About this Event
Join the Library Foundation and the University of Texas Press at the Central Library for an evening with Greg Beets and Richard Whymark as they discuss their new book, A Curious Mix of People: The Underground Scene of '90s Austin. Laurie Gallardo will moderate this conversation, and Carrie Clark will make a special appearance!
The first book about Austin underground music in the ’90s, A Curious Mix of People is an oral history that tells the story of this transformative decade through the eyes of the musicians, writers, DJs, club owners, record-store employees, and other key figures who were there.
It’s 1990 in Austin, Texas. The next decade will be a tipping point in the city's metamorphosis from sleepy college town to major city. Beneath the increasingly slick exterior, though, a group of like-minded contrarians were reimagining an underground music scene. Embracing a do-it-yourself ethos, record labels emerged to release local music, zines cheered and jeered acts beneath the radar of mainstream media outlets, and upstart clubs provided a home venue for new bands to build their sound.
This vibrant scene valued expression over erudition, from the razor-sharp songcraft of Spoon to the fuzzed-out poptones of Sixteen Deluxe, and blurred the boundaries between observer and participant. Evolving in tandem with the city’s emergence on the national stage via the film Slacker and the SXSW conference and festivals, Austin’s musical underground became a spiritual crucible for the uneasy balance between commercial success and cultural authenticity, a tension that still resonates today.
Copies of A Curious Mix of People: The Underground Scene of '90s Austin will be available for purchase at the event thanks to UT Press. A book signing will follow the conversation.
This event will take place in the Special Events Center of the Austin Central Library.
Become a member of The Library Foundation today! Membership benefits include priority seating for atCentral events and invitations to member receptions. To become a Library Foundation member, make a tax-deductible donation of $50 or more.
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ABOUT GREG BEETS: Greg Beets is a music journalist and musician who wrote for the Austin Chronicle and performed as a vocalist with the 1990s Austin bands Cheezus, Noodle, and the Peenbeets.
ABOUT RICHARD WHYMARK: Richard Whymark is a documentary filmmaker and the executive producer of the documentary series A Curious Mix of People.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Austin Central Library, Austin Public Library, 710 West Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, United States
USD 0.00