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Music Notes
Friday/ April 20, 19&4 3
By LOUIS HILGARTNER
Staff Columnist
Unless you've been living un
der a rock — or don't have cable
hooked up to your stereo —
you probably know that there
are several big-name acts
headed this way.
Judas Priest, Huey Lewis and
the News, Rush, The Cars and
Van Halen are but a few of the
bands that will be coming
through Texas this spring and
summer.
It's relatively easy for me to
find out what 7 s going on across
the state. I call my informants at
radio stations in Dallas or Aus
tin or wherever and ask.
When it comes to finding out
what's going on locally, it's a
whole 'nother ball game.
Part of the reason is advertis
ing.
Obviously local clubs that of
fer live entertainment can't
mount an ad campaign like Ju
das Priest or Van Halen can.
You would think, though,
that a club that offers live acts
would make a public announce
ment, and I don't mean filing a
small ad in The Battalion.
How about some real public
ity every now and then? A radio
or television spot, or an occai-
sional handbill would help the
masses decide how and where
they want to spend their week
ends.
There must be more to life
than the same old drink specials
week in and week out.
In fact, I know there is.
Night clubs aren't the only
place to find entertainment.
There are hundreds of little
parties and celebrations going
on every weekend. When peo
ple start hiring bands to play at
every one of these parties, it be
comes impossible to keep up
with who is playing in whose
backyard.
All of which brings me to my
point: It's all well and good to
cover the ZZ Tops and Joe
"King" Carrascos, but the local
bands need coverage, too.
If you are in a local band and
you have the gig of a lifetime,
give me a holler. I'm interested
in where and when you will be
playing.
Louis
Hiigartner
It's important that local talent
doesn't get overshadowed.
I can be reached at The Battal
ion, 216 Reed McDonald, at
845-3312.
Other note-worthy tips:
Saturday, May 5, will bring
out some of the best local talent
as part of the Heritage Days cel
ebrations in downtown Bryan.
Entertainment will include the
Bryan High School Stage Band,
the Bryan High School
Cheyennes drill team and Stage
Center, the drama club from
Bryan High. Also appearing
will be Notropis, a jazz-blues-
folk band comprising several
students from Texas A&M and
The Executives, a top-40 dance
band.
But wait, there's still more:
Phoebe's Home, the local
shelter for battered women and
their children, will be sponsor
ing a charity auction. Also, local
merchants will have a sidewalk
sale of arts and crafts. Give your
kids a shot at stardom by letting
them march in the Children's
Parade in the morning.
There will even be a south-of-
the-border flair as Cinco de
Mayo also will be celebrated.
For more infromation, con
tact Jewel Hill at 764-0928.
CONCERTS:
Willie Nelson and Waylon
Jennings ... Tonight ... at the
Summit in Houston. The kings'
of "outlaw country" will cut
loose tonight in Space City. A
few tickets still remain.
Judas Priest... Sun., April 29
... at the Frank Erwin Center in
Austin. Attention all headbang-
ers, attendance is mandatory!
Van Halen:
★ Austin ... Sun., June 10 ...
at the Frank Erwin Center. A
few tickets are still left, but I
don't imagine they will last too
long.
★ San Antonio ... Mon., June
11 ... at the San Antonio Con
vention Center Arena. Sold out.
★ Houston ... Tues., July 10,
Wed., July 11 and Thurs., July
12 ... at the Summit. All shows
are sold out.
★ Dallas ... Sat., July 14 and
Sun., July 15 ... at Reunion
Arena. Both of these shows are
sold out, but there are rumours
of a third show in the works. I'll
tell you what I can when I can.
The Texas Jam ... Sun., June
10 ... at the Cotton Bowl in Dal
las. No specific bands have
been announced yet. However,
Sammy Hagar and Van Halen
are being discussed as possibili
ties.
George Strait
bridges age gap
United Press International
AUSTIN — Hawaii seems an
unlikely place for a budding
country western superstar to
start, but that's where Texas na
tive George Strait says he first
developed a serious interest in
music.
It happened during a three-
year tour in the Army in the
early 1970s. Strait learned to
play the guitar and sing when
he was based in Hawaii.
Today, the 31-year-old
singer-musician has turned his
brand of unabashed western
swing into a string of hit re
cords and the number one spot
on the country western album
charts.
The current popularity of the
South Texas teacher's son
seems to have bridged the gap
between young and old.
His boyish good looks and
shy demeanor have captured
the hearts of the screaming
teeny hoppers and his tradi
tional western swing music is
popular among adult honky
tonk goers.
"I started singing seriously as
a career when I was 21 years old
in Hawaii in the Army," he
says. "Eventually I got a band
together and the last year I was
in the service, what I did was
sing for the Army."
Strait's band. Rambling
Country, entertained military
personnel on the island.
After discharge, he remained
there six montns with a band
called Santee.
"It (country western music)
was big in the military clubs,"
he said. "That was the only de
mand for it over there then. We
worked the NCO clubs and offi
cer's clubs, but that kept us pre
tty busy."
Strait, whose third and most
recent album, "Right or
Wrong," tops the country
charts, said he returned to his
native Texas because he
couldn't take it any longer.
The Pearsall native then
earned a degree in agriculture
education from Southwest
Texas State University, in San
Marcos.
Between classes and his work
as a ranch foreman, he played
music at clubs throughout cen
tral and south Texas.
In San Marcos he became
friends with Erv Woolsey, a
nightclub owner, who booked
him.
Woolsey moved to Nashville
in 1981 to become an executive
with MCA records.
He later invited Strait to
Nashville to record a song
called "Unwound." The record
made it to the number five spot,
and Strait signed with MCA
and began a string of successes.
While in Austin recently for
an appearance on the TV show,
"Austin City Limits," he said
his success has been a pleasant
surprise.
"I'd been working at it a long
time," he said. "I was just about
to give it up when it all happe
ned."
Even after signing with
MCA, Strait said he wasn't sure
where his career was headed.
"They had a big roster of big
stars (including Merle Haggard,
Conway Twitty and Tanya
Tucker) and was kind of afraid
I'd get lost in the shuffle.
"But they got right behind me
See "Strait" page 12
Movies made in Texas
bring welcome publicity
United Press International
DALLAS — Texas-made
movies nearly swept this year's
major Academy Awards, and
the producer of best picture
winner "Terms of Endearment"
said Tuesday he has another
movie to be filmed in the state
this summer.
Producer Martin Jurow's new
project, "Sylvester," is sched
uled for location shooting after
June around Marfa and Alpine
in west Texas, the same towns
where "Giant" was filmed
nearly 30 years ago.
In addition, native Texan
Horton Foote, who won his sec
ond Oscar Monday night with
his screenplay for "Tender Mer
cies," started filming this week
on his new movie. Foote's
"1918," which he wrote and is
producing, is being shot in
Waxahachie, the rustic town
south of Dallas that was also the
locale for "Tender Mercies."
Jurow, a veteran Hollywood
producer who now has his
main offices in Dallas, and Joel
Smith, director of the Texas
Film Commission, said Tuesday
they welcome the publicity re
sulting from Texas-made mov
ies winning seven of the top
eight Oscars. But both agreed it
does not herald a major produc
tion shift to Texas from Califor
nia.
"I'm elated about what I con
tinue to believe Texas can be
come — a great source of pro
duction in and of its own,"
Jurow said in a telephone inter
view from his North Hollywood
home. "Perhaps this would
inspire some more talent for
Texas.
"I think they (most filmmak
ers) would consider it for this
ear a coincidence because you
ave to understand that pic
tures take a great deal of finan
cing," Jurow said. "Most of it
keeps coming from California
or centers other than Texas.
"I can only look upon this as
a remarkable and very interest
ing coincidence. I don't see this
as an exodus to Texas or a rush
to Texas. Finance plays a great
part," said Jurow, who also pro
duced "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
in 1961 and "The Great Race" in
1965.
"And yet at the same time
there's the hospitality and the
lure and the generosity and
some of the economic advanta
ges" in Texas, he said.
Smith echoed Jurow's com
ments about power still being
concentrated where the financ
ing is.
"I don't think this sort of
thing affects the filmmaker that
much," he said. "He's going to
take a good hard look at his pro
ject and see where it is best for
him to do it.
"No matter how hard we
work," Smith said, "it would be
real rare for there to be as many
high quality films (made in
Texas) as were released in 1983.
They were all real fine pic
tures."
Jurow said he heard an inter
view with Ron Howard Mon
day in which the young direc
tor, who has shot television
movies in Dallas and is ex
tremely popular now with the_
success of "Splash," talked
about "the excitement of re
gional work."
"When you get that kind of
talent liking the work in Texas
and the crews in Texas, then
you've already achieved some
thing that is extremely worthw
hile," Jurow said.
"Louis Malle is working in
Texas now," the producer
noted. "Mike Nichols enjoyed
his work in Texas (on 'Silk-
wood'). Bruce Beresford (direc
tor of 'Tender Mercies') loved
working in Texas. All of those
factors are very important when
you get creative talent begin
ning to like the atmosphere, the
talent, the people." .
"Terms of Endearment,"
partly filmed in Houston,
picked up awards for Shirley
MacLaine as best actress, Jack
Nicholson as best supporting
actor, and feature film rookie
James Brooks as director,
scriptwriter and co-producer.
"Tender Mercies" star Robert
Duvall won best actor as a bro
ken-down country singer.
Foote won his first Oscar in
1962 for his "To Kill a Mocking
bird" screenplay.
The third major Texas pro
duction, "Silkwood," which
was shot at The Studios at Las
Colinas near Dallas and on
north Texas locations, was
nominated for several awards
but did not win any. Cher had
been a favorite for best support
ing actress but was beaten out
by Linda Hunt of "The Year of
Living Dangerously."