Friday, February 23, 2018

'Echotone' DVD: Doc. Exploring High and Low Notes of Austin Music Scene


IndiePix Films chooses an interesting leitmotif for the three separate DVD releases in the January 23, 2018 "Indiepix Festival Favorites Volume 2." These documentaries focus on different types of music. "Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense" discusses the modern aspects of this genre. "Roaring Abyss" takes a comparable look at the music of Ethopia.

The third film in this trio, "Echotone" is the subject of this review. This documentary that explores several themes related to Austin being "The Live Music Capital of the World" stands out because it covers numerous topics that interest virtually everyone. The highly apt title refers to the clash that occurs when civilization encroaches on the natural world.

The following YouTube clip of the official "Echotone" trailer features every element of the film in a manner that demonstrates the fair and balanced presentation of the issues.


Filmmaker Nathan Christ has his camera literally follow local musicians on their daily routines and has them share their histories and their current struggles. We also get a look at an issue that many communities with a desirable culture face. That conflict relates to that "something special" attracting so many people that an area changes in an manner that threatens the culture that makes it desirable.

An early scene in "Echotone" shows a highly regarded musician who identifies himself as "Black Joe Lewis" doing his day job delivering fish. This theme of musicians who still must do McJobs despite achieving artistic success and building a solid fan base runs throughout the film. Another example is a member of the indie rock group Belaire having to get up at 8:00 a.m. to perform a day job for the "enemy" even if she rocks hard past midnight the day before.

Much of this aspect of "Echotone" fully merges regarding the profile of Bill Baird, formerly of the moderately successful group "Sound Team" and currently working on the next chapter of his life. The very likable Baird discusses the experience of almost overnight relative success and the same conflict between art and commerce that any artist faces.

The other piece of this is the rapid development that the music scene presumably is fueling but also is threatening that element that makes the city so cool. This occurs across the country, and the competing desires of music venues to both fill seats and to provide performers a venue and of home owners to reasonably have quiet peace and enjoyment is even more widespread.

A legal concept related to this form of echotone is "coming to the nuisance." The reasoning is that someone who buys a home near one or more music venues, railroad tracks, or a pig farm typically is assumed to know what to expect. A talking head expresses an element of this in stating that he agrees that new retail development near many bars makes sense but that housing does not.

Public hearing footage on the issue of residents v. bars provides the best humor in "Echotone." One can understand the feelings of folks who pay several pretty pennies for a shiny new home only to essentially have sound waves (which the law recognizes as an actionable nuisance) bounce them out of bed most nights. At the same time, the absurd statements of some of these folks greatly hinder their cause.

Proper zoning laws provide the simple in theory and difficult in execution solution. The timing of this is the oft-absent crucial element. The related greed of developers and politicians is the primary culprit regarding these laws often being too little too late. In the case of Austin, the areas around the bars should have been zoned as commercial and light residential years ago.

On the other side of the equation, restricting music to no later than those with a stake in the matter determine to be reasonable depending on the day of the week and to never allow the noise level to exceed a similar standard seems apt. The guitarist in "Echotone" who defiantly brings his amplified ax out in the street to rock particularly hard in the middle of the night does not do himself or anyone else any favors.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Echotone" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.






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