YouTube video sparks mayoral flap

AUSTIN (KXAN) - In the era of Austin campaigns using many forms of media to reach their audience, two campaigns are throwing verbal barbs over a recent YouTube video posted as a satire of a candidate.

Mayoral candidate Lee Leffingwell's campaign sent a press release Monday morning with claims from a Florida musician that Brewster McCracken's campaign "stole" his song and used it in a "campaign commercial," without the musician's permission.

The song, called " Hunker Down," was written by Florida musician Josh Ramstek and appeared in a YouTube video that 150 people saw, according to McCracken campaign spokesman Colin Rowan.

Rowan said he pulled the video down Monday morning around 8 a.m. after it had "run its course." He later republished it without the song.

"We posted the video," he said. "It was funny. I told Brewster last night that the video had run its course."

Rowan said he edited the video together and posted it on YouTube. The newer version comes with the following disclaimer:

"Not nearly as funny without the awesome soundtrack by Captain Josh. But folks have been asking to see the video. So we cut this down to the bare minimum. Just Brewster and Lee, in their own words."

"The message is that Brewster has a vision, and [is] proactive and opportunistic during these times," he said. "Lee has been saying that we want Austin to hunker down."

In his Monday-morning release, Leffingwell said, "Just like every Austin family, City Hall needs to watch every dime it spends right now in order to maintain a balanced budget, while still delivering reliable basic city services and infrastructure."

He went on to say, "This is not the time to throw caution to the wind. This is a time for strong, steady, fiscally-conservative leadership at City Hall."

Late Monday, Rowan said he re-posted the video without the song.

Rowan said the video was not a campaign commercial, as the Leffingwell release claimed. He also said the McCracken campaign had spoken with the songwriter about the issue.

"I talked with Josh this morning," Rowan said. "He’s not angry at the campaign. We cleared up any kind of misunderstanding."

But Ramstek,  known as " Captain Josh," said in a phone interview that "it's like any other artist, or painter and sculptor. I perform it. I am due some royalties."

Ramstek also said Leffingwell's campaign is paying for his expenses to play a benefit concert at Leffingwell's headquarters on May 4. He said he was already going to be in Texas on tour, but the campaign is paying for him to stay one more day to play the concert.