To kick off the 2008 SxSW music fest and this year's Austin City Hall noontime concert series, we performed at City Hall Plaza. The whole extravaganza was videotaped and archived on Austin's Channel 6 website, so catch the latest Lizards' live performance at www.ci.austin.tx.us/music or www.cityofaustin.org and scroll down to the Channel 6 link. Later that day, we also did an interview/performance segment with BBC 2, so check it out, too!
To view our live performance of "Xmas Time for Visa" for Austin's Channel 8 rooftop concert series, paste this link into your browser: http://www.news8austin.com/content/holiday_guide/music/?SecID=526&ArID=195700
The animated version can be found at www.consumersunion.org, where you can also view the video and hear our latest consumer advocacy song, "200 Million Containers," which confronts the issue of defective foreign imports
LIZARDS FAN RETURNS FROM OUTER SPACE! Congratulations to our friend, fan, and favorite astronaut, Pam Melroy, commander of the latest mission of the space shuttle Discovery. Pam lead one of the longest and most challenging shuttle missions to date, and we couldn't be more proud of her. See you soon in Houston, Pam!
LIZARDS ON THE SILVER SCREEN! Our rendition of the Irving Berlin chestnut, "I'll See You in C-U-B-A" has been chosen for the soundtrack of Michael Moore's Oscar-nominated documentary, SICKO, a penetrating look at the American health care system, to be released on June 29. Look for it at your local cinema.
At last, our life's ambition realized: The Lizards quoted in the Mutual Funds section of the Sunday New York Times. By our NYT writer friend John Schwartz, of course. Here's the link; http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/business/mutfund/08essa.html
This note is from a fan who saw our album release show at the Cactus Cafe in Austin on October 28. "This may have been a life-changing experience for me. After hearing your 21st Century protest songs, and especially "We've Been Through Some Crappy Times Before," I'm 5% more hopeful about the human race." David D., Temple, TX
Our brand new CD, "The Drugs I Need," hit the market today. It is our most topical album to date - 7 of the 13 songs on the album tackle important issues of the day. The CD includes all 5 of the songs we were commissioned to write in 2005 for various consumer advocacy groups, and we feel it is the best work we have ever done. Once again, the great Lloyd Maines produced, and it features talented guests like Tish Hinojosa and Joel Guzman.
From the Austin American-Statesman: "The Austin Lounge Lizards have been performing satirical folk music in Austin for the past 26 years. The Lizards have become the darlings of activist groups, who have relied on their songwriting talents to parody subjects such as abuses of the pharmaceutical industry, media conglomerates, health care and more."
The Austin Lounge Lizards were voted "Most Entertaining" at the 2006 Spring Strawberry Music Festival at Camp Mather, CA. Thanks to all the festival goers and organizers who make Strawberry one of the best festivals in the country.
We have just finalized plans to go into the studio in late July to record a new CD, untitled at this point. We are excited to again be working with the wonderful and talented Lloyd Maines, who will be producing the CD. We have lots of great new songs and can't wait to record them.
Kudos and a tip of our Lizard hats to Tabatha, Tiffany and Matt, who drove 9 hours from Las Vegas to our show at the Nugget in Reno. After a rousing good time at the concert, they turned around and drove all night to go to work in the morning. Ah, youthful exuberance and coffee, coffee, coffee. Thanks also to the woman who sewed one of our "Employee of the Month" t-shirts into her memory quilt.
"Go Ahead and Die" , our 4th commissioned consumer awareness song, has been released. Watch the video animation and listen to our great new song about the health insurance industry at www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/healthcarepirates. Our 5th commissioned consumer awareness song, "Toast the Earth," about the oil industry, has just been released, also. See it at www.truemajority.org/ExxonToastsThePlanet/html
Consumers Union has just released our third consumer awareness song, called "Christmas Time for Visa." It is coupled with more hilarious animation by Animation Farm. It deals with the problems we all face dealing with credit card debt, and the predatory practices of some credit companies. Consumers Union has a campaign to create consumer awareness of this issue. You can hear the song, watch the video, and download it at www.creditcardreform.org.
Our second commissioned song for Consumers Union has now been released, along with some great animation by Austin's Animation Farm. This one is for their campaign to educate consumers about the consolidation and monopolization of big media. It's called "The Tower", and you can view it and download it at www.hearusnow.org
Well, it's one interesting project after another for us. The Austin Lounge Lizards are "Mr. July" in the new calendar, "Naked", to benefit Willie Graham, the son of long-time Austin musical stalwart Jon Dee Graham. Willie has Legg Perthes, a rare childhood form of avascular necrosis of the hip. The family lost their health insurance when their provider filed Chapter 11. Now Willie's condition is considered pre-existing by other companies, making him uninsurable. Hard to believe, but true. Many Austin musicians have played benefits for Willie, and 34 of us have joined in the calendar project to help out. We're sure you can guess why the calendar is called "Naked", but rest assured, we are all coyly hiding behind our instruments. The calendar features Shawn Colvin, Eliza Gilkyson, Sara Hickman, Guy Forsyth, and the Tosca String Quartet, as well as the Lizards and others. It is for a great cause, and we urge you to visit www.spikeg.com to order a copy.
Many thanks to our fans in Houston! At last night's show at the Mucky Duck, we pledged all the proceeds from our merchandise sales to relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Lizard audience came through in grand style, purchasing $1,200 worth of Lizard merchandise. Our credit union matched our donation, so we have been able to send $2,400 to the Red Cross. The City of Houston, and our fans, have been kind and generous. Thank you!
It has been a busy, exciting Spring and Summer so far. We have been privileged to share the stage with Bela Fleck at the Old Settler's Festival in Austin, Ralph Stanley at the Spring Gulch Festival in PA, and Earl Scruggs at Britt Fest in Oregon. Tom is in heaven as we have been entertained by the great banjo masters. We did a concert in Reno with our friends, the Bobs, and we have played at one beautiful outdoor venue after another.
LIZARDS GO PLATINUM! (We wish) Prescriptionforchange.org now tells us that the campaign has recorded more than 1,200,000 hits to "The Drugs I Need", 120,000+ have downloaded the song, 10,000+ folks have signed up to help with the campaign, 80,000+ have sent messages to Congress, and the song has been mentioned on more than 200 blogs. Go to www.consumersunion.org or www.prescriptionforchange.org and view the video, download the song, and learn more about the campaign.
Consumers Union reports that prescriptionforchange.org has now recorded more than 500,000 hits to their website, 40,000+ people responding the campaign, and more than 60,000 downloads of "The Drugs I Need". You can visit www.consumersunion.org or www.prescriptionforchange.org to the view the video, download the song, and learn more about the campaign. The song and animation are also being featured on JibJab.com, the comedy animation web site. It is the first song ever to be shown on JibJab that wasn't written specifically by them, for that site. Our witty little ditty also features hilarious animation by Austin's Animation Farm and a side effects warnings voice over by our friend and KUT DJ, Teresa Ferguson. The March 13 Sunday NY Times has yet another article on online cartoons, prominently mentioning the song and the campaign.
The publicity machine just keeps on rolling! "The Drugs I Need" was featured on NBC TV's Today Show this morning. Katie Couric said it was hilarious! Visit www.prescriptionforchange.org to learn more about the campaign. The song and campaign are also the talk of the web. It's being chatted up on blogs all over cyberspace.
Excerpts from the New York Times: The paisley pill sure looks friendly, waving as it walks jauntily across the computer screen. It's called Progenitorivox, and is apparently good for what ails you. But look out for those side effects, which include "constipation, male lactation" and "rust-colored urination." Progenitorivox is a fake pill - not a placebo, but a fiction devised as part of a campaign by Consumers Union to pass legislation requiring drug makers to disclose the side effects of their products. The song skewers not just side effets, but also the escalating price of drugs, the billions spent on advertising and the rapid-fire disclaimers at the end of real drug ads. The Progenitorivox warnings include "do not resume sexual activity while operating heavy machinery without consulting your physician," and "for erections lasting longer than four hours, insert your own joke here." The pharmaceutical industry does not find the video all that amusing. "It's a catchy jingle all right and good for a laugh," said Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, "but we really ought to be having serious conversations about how best to help doctors and their patients choose the right medicines." In a telephone interview, Hank Card, a co-founder of the group, said, "We're taking bluegrass where it was never meant to go."
Austin Chronicle: In the footsteps of those JibJab boys, market watchdogs Consumers Union are presenting a hilarious song and Flash animation highlighting the greed and hypocrisy of prescription drug pushers, and they've enlisted the innumerable talents of the Austin Lounge Lizards and Austin's own Animation Farm to do so. Consumers Union, the minds behind Consumer Reports, have the video and the Lizards' ribald MP3 at www.prescriptionforchange.org, showcasing the undesirable side effects of drugs of dubious value, and making a case for greater transparency in the drug industry. With the recent revelations regarding Vioxx, and drug company Merck's foreknowledge of its side effects being no laughing matter, the Web site also enables surfers to urge Congress to adopt legislation requiring full disclosure of drug trial results.
Austin American Statesman: LOUNGE LIZARDS CELEBRATE SILVER ANNIVERSARY. In a time when bands break up a year after they formed, and turnover is as high as in telemarketing jobs, it's refreshing to see a band like the Austin Lounge Lizards, who tonight are celebrating 25 years of making the music they love. the band was formed with four members, and three of them are still in the group: Rhythm guitarist hank Card, banjo player Tom Pittman and guitarist Conrad Deisler. So, what's the secret to their longevity? "Separate hotel rooms," Pittman quipped. But seriously, the real answer is their focus on having a good time. "We always wanted it to be a fun band, and we've made all our decisions according to what is fun," said Pittman. "We just really love what we're doing," Card said. "We all have this absurdist sense of humor, and the songs seem to follow that line," Pittman said. No kidding. Their poignant, tongue-in-cheek songwriting has helped them garner a loyal following over the years. Songs like their new one, "Buenos Dias, Budweiser," which they will perform at tonight's show, and crowd favorites such as "Jesus Loves Me, But He Can't Stand You" are examples of satire at its best. Rounding out the now five-member band are bassist Boo Resnick and fiddle player Korey Simeone. They'll be joined onstage tonight by several former members, and singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix and producer extraordinaire/musician Lloyd Maines will open for them.
The Austin Lounge Lizards will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on January 29, 2005 at the Texas Union Ballroom, in the Univ. of Texas Student Union. The show will feature exciting guests, and a reunion of Lizards, past and present. We will also have a brand new, tres chic, 25th anniversary commemorative T-shirt for sale.
It's another hot, hot summer in Texas, and the Austin Lounge Lizards are touring in support of our latest CD, "Strange Noises in the Dark" and our concert/interview/documentary DVD, "Lizards Times Twenty." As we continue our quest to provide quality satire to legions of dedicated fans, we thought we would share a snippet or two from some of our recent reviews with you. The renowned ALL MUSIC GUIDE praises 'Strange Noises' for its "literate, funny country songs." The Ann Arbor news says, "The Austin Lounge Lizards are the second funniest thing to come out of Texas in the last few years." They are "musical Texas goofballs" with a "brainy brand of humor." The Tucson Weekly opines, "Think Monty Python's Flying Circus if they grew up playing the Grand Ol' Opry. Imagine setting a Molly Ivins column to music. That's the idea." Mighty high praise, indeed.
The Austin Chronicle reviews the Austin Lounge Lizards' concert DVD, "Lizards Times Twenty: Live at Antone's." "The Austin Lounge Lizards, those venerable purveyors of social wit and urban bluegrass, chose another venerable institution, Antone's, to record their first DVD. Playing to a full house of reptilians, the fivepiece band performs with the droll, dry humor that's made (the Lizards) long-time Austin favorites. A very long time, in fact - 24 years - "before cell phones, CDs, and personal computers," notes KUT's David Oberman as he introduces the show recorded in 2000. And certainly before DVDs. Yet DVD is a format that suits the Lizards well, and director Steve Mims shot it in widescreen for effect. No one will mistake these seasoned hippie throwbacks as an MTV boy band, but as a Texas man band, they hold their own with practiced musicianship and well-worked harmonies. The Lizards happily skewer any topic with a bluegrass flair, and few subjects escape unscathed - grunge ("The Grunge Song"), Texas ("Stupid Texas Song"), and unlikely Texas towns ("Pflugerville" and "Anahuac") all delight the audience. Offstage interviews and DJ booth scenes flesh out the live performances nicely. As a record of a band with one foot in the past and tongue firmly in cheek, songs like "Put the Oakridge boys in the Slammer," "Chester Nimitz Oriental Garden Waltz," and "Jesus Loves Me but He Can't Stand You" say it all in their titles. Sometimes, they dare you to use the n-word - novelty act. Austin's Lounge Lizards aren't novel, they're musical satire: wicked, effective, and most welcome on the scene."
Lizard Times Twenty, The Lizards' first concert DVD is now available at Lizard shows and on the web site. It is a 6-camera shoot of the 20th Anniversary show at Antone's interspersed with some interviews of the band. Directed by Austin filmmaker Steve Mims, it falls somewhere in the range of "Spinal Tap" and "A Mighty Wind" but with less plot and, of course, the music of the Austin Lounge Lizards. The concert was recorded multi-track direct to hard drive by oft-conspirator, engineer Larry Seyer. Larry and Conrad then remixed it and it's the best quality live recording they've ever caught. The audience participation was Quite Spirited, too.
NPR's Morning Edition had an interview with the Lizards this morning. They performed several songs from "Strange Noises in the Dark" and talked with host Bob Edwards about the new album which hit stores today. The interview as well as the songs are on NPR's web site where they also had a link to this web site.
Early this month, the Lizards were filmed and interviewed for the program "Mostly True Stories - Urban Legends Revealed" on The Learning Channel (TLC). They're doing a segment about the Saguaro Legend. As the legend goes, a guy likes to go out to the desert and shoot saguaro cacti until one fell on him and killed him. The TLC people heard the Lizards did a song about the legend so they interviewed Hank and filmed the band performing the song at the Palms in Winters, CA.