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
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."
; 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
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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What a Weekend….!
November 02, 2009
at Max's house...but only got to stay about 25 minutes...had a gig....
Sang at a private event and there were poltergeists. Broke two strings (on two different songs), my guitar FELL off of it's strap right as a
song was starting (boing!!!), and my picks kept flying out of my hands or into the soundhole. I just turned it into a Carol Burnett show...what else
can you do?!
SATURDAY: Woke up to a phone call that the Burundi's house was on fire. Got over there to a conglomeration of six fire trucks, two ambulances,
a Haz Mat truck (!!!), police cars....thank God the family was ok. They were sitting inside an ambulance, keeping warm. Plopped my youngest daughter
in with them, and was immediately bombarded with questions from the police dept.'s victims advocate, who was super nice. Also spoke with fire
department, fire dept. detective, the housing authority and the assistant manager of the housing unit. It seems one of the younger girls was
trying to set a small fire to keep warm, and didn't realize the dangers. Their entire room was destroyed; when I was allowed in to assess the damage
with the family and the housing authority rep, I was shocked. Everything we have all worked so hard to help them attain (peace, a home, goods, clothing...),
covered in soot and smoke, and the girls' bedroom blackened, burnt to a crisp, water and soaked sheetrock combined with shattered glass (the window had
to be busted out), the closet chopped with axes, all the items in the room melted to ashes. It looked like the inside of a volcano: dead and chokingly acidic.
The flames were so intense, they had licked the hallway, the ceiling, all black, too.
We were warned not to stay in long, that the residue/smoke could be very toxic, especially for those with asthma. I had called my husband, who brought my
oldest daughter to help (she was quickly choking harshly), and my dear friend, Jen, and between the four of us and the Burundi family, we quickly started
gathering what we could: documents, photographs, clothing, shoes...Tim arrived, another church friend and constant supporter of this little clan, and we
loaded his truck, my van, Jen's van and Lance's car with items and people. The housing authority set up a hotel room about four miles away, so took
the family there. Got back to my house, where Jen and I started going through all the items, sorting out what could be salvaged, what could be washed
and cleaned. The Red Cross brought some basic staples to the hotel for the family to eat, and also gave them an emergency credit card so we could
buy things they needed. So, last night, I went to Wal-Mart and we got bras, undergarments, socks, pants, skirts, shirts, shoes and jackets. The little
girls, 6 and 9, had lost everything. The three adults (15, 18 and the mom) had lost a lot to smoke damage, so helped them, too. My youngest went
with me and took charge of helping the youngest girls while I helped the women. First, a proper bra fitting---they'd never had one, only bras
donated, which never fit---as I might have written about when the mom had ended up in the ER this summer and that nightmare ended
well, but, again, brought to my attention she was wearing improperly sized intimate wear.
While out on the driveway that afternoon, sorting through tons of stuff, a baby oppossum appeared, meandering across our little street. I ran in
the house and got the girls. Lily put on gloves, captured the little dude, and he/she is now in Jeff Goldblum's old glass cage (my snake, for those
who don't know who Jeff was)...whoo-whee! Does he/she smell! We plan to let her go on the greenbelt today...we've just been so busy.
That afternoon, got to hear io's choir...WOW OH WOW! They sang at Rutumaya, and iolana sang her first solo! She was ASTOUNDING and full of
joy...just beaming off of her! I filmed the entire thing. I love hearing her sing. Everyone says to Lily (or me), "Lily, you have such a great voice!"
which is right on and true, but I wish people could hear iolana, too. I fear she has been overshadowed by Lily and me, and try my hardest to
include her in any opportunity (she has sung on some of my cds), but I think she is just finding her own "voice" and place, and being in this
choir is definately a big plus in her unfolding. Thanks to Mr. Tabone...he is a true asset to our school, and a phenomenal choir director/arranger
and all around awesome dude/musician!!!!
Came home, made dinner, got everything decorated for our annual Halloween party, friends arrived, we went trick-o-treating....really the best
party yet...so much fun walking around with io, her friends, and my friend, Sarah Jeansonne, laughing and taking tons of goofy photos. Saw
tons of other parents we knew. Lance and Jack stayed at the house to give out treats and watch the Texas/OU smasharoo on tv. I haven't laughed
that hard in quite a while. The haunted garage at Jude's house was hilarious---part of the scary part was a section that had photos of Rush Limbaugh,
Ann Coulter, Ted Nugent (!!!) and various other hilarious pix. Sarah and I had fun screaming our heads off when we saw those! There was candy for
the kids before entering, and shots of Tequila for the parents that wanted one. I declined, but thought it was just the funniest idea.
Lily was out walking with her posse of teens...all dressed hilarious...Lily was Juno (yes, pregnant belly with striped shirt and ponytail...she does bear
a striking resemblance to Ellen Page) and then a group of them came to our house and stayed up until...uh...late....I'll just say VERY LATE....and
when I went in to get Lily and Clara up for church next morning, there were four girls, all asleep like little angels, all shoved in one big pile on
Lily's full size bed. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of that heap! Too cute.
SUNDAY: Lily and her best friend, Clara, sang in church for All Saints' Day...beautiful. Then I sang at the Texas Book Festival, which TOTALLY rocked!
The kids were bouncing, I was stomping my foot on the wooden stage and it made a throaty kick drum to my jammin' guitar. B-L-A-S-T!
Then, off to Ronald McDonald house, where I sang for the Memorial Service. This is always such a moving tribute to the children who have passed
away during the year, and the families are just grieving, crying, as I sing. I try to look each and everyone of them in the eyes, and sing with all the
love in my heart. Tulips were passed to each family member as each name of those who had died were said aloud. One little boy, maybe 7 or 8,
was being held in his loving father's arms, and he just wept and wept. My heart was grieving for everyone there; the mothers, the fathers, the grandparents,
but to me...to see the siblings in tears...oh, it wrenches your soul apart. Thank you, Ronald McDonald houses, for providing a sanctuary for these families
as their children go through their treatments. What a great gift you give.
Gathered myself together, crying towards my car, when one of the young moms who had been inside, came out with her two year old who pointed and
said, "There she is!" So I had to go over and give her a squeeze, and hold her momma and love her, too. She was trembling with sadness. I held her a little
longer, looking in her wee ones eyes and said, "Sometimes mommy is gonna be sad...and that's ok..." and she pushed me away with her little hand, nuzzling
into her mommy's neck. I had to smile. The power of family. The inate desire to protect those we love. What a strong little girl...what depth of understanding...
it never ceases to amaze me how brilliant and aware children are....
Well, came home, picked up the laundry Lance had finished folding/hanging, and took it over to the Burundi family and that's when we went to Wal-Mart.
Working now on Monica's Baby Cd project, prepping the calendar and seeing which musicians I need to contact...I love producing!
I hope you have a day of sweet adventure and no harm comes to anyone you know and/or love. Including you.
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:56 am
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House the Homeless Responds to the recent issue of banning panhandling in Austin
October 25, 2009
House the Homeless Takes a Stand
As we are well aware, the Downtown Austin Business Alliance (DABA), the
East Sixth Street Community Association (ESCA) and Sixth Street Austin
(aka) Pecan Street Owners Association), among other businesses, which
includes, but certainly not limited to, the Alamo Draft House, B.D
Rileys, Iron Cactus Cafe, the Margarita Bar, El Sol Y La Luna, Parkside,
Blind Pig, and the Old Pecan Street Cafe are all promoting the expansion
of the anti-panhandling ordinance from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM to
around-the-clock, 24 hours a day, in the downtown area.
House the Homeless (HTH), the oldest, grassroots, all volunteer, action
homeless organization in the State of Texas, made up of people
experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless people and others wishing
to end homelessness, is strongly against the expansion of this
ordinance. Although HTH has stated repeatedly that it does not condone
panhandling, and it outright condemns aggressive panhandling, its
members will fight to their last breath for a person's right to ask his
or her fellow human beings for help.
A Fair Wage For A Fair Day's Work
The President of ESCA has said with conviction that "All of our
businesses pay a Living Wage or more than a Living Wage." This is a
blatant untruth. Upon investigation, House the Homeless has learned
that none of the businesses listed here pay a Living Wage. In fact, they
all take advantage of a loop hole in the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938 for which businesses had previously lobbied Congress. Presently,
the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour, which is less than $15,000
per year. Where people are earning a living based on "tips", employers
can pay these employees as little as $2.13 an hour so long as you and I
as patrons, bring the wage up to the Federal Minimum Wage. We tip to
express our gratitude to individuals who provide us good or exceptional
service as a way of saying "thank you". Who among you realize that you
are being relied upon to provide the base pay of each and everyone of
these employees? (Note. B.D. Rileys pays its' employees only $2.81 per hour).
Again, this gouging of patrons merely brings the pay amount up to the Federal Minimum Wage,
which has been widely known to be wholly inadequate to attain housing.
In fact, according to the last several US Conference of Mayors' Reports,
insufficient income is a leading cause of homelessness. They point out
that no where in America, can a person earning at the Federal Minimum
Wage get into and keep basic rental housing.
What ever happened to "A Fair Wage For a Fair Day's Work"? Do these
businesses act responsibly or morally if they don't even pay their
employees enough to make ends meet so they can afford basic housing?
Employers who benefit from the labor of their workers need to ensure that the people working for them are able meet their core needs. This is known as a Living Wage. This means, at a minimum, paying a person who works 40 hours in a week enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities).
Lack of Cooperation and Resistance:
Unfortunately, neither DABA, ESCA, nor 6ixth Street Austin have
participated in or contributed one thin dime to alleviating the root
causes of homelessness. When the City of Austin reached out to the
Federal government and borrowed eight (8) million dollars to create the
current ARCH, the only DABA contribution was to insist that there be
metal detectors at the front doors. In addition to serving as
president of House the Homeless, I operate Legal Aid for the Homeless,
the 5th Resource Center for the homeless since I started in 1989. None
of these business organizations have supported any of these centers.
It was in 1995 (circa) that House the Homeless first engaged the DABA
(then known as DAA) when it pressed for the passage of the “No Camping”
Ordinance. The issue set the city on fire. House the Homeless took out
a full-page ad in the Sunday Austin American Statesman showing how it
was cheaper to house and job train all homeless people, as opposed to
jailing them. However, facts such as those did not deter the DAA.
Everyone had a position and everyone chimed in. Steve Fromholtz,
singer/songwriter, camped out with us, as did Molly Ivans, who said
"Outlaw camping? That's just silly. I'm a Texas gal and I like to
camp." Bruce Springstein was in town and in support, he gave House the
Homeless proceeds from his t-shirt sales. All the while, the DAA
insisted that this was an “urgent matter”, and that once they got
immediate relief, we could "slow things down and start looking at
deeper, more substantive issues and causes of homelessness."
Additionally, rather than pay wages that would enable minimum wage
workers to avoid experiencing homelessness, the DAA has dipped into the
city coffers and funded in part, their own private police force - The Downtown
Rangers. They are separate and apart from our police force - the Austin
Police Department. But they didn't stop there. The DAA said that it
was "the homeless who were filling our jails with drunken episodes, and
thus creating the need for a "Community" Court. House the Homeless
contended that this was not true. Later, when the statistics came out
showing that the biggest offenders were University of Texas students,
the DAA remained undeterred by the facts, and went on to press for the creation
of the Community Court, separate from the Municipal Court only one block away.
And again, this comes at a significant cost to taxpayers.
*Note: Today, in the Austin Metropolitan Area there are only two (2)
substance abuse treatment beds for single, adult males outside of the
criminal justice system. They have it set up so that these beds are
reserved for people who are in violation of the "Quality of Life
Ordinances," i.e. no sitting, no lying down, no camping, etc. These are
all ordinances promoted by these businesses directed at people
experiencing homelessness and all under the banner of urgency.
This refrain has been repeated over and over again with the passing of
each "Quality of Life Ordinance" - no camping, no sitting, no lying
down, no aggressive panhandling etc., all of which the DAA has rushed
toward passage declaring an urgent need each time. With no subsequent
significant efforts to address the root causes of homelessness being
offered, House the Homeless can no longer consider espousers of such
mantra as "honest brokers".
In a city that so dramatically lacks resources for people experiencing
homelessness; (If you have ever played musical chairs as a child, you
know that 4,400 people cannot easily fit into 650 emergency beds) can we
constitutionally pass muster under the necessity argument? And in a
City where 55,000+ University students are channeled into the
Entertainment District would we be able to defend exclusionary practices
regarding freedom of speech arguments?
The Criminalization of the Homelessness
In fact, actions by the DAA have collectively created what House the
Homeless refers to as the Criminalization of Homelessness Cycle. The
Cycle works like this: (1) businesses pay so little that is causes
minimum wage workers to fall into homelessness; (2) there is a wholly
inadequate response with less than 650 emergency shelter beds (for
every man, woman and child), for an actual head count of about 4,400
people; (3) The City Council (at the urging of the DAA passes "Quality
of Life" laws against camping, sitting, lying down, loitering,
solicitation, etc.; (4) citizens can't pay $200-$500 fines and must work
for free "Community Service." Some have called this "slave labor;" (5)
workers are later jailed when Class C criminal tickets go to warrant and
people are forced to panhandle to survive, but are labeled "criminals;"
and (6) people can't rent or find jobs due to their criminal records
and remain homeless.
The DAA continues to say that they are attacking the act, not the
actor.... and panhandling, not the people who are panhandlers. But
there is danger in this broad brush approach. The Chronicle just
published an expose entitled Panhandlers for God. They focused on an
organization calling itself Austin Restoration Ministries or ARM. They
were described as an organized group of panhandlers who aggressively
demanded attention and money to support what was described as a dubious
substance abuse treatment ministry.
The first thing that we need to note is that ARM's behavior as described
is clearly illegal under the Anti-Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance.
Also, as depicted, it should be repudiated. What was described was a
highly organized scam, relying on intimidation to commit highway
robbery. House the Homeless would be among the first to condemn the
suggested activity. However, one does have to ask why the citizen who
was interviewed failed to act and report the illegal activity, and then
press for a legal response of the existing law, to have it stopped.
There is something very disquieting in this and the recent findings of
the ACLU and their Open Records Request. This revealed that the point
person for the DAA anti-panhandling initiative, Bill Brice, likewise had
not attempted to use the existing law before he and his business buddies
launched into yet another "emergency" response to pass laws against
persons experiencing homelessness. Nonetheless, the alleged activity
cited in the Chronicle is that of an organization, not individuals.
But the question of reporting is greater than just this limited view. I’ve read in two reports and had one conversation that Front Steps is supporting the expansion of this ordinance because of two frightening encounters with aggressive panhandlers by their Board members. This unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated. The suggestion that they should have reported the incident to the Police was waved off with “neither they nor the aggressive panhandlers would have waited for the police to arrive.” Well maybe the victim would not wait, but I’ll guarantee you that the person standing on the corner is not about to abandon his or her corner. And how are they going to know that you placed a call to the police on your cell phone? They wouldn’t. Life is not always convenient. There is a law in place against aggressive pan handling and just because we would be too inconvenienced to have it enforced is no justification to enact yet another law...especially one that curtails freedom of speech. Again, I guarantee you that if you pull one of the aggressive panhandlers away from their source of income for half a day to explain their aggressive behavior, you will see a sea change. But as it sits now we see no complaints and no efforts to enforce the current law.
Targeting the Homeless:
As stated, the DAA and all these businesses continue to contend that
they are "not targeting the homeless; rather, they are targeting
behavior”. Really? Consider this: when House the Homeless pointed out
that firemen were stepping into traffic (with bag pipes) to solicit
motorists for money, an exception was made and a state law was changed.
What will happen when the Salvation Army asks for an exception for its
bell ringers? When the Austin Advocate asks for an exception for its
vendors, will it be granted?
The other day while leaving ARCH and racing to a meeting, a
person experiencing homelessness ran up to me and presented me with a
ticket that he had received for "Aggressive Panhandling." He is a
struggling Austin Musician who plays an acoustic guitar, is homeless,
and plays with his guitar box open for contributions. He insisted that
he had no sign and the only words that came out of his mouth were song.
Racing away, I told him how important it was that I get a copy of the
ticket. Clearly he was not aggressively panhandling. But the question
sits on the table like an 800 pound baby elephant.
If this ordinance were to be expanded, in the "Live Music Capitol of the
World", would you again write an exception to the ordinance to allow for
such activity in the downtown Entertainment District? Firemen, bell
ringers, newspaper solicitors... how many exceptions before the charade is
exposed and it becomes clear to everyone that people experiencing
homelessness are being targeted.
What about the Neighborhoods?
The DAA and all the associated businesses cry for relief from the
"siege" they suffer under by people experiencing homelessness, and those
who panhandle for survival. But what do they say about their concern
for the neighborhoods around them who would clearly then become victims
of the relief that they seek. The business mentality is, "I got mine...good luck
to you." Is that good community partnership? No. It is elitism. Good
community citizenry is evidenced by the City of Austin, who pays
a living wage to the least among its employees and to Travis County, who
worked to get to that position, and to CVAN R Automotive, Wheatsville
Co-Op, Run Tex and others who pay living wages or have pledged to work
toward them because it is the ethical thing to do.
This is a new day and a new way. We must all be our brother's keepers.
Everyone should be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, and everyone
should have a roof over their head (other than a bridge). Until that
day, House the Homeless will continue to stand up with our brothers and
sisters who ask, "Buddy, can you spare a dime."
What Do The Surveys Say?
On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the City of Austin received the
results of its Commissioned Solicitation Survey from the University of
Texas School of Social Work. They had interviewed 103 individuals,
specifically excluding any kind of organized solicitation, and found
that: (1) These individuals were soliciting (panhandling) for daily
survival and (2) Making persistent efforts to work, with a long work
history. They found that 51 percent of those surveyed wanted job
training and 52 percent were looking for work.
In the Community Action Network (CAN) Unsheltered Homeless Count Survey,
conducted in Austin in May, 2007, over 200 respondents were interviewed.
When asked as to the cause of their homelessness, 100 said it was
because of "being unable to pay either their rent or mortgage." Another
188 said it was "due to unemployment."
In a third survey, this time conducted by the City of
Houston Health and Human Services Department, 345 persons were
interviewed. When asked their reason for their street solicitation,
250, or 72.5 percent, stated "income for survival." When asked if they
enjoyed street solicitation, 280, or 81.2 percent, said "No." When
asked what would be required for them to stop street solicitation, 196,
or 56.8 percent, responded with "employment."
A fourth survey was conducted by House the Homeless, Inc.,
in Austin in November, 2007. In this instance, 526 people experiencing
homelessness were successfully interviewed. Thirty-six point eight
(36.8) percent said they were working at the time of the interview.
*Remember, the U.S. government found 42 percent of those experiencing
homelessness nationwide were working at the time of their interview.
When asked if they would work a 40 hour week job if they were sure it
would pay them enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter
(including utilities) (in other words, a living wage), 468, or 90.7
percent, said they would work 40 hours for a Living Wage.
In a subsequent fifth survey, conducted January 1, 2009 by
House the Homeless, 429 people experiencing homelessness were
interviewed. When asked for the cause of their homelessness, "job loss"
and "insufficient income" ranked as the 1st and 2nd answers
respectively.
The findings from the surveys are self evident. People
want to work, and they want to be paid living wages. But, regardless,
the DAA has once again refused to not take responsibility for their role
in both creating and maintaining homelessness in our town by failing to
pay fair living wages. They continue to act as non-community partners
who are some how entitled to their own private police force, their own
set of laws and a separate court system all at the tax payers' expense,
while at the same time, failing to exercise basic moral and ethical
standards by paying a fair wage for a fair day's work. Instead, they
are relying on the compassion of their patrons to step up and fill their
moral void while they press for more and more laws and ordinances to
isolate and insulate themselves and their businesses.
Needs and Solutions:
Bottom line...people experiencing homelessness fall into two
distinct categories: those who can work and those who cannot work.
* We must help complete the work of the "Let's Get to Work" Task
Force. We must ensure that their idea of involving Community Sponsorship
to move people out of transitional housing, secure basic additional
education and then secure Living Wage jobs on a temporarily supported
basis is paramount for the basic health of our community. It is simply
not reasonable to expect that after we have put them through the
Continuum of Care Process and brushed them off, dried them out and
prepared them for work, that we can simply then put them back into an
under-funded economic system and expect them to thrive. The rate of
recidivism will be close to 100 percent.
As long as there is no clear pathway that will move people from
homelessness into emergency shelter, then into transitional housing and
then into a living wage job that affords them regular housing and a
reasonable opportunity to remain housed, while receiving adequate health
care, then for that homeless individual, Front Steps, Caritas, House the
Homeless and all the rest of us are falling short.
* We must promote such innovative programs as Habitat on Wheels
being promoted by Mobile Loaves and Fishes that offers truly affordable
housing based in a true community of active participation and love.
* We must put our preconceived prejudices aside and seriously
consider and actively promote the type of "Wet Housing" that is being
promoted by Front Steps. The current approach to substance abuse is
limited, exclusionary, prohibitively costly and simply not working.
* For those who cannot work, we need the federal government to fix
the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) levels so that people can be
housed.
* For those who can work, we must provide a Universal Living Wage.
Imagine working five or six days a week and with no time off and no vacation.
If you were to let the stress overwhelm you and not show up just one day, you are
quickly on a direct path to homelessness. And to expect that these same
workers who work a full-time job at McDonalds, who still do not have
enough to pay the rent after exposure to constant performance and time
pressures while sweating over a hot grill, can long avoid homelessness
is short sighted and unrealistic.
The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker.
So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership to create change.
Since House the Homeless first devised the Universal Living Wage Formula
in 1997, the Federal government has created "Locality Pay," and the U.S.
Military has moved from the VAH pay system to BAH - Base Housing
Allowance, which recognizes that we are a nation of thousands of
economies. And now the Federal government, itself, recognizes
geographic considerations as well through its Locality Pay enhancement
stipend program. That just leaves "We the People" out. Just as the
Federal government abdicated its role of housing our nation's poor under
the Regan Administration, causing homelessness to percolate up in our
urban centers (Austin included), it would seem that they are leaving the
wage issue to us as well.
The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker in their new found realization tht the wage must be indexed to the local cost of housing because again, we are anation of thousands of economies..
Every time that Congress raises the Federal
minimum wage, it is tamped down by short sighted business interests
that fail to realize the potential retraining cost savings. And the
limited increases are always an amount which is less than that needed to
enable workers to reach the Federal Poverty Guideline. The result is
economic slavery of millions of people, now evidenced by the 3.8 million
people experiencing homelessness nationwide and over 4,000 in Austin again this year.
So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership
to create change.
Conclusion:
If we were to ask a person experiencing homelessness for a
letter grade on how we are doing, and if they were honest, the answer
would be "F". The problems of homelessness are being left up to the
communities of America to resolve. And resolve them we must, but it
will require that each of us participate as cohesive community
partners...with no exceptions. This is a new day with new opportunities
for our businesses to assume the leadership roles that they deserve. But
until our businesses recognize this and join hands with us in a force
strong enough to defeat homelessness, this societal disease will only
continue to grow and divide our community.
I went to the corner and held up a sign today
Someone rudely told me "I have bills to pay"
I thought how lucky a roof and a bed
Luxury like that would go to my head
How can you sit there and look down your nose
Because my hair is messy, or maybe my clothes
All you see is someone you think is drunk or full of drugs
Someone diseased and full of bugs
It's amazing how totally wrong you can be
I'm completely sober, no bugs, AIDS, or VD
I'm a good girl, God's laws I don't break
But tonight you'll sell yourself for a few drinks and a steak
Although it may take 4 hours because of people like you
to get "two burgers please" from the dollar menu
It wouldn't take much just a five or a one
Not your car or house or fist born son
What harm would it be for you to give
a little money to help me live
And although my life is harder than you could have guessed
I smile through each day knowing I am truly loved and blessed
-Deborah Smith 2009
See
http://www.NationalHomeless.org
http://www.UniversalLivingWage.org
Richard R. Troxell
President
House the Homeless
Livable Incomes Coordinator
National Coalition for the Homeless
(512) 796-4366
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:37 pm
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Sara answers a question from her Yahoo chat group…and here’s the answer!
October 08, 2009
1.
Effects of MP3s on recording profits
Posted by: "elizabeth.markoff"
Wed Oct 7, 2009 4:25 pm (PDT)
Fellow Pumpkin Heads-
I'm curious to see if anybody knows what the effects of MP3s have been on overall recording profits. Judging from the ease by which they can be
copied, I have a feeling Sara and others must be aching terribly unless some savvy lawyers are helping them out. Anybody care to opine? EM
Hi Elizabeth!
Good question for this group....and thank you for thinking to ask it!
I'm happy to answer it, and if it sparks more questions or dialogue, hooray! because it
sure has been quiet in here for a lo-o-o-ong time. Mostly my bad, I suppose, because I guess
I need to instigate more enthusiasm, but if others (cough cough) wanted to follow Elizabeth's lead and ask ANY sort of questions
related to the music industry, production, art/publicity/marketing, distribution, etc...or even about creating music or cds, in general,
just pop that question in here and VOILA! I'll respond.
So, back to the question at hand. Yes, MP3s have had a shift in how I, an artist, receive royalties.
BUT LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING: A PRIMER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
You see, in the OLD days, a record was made, and the artist had to pay back on the costs of that creation
(everything of the recording costs :musicians, engineers, studio, producer, AMPEX tape, mastering, replication,
artwork, publicity, promotional items (posters, inserts, tabletops...) any travel/hotel expenses if the artist was flown
to NY or LA, and, of course, tour expenses). Let's say an album cost $100,000 to make, all inclusive of above
(which, ha ha, seldom happened on a MAJOR label), then you would think the artist could pay that back out of
selling the cd at $15---or by selling roughly 6,666 albums. Then, anything over that would be 50/50, right?
Wrong. A typical artist (not Madonna or U2, who's lawyers bargain higher points/rates on return for the artists),
but the typical artist might make .82 per sale of cd, and THAT is where the recouping of costs would be derived from.
So, say you went to a store, and bought my album "Shortstop" when it first came out (1990), you would have paid $15,
the store itself made $2-3, the distributor (WEA=Warner/Elektra/Atlantic) made $2-3, and then Elektra made the rest
(about $8.91) . I would get the .82 cents.
I had to pay back the full $100,000 out of .82, so, I would have had to sell 1, 219,512 cds BEFORE I saw MY first .082.
And since "Shortstop" cost over $300,000 to make, and I sold approximately 60-75,000 cds, I have NEVER made a dime off that cd. Nor will I ever.
However, Elektra would have made, on the low end of the scale selling 60,000, they would have made at least $534,600,
so they at least made their money back , plus a profit, plus they own the master recording in perpetuity, so say someone
wants to use a song from the cd for tv/film, they go through Elektra, and license through them.
Also, at that same time, I did a publishing deal with MCA, then a huge, respected company, for the songs on
"Equal Scary People" and "Shortstop". I got what was called an advance (a lump sum of money), and then MCA was to
push those songs as part of their catalogue...to film and tv. (MCA is now called Universal, by the way.)
So, I don't own the master to "Shortstop", nor do I own those songs. I will always own the copyright, but I co-own
the publishing with MCA/Universal. This means when a song was in a movie, it was licensed through MCA/Universal,
as well. And until I paid down the advance, I didn't see any money. Do I still owe on the advance? Yes.
Will I ever own these songs outright? Not likely, unless I can someday pay down what I owe, and then
ask/negotiate to buy my catalogue of songs back.
HOW DO I MAKE MONEY, THEN?
Well, used to be, I could buy "Shortstop" at $7 a pop, and then sell it at my shows,
and keep the $8 profit I made off of it. If I bought 100 cds, you see, I was $700 in the hole,
but I would make $1500 after selling them, so an $800 profit to support myself.
Although Universal owns the publishing on my first two cds (and a few other songs because
when I was making demos in the MCA studios, which they offered for free!, it was later I found
out anything recorded in that studio became instant property of MCA. So, "False Pretenses" and "Joy"
are two of those examples. I don't own those songs, either)....I do, as I said, still own the copyright as the songwriter....
So, when my songs are played on the radio/on TV/used in films, dependent on whether I own them or not,
I get paid varying rates. If you hear "I Couldn't Help Myself" in the grocery store, money goes to Universal, but I still
get paid a percentage of that play. If you hear "Pursuit of Happiness" in MUZAK form (instrumental) in the elevator,
I get paid 100%, both as the songwriter AND the publisher because I own that song completely.
As for cable/satellite music of mine you hear, that has been a battle that BMI/ASCAP (collection agencies for
songwriters/independent publishers) have been going through with Congress to get these companies to
compensate creators a higher percentage.
For example, if you hear "Radiation Man" on satellite radio, sometimes I see on my BMI statement, 128 plays,
but I get paid .03!!! Other times, I might make $2.40. There is probably some related logic to this, but whatever it is,
it was created by a lobbyist for satellite radio, I can guarantee you.
Lately, some of my songs have started being paid for use on JetBlue, AirTran, Frontier and ExpressJet airlines.
That's exciting! However, let's look at Frontier. On my royalty statement for 1rst quarter 2009, "Radiation Man"
was played 64 times, and I received $1.14.
From this same time period, "Bowl Full of Stars" (which I own completely and was never approached by MUZAK
for permission to cover, but, hey, I'm not complaining), 3698 plays of the song resulted in $19.72.
As for downloads....which was your original question, it seems there are two sources to discuss.
FIRST SOURCE...
not downloading the song to keep, but to hear, as on digital audio services....so, for example, again,
"Radiation Man" was played 175 on XM Satellite Radio (most likely XM Kids) and I was paid $96.70.
But...wait! On Sirius, this is wierd..."Radiation Man" was played 128 times, and I made $190.97!!!
So, you see, there is no consistency, nor control as an artist/publisher, to what I am getting paid per these things...
SECOND SOURCE...
iTunes and all the other sources where you download my song to keep, and many people then rip to
share with friends (which means I don't get paid at all). Well, that is a detailed and odd world. If you pay
.99 to download one of my songs, again, if I don't own it, I'm making very, very little on it
(as the songwriter, none if little for the publishing)....If I own it AND the publishing, you'd think
I'd make something....like, oh, I don't know, 85 cents a song? No, I think after all is said and done,
I might make .30 a song. It's all very nebulous, and those checks come from the connextion, which
oversees my digital distribution....so, after, let's say iTunes takes their cut, and then the connextion takes their cut,
i get my monthly check (which I appreciate the connextion doing), and there's the mulah. I have to go
online and read out all the info pertained to the breakdown of that check because there is no
longer any paperwork attached.
Also, and I forgot to mention this, but if I co-write, then I get 1/2 of a song. If I write a song
with someone and THEY have a publishing deal, then I get 1/2, they get 1/2 of their 1/2 because
1/2 of their 1/2 is going to their publisher. It all becomes very tricky.
END RESULT
Am I am fan of digital downloads? No. Why? Well, looking at "Comfort's Sigh" and seeing hundreds
of downloads of that song and making .40 cents (in TOTAL) makes me, certainly, disillusioned.
You see, I make a living off of what I do. I bring home my family's paycheck via:
Live shows
Sale of cds/dvds at shows
Sale of my merch via my website
Sale of my merch via other websites (Amazon.com, cdbaby, etc)
Sale of my merch at mom & pop stores (Waterloo records, children's specialty shops)
Speaking engagements
Now, someone like Amazon.com only pays, say, $7.65 per cd. Mom and pop shops pay a much
higher percentage. Land of Nod pays $8. One of the distributors I use only pays 5.98 per cd.
If you were still able to buy my cds in Barnes and Noble, if it was through WEA, it would take
upwards to a year to see a check. If I was in Barnes & Noble via an independent distributor, I'd make 5.98.
I have to negotiate with all sorts of different vendors for all sorts of different avenues. Sometimes,
like Tower Records, they go out of business, and if I can't get my cds back before the doors are locked,
I lose all those cds, thus possible income I could have had, selling those cds from the stage,
where at least I make 100% of that sale.
WHO REPLICATES WHAT?
Here's a breakdown for you of how a few cds were created and paid for:
Equal Scary People: I don't own the songs completely, as discussed earlier,
but, fortunately, I do OWN the master. My manager from 1989-1995, Kevin Wommack,
was smart enough to license that cd to Elektra (now defunct, by the way). This means I own it,
not Elektra. ESP started as independently released by me in 1988 on vinyl, (which I paid for with
the help of five friends and ended up costing about $5600 to create!) then licensed to Elektra and my
friends got paid back IN FULL right away---very satisfying feeling, I must say!---
(on vinyl and cd for the first time and as a new industry, which they paid to replicate), then
when the license was up with them, it came back to me and I licensed it to Discovery (for five years),
also in the WEA network, so same distribution, which was nice since I already knew all the folks
(who were all very nice, by the way). After that license was up, ESP, again, came back to me,
and now I am in charge of paying for and keeping up with replication/distribution.
Newborn/Toddler/Big Kid....I own the songs 100% (that I wrote on each) and I own the masters 100%.
I paid for all the production costs (engineering, musicians, studio time, mastering) and we did the
artwork (Stingray, our little company of 5), so that saved money there. I pay for all the replication
and try to stay on top of gathering/accounting for funds. If I run out of a title, I put it on my credit
card to create another run, resend licenses out to the songwriters/publishers of the songs I licensed,
and sell them to the general public in hopes of repaying myself and making a profit.
Motherlode---This was paid for by 7 different people---The Hudsons, The Stewarts, Gene Cowan,
Judy Wisch and myself. I went into a joint venture, maintaining full ownership of the masters, with
a group in California to get distribution through Fontana/Universal, a large independent group,
but the people in charge of handling the deal did not follow through on their end of the bargain,
and thus, MOTHERLODE stagnated, although I had paid for independent PR, and, thankfully, she did
an excellent job and MOTHERLODE received a huge response of positive, glowing reviews around the
country in print/magazines. However, with little or no tour support, and already in the hole,
I did my best to go out and tour and take care of my family while paying down what my friends
had generously invested in helping to create. These friends have been ANGELS, who believe in MOTHERLODE,
who loved all aspects of it, and who have been incredibly patient as I fought a legal battle with said company
in Los Angeles, which resulted in eventual parting of ways and my buying the remainder of my MOTHERLODE
cds back from them for $500.
So, anyway, there you have it. It's not an easy job. You can see why someone like Lucinda Williams
might take 6 years between making cds, and she has management/PR/booking/label to run all this
for her. She just has to mull over creating new material.
I am doing the job of all these folks AND mulling over creating music.
You may ask yourself: why don't you get a manager?
Managers = 15-20%
Booking agents = 15%
Labels = no ownership, co-ownership or licensing and a lot of
headache because they want to control EVERYTHING. My best experience was
with Shanachie, who allowed me the opportunities to create "Spiritual Appliances"
and "Two Kinds of Laughter" as I saw fit. I now OWN those two masters because I was
able to buy them back from the label.
So, thanks to Charlie Dahan for helping to negotiate that deal.
Publishing---my experience is you might get money up front, but unless you
are a Lady Gaga and the hottest thing on the planet, your catalogue sits and
languishes in vaults without someone pushing it to tv/film. That's why networking is so important.
PR---I hire PR on independent basis'. It can cost about $1500 a month/three month
minimum + for really good ones.
Independent Radio promoters (these are folks that call radio programmers
and hassle them to play my latest release)---They cost about the same as PR.
So, you see, unless I am touring non-stop, or have some magical thing happen virally
(i.e., a video I create takes off, which, as you know, is no money there, but good free PR),
making money as a musician is a continual, daily checklist, and with the digital
world overtaking product (hard) sales, it is getting more and more convoluted to keep up with it all.
I hope this music lesson has been interesting and enlightening, and exposes you
to the reason you may come to a show and think, "Why doesn't she have
18 billion new songs to sing for me?" Well, don't think I'm not writing.
It's just with a family to play with/care for/grow with, and travel, and trying to
keep up with getting paid, I don't always have time to practice and really absorb new songs.
That takes time and space and the ability to stretch and grow, and like my song says,
I don't have a room of my own....one of these days I will, and there I shall paint and
practice new material, and blow your minds with the outcome.
Until then, I thank you for your continued compassion, understanding and
purchase of my cds through my website, at a mom & pop shoppe, or at my live shows
because you can be assured that money goes towards my family, my dream, and creates a happy heart.
Next question?
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:49 am
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Texas Parent 2 Parent….
September 29, 2009
Yes, each child was special and unique, not because they had disabilities or intriguing physical features, but because they were all so positive that they were awesome kids. And the parents blew me away with the level of joy, deep commitment, love and passion for bringing the best to their child. Everyone was talking; everyone was listening. It was an engaging place to be! After performing, I knew I had to write a song for TxP2P because I wanted others to know about how spectacular these children and their families are; that they are unique, shining stars and deserve our time, efforts and resources because they are giving so much of themselves to one another on a daily basis.
There is an unbreakable spirit that you can witness by volunteering, or becoming a financial resource for this group. I believe in many causes, but TxP2P has certainly delivered what it promises---programs, information and community for families with stresses and routines some of us may never know. And I say: THANK GOD for this group! So, come celebrate and cheer the spirited love of TxP2P.
http://www.txp2p.org
In Grace and Gratitude,
Sara Hickman
Mom/Musician
2010-2011 Official State Musician of Texas
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:41 pm
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Northfork Sound---Once Again, the Ultimate!
Chumbawamba nail all the other internet radio stations while congratulating North Fork Sound on 3 years of unbridled, no-boundaries broadcasting, beaming songs about boozing, screwing, smoking, lying, cheating, screaming, dancing, laughing and crying.
To celebrate, it’s Doug Smith Week. He’s had something to do with nearly everybody on this week’s Top 20.
If you’re getting this and you’re not listed below, you ARE on this week’s play-list. Tune in, give yourself a “thumbs-up”…and be seen and heard by listeners in 18 countries and across 19 States.
North Fork Sound Top 20 – September 27th ‘09
1. Motörhead: Louie Louie
2. Girlschool (w/ 'Fast' Eddie Clarke): Metropolis
3. Hawkwind: Urban Guerilla
4. Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix: Dodgem Dude
5. The Continentals: Fizz Pop (Modern Rock)
6. Whirlwind: Hang Loose (You Gotta Rock)
7. Chumbawamba: All Fur Coat And No Knickers
8. Social Distortion: Prison Bound
9. Mighty Baby: Egyptian Tomb
10. The Pink Fairies: The Snake
11. Tracey Curtis: If The Death Penalty Were An Olympic Sport
12. Gunslinger: Going In For The Kill
13. Tomorrow: My White Bicycle
14. The Sex Patels: Life During Wartime
15. Mick Farren: I Want A Drink
16. Robert Calvert: Catch A Falling Starfighter
17. Amon Duul: Archangel Thunderbird
18. Skin Alley: Bad Words, Evil People
19. High Tide: Death Warmed Up
20. Motörhead/Girlschool: Please Don’t Touch
NoFoSo Alb o’ The Week:
The Shazam: Meteor (Not Lame)
The Guilty Pleasure:
King Kurt: Destination Zululand (GWR Records)
Last Week’s Listener Thumbs-Ups:
Mott The Hoople: All The Way From Memphis
Hal Blaine: Secret Agent Man
The Psychedelic Furs: Imitation Of Christ
Angel Corpus Christi: Threw It Away
Luna: Chinatown
Harvey Mandel: Lights Out
Kris Kristofferson: The Show Goes On
Sara Hickman: Mad World
Glenn Tilbrook & The Fluffers: Still
Motörhead: Ace Of Spades
Invisible Cities: Lizard Brain
Heads, Hands & Feet: Country Boy
The Who: Eminence Front
Little Beaver: Party Down (Pt 1)
Dr. Feelgood: All Through The City (Watch this!!!)
Roky Erickson & The Aliens: White Faces
The Kinks: All Day And All Of The Night
Louis Jordan: Reet Petite And Gone
Billy Bragg: Some Days I See The Point
Jerry Lee Lewis: Drinking Wine Spo-dee-o-dee
The Velvet Underground: Foggy Notion
Gilbert Gottfried: Dad Catches Son
Johnny Cash: Get Rhythm
Graham Bowers: Eternal Ghosts – Which Is To Come (excerpt)
Genya Ravan: I Hate Myself
Doug Powell: Love Is Like Oxygen
Amy Rigby: 20 Questions
The Star Spangles: I Told A Lie
Toots & The Maytals: Pressure Drop
Omar Kent Dykes & Jimmie Vaughan: Baby What’s Wrong
Amy Allison: Turn Out The Lights
The Yayhoos: Oh! Chicago
Website: http://www.northforksound.com
Radio station: http://www.live365.com/stations/thespangler
where you can sign up to hear the station for free and vote for your favourite tracks
If you hear a friend of yours on the station, tell them to sent their next one to:
howard thompson
North Fork Sound
PO Box 45
New Suffolk
NY, 11956
USA
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:40 am
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Copyright © 1993-2010 Sara Hickman/Sleeveless, LLC | 39375
Whether you've learned about Sara Hickman through her music, her family, her causes, or her films, you know that her originality, creativity, and enthusiasm bring a fresh meaning to the well-worn phrase "living life to the fullest."
What makes Sara tick? What has she been up to since she first hit the ground running (well, at least crawling in the early years)?
Read a complete bio at sarahickman.com.
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Motherlode
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Faithful Heart
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Big Kid
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