You may not have heard of Pink Martini yet, but you will be pleasantly surprised if you attend this special performance at The Paramount Theatre, Tuesday May 20. Hailing from Portland, OR, this 12 piece orchestra is led by female artist China Forbes who will dazzle you by singing in 14 different languages. To put this in perspective, I speak 1.5 languages and consider this a terrific feat. Pink Martini is also a darling of the Silver Screen and have had their music featured in a handful of popular television shows. Lucky for you all, Do512 is giving away two pairs of tickets to this Tuesday night event. Vote away for your chance to win!!

If you love pilates or have have always wanted to try it out, this Saturday, May 17th provides the perfect opportunity for you to get out there and do it for free. That’s right, May 17th is Pilates day in Austin and that means various places all around town are offering free sessions all day long. Participants include:

• Joy Moves
• The Pilates Center of Austin
• Castle Hill
• Pilates Studio
• Reform Pilates
• Pilates 360
• The Hills
• Body Business
• Mecca

Visit http://www.pilatesdayaustin.com for more details.

New to Austin and not sure what to do? Or just tired of your same old summer routine? Austin Monthly’s 108 Things to do in the Summer will fix that right up. This list, out now in the May issue, lists everything from fun stuff to do with your kids and new parks you may have never thought to go to, to fun tours you can go on at places like Independence Brewing Company and day trips you can take out to places like the Bastrop Opera House. As a born and raised Austinite I had convinced myself I had seen it all here in town. This list certainly opened my eyes to some new adventures worth giving a shot this summer…Geocaching anyone?

Previously scheduled to be released tomorrow, the ACL grid, announcing which of your favorite artists you may have to sacrifice seeing for another of your favorites, will now be released June 3.  Single day tickets will be now also go on sale the same day so you have a couple more weeks to save up some change.

The Supersuckers, the “Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World” are playing tomorrow night at The Parish and Do512 Guestlist is hooking you up! If you aren’t familiar with them, this band is a must see!!  Click “I Like It!” to claim your spot on the list!

Next weekend, May 15-17th, Chaos in Tejas is taking place at Emo’s. An assortment of great bands from all over the place are taking the stage, with an obvious highlight being Roky Erickson Saturday night. Tickets are on sale for the four different shows, but Do512 is giving away two pairs for free!! You all know what to do, Click “I Like It!” on any of the four shows to win!

Confirmed lineup:

• Roky Erickson and The Explosives
• Los Crudos
• Crude
• Tragedy
• Dillinger Four
• Leatherface
• Hard Skin
• Inmates
• The Marked Men
• World Burns to Death
• Pink Reason
• Iron Age
• Fy Fan
• No Fucker
• Brain Handle
• Straight Jacket Nation
• Under Pressure
• Hatred Surge
• Repercussions
• The Strange Boys
• Sacred Shock
• Deskonocidos
• Invasion
• Iron Lung

If you can’t afford, or can’t physically handle, a three-day wristband to ACL, single day tickets are on sale May 13th through the festivals website. This very same day the festival grid will be released so those of you already anxious to get a head start on planning your ACL weekend can get busy. I can already hear the frustrated sighs of realization, as festival goers realize that alas, they will not be able to see every act on the line-up they had hoped for!

May 13 is also LiveStrong Day so register for your event kits now!

Bridging the gulf between rock n’ roll and classical music, conductor/arranger Brent Havens takes the podium to present The Music of Led Zeppelin, a program he scored to extend the listening experience of Led Zeppelin’s timeless tunes. The performance will be this Sat. 5/3 at the Long Center.

Performed by an orchestra and amplified with a full rock band and screaming vocals, Havens and his ensemble capture Led Zeppelin’s “sheer blast and power” riff for riff while cranking out new musical colors

“My concept for The Music of Led Zeppelin was to take the music as close to the originals as we could and then add some colors to enhance what Zep had done,” says Havens. “The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette to call upon. The band is reproducing what Led Zeppelin did on the albums, verbatim, and then having an orchestra behind the band gives the music richness, a whole different feel, a whole different sense of power.”

Delivering a note-for-note interpretation, vocalist Randy Jackson (lead singer of the rock band Zebra), shrieks brilliantly, acting as a window between the audience and reworked material. “The music itself is one thing, but Jackson more than captures the spirit of legendary Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant,” says Havens.

Heightened by rock concert lighting, the symphonic rock hybrid has met with riotous approval at both ends of the hall, explains Havens; “When we first came on stage, the audience gave us polite, almost classical applause. Then we hit the first note and they realized it was a rock show.”

Classical musicians also enjoy the change of pace; “In one concert, during Stairway to Heaven, the entire string section pulled out Bic lighters!” laughs Havens.

With the support of show producer Rob Cross, Artistic Director of the Virginia Arts Festival, Havens first conceived the show for the Virginia Symphony (where Cross was orchestra manager at the time). Since then, they’ve taken the show on the road. The program has already played in Atlanta, Denver, Jacksonville, and Buffalo. Plays are planned this year in Wilkes-Barre, Albany, Akron, Long Island, NY and more.

The project’s appeal is in large part due to the music’s authenticity. When the music was first discussed in 1994 Havens understood that Led Zeppelin fans would want to hear the original, familiar elements of the music. He therefore followed exact line arrangements and used the orchestra only for enhancement.

DIRECT EVENTS ANNOUNCES FINAL SEASON FOR

THE BACKYARD LIVE OAK AMPHITHEATRE

AUSTIN, Texas ­– April 22, 2008 ­– Tim O’Connor, owner of Direct Events and the Backyard, announced that the 16^th season will be the final full season for Austin’s acclaimed live oak amphitheatre, The Backyard.

“I built the Backyard to produce events in an atmosphere that signifies Austin. When the venue opened we were in the middle of the Hill Country and it was a true experience,” said Tim O’Connor, President/CEO Direct Events. “The Shops at The Galleria development that now surrounds the Backyard has taken away from some of the venue’s magic over the last few years.”

The Backyard, located at 71 W and RR620, opened it doors in 1993 and has hosted over 1 million patrons and 400 acts including Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, Beck, Modest Mouse, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, The Gipsy Kings, Lyle Lovett, Coldplay, Widespread Panic, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakum, Chris Issak, Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, Smashing Pumpkins, Nickelback and more.

Creating a natural, comfortable, and unique to Austin environment for the Backyard performers and patrons has been of highest importance to Direct Events since the venue’s opening.

“Set in a natural amphitheatre with sturdy live oaks shading it, the place can be utterly magical on a warm, breezy night, and is a delightful addition to the Austin Music venue scene. Within it’s confines are green lawns, fishponds, and a multi-tier patio, and the sound system is far and away the city’s best, achieving clarity and presence at volumes that are comfortable to even the most sensitive ears (at a recent Leonard Cohen show, you could even hear the cicadas chirping as the music played – magical). Right at birth, it’s a classic Austin venue, and even the short drive out from town adds to the charm of attending shows there,” said Austin Chronicle, Best Open Air Music ’93.

This may be the final season for the Backyard, but Direct Events is not closing the door on this live music staple. Direct Events has proposed a plan to the City of Bee Cave, and is working to secure their approval to develop a new Backyard in a new location that will not compromise the atmosphere of the venue.

“I have had the unique privilege to co-produce, with Direct Events, the majority of shows that have graced the Backyard stage since its inception. I have enjoyed the relationship with this facility and it’s operator immensely. I was always proud to be affiliated in some small way with the Backyard. While the Backyard will soon be its own chapter in Austin musical history, Tim O’Connor is a visionary, and I am confident that his next facility will be his masterpiece that we can all be very proud of,” stated Bob Roux, Regional President for Live Nation.

Upcoming Events

5/15 ZZ TOP – On Sale Saturday 4/26 at 10AM!

6/1 Steve Miller Band w/ Joe Cocker

8/2 & 8/3 311 & Snoop Dogg

8/28 The Gipsy Kings – On Sale Soon!

Visit: www.thebackyard.net