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OUT IN AUSTIN It's a musical marriage as SXSW hosts a bizarre event billed as the first gay wedding in Texas by Dave Chamberlain AUSTIN--The place to be Friday: the Four Alarm Showcase at Gallery Lombardi. It could have been the place to be because of Monkey Paw, a Chicago band that plays sardonic, silly punk rock with aggro pop influence. Or perhaps it was Bo Bud Greene, who played a set of unusually restrained rock while a man in a giraffe mask eviscerated a giraffe-shaped piņata. Or it could have been because of the Blank Theory, a metal-lite band (think Tool with a sense of humor) fronted by the Four Alarm owners, brothers Nathan and Matthew Leone. But the Four Alarm Showcase wasn't the place to be because of those bands. They all played to virtually nobody. People did come out, however, for CMJ darlings The Pinehurst Kids, a Portland band that has added a touch of fun to the emo thing. And people stayed for the Chainsaw Kittens. Or did they stay for the promised first gay wedding in Texas, between CK lead singer Tyson Meade and international pop superstar Skip Handleman? Maybe both, but people actually paid attention to the wedding. So much attention, in fact, that the crowd showed more enthusiasm than I've seen here so far. As Meade, in full bridal gown, made his way through the crowd, Handleman waited onstage in a full navy suit. Flanked--and given away--by the Leones, Monkey Paw bass player Ajay Gosain donned a hippie smock and performed the service. It seemed real, minus small changes like "I, Skip Handleman, take you to hold and to hump from this day forward." But vows were exchanged, rings traded, hugs given (no kisses). As the ceremony came to a close, the familiar sounds of "YMCA" burst over the speaker, the crowd went nuts. Video cameras were everywhere, two people held up cell phones so non-present friends could share in the glee. You might think that the bizarre factor had been maxed at that point. But you'd be wrong, since the wedding was followed by the Frogs, Milwaukee's faux-folk duo that plays a schizophrenic mix of antigay and pro-homosexual songs. Compared to the Frogs, a gay wedding is as normal as a straight wedding. Even in Texas. For complete Newcity.com coverage of SXSW 2000, click here.