how are you?

Contemporary folk heroes check in on Austin for Daniel Johnston-inspired benefit concert

Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold is on the lineup with Valerie June.

Photo by Patrick Fenner

Longtime Austinites may not recognize this place — we live in a city where many don't know what "Hi, how are you?" really means. It's not just politeness. It's an intentional call for human connection, thanks to the late and well-loved Austin musician Daniel Johnston.

Although he started by handing out tapes of his music at McDonald's in the '80s, Johnston was eventually recognized by the greater public and some very famous musicians, including Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, who wore the lesser-known performer's merch to the MTV Video Music Awards in 1993. NPR called Johnston a "musician's musician" in his obituary.

Johnston became famous for his simple songwriting that rang emotionally true, and a seemingly innocent approach. However, Johnston was as complicated as anyone, and lived with manic depressive schizophrenia. Johnston's memory is now honored via the Hi, How Are You Project (HHAYP), named after his most famous album and the accompanying art, which he later painted as a mural that is still (barely) standing despite neighborhood changes.

The project educates the public on mental health and works to destigmatize mental illness through check-ins like, "Hi, how are you?" Tickets to its annual benefit concert, Hi, How Are You Day 2024, concert are now for sale. This will be the concert's first year at the Paramount Theatre on January 21, 2024.

So far only two acts have been announced: Fleet Foxes songwriter and vocalist Robin Pecknold, and Appalachian singer-songwriter Valerie June. Pecknold has spoken candidly about his own mental health, and June, a certified yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor, released a workbook in 2023 to help guide introspection.

New for HHAYP is executive director Robert Sanchez of music marketing agency Group Therapy Studios. In addition to more corporate experience (Nintendo, Toyota), Sanchez has been part of the Austin Music Foundation as a member of the board of directors for five years. A release explains that this past experience is expected to "bring a new wave of musical and mental health collaboration and bring the conversation around mental well-being to broader audiences."

“It’s no surprise we find ourselves in the middle of a mental health crisis,” said Sanchez, as quoted in the release. “Between the pandemic, the economy, social media, geopolitical tensions, mass shootings, the opioid crisis, and the environment — coupled with a lack of treatment resources — it’s sadly expected that members of Gen Z are much more likely to report experiencing negative emotions like stress, anxiety and loneliness."

Although anyone can glean inspiration from such a simple motto, shared by treasured performers, this non-profit's target beneficiary is between the ages of 14 and 24.

He continued, "By providing young adults with tools to identify and mitigate/manage their negative feelings, we can reduce the number of times an ‘ember’ develops into a raging inferno, thus reducing the strain on our mental health professionals and improving the chances our children will lead healthier, happier lives."

The youth angle has been further explored in HHAYP's second annual Thriving College Students Index, which the ticket announcement previews before its release. It found that "82 percent of college students turn to music as a top way to support their mental well-being." More findings from the 25,000-student survey during 2023 are forthcoming; Last year's results arrived in January.

Tickets (starting at $39) are available at hihowareyou.org. All proceeds will benefit the Hi, How Are You Project.

concerts live music charity

Movie Review

Highly anticipated Wicked movie adaptation deserves to be popular

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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