Why I Love the Cactus Cafe and Will Continue to Speak out on it’s behalf
March 01, 2010
SARA HICKMAN: What the Cactus Cafe Means To Me
For me as a performer, the "memory makers", besides the people and the travel,
are the remembrances of a stage: the ambience, the quality of the sound, the people who are
in charge of a venue I've been asked to play.
The rare thing about the Cactus Cafe is that, among owning those fine qualities,
it also has history, and it has longevity. To perform on a legendary stage that has
hosted songwriting legends---from blues to folk to pop and instrumental---is becoming harder
and harder to find in a world that wants new, fast, convenient. Cactus Cafe is about risk,
about depth, about opportunity (for the listener and the performer) and about culture.
It will be there long after students graduate, long after many of we performers pass on.
There is a beauty to that that must convince others to keep the doors open.
And let's not forget Griff, Chris and Susan...people who have dedicated half their LIVES,
their hearts, to keeping what makes the Cactus unique and special. This is an added
blessing to what keeps Cactus a venue I enjoy---knowing the faces who have become
an integral part of the Cactus itself, people I have grown to consider friends, consider family.
So, for me, Cactus Cafe is always about returning home. It represents the essence of a city that
prides itself on community, culture, music and nature. I will always feel a pinch of nervousness
mingled with enthusiasm when I have an impending Cactus show---it's a sacred space,
a place to share my songs, my words, my thoughts, my SELF. To clarify, I feel like I'm returning home
on that stage because the sound is crafted to allow me to be heard---much like a smaller
version of Carnegie Hall, that same buttery ease of delivery---and I know the audience is
diverse, it's eager, it's ready to absorb and reflect on what I want to share. The audience
represents a microcosm of the world beyond...
To take away an historic part of what is Austin would be to throw the baby out with the
bathwater. There is no other place in Austin where the eclectic, esteemed performers (Jane
Siberry, Mike Doughty, Alejandro Escovedo, Robert Earl Keen) can mix with the up and coming (Betty Soo,
Ruthie Foster, Emily Elbert) and create an environment of interesting sound. There is, I repeat,
no other home in Austin for this one-of-a-kind mystical moments of song.
We've lost Armadillo Headquarters, Chicago House, Liberty Lunch and Electric Lounge.
And, now, should someone be foolish enough to sign off on closing the Cactus, they
will have the eternal stain of removing the most precious of jewels that UT has maintained,
and maintained because the Cactus brings together the community, the students, the staff while
providing an oasis for those thirsty to see a myriad of amazing talent in an intimate,
quality listening room.
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:29 pm
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Play on March 6, “Earnest” 2-4 pm
Saturday, March 6, 2-4 pm
"Earnest," a reading of a play by Joe Morris Doss and Andrew Doss (Joe Doss is the retired Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey. He was involved in the case of Earnest Knighton Jr, executed by Louisiana in 1984. The play deals with the relationships Earnest built with his legal defense team and spiritual advisors in the months leading up to his death.)
Carver Library, Meeting Room 2; 1161 Angelina, Austin, TX 78702
Map:
http://www.austinlibrary.com/apllocations.cfm?acronym=acb
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:10 pm
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Thanks to Stefan for the interview on Zooglobble!
February 24, 2010
Hope y'all get a chance to check this out!
Joyfully,
Lil 'ol me
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:44 am
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SAVE CACTUS CAFE rally this Friday, Feb 27 11:30 am-1:45 pm!!!
February 23, 2010
Line up for Cactus Cafe Rally:
11:35: Sara Hickman
11:50: Bill Oliver
12:05 State Rep. Elliott Naishtat
12:10: David Garza
12:30: City Coun. Mem. Laura Morrison
12:35: Austin Music Commissioner Margaret Moser
12:40: Barbara K 1:00: Student Friends
1:05 Elizabeth Wills
1:30 Friends of the Cactus Cafe
1:35 Ricky Stein
COME SAVE THE CACTUS!!!
http://www.savethecactus.org
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:25 pm
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Is Texas about to execute another innocent man?
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - DNA tests OK'd for "Columbus Stocking
Strangler" (Carlton Gary case)
- - - - -
http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/22/is-texas-about-to-execute-anot
February 22, 2010
Is Texas About To Execute Another Innocent Man?
State officials would rather kill a prisoner than give him a DNA test.
by Radley Balko
Henry Watkins "Hank" Skinner
supposed to be executed tomorrow, but last Tuesday a Gray County, Texas,
District Court judge pushed the date back one month, to March 24.
Skinner has been on Death Row in Texas since 1993,
awaiting execution for the murder of his girlfriend and her two sons. He has
maintained his innocence since his arrest, and investigators from the
Northwestern University Journalism School's Medill Innocence Project have
shot numerous holes in the prosecution's case. But Texas officials refuse to
conduct a simple DNA test that could point to the condemned man's innocence
or cement his guilt.
Skinner's scheduled lethal injection comes shortly after Texas Gov. Rick
Perry has removed
panelists from the state forensic committee's investigation into the case of
Cameron Todd Willingham and replaced them with panelists critics say are
stymieing the investigation. Willingham was executed in 2003 for murdering
his three daughters by setting fire to his house. Nine arson experts
investigation published in the New Yorker last year have since made a strong
case that Willingham was innocent of the crime.
At the same time, Texas, a notoriously enthusiastic enforcer of the death
penalty, continues to lead the nation
exonerations (one county in Texas has produced more genetic exonerations
than all but three states). Which makes it all the more disturbing that
biological evidence from Skinner's crime scene remains untested, at the
behest of prosecutors and backed up by the courts. You'd think given recent
headlines that Texas might be a bit more reluctant to execute a possibly
innocent man.
Skinner doesn't dispute that he was in the house at the time his girlfriend
was bludgeoned to death and her sons were stabbed to death. But he says he
was unconscious at the time, knocked out by a near-lethal mix of alcohol and
codeine. He was convicted because of his presence at the crime scene,
because he had small spots of blood from two of the three victims on his
shirt, and because of the testimony of a neighbor, Andrea Reed, who happens
to be an ex-girlfriend of Skinner's. Reed says Skinner came to her shortly
after the crime and implicated himself to her. According to court records,
Skinner then told Reed a number of other implausible stories about who
committed the murders.
Skinner's case has been championedby the Medill Innocence
Project,
the team of professors and students that exposed deep flaws in the
Illinois death penalty system (ultimately leading to a moratorium on
executions in the state), and has freed 11 people from prison, including
five who had been condemned to death. After years of investigation, the
project has revealed a number of shortcomings in the state's case against
skinner. Among them:
* Andrea Reed has since recanted her testimony. She now says she was
pressured by police and prosecutors to falsely incriminate Skinner. In an
interview with Medill students, she added that, "I did not then and do not
now feel like he was physically capable of hurting anybody."
* The untested DNA included blood taken from the murder weapons,
skin taken from under the fingernails of Skinner's girlfriend, a rape test
taken from her that included semen, and other blood and hair found at the
scene. Skinner asked his attorney to request the evidence be tested in a
letter written in 1994. The attorney never made the request, stating later
that he feared doing so would implicate his client.
* Skinner's girlfriend had been stalked by an allegedly lecherous
uncle, Robert Donnell. Witnesses say Donnell had approached her at a party
she attended the night of her death. She left frightened, and he appeared to
have followed her. A friend says the uncle had raped her in the past. Days
after the murders, a neighbor reportedly saw the uncle thoroughly cleaning
and repainting his truck.
* Skinner's court-appointed attorney was a former prosecutor who had
actually prosecuted Skinner on a minor assault and car theft charge years
earlier. Skinner's two prior crimes-which his own attorney had
prosecuted-were used as aggravating factors in the death penalty portion of
his trial.
* According to a new report
with the levels of codeine and alcohol Skinner had in his blood would have
been comatose or dead. A heavy drinker may have been rousable, but would
have been "stuporous," unlikely to have the coordination necessary to carry
out three murders involving multiple stabbings and bludgeonings.
It isn't difficult to see why prosecutors don't want the DNA tested. They
have an unsympathetic suspect that they can place at the scene of the crime.
If DNA suggests someone else bled or fought in the house that night, it
doesn't conclusively prove Skinner is innocent, but it does (or at least
ought to) raise enough reasonable doubt to prevent his execution. In 2000
DNA tests were conducted on blood taken from a roll of gauze and a cassette
tape found in the house; that blood didn't match Skinner, his girlfriend, or
her sons.
The first possible outcome of testing the remaining evidence is that the DNA
will match Donnell, the allegedly lecherous, threatening uncle. Donnell has
since died. If tests show Donnell's flesh under the victim's fingernails, or
his blood or semen at the scene, the state is left with the strong
possibility that they let a murderer go free, brought an innocent man within
a week of execution, and no longer have a live body they can try, convict,
and execute.
The second possibility-that the untested evidence came from other, unknown
parties-wouldn't necessarily prove Skinner's innocence, but it would
certainly complicate the state's case against him. But that's still no
reason to refuse the tests. If we're going to execute people for
particularly heinous crimes, we have a moral obligation to ensure that every
reasonable possibility of the suspect's innocence has been explored and
exhausted. Ignoring evidence that complicates things falls well short of
that obligation.
The third possible outcome from testing the remaining biological evidence is
that DNA will come back a match only to Skinner or the victims. That would
go a long way toward affirming Skinner's guilt. All the more reason for
conducting them.
After a conviction, the criminal justice system tends put a premium on
finality, setting a high bar for reopening or retrying old cases. Given the
Willingham case and the spate of exonerations across Texas, perhaps it's
time the state put less emphasis on finality, and more on certainty. DNA
testing in Skinner's case may not bring us closer to closing those 1993
murders, but it will bring us closer to discovering the truth about them. In
a capital case especially, that alone should be reason enough to go through
with the tests.
- - - - -
Radley Balko is a senior editor at Reason magazine.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:25 am
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Help me finish “Absence of Blame”, my new adult cd
February 06, 2010
However, to master, press cds, pay for marketing, tour costs, etc, I am going to press up a limited
500 cds which will have individually HAND PAINTED, hand signed and numbered jackets created by me.
This limited run will also have some surprise stuff that won't be on the official release.
Here's the dealie-o:
Buy 1 of these limited cds for only $50 (includes shipping on this and all of the following)
Buy 5 of these limited cds ($250), you get five signed cds PLUS hand signed (to the folks of your choosing) 8x10 photos
Buy 10 of these limited cds ($500), you get the above (10 8x10 photos) PLUS a phone call to one person of your choice, and I'll sing them the song of your choice
Buy 100 of these limited cds ($5000), you get all of the above: 100 signed 8x10 photos, a phone call to the person of your choice, plus... a house concert!
Simply send your order to my address:
Sara Hickman AOB CD, 3005 S. Lamar, D-109, #412, Austin, TX 78704.
Please allow me about six weeks to get these to you.
If you buy 10 or 100, please include your phone number so I can contact you about whom
you'd like me to call and/or to set up a date for a house concert.
Thank you!
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:24 am
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Brad Buchholz Captures What the Cactus Cafe Is—-The Heart of Austin
Music lovers and musicians go to feel intertwined with the music and each other at intimate club now at center of debate.
THE LATEST FROM AUSTIN360.COM
By Brad Buchholz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 6:42 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010
I've come to understand that saying farewell to beauty is essential to loving Austin, living in Austin. So when last week's big news hit -- the Cactus Cafe, slated for closure in August -- I was not devastated. Hey, I've been saying goodbye for years now. Goodbye to Armadillo World Headquarters and Liberty Lunch. Goodbye to Clifford Antone and Bud Shrake. Goodbye to Las Manitas. Goodbye to those grand Shady Grove pecans on Barton Springs Road.
As much as I love the Cactus, I've been steeling myself for this moment for a long time. I was downright philosophical, in fact, as I shared the breaking news with Austin musicians who think of it as home. Then, on Monday, I drove down to the Cactus, caught a rousing night of jazz and folk and bluegrass by the Houston band Wheatfield, and came face-to-face with the intensity of my own denial.
Truth be told: The Cactus feels like home to me, too and it's not simply a matter of music. The Cactus, at its heart, is about closeness, about intimacy, about sitting so close to the musical campfire that you feel the fire-glow in your bones. The only thing prickly about the place is its name. You go to listen, to feel, to connect.
"When I'm onstage at the Cactus, I'm not a singer-songwriter showing off my craft. I feel like it's a relationship," says Austin's Sara Hickman, who has played the room for decades. "That audience is there to have a relationship with me, and I want to rise to the occasion and to be in relationship with them."
The Cactus devoutly has supported music grounded in lyric and language and story for more than 30 years. Its legacy is formidable. The legendary songwriter Townes Van Zandt considered it his home club. Young unknowns named Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen launched their careers here. Yet the allure of the place is bigger than history and legacy, bigger than the physical space. It's about intimacy and community and closeness.
"The Cactus is definitely about family," says acclaimed Austin singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves, who worked sound at the Cactus for a time. "When I'm home, off the road, the first thing I do is look at who's playing there. It's like going over to a friend's house to hear music."
When you walk into the Cactus, you don't merely see a familiar face at the door, you shake hands with a heart-commitment that spans decades. Griff Luneburg, who books and manages the Cactus, began working there as a bartender in 1981. The core staff, Luneberg, Chris Lueck and Susan Svedeman, have invested a combined 73 years in the Cactus.
Between sets on Monday, I couldn't resist reminding Lueck that he has worked more years at the Cactus (27) than the legendary Darrell Royal spent coaching the University of Texas football team (20). Suddenly reflective, Lueck talked passionately about the Cactus family. He recalled how Van Zandt, wild as the wind, gave him "responsibility" pep talks -- successfully insisting that Lueck return to college and complete the few remaining hours toward his degree.
Lueck, a man distinguished by thick forearms and a soft heart, recalled people who have met and married at the Cactus. He expressed gentle gratitude for the members of the Cactus family, doctors, who counseled him a few years ago upon learning he had a heart condition. And he remembered Hickman's first show in the room, how she passed out colored construction paper and invited the audience to create their own art.
"She totally won me over," Lueck says. "Me! A metalhead!"
I knew the Cactus Cafe before it was a music venue. I visited the first time, as a UT student, with my friend Richard Zainfeld, in 1976 or 1977 -- to play, believe it or not, in a UT bridge tournament! (I'm sorry, Townes.) There was little magic in the air that night; the Cactus was just another room in the Union. I can testify, from experience, that 30 years of music have brought magic to those walls.
Hickman now refers to that space as the Carnegie Hall of Austin -- mainly for the way the staff nurtures a house ethic that honors music and craft and listening. At the bar, transactions are conducted in hushed tones, or sometimes with only eye contact. The bartenders know how to muffle the jingle of a cash drawer, how to shake a margarita with minimum intrusion. Everything is secondary to song.
The Cactus is not contrived. It's not about the hottest trend. It's simply a place that fosters intimate connection to song -- whether the artist is Guy Clark or Chris Smither or the Cowboy Junkies or Alejandro Escovedo. You're actually paying for smallness at the Cactus. There are only 150 chairs in the place. The sound is sublime. And if you want: You can sit close enough to the stage to feel a visceral heart-connection to the artist on stage.
James McMurtry likes to tease Cactus aficionados for their respectfulness. "It's OK to breathe between songs, you know," he said on stage not long ago, daring someone in the Cactus audience to break a bottle or misbehave. Yet a few minutes later, McMurtry broke into "Angeline" -- "a song I played for the very first time in this room 20 years ago." When McMurtry's son, Curtis, joined him on stage, we could see and feel in this very small room the tenderness between father and son, with Curtis quoting T.S. Eliot and joking about his dad's grouchiness.
The Cactus is Eliza Gilkyson leading the house outside after a fire alarm and playing an unplugged rendition of her father's tune "Bear Necessities," on the West Mall. It is Tom Russell riffing on Orson Welles and Charles Bukowsky. It's Gatemouth Brown taking a cell phone call on stage -- and asking the house to help him give directions to a friend.
The Cactus is the pretty woman at the table in front of me who has made it very clear her life won't be complete until Loudon Wainwright III plays her favorite tune. "The Swimming Song!" she cries out throughout the night. "The Swimming Song!" Wainwright eventually plays it, of course. And when he's done, his fan rises from her seat, saunters onto the stage, and gives him a big kiss.
"Well, I can see the security is out in force tonight, Griff," Wainwright says from the stage. Everyone in the house cracks up -- vitally aware of the connection between "Cactus" and "closeness."
Ray Wylie Hubbard recalls his experience on "The Dating Game" -- really -- in the 1960s and makes us howl with laughter. Then he talks about Rainer Maria Rilke and brings us to the deepest place of introspection. He demonstrates that Cactus connection is personal, musical, social, intellectual, physical. And in many ways: They mirror the kind of connection associated with "university."
"For a half hour after I heard the news, I kept asking myself, 'Why would the University of Texas close the Cactus?'" Cleaves says. "And then I thought: Isn't it part of their responsibility to integrate college with community, to have an interface with the community? What a perfect way to get nonstudents and nonuniversity people onto the campus. I think they're giving up a very valuable asset of their own, not just an asset to the larger music community."
Gilkyson, who probably has headlined more shows than any woman in Cactus history, agrees that the room is "one of the few places where the university meets the town." Her first thoughts about the closing were very specific: "First and foremost, I'm upset for Griff. He's put his whole life into this." But she saw the big picture as well.
"Griff is important because he helps us understand who we are as a group. Like Jody Denberg (longtime music director for radio station KGSR who left last year), he helps us find out who like-minded people are, and help us have a group identity," Gilkyson says. "The question before us is what can we do as a body to ensure that things we care about continue to have a booth in the marketplace. That's the question. As well as, 'Who are "we"?' anymore.
"Community is going out the window across the board, in all walks of life. I'm sure this is a wake-up call for all of us to attempt to make community wherever else we can. It's something we're going to have to be active about if we want to see the benefits of community continue to manifest in our part of the world."
When I was young — and intermittently broke as a freelance writer — a few of my friends gently challenged my affection for the Cactus. "It's a lot of money, going to those shows," someone told me, in the interest of responsibility. Why not save the cash, and invest in the material things I'd need to support a writing life?
Then and now, I've had a hard time explaining that a night at the Cactus is like a going to the world's coolest library, like going to soul-school. The Cactus is so much about conveying story, attaining intimacy in a quick and compact way, all the while connecting to philosophy, literature, spirituality, whimsy. What more could a budding writer want? So many years ago, I marveled how artists like Gilkyson cut through convention and touched the bone of truth. It changed my life.
The Cactus family remains hopeful. Thirty years ago, a younger generation bemoaned the loss of a funky listening room known as the Alamo Lounge and a few years later found a new home called Cactus. The latest news — that the UT Alumni Center might adopt it in 2011 — demonstrates that those who treasure the place are thinking about compassionate solutions. Still, I worry. As it's hard to imagine Babe Ruth in a "new" Yankee Stadium, would we feel Townes Van Zandt's spirit so vividly in a "new" Cactus Cafe.
After watching Chris and his staff shut down the room Monday night after the Wheatfield show, I took the familiar walk down the Texas Union corridor — passing kiosks marked "Starbucks" and "Quiznos" and "Wendy's" — and wondered about the future of the Cactus. You could see it coming. Really.
Outside, the university was quiet, blanketed in a gentle winter fog. The Barbara Jordan statue gleamed in the cool night air. Dew glistened on the leaves of centuries-old live oaks near Hogg Auditorium. I paused a minute, thought of timeless things, and imagined how nice it would be if we didn't have to say goodbye, at least not yet, to the Cactus Cafe.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:56 am
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“Absence of Blame” Sampler, #1: “I’m So Glad (You Came Along)”
February 02, 2010
Thinking about so many things when I wrote this song. About what it means to have a performance space, what it means to be spiritual, how the two intertwine --- being healed by both. The melody/words arrived complete on my mind's doorstep while walking one morning, alone. Birds in the trees, leaves beneath my feet. The human stage of life.
» Listen to a sample from "I'm So Glad (You Came Along)."
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:28 am
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SAVE CACTUS CAFE!!!
January 31, 2010
All-
The energy surrounding the response to the Cactus announcement is amazing. Closing in on 3,000 members in 24 hours. Astounding. This was and is about much more than me creating a Facebook Group, of course so I'm going to add a couple more folks as Admins and things should begin to organize in the near future. For the moment, I want to post a message I received from former Cactus employee Jack Tuggle.
More news from this group soon!
Wiley Koepp
- - - - - - - - - -
Hey folks,
Here are a couple suggestions for helping to save the cactus...
-Write a letter to the Texas Union Director and the VP of Student Affairs expressing your support of keeping the Cactus around. Letters from students and alumni are especially helpful...
Andy Smith
The University of Texas at Austin
TX Union
PO Box 7338
Austin, TX 78713
Juan Gonzalez
The University of Texas at Austin
VP-Student Affairs
PO Box 7699
Austin, TX 78713
-Attend President Powers' town hall meeting (http://www.facebook.com/l/21eb4;www.utexas.edu/know/2010/01/28/town_hall_meeting/). This is a meeting for students, faculty, and staff to present their ideas, but it is also open to the public. Facebook event here (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=308611563973#/event.php?eid=308611563973&ref=mf)
All your support is appreciated.
We can do this!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:16 pm
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Poll on the Death Penalty for Parade Magazine (this weekend’s edition)
January 29, 2010
Thank you,
Sara
Parade Magazine (print edition in Sunday paper) has an article on high cost of DP, and a poll - vote at http://ow.ly/11S8Q
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director of Affiliate Support
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
1705 DeSales St., NW Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.NCADP.org
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
202-331-4090 - Office
202-331-4099 - Fax
561-371-5204 - Mobile
NCADP is proud to be making an impact online!
Visit us at The Huffington Post
Read our blog for the latest death penalty news!
Join NCADP on Facebook
Sign up for Twitter updates from NCADP
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:31 pm
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NEED DANCERS for Feb. 16 filming of “Palin’ By Comparison”
January 27, 2010
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:43 am
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My 2010 Goals
January 25, 2010
1) Release "Absence of Blame", my new adult cd produced by Mark Addison. From the depths of my muse, my heart, my plunging into pain, songs about suicide, murder, the police, my broken family, infidelity, redemption, hope and faith. With Mark Addison at the helm, I have never been so honored to release a cd. He took my songs, he HEARD the journey I wanted each song to take, and he took the songs there. He had me try new things with my vocals. He pushed me and stretched me and I am proud to say: I've met a real producer that took the time, love and effort beyond the call of duty to love these songs to life. Scrappy Judd and Dony Wynn, guitars/mandolins and drums/percussion, were also incredibly supportive of the sorrow I released on diving headlong into these songs. I was grateful to be able to share the story of each song before we all jumped up, went into the studio, and started the music. I'd never worked with any of these great musicians before, and there was a clear purpose to what I wanted to say, but the fact that they were willing to shed tears and really feel each song before we'd even laid a lick, well, I don't even know how to express what a revelation it was to have these guys that interested in the "script" of each song, as Dony shared one day. Today, Ginger Doss is coming in to sing on the last song. We are doing a duet on the song, "Juliet and Juliet", a song written by my friend, Marvin Etzioni, after I told him the story of what happened to Ginger and I in high school. Life is coming full circle, and it is all captured in the outpouring on this cd.,
Upcoming: Working on the photo shoot with the astounding Todd Wolfson, and Stingray will design the jacket. I'll be art directing because the vision came to me so clearly, so strongly, of what the cover will divulge. I hope that you all will let me know your feelings when you have listened to the entire album. Some of it will make people very uncomfortable. Some of the songs will make you wonder, think, cry, maybe even make you mad. But, I hope more than anything, they will help people heal, they will make people realize that no one is capable of throwing the stone of condemnation. We all share sorrow, we all share mistakes, we all share broken dreams---but we can still be whole, we can still be happy, we can still find love in this life.
2) "Best of Times", a compilation cd of my songs sung by other astounding Texas artists to benefit 2 non-profits, Theatre Action Project (TAP) and Big Thought!. To date, the musicians who are committed to recording my songs (or who have already finished and turned them in) are: Marcia Ball, Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel), Ruthie Foster, Andrea Perry (finished), LZ Love (recording),
Guy Forsythe, David Garza (finished), Elizabeth Wills, Betty Soo (recording), Ana Egge (recording), Joe McDermott, Monte Warden, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, Matt the Electrician, Trish Murphy, Joel Guzman, Jimmy LaFave, Shawn Colvin, Brave Combo (recording), Carolyn Wonderland, Rhett Miller (Old 97s), Abra Moore (finished), Shelley King (finished), Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, Patrice Pike, Gretchen Phillips (recording), and Alejandro Escovedo. I'm still waiting to hear from Willie Nelson and Conspirare, and hoping that two others will come on board.
TAP & Big Thought! are two non-profits that go into schools and bring creative concepts to children, from theatre to music to art and creative writing. In other words, they fill the gap the legislature has created by slashing funding for the arts. My goal is to have 20,000 cds pressed, with each non-profit receiving 10,000 cds to sell. That would mean they would each receive $150,000, if this
amount of cds can actually be funded. So, if you know anyone who wants to pay for the pressing of 20,000 cds, lemme know! I'll be paying to sequence the songs and have them mastered, and have been overseeing contacting/creating the album, so I'm going full tilt, trying to get this done.
3) Family Time Rocks! My goal is this: "Families who create together do great together!" This was a concept I had that contains many levels: a website with information for kids, parents and teachers;
an actual band performing songs for families @ live shows, and outreach within schools/HEB in-stores to promote creativity within families, all supported by a cd that contains music and poems, interspersed with short ideas from a variety of different ethnic/cultural backgrounds given by actual families sharing what they like to do in their homes for creative fun.
The band is a reality: Jason Molin (who has also been an amazing support in creating the website/FB site) who plays bass, sings, jumps around like a happy jumping bean! Gray Parsons on drums, piano, electric guitar, vocals, bass, and brings a lot of joy to me and Jason, and, of course me...guitar and occassional drums, with lots of singing. We have been working up new songs, writing the FTR! theme song ("Funky Time Rocks!") and prepping to go in the studio in March to compile all this good stuff to share on cd. I've also been compiling songs by kids, and gathering creative ideas from families. I'm very thrilled about this project, in particular because Jason, Gray and I really have clicked as a band, they are two of the most enjoyable, talented, kindhearted and silly people I've had the opportunity not only to know, but who really believe in the concept of FTR! and we are looking forward to playing in libraries this summer (I'm already booking those), for schools, for private events, and, hopefully, at ACL Fest in the fall on the kids' stage.
The cd is a reality: I am committed to recording/creating an album that is fun, unique and follows in the footsteps of my last children's cd, "Big Kid", but with more of a universal stamp with the addition of other families, other languages, other creative voices bringing themselves to the picnic! My goal is to have as many cds pressed as possible to place in children's backpacks for the beginning of the schoolyear this fall 2010.
The website is a reality: We just need to start adding content. Our goal is to have an homage to Willie Nelson when I become Official State Musician in May, and his term comes to a close. We also hope to have a lot of material on the site by then, as well. Jason blows my mind with his capacity to create in the information station of a website, and I'm really grateful to all his hard work, committment and follow through on this project. He's been my brother on the idea since day one.
I'm waiting on a response from the corporate sponsor I visited and presented with a full proposal, budget and vision. Their support would make a world of difference, and help with tour support, paying for the pressing of the cd for the backpacks, marketing and support of shows, with a banner on stage, fun merch/handouts for parents and kids, Family Time Rocks Box! (where families visit different stations at our shows and decorate/fill their own family boxes up with creative ideas to take home and utilize WHILE listening and dancing and singing along w/ our band, performing live.
4) Once again, I am grateful to Alan Luecke for believing in the creation of an animated DVD of my NEWBORN songs. Shiny Object is the group here in Austin that has taken ideas and brought them to light, including one song they encouraged me to do the animation on, so I learned how to draw out each frame, and then: voila! They animated it! My mouth was agape when they shared what they had done. The entire DVD is so loving, so beautiful. Thank you, Shiny Object, and Alan, for helping me to reach out to new parents and their babies with this special, loving collection. This will be released in May.
5) Also to be released in May is "Sweet Songs", an album I produced of 9 other super talented women singing songs for wee ones. Just a beautiful project. Andre Moran has been the engineer I've been working with on the project, and he's just the biggest sweetheart. We've had a lot of laughs and shared many hours together recording, fixing, moving, adding, deleting, more recording...you get the picture. We've worked at The Hideout, a fantastic Austin recording studio, and the owners, Mark & Monica Cravotta, have been a joy to get to know. Monica has two adorable, uplifting songs on the cd, as well as Gretchen Janzer, Noelle Hampton, Libby Kirkpatrick, Sarah Sharp, Elizabeth Suggs, Mary Londos and Elizabeth McQueen, all with songs that are full of love. This album will help benefit the Mothers' Milk Bank, which collects and distributes breastmilk to premature infants, and also bring attention to Anthropos, a super concept that brings music to kids in Austin area schools. I'm very proud to have worked on this cd. Simply stunning.
6) Finish the documentary, "Music For Life: The Dialogue on the Death Penalty in Texas". My dear friend, Dave Tatge, is executive producer on this, and his patience has been very much appreciated as I have continued to film and hope to have this film finished for 2011 SXSW Film Festival (with submission to Sundance, etc). I really wanted this film in the 2010 SXSW film festival, but there have been
some family constraints on the director, so his timing has been delayed in finishing the film. I will continue to work on completing the film, and excited to say that Marty Lester, my best friend and long time studio partner, will be doing the sound design, so the documentary will sound as beautiful as it will look.
7) Continue to tour with Richie Havens, if it is possible, especially on the West Coast, and bring along my new sideman, Gray Parsons (yes, the multi-instrumentalist from Family Time Rocks...he does adult music, too!) Roots Agency, the group that books me, is looking into booking FTR! and more Sara shows around the country, so I will do my best to continue to write newsletters and keep you up to date where we will be performing.
There were some server changes for my blog, website and all the corresponding websites I have, so if you have experienced any trouble checking out info on what I've been up to, thank you for your patience as we try to keep up with everything.
I'm very grateful to all the folks who have been supporting my various dreams---The Lueckes, The Hudsons, The Stewarts, The Blairs, Dave Tatge, each of you---because I want you to know I do my best to deliver beautiful results, and without you, I know these dreams would stay in the attic of my mind. I thank you for your faith in my visions. I thank you for your time, for listening to my ideas, and for the financial support you've shared over the years. I promise to make 2010 a great one from my little corner of the world, and to utilize the amazing gift of being State Musician to the max by helping as many families as I can learn to create and be great...together.
With love and gratitude,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:01 am
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Sara’s Body Transformation Info for those asking
January 20, 2010
and the best part is he comes to your HOME! Food wise, here is what I changed:
Eat six times a day instead of three...I upped my fiber and protein and water intake,
dropped sugar, fats, carbs. SO, a typical day for me is:
Morning snack: Fiber one cereal (1/2 cup)
with Light Silk (Soy milk) (1/4 cup)
5 oz. coffee
1/4 cup of Silk
Breakfast: Myoplex protein bar
Afternoon snack: Apple
Lunch: Salad with tuna (either lightly grilled tuna steak or tuna from a can...
no mayo, no nothin'!) Salad can be tomatoes, carrots, onions, brocolli, lettuce....
Afternoon snack: Protein bar
Dinner: Salad, black beans, salmon
Evening snack: Cup of decaf tea
I try to stick to 1100 calories a day. I am on CALORIE KING.COM and I
suggest you sign up for that as it makes keeping a food diary a breeze,
and it is rather addicting! It counts all the carbs/protein/fats/sugar/salts/etc
for you in everything you eat, and you can create a favorite list so you can
pull from that over and over, instead of having to look it up each time.
As David says, changing your body is 80% food, 20% workout. He was right.
He said I needed to change from the inside out. Then, he worked me out that
once a week for one hour hard...I'd burn 500 calories....sit ups, crunches, push ups,
boxing, and a variety of weights and other exercises. The rest of the week was up to me.
You can also record your exercise on Cal.King, too.
I wish you much love and joy in 2010, and you can transform yourself, too.
I have great faith and will keep you in my prayers, if you'd like....Just
let me know!
ALSO: I WILL post my New Year's resolutions...just haven't done it, yet!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:31 am
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Musicians Celebrate Music in the Kitchen
January 09, 2010
Some of the Austin City Limits musicians featured in Music in the Kitchen got together in Sara Hickman's kitchen for a delightful meal made from recipes they contributed to the book! To purchase Music in the Kitchen, click here.
posted by Gene Cowan at 04:40 pm
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I love teaching classes…and feedback is icing on the cake! Woo-hoo!
November 30, 2009
Songwriting A - Sara Hickman
• Sara is amazing – very supportive and great at pushing students to be braver and just go ahead and
CREATE! She was like a love, uncritical mother to us all. Students did incredible things in her class. I
think she changed a lot of lives here this year.
• Excellent. While Sara is incredibly supportive, her “positive support” eventually begins to lack credibility,
so it’s difficult to get “real” feedback – but that aside I learned tons.
• Yea! I finished a whole song and even sang it at the student open mic. Teacher helped me with my
confidence. I was challenged by Sara and I’ll be back next year. She was great!
• Awesome – really gave you things to do & said technical advice – ring her back. Her energy is great.
• Wow! Sara is a bundle of energy, encouragement, and great ideas. She also got everyone writing right
away. She taught another class that I would like to take so please bring her back next year!
• Incredible! I lacked a lot of confidence and had never completed a song. Sara made us do it. I wrote 3
songs this week and complete one I’d started a long time ago. Sara gave me a new sense of confidence and
showed me how to unlock my creativity. You MUST bring her back.
Living Life Creatively: Sara Hickman
• Successful class in getting people to open up and spend some time (brief) reflecting. Makes me think
she’d be good at leading a class on improv.
• Super excellent!!! My favorite class ever in my three years at SG. This woman is a living guru! She
lived what gurus teach! Plus her class was great fun and definitely did what it said it was going to do.
Bring her back!
• I must admit that I almost changed to Kate Campbell’s songwriting class – but now I’m SO glad I did
not! This was a very engaging class and Sara had me attempting things I never had tried.
Very spiritual class for me as well. Plus she brought so many materials to class. You must pay
her extra! I can see why is “2010 Texas musician of the year.”
• The class was really fun. I made a mandala – got to do art projects – Sara was very nurturing.
Her class was well organized. Bring Ms. Hickman back next year – please!
• Sara is a great teacher! She create an atmosphere of trust tat encourages us to take risks.
We grew from it and became more creative – for making music for being in our own lives.
She helped us conquer fears. She showed us hoe to ass more creativity to our days
(e.g. into hangouts, activities we tried in class.) We had fun, relaxed, played and ended up
being better musicians and songwriters. She is so sincerely interested in each person.
She is very caring and encouraging. She is REAL! Scheduling this class at the end
of the day was perfect! Have her every year!
• I wasn’t too sure about this class, but I’m glad I took it. It helped me unlock
that side of my brain and showed me that it’s ok for an adult to be playful.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:55 am
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Gov. Perry Executed Todd Willingham against the parole’s and the public’s plea not to do so
November 25, 2009
and Paroles to commute the death sentence of Robert Thompson to life. He also ignored
the many people who wrote and called him asking him to grant clemency. He refused to
do so and Thompson was executed on November 20. TMN has submitted a Public Information
Request to find out how many people contacted him in support and in opposition of clemency
for Thompson.
We were recently asked by someone how they could contact the family of Todd Willingham.
That gave us the idea that others might want to reach out to Todd's family. The Holiday Season
has arrived, so if you would like to send a card to the family of Todd Willingham, you can
send it to us and we will forward all the cards to Todd's stepmother, Eugenia, before Christmas.
Send your Holiday Cards to:
Eugenia Willingham
c/o Texas Moratorium Network
3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251
Austin, Texas 78731
WIth gratitude from
The Texas Moratium Network
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:58 am
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Austin American Statesman Article about the AAIM Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration!
November 23, 2009
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/23/1123thanksgiving.html
Different faiths gather to mark annual interfaith celebration
More than a dozen religions gathered, performed and feasted at
25th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Celebration
hosted by Austin Area Interreligious Ministries.
By Isadora Vail
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, November 23, 2009
This wasn't a typical church service.
The 25th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Celebration on Sunday began with a Muslim chant and the blowing of a ram's horn from the second floor of the First Baptist Church of Austin. Dancers leading a procession wore bright purple dresses, green-and-white robes, Wiccan symbols, crosses, hijabs and yarmulkes.
"God planted different colors of flowers around the Earth, just like different colors of men," said Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami, a Pakistani musician who played the sitar and sang as part of the celebration. "Today's celebration is about love and peace," he said.
Nizami, who taught last year at the University of Texas through a Fulbright scholarship, and about 900 other people attended the event. Organizers said the celebration included the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Baha'i and Covenant of the Goddess faiths. Celebrants of more than a dozen religions sang and played African drums, guitars and pipe organs.
The service is aimed at connecting different religions for a big Thanksgiving ceremony and dinner. The Austin Area Interreligious Ministries organizes the service every year.
"We are all standing in the shadow of what happened at Fort Hood," said Tom Spencer, who heads the Interreligious Ministries. "Today is about sustaining relationships with different religions, and we want to challenge the people of this city to help us do just that."
Spencer said the celebration of Thanksgiving has come a long way in the past 25 years, including overcoming a controversy in 2007 in which the Hyde Park Baptist Church refused to welcome non-Christian religions in the church. That year, the ceremony was moved at the last minute to another location.
Austin is increasingly diverse, and it is necessary to celebrate days like Thanksgiving with other religions, Spencer said.
Ziad Al Anbaki, an Iraqi refugee who attended the event with his family, said he came to the United States about seven months ago. Anbaki spoke little English but said he was happy to be in the church with many different people.
For Jessica Schumacher, who sang with St. John's United Methodist Church-Austin, she was intrigued by the different styles of worship she saw.
"I didn't know too much about the celebration, but it was such a neat opportunity," Schumacher said. "Normally, I wouldn't see anything like this, so I'm really glad we came."
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); 445-3763
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:30 am
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Sad News: Governor Perry
November 20, 2009
Thank you for contacting Governor Perry and urging him to grant clemency
to Robert Lee Thompson, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of
Texas tonight. We deeply regret to inform you that the Governor has rejected
the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and declined
to commute Thompson's sentence to life in prison.
TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houle issued the following statement in
response to the Governor's decision:
"The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is outraged that
Governor Perry has rejected the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommendation
to commute the death sentence of Robert Lee Thompson. Thompson is scheduled
to be executed this evening for the murder of Mansoor Rahim, even though
he was not the triggerman. His co-defendant, Sammy Butler, the actual killer of
Mr. Rahim, was tried separately and convicted on a lesser charge. Butler is
serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole.
This was only the fourth such recommendation for clemency from the Board
in cases where the inmate faced imminent execution, but it constitutes
the second time that Governor Perry has chosen to ignore the Board,
whose members he appoints. Perry previously rejected a recommendation
for clemency by the Board in 2004 when he allowed the execution
of Kelsey Patterson, an inmate with severe mental illness, to proceed.
The Governor's decision comes at a time of increased public awareness
and scrutiny of the flaws and failures of the Texas death penalty system.
TCADP joins with a growing chorus of diverse voices, including those of
law enforcement, religious leaders, murder victim family members, and
state legislators in calling for an end to this arbitrary and error-prone
form of punishment."
Please call the Governor and express your outrage that he once
again has failed to promote justice in Texas:
Office of the Governor
Citizen's Opinion Hotline: 1-800-252-9600
Phone: (512) 463-2000
Fax: (512) 463-1849
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:47 pm
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17th Annual House the Homeless Memorial Service
November 19, 2009
November 22
7 a.m.
Auditorium shores near the gazebo @ the Memorial Tree
(near Stevie Ray Vaughn sculpture, which I think is at First & Riverside)
Please come out and share in the moving memorial in honor of those
homeless who have passed away on Austin's streets. Reading of the names,
honoring our veterans, and fellowship with words and music.
Here is a rundown of the service:
17th House the Homeless Sunrise Memorial Service
“Joy”-Sara Hickman
Welcome– Colleen Troxell
Invocation– Jacob Vanhorn
Keynote Speaker– City Council Member Randi Shade
“What if God Was One of Us”– Sara Hickman
Salute to Veterans– John Curran
Reading of the Names:
Hugh Simonich, Laura Mota, Darrell Garrett
“We are Each Other’s Angels”– Sara Hickman
Perspective– Richard R. Troxell
“It’s Alright”– Sara Hickman
Benediction– Jacob Vanhorn
Taps– Reverend Armin Steege
Closing– Colleen Troxell
Launch of the Thermal Underwear Drive
“I Wish You Well”- Sara Hickman
Reception to follow at the Fanny Davis Gazebo
food, coffee, cocoa, and friends
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:31 am
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PLEASE CALL Governor Rick Perry RIGHT NOW!
Breaking news! The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has recommended that Robert Lee Thompson's death sentence be commuted to life in prison. Thompson is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas on Thursday, November 19, 2009. This is only the fourth such recommendation for clemency from the Board in cases where the inmate faced imminent execution.
Thompson's lawyer successfully argued that he was not the triggerman in a December 1996 convenience store robbery-murder. His co-defendant, who was the actual killer of Mansoor Rahim, was tried separately and convicted on a lesser charge; he is serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole.
Please call Governor Perry IMMEDIATELY! Urge him to follow the Board's recommendation and commute Thompson's sentence!
Office of the Governor
Citizen's Opinion Hotline: 1-800-252-9600
Phone: (512) 463-2000
Fax: (512) 463-1849
Read more about the clemency recommendation in the Houston Chronicle.
Here's more information about Thompson:
Robert Lee Thompson, 34, is scheduled to be executed on November 19, 2009. He and co-defendant Sammy Butler, 32, were tried for capital murder for the December 5, 1996 stickup of a Braeswood Boulevard convenience store in which clerk Mansoor Rahim was killed. Under Texas' law of parties, all participants in such cases are eligible for the death penalty, regardless of who did the actual killing.
Thompson, who wounded but did not kill another employee, was convicted and sentenced to die. Prosecutors failed to prove Butler intended to kill his victim, however, leading to a non-capital conviction and a life sentence for the triggerman. Butler will be eligible for parole in 2036.
Please call Governor Perry as soon as possible and urge him to follow the Board's recommendation by commuting Robert Thompson's death sentence.
Thank you!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:00 am
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Response from Tim, founder of Alamo Drafthouse… about Busking/Panhandling Issue
November 11, 2009
of House the Homeless. Tim League started the beloved Alamo Drafthouse...
Oct 30, 2009, at 1:01 AM, Tim League wrote:
Hey Sara,
Tim League here from Alamo Drafthouse. I just read your really extensive blog post regarding DAA, 6ixth Street Austin
and the issues involving the homeless in Austin. You have a lot of really good things to say in your article,
but I don't think you are up to speed on all the things in which 6ixth Street Austin is engaged regarding the
homeless community in Austin. I just came on board as the chairman of 6ixth Street Austin last month,
and I can tell you that this issue is my top priority.
Our organization doesn't have much money - we have a tiny "public improvement district" tax assessment
paid by Sixth Street property owners that is enough to fund one staff member and a couple tiny projects
throughout the year. The rest of the organization is comprised of volunteer labor, such as myself.
That said, among many of our projects, we are working towards solutions to homelessness.
6ixth Street Austin, for the past 8 months, has been spearheading meetings with downtown stakeholders:
social service providers, judges, police, business operators, property owners, city staff, city council, city
management, EMS, the churches, etc. This diverse group is developing strategies that
the city can adopt to help mitigate the plight of the homeless.
This process was also sponsored in City Council by Sheryl Cole who is on a mission
to improve the services for the homeless in Austin.
In the past couple of months, I've gone on a tour of the spectacular new $95 million dollar
"Haven for Hope" campus facility in San Antonio, had lunch with Bill Hobson, the director
of the Seattle "Housing First" projects including their groundbreaking wet-housing facility,
had lunch with Father Bill Wack who oversaw the Phoenix homeless mission and toured
several of the Green Doors facilities here in Austin. Tomorrow night, I'm meeting with
council-members Chris Riley and Laura Morrisson along with representatives from DANA,
DAA and Front Steps for a round-table "stew and cornbread" dinner at The ARCH
to talk about and debate a direction for Austin's response to homelessness.
Anyhow, I just wanted you to know that 6ixth Street Austin and the DAA aren't as
callous as your journal makes us sound. We are working very hard on the real issues
surrounding homelessness.
I know we don't agree on the panhandling issue, and I'd love to chat with you
further about it and maybe present our side of the rationale behind the initiative,
and by our, I mean the unanimous support of the social service providers in downtown Austin,
not just 6ixth Street Austin. Even if we don't eventually see eye to eye on the issue
of the anti-panhandling ordinance, I'd still like to work with you on the more important
issues on which we are working. Panhandling is a symptom, it's not the cause, and I'd
frankly not like to get too bogged down in that one issue. The cause is Austin's desperately
inadequate facilities, resources and housing.
I'd like to ask you to engage in our process. It sounds like you have a wealth of information
on the subject and would have a lot to contribute. I personally want to enact some real change
in Austin and get the city motivated to invest in housing and homeless resource facilities.
So you know, I wholeheartedly endorse the Habitat on Wheels project (and I think it has strong
support at the city too), I think we absolutely need a wet housing facility and we are GROSSLY
behind in all aspects of housing, treatment and training/resource facilities for the homeless.
Right now, there is strong support with many members of city council, and I think if we can
quickly get a unified plan of action, we may actually be able to get some real and tangible results soon.
I've rambled a bit, I know, but I wanted to:
1) ask you to be a part of the team that is working towards expanding homeless resource
facilities and housing solutions
2) let you know that Sixth Street Austin (and the DAA for that matter) has a lot of people
who care about this issue for the right reasons and are working to get political support to fund solutions
Please call my cell or drop me an email if you want to meet up and chat. I look forward to hearing from you!
Yours,
Tim League
Founder
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Rolling Roadshow
Fantastic Fest
http://www.originalalamo.com
My response:
On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:30 AM, Sara Hickman wrote:
Dear Tim,
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful, lengthy, and engaging letter
concerning my blog post. First, I have to make one correction in that I did
not write that post. My dear friend, Richard Troxell of House the Homeless,
wrote the article, and I only posted it. I wish I was as eloquently supplied
with facts and figures as Richard (or you, for that matter!). I wanted
to post what Richard had sent to me, which also I forwarded on to the
Austin Music Commission, because Richard sent it to
me after Bill Brice (DAA) had visited one of our AMC meetings.
(You should also know I have since resigned my position with AMC
as I felt I've just got too much going on in my world and needed to
pare back to what is essential.)
Several months ago, I had approached Councilwoman Laura Morrison,
who appointed me to the Austin Music Commission, about
being involved on a commission that was concerned with the homeless
problems in Austin. I am, as you stated, serious about finding solutions and helping those
who are living on the streets---whether it is a living wage, a home, rehabilitative services
or furthering education, or all combined---as I felt I wasn't of much service on the
Austin Music Commission, although everyone on that board is working hard on music
related issues and incredibly intelligent.
I wish I could meet with you tonight at your round table, but I'm a mom, so being as it
is Halloween night, I will not be able to come to this gathering, but if you would like to mention
to Laura that I am still interested in some sort of involvement, you are welcome
to remind her, and perhaps, I can get involved with you all at some level/become a part of your team.
I think it is an amazing testament to your desire to create change that you have toured
so many facilities. I was recently in Ft. Worth, where I performed at three facilities there.
Having been involved in speaking out about homelessness for over 20 years, I am still
shocked at the rising numbers of those displaced---mix population growths, new
developments razing older neighborhoods, poor education, drug rise, lack of family
planning/education, etc---and the numbers are staggering. That said, I am not set in
stone about panhandling, or any issue to do with homelessness; I am open to dialogue
and continuing to educate myself about the different aspects/positions concerning
key ways to change/handle this growing epidemic.
In regards to DAA, I was only passionate in that Bill Brice understand the difference
between "panhandling" and busking/musicians. When he came to visit us at AMC,
he had nothing written within the papers he presented (that he had also been sharing
with Mayor Lee Leffingwell), and that was my job, to point issues like this out so that
nothing is written into local law without complete definition.
Anyway, I am honored you took the time to write. If you would like me to post your letter,
here, on my blog, I am happy to counterbalance what Richard wrote. I try to engage people
via my blog (and also "Startthedialogue.com", where we discuss the death penalty, family matters,
issues of the day)....as that is the most I can hope to accomplish in an era over inundated
with information and distractions.
I would enjoy meeting with you, Sheryl Cole, Laura Morrison, whomever. I realize
I don't have any power, but I can continue to learn and share what I learn at my
shows and on my sites so that, hopefully, we CAN create a healthier world
for all of Austin's citizens.
In Grace and Gratitude,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:24 pm
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Murder in our family…the death penalty…
November 06, 2009
All three were serving in the military.
This took place last year, but I felt I needed to share the events and the unfolding.
It is all incredibly tragic, and we are all very shocked, still, and forever heartbroken over
the loss of such a beautiful, talented young woman. I didn't know Christie, but
Lance, his sister, aunt, mom and his entire family are going to be haunted by this forever.
Please keep them in your prayers.
As you know, I am against the death penalty, so this is particularly rough for me internally,
but I still believe that Christie's husband and accomplice should live their lives behind bars
and let God be their judge when their time to pass on arrives.
Love,
Sara
Published: 06:47 AM, Thu Nov 05, 2009
DA seeks death penalty in slaying of Fort Bragg soldier
By Drew Brooks
Staff writer
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the husband and co-worker of a Fort Bragg soldier who was murdered last year.
Assistant District Attorney Cal Colyer said Sgt. Richard Smith lured his wife, 29-year-old Sgt. Christina Smith,
into a trap set by him and Pfc. Matthew Kvapil.
Richard Smith and his wife were walking near their home at 751 Ashfield Drive on Sept. 30, 2008,
when Kvapil ambushed Christina Smith, stabbing her around the head and neck while Richard Smith stood and watched, Colyer said.
An autopsy showed Christina Smith spent her final moments fighting for her life. She was stabbed
twice in the back, once in the neck and once in the left arm. There were a number of smaller wounds on her body,
including her hands and face, according to the report.
The killing had been planned by Richard Smith and Kvapil, who was a co-worker of Christina Smith's,
Colyer said. Kvapil had been offered $30,000 in return for helping in the murder, prosecutors say.
Richard Smith, 27, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of solicitation to commit murder
and conspiracy to commit murder. Colyer said one of the solicitation charges will be dropped because of a jurisdictional issue.
Kvapil, 19, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
At the time of the killing, Richard Smith was assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group as
an electronics maintenance technician, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Kvapil worked with Christina Smith as a multimedia graphic illustrator for the group.
The parents, co-workers and friends of Christina Smith attended Wednesday's hearing. It was the first
of two hearings scheduled this week for Richard Smith.
On Friday, Smith's case will be one of several capital cases that will be discussed in relation to the
recently adopted Racial Justice Act. Richard Smith's lawyer, Michael Ramos, said the purpose of the hearing
was to preserve a possible claim to negate the death penalty through the act. Such claims have to be filed
when the decision to seek the death penalty is levied, Ramos said.
He said Friday's hearings will help decide how the court handles the issue in the future.
"No one knows what to do because it's so new," Ramos said.
Christina Smith's murder was the third involving female soldiers from Fort Bragg in the summer of 2008.
The killings attracted national attention. In each case, a man who was romantically linked to the victim is charged with murder.
Prosecutors were scheduled today to announce whether they would seek the death penalty in one of those
cases, the murder of Spc. Megan Touma. The hearing was delayed after the defendant's lawyer was not notified.
Edgar Patino is accused of killing 23-year-old Touma, whose body was found at the Fairfield Inn near Cross Creek Mall on June 21, 2008.
Patino was a Fort Bragg sergeant at the time, and investigators said he was the father of Touma's unborn child.
Prosecutors announced in September they would seek the death penalty in the third case, the murder of 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc on July 10, 2008.
Wimunc was a 24-year-old nurse at Womack Army Medical Center who was reported missing after investigators found a smoldering
fire in her Fayetteville apartment. Her charred remains were discovered three days later in Sneads Ferry, near Camp Lejeune,
after emergency personnel responded to a brush fire.
Her estranged husband, then-Marine Cpl. John Wimunc of Camp Lejeune, was charged with first-degree murder,
second-degree arson and conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. A second former Marine, Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden,
was charged with aiding John Wimunc by destroying evidence and providing a false alibi.
The two men were separated from the Marine Corps two weeks after Holley Wimunc's killing, according to Camp Lejeune.
Staff writer Drew Brooks can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:01 am
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A Hard Day’s Day
November 04, 2009
Each one trying to do their best
Friends criss-crossing communications
Tempers flaring...trying to calm the anger
Trying to remember: what's important here?
How can this be settled...?
How can we settle down....
Talking to a journalist about art, about music
About God, about purpose...
"What is success to you?"
I told her it was a mult-tiered answer
And shared the three I knew of...
Creating mandalas on the UT campus
Quiet time to reflect....overhearing conversations
Of trauma, of loss, of travel, of education
Drawing on the ground...drawing in the round
Seeing a happy woman, belly about to burst with
Beautiful, newborn child
Father's hair curly, jumping being---he's eager
To become a family soon
Painting tulips this morning on black
Printing paper
Giving it away for a charity to
auction off
WIll it make a difference
This time
I can only hope
With each painting
Each phone call
Each opportunity to listen
Each opportunity to say, "That hurts my heart..."
Each opportunity to work it out
All these little differences between us
All these problems that flare up
Because we are different
Trying to find ways
And say
Yes
in the midst of such shouting.
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:28 pm
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Rode My Bike!/Shiny Object!/David King!
November 03, 2009
the fantastic crew of SHINY OBJECT! I am LOVING the DVD we are working on..they are really doing a beautiful
job that will make many parents and their babies so happy spending time together, listening to music, dancing to
and watching sweet images. And so many surprises for so many people I love...I can not WAIT for this project to
bloom completely...
WHY: Rode my bike and burned almost 500 calories. I was dressed in a black and white striped turtleneck and
black pants, my white beret atop my free flowin' hair. I was a mime on a mission! Working towards that 128,
that's why...or did you forget that I am working with the incredible trainer...
WHO: David King!!! Who is coming today and will make me work my tushee off some more. This life change
has made me feel like a new woman, inside and out...which I shall be eternally grateful to DAVID KING of KING
FITNESS for the rest of my HEALTHY LIFE because...
WHEN: I sing now, I feel a depth, a strength, that hasn't been there in so long...due to the years of being the
hardest, unknown act in the music industry, someone who has sung and spoken out and flown and driven and responded
and written and hollered from the hilltops, songs of love and sorrow and tiny things growing out of cracks in the sidewalks
and people who have died and people who have been born (physically/spiritually) and now I feel like...no matter what...
I'm at the core of my being. My strength of physical, spiritual, mental and heartfelt LOVE IS ON FIRE, people!
Watch out! Here I come! AN EXPLOSION OF CREATIVITY due to the fact that...
DOCTOR Marilyn Vache helped me learn how to sleep again. She kick started the health craze for me. She brought me
HOPE. She reminded me that I can live, fully, if I just get some ding-dang shut eye. I will be grateful to her, too...but,
wait....you know...
FAMILY AND FRIENDS really all make it happen. Without their graciousness, patience, humor and support, why I'd be
a goose lost on a desert plain. Or is it a dessert plain? Well, this is a good segue into how NOT having sugar in my
life has helped tremendously. So, thank you family! Thank you, friends! Thank you, Dr. Vache! Thank you, Dr. Smith,
for sending me to Dr. Vache! Thank you, Shiny Object! Thank you, Alan Luecke for supporting another dream of mine!
Thank you, Gene, for your love and support with this BLOG, the NEWSLETTER AND THE WEBSITE and your generousity
of time, spirit and financial backing. Thanks to David King who is getting me from 155 to 128 (I'm at 135) but, more
importantly, is teaching me to enjoy EXERCISE! And thanks to my mom and dad who brought me into the world 46 years
ago. I think it's important to take a moment, here, and just say: mom and dad, thank you. Really. I know I was a handful
in my teen years. But, then, the divorce took it's toll on all of us, and no one is to blame...and speaking of blame...
ABSENCE OF BLAME is flowing splendidly, thanks to having Mark Addison at the helm/multi-instruments, Scrappy Judd on guitars and various
instruments, Dony Wynn on the drums spectacular/assortment of weird ass fun stuff, and me---singer/songwriter, ideas
jumpin' out of my head and intertwining with Mark's genius and it's all going to be the most special album. I plan to release it on
my birthday---March 1. KA-BLOOEY! JUMP BACK! LOOK OUT! Be forwarned.
This is all for now.
Off to paint for my show in December @ Lurleen's home concert!
WHOO!
XO
You know who
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:50 am
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