The bumpersticker slogan “Keep Austin Weird” began many years ago as a grassroots protest against the commercial development and suburban sprawl that has marked the state capital. Well, the “KAW” campaign pretty much failed, so how do the city’s indigenous artists and musicians keep their spirits up and their identities independent yet essentially Austin?
Director Nathan Christ and cinematographer Robert Garza explore these questions in the documentary Echotone, which features interviews with stalwart Austin musicians like Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears, Dana Falconberry, The Octopus Project, Ghostland Observatory, and many others. The Lone Star Film Society and the Texas Independent Film Network screen Echotone 7pm Thu (Aug 11) at The Modern. Tix are $8. Many of the issues these musicians grapple with could probably apply to local artists in the shadow side of Fort Worth’s development.
