{"product_id":"a-curious-mix-of-people-the-underground-scene-of-90s-austin-9781477328132","title":"A Curious Mix of People: The Underground Scene of '90s Austin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA twisting path through Austin's underground music scene in the twentieth century's last decade, narrated by the people who were there.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt'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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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 \u003ci\u003eSlacker\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first book about Austin underground music in the '90s, \u003ci\u003eA Curious Mix of People\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e Greg Beets is a music journalist and musician who wrote for the \u003ci\u003eAustin Chronicle \u003c\/i\u003eand performed as a vocalist with the 1990s Austin bands Cheezus, Noodle, and the Peenbeets. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Richard Whymark is a documentary filmmaker and the executive producer of the documentary series \u003ci\u003eA Curious Mix of People\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50629159878930,"sku":"9781477328132","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0ad44e5-02e6-4b9f-83ca-57a0ab62038f.jpg?v=1732722510","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-curious-mix-of-people-the-underground-scene-of-90s-austin-9781477328132","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}