Giddy Up

New music festival two-steps into Georgetown with classic and cutting-edge country stars

Two Step Inn appeals to country lovers across the spectrum of old, new, and fringe country.

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Country is one of the widest and most misunderstood genres in popular music. Even in Texas, where fans don’t have to look for a way into its traditions as they would in many other areas, the genre is sharply divided — mostly between “old” and “new” country. Much to the excitement and chagrin of many country fans on one side or the other, artists like Orville Peck and Lil Nas X have made huge strides in expanding the bounds genre, which makes headlines every year that it continues to grow its market share.

Festivals can lean into that division, or take a step (or two) forward. Two Step Inn, a new music festival in the scenic Austin suburb of Georgetown, is on that new frontier, with an eclectic lineup that displays a deep devotion to country in old, new, and fringe forms. Its inaugural year showcases more than 40 musicians — country or other pop musicians with country-inspired sets — in what it calls “the world’s largest outdoor honky-tonk” on April 15 and 16, 2023, at San Gabriel Park. (Curated by C3 Presents, this festival will probably carry some similarities to Austin City Limits Festival.)

The two inaugural headliners, Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, have much in common: the solo artists, despite leaning toward folksy or straight-up country instrumentation, are above all singer-songwriters with similarly textured, gentle voices. Both favor an earnest, introspective tone, although Childers sinks more into a Southern twang and more upbeat songwriting, while Bryan stays more mellow and retains more of an edge when the tempo picks up.

Across the three stages, more acts stand out for their longtime country credentials or genre-bending surprise factor:

Wynonna Judd: The younger half of mother-daughter-duo The Judds, Wyononna Judd, has spent plenty of time at the top of Billboard charts over her nearly 40-year career. In the 2020s, she’s still releasing music in a variety of very country styles.
Tanya Tucker: The Texas-born former teen star Tanya Tucker went through highs and lows in her 50-year career, but ultimately made a comeback and is regarded as one of the first and most independent “outlaw” country women.
Mavis Staples: Although Mavis Staples, formerly of the Staple Singers, is known as a gospel and rhythm and blues icon, her music displays a clear affinity with Southern traditions. Her latest album, with Levon Helm, is built on a near-constant country shuffle.
Diplo: The pop producer and DJ Diplo has had a hand in too many projects to tie him to any one genre. In recent years he’s made a flamboyant effort at leaning into his Mississippi heritage, including a country album and lots of red-carpet cowboy hats.
Disko Cowboy: Vinyl Ranch, a lifestyle brand led by Disko Cowboy (Dave Wrangler, who grew up in the Hill Country and is based in Dallas), brings very urban and very country images together, emphasizing independence and loyalty as a cowboy would.

A huge portion of the lineup is local, or at least from Texas. Austin-based or originated acts include Calder Allen, Charlie Robison, Kathryn Legendre, and Ben Burgess (now in Dallas). The most widely-recognizable band from nearby, Midland, comes from Dripping Springs, while Clay Walker, Madeline Edwards, Niko Moon, Paul Cauthen, and Tracy Byrd all hail from East Texas (plus Drake Milligan from Mansfield). Two other Texas-named bands, Lonestar and Little Texas, were formed in Nashville by Texans.

Tickets (starting at $99 for one day or $149 for both days) for Two Step Inn will be available on presale starting November 4 at 10 am, with a public sale two hours later, at noon. Premium tickets include amenities like seating, air conditioned restrooms, VIP bars and dining, lockers, and more. More information and ticket sales at www.twostepinn.com.

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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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