COURTESY PHOTO

The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Rooftop Over Lake Travis at Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que at Oasis, Texas.

The Rooftop Over Lake Travis (The Rooftop) upstairs at Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que at Oasis, Texas has announced its spring and summer lineup filled with local music legends, legends-in-the-making and national acts.

Music will play most every night this summer, whether free or paid performances.

Austin’s and the Hill Country’s dynamic new music venue opened this past March with a standing-room-only performance from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and an all-star band. The Rooftop is situated on the cliffs overlooking the Lake Travis views, next to The Oasis at Lake Travis.

The next big act on the bill at The Rooftop feature blues-rock legends, The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Advance general admission tickets are $25; $30 day of show. VIP seated section tickets at $45 recently sold out.

But The Rooftop will continue to heat up the lake when it hosts KGSR-FM’s Lakeside Live complimentary shows from 5-8 p.m. Sundays for 12 weeks featuring local favorites such as Latin rockers Del Castillo, blues guitarist and singer Carolyn Wonderland and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter James McMurtry.

Austin’s powerful roots act, Guy Forsyth, performs this Sunday.

KLBJ-FM will host KLBJ “Rocks the Lake” at The Rooftop from 8-11 p.m. Thursdays from May 24 through Labor Day.

The majority of the shows will be free, except for the occasional national act.

A double bill of power pop band The Romantics, whose hit, “That’s What I Like About You” has consistently been listed on the best 100 rock songs of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine, and English Ska band The English Beat will hit the stage June 14.

According to Marsha Milam, producer of The Rooftop’s live music schedule, “This retro MTV evening is going to be one of the coolest shows Austin will see this summer.”

Uncle Billy’s Brew and Que and Oasis Texas brought in Texas music and events producer Marsha Milam of Marsha Milam Music to produce a robust schedule of live music offerings to showcase this distinctive new live music space in Central Texas.

“The Rooftop is a one-of-a-kind venue surrounded by the Texas Hill Country, overlooking Lake Travis,” Milam said. “And our stage backdrop is the Texas sunset followed by the evening sky. When combined with outstanding musical talent – it becomes magical.”

Milam is also booking a Sunday Gospel Brunch series to run every Sunday this summer which will be free of charge. The series starts May 27.

Austin-based Milam has carved out a niche in free live music series throughout Texas, starting with the still-popular KGSR’s “Unplugged at the Grove.” Her long-running music series have become eagerly anticipated seasonal events bringing free live music to more than 100,000 fans a season.

For music lineup, tickets and information, go to unclebillysrooftop.com or call 1-855-276-6386.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

PHOTO BY SANDY KURTZMAN

Willie Nelson’s concert opened The Backyard at Bee Cave’s season Saturday.

By MEAGAN O’TOOLE-PITTS

Staff writer

The city of Bee Cave awarded The Backyard at Bee Cave a temporary certificate of occupancy Friday just in time for Willie Nelson’s concert April 21, but soon after the lights died down it expired Tuesday.

An additional temporary certificate of occupancy had not been granted in preparation for SpringFest on Saturday, according to Bee Cave building official Stephen Myrick.

The Backyard, managed by Direct Events, was slated to receive a certificate of occupancy before opening for business this season. Last year, the venue operated under a special event permit granted by the city of Bee Cave.

“The reason why it’s not a permanent certificate of occupancy is that they still have some site work that needs to be completed,” Myrick said.

The Backyard has had several updates, including the addition of permanent electric power in place of generators, but the site is in need of erosion control updates, he explained.

In order to ensure the erosion control updates will be done, The Backyard is expected to issue a bond in the amount it will cost to complete the updates. The bond will be held by the City Council until the work is finished. The updates are expected to cost $303,785.

However, the item was pulled from Tuesday’s City Council meeting because The Backyard did not submit the bond for approval, Bee Cave City Administrator Frank Salvato said.

The council is set to meet again May 8.

The erosion control updates, such as planting grass and creating a detention pond, are required by the city’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Control ordinance.

“It’s required when you go in and disturb soil,” Salvato said. “You have to put up erosion controls to keep dirt from washing into the creeks, lakes and rivers.”

The city’s ordinance requires a detention pond to prevent water runoff.

According to The Backyard’s website, the control of storm water runoff quality will be handled by a biofiltration pond and bioretention trenches.

The biofiltration pond will utilize the properties of plants, microbes and soils for pollutant removal from storm water runoff collected from the venue and a portion of the parking area.

The bioretention trenches, located in the parking area, will intercept surface runoff. The runoff percolates through the trench surface vegetation, root zone and gravel pack before being discharged to an onsite undisturbed and naturally vegetated area.

West Travis County Public Utility Agency board members authorized a temporary water meter, which also expired Tuesday, for The Backyard.

Another temporary certificate of occupancy cannot be granted until The Backyard has temporary water available, Salvato said.

Upcoming shows at The Backyard include SpringFest on Saturday and Gipsy Kings on May 5.

Calls to Greg Henry, Direct Events chief operating officer, were not returned by press time.

Opening remarks

Tim O’Connor, owner-president of Direct Events, told the audience at a VIP opening April 19 that his vision to build an outdoor concert venue first began when the spirit and vibe at Armadillo World Headquarters inspired him.

“I had this crazy idea of putting a music joint in here,” O’Connor recalled. “This dream has been important for me for 20 years.”

The Backyard at Bee Cave opened for its first season in 1992-93.

In October 2008, The Backyard closed its doors, but it re-opened in its new location in spring 2010 next to Bee Cave Central Park.

“It’s bigger. It’s better. It’s got a knockout view,” O’Connor said. “The money has been put into it.”

The ecologically friendly facility attracted John Paul DeJoria, the billionaire Paul Mitchell co-founder, to invest in the land. His children have invested in the venue.

“It’s a beautiful place. People get to feel down to earth,” DeJoria said. “It’s a real asset for Bee Cave.”

Managing editor Devin Monk contributed to this article.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Lakeway artist Janet Sopp-Sims, a finalist in the Hunting Art Prize 2012 for Texas artists, works on her latest project at her local studio.

By Michelle Stecker

Contributing writer

The fourth time may be the charm for local Lakeway artist Janet Sopp-Sims whose artwork, an original acrylic painting titled “For a Young Man, has been selected as a finalist in the Hunting Art Prize competition.

Thousands of entries are received each year, and this year only 109 original art pieces have made it to the finals, 13 of those are from Austin.

Sopp-Sims is the only Lakeway entry to be selected as part of this small, select group. There is only one prize – for first place and is consistently $50,000. The winner will be announced April 28 in Houston.

Art competition entry

Sopp-Sims first submitted a piece of her original work created specifically for the competition in 2009 and each year thereafter. This is the first time her work has been chosen by the juried review board.

“I just found the award when I was looking for competitions,” she said.

She studied the winning entries in past years and her entered painting reflects her research. The Hunting competition is looking more toward abstracts that are non-representational, Sopp-Sims said.

Her “For a Young Man” is a heavily textured, white acrylic work with a few shades of gray swirled into the freeform, flowing feel of the composition.

The inspiration

Sopp-Sims painted “For a Young Man” a few weeks after a young friend was killed in a car accident last fall.

“When you go to that emotional place it really brings something out in you,” she said of the painting, which is unlike her earlier still life entries.

Artists with a variety of talents live in her neighborhood and they often get together and discuss their creative processes.

“It’s healthy for me to have other artists to talk to,” she said, “to go through the creative process with other creative people.”

Creative education

Sopp-Sims cultivated her drawing ability in high school in Ohio and graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. Her art spans many mediums including clay sculpture, photography, painting in watercolor and acrylic and colored pencil. She also studied at the Center for Electronic Art in San Francisco where she became proficient in graphic design and photo editing software.

An artistic approach

Her beloved basset hound, Bors, keeps her company in her naturally lit home studio in Lakeway where she has an easel set up with brushes, canvases, books, pencils, paint and other creative resources at her fingertips.

“I have my muse [Bors],” ,” Sopp-Sims said as Bors, just 2 years old, relaxes on his bed. “I draw and hold down the fort. [My] basset hound is the perfect studio dog, he’s so mellow.

“[I like to] build complex structures because I want the eye to go around the piece,” she said as she began a sketch of a several Texas-themed elements that included a champagne flute, cowboy boots, a martini glass, books, and a “Keep Austin Weird” coffee mug all set at different levels on a flat surface in front of a white draped sheet of fabric. She often includes books in her pieces.

“I love books –  that’s where the knowledge base is,” she said.

Since the downturn in the economy, Sopp-Sims says she takes more time to put more quality into the work.

“I will give myself as much time to nail down the pieces,” she said.

Glass objects will be filled for the final painting as Sopp-Sims enjoys incorporating reflections in glass.

About the award

The Hunting Art Prize was established in 1981 and was based in the United Kingdom until relocating to Houston in 2006. This contest is only open to Texas residents 18 or older. The art piece must be two-dimensional and have been created within the last three years before the submission deadline to be eligible for this year’s award.

Hunting PLC is a publically owned, worldwide energy service provider headquartered in London, but it maintains a corporate office in Houston.

The monetary award is historically the most generous annual award in North America for painting and drawing, according to the Hunting Art Prize website. For information about the contest, visit huntingartprize.com.

The gallery

Sopp-Sims’ original work hangs in the Redhound Fine Art Studio that is her gallery in Lakeway where the original art pieces are displayed; most are for sale as are more affordable reproductions.
We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

All performances will be at Lakeway Activity Center, 105 Cross Creek, where tickets may be purchased. Tickets are $15 and include reserved table seating and set-ups. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and each daily show begins at 7:30 p.m.

“Play-On,” by Rick Abbott, is an extremely fast-paced comedy involving a community theater group that is trying desperately to get a show ready for opening night.

To save money, they are doing a play written by one of their own, a very amateur playwright who just can’t leave well enough alone, but continues to revise the script right up to dress rehearsal.

The play she has written is a mystery, and whether or not it will open remains a mystery right up until the end, but the audience follows the cast and crew through their hilariously hectic rehearsals on to opening night.

Because it is a “play within a play,” theater goers will get “two for the price of one” as several of the actors will not only play the community volunteer actors, but also the roles they have taken on in the “play within the play.”

The play the actors are rehearsing is set in an English manor house. The actors who do double duty are Bill Gainer, Annette Brown, Ken DeBower, Christy Decker, Bill Walker and Philipia Collins.

Of course, all amateur productions depend heavily on their support staff, and rounding out the cast, are Julianne DeBower, as their long-suffering director; Brandi Meeks, the stage manager; and Teresa Lingren, the sound and light technician for the show.

Sue Wright takes on the role of the novice playwright, who innocently declares she’ll “never understand the theater!”

For information, call Vanderford at 261-4910 or Lakeway Activity Center at 261-1010.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Texans beamed proudly when the locally filmed autobiographical account of FFA champion Dick Wallrath debuted.

Wallrath’s alcohol-laced tirades and abuse cost him his family and his job, but soul-searching and finding faith set him on a path toward reconciliation and philanthropy. He has donated more than $16 million to FFA and 4-H clubs in Texas.

The film premiered Feb. 15 at Paramount Theatre to a throng of FFA students and celebrity guests such as Gov. Rick Perry, who has a cameo in the film, and actor Jon Voight.

Just down the road in Bee Cave two days later, “Deep in the Heart” opened to a crowd of Lake Travis Thrift Shop employees and family members who contributed in their Lake Travis way to helping the story come to the big screen.

After transforming Rough Hollow Yacht Club and Marina into an Acapulco beach and shooting a wedding scene at The Lakeway Church in early 2011, location scouts spied the shop on Ranch Road 620 and became enchanted with its vintage look.

Thrift Shop employees agreed to open its doors for one evening in early February 2011 for them to shoot a scene. They also saw the opportunity to promote the shop and support the production.

“Everybody was so kind and wonderful and left the shop in impeccable condition; it was cleaner than when they showed up,” said Jayne Meyer, who served as shop manager at the time and still volunteers there regularly.

One of the film’s early scenes is set in a thrift shop where Wallrath’s ex-wife, Betty, works and rebukes his attempt to help pay for their children’s upbringing.

Apache Shores actress Katherine Willis, who plays Betty and also is starring in “The Lying Game” on ABC Family, said the film’s local roots and theme of redemption hit home for her and brought a unique energy to the set.

“There’s something very special about the entire production because the theme of the movie is about battling and overcoming your demons and then giving back and helping others,” Willis related.

The mostly Texan cast, which included Lake Travis High School sophomore Zach Irsik, felt like family to Willis, who also has appeared in “Friday Night Lights.”

“We are ambassadors for Texas – not only Texas but also FFA and 4-H,” she said. “This film really promotes Texas in a positive way.”

She joined a group of about 20 thrift shop staff members and volunteers who watched the film’s first showing on opening day Friday at Bee Cave Cinemark in Hill Country Galleria.

“I think everyone was really looking forward to it,” shop manager Marijo Marcoux said. “I thought it was very enjoyable and inspiring. It made me think that you never know who is going to walk into a thrift shop.”

Marcoux and other Thrift Shop employees said they relished the opportunity to play some small part in the film’s production.

“I think we are sort of a little gem stuck in the middle of Texas, and I think that it’s great that people [get to] appreciate those little tiny parts” of the state, she said.

Anyone who brings in a ticket stub from the movie to the Lake Travis Thrift Shop will receive 25 percent off any regular-priced clothing item through March 1.

A portion of the movie’s ticket sales will go to the Wallrath Foundation to continue to support FFA and 4-H programs.
We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Lake Pointe resident John Ellis says his debut novel draws on his life experience.

By Michelle Stecker

Contributing reporter

Global espionage and cyber security threats come to life in a fictional novel, “Dormant Curse,” by first-time local author John Ellis, a Lake Pointe resident whose professional experience as an engineer in semiconductor security laid the groundwork for the plot of this book.

Historical conflict between China and Japan provides the context for the creation of a vengeful bad guy and is a platform for worldwide political confusion that brings countries to the brink of war. Military objective is obscured by crisscrossing plots and manipulation of distrusting political bodies.

The premise of the book is that rogue ‘Trojan’ chips create disruption and compromise wireless products and even disaster by sinister forces, said Ellis.

These chips, called 3D chips, stacked on top of one another, are the weapons used to bring down planes, murder characters and bring nations to the brink of war.

Cover ups, character development, political agendas and long held cultural distrust weave a fast pace web of destruction and plot twists from Asia to the U.S. into Europe and throughout the Middle East.

“I had to map out the [story] using spreadsheets to keep track of [plot lines],” Ellis said. “Sometimes, I had to interject short chapters.”

The story opens with the present day Chinese criminal mastermind known as “Leader” remembering when he was a small boy who witnessed the atrocities of the Japanese against his parents and older sister.

The pace of the book is driven by short chapters, which move the reader back and forth between simultaneous plot elements. Characters are introduced and pulled through the novel by the devastation caused by remotely detonated Trojan chips. On cue from Leader, smart phones and computer tablets explode, downing planes, assassinating specific targets and accentuating tensions among several countries across the world.

“I read chapters to [my preteen sons], and it kept their interest, and [they wanted to find out what happens next].” Ellis said. “I knew that I was on the right track [for readers to be able to follow the story and stay engaged].”

The idea for the book came from brainstorming sessions between Ellis and co-workers several years ago about real and perceived security threats from counterfeit electronic circuits used to produce micro-processing chips.

“We asked ourselves, ‘How do you solve the problem of manufacturing leading edge chips securely?’” Ellis recalled.

He said the threat is made more credible by recent real world events.

The Oct. 2, 2008, issue of Business Week included an article about counterfeit chips titled: “Dangerous Fakes, how counterfeit, defective computer components from China are getting into U.S, warplanes and ships.”

In July 2011, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York citied on his website, http://schumer.senate.gov, that the U.S. Department of Defense, as affirming that counterfeit parts are leading to a 5- to 15-percent decrease in weapons systems reliability per year.

Convergence of high-tech, 3D integrated circuits, Wi-Fi, and always on social networking sites create the ‘perfect storm’ for the ideas in this book to become a reality, said Ellis.

These very real threats drove Ellis to write and then fast track the publishing process to get this novel on bookshelves as quickly as possible.

As a first-time author, Ellis said he quickly became impatient while waiting to find a publisher.

“The underlying issue was very serious and I had to get it published,” he said. “That was the driving force for the timeline. There was no time to wait.”

“We had to learn how to open up a publishing business,” said his wife, Jennifer Ellis. “We just had to do whatever a creative person does.”

John Ellis said that while he could create characters, killing them off was something I needed help with.

“[At one point] I didn’t know which way it [the plot] would go,” he explained. “I needed an assassin, and out popped ‘Shelly.’ ”

Several of his friends read and provided input on the novel’s first drafts. Robert Kesselring has been friends with Ellis since high school in Lincoln, Neb., and liked one of the characters the most.

“The Shelly character is dark and sexy,” Ellis said. “ I felt sorry for her for such an abused background.”

Ellis said that hiring a good editor online was key for him.

“ ‘Dormant Curse’ not only explores a very real threat to national security, but does so in a style that reflects the fast pace and technological savvy of modern readers,” said editor Rebecca Faith Grossman of Rebecca Faith Editorial. “John’s expertise is the strong backbone of this novel, closely seconded by a cast of characters worthy of our compassion”

Ellis has already written the first couple of chapters of his next book, he said. “It will be more of a parallel book.”

However, two characters from “Dormant Curse,” Michael and Samantha, will not be making reappearance, said Jennifer Ellis.

“Once you start doing well at something, you really enjoy it,” John Ellis said.

“Dormant Curse” is available at local bookstores and online. For more information, visit dormantcurse.com.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Lakeway Friends of the Parks will take in Bamberger Ranch’s flora and fauna March 15. The ranch is now known as Selah.

Friends of the Parks is offering the opportunity to tour one of the most unique conservation projects in the country March 15.

During the past 36 years the Bamberger Ranch, now known as Selah, has evolved into one of the largest habitat restoration projects in the state and is the recipient of many prestigious awards.

With the removal of Ashe juniper and the replanting of native grasses, long absent springs are now constantly flowing. In addition, wildlife has returned to the ranch in abundance including some rare species long thought lost to the region.

The group will carpool from Lakeway to the ranch, which takes about one hour of driving time. The three-and-a-half hour tour begins promptly at 9 a.m.

Tour transportation is provided by the ranch in the form of a covered flatbed trailer with benches and two steep steps. There will be some hiking over rough terrain during the tour. This tour is not recommended for physically challenged individuals or young children.

The cost of the tour is $15 per person. The registration deadline is March 8, with no refunds after that date. If a canceled reservation may be filled, the check will be returned. The Friends will form a waiting list as needed.

Contact Carlisle Pearson at carlislep@sbcglobal.net or call 261-4891 for information about the tour.

To make a reservation, send a check payable to: Friends of the Parks with a note of “Ranch Tour” and mail to Carlisle Pearson, 136 Clubhouse Drive, Lakeway, Texas 78734. Include the name, address, email address and phone number for each person attending.

For information about Selah, visit bambergerranch.org.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Beatles tribute band The Eggmen, from left, Nigel, John, Davy, Basil and Tommo will play at 7 p.m. Feb. 11, for the Spicewood Arts Society’s second annual event to help fund fine arts scholarships for area high school students.

The Eggmen, an Austin Beatles’ tribute band, will be in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Spicewood Arts Society’s second annual event to fund scholarships for area high school students.

The concert will be at the Spicewood Vineyards Events Center, 1419 Burnet County Road 409, three miles off Texas Highway 71.

Tickets for the performance and hors d’oeuvres may be purchased for $75 each online at spicewoodarts.org or by calling 264-2820.

“Seating is limited this time, so that we can accommodate more dancing,” said Janey Richardson, president of the 12-year-old arts organization. “After all, it is close to Valentine’s Day.”

This May, the society funded $3,000 in fine arts scholarships to qualified Lake Travis and Marble Falls seniors pursuing higher education in the performing, visual or literary arts.

“We anticipate expanding the value of scholarships to $1,000 each this year,” Richardson said.

Chef Taylor Hall, will host the “Meet the Artists” reception.

John Burgess on acoustics and harmonica, “Tommo” Burgess on keyboards, Ron “Nigel” Roberts on bass guitar, John “Basil” Kovacs on guitar and Davy Fore on drums, collectively known as The Eggmen, originally formed in1992.

Their first set, the “Suit Set,” will be early Beatles, consisting of songs like “A Hard Day’s Night” and “She Loves You.” The second, or “Psychedelic Set,” tackles the hard stuff like “Day in the Life” and “I Am the Walrus.” The final set features songs of the “British Invasion,” such as The Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” and The Who’s “My Generation.”

The season’s remaining SAS concerts are sold out. However, a waiting list is available at the SAS website or by calling 264-2820.

Should tickets become available, a two-week notice will be given.

The schedule is:

*Wheatfield, March 23 Four talented, clever, funny musicians from the Hotcakes and Trout Fishing in America bands reunite; and,

*The Motheral Family 2nd Annual Tony Campise Jazz Concert, May 4 – This show will feature Campise protégé Kris Kumara and The Kris Kimura Quartet, a highly respected, unique, in demand jazz foursome.
We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

.

The Lakeway Associates of Seton recently hosted its annual Seton Tea with local organizations and individuals designing and decorating tables.
The tables showcased the most exquisite table-settings designed around a theme.
The first-place award went to The Lakeway Garden Club, which honored “The Year of the Water Dragon.”
Second place went to “Books Unlock the World” by the Lake Travis Community Library.
The third-place award went to “Sippin’ Tea ’til the Cows Come Home” featuring Carol Mitchum’s collection of cow figures.
Best of Show was presented to “If You Take a Pig to Tea” by Lakeway Friends, who based their theme on a series of children books by Laura Joffe.
All proceeds from this event benefit Seton Shoal Creek Psychiatric Hospital in Austin.
For membership information about Lakeway Associates of Seton, call Beth Maher at 261-8059.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Lakeway Friends of the Parks invites anyone interested in learning about and preserving nature to atend. Registration begins at 6:15 p.m., and a barbecue dinner will start at 6:30 p.m., followed by a business meeting and speaker at 7 p.m.

Reiner is a graduate of Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental monitoring assessment. He served on the staff as a biological technician at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge from 1999 to 2005. In addition, he writes for Travis Audubon Society’s newsletter and leads tours and workshops at the refuge.

His presentation will include information on the natural animal and plant history unique to this area and the historical Reicher Ranch.

The meeting is open to the public, and the barbecue dinner will be free for all paid members.

Nonmembers and guests fees are $10 per person. Family membership dues are $15 per year and may be paid at the door.

Membership is open to anyone interested in maintaining Lakeway’s parks and greenbelts. The group builds and maintains natural hike and bike trails, bridges and overlooks throughout the park system.

For membership information, contact Bernie Reding at 261-5633.