2504 Whitis Ave
Austin, Texas 78701

The 2nd Annual Austin Icon Awards presented by Dart Music International, Wyatt Brand, and Treaty Oak Distilling Company

The annual Austin Icon Awards were created by Dart Music International to honor local individuals or groups for outstanding achievements in using music and the arts for community enrichment through international and intercultural exchange. This event brings together a "who's who" of the Austin arts and business community to honor some of our brightest stars and unsung heroes.

Austin cultural icons, international and Austin musicians, and free refreshments courtesy of Treaty Oak Distilling Company, Austin Drill Press, and Uncle Billy's Brew & Cue. The VIP Reception (with a special performance and goodie bags) is at 6:15. General admission opens up at 7:00 at the historic Austin City Limits Studio 6A on the University of Texas campus. This is an Austin celebration in true Austin style - you don't want to miss this party!

Date: Friday, September 9, 2011
Time: 6:15 (VIP Reception); 7:00 (General Admission)
Place: Austin City Limits Studio 6A
Tickets, Partner Opportunities, and more info:
http://dartmusicinternatio​nal.org/events/iconawards/

2011 AUSTIN ICONS:

TROY CAMPBELL founded The House of Songs project in 2009, an artist-in-residence program for Danish singer-songwriters that fosters collaboration between Danish and Austin musicians through songwriting sessions and showcases. Campbell was executive producer of the 2009 film "Happiness Is..." and line producer on National Geographic Channel's "Geobeats" the same year. He also produced the sold-out Roky Erickson Ice Cream Social concerts during the South by Southwest Music Festival 2008-2009. Campbell's latest solo album Long in the Sun yielded a song "Lovers" that was featured as a Top 10 track in USA Today.

JOHN T. KUNZ is president and owner of Waterloo Music & Video, Inc., and a 29-year veteran of the music industry. He started with Disc Records in Austin as a part-time clerk and after nine years worked his way up to Regional Manager over 13 Texas stores. In 1982, he partnered with Louis Karp in Waterloo Records and after five years became the sole owner. Kunz was a co-founder of the Watermelon Records label, has served on the board of Austin Independent Business Alliance, and is a co-founder and board member of Coalition of Independent Music Stores.

RICHARD LINKLATER's films SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED will forever be engrained in Austin's cultural lexicon. Featuring music from Austin bands Poi Dog Pondering, the Butthole Surfers and Daniel Johnston, SLACKER is credited with starting the independent film movement of the 1990's. Linklater also serves as the Artistic Director for the Austin Film Society, which he founded in 1985 to showcase films from around the world that were not typically shown in Austin. The Austin Film Society has given out over $1,000,000 in grants to Texas filmmakers and in 1999, received the first National Honoree Award from the Directors Guild of America in recognition of its support of the arts. His filmography includes Before Sunrise, School of Rock, A Scanner Darkly, Fast Food Nation, and Bernie (2011).

CAROLYN SCHWARZ serves as executive director of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), which provides access to affordable healthcare services to the city's low-income, uninsured working musicians. HAAM has served more than 2,200 musicians and raised over $2.5 million. Schwarz was named Austinite of the Year in the 2009 Austin Under 40 Awards. She was named a winner in the 2010 Austin Business Journal's 16th Annual Profiles in Power and Women of Influence Awards.

2011 Performers:

SPEAK (Austin), 9:15-10:00
Speak (Playing In Traffic Records) are unabashed in their pursuit of innovative pop. Proud natives of Austin, TX, the band is steeped in its sound and culture, while deriving influences from favorites around the world. Members are Troupe Gammage (vocals/keys), Nick Hurt (guitars/vocals), Joey Delahoussaye (bass/vocals), and Jake Stewart (drums).

Viva City (UK), 8:15-9:00
Viva City is an über-cool four-piece mashing d'n'b-flavoured electro beats with alt-indie sounds. Hailing from Newcastle, UK, these glam-punk upstarts craft raucous tunes that demand your attention. With the release of third single 'Behold'-an urgent mix of dirty guitars and drum+base, fused with Viva City's trademark electronic wizardry-this storming track is destined to be a club hit. The band have drawn comparisons with The Faint, Prodigy, Depeche Mode, and Justice. On this side of the pond they have played showcases at CMJ Music Marathon, South by Southwest, Foburg Festival, Dart Music International House, and gigs from coast to coast.

Jackie Bristow (New Zealand), 7:15-8:00
Jackie Bristow was born and raised in the South Island of New Zealand before moving to Australia in 1994, where she established herself as a professional musician and recording artist, signing to Mushroom and Liberation music in 1999, Craving Records 2005 and Native Tongue 2007. Jackie was one of three finalists this year for Song and Album of the year at the New Zealand Music Awards. Jackie is living here in Austin for the next couple of years and touring across the country sharing the stage with artists like Tommy Emmanuel, Marc Cohn, John Waite, Bob Schneider, Jimmy Lafave, John Oates, and Bettye Lavette.

Sahara Smith (Austin), 6:30-7:00 VIP Reception
Sahara Smith, now 21, is already poised for a breakout with "Myth of the Heart," the just completed album of original songs shepherded by T Bone Burnett and producer Emile Kelman. The album features many of Burnett's first-call session players, including drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarist Marc Ribot, and bassist Dennis Crouch. Praised in the pages of LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and Seventeen, and Glamour, perhaps the highest praise comes from Mr. Burnett himself, who said, "Sahara is the best new artist I've heard in years. The world needs more great artists."

Kevin Connor - Emcee Extraordinaire!

Official Website: http://www.dartmusicinternational.org

Added by Jeremy Burchard on August 7, 2011

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