Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

A Learning Experience: Aztex Fall Just Short in U.S. Open Cup

Wow! Great game Tuesday night up in Round Rock, as the Austin Aztex U-23 amateurs held their own against the pros of the United Soccer Leagues First Division Atlanta Silverbacks before succumbing in a penalty-kick shootout, thereby exiting the U.S. Open Cup in the first round. The Aztex twice had the lead, on beautiful goals by Jamie Watson in regulation, and Willy Guadarrama in overtime, before giving up equalizers with just minutes to go in regulation (1-1), and again in overtime, which ended 2-2.Yes, the Aztex acquitted their young selves well – not a single player looked out of place in a high-level pro game – but my, what a difference in the level of play. The Silverbacks' speed and strength clearly had the Aztex out of their comfort level, especially at the start. They were used to being the aggressors, and to having a little more time, and a little more margin for error than what Atlanta gave them, and the Silverbacks punished every soft pass or loose first touch. But that's how you get better, right? And a lot of these Austin players plan to be around next year as well, when the Aztex field their own First Division pro team, and start playing the Silverbacks on their own level. No doubt, this was a great experience for the players and the organization, and a bonus treat for the record crowd of 1,731 fans.Back to the Premier Development League… Over the weekend, the Aztex solidified their hold on the PDL Mid South division lead, beating El Paso 2-0 at home on Friday, and Dallas 4-0 on the road Sunday, to run their league record to 6-1-1 at the halfway point of the season. They're on the road in Houston this Saturday, June 15, before a rather strange two-week layoff; the next home games aren't until June 27 (El Paso) and June 28 (Baton Rouge).

The Euro Championships: What We Know So Far …

The first days of the 2008 European Championships in Switzerland and Austria have been a treat; below are some notes on each group, and the remaining schedule.Group A: Portugal has beaten the other two group favorites by two goals each; maybe Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world. Sunday's Turk-Czech match will decide the other spot, with co-host Swiss already eliminated after two losses.Group B: Broadcast quote of the week: "In footballing terms, Germany has historically dominated Poland." Croatia will probably advance, but looked mediocre against the weakest team in the field.Group C: Italy is looking like roadkill in the Group of Death; are the Dutch really that good, or are the world champs that bad? The French desperately need a playmaker.Group D: Spain and Sweden are the clear class of this group; their Saturday morning showdown could be the best game of the first round, with the prize being avoiding Holland in the quarterfinals.See below for results and schedule …

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

Believe it or not, the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter just called a halt to its new adoption promotion: black dogs and cats for $25.County spokeswoman Connie Watson said she got a call from a local reporter, saying the NAACP had a problem with the promotion. Did she have a comment? Poof. The promotion was gone. In a hastily written press release, Watson said the decision was due to "unanticipated controversy" and that the promotion was over before it began.Yes, reduced prices for black cats and dogs offended people."We apologize if our promotion to reduce fees on black dogs and cats offended anyone," said shelter director Cheryl Schneider. "The shelter has many black dogs and cats right now that need to find good homes. We did not anticipate this response. Spring and early summer always are a busy time for us."

'And Then the Feeling Fades Away/ But You Sort of Wish It Would Have Stayed'

The New York Times' Books blog, Paper Cuts, has a recurring thread called "Living With Music," in which authors write about their perfect playlists. I was thinking about this as I set down to blog about The Black Cab Sessions, the site where musicians like St. Vincent, Spoon, and Daniel Johnston can be seen singing a single song in a taxi cab as it roams the streets of London.I'd wandered onto the site because, after months of not listening to Bon Iver at all, I suddenly had to watch everything the Internet had to offer of him (Bon Iver is the recording name of singer/songwriter Justin Vernon; Darcie Stevens wrote about him in relation to licensing here).I hadn't stopped listening to Bon Iver on purpose – I'd just sort of forgot. Moved onto newer loves. You know what it's like – when you get crazy-obsessed with a song (like "Skinny Love"), and you just wanna curl up in the sound and stay there forever. And then a week passes, or a month, and you sort of forget. You caught a bug for a while, and then you got better – or worse, depending on your point of view. I don't think I'm alone in that I feel best, my most ragged and alive, when caught in the clutches of something or someone else.

No Cameras, Possible Molotov co*cktail at Guv's Mansion

A source close to the investigation that wished to remain unidentified has told the Chronicle that apparently the security cameras at the front of the Governor's Mansion, where restoration work was being done, were not functional at the time that the historic residence caught fire Sunday morning. The source believes that something was thrown at the front of the mansion, possibly a Molotov co*cktail or something "like balloons" filled with accelerant.UPDATE: The Houston Chronicle is now reporting that video apparently captured someone throwing such an object at the mansion.

The Texas-L.A. Connection

Tremoloco doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a play on the word tremolo that bandleader Tony Zamora and fellow vintage guitar buff Stephen Bruton came up with. Bruton is just one of the many Texas connections that can be found on the Los Angeles-based band’s self-released full-length debut, Dulcinea. It also features appearances by Redd Volkaert, Cindy Cashdollar, Max Baca, Joel Guzman, and Ian McLagan.Dulcinea follows closely in the steps of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven, mixing Mexican heritage and American roots rock into a Southwestern stew that’s festive and savory. Zamora claims it’s a combination of his Tex-Mex roots - his mother is from El Paso and his father is Mexican - with youthful influences from growing up in East L.A.“When we first started in 2002, Los Super Seven and Los Lobos were a huge influence,” the 48-year-old explains. “We were covering some of that stuff at shows because I hadn’t written the songs for this album yet, the Cesar Rosas and Freddie Fender stuff. So when it came time to record, this seemed like a natural progression.”The disc was recorded with the production assistance of Los Lobos percussionist Cougar Estrada, who brought more of the Texas influence to the proceedings from his work with artists like Guzman and Sisters Morales.

Cap Metro Convo

The first proposed fare changes for the Capital Metro bus system in 23 years have caused quite a stir. The transportation authority is holding public meetings to make their case and hear rider comments. (They are June 11, 6pm at Austin Community College South Austin Campus, 1820 W. Stassney; and June 12, 6pm at Austin City Hall; and June 27, noon, Capital Metro Administration Offices, 2910 E. Fifth.)Several fare options are under discussion, but it's possibly useful to look at the one-way bus trip costs in some other cities, and see how Austin compares. Obviously, every system is different, but it's still a somewhat useful yardstick.Austin: 50 cents, one-day pass $1
Austin (proposed Fall 2008): 75 cents, one-day pass $3
San Antonio: $1, express $2, one-day pass $3.75
Dallas DART: $1.50, one-day pass $3
Houston Metro: $1 local, one-day all zones $3.50
Portland Trimet: $2.05, seven-day pass $20
New Orleans RTA: $1.25, one-day pass $5
New York City Transit: $2, express $5, one-day pass $7.50

Wynn Weighs In

In a lose-lose situation, Mayor Will Wynn has been dragged into the Place Four council race mud-slinging about the mythical Green Home Tax.In an email sent out this morning called "Setting the Record Straight", without naming names he dismantles Cid Galindo's last few campaign fliers (although, to be fair, he could also be savaging the claims made by the Austin Board of Realtors and the Statesman editorial board).One interpretation is that Wynn is clarifying exactly what the proposed energy efficiency ordinance means. Another is that he's stamping on the increasingly histrionic claims that it's a point-of-sale imposition requiring full weatherproofing and gerbil-powered cooling systems. The discussion among the 28-member Energy Efficiency Retrofit Task Force, Wynn points out, is about voluntary programs to increase energy efficiency, and still months away from any recommendations (and not, as the Statesman claimed on Monday, "looking at the idea of requiring home sellers to make energy upgrades before the sale could be completed.")Not that Laura Morrison has run a squeaky-clean campaign: Using Cid's father's Republican background against Cid in print ads has left a bad taste in a lot of mouths (who says the sins of the father cannot be visited upon the son?). As for conflict of interests (her other anti-Cid platform), what happens if Morrison's much-vaunted McMansion ordinance ever comes up again, or the Austin Neighborhood Council gives testimony?So why lose-lose for Wynn? Say nothing, incorrect statements go uncorrected. Say something, and he's painted as pro-Morrison. Either way, someone makes political capital of him.Wynn's letter in full after the break.

Documenting 'Danger'

Steve Metze, a National Guardsman and Desert Storm vet, was teaching film at UT when he was deployed to Iraq. He took his camera with him, aiming to capture, in his words, "no bias, no headline, just the day-to-day reality of life in Iraq balancing the defense of an entire base with the struggle to keep my brand new family together." (Metze shipped out nine days after getting married; his first child was born while he was away.)Filmmakers Steve Metze and Don Swaynos will be in attendance at a special Austin Film Festival sponsored screening of Year at Danger (Danger was the name of Metze's basecamp in Iraq) on Thursday, June 12, 7:30pm at the Regal Arbor Cinema (9828 Great Hills Trail). The event is free for AFF members and $4 for the general public. For more info, go here.