I didn’t piss the Grammy folks off this year.
03/19/2004
The show went off with out a hitch. El Tri was my favorite band of the evening, they play rock in espanol. It is part funk, part blues and part rock. If you don’t speak Spanish, they sound like a lot of other Austin bands, it is just the lyrics that are in Spanish.
The girls from La Conquista were a big hit with the crowd, they are all very attractive, make good music and do connect with the fans. There autograph signing after the show seemed to last about a half hour. I think each and every one of their fans walked away with at least one signature. Los Terribles del Norte looked fabulous on stage when they were dressed. Dark rich colors for the stage wear, lots of beats and a bit of tejano influence. What a difference in stage presence from sound check to performance.
The show was a bit subdued this year, only a small crowd, perhaps 5,000 folks. For such good talent it was a shame people didn’t come out to see them. The event was FREE. I think it might have been it was a work night, the Latin crowd is generally working folks. It might have been the price of the beer, a bit steep $ 4-5. I am not sure it was the weather, it was a bit overcast all day but there was no rain. The VIP area was easy for myself and the volunteers, there was not much going on back stage either with the smaller crowd. The side stage seating was full for El Tri, some local musicians showed up to watch, I ran into some other folks that I know from years past but it was not the circus back stage it has been in the past. That was a big relief for me, I ended up over scheduling the volunteers but we managed to keep busy and have a good time.
Oh, I forgot to mention, I was told quite a few times last night, Patti, my assistant and I dance nicely, very nicely. I was told I don’t dance like a white girl and I think a few folks were surprised when I was the one translating for the Spanish speakers. It was a bit funny, the manager from El Tri was having trouble with one of my local Tex-Mex speakers and I realized he spoke Castilian Spanish. That is the version I learned in school, a bit more proper, not a lot of slang in it. The band invited me to come to there next show in Austin, they play the Austin Music Hall at least 2 times a year. I will have to keep my eye out for their shows, I did very much enjoy the experience of working with them and getting a chance to hang out with the band.
Today, on the stage at Town Lake: Chris Kris Kristofferson, Toots and the Maytals and Joss Stone. A Texan, some Jamaicans and a young girl from England, it is an interesting mix. No, I can not confirm a rumor going around about Willy playing, I don’t have any information. I guess because he has a show tonight at The Back Yard and has worked with Kris in the past and the fact that he is on the Toots album doing a duet is feeding the rumor frenzy. I will have to let you know in the morning if it happened, so far it just appears to be a rumor.
