by Harold McMillan

The whole mystique of Austin's East Side continues to fill the minds and hearts of scores (thousands?) of regular folks here in River City. Urbane sophisticates, transplanted rural rednecks, downtown business folk, and upwardly mobile blacks, browns, and whites still have this idea that traveling east of I-35 puts them right dab in the middle of some whole 'nother city. It is true that the East Side IS a separate reality from the West Side. But that is perpetuated as much by neglect, ignorance and fear as anything. It is true that there is poverty and crime in East Austin. It is also true that the clock is ticking away, slowly but surely, as midtown East Austin becomes the next gentrification project for deep pocket development interests. (Is that a new hotel there adjacent to the University of Texas at Swedehill?)

It is to the advantage of those deep pocket folks for you to fear -- for just a little while longer -- venturing into one of Austin's most historically rich urban neighborhoods. They want you to wait until they buy up the rest of the real estate (and in some cases "they" just might be your trusted elected officials, hometown universities, and their brothers-in-exploitation), they want you to wait until these are their businesses "over here" for you to visit. They want you to wait until these are their investments in this community that your city services, police protection, and city fathers will bless, ordain, and assure you that it is now safe to come East to spend your time and money. The deep pockets are coming to East Austin. When they get here, the street lights will be brighter, the winos invisible, the quiet little neighborhoods too expensive for those who now call Blackland home.

For those of us already here in this nice little district, we really don't see any good reason for you to wait to participate in the revitalization of central city East Austin. Just like any neighborhood, there are some problems here. But just think about it for a minute: our city fathers, the chamber, and the downtown boosters spend tons of money telling the world to go hang-out on Sixth Street and spend money. Could the street crime rate of the blocks of 11th Street, I-35 to Waller, be any more scary than those on Sixth, between I-35 and Congress? I think not. Just think about it, some of the very same folks who claim to be afraid of East Austin, love to go to New York, don't miss an opportunity to party in New Orleans, and grew up in Houston. Could 11th and Waller possibly be any more intense than the corner of Bourbon and Queen Ann? Could a brisk midnight walk through SoHo be any less dangerous than at 4 a.m. smoking a cig outside the Victory Grill?

Johnny Holmes first opened the doors of the Victory Grill over 50 years ago. During the course of its years as the East Side's most famed music room, the Victory was the Austin home to some of the most significant (local and touring) performing artists in jazz, blues, and R&B history. The Victory developed as a music room because of the quality of the acts that played there. But it too came to hold its special place in Austin's music history because of racial segregation and the East/West division of the city. Blues legend Bobby Bland's extended residency at the Victory, for instance, could have only happened on the East Side. During the 1950-60s, there were no West Side Clubs that welcomed touring African American blues, jazz, and R&B artists. Stories of the old days at the Victory -- which include dropping the names of folks like Bland, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, Albert Collins, etc -- are not exaggerations. Segregation, for years, sustained the Victory Grill as an important performance venue for Black acts. Unlike most of its West Austin counterparts of the day, the Victory Grill always welcomed patrons of every social and ethnic stripe.

After being closed for several years, with a few false starts at re-opening, the Victory Grill/Kovac Theater is once again ready to make its presence known to Austinites, once again the vision of Mr. Holmes will have an opportunity to find reality. The Victory Grill of 1996 is no longer the victim of legal segregation. Unfortunately, even today, some Austinites hesitate to cross over to the "other side of the tracks" because they have been groomed to fear the East Side.

DiverseArts is committed to working with a wide variety of artists, the Victory Grill and other East Austin businesses to enhance the cultural and economic life of one of Austin's most significant historic districts.The East Side Circuit is our initiative to bring diverse artistic communities and audiences together to celebrate the life of this valuable cultural institution. In celebrating the Victory Grill's history, we hope to ensure that it once again finds a place as one of Austin's most loved, most comfortable, most visited performance venues. As Eva Lindsey (with R.V. Adams, the driving force behind the Victory's rebirth) says, "This is a revival of music, life, and a rich history; a preservation of a culture and people. And that includes the preservation of the physical venue where it all began -- the Victory Grill."

We invite all who support the preservation of Austin's cultural past and have dreams of a more enlightened future to join us for a new celebration of the lively arts on Austin's East Side. Let's not perpetuate the myth. The Victory Grill is too important, too fine a room for listening to live performance to allow a fear of East Austin to keep you away.

DiverseArts Production Group, in association with the Victory Grill and Nokoa-The Observer, is proud to announce the inauguration of the East Side Circuit Series. November marks the opening month of this performance series at Austin's legendary Victory Grill/Kovac Theater. The series features a diverse line-up of Austin's best jazz, blues, world music, spoken word, and dramatic artists. Performers confirmed to perform during the course of November include Latin music duo Correo Aereo, jazz drummer J.J. Johnson & Trio, country blues songbird Toni Price, blues master Matthew Robinson and the Mack Attacks, '60s soul from Hot Wax, neo-bop from the J.W. Davis Group, world-reggae band Raggamassive, spoken word from the Catfish Poets and Tammy Gomez con la Palabra, traditional and avant jazz jams hosted by Harold McMillan, "Sista Docta," original drama from Dr. Joni Jones, and more.

The first touring act scheduled for the series on November 14, is Gregory Boyd, New Orleans-based master percussionist and steel panist. Boyd's first Austin appearance was four years ago at the Clarksville Jazz Festival. He appeared on steel pans as part of Charles Neville's Diversity, the New Orleans jazz ensemble headed by Neville Brother saxophonist, Charles. In addition to his touring duties with Diversity, Boyd has enjoyed stints as drummer for jazz chanteuse Charmaine Neville, for Sun Ra sideman Michael Ray and the Kosmic Krewe, and a wide variety of New Orleans-based jazz, funk, Cajun and Caribbean bands. Currently working on his first solo CD, Boyd (the steel panist) fronts New Orleans super-group, VOS, performing his original brand of Caribbean flavored jazz funk. A special show for Austin music lovers, not to be missed.