Art by Zeke Barbaro
Not throwing an epic wing-ding after the dreadful and disillusioning last 12 months remains a bitter pill to pop. This community deserves one. That said, not having an in-person Austin Music Awards is a no-brainer. No tradition s worth risking the health of people we care about – not even a homegrown legacy show.
So instead of orchestrating a diminished version of something we ve done for 38 consecutive years, the
Chronicle decided on something totally different: bringing the AMAs to the winners. Emcee Kevin Curtin behind the wheel (Photo by David Brendan Hall) In an homage to the Publishers Clearing House Prize television commercials from decades ago, we transformed a 1995 Dodge band van into a “Winners Wagon” and surprised the top vote-getters of the 2020/2021 Austin Music Poll at their homes.
Our man with a van, Kevin Curtin, surprised this year s Austin Music Award winners with a novelty check, gifts, and the appreciation from a thankful city. You voted and we re celebrating your choices with a little help from our sponsor, Cap Metro.
Below you can find video proof of that celebration thanks to some production assistance from Arts & Labor. Thanks also to photographer David Brendan Hall who not only captured his trademark incredible images but also distracted our winners while Kevin did his best to sneak up on them in a massive van.
Album of the Year (presented by Real Ale Brewing): Jackie Venson
At 11am on a Monday, at the corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keeton, it s quiet.
UT classes remain predominantly virtual, so a lot fewer students mill about. There s still enough, however, to stop and gawk when a white van emblazoned
Austin Music Awards Winner Wagon pulls up honking.
A bow-tied
Kevin Curtin then hops out with a wireless mic to deliver the award for Best Radio Personality to
Laurie Gallardo. I was like, Those people are [coming] to kill me! laughed the deejay afterward about the windshield tassels and spare tire strapped on top of Curtin s former Houston PD van.
The 2020-2021 Austin Music Awards Presentations austinchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from austinchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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In October, Austin s brooding balladeer Bill Callahan teamed with equally enigmatic auteur Bonnie Prince Billy to release a surprise cover of Cat Stevens Blackness of the Night, with arrangements by Drag City labelmate Azita Youssefi. The singles have continued weekly since, each a new cover and collaboration, ranging from pop busters (Steely Dan s Deacon Blues with Bill MacKay; Billie Eilish s Wish You Were Gay with Sean O Hagan) to more obscure (Johnnie Frierson s Miracles filtered through Ty Segall; Lowell George s I ve Been the One with Meg Baird). Amid Lou Reed s Rooftop Garden and Hank Williams Jr. s OD d in Denver, the duo also rolls out a deep Jerry Jeff Walker fascination with takes on Little Bird, Letter Sung to Friends, I Love You, and Night Rider s Lament. The arrangements spiral eclectic and provocative, hung across the balancing act of Callahan s low, methodical intonations and Oldham s creaking high lonesome. –