The Wu-Genius @ Emo's

It's Emo's 16th birthday...week(?) so they are having a bunch of celebratory shows. Tomorrow night you can catch GZA performing his 13yo album Liquid Swords. To be honest I don't really know why he is performing an old album when he just released a new record, appropriately titled, Pro Tools. Perhaps he will run through Liquid Swords THEN bust out some new hits, and of course some Wu-Tang classics.

If you're up for some more stellar hip-hop at Emo's you can still get tix.

GZA - Breaker, Breaker (Remix) ft. Masta Killa & Inspectah Deck

Video and more after the jump...



GZA - Liquid Swords video via YouTube


GZA - I Gotcha Back video via YouTube


Wu-Tang Clan - Careful (Click, Click) video via YouTube

How could I not include this MONSTER hit that put all the members of the Wu-Tang Clan on the map to begin with?

Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. video via YouTube

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Ryan Adams + Cardinals = Tour

That's right kids, Ryan Adams may, or may not, be coming to your town. He is coming to Austin in October, which is SOOO far away BUT tickets are on sale this Thursday. So get thee to your ticket vendor and demand your $40-$50 ticket to see Ryan Adams & the Cardinals at the Paramount Theater.

I've already posted an entire set by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals but I can't resist giving you a little something else...

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.
Live at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Tx 07-14-2007

Well this is a bit weird, but I noticed this little planet in the upper-right on Ryan Adams' webpage, which brought me to Cardinology.com. Once there, the only thing you see is a picture of a mailbox and an option to register. Not really sure what it's about but I'll let you know if and when I do find out.

I really debated with myself about what sort of video to add here, I decided to go with an official video from Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. As opposed, to Ryan by himself.

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Follow the Light video via YouTube

Whilst perusing YouTube I found some awesome vids, this one user has some AWESOME playlists. I recommend the KCRW performance playlist. But there's also a Letterman playlist


Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Come Pick Me Up/Down in a Hole video via YouTube

I had to add this one just for Letterman's intro:

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - How Do You Keep Love Alive/Pearls on a String video via YouTube

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MMJ on ACL

My Morning Jacket is in Austin tonight playing a sold-out show at Stubb's. Am I going? No. Am I jealous? Yes. However, in typical Austin fashion tonight is the night that I'm seeing Nas and Talib Kweli. I say this is typical Austin, because if there is one big name in town chances are there is another big name in town the same night. For those of you who feel like paying for scalped tickets you could go to both shows. Stubb's ends early, and Emo's ends late.

In addition to playing at Stubb's (aka Waller Creek Amphitheater), My Morning Jacket will also be taping their second appearance on KLRU's Austin City Limits tomorrow evening. Obviously getting into the ACL taping is damn near impossible, but you can keep an eye on the KLRU blog. Also, austinist ran a ticket give away last week they may do it again. Who knows, maybe KGSR will have a give-away as well. The official ACL ticket hotline(512.475.9077) claims there are no upcoming tickets for anything.

Video and more after the jump...

Kind of a side-note, if you're reading this from outside of Austin, KGSR webcasts, and it's an awesome Adult-Alternative station. Good for listening at work if you're a desk-jockey. Check it out here

Have you seen this crazy Where the Wild Things Are video from My Morning Jacket's latest album Evil Urges

My Morning Jacket - Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2 video via YouTube

Here's a clip from when Z came out and My Morning Jacket appeared on Letterman with members of the Boston Pops.

My Morning Jacket w/Boston Pops - Gideon Live on Letterman video via YouTube
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Future FunFunFun (Fest)

It seems a bit early to be talking about FunFunFun Fest, given that it's still a month before Austin City Limits Festival. But, what're you gonna do? This is Austin, I think there is going to be a Festival Festival next year where we celebrate Festivals in Austin, there will be local beer vendors as well as music and arts and crafts.

Back to FunFunFun Fest, this will be the third year for the "underdog" festival, and t tickets are already on sale. It takes place at Waterloo Park the first weekend in November. Last year they had three stage areas, two of which had split stages. I love the split stage, it means that you can sit in one spot and listen to bands play back to back without waiting for equipment changing.

If we're being honest I was more excited about last year's line-up but as a music snob it's my job to say that. Also, FunFunFun Fest has more sleepers, bands that you may not care about today, in August, but in November you're gonna be psyched!

Find the lineup and some media after the jump...

For my purposes, I'm just going to be lazy and mention some of my personal highlights for FFF-Fest. You can find more complete and official coverage over at Austinist.com

I'm listing these highlights in no particular order:

• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• The National
• Atmosphere
• Minus the Bear
• St. Vincent
• Trail of Dead
• Annuals
• Bishop Allen
• Shearwater
• Magnetic Morning
• Ugly Beats
• Bad Brains
• Clipse
• Z-trip
• Dan Deacon
• Grupo Fantasma
• Kool Keith/Dr. Octagon
• Brownout!
• Y.A.C.H.T

Check out this official FunFunFun Fest recap by the folks from Super Alright!

FFF Recap video - by Transmission Entertainment via Vimeo

Somehow this shotty-quality video manages to capture the chaotic fun that was Girl Talk at last year's FunFunFun Fest. On a side not Girl Talk is actually coming back to Austin between FFF Fest and ACL Fest:

Girl Talk @ FFF Fest '07 video via YouTube

Here's an imeem playlist so you can hear some samples of this year's artists:


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Mas White Denim

White Denim - Shake, Shake, Shake video via YouTube

Remember that time I promised you this White Denim video then I didn't deliver? Well I found it so it's back there...before the jump.
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Nasty Nas in My Area

Straight out the MF dungeons of rap, Nas will be at Emo's Sunday night . As if that weren't enough on its own, Talib Kweli is also going to be there along with DJ Green Lantern, it's a whole NYC thing. As far as I know you can still get tickets, which will set you back roughly $30 but come on I'm quoting a ten year old rap album and in 10 years people will still be quoting Nas. Not to mention Talib Kweli. Sure he's gone a bit more pop in the last few years but he is still a lyrical genius with a unique sound that adds a needed texture to the hip-hop soundscape.

I'm also excited to catch up-and-comer Jay Electronica, who is from New Orleans but based anywhere in the U.S including somewhere, here in the great state of Texas every now and again. Jay Electronica was getting a bit of blog hype around this time last year. But I had never heard of him until researching the Nas show for this article. After hearing some song samples I'm pretty excited. Jay is the first artist signed to Erykah Badu's label, and he produced the opening track on the latest Nas record, "Untitled".

Jay Electronica - D.O.C. Song

Video and more after the jump...

I guess a talking head on a 24hr (s)news network was talking shhh about Nas, so he made an appearance on the Colbert Report to address the issue:

Nas performing - Sly Fox on the Colbert Report video via YouTube.

Talib Kweli appeared on some show called Mic Sessions:

Talib Kweli has his own YouTube channel

This video should give you an idea of the kind of left-field beats you can expect from Jay Electronica:

Jay Electronica - Dimethyltryptamine video via YouTube

This isn't really related but it's an interesting clip of Cam'Ron and Damon Dash VS. a Right-Wing American (s)news network.

Cam'Ron and Damon Dash on Fox News video via YouTube

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ACL After-Parties

Alright kids, today is the day if you want to buy yourself tickets to OFFICIAL ACL after-shows this year. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10am Austin time, so if you wanted to catch David Byrne at the Paramount Theatre...you're too late. That's right the box office has been open an hour, which means the hottest tickets are all gone, or close to it.

I spent a bunch of money but I bought a ticket for all the shows I was even mildly interested in seeing. Except for Black Keys tickets, I didn't buy any for that show 'cause I bought a ticket for the Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jenny Lewis show, which is on the same night, on the other side of town. I did, however, pick up a ticket for the Gnarls Barkley/CSS show AND a ticket for Jamie Lidell with Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears. Even though those shows are on the same night. Their start times are two hours apart and the venues are pretty close to each other so I'm hoping it all works out nicely.

If you didn't know anything about ACL after parties I recommend you click this link.


Don't worry if you didn't get tickets to any after parties, you can still buy tickets for the actual Austin City Limits fest for a mere $80/day. Also, I expect a lot more after-parties. None of the official parties are at Transmission Entertainment events, which means you can expect a wave of blog-sponsored parties at the Mohawk, Club DeVille and others. In fact I know for sure that Sunset Rubdown will be doing a show at the Mohawk the Saturday night of ACL fest. Technically Sunset Rubdown isn't even playing ACL so I guess it's not really an after show...but you get the point.

Oh and by the way one of my favorites of the year, Cut Copy will be playing Emo's the Monday after ACL.

Woo Hoo am I excited or what? And I'm not even going to the official ACL festival haha.


Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Souled Out video via YouTube


Jamie Lidell - Figured Me Out Live on Jimmy Kimmel video via YouTube


CSS - Left Behind video via YouTube

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Okkervil River's Stand-Ins

It looks like we'll get a chance to hear a new Okkervil River LP next month. It's been just about a year since I was in Maine trying to locate The Stage Names at a crappy Strawberries Music store. Just for the record, they didn't have the album and if they did it would have cost $18. No, I had to travel 45 miles to a Bull Moose Music. But I digress, because now I am in Austin, home to Okkervil River...sort of. I actually read that Sheff and Co. are spending their off-time in the post-millenial Seattle aka Brooklyn. Don't worry hipsters Brooklyn is safe for skinny jeans and guyliner.

In any case, I'm pretty psyched about a new Okkervil River disc. It's due out on September 9th and the band is due to appear here in Austin for the Austin City Limits Fest. It hasn't been confirmed but they are also rumored to be appearing at Stubb's on the Saturday night of ACL for an after-party with the Black Keys AND the Black Angels.

Okkervil's label has made a song available for download from the new LP already...

Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines


For those of you who aren't already familiar with Okkervil River, they do dramatic, folk/indie pop. There songs are quite literate like the Decemberists with lots of stringy, harmonious arrangements ala Arcade Fire.

Here's some video and Mp3's from earlier releases. All links courtesy of JagJaguar, the bands official label.

Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie, or Maybe
Okkervil River - The President's Dead
Okkervil River - No Key, No Plan
Okkervil River - Black

Here's a video for Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe in .MOV format.

There it is via YouTube

By the way if you want to catch Okkervil live you can check their tourdates here.

Last minute update. Apparanently the Okkervil River ACL aftershow is happening at Emo's with Man Man and Crooked Fingers. The Black Angels, Black Keys show will be at Stubb's..still.

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BJ Lewis

One of my favorite things about living in Austin, is the way everything seems to be small and inter-connected. Sure it's a city, but I see all the same people at the shows, and everyone knows everyone else. It's for this reason that there always tends to be a bit of music gossip in the air.

Well the other day I was at work chatting about an ACL after-show I'm excited about. I don't want to give too many details yet because it will decrease my chances of getting a ticket. In any case I mentioned local-band, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears who I saw during SXSW, and how they are awesome and I can't wait to see them at this after-party. To which one of my co-workers responds, "Oh that's my friends roommate". He then proceeded to give me a little insider info that I hadn't heard yet.

Apparently the Honey Bears have been signed to Lost Highway Records, they were given a bonus to get all new music and recording equipment. This doesn't really surprise me since they were called out early in the year as being one of the breakout acts of 2008. But to share a label with fellow Austinite, Willie Nelson must be pretty exciting. Lost Highway is a country or alt-country label home to Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams and now Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears - Gunpowder

I definitely wouldn't call Black Joe's music country but it certainly has a throwback funk/soul/blues vibe. All right, I have to tell you now. The after party is Black Joe Lewis sharing a ticket with Jamie Lidell! Maybe this doesn't excite you but I really hope Jamie Lidell borrows some Honey Bears to give his act some extra live instrumentation. I'm not telling you where it is yet. That will be in a future post.

In any case if you weren't at Lollapalooza and you want to check out Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears you might want to check their MySpace because they are currently touring with locals, What Made Milwaukee Famous then they are touring with more locals, Okkervil River.

Damn, I guess it's easier to claw your way to the top when you are managed by C3 entertainment. The people who book Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival, Coachella and others. But then again, that's another reason why bands move to Austin. Oh and by the way it's not like easy to get noticed by C3 ask the hundreds of Austin bands who don't get to play ACL fest...YET.


Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears - Live in Dallas video via YouTube

Here's an interview:

Black Joe Lewis interview with Quinnstorm video via YouTube

BTW
Another co-worker went on a date with Joe Lewis, he took her "dancing at the Continental Club" *sigh* how dreamy.

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White Denim Big in the UK

Local garage-rock brats White Denim have been flagged by the NME as one of 25 American bands that don't suck. They are the only representatives of Austin, and I'm not putting a whole lot of credence in this list since it also mentions Grace Jones. Not that Grace Jones sucks but of all of the American musicians does she really deserve a spot in the top 25.

In other related news, White Denim have a new video for their song Shake, Shake, Shake you can find it, along with the rest of the NME's list after the jump...

White Denim - Shake, Shake, Shake

Unfortunatly, the video for Shake, Shake, Shake has all but dissappeared from the internets somehow...so here is another video or two.


White Denim - All You Really Have to Do video via YouTube

01 Vampire Weekend
02 Lil Wayne
03 Glass Candy
04 Kings Of Leon
05 MGMT
06 Spank Rock
07 TV On The Radio
08 Boy Crisis
09 Black Kids
10 Holy Ghost Revival
11 The Hold Steady
12 Fleet Foxes
13 Amazing Baby
14 Jay Reatard
15 HEALTH
16 The Cool Kids
17 Black Lips
18 Yo Majesty
19 White Denim
20 Telepathe
21 Iglu and Hartly
22 Chester French
23 Girl Talk
24 TheDeathSet
25 Grace Jones


White Denim interviewed by the NME at Glastonbury video via YouTube

Check out a free White Denim EP on RCRD LBL.

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