 I was on a mission to find joy at
the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was the end of a
long week and my spirits needed some lifting.
I was not alone in my quest. On a
beautiful Friday, the first day of the festival, thousands of joy-seekers and
I streamed off the handy dandy shuttle busses and poured through the Barton
Springs entrance. We were greeted at the
gate by a local favorite, Leslie Cochran (pictured left).
He was coy and flirty and looked smashing in a leopard print thong and a
sweet little black vest - unzipped just so.
His long gams ending in ACL-appropriate, comfy leather slip-ons, a
fetching red pedicure peeking through.
He seemed joyful - this was a good start.
I made a beeline for
the Washington Mutual Stage, which would soon become my favorite venue of the
festival. WAMU provided an intimate
setting for exciting and sassy musicians to connect with their audience. First on my List of Joy - The Gospel
Silvertones. I stepped under the tent
just as they hit the peak of "Hold on, Change is Comin'." What a great beginning. (Side note: ACL and iTunes purport to provide
a set list for the festival to folks who request it via text message. Actually, they only provide a list for the bigger
acts. I hope ALL the artists are listed
next year.)
The Gospel
Silvertones played to a full house, hippies down front jammin' and groovin'
like they were at a Grateful Dead show.
As "He's My Friend / Ain't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus" swelled, a gentleman
in tie-dye lifted a can of Heineken to salute the positive vibe. Other folks lifted their palms to the sky,
bearing witness to the inspiration and praise that was rocking the stage.
The Gospel
Silvertones are a group of musicians and singers who met at the Salvation Army
in Austin. Led by Warren Stallworth, this Gospel group
makes the sound of fierce joy that is hard earned by living through these
challenging times. Stories of entering
the storm of life and making it through to the other side washed over the
audience and in testimony from the artists.
Stallworth, who hails from Evergreen, Alabama,
is the director of the downtown area Salvation Army homeless shelter, and most
of the other band members work there as well.
Ms. Dee Dee Blackman joins Stallworth on vocals, her clear strong sound
coming from a heart that's been pushed and pulled and is now reaching for the
sky. Brian Murphy, who serves as a
Chaplain at the Salvation Army, shares the singing spotlight and brings an
infectious enthusiasm, smiling and laughing like Buddha with a Cheshire Cat
smile. As the Gospel Silvertones soared
into "Fix It, Jesus" also sung by the Canton Spirituals from Mississippi,
then graced us with "Lift Your Name on High," I felt the joy wash through all
of us.
When I spoke with
the group after the show, they spoke of finding inspiration in their audiences,
knowing that their performances encourage folks to keep going when times get
rough. Ms. Dee Dee recalls that her life
was dramatically different five years ago and the music keeps her on the right
track, grateful for change. When asked
what their dream performance would be, many band members said their goal is to
perform on Bobby Jones' Gospel Hour on BET, as well as The House of Blues
Gospel Brunch in Los Angeles. Let's hope the Gospel Silvertones bring the
joy to these audiences, too.
I continued my
quest at the Austin Kiddie Limits tent, crossing paths with the H.E.B. Buddy
Stuffie on my way in. He was a
working-class Carmen Miranda, fruits and veggies toppling out of the top of his
paper-bag-head, as he gave out H.E.B. Mini-Me's to the kiddos. I came to check out the Palm Elementary
School Choir. The singers were warming up
by making balloon animals, sand paintings in a bottle, and getting their faces
painted. Gavin Tabone, their rock star
teacher and choir director, called the group to the stage as he and the adult
musicians took up their instruments. I
have never rocked so hard with 3rd through 5th
graders. This pre-pubescent Polyphonic
Spree began their set with "Brand New Day," an anthem for kids to put down
their video games and TV remotes and GO OUTSIDE! Palm School Choir roadies (looking a lot like
PTA Moms) threw PSC t-shirts into the adoring audience. "When You're With the PSC" played strong to
the true fans - family, friends and teachers.
"Rock Star" and "Things I Like About Palm" were just as much fun. It was over all too soon as these young guns
began their finale, complete with choreography and audience participation. The joy and strong spirit was crystal clear
in the kids, encouraging adults everywhere to let go of cynicism and sing.
After the show,
the charismatic Tabone introduced me to two of the choir members, Marcelina
Herrera and Alexandria Ruiz. Both girls
are very excited about turning 11 soon and are currently in 5th
grade at Palm. They've been in the choir
since kindergarten.
Quirkee: Whose
idea was it to paint shapes on your hair today?
M: We were the
second ones...
A: Then everyone else did it, too.
Quirkee: What are
two things you like about Palm that aren't in the song?
A: The
library. We play games like "How to be a
Millionaire" but with library cards.
M: The librarian,
she teaches us really well, she's very honest with us. And our music teacher. He inspired me to join the choir.
Quirkee: How often do you guys practice?
A: Every Thursday
from 2:45 to 4.
M: Sometimes on Saturday, too. We have more songs than we did today, songs
we learned back in kindergarten.
Quirkee: You guys performed with Lyle Lovett - how
wonderful!
M: It was fun; we
wore our green t-shirts that say Lyle Lovett on the back.
A: Lyle Lovett
said I have a lovely voice. I want to
keep singing - that's my goal.
Quirkee: If you could have Palm School Choir perform
anywhere in the universe and for somebody really special - where would that be?
M: Probably Disneyland...
A: ... for Mickey Mouse!
M: And for Mr. Tabone because he's always on the
stage so he can't just watch.
A: He makes
everything easy for us.
M: And he never gets mad at us. We've been in PSC for three and a half years.
I couldn't have
imagined a more joyful day at ACL Fest.
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