Happenings This Weekend

We're approaching that part of the year when I get particularly lazy. I don't really feel like blogging as much nor do I trek downtown as often but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty for YOU to enjoy. This weekend there are lots of good shows of varying genres for you to attend. Tonight, my top pick for those of you who can attain entry, is the Gary Clark Jr. ACL TV taping. He's a local artist who is blowing up on the national scene and his latest record, Blak and Blu is already topping many year-end lists. I knew he was blowing up when I saw Alicia Keys tweeting about him, sure they are label-mates but that's still pretty cool. Tonight's ACL TV taping is destined to be a landmark event and if you don't have tickets already you can watch the live stream or you can get in the standby line early and hope there is space available.


Gary Clark Jr. - Ain't Messin' Round video via YouTube

If you can't make it to see Gary Clark Jr. tonight I recommend you get over to the Continental Club by 9pm to get some last minute tickets for this evening's Ben Kweller show. This is one of those rare evenings where you'll get the chance to see a big-time Austin performer in a small-scale venue. Tickets are $20 and at this point the only way to get them is at the door. Kweller won't take the stage until 11:30pm but if you aren't in line for tickets before 9pm, you're not getting in. To be honest, I'm pretty shocked that this show isn't sold-out yet.

Tomorrow night's shows are all over the map both physically and musically. I'll start with my top recommendation, which is the Sufjan Stevens Christmas show at Emo's. If I'm being honest, all I really LOVE from Suf is Illinois and I really wish he would stop fucking around with all of these Christmas songs but on the other hand, 'tis the season, which is why this show is my top pick for your Saturday night. Tickets are $20 and I don't really expect this show to sell-out, although I have been surprised in the past.

A VERY CLOSE second in my top picks for Saturday night category is the Talib Kweli show at the Mohawk. I almost made this show my top pick but the Suf show was just more relevant to December. Talib is a solid performer with a solid catalogue and even a casual hip-hop fan is sure to enjoy this event. Tickets for this show sold-out while I was writing. So...hope you got yours.

It takes a very special event for me to recommend you go to the heart of dirty 6th on a Saturday night but I like that David Bazan performing Pedro the Lion's (that's him) Control is one such event. I know lots of emo/hardcore/mopey dudes who credit Control as one of the most important records in their lives and hearing the man himself pull it out of the ashes is sure to be one of the most memorable events of 2012. The bad news is the show is Sold-Out the good news is, now you don't have to go to dirty 6th on a Saturday night! No but in all seriousness, if you're interested in this show you should still head down there I'm SURE people will have spare tickets.

I know, I know, that's two sold-out shows in a row! What am I doing to you!?!? Well, I still have options. Keep things local by heading over to Holy Mountain for the CD Release show from The Couch. Check out the new space, while supporting your local scene. There are no advanced tickets for this event so it's not sold-out, it's only going to cost $5 to get in and they'll have Shiner specials all night long. BOOM!

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How to Dress Well at the Mohawk

Thursday night the Mohawk plays host to How to Dress Well whose latest release, Total Loss was named by Pitchfork as "Best New Music." In other words, it's obscure, it's difficult but it's good. Both his first and second records blend R&B with electronic textures creating a sound that is equal parts sex and paranoia. I didn't love Total Loss upon the first few listens but it gets under your skin. There is something about the soundscapes against the vocals that make you want to hear it over and over again. I'm excited to see tomorrow night's show because I think it's either going to be amazing or a hot-mess and either way I want to be there to witness it. Tickets are $10 today or $12 tomorrow and I expect this show to sell-out before the doors open at 9pm on Thursday so if you're interested you should grab a ticket while you still can.


How to Dress Well - Ocean Floor for Everything video via YouTube

As I mentioned, this is an inside show so it's going to run late. Don't expect to see How to Dress Well on stage much before midnight. If you want to make a night of it arrive early enough to catch local band Royal Forest followed by Michigan-based Christian rapper Beacon.

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Danse Macabre Revisited

Tomorrow night The Faint return to Austin to perform the album that put them on the map, Danse Macabre. Originally released in the fall of 2001, Danse Macabre is the third album from The Faint but it was the first to capture the attention of a large audience. It's not that it is vastly different from the previous releases, it was just the most honed and hit people's ears at the perfect moment. Mixing elements of goth-rock and dance music it didn't really birth a new musical movement but it certainly shined a lot on to one. Tickets for tomorrow night's show at Emo's are still available and the newly remastered Deluxe Edition of Danse Macabre will most certainly be available for purchase.


The Faint - Agenda Suicide video via YouTube

One could argue that without the release of Danse Macabre a band like Trust might not exist. Lucky for us, they do, they're fucking awesome and they'll be at Emo's tomorrow night as well. You may recall that Trust was just in Austin playing FunFunFun Fest as well as a Nites show at Elysium. For those of you who like dark, gothic, sparse electronics performed by cute boys this is the show for you. The video below was just released last week and is an acoustic, piano version of a song from TRST, which is out now. Based on the popularity of this piano version I wouldn't be surprised if an acoustic version of TRST was released early next year but that is mere conjecture.


Trust - Sulk (Piano Version) video via YouTube

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Races with Generationals at the Mohawk

Photo Credit: Brian Sheffield

Tomorrow night's Races show at the Mohawk is an ideal double-bill for me. It's an inside show, which means it starts and ends late but let's face it, most of you won't have to work the rest of the week anyway because your job is way cooler than mine. Races' debut full-length came out around SXSW, which means it was sort of lost in the shuffle but I maintain that Year of the Witch is a shining example of indie-pop in 2012. The fact that this L.A. band was signed to New York label French Kiss Records speaks to how bad-ass they are. I trust, pretty much, any release from French Kiss and they have yet to disappoint me in 2012. Tickets for Tuesday night's show are less than $10 if you buy them now but be forewarned it's going to be crowded in there. Also, for bonus points you should wear whatever Lakers gear you may have.


Races - Lies video via YouTube

As I mentioned above, Tuesday night's show is a fantastic DOUBLE-BILL as Races are currently touring with fellow indie-posters Generationals. You may not recognize their name right away but you will certainly recognize their music from movies, television and commercials. There's a reason they land so many licensing deals and that reason is their superb songwriting.

Generationals' latest release is the Lucky Numbers EP, which you can hear for free on Soundcloud.


Generationals - Yours Forever video via YouTube

Like I said, tomorrow night's show is a late one so nap accordingly. Doors are at 9pm and I wouldn't expect the first act to go on until about 10:15 or 10:30, possibly later. Also, I'm not sure which band will be going on first I THINK they are switching back and forth from city to city but that's just conjecture. On the Mohawk website Generationals are listed first, which usually implies headliner-status. Regardless, you should see both bands because they are both great and if you're a fan of one then you'll be a fan of the other. See you there!

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F1 and F-all

Alright, so you pretty much couldn't pay me to go downtown this weekend, which is unfortunate because there are several bands performing whom I would like to see. I'm writing this for those of you, who are braver than I and are willing to battle thousands of middle-aged Europeans set lose in our city for the greater good of rock 'n roll. Let's start with this evening shall we?

Tonight my top recommendation is Bad Veins at Stubb's. You should know that I'm a big fan/supporter of Bad Veins and their melodic indie-power-pop sounds. Tickets are only $12 or you can just pay your money at the door. The gentlemen of Bad Veins did a live session at our very own KUT, which you can listen to here.


Bad Veins - Dancing on TV video via YouTube

My number two recommendation for this evening is the psychedelic show over at Holy Mountain. If you're a fan of Psych Fest then you're going to be a fan of tonight's Young Prisms/Holy Wave show. Tickets for this show are only $8 and I'd expect you could just show up and pay this cover at the door as well.

There's also some Formula 1-related shows but fuck that shit, let's pretend it's not happening. Speaking of Formula-1 shit, if you want to avoid downtown altogether there are a couple of big-name shows happening over on East Riverside. Not only is Paul Oakenfold still touring, he's playing Emo's tonight. If you're looking to avoid Europeans, this probably isn't your best bet but if you're looking to score some fake-Molly HOLLA! It's going to cost you $30 to get into Emo's tonight but in all seriousness Paul Oakenfold is a world-class DJ so, it's going to be bangin'.

Right next to the Paul Oakenfold show Naughty By Nature better be playing a greatest hits set at Beauty Ballroom. So, put your hands in the air and get down with O.P.P. and all of that away from the madness of downtown and with far fewer Europeans. There are different ticketing packages available for this show so you might want to check that out depending on how hard you ball.

Tomorrow night there are plenty of good shows happening but I only want to talk about the Tamaryn show at Red 7. If you go downtown and you attend any other show tomorrow night then we aren't friends anymore and I'm returning your X-Mas (get the Christ out of Christmas) presents! Tamaryn's latest record Tender New Signs is out now on Mexican Summer and it's female-lead-psychedelic-shoegaze perfection. Dan, from End of an Ear, and I were talking and we agreed that anything that sounds even vaguely like Mazzy Star automatically wins our hearts. Saturday night's Tamaryn show will be on Red 7's inside stage and it could be your last chance to see them in such an intimate space so get your tickets now!

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Contest: Jens Lekman

That adorable Swede, Jens Lekman will be back in Austin tomorrow night. He'll be performing on the Mohawk's outside stage in support of his latest record, I Know What Love Isn't. Jens is an International indie-pop troubadour and his songs are sure to delight although if you listen very closely you might also get a bit melancholy. In other words, he is the perfect songwriter. I have the opportunity to get one of you on the guest list with a +1 for tomorrow night's show but the rest of you can still buy tickets. All you have to do to win is email contest[at]austinbloggylimits[dot]com with "Jens" in the subject and your name in the body. I'll pick one name tomorrow afternoon. This is an early show so plan accordingly.


Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't video via YouTube

Taken By Trees play the support slot tomorrow night so arrive early. Bring yourself, and a scarf because Jens & Co. have brought a little taste of Sweden with this recent cold-snap.

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Photo Pop 2012

TGImotherfuckinF y'all! I'm so happy that it's Friday right now. I don't know about y'all but this week seemed to last two weeks and I really need to get my drank on. Tonight, tonight some of my favorite Austin concert-photographers are showcasing their work and selling prints at Red 7. They'll be displaying and selling prints of some of their best stuff from 7p-9p followed by live performance from some great local bands.

The featured photographers this evening include, Pooneh Ghana, Timothy Griffin, Randy Cremean, Brian Gray, Rick Kern and Gary Miller. These photogs have agreed to share the proceeds from the sale of their prints with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. So, not only will you be acquiring some beautiful art, you'll be helping Austin Musicians get and keep health insurance!


Tiger Waves - Fireworks video via YouTube

Tonight's event is broken up into two pieces. You are free to attend the photography exhibit from 7p-9p and have some drinks with no cover charge. If you want to stay passed 9p to see the bands perform there is a $7 cover to go to the bands. That $7 gets you performances from 5 bands though, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. Performing this evening will be Royal Forest, Low Times, Tiger Waves, Shivery Shakes and Grape Street.

If you'd like to know more about the bands, photographers or the event itself, I encourage you to head on over to Austin Town Hall. They are the fine folks who made tonight's Photo Pop 2012 a reality.

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FunFunFun Fest 2012: Wrap-up

Well kiddos, it's Monday afternoon and I think I'm finally ready to sit at a computer and attempt to comprehend FunFunFun Fest 2012. The weather was spectacular, in spite of reports of rain there was nary a cloud in the sky throughout most of the festival. Saturday we were treated to bouts of slight overcast with some heavy breezes, which were very welcome. Mostly, it was sunny and hot on all three days of the festival. There was dust but it wasn't as intense as the previous year and everyone was well prepared for that possibility.

I saw a mix of artists, from varying countries and genres on all of the fest's four stages. There were highs and lows but there really wasn't anything that I absolutely despised. All in all I'd say it was a very successful weekend for me and Mr. S. it was great to catch up with friends and see some great performances. Find the full rundown and a collection of Instagrams after the break.


Danny Brown - Witit video via YouTube

Alright so, I'm not going to go through every band I saw or every moment of greatness or badness I'm just going to sort of free-associate this shit. I want to start with the lowest of the lows. I was SOO disappointed with araabMUZIK. I really enjoy his albums but seeing him live was one of the most tedious, monotonous experiences of my life. I will not dispute that he is the MVP of the MPC. It is incredibly impressive to see him play the MPC as a live instrument constructing beats on the fly HOWEVER, it was an hour of musical masturbation. He seemed so obsessed with showing the crowd how good he was that failed to create enjoyable beats. Sometimes less is more and I feel that with more experience and maturity he will learn that lesson. For now, I wished he would have just let a beat get in the pocket so the crowd could dance rather than turning it into some bullshit dubstep meets hip-hop trainwreck.

I was also disappointed with De La Soul. I was looking forward to their set all weekend, which certainly contributed to my disappointment. First of all, like almost every artist who performed this weekend they were only allotted roughly an hour. They started their performance 10-15 minutes late, then the first 10 minutes or so was the DJ playing a medley of songs by A Tribe Called Quest. Once the group came out they started doing the typical hip-hop directions, "Put your hands in the air!" Blah, blah blah. Then they halted the performance to criticize the photographers for not putting their hands up. They told them that for the first few songs they should show respect and be ready to party. Perhaps they don't realize the photographers are only allowed to shoot during the first three songs and that they are doing their job. Furthermore the job of the photographer is to document and promote the very performance they halted. So, from that moment I was already annoyed. They performed a few songs and they were spectacular then they criticized the sound engineer(s) saying how much they suck, they criticized the festival itself and then talked about how long they have been performing and used that to explain how they are perfectionists. Then they wasted another 5-10 minutes trying to see which side of the crowd was louder.

De La left me with a really bad taste in mouth. I feel like they didn't act in a professional manner. They didn't express appreciation, or humility and they didn't deliver what I would consider a stellar festival set list. In my opinion, since they only had about 45 minutes to perform they should have delivered a Greatest Hits set. I know that is sort of a lame thing to expect from an artist but if you're doing a festival gig in a place you haven't performed in MANY years just give the people what they want. Take your BIG paycheck and THANK the people who brought you there as well as the people who enabled the MANY fans to hear your performance.

Friday night's set from Run DMC delivered exactly what I'm talking about. Sure, they left the stage earlier than their allotted time and they also spent about 15-20 minutes letting Jam Master Jay's kids DJ. However, when they were on the stage they were playing all of the songs the crowd wanted to hear with extreme enthusiasm. They thanked the crowd, the festival and gave specific shout-outs to the festival founders. The next day I asked a festival insider if they were difficult to deal with or if their entourage was difficult to deal with. I was told they were incredibly polite, humbled, friendly and fun to be around. The entourage consisted of family members and everyone was excellent to deal with. I have been to FunFunFun Fest for years and I have never seen the crowd as big nor as attentive as they were for Run DMC's set. Only the crowd for Slayer could compare. Hearing them perform King of Rock was one of the highlights of my life.

While I'm thinking about hip-hop, I was also really impressed with Danny Brown's set on the Blue stage. He is one of the strangest, most interesting voices in contemporary hip-hop and his live performance was totally on point. He wore a dress, his hair was as crazy as I wanted it to be and he managed to spit all of his verses, of which there are many. He did have a hype-man to add emphasis to punchlines and to keep the crowd lively but he didn't rely on the hype-man. Also, it was only ONE guy, often times with young emcees they rely on a group of people to fill in lyrics when they get winded but Danny Brown was on point and it was apparent he was practiced in the art of live performance.

I only caught two acts on the Black stage but both were fantastic! The first was Refused who headlined on Saturday night. I have never listened to their music and was only marginally aware of who they were. I was told that they are not to be missed and Mr. S. was really looking forward to seeing them so we ventured over in time to catch the end of The Sword's set and all of Refused's. I have never seen such a high-energy performance from a musician in my life and from what I heard after the lead singer didn't even get as crazy as he often times does. He moved like the Swedish love-child of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger in their prime. Swinging the mic like a weapon doing David Lee Roth spread eagle leaps from the drum platform and squirming around like Mick. The musicianship was astounding, my friend who was is a drummer and happened to be stage managing the Black stage described their sound as "Jazz-core," which somehow made total sense to me.

The other act I watched on the Black stage was Japandroids on Sunday. I feel like they attracted a lot of people who would normally be over at the Orange stage. Their banter was hilarious, they talked about being from Canada and complained that their frail Canadian bodies couldn't stand the Texas heat. You would never know it from they way they powered through their set though. Japandroids are a two piece but they play as one super-human music animal. The crowd was going insane for them. I'm sure for people who hang out at the Black stage all weekend it was mild but I'm not accustomed to the pit mentality so it was crazy to watch people losing their minds like that.

Other highlights for the weekend included sets from Real Estate and the Helio Sequence. I have seen both bands before and was pre-disposed to like them so I was pleased that they put on such great performances for people who may not have ever seen them before. This was my third time seeing Real Estate this year and I maintain that they are one of the best touring bands in indie-rock today.

The biggest surprise of the festival for me was the crowd for Class Actress. I really like their record but I was shocked at how many people made their way over to see them perform. They sounded really great and the crowd was super-enthused about the performance, I just feel like Nite Jewel was equally deserving.

The act I would most like to see again in a non-festival environment is Fang Island. I don't know what sort of musical mathematics they are using but their music is so exhilarating and fun. I want to see them on a split bill with Anamanaguchi at the Mohawk with a packed crowd of super-fans and guitar geeks.

I feel like I could go on and on about FunFunFun Fest but I know I lost many o you several paragraphs ago so I'm going to wrap it up. I had a great time as I always do and I look forward to next year. I trust Fun Fest's taste and I think they booked another solid line-up this year. I would like to see a couple of subtle changes next year though. I think they should borrow two ideas from ACL Fest. The first is two entry points. I approached the fest from the west so I had to walk the length of the grounds on the outside and then again on the inside. I think an East entrance and west entrance would also reduce congestion near the Blue stage. I know many people attend the fest solely for the Black stage and for those folks being able to enter on that side would be very nice. The other thing I think would be great is the crowd-sourced trash clean-up/recycling. At ACL Fest, attendees are given free T-Shirts simply by bringing a trash bag full of recycle-ables to the recycling center. I think that's a great idea for many reasons. On the other hand, I think that ACL Fest could borrow LOTS of things from Fun Fest including no chairs/blankets and free aftershows. Also, spreading out the food vending is genius and reduces cluster.

With that I bid you adieu Fun Fest, until 2013!

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FunFunFun Fest Preview: Nites

One of the (many) great things about FunFunFun Fest is the Nites shows. Lots of festivals do after-shows but generally the admission is a separate ticket and has nothing to do with the main festival other than the bands performing. Well, the folks behind Fx3 are horses of a different color. Not only are the Nites shows free with a Fun Fest wristband, some of the shows aren't just re-hashings of the festival line-up. That's right, there are bands playing the Nites shows who aren't even playing the festival but still fit in perfectly. The Nites festivities officially began last night but I'm going to pick things up from this evening. Below the break you'll find a list of my highlights for the Nites line-up. The festival itself begins in just a few hours, I hope to see you there!


King Tuff - Bad Thing video via YouTube

Friday:

• Yukon Blonde at Mohawk (inside) at 9:30pm
• Oh No, Oh My at ND at 10:00pm
• Surfer Blood at Mohawk (outside) 11:00pm
• Yellow Ostrich at ND at 12:00am
• Icona Pop at Red 7 (Inside) at 12:45am

Yukon Blonde - Stairway video via YouTube

Saturday:

• Ramona Falls at Club de Ville at 9:45pm
• Glitoris at Elysium at 10:00pm
• Doug Benson at Drafthouse Ritz at 11:00pm
• Daughn Gibson at Mohawk (Inside) at 11:30pm
• Tanlines (DJ Set) at Elysium at 12:15am
• Trust at Elysium at 1:00am
• Nite Jewel at ND at 1:00am
• King Tuff at Red 7 (outside) at 2:00am

Ramona Falls - Fingerhold video via YouTube

Sunday:

• Foreign Mothers at Beerland at 10:45pm
• Bleached at Red 7 (outdoors) at 11:30pm
• Class Actress at Mohawk (inside) at 12:30am

Class Actress - Bienvenue video via YouTube

Also, the official company line is that the only way to get in to these Nites shows is with a FunFunFun Fest wristband. If you only have a day pass, you can only get into the Nites events for that day. HOWEVER, word on the street last night was people without wristbands were able to pay a cover to get into the Thursday evening Nites shows based on capacity. So, your best bet is to buy a Fun Fest pass but if you want to roll the dice on an individual event that's your call.

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FunFunFun Fest Preview: My Schedule

So, I had to do some amazing switching of shifts and harassing of co-workers to get my shift covered today (shout-out to LC sorry for blowing up your phone and Facebook) but I managed to do it, which means I'll be spending all day at Auditorium Shores for FunFunFun Fest. I've already had some posts with specific artist highlights, one of which ended up canceling :-( and I showed you some of the key Conflicts so here's my actual plan of attack. My first focus is to hang out with the dude from the movie Drive, Magneto and Black Swan in hopes that I can get a cameo in Tree of Life 2: When Dinosaurs Attack. Outside of that, I'm hoping to see some musicians banging on their instruments. You'll find my full plan of attack below the break. Keeping in mind that if you're trying to stalk me, I'm flattered but my plans may change. Also, I may catch partial sets from multiple bands but I'm not listing that, it's too hard. Also, also I may just chill in the media area comparing schlongs with Magneto (Spoiler alert: His is bigger.) Also, also, also, I'm not really into angry/aggressive music so you won't see many of the Black Stage bands in this post. I recognize that many of those bands are talented and I should have an open mind and blah, blah, blah. So, find out where you can find me below this video.


Santigold - The Keepers video via YouTube

Friday:

• Not in the Face
• Yellow Ostrich
• Dum Dum Girls
• Nick Waterhouse
• Sharon Van Etten
• Jon Benjamin
• Hannibal Buress
• Bob Mould
• El Ten Eleven
• Minus the Bear
• Superchunk
• Santigold
• Run DMC

Nick Waterhouse - Some Place video via YouTube

Saturday:

• Love Inks
• The Young
• Brendan Benson
• Daughn Gibson
• Helio Sequence
• Anamanaguchi
• WHY?
• Surfer Blood
• Tanlines
• Paul Banks
• Schoolboy Q
• Real Estate
• Danny Brown
• PiL
• Diamond Rugs

Diamond Rugs - Blue Mountain video via YouTube

Sunday:

• Flesh Lights
• Ume
• Balmorhea
• A.DD+
• Fang Island
• Bleached
• Nicky Da B
• A Place to Bury Strangers
• Nite Jewel
• Class Actress
• Trust
• Givers
• Deerhoof
• Rakim
• Araabmuzik
• De La Soul
• Black Moth Super Rainbow

Araabmuzik - MVP of the MPC video via YouTube

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