I'm bummed y'all, I went out ONE night of Free Week (last week) and ended up getting strep throat, putting me out of work, out of money and generally out of commission. I tried to keep up with what shows were getting what sorts of reactions from friends and Twitter but it's just not the same y'all. I did get to test out my new Flipcam on the night I did go downtown and it got me pretty excited. It has its limitations, for instance the lighting inside Red 7 was severely lacking, so my video of When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth is pretty much a shadow video. I was highly impressed that it captured the sound though. The Lil' Dinos aurally assault you with waves of feedback, distortion, reverb and whatever else they can think of. So, I'm pleased that you can hear the song even if you can't see it. The vids of Harlem at Emo's are easy to see and hear and everything. However, the biggest problem I see is finding a good spot to stand where people won't be annoyed that I'm taping and/or all up in my business bumping into me and shhh.
Here's a new song from Harlem, shot with my Flipcam:
Like, I said, I'm pretty bummed I missed free week. This list is only a fraction of what was going on downtown as I faded in and out of awareness of time and space. What were some of your favorites?
P.S. Did you hear about Sony's newBloggie Cam?!?! You spelled it wrong Sony, it's Bloggy and I'll take a free one, thank you very much.
It's one of my top 5 favorite times of year to live in Austin, Free Week is here, dear reader. What is free week, you may ask? Well boys and girls, it's pretty much what it sounds like, a plethora of free, local, rock 'n roll at your favorite Red River-regioned venues downtown. What was once an event exclusive to Emo's, has spread, like swine-flu, to venues all over downtown and this blogger has never been happier with an infestation. Not only is Emo'sstill on board, but Red 7, the Mohawk, Beauty Bar, the Parish room, and even Stubb's Jr. are all hosting free events this week. Lots of folks are now dubbing free week a, sort of, locals-only SXSW. I wouldn't consider it to be THAT grand yet, but it is grand enough that I'm highlighting THREE shows for you to check out tonight.
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth - It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity video via YouTube
I think that's my third time posting that same Birds on Fire video from When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth but it's such a clever video. Besides you try searching "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" and see how many useful results you get. In any case, they'll be headlining the inside stage at Red 7 tonight, you should bring yourself and your earplugs and check out the intensity that is their live performance. Get there early enough to catch out Off the Record "Band to Watch", Dikes of Holland.
Dikes of Holland - How to Lose Somebody video via YouTube
My second show pick of the night, is one you could probably guess if you read this site with any sort of frequency. I suggest you head over to, the Free-Week originators, at Emo's and check out Matador Records signees Harlem while they're still gigging locally. They're headlining so expect a late start time, let's say 12:45ish (A.M.(duh)).
My third, and final choice for local band you should check out tonight, may come as a bit of a surprise to you. I'm suggesting you check out Lions over at the Mohawk. They've been playing around town for quite a while and I feel like they get little to no recognition from the music "press". These guys have a more classic-rock/metal style than indie style (read not jangly) but they can seriously riff and you will definitely enjoy the passionate performance of their tunes. Besides, y'all know I love the 'Hawk even if they do host mothaphuckin karaoke on my birthday...not cool Mohawk, not cool.
I'm always hesitant to do best of lists, both because they are subjective and because they are a pain in the ass to code. However, as a music fan I am also a fan of lists, so let me begin with some disclaimers. Firstly, I didn't listen to every album that came out this year, so it's tough to accurately rank them. Secondly, these aren't, necessarily, the "best" albums they're more like my favorites. Lastly, I'll probably end up forgetting something I loved, or you loved or we all love but that's the breaks once this goes up it's up and we'll all have to deal with the consequences thereafter. With that all said, I give you the Bloggy's for 2009:
20.
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependance
19.
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
18.
M. Ward - Hold Time
17.
Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
16.
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
15.
Jack Peñate - Everything is New
14.
Bad Veins - Bad Veins
13.
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
12.
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
11.
the XX - XX
10.
Girls - Album
9.
the Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
8.
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
7.
Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health
6.
Surfer Blood - Astrocoast
5.
Passion Pit - Manners
4.
St. Vincent - Actor
3.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2.
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
1.
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Ok, now you've seen the Bloggy's for 2009!! You may have noticed that the Surfer Blood album isn't officially released until 01/19/10, HOWEVER I purchased the album from the band when they played Beerland in October, so it's totally on the list. Also, I was somewhat hesitant to put the Passion Pit album so high on the list, they did become MTV darlings and my street-cred may now be tarnished but that's a fine LP GD it! If you have any thoughts, comments, etc. You know where to reach me.
If you haven't seen local, piano-indie popsters SNAFU Kitties before then you better head to Emo's inside stage Saturday night, 'cause it's your last chance. It's true dear reader, my information comes from a source very close to the band (the drummer) and he tells me the lead singer will be moving to Europe. I think he said Denmark but it might be the Netherlands or Germany I forget. So, in the interest of great journalism, I'm going with "singer moved to Europe" as reason for the bands...disbanding. Oddly enough, the final performance will also be a CD release party, so we can remember them as they were. Actually that's a great way of becoming a unicorn band that is more popular reunited than they were to begin with.
My friends over at 'Nites Blog are also a source close to the band. They've captured some really great SNAFU Kitties performances that you can find on their YouTube Channel as well as a slew of other great, and largely unrecognized, other, local, Austin bands. Here's a video they made for the Kittie's song Nerve:
Here's all the pertinent information about the show and the CD direct from the band's release about the show:
SNAFU Kitties have officially been a band since our first show on May 22nd, 2007 at Beerland. Since that time, we've played steadily in and around Austin, and as far as Mexico City. We've had a good run. Sadly, all good things must eventually reach their end. Our wonderful singer, keyboardist, and songwriter, Jessie, will soon be off to Denmark to embark on an exciting new adventure with her husband, Mads, marking the unfortunate end of SNAFU Kitties. LET'S SEND HER OFF IN STYLE.
Your presence is sincerely requested at SNAFU Kitties' FINAL PERFORMANCE. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see the band you've "kept meaning to check out," or enjoy once more for the last time. Not only that, we will finally be releasing our long-awaited and laboriously produced self-titled album. This is a LIMITED RELEASE, y'all. Each one is hand-printed by our bass player, J.J., the Rural Rooster and will only be available at the show. Once they're gone, they're gone for good.
Mark your calendars, folks. Doors are at 9pm, and for a mere $6, you will enjoy a diverse lineup: We Aim To Try, Paper Shapes, Zorch, and SNAFU Kitties.
I don't really know about the other bands on Satuday night's bill but the line about "enjoy a diverse lineup" is a bit ominous. That could mean, "be prepared to see some crazy-ass shhh before we go on" but I'll enter Emo's with an open(ish) heart(ish).
I really debated whether or not to mention tonight's Phoenix show at La Zona Rosa considering it's sold-out and it starts in a few hours. However, I am so over-the-top excited to finally see them perform live that I felt like I had to mention it. Hopefully I'll have some exciting follow-up post about the show tomorrow. In case I slack on the follow-up, I'm betting my homeboys over at, the fabulous, Ultra8201 will be posting some fly video. If you're reading this Ultra may I request you film Armistice? Please and thank you. If you are really bummed about not getting tickets to this sold-out show, try checking Twitter Search after the show has started. You never know someone may have an extra ticket or some shhh.
Phoenix - Armistice (Live on KEXP) video via YouTube
The Phoenix show at La Zona Rosa tonight is sponsored by the repugnant, 101X, if you've ever read my site before you know that I have an extreme disdain for their music programming, but their concert programming seems to be pretty on point. I saw Bat For Lashes earlier in the year, at the Parish room and that was a 101X show as well. Unfortunately you rarely hear the artists who play the concerts on the radio station itself. They'd prefer to let you hear Pearl Jam's Jeremy than anything by Bat For Lashes. I have actually heard them play Phoenix on the station but only after they killed at ACL Fest. Speaking of bands I've never heard on 101X...
White Denim will be taking the opening slot tonight with Portland Oregonians, Hockey following. Hockey is probably a great band and everything but if you're going to call your band Hockey then you better be from Canada. When I discovered they were from Portland, OR it was pretty much over for me. I think the tweens will really get into the Hockey sound though and they'll probably become insanely popular in the near-future. This is not an endorsement, nor a shame statement just a thought/prediction.
Hockey - Song Away (Live on Jools Holland) video via YouTube
The buzz for White Denim has been bigger than the band itself. At this point they've been blogged to death, they keep running into problems distributing their music and more people have heard about them than have heard them. At the root of all that mess though, is what started the buzz to begin with, a raucous, passionate, killer, live performance. I feel like the Let's Talk About It Ep came the closest to capturing the frenetic energy of a live White Denim show. I haven't seen them perform lately, now that their sound has gotten a lot more prog-psychedelic ala King Crimson or Love so, I'm interested to see if they still have that coked-out party band vibe with the new tunes. You can actually buy the newest album from White Denim in U.S. stores now thanks to Downtown Music, which, incidentally, is the label that Sean "P. Diddy" Combs got his start in the record biz with.
Free Mp3 from the Let's Talk About It Ep courtesy of a hella-old link (64 Blog Years) that Spin probably forgot about, but Google didn't.
This is the time of year when all of us concert-going types, in Austin, get to collect our thoughts and breathe and mentally-prepare for SXSW 2010. That's right, the concert season is, relatively, slow this time of year. There aren't as many bands touring in the winter anyway, and the venues are all preparing for one of my favorite times of year, which is Free Week. Yay Free Week!! Woooo. Anyway, I mention all of this because I'm going to do something I don't, generally, do. I'm just going to hype this EP by the Middle East, I don't think it will make very many year-end "best of" lists since most of those focus on songs and LP's but I wouldn't be surprised if the song Blood from, The Recordings of the Middle East makes a lot of lists. I would rank it as a top 5 song of '09 for sure. I bought my copy of the EP from my friends over at End of an Ear for $3.99 so just glance around you'll see it somewhere.
Seriously, how gorgeous is that song by the Middle East?
I'm thinking this year instead of participating in the List-Culture with a best LP's of '09 list from Austin Bloggy Limits, I'll just compile some of my favorite lists. So, I suppose I'm still supporting List-Culture just in a more meta, pseudo-rebellious, hipstery kind of way. I do love lists, I think it is in the DNA of every music/film geek that you want your favorite things to be validated with a good number. We can't just love Radiohead's Kid A, we're not satisfied to just enjoy it as a beautiful piece of art. No, we need others to recognize and bow down to Kid A as one of the best records of the MF decade y'all! Seriously, people bow down, it's Radiohead. Anyway, I had a point here and it was about the band Girls their, appropriately-titled, Album has been popping up on a lot of year-end lists and I just want to throw my hat in the ring here. I proclaim Album by, San Fran band, Girls to be Bloggy-approved and worth your hard-earned ducats.
My San Francisco homies over at Rhino Knife Films shot some nice live videos of Girls this summer. The sound clips at a couple of points, but it's still a really nicely captured performance. It's also the first time this song was ever played in front of an audience. Check out the loud, drunken woman screaming at the beginning, it's kind of hard not to notice.
If you haven't seen Girls perform here in Austin yet, you have another chance at the end of January. They'll be playing, one of my favorite venues, the Parish room. Tickets will set you back $12 before fees and the show is sponsored by, the loathsome, 101X. Have you EVER heard 101X play a song by Girls? I know I haven't, but I guess I don't listen very much anymore. I can only hear Hey Man Nice Shot so many times in my lifetime and 101X has already exceeded my limit on that song. Along, with the 12-16 other early 90's alt-stalwarts they refuse to relegate to classic-rock. But I digress.
I noticed, when I was looking at the calendar for the Parish that they'll be participating in free week this year! That's exciting, I love the Parish, it's wood floors and beautiful sound. Not to mention, I've never been to a show there where I thought to myself, "There are a dangerous number of people in here right now. If shh went pear-shaped we'd all be effed." (I don't even think swears I promise) Looking at you Emo's. What is the capacity of Emo's? 'Cause I think they sell like 50 more tickets than that and then the door guy has like 30 or so friends he lets in for free. I kid, I kid...don't beat me up Emo's I'm just s blogger.
I was trying to find a video that illustrates how bonkers and packed Emo's gets but most of the video I found are focused more on the stage than the crowd, who'd a thunk? Bands who play Emo's it is your mission to start filming the crowd so my out of town friends know what I'm talking about. I am finding some amazingly terrible videos from Emo's, seriously people leave the zoom alone! Don't effing touch it! Ok, I give up trying to find the perfect video to illustrate my point. Check this out out though, it's the Gossip playing Emo's in 2001. The sound sucks, I'm including it more for historical value.
See I'm not totally hatin' on Emo's, I was just using them as an example of something typical, that you won't experience at the Parish Room (most likely). I've seen a lot of great shows at Emo's but that's another post or series of posts unto itself. I'll close this out with one most burst of randomness, I saw this band open for MGMT on Emo's inside stage the Tuesday night that Oracular Spectacular came out. I couldn't find footage from that night so I'm just going to include one of my favorite Yeasayer songs...ever.
You can kind that Yeasayer song, on one of the greatest compilations in recent memory, Dark Was the Night. You should buy it, it's 2 discs, proceeds go to charity plus you'll get mad, indie-cred on the streets (2 Blogs years ago).
As the "resident blogger"/"hipster-douche" at work, I'm expected to know the answer to the questions, "So, what's going on tonight? Where should I go?". Today, when posed with these questions I totally blanked out. It's effing Thursday in Austin so you know some shh is going down. My bloggy brethren over at the Peen Scene always have a great, comprehensive answer to what's the haps tonight, in case you catch me slackin' again. Check the blog list in my sidebar for other, informative, talented, witty, bloggy brethren of Austin as well. Tonight, Austin Bloggy recommends you check out one of my favorite, local acts {{{Sunset}}}.
I still need to get my ears on a copy of their latest release from Autobus, Gold Dissolves to Gray but as I've said in the past, the show is the best place to get the album y'all. Find {{{Sunset}}} at Aces Lounge tonight. The door will cost you a measley $5, show starts at 10? Presumably.
Have you ever heard anyone commit to a metaphor as whole-heartedly as {{{Sunset}}} does in that song, Civil War?
I wanted to mention a show for tomorrow night as well, give you a little more notice than the show at Ace's tonight. You should head on over to the Mohawk to see Balmorhea. I'm a big fan of both the artwork and the music of their latest LP, All Is Wild, All Is Silent. Not to mention, it's just as beautiful as seen in real life.
To be honest, I know little to nothing about this Ola Podrida fellow, but I do know he's is playing the 'Hawk tomorrow night. The songs I found seemed pleasant and fitting for a chilly winter eve in Austin, TX. I also know, he's not to be confused with Olla podrida, which is something completely different. Also, check out this little blurb from the official Ola Podrida site.
After months of preparation, the live incarnation of Ola Podrida will play their debut show at The Mohawk in Austin, TX on December 11th with labemates Balmorhea. The live band features Colin Swietek on guitar, David McComb on bass, and Matthew Frank on drums, and David Wingo on vocals and guitar.
Get there early though, 'cause Martin Crane will be kicking things off, Frasier stylee with a Jack Russel Terrier, an easy chair and some Whiskey, neat, thank you very much.
Martin Crane - Nobody's Listening video via YouTube
You might be more familiar with Martin's other band Brazos. Hey, how come everyone in Austin is in at least 2 if not, 3+ bands?
Tickets for tomorrow night's show at the 'Hawk will set you back $8. After that you can listen to as much music as you want (some restrictions may apply, don't be a d-bag).
I don't know if you're the type of person who goes out on a Monday night, but if you are you've got two pretty stellar shows to choose from. Local power-poppers, Quiet Company will be headlining the goings-on at the Parish Room this evening. I noticed that Quiet Company got a nice little feature on page D1 of the Austin-American Statesman today, to which I say, "Huzzah Quiet Company, huzzah". Seriously, no one expects the print edition of the Statesman to feature any relevant, local, non-prehistoric musicians so when they do, I say, "Huzzah". Grab yourself a copy of Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon at any of Austin's High Fidelity-esque record shops. Don't worry though, you can enjoy Quiet Company from afar as well.
That other video is prettier and newer and it's the second "single" but I still really <3 the first "single".
Quiet Company - It's Better To Spend Money Like There's No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There's No Money video via YouTube
If somewhat twee, jolly, power-pop isn't really your thing, you may want to head over to Emo's to check out Baroness. Or, hell, Emo's shows usually start late, you can probably catch both shows, since Parish shows end early. It is Monday though, so maybe you should just pace yourself there cowboy.
Baroness - A Horse Called Golgotha video via YouTube
I feel like the song title, A Horse Called Golgotha pretty much sums up any questions I might have had about Baroness now I clearly know what genre I'm listening to. I wouldn't dare offend anyone by being more explicit here but let's just assume these guys enjoy the Lord of the Rings series and that their music is epic-metal.
For me? I'm a pop person, I would rather have my face smiling than melting. Call me the "p word" I don't care. You may see whatever you want to see, dear reader, for this is not only America, it's Austin. muthaf**kin', Texas y'all!!!
W00000, I got so carried away there I forgot to give you some ticket links:
So, Pack of Wolves will be at the Mohawk this weekend and if you were wise, you'd be there too. See, what I'm discovering as all the best LP's of '09 lists are coming out, is that a lot of these albums are easiest to buy directly from the band when they come to your town. I just tried to buy a copy of the LP by the Smith Westerns at End of an Ear to no avail. I haven't tried to buy the latest LP from Pack of Wolves but I'm guessing it will be at the merch table on Saturday night. Also, isn't it just cooler to buy an album directly from the band themselves? No? Fine, be that way but that's what I'm going to do, so there!
As you know, I don't normally endorse such aggressive/angry music but something tells me that seeing these songs live (with ear protection) is going to be pretty intense. By which I mean, face-meltingly awesome.
In all honestly, the Smith Westerns are much more my style of music, but hey they're not playing the Mohawk on Saturday are they? No, they played Emo's a few months ago, but that's neither here nor there. Chances are when I check at Waterloo Records for the Smith Westerns LP they'll probably have it. I just like shopping at End of an Ear it's so small and nerdy and it smells like musty old records. It's so dreamy, le sigh.
Anyway, if you want to get tickets to see Pack of Wolves get all aggro on your ass at the 'Hawk too bad, you're going to have to pay $9 at the door. Unless you can buy them at Waterloo ahead of time, in which case they're $7. See you there?
Have y'all been to this place Ace's Lounge yet? I'm somewhat dismayed that the banner on their website says, "The Official Live Music Venue of College". Does that appeal to you? 'Cause it doesn't appeal to me in the least bit, does it mean that I should invest in some Ed Hardy gear? Will all the people in the crowd refer to me as, "that old dude who's not dancing"? I like Del tha Funky Homosapien but if the sound is muddy and I'm surrounded by chatty college kids, I'm out! On a plus side Tuesday night's show at Ace's featuring Del, among others, is presented by my friends over at Knuckle Rumbler so I'm thinking they'll take care of any muddy mic issues that may ensue. You can grab yourself some tickets for $18.
So, if you're thinking, "I don't want to hang out with a bunch of college kids trying to hear Del", fret not! Metric is playing over in the warehouse district at La Zona Rosa at the same time. Tickets for Metric will set you back $23 , but you can get a tall well drink for $4 so it will balance out. Besides, the latest Metric LP, Fantasies is pretty killer and promises to be really good in person.
While I'm bitching and whining about different venues in the city, what's up with Radio Room/Bourbon Rocks? I just drove down 6th St. in daylight, which is quite depressing by the way, and I noticed the old Radio Room still sitting vacant. I thought Trannymission Entertainment bought that joint? So, how come it's for sale/lease and still not fabulous? Remember when we saw that band there at SXSW? That was cool.
Passion Pit - I've Got Your Number video via YouTube
Also, I think that Symphony Square should be utilized more. Seems like a great place to see a quiet(ish) artist like Bon Iver or Kings of Convenience. The biggest problem is it's such a small seating capacity (350), but that could be solved with multiple nights by an artist or tough luck mo fo buy tickets faster. Imagine seeing Sigur Ros at Symphony Square?!?! What Austin venue could suit a band like Sigur Ros? I've seen them several times and the best venue was at the Berklee College of Music. The space has perfect acoustics and the audience was so reverent and quiet, it was like the waiting room in heaven.
Sigur Rós - Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása video via YouTube
