Reunion arena: Just announced: Who knew a side project from Austin's Fastball would feel compelled to reunite, but apparently the Small Stars—born 15 years ago of Fastball's Miles Zuniga and Jeff Groves—have finished up their second album, Tijuana Dreams, and they'll be droppin' it like it's hot at Dan's Silverleaf on March 8 and then at Poor David's Pub on March 9. Zuniga and Groves will have full band in tow, including drummer John Bush from Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians and Li'l Cap'n Travis' Jeff Johnston on bass.
Get your money right: For those who missed out on last fall's Hip-Hop Summit Action Network appearance in Denton, we highly recommend heading to Houston on March 3, when the Network makes its only Texas stop on the second round of its tour. The Network's theme for the all-day affair is "Get Your Money Right," and it's meant to teach young people, especially people of color, how to be financially literate. The Denton conference featured Chamillionaire and Erykah Badu, among many other hip-hop names, and the HHAN frankly is the only engaging financial education I have ever heard of.
It's all good. All of it: The AllGood Café always has somethin' up its sleeve, but this week owner Mike Snider's outdone himself. First, grab your sweetheart or yourself and celebrate Valentine's Day the way it's supposed to be celebrated: by watching a movie about a man who writes songs about heroin and lost loves. The man being, of course, Neil Young, and the movie is Jonathan Demme's documentary Heart of Gold, which is part of the AllGood's Rock 'n' Reel music movies series. Five bucks gets you a seat, and the cash goes to the Video Association of Dallas...Saturday, the Café hosts its Mardi Gras party starring T. Richard and the Zydeco Stingrays...Finally, Wednesday, February 21, Rock 'n' Reel screens Lubbock Lights, a doc about West Texas legends Joe Ely, Terry Allen, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Hell yeah.
Handstamps: Two words: Daniel. Johnston.
