Rockin’ your socks off

Here’s your annual precocious singer-songwriter alert. Fifteen-year-old Victoria Celestine (new stage name of the artist formerly known as Victoria Zaleski) is one of the local talents who caught the ears of producer Gordon Raphael (the Strokes, Regina Spektor) during his extended visit to San Antonio. They recorded a few acoustic songs that kept Victoria stretching. Now she’s about to release a full album produced by Jacob Sciba in Spicewood’s* Pedernales Studio. She has been playing at the Redbud Café in Blanco, but I especially recommend her show at the G.I.G. (the local Mecca for singer-songwriters) on Saturday, August 20 ($6, 8pm, 2803 N St. Mary’s), with Jiminy Crisket and Lorita Drive. This is the place where you can actually hear and pay respect to songwriters and their creations.

A quick heads-up about one of the most important local releases of the year: Girl In A Coma’s fourth album, Exits & All The Rest, comes out Nov. 1 on Blackheart Records. The band’s currently touring with the Go-Go’s, though the closest that train comes to San Antonio is a show August 28 at Austin’s Paramount Theatre. We’re awaiting details about San Antonio’s release party ...

In 2012, a new music festival comes to town and your band could be in it.

Rock Your Socks Off Arts and Music Festival is a joint venture by local music fan Alex Arredondo and nonprofit shoe company Soles4Souls. The idea is simple: You show up for the concert/s, donate a pair of shoes, and get half off the ticket price. According to Arredondo, he has five bands confirmed already but needs 10 or 11 more.

“Rock Your Socks Off Arts and Music Festival is a new and unique way to look at a festival,” Arredondo told the Current via email. “Soles4Souls will match every dollar I raise with a pair of shoes. Together I feel that we can raise tens of thousands of shoes, which will be donated to the San Antonio community and also to other countries around the world, including areas like Japan and Haiti.”

But dude, that’s happening in 2012 and you don’t even have a venue yet. Why don’t you call me a little later?

“No way! A [charitable] festival of this proportion?” he wrote. “I need whatever sponsorships, bands, and advertisement I can get right now. Please send interested bands my way!”

Interested? Contact Alex at theletterainc@yahoo.com.

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* Originally reported as based in Austin.

> Email Enrique Lopetegui