Reagan Era Rock Politically

Maybe their singing about politics, maybe their singing their grocery list, it's hardcore, get into it!! Seriously though, Reagan Era is local, loud and playing tonight. Head on over to that mythical place known as East Austin and get visceral with Reagan Era @ The Broken Neck. The cover is only $5 and it's BYOB (sorry straight-edge kids) so you can go out and get drunk cheaply.



Reagan Era has songs available to DOWNLOAD or stream at their MySpace
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Snafu Kitties Bring the Melody

Local pop-rockers, Snafu Kitties, are playing tonight and tomorrow. That's two chances to get in on the melodious, keyboard-driven sounds of Snafu Kitties.

Tonight's show is at the fabulous Beauty Bar. Snafu Kitties will be featured fairly early in the evening as part of a fashion show/magazine launch/rock concert. I suppose it should be mentioned that the magazine is called the Lipstick Pages and it's an online feminist zine. Snafu Kitties has a female lead singer, hence the feminist angle.




Tomorrow night you can catch the Kitties at, South Austin-staple, Trophy's. If you've never been to Trophy's you should know that it's a beer bar, which means if you got a flask they ain't lookin'. Try not to get obnoxiously drunk and distract people from the Kitties though, come on man...seriously.



Stream Snafu Kitties tunes at their MySpace
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Fleet Foxes Love Alliteration

Have you heard Fleet Foxes yet? Chances are if you read Pitchfork you have. I downloaded the Sun Giant EP by Fleet Foxes about 6 weeks ago. I gave it a few listens and enjoyed it but it kind of fell back in my music collection. They are releasing their first full-length LP this Tuesday via SubPop. It is self-titled but I can't tell you much else about it, since I haven't heard much from it yet.

The music of Fleet Foxes is gentle finger picking guitars, mixed with lush vocal harmonies. Sun Giant starts quietly but the tracks build into larger, more epic sounds. I would compare it to My Morning Jacket, with some Wilco crossed with Stephen Stills.

Speaking of Wilco, the band has tapped Fleet Foxes for a few opening slots in August. So if you're planning to see Wilco in August, leave the parking lot early to catch Fleet Foxes.

Well now it's summer time, which is tour time and I noticed that Fleet Foxes will be hitting one of my favorite Austin venues, The Mohawk, in July. Check their MySpace for more detailed listings but here are most of the cities they'll be hitting this summer:

• Jun 26 SAN FRAN, CA
• Jun 27 SAN DIEGO, CA
• Jun 28 LOS ANGELES, CA
• Jun 29 LOS ANGELES, CA
• Jun 30 TUCSON, AZ
• Jul 2 AUSTIN, TEX
• Jul 3 DALLAS, TEX
• Jul 5 HOTLANTA, GA
• Jul 6 CHAPEL HILL, NC
• Jul 7 WASHINGTON DC
• Jul 8 PHILADELPHIA, PA
• Jul 9 LIBERTY CITY
• Jul 10 LIBERTY CITY
• Jul 12 Marymoor Park, Washington
• Jul 14 CAMBRIDGE, MA
• Jul 15 MONTREAL, QC
  

Preview a track from Fleet Foxes new eponymous record:

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
(link via SubPop)

Watch them perform at SXSW 2008 filmed with someone's camera phone:

Fleet Foxes video via YouTube.

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Jingle Town Records

I was perusing Show List Austin as I normally do when, to my surprise, who should I see is playing tonight? It's the Foxboro Hot Tubs, tickets are $20 but they are only available at the door, and NO CAMERAS! In other words by the time I'm writing this (3.5hrs before the doors open) there are, most likely, tiny little people with make-up and tight jeans standing on Red River from Emo's front door to Beauty Bar's front door.

For those of you who don't read a lot of crap about music all the time, the Foxboro Hot Tubs are Green Day +/- some other musicians. I don't really know a whole lot about it other than that, but you can preview/purchase songs from the band on their website. Or, if you live in Austin and you're feeling adventurous you may be able to catch members of Green Day at Emo's >---INSIDE<---
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Brendan Benson is Cool Too!!

The latest release from the Raconteurs seemed to magically appear in the stores on a random Tuesday morning. The band managed to put the record together in a rather hush-hush fashion and released it with only a weeks notice.

Personally I didn't realize the album was even scheduled for release. I just happened upon it at End of an Ear back in late March. Consolers of the Lonely does not sound rushed to me. It sounds like another instant classic from some of the best working musicians of this generation of songwriters.

It's easy to notice "that guy" from the White Stripes but don't forget that shaggy haired, sandy-blonde gentlemen to Jack White's right. Brendan Benson has also written some amazing songs without the help of Mr. White. Check out The Alternative to Love or Lapalco if you don't believe me.

My favorite track from Consolers of the Lonely is the title track, but Salute your Solutions is the single so that's the easier track to post here. It's a good song too, don't get me wrong but if I were working A&R it wouldn't have been the first single. But hey, that's just me right?


Salute Your Solutions Vid via YouTube 4 iPhones and such.

The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely

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Bon Iver in Maine

I know this is a bit early to be talking about but... Friends, Bon Iver is coming to you. You must go to him in return:

• 07/25/08 Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery w/ Bowerbirds
• 07/26/08 Boston, MA - Museum Of Fine Arts w/ Bowerbirds
• 07/27/08 Dennis, MA - The Cave Cinema w/ Bowerbirds
• 07/29/08 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom w/ Bowerbirds
  
• 07/30/08 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg w/ Bowerbirds
  
• 07/31/08 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church w/ Bowerbirds
  
• 08/01/08 Washington, DC - Black Cat w/ Bowerbirds
• 08/06/08 Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre w/ Wilco
  
• 08/11/08 Nashville, TN - Exit/In w/ A.A. Bondy
• 08/24/08 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

(Dates where I don't know people were omitted. But check here to find the latest info.

Download/iPhone friendly link for The Wolves (Act I & II) video

or


Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act I & II) via YouTube.

Sorry, I can't stop with the video but I found a lot of awesome video so get off my back.

Bon Iver - Flume (Live)vid via YouTube.

More media here at Virb.

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Old 97's for Free

I caught the Old 97's promoting their new record, Blame it on Gravity at Waterloo Records last Friday. They did a free in-store from about 5p-6p. The store was pretty crowded by the time the band took stage, so much so that the store had a "bouncer" doing 1 in-1 out.

Image Courtesy of Ron Baker

I'm not a huge fan of the Old 97's but I like Ryan Adams, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo as well as free concerts. This is the first time I had seen a show at Waterloo records and although it was intimate the sound totally sucked. I was surprised because the soundsystem in store is pretty kick ass but the mix was no good. I could hear the sound of the guitar picks strumming, the vocals were buried too deeply in the mix, and the drummer should have just had hand percussion.

The performance itself was entertaining but certainly not life-changing/mind-blowing. It was just some pleasant adult-contemporary. My friend Tim wanted to know how the newest songs sounded compared to the old ones. Well I'm not THAT familiar but the new songs they played sounded a bit closer to pop than country. However, the closing track on the new album, The Onewas a real barn burner of a tune that the crowd really got into. As much as you can get into a performance standing in the aisles of a record store.

Anywho, I found some clips of the performance on YouTube:

The Old 97's - The One @ Waterloo Records

You can stream some of the new songs from the Old 97's website.

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DCFC = Long Single

Have you heard the new Death Cab for Cutie "single"? I must say I am pre-disposed to like Death Cab since I have liked all of their material so far. But what the heck were they thinking making a single that is longer than 8 minutes?

Also, am I the only one who noticed that there are hardly any lyrics to the song? How many times does Ben Gibbard say "Gotta spend some time love, gotta spend some time with me."

With all that being said I Will Possess Your Heart has been in my head, pretty much since the first time I heard it on KGSR. Narrow Stairs is already in stores seems like it kind of appeared out of no where right? Perhaps DCFC was taking a page out of the Raconteurs book by dropping the record before promoting it, in an attempt to thwart downloaders getting a jump on the release date.

DCFC - I Will Possess Your Heart

I saw this video on Vh1 at like 4am, 'cause that's when they show videos on Vh1. I really like it, but doesn't the whole winter thing seem a bit out of place with a May release. Damn I can't stop bitching about Death Cab, but I seriously like them in real life :-)

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DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa was one of the bands I heard about during SXSW this year. At the time I was so overwhelmed trying to catch all the bands I knew about that I didn't actually hear the new DeVotchKa record until a few weeks ago. But let me tell you it does not disappoint.

A Mad & Faithful Telling sounds majestic and sincere at the same time. DeVotchKa offers the drama of Arcade Fire with a Balkan/Gypsy twist. Their music was featured in Little Miss Sunshine, so they've been kicking around making records for a few years. But I feel like '08 may be their year to step it up a notch in the fame market.

Listen for this song in upcoming movies(?), TV shows(?), commercials(?):

DeVotchKa - Transliterator

RIYL:Arcade Fire, The National, Gogol Bordello, The Boss(?)
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UK Soul

What with Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and now Jamie Lidell you'd think that Motown records JUST hit the UK. But in fact they are all part of new pool of artists making classic-sounding Motown/Stax for a new generation.

Jamie Lidell's Jim was just recently released in the U.S. but it has already been featured on the hit ABC drama Grey's Anatomy. It has also been rocking my iPod for a while now. I bought my mom a copy of Jim for Mother's Day and she already loves it.

I think you're gonna like it too. Whoever you are this music is undeniable. So hit your local record shop and ask for Jim :-)

Check out Another Day, the first song from Jim and if you don't feel like singing along then check your pulse.
Jamie Lidell - Another Day

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