Voodoo Cowboy

By Michael Barnes

Epic.

That’s the word for the Live at Seaholm After-Party.

The decommissioned smokestacks lit up like inter-planetary transportation devices.

The concrete ribs of the generating room outlined in blue, recalling urban clubs set up in old industrial sites.

Ben May, Juliana Azar, Kristin Owen

Hundreds — perhaps thousands — gathered around the stage for the three musical acts, culminating in Broken Social Scene.

Katie Clark and Alan Case (Generationals)

We spent some time with the Generationals band members. They come from New Orleans, Jesuit-educated and, therefore, pretty worldly yet other-worldly. When we pointed out many musicians had settled here after Hurricane Katrina, one said: “Send them back. We need them.”

PJ Raval, Heidi Bollock and Megan Gilbride

Rare Magazine’s Taylor Perkins, his partner in production, Jason Hicks, and Voodoo Cowboy’s Mark Mueller beamed with pride. (Also expressing pride was Taylor’s father, an oilman down from Houston.)

They should be pleased.

They built the most buzz-about event outside ACL this week. And, as far as I know, it went off without a hitch. We heard members of Phoenix, Kings of Leon and other ACL bands dropped by, but we were out by the witching hour.

PARTY PRO It would have been unseemly for me to appear at attorney Mark Mueller’s annual party, which changes from year to year, without a phalanx of beautiful people in tow. Well, I really needed a group around me this time for support. I often find myself having to use a cane because I’m unsteady and easily fatigued (I desperately want an antique walking stick that’s black with silver fittings – for the more formal occasions, you know). But my challenge is, of course, to carry it with flair and treat it not as a medical aid but as a necessary fashion accessory. Mark took over the Belmont again last Saturday night, and I remembered all over again why this shindig is one of the best, most interesting affairs: mainly because it’s just for fun, doesn’t cost anything, and has a seemingly endless river of alcohol, entertainment, and activities – but it’s so private that if your name is not on the guest list, you simply won’t get in. This year it was called the Peacock Party, and everyone from the literati to the glitterati showed up bedecked with peacock feathers and other peacock accessories. The balmy air made it feel even more intimate, with so much divertissement – from body and face painting with a fabulous woman, tattoo artists doing both real and faux tattoos, wonderful music from three bands, and an amazing woman, Katherine Skaggs, who does soul portraits. She did mine. I wasn’t sure what to wear to have my soul painted (would she use rollers or brushes?). As we chatted and she got to know me better, she began to add symbols and images to the portrait – reading my soul, as it were. When it was finished, I was awestruck: My soul has brilliant colors, she said, and she expressed it as such. It looked like me … in vivid color, emanating a glow of light and silvery beams. But that’s just how I looked. Your portrait will reflect you. Skaggs’ soul paintings and other artworks can be seen at www.soulpaintings.com and www.starchalicesisters.com. Another memorable evening under the gracious Mr. Mueller, and another terrific party.

Just as they finish their groundbreaking violent video-game masterpiece, the two gaming legends known as THE TWO BOBS discover that their precious game-software has been stolen… and with it, their livelihoods, genius reputations, everything they own. To get back their game–and their lives–The Two Bobs and their fellow-geek employees MUNCH, DOOFUS, and THE DARK PRINCE are forced to “turn detective” and plunge into the strange world of Christian Venture Capitalists, aged Dixie Mafia hoodlums, and bizarre Internet Spammers that inhabit Austin Texas.

• Written and Directed: Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions, Smallville)
• Cast: Leonardo Nam, Cody Kasch, Tyler Francavilla, Devin Ratray, Jay Chandrasekhar, Mika Boorem
• Producer: Anne Walker-McBay, Seth Caplan, Mark Mueller
• Executive Producer: Mark Mueller of Voodoo Cowboy Entertainment

View The 2 Bobs Trailer >