Deliverance For Sale

Austin's newest art installation, The Vending Machine, dispenses sounds of the city

Our city sounds different these days. Close your eyes on Fourth and Congress and you’ll hear the bells of the metro rail, jackhammers and traffic jams. A landscape affords the viewer the luxury of looking away; however, the soundscape inevitably comes to you whether you like it or not.

"Space and experience are up for sale in Austin. We live in a vibrant town that is bursting with change and growth. You cannot escape the festivals, development or ever-increasing crowds around town," said Ink Tank’s Emily Clayton. Ink Tank is a collective of a little over a dozen artists that float in and around Austin. The group specializes in immersive installations, thematically ranging from the apocalyptic premonitions to the powdered aristocracy. Ink Tank was responsible for that log you might have caught looming in mid air at Lomography on Congress last year.

Ink Tank’s new installation, "The Vending Machine," has arrived to help us all deal with the changing environment. A repurposed soda vending machine, the installation will play audio clips recorded around, and indicative of, Austin’s cultural landscape. "We want to help people cope with the changes by relaxing and calming down while being surrounded by the city," said Clayton.

The collective chose to create a vending machine because, said Clayton, "As an object, it provides instant gratification through an exchange. There is a physical transaction along with a monetary one. We were drawn to the idea of being able to receive something at the push of a button."

Though the sounds available will change with time, there will be a continuous focus on guided relaxation. "Each instruction is unique, and offers a different style of relaxation, ranging from concrete exercises to abstract journeys." Hopefully, the vending machine will serve as a gallery for changing assortments of sounds. "As time goes on, we will present new content and essentially curate different projects," said Clayton.

Free to operate, the accidental dollar or two is more than welcome at the installation. Proceeds gathered from the vending machine will find their way to local nonprofit organizations. Furthermore, the vending machine will feature a community bulletin board to help spread the news of local organizations that could benefit from the exposure garnered by such a curious object.

Art Alliance Austin will be presenting The Vending Machine, produced on behalf of a Downtown Arts Alliance grant, during a reception on May 17 from 3 to 5 pm at Republic Square Park. The reception is part of Big Medium's WEST Austin Studio Tour, meaning there will be food, drink and good times for all.

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Sonic Boost

Musical gala spotlights 20 Austin acts including Nemegata, Quentin Arispe

Photo courtesy of Spaceflight Records

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On January 18, charitable organization Sonic Guild will award $150,000 in grants to 20 deserving local bands and solo artists at the Sonic Guild Ball. For the first time ever, tickets are available to the public for this ceremony and show.

This is the 11th year this organization has supported the Austin music scene, though readers might know the organization by its previous name, Black Fret. This public charity is headquartered here in Austin and is on a mission to support artists here (as well as in Seattle and parts of Colorado, now) with a publicly available annual membership.

In return for annual dues, members get to see a bunch of shows and attend private events; and their memberships support local music with grants. Over these years, the group has awarded grants and payments to local musicians, venues, and music businesses totaling over $6 million.

This year's grant recipients are:

Rob Baird
West 22nd
Cactus Lee
The Point
DAIISTAR
Parker Woodland
Nemegata
Deer Fellow
Elijah Delgado
Grocery Bag
Quentin Arispe
Shelley King
Geto Gala
Next of Kin
promqueen
Lew Apollo
S. L. Houser
Harvest Thieves
TV's Daniel
Stella and the Very Messed

These artists were selected through a year-long process where Sonic Guild members, advisors, and prior grant recipients nominated, lobbied for, and finally voted on their favorite artists.

These 20 winners will receive not only grants at the upcoming Sonic Guild Ball, but also mentoring, and will be paid for any performance they do for Sonic Guild audiences in the future. In fact, half of the awarded bands will be performing at the ball itself.

In between performances there will be videos and live testimonials telling the stories of how past grant winners have used their funds to boost their music careers with album recordings, tours, instruments, and more.

“Naming these 20 2024 Sonic Guild Artists puts us at over 200 individual acts we have recognized with a Sonic Guild grant,” said co-founder and Executive Director of Sonic Guild Austin Matt Ott in a press release. “Every member that joins Sonic Guild sends a powerful message to our city’s musicians that their contributions to our culture matters. We must support our music scene as our great city grows to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”

The 2024 Sonic Guild Ball will be held at the Long Center for the first time ever. Individual public tickets are available online and range between $24 and $130 depending on the seat.

Austinites can also become members of Sonic Guild and have access to more than 30 live shows this next season, and will get to vote for the lucky artists that will be awarded with grants at next year's Sonic Guild Ball.

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