225 Highway 290 West; 301-4648 / 7:30 pm; $5 (family)

Dale Watson
Broken Spoke / 3201 S. Lamar; 442-6189 / 9 pm

Texas Swing Kings
Patsy’s Cowgirl Café / 5001 E. Ben White; 444-2020 / 7:30 pm

Mr. Fabulous & Casino Royale
Reed's Jazz Club / 9901 Cap of TX Hwy; 342-7977 / 8:30 pm

Roger Wallace
Ginny's Little Longhorn / 5434 Burnet Rd; 458-8313 / 9 pm

Invincible Czars
Hole in the Wall / 2538 Guadalupe; 477-4747
I rarely, if ever, go to the Hole in the Wall because there's not a dance floor. But I might make an exception to hear these guys.


Friday -Sunday, July 20 & 21

American Repertory Ensemble
McCullough Theater / UT campus / 8 pm (F&S); 2 pm (Sun) $20 (adv); $22 (door)
We're lucky to have an ensemble of this caliber based in Austin. It's a collection of some of the finest dancers and musicians from around the nation. If you haven't seen then yet, you really should. 477-6060 for tix, or click here. And oh yeah... if you can't see them this weekend, they've got two more shows next weekend.


Saturday, July 21

Third Saturday Contra Dance
St. Paul's Lutheran Church / 3501 Red River / 8 pm; $5-$8
Hmmm. The e-mail I got says the Flaming Kelts will be playing. Last week they were the Flaming KILTS. I wonder if it was a typo or a name change. In any case, it's the same band. 310-1635, jakulas@swbell.net for more info.

Nash Hernandez Orchestra
Donn’s Depot / 1600 W. 5th, 478-0336 / 9 pm

Cerronato
Dona Emilia's / 101 San Jacinto / 8 pm

Weary Boys
Jovita’s / 1619 S. 1st, 447-7825 / 8 pm
Not certain about the time on this one. I guess that's why God made telephones, eh?

The Brew
Reed's Jazz Club / 9901 Cap of TX Hwy; 342-7977 / 8:30 pm

Marshall Ford Swing Band
Lambert’s / 401 W. 2nd; 494-1500 / 6:30 pm; no cover


Sunday, July 22

Heybale!
Continental Club / 1315 S. Congress; 441-2444 / 10 pm; $6

The Brew
The Oasis / 6550 Comanche Trail; 266-2442

Aunt Ruby's Sweet Jazz Babies
Central Market / 4001 N. Lamar; 206-1000 / 12:30 pm (family)
I always get a little confused about the Sunday show times, but I believe it's early. You might want to call to make sure.

Austin Symphony Orchestra
Wooldridge Park / 9th & Guadalupe / 7:30 pm; free (family)
The Sunday evening concerts in the park continue. This week they'll feature light classical music with their mixed woodwind ensemble.

Dale Watson
Ginny’s Little Longhorn / 5434 Burnet Road; 458-1813


Monday, July 23

Paris 49
Continental Club / 1315 S. Congress; 441-2444 / 6:30pm

Bayou Cajun Band
Evangeline Café / 8106 Brodie Lane; 282-2586 / 6:30 pm (family)
Fiddler Peter Schwartz will be sitting in this week.


Tuesday, July 24

DJd Swing Dance
The Fed / 24th at San Gabriel / 9:45 / no cover
Free dance after Four on the Floor’s classes.

Erik Hokkanen's Laboratory
Flipnotics / 1601 Barton Springs; 322-9750 / 8:00 pm

Planet Casper
Continental Club / 1315 S. Congress; 441-2444 / 6:30 pm
I haven't heard these guys myself, but I have it on good authority that they're definitely worth catching.

Dr. Zog
Alligator Grill / 3003 South Lamar; 444-6117 / 6 pm

Jitterbug Vipers
Lambert’s / 401 W. 2nd; 494-1500 / 6:30 pm

The Lucky Strikes
Belmont / 305 W. 6th; 457-0300 / 6 pm

Chaparral
Broken Spoke / 3201 S. Lamar; 442-6189


Wednesday, July 25

Princess Bride
Central Market / 4001 N. Lamar; 206-1000 / 8:30 pm (family)
I keep forgetting to mention these free movies in the park by Central Market. Great family fun!

The Brew
Speakeasy / 412 Congress; 476-8017

Erik Hokkanen and his Gypsy Tribe
Lambert’s / 401 W. 2nd; 494-1500 / 6:30 pm

Hand Me Down
Flipnotics / 1601 Barton Springs; 322-9750 / 8:00 pm

Blues on the Green
Rock Island / Zilker Park / 7:30 pm
This week features Cyril Neville & Tribe 13, along with Papa Mali.

Mr. Fabulous & Casino Royale
The Belmont / 305 W. 6th; 457-0300 / 6 pm
This is an every Wednesday happy hour.



ROAD TRIPS

Fredericksburg, TX
Friday & Saturday, July 20 & 21
Night in Old Fredericksburg
Marketplatz / 100 W. Main; (830) 997-8515 / 6:00 pm (F); 11:30 am (Sat)
Nothing makes a cold beer taste better than a rousing polka in the Texas summer heat.

Gruene, TX
Friday, July 20
The Derailers
Gruene Hall / 1281 Gruene; 830-606-1281 / 8:00 pm; $10

Gruene, TX
Saturday, July 21
White Ghost Shivers
Gruene Hall / 1281 Gruene; 830-606-1281 / 1:00 pm; no cover

Gruene, TX
Tuesday, July 24
Two Tons of Steel
Gruene Hall / 1281 Gruene; 830-606-1281 / 7:30 pm $4


COMING SOON

Saturday, August 11
Angels Knocking at the Tavern Door
Texas School for the Deaf Auditorium / 1102 S. Congress / 7 pm; $15/$30/$50
This is going to be a wonderful evening of music (Mundi and Kourosh Taghavi) and poetry (Coleman Barks and Robert Bly). If you missed Coleman Barks when he was here a couple of years ago, you really, really, really missed something. Get tix here.

Thursdays-Saturdays, August 16-25
One Flea Spare
Dougherty Arts Center / 1110 Barton Springs / 8 pm; $12
"Poetic...Naomi Wallace's ONE FLEA SPARE is another example of fine, ambitious writing.... The London plague is evoked in statistics and the overwhelming reality of quirky, Marivaux-like social role reversals in a single room." -- Michael Coveney, The Observer (London). For reservations call 512.708.1893 or email reservations@gobotrick.org.


see ya on the dance floor,
chris