Musical Revival

Musical masterpiece Anything Goes sails into Bass Concert Hall

If you're looking for a little escape this hectic holiday season, why not let the S.S. American take you on a romantic journey across the Atlantic? Anything Goes, an exhibit in classic musical theater featuring music and lyrics by Cole Porter, makes its Austin debut December 9-14 at Bass Concert Hall.

The show throws audiences in the middle of a love triangle involving engaged couple Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and Hope Harcourt and the man that’s trying to come between them. The humorous production is peppered with campy jokes, mistaken identity, vaudeville-style antics and grand tap dance numbers.

“While the show is very farcical and full of ridiculousness, what grounds it is the earnestness of both the characters and the relationships between them,” explains Richard Lindenfelzer who plays Lord Oakleigh.

Musical revivals are nothing new, but Anything Goes has had an unusually long shelf life with many rebirths. It debuted 80 years ago in 1934 with a young Ethel Merman as one of the leads, and was still winning Tony Awards as recently as 2011. No doubt, it’s in large part Cole Porter’s musical genius that has helped this romantic musical comedy endure over the decades. The show features some of the shiniest gems in Porter’s song collection, including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “It’s De-Lovely,” and of course “Anything Goes.”

“It’s timeless! The up-tempos are my favorite,” Lindenfelzer says. “[Porter’s] writing is just so witty and the way he uses words with such specificity is really a treat to listen to.”

Anything Goes gives today’s audiences a glimpse into what made classic musical theater so appealing and what makes a great work hold up some eight decades after its creation. Lindenfelzer sums up its continued appeal. “The music is so charming and the story so funny, it never gets old. It’s easy to see why audiences still connect to it today.”

For tickets, visit austinbroadway.com.

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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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