Month: January 2019

Paregentan

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

SAT. FEB. 9 2002

So maybe you’re not an Armenian, but that doesn’t mean you can’t party like one. This Saturday night over at the Red Lion Hotel on the corner of I-35, Armenians from Austin and elsewhere will be celebrating Paregentan, the Armenian Mardi Gras. Why Paregentan? Because Armenians don’t speak French. OK, there’s more to it than that, so get out your notebook. Armenia is a landlocked little country (about the size of Maryland) sandwiched between Turkey and Azerbaijan – or Georgia and Iran, depending on where you’re standing. Historically, Armenia has been overrun by all of your big conquerors: the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Mongols, Tatars, Ottomans and the Russian Empire. What does this mean to you? It means that while Armenia may be relatively poor country economically speaking, Armenians and the Armenian Diaspora are culturally rich. You can share in some of that wealth this Saturday starting at 8pm. Not only will you get to feast on mezze (a much easier way to say and spell “hors d’oeuvres”) like Hummus, Tabouli, and falafel, you’ll be able to dance to Armenian, Greek, Persian and Arabic dance music spun by Los Angeles Armenian D.J. team Neptune Productions. Did I say belly dancing? Did I need to? Later, at midnight, they bust out the Armenian sweets and coffee so you can sober up after a hard night of drinking and dancing. If you’re a diehard, don’t worry. The party goes on until 2. Dress is casual, but it wouldn’t kill you to throw on a tie, would it?

Janeane Garafalo

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

FEB. 1, 2002

The Paramount Theatre is one of those ancient, ornate, neo-classical structures we like to keep around for occasions of pomp and circumstance. While others of its kind have suffered the mild indignity of being renovated into proletarian structures like discos, pool halls, and record stores, the Paramount has been restored to a decent semblance of its original design. The result is a certain weathered elegance. Like a grandmother’s plastic-covered sitting room, the Paramount is swank digs to the mud covered kid of Austin’s collective cultural consciousness. So every once in a while when someone important is in town we pull off the slip covers and pretend it’s the living room, but of course, we’re not fooling anyone – certainly not acerbic, quick witted comediennes like Janeane Garafalo, who pays a visit to the Paramount this Saturday night. It would be an understatement to say that Janeane is one of the paragons of nineties slacker cynicism. Since her earliest days on Ben Stiller and Larry Sanders shows, Garafalo has made a name for herself by railing against the hypocrisy, inanity, and unforgivable mediocrity of mainstream middle class society – ironically the same stratum that provides the bulk of her fan base. Fortunately, Austin is chock-full of cynical middle class intellectuals, which should make for a large, enthusiastic crowd smart enough to know that the joke is partially on them. Maybe you should take a dip in this Olympic-sized dating pool.

Jane Bond, The Converters, Scott Biram

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

JAN. 25, 2002

Just south of Avenue F on North Loop Boulevard exists a small pocket of businesses that has experienced something of a renaissance in the last decade. Much like the sparsely gravestoned pauper’s cemetery to the northwest, the dilapidated rows of one-story buildings on either side of the street used to be mostly vacant, with a few stalwart exceptions like Action Safe & Lock, Ararat, Room Service, Hogwild and Musical Exchange. However, since the glory days of Clintonian economic expansion, the little block is abuzz with new, edgy retailers like Forbidden Fruit, Donkey, and The Parlor, a pizza joint with a dark, Martian interior where the jukebox boasts a psychotically diverse selection of tunes, many scrawled in unceremonious ballpoint – a sort of punk refutation of the digital age. Most days of the week it’s all about pizza (regulars rave about it), pool (one table, no waiting), and hanging out beneath the large paintings of legendary Austin musicians like Willie Nelson and Roky Erikson, but Monday nights at 7:30 The Parlor belongs to Jane Bond, a captivating young singer/songwriter from up north who routinely packs the place with her devoted following before turning things over to two powerful roots/blues acts: The Converters and Scott Biram. This may well be the African Violet they call the “Austin Music Scene.” It’s up to you to nurture it. No cover, just toppings.

Dark Goddess

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

JAN. 11 2002

With all the goddamned cedar pollen swirling about, it’s a wonder anyone can keep it together enough to stay even ankle deep in the dating pool. Torn by the maddening choice of a self-induced Benadryl coma or staying drug free in order to maintain the lightning-quick reflexes it takes to nonchalantly dab the quicksilver rivulet of snot perilously poised in your left nostril before dreamboat sees it and recoils in horror, it’s easy to see why most people choose to stay home and vegetate Not to mention that your red, itchy eyes give you the look of being constantly bereaved. The weather’s nice though, isn’t it? Those fortunate enough to have escaped the curse of the cedar owe it to the rest of us to enjoy life to the fullest. Start by attending Dark Goddess 2002 at the Vortex. Dark Goddess is a freaky mixture of original music, dance and spoken word performed in a ritual setting. This year’s show includes returning Goddesses Hekate (Greek goddess of witches and the like), Pele (Hawaiian Goddess of Fire), Lilith (the pissed off mythological first wife of Adam), and Kali (head-choppin’ Dark Goddess of India), as well as newcomers Rhiannon, Medusa, Sehkmet, Ala, Sedna, Mare, The Morrigu, Spider Woman, and Mummu Tiamat. Sounds heavy, but take heart; the Vortex web site says, “This is not the light and fluffy Goddess of years past, but as in years past, Dark Goddess 2002 contains female nudity.”

Chronicle Driver Band Night

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

FRI. JAN. 11 2002

Like the Kang himself, Elvis’ birthday has come and gone. Here in Austin, folks are still celebrating the event. Similarly, the Chronicle’s birthday has come and gone and we’re still celebrating it too. Elvis may have left the building permanently, but the Chronicle is still entrenched in the bluegreen bunker on the corner of 40th and I-35 – a de facto monument to the 20 years of the Chronicle’s existence. Since early September the Chronicle has been sponsoring different events spotlighting its involvement in the community. Friday Beerland (owned by former Chronicle drivers Randall and Donya Stockton) will host a night of performances by bands featuring Chronicle distribution drivers – truly some of the hardest working guys in show business, at least for one day a week. Kicking the show off will be Covert Operation with Chronicle drivers Erik Conn and Michael Wane followed by the veteran Austin pop act Quatropaw which includes driver Jason Richard. Closing the show will be Arista recording artists Color featuring Chronicle driver Chris Robbins. That’s three great bands for three bucks. Not to mention the proceeds benefit the SIMS Foundation. Most importantly, you’ll get a chance to meet the people responsible for bringing you this fine publication. See you there.