In the Studio: O’Toole, McKean & Carr tape Overheard 3/8

Posted on February 28, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for three back-to-back tapings on Friday, March 8. We’ve listed the start times for each taping to allow you to attend individual interviews as well. Please note, once a taping has started entry may not be allowed. RSVP at the link on the left. Each taping takes place in KLRU’s Studio 6A (map). One RSVP will work for all three tapings. RSVP here

Annette O’Toole

Annette O’Toole at 1:15 pm
(doors will open at 12:45 pm) RSVP here
Annette O’Toole is a Houston-born film, TV and stage actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song with her husband Michael McKean in the film A Mighty Wind in 2004. O’Toole is best known to TV audiences for playing Martha Kent in Smallville. She is in Austin being honored by the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

Michael McKean at 2:15 pm
(doors will open as soon as O’Toole interview is complete) RSVP here
Actor Michael McKean was introduced to TV audiences when he played Lenny on Laverne & Shirley. He went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. McKean is probably best known for his role in This is Spinal Tap, which he also helped write. He recently starred in The Best Man on Broadway, a role he had to give up when he was hit by a car in New York City last year. McKean is in Austin to present his wife, Annette O’Toole, an award on behalf of the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

David Carr at 3:15 pm
(doors will open as soon as McKean interview is complete) RSVP here
New York Times columnist David Carr has written about the business of the media for 25 years. Prior to joining the Times in 2002, Carr wrote for the Atlantic Montlhy and New York Magazine. His memoir, The Night of the Gun, uses investigative reporting tactics to chronicle his personal struggles with drug abuse. He is in Austin for SXSW Interactive.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith continues a third season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview.

Highlights: February 24 to March 2

Posted on February 21, 2013 by april

In the finale of Masterpiece Classic Downton Abbey series 3 at 6 pm Sunday, The Crawleys head to a Scottish hunting lodge, while the downstairs staff stays behind at Downton Abbey.

An aging spy stumbles on an international scandal that could bring down the British government on Masterpiece Contemporary Page Eight at 8 pm Sunday.

Ai Weiwei is arguably the most internationally celebrated Chinese artist of the modern era. Independent Lens at 9 pm Monday tells the story of his activism, which has cost him his freedom repeatedly.

Makers: Women Who Make America at 7 pm Tuesday tells the compelling story of women’s advancement in America over the past 50 years.

American Masters at 10 pm Tuesday tells the story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a flamboyant African-American gospel superstar with a spectacular virtuosity on the newly electrified guitar.

Nature “Echo: An Elephant to Remember” at 7 pm Wednesday looks back at this remarkable animal through extraordinary footage and interviews with the researchers that cared for and studied this amazing herd.

Nova “Japan’s Killer Quake” at 8 pm Wednesday combines authoritative on-the-spot reporting, personal stories of tragedy and survival, compelling eyewitness videos, explanatory graphics and exclusive helicopter footage for a unique look at the science behind the catastrophe.

Austin City Limits at 10 pm Wednesday presents an hour with jazz/soul singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding in support of her LP Radio Music Society.

Jeffrey Toobin, a New Yorker staff writer CNN legal analyst, talks about his latest book on the Obama administration on Overheard with Evan Smith at 7 pm Thursday.

Sharon Marroquin, an Award-winning dancer whose life drastically changed when she was diagnosed with cancer, uses her art as an expression of her personal struggle. Arts In Context tells her story at 7:30 pm Thursday.

Chet heads west to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park and climb Guadalupe Peak, the tallest peak in Texas, on The Daytripper at 8:30 pm Thursday.

Rock and pop legends Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (formerly of Sha Na Na) and Ronnie Spector (of the Ronettes) bring back the best songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s on Rock Pop and Doo Wop at 8 pm Thursday.

Jackie Evancho, the 10-year-old girl with the extraordinary soprano voice, sings on Great Performances at 9 pm Friday.

Find out what’s going on with your troubled trees, what to do, and how to help them on Central Texas Gardener at noon Saturday.

Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples showcase classic R&B, blues and pop on Austin City Limits at 7 pm Saturday.

The Rolling Stones perform at Bluesman Muddy Water’s Chicago club at 8:30 pm Saturday.

Author Robert Holden talks about his six principles and practices for happiness on Shift Happens! Live An Inspired Life at 10 pm Saturday.

In the Studio: Kasim Reed tapes Overheard 2/26

Posted on February 19, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Mayor Kasim Reed

Date: February 26
Time: 10:15am (Doors open at 9:45am)
Location: in KLRU’s Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Kasim Reed is Mayor of Atlanta and a rising star in the Democratic Party. He was elected in 2009 to his first term, and was a key surrogate for the Obama Administration during the 2012 presidential election. Prior to becoming mayor, Reed served in the Georgia General Assembly for 11 years. He is in town for the Texas Legislative Black Caucus Summit.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith continues its third season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview.

In the Studio: Arts In Context Miró Quartet 2/23

Posted on February 13, 2013 by april

The Miró Quartet, an internationally performing classical string quartet based in Austin, performs an all-Schubert program in KLRU’s historic Studio 6A. The performance will be part of an Arts In Context episode airing on March 28.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 23
Time: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “explosive vigor and technical finesse”, the dynamic Miró Quartet, one of America’s highest-profile chamber groups enjoys its place at the top of the international chamber music scene. Now in its second decade, the quartet continues to captivate audiences and critics around the world with its startling intensity, fresh perspective, and mature approach.

The Miró Quartet is the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas Austin and its members – violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess, and cellist Joshua Gindele – are on the faculty of the Butler School of Music.

The Miró Quartet has released several recordings, most recently a disc featuring live performances of works by Dvorak and Kevin Puts. Other releases include the Op. 18 quartets of Beethoven on the Vanguard Classics label as well as a disc featuring music by George Crumb and Rued Langgaard for Bridge Records. The Miró Quartet’s recording of Crumb’s Black Angels received much international acclaim, including the French “Diapason d’Or”. The Miró Quartet is also featured on an Oxingale release entitled “Epilogue”, performing Mendelssohn’s final string quartet (Op. 80) and Schubert’s Quintet with celebrated cellist Matt Haimovitz.

Giveaway: Black Watch at Erwin Center 2/21

Posted on February 11, 2013 by april

The Black Watch and Band of Scots Guards will perform live in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 8 pm at the Frank Erwin Center. Our friends at the Frank Erwin Center have given KLRU tickets to this show to share with our members and fans. Post a comment on this blog post by February 15th and we’ll choose winners to receive two tickets each.

The Black Watch and Band of Scots Guards
Feb. 21 at 8 pm at Frank Erwin Center

British military tradition will come to life when the “British Isles of Wonder” featuring the legendary sounds of the Band of the Scots Guards and The Pipes, Drums, Highland Dancers of The Black Watch 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiments of Scotlandperform at the Frank Erwin Center Feb. 21! Together, The Black Watch and the Band of the Scots Guard will celebrate the music of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales with traditional marches, drums, bagpipes, pageantry, dancing and more. The Band of the Scots Guards and The Black Watch have inspired British troops and entertained audiences for more than three centuries. The accomplished musicians are iconic images of Great Britain, and travel around the world to showcase their talent and represent the best of the British.

You can buy tickets at the Texas Box Office

Community Cinema: Wonder Women!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by april

The March 2013 Community Cinema film is Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines with screenings and discussions in both Austin and Round Rock. All screenings will start at 7 pm, are free and open to the public.

Screenings take place March 5 at Austin’s Windsor Park Branch Library (5833 Westminster Dr.) and March 28 at Round Rock Public Library (216 E. Main Street).

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
Guevara-Flanagan From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s, to the blockbusters of today, WONDER WOMEN! Looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation.

Special thanks to

February Family Choice: Nova

Posted on February 4, 2013 by april

Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is Nova‘s “Building Pharaohs Chariot“ where it captures over 60 years of remastered sequences in a series of three episodes.

Airs Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 8 pm

Around 3,600 years ago, reliefs in Egyptian tombs and temples depicted pharaohs and warriors proudly riding into battle on horse-drawn chariots. Some historians claim that the chariot launched a technological and strategic revolution, and was the secret weapon behind Egypt’s greatest era of conquest known as the New Kingdom. But was the Egyptian chariot really a revolutionary design? How decisive a role did it play in the bloody battles of the ancient world? In this film, a team of archaeologists, engineers, woodworkers and horse trainers join forces to build and test two highly accurate replicas of Egyptian royal chariots. They discover astonishingly advanced features, including spoked wheels, springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars and even a convex shaped rear mirror, leading one of them to compare the level of design to the engineering standards of 1930′s-era Buicks! By driving our pair of replicas to their limits in the desert outside Cairo, NOVA’s experts test the claim that the chariot marks a crucial turning point in ancient military history.

KLRU Celebrates Black History Month

Posted on January 25, 2013 by april

KLRU broadcasts programming created by and about people from all cultures year-round, from public affairs to history to independent film to kids programming. In celebration of Black History Month, KLRU and KLRU-Q will broadcast a lineup of programs and events honoring and exploring African American culture.

Blackademics: Education, Performance and Youth Empowerment 2/13

Posted on January 25, 2013 by april

Join KLRU for the next round of Blackademics: Education, Performance and Youth Empowerment

Date: Wednesday February 13, 2013
Time: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: KLRU Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: Event is free, but RSVP is required. RSVP now

Join us for a live recording of nationally and internationally renowned black studies scholars as they offer dynamic talks on education, performance and youth empowerment. The event will include the following talks hosted by Kevin Michael Foster and the Institute for Community, University and School Partnerships (ICUSP).

Aimee Cox dancer-turned professor Shapeshifters: Black Girls and the Choreography of Empowerment
Fred Ho Jazz Baritone Saxophonist The Genius and Revolutionary Nature of Black Vanguard Music
Leonard Moore Historian and student services administrator Football as Intellectual Enterprise
Amy Brown teacher-turned-educational anthropologist Buried Treasure: Urban Fiction as a Teaching Tool
Keffrelyn Brown & Anthony Brown husband & wife educational researchers The Tree of Race and Knowledge
Kevin Michael Foster Education Activist and Scholar Filling the gaps: Culturally relevant programs for kids of color
Heather Pleasants & Dana Salter Community Engaged Scholars Writing their own Stories: Kids & Digital Literacy
Julian Heilig Education Policy Expert Community-Based Accountability: A New Approach
Gloria Quinlan Soprano vocalist and music professor Music, Performance and Instruction in the Historically Black College context

Inspiring Women Leaders 2/12

Posted on January 25, 2013 by april

KLRU, the University of Texas Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders invite you to a discussion about cultivating leadership. The evening will also feature short video features on local women and girls making a difference in the Austin community and a preview of the PBS series MAKERS: Women Who Make America.

Date: February 12
Time: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: KLRU Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP Now

Inspiring Women Leaders, a discussion about cultivating leadership, will focus on inspiring future generations through mentorship and other means. Speakers will include:

Christine Adame
Graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, participant in INSPIRE: Empowering Texas Women Leaders program, and former staff member of NEW Leadership Texas.
Monica Martinez
Project Specialist, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
Alma Jackie Salcedo
Graduate Coordinator at Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, UT-Austin

As part of the event, KLRU will present eight short videos featuring local women and girls who are inspiring others through their actions. These women were nominated by the community to be featured as part of KLRU’s participation in the national Women and Girls Lead campaign. A preview from the upcoming PBS documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America – a film that shares the stories of exceptional women whose pioneering contributions continue to shape the world in which we live – will also be shown. This documentary airs February 26th at 7 pm on KLRU.

Women featured in the Women and Girls Lead project videos will be:

Katherine Craft is the founder of Conspire Theater, a program that provides incarcerated women a healing and empowering experience through the arts.
Julieta Garibay co-founded the Undergraduate Leadership Initiative, an advocacy group comprised of fellow undocumented college students, supporters, and family.
Rina Hartline is director of Texas State Relations for Centerpoint Energy and mentors other women as the founder of the Association of Women in Energy.
Peggy Kelsey created The Afghan Women’s Project to share stories of Afghan women to help change stereotypes.
Amy Koch is a graduate of Project SEARCH at Seton Healthcare Family, a best practice for hiring individuals with developmental disabilities created at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center.
Esther Reyes is Executive Director of the Austin Immigrant Right’s Coalition and has helped lead a statewide effort to protect the human rights of Texas’ undocumented immigrants.
Ndeye Boury Silla is one of our community’s outstanding teenagers. The daughter of Senegalese immigrants, she raised more than $900 to purchase school supplies for children in her parent’s native country.
Marissa Vogel started the non-profit organization Little Helping Hands, which creates and manages volunteer opportunities for younger children and their parents.

The Inspiring Women Leaders event and local MAKERS initiative is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

MAKERS: Women Who Make America is produced by Kunhardt McGee Productions, Storyville Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media. Major funding is provided by Unilever and its Simple® skincare brand. Additional funding is provided by The Charles H. Revson Foundation.