The Weekend Starts Tonight!

The weekend starts tonight if you're awesome and you are so let's go out! We Are Scientists return to Austin this evening and they're playing one of my favorite rooms, Red 7 inside. Tickets are still available at the moment but I expect it will sell-out at the door or sooner. Doors for tonight's show are at 9pm and Paws is opening so be sure to arrive early.


We Are Scientists - Sprinkles video via YouTube

If you're a serious locavore and you want to partake in Austin music, then I recommend you head east to catch Big Bill at Hotel Vegas. Their Bandcamp tags tell you more about Big Bill then I ever could: "atx rock alternative billwave garage indie new wave punk surf punk Austin". The only tag they really need is "Billwave". Arrive early (10ish) to catch sets from Basketball Shorts and Barf Bag.



Perhaps you want to keep things local but you'd prefer something a little more hip-hip/soul/R&B flavored? Well, you're in luck because Riders Against the Storm (RAS) perform at Sahara Lounge this evening. Austin's music scene is more than just a bunch of ugly dudes with guitars throwing microphones...allegedly.


Riders Against the Storm (RAS) - Shake video via YouTube


Read more!

Review: Austin Psych Fest 2014

Now that Austin Psych Fest is firmly in our rearview mirrors we can look back reflectively. Let's take a journey of the mind to a few days ago. This was the second year APF took place out at Carson Creek Ranch. You may remember last year I was a bit hesitant because I had never been out there and I thought it might be a logistical nightmare. I'm sure for some it can still be troublesome to travel to and from Carson Creek Ranch but since I'm not much of a drinker, I live in South Austin and I have a car and it was no big deal. The story I heard the most this weekend had to do with the dust. However, most of the people I heard complaining about the dust were the people wearing the "guest" wristbands. That just says to me, thanks for the free show but can you do something about the weather?

Yes, it was dusty and if I had expensive camera equipment I would probably have been much more annoyed by it. Obviously I don't like breathing in a bunch of dust either, which is why I wore a bandana over my face. I also had one on my neck to combat the sun but that's enough about me and how ridiculously prepared I was. The music at Austin Psych Fest redefines the idea of psychedelic music. I saw a dude wearing a T-Shirt from a typical psych music fest and it listed artists like moe, Phil Lesh and String Cheese Incident. I don't want to disparage those bands or festivals that would book artists like that but fuck that shit in the ear. Austin Psych Fest books a range of great psychedelic artists from around the world without resorting to that noodly guitar bullshit. APF bands are all about that dark, sludgy groove and lots of the bands I saw this weekend made me believers in that dark groove.


Cosmonauts - Sweet Talk video via YouTube

Let's get down to it shall we? I'm going to wrap things up similarly to how I previewed things with three highlights from each day. Firstly I should mention that I didn't attend every moment of the festival so surely there are acts that won't make my highlights list simply because I was not there. For instance, I know that Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks was a highlight for those in attendance but I didn't catch that set, so it's not going to be on my list.

Friday Highlights

• The Fresh& Onlys are the sort of band that didn't fit squarely on this festival's bill but they certainly have psychedelic elements to their sound. They played the Amphitheatre stage, which I truly enjoyed but I think it made the band feel uncomfortable. That particular stage was set-up to be a sit and listen stage and for a band that is used to playing tight clubs filled with rowdy patrons I think it was a bit disconcerting. Not only were people not rowdy, they weren't even standing up, which would have been less noticeable if the performance didn't take place in broad daylight. Regardless of the circumstances the band sounded fantastic. The powered through songs both old and new and inspired me to go home and listen to their records more.
• Peaking Lights, literally, put Mr. S. to sleep which says as much about Mr. S. as it does Peaking Lights. They weren't the most dynamic performers and I didn't love every moment of their set BUT the moments that I connected with were truly powerful. I can't explain what the heck they were doing to produce the sounds and the vocal was outrageously inconsequential but the sounds they were using and the way the song forms emerged out of them was pretty great.
• Psychedelic godfathers, The Zombies had no business sounding as good as they did. The vocals were clear and powerful, the instrumentation was tight and they played everything you would want to hear at a Zombies show. They also did something, which makes a lot of artists uncomfortable, which is to talk about themselves. Lots of young, new artists won't even say the name of their band while their performing. The Zombies seemed like they were on an educational tour about themselves and I thought that was really smart. They told us who covered their songs and gave the crowd context for what they were about to hear. It was both fun and educational.

Saturday Highlights

• Mark McGuire blew me away. I was not familiar with his previous band Emeralds and I have only listened to his records a couple of times. I enjoyed the recordings but I didn't expect him to be a one-man-band when he performed. Using a series of pedals and loop effects McGuire constructed beautifully lyrical instrumental arrangements before our very eyes. Between songs he was humble and appreciative of the experience. He said some New-Age-y things that would normally be a turn-off for me but given the context and the sincerity I actually appreciated it.
• I'm still not convinced I'm pronouncing Boogarins correctly, which is especially problematic because I want to talk to everyone about how great their set was. This Brazilian band brought the stoner rock but it was so much better than that label is.
  
  
  Boogarins - Lucifernandis video via YouTube
• Pure X is one of those Austin bands that seems to get way more respect in Europe than they get in their own hometown. I've been a fan of their records for years but their latest is definitely their greatest according to me. They have taken those dark, brooding, shoegazy elements that have always been present and put them in a more accessible pop radio context. Don't get it twisted though, Pure X aren't a pop band by a long shot. I'm just trying to say that their songwriting has reached new heights and if you weren't paying attention before you should certainly be paying attention now. Their set at APF was so fantastic that whenever I saw the band members for the rest of the weekend I felt nervous because they were so good it made me uncomfortable.

Sunday Highlights

• UK band Toy was another band whose set was so incredibly powerful that I was aghast. I loved Toy's first record and their last record just took things to the next level. This is a band that performs like they are on a mission to destroy. Obviously by the time I saw Toy I had seen similar bands all weekend but they were definitely the most driving of all of them. This is psychedelia meets trucker speed and it was fantastic.
• Cosmonauts were nothing like I expected them to be. For some reason I had in my head that they were much more chunky garage rock types but boy was I wrong. Cosmonauts had that shoegaze guitar sound mixed with a heavier rock sound. I haven't listened to their records much but I would definitely recommend seeing them in concert to anyone who has the opportunity. I hope the next time they come through Austin they play Red 7 inside because I would love to see a full set in a club from Cosmonauts.
• If you glanced through by APF preview post then you already know that War on Drugs is a band I was truly looking forward to this weekend and they delivered for me in a big way. If Kurt Vile and War on Drugs are involved in some sort of creative rivalry we are all benefiting. The latest LP from War on Drugs is the most immediately classic LP of 2014. It is powerful, emotional music that evokes some of the most iconic rock 'n roll acts of the past and present. There are elements of Springsteen, U2, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty but it's all re-imagined in this truly contemporary way. This is music for driving down the highway toward a brand-new life and much like Cosmonauts I want to see this band again in a club and I want to shout along to every word of every song with my eyes closed and my face toward the sky.

So, there you have it. Nine sets that I enjoyed immensely. Obviously there was a lot more to the festival than these nine sets but that's the parameters I set up for myself and that's what I'm sticking to. Thanks for reading.

Read more!

Planning for Austin Psych Fest

Austin Psych Fest officially starts on Friday but you can ease into your psychedelic groove tomorrow night at both the Mohawk and Red 7. If you already purchased APF Weekend Passes then these events are gratis until they're full. If you didn't get weekend passes, there are still a few tickets left to the Mohawk but Red 7 is already sold-out. You can buy tickets or pick-up your wristbands starting at 5:30pm on Thursday over at Empire Automotive.

Since these shows are open to Austin Psych Fest Weekend Pass holders, you'll want to arrive early as the clubs will hit capacity well before the headliners go on. I also expect it won't be easy to jump from one venue to the other so you'll really want to study those line-ups. If you're trying to get the most bang for your buck, you should start at the Mohawk because they open their doors at 6:30. The first set at Red 7 won't be until 9.


Night Beats - Hidden Circle video via YouTube

Austin Psych Fest 2014 Spotify Playlist

So, let's go through the schedule shall we? I can already tell you there are going to be a couple of scheduling conflicts when you'll want to see two (or more) bands performing at the same time but last year it was really easy to move between stages and they timed the sets out in a way that was conducive to catching the majority of both sets. Below you'll find a list of artists I like. There are other artist playing who are not listed below, I may or may not like them but they didn't make this list. If you're really into them, that's cool. Maybe they're not listed because I haven't heard them, maybe they're not listed because I don't like them, maybe they're not listed because I got too psychedlic before I wrote this and forgot. Buyer beware and all that jazz.

Friday

• 3:30 Bone Fur & Feathers | Reverberation Stage
• 3:45 Gap Dream | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 5:00 Quilt | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 5:30 Roger Sellers | Levitation Tent
• 5:45 Shannon & The Clams | Reverberation Stage
• 6:15 Terakaft | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 7:30 The Fresh & Onlys | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 8:15 Black Lips | Reverberation Stage
• 8:45 Peaking Lights | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 9:30 The Zombies | Reverberation Stage
• 10:00 Woods | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 10:45 The Dandy Warhols | Reverberation Stage
• 11:30 Oneohtrix Point Never | Levitation Tent
• 12:15 The Black Angels | Reverberation Stage
• 12:45 Liars | Levitation Tent

Saturday

• 1:15 Mirror Travel | Reverberation Stage
• 1:45 Mark McGuire | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 3:15 Steve Gunn | Reverberation Stage
• 3:45 Destruction Unit | Levitation Tent
• 4:15 Boogarins | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 4:30 Pure X | Reverberation Stage
• 5:30 Jacco Gardner | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 6:15 Moon Duo | Levitation Tent
• 7:00 Bombino | Reverberation Stage
• 7:30 Octopus Project | Levitation Tent
• 8:15 Temples | Reverberation Stage
• 9:00 Dead Meadow | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 9:30 Unknown Mortal Orchestra | Reverberation Stage
• 10:15 Acid Mothers Temple | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 10:45 The Horrors | Reverberation Stage
• 11:30 Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks | Levitation Tent
• 12:15 Brian Jonestown Massacre | Reverberation Stage
• 12:45 Of Montreal | Levitation Tent

Sunday

• 2:15 The Young | Reverberation Stage
• 3:45 Doug Tuttle | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 5:00 Greg Ashley | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 6:15 Kikagaku Moyo | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 7:00 Cosmonauts | Reverberation Stage
• 7:45 Toy | Levitation Tent
• 8:15 Mikal Cronin | Reverberation Stage
• 8:45 Sleepy Sun | Elevation Amphitheatre
• 9:30 The War on Drugs | Reverberation Stage
• 11:00 Panda Bear | Reverberation Stage
• 11:30 Bo Ningen | Levitation Tent
• 12:30 Loop | Reverberation Stage
• 12:45 Tobacco | Levitation Tent

Alright, I know these lists look a bit intimidating so here's three you can't miss for each day:

Can't Miss Friday

• The Fresh & Onlys
• Woods
• Liars

Can't Miss Saturday

• Jacco Gardner
• Temples
• The Horrors

Can't Miss Sunday

• The War on Drugs
• Toy
• Mikal Cronin

I can't even tell you guys how excited I am to see The War on Drugs. They are a fantastic live band and I adore their latest record. If you only remember one thing from this giant list of bands. Remember The War Drugs. Listen to The War on Drugs. See The War on Drugs. Buy The War on Drugs.


The War on Drugs - Red Eyes video via YouTube

Read more!

Remembering Kelly

Last night I planned to attend the Cloud Nothings show with The Men at the Mohawk so I did what any self-respecting blogger would do, I went to bed around 6pm, woke up around 8pm with the intent of heading downtown around 9pm. However, my plans changed very quickly after awaking from my disco nap. I had a Facebook message from my friend Merideth. She had attached a screenshot of a tweet from Glitoris saying that our dear friend Kelly was the pedestrian hit by the car Friday night. I looked at the message again in disbelief then I logged on to Twitter so I could see the update for myself but it still didn't fully sink in.

I had read the story of the drunk driver killing the pedestrian when I first woke up Saturday morning. My friend Chris had posted about it on Facebook because he was stuck in traffic when the SECOND drunk driver almost drove through the crime scene. I was aghast at the story but I never dreamed I would have a personal connection to the incident other than knowing a witness. That's why when I found out that the pedestrian was my friend Kelly, it was even more shocking.


My first interactions with Kelly were through Twitter. I hadn't been on Twitter very long, I don't think I even had 100 followers yet. I was searching my own username to see if anyone was talking about me when I stumbled upon the ATX Hipsters account. It was basically an RSS feed aggregating and sharing content from Austin Music Blogs. At first I was insulted at the insinuation that I was a hipster but I got over that pretty quickly. I messaged the elusive ATX Hipsters to thank them and ask if they could alter the script to it included our Twitter @ mentions when the stories were posted. I received an enthusiastic response saying what a great idea that was and the idea was implemented almost immediately.

In the months that followed I became more connected with ATX Hipsters online as well as the other content creators in his feed. I don't remember if Kelly and I met at a tweet-up or at a show but I know that Tuezgayz is really what started it all. There were about a dozen of us Austin scenester-types who were at Tuezgayz religiously for the first 6-10 weeks. It's hard to believe now but there was a time when it was like our little secret and it felt like we all knew each other and we all became friends. It was on those nights that I really got to know Kelly and he moved from a figure in my online life to a friend in my actual reality.

Over the years we grew closer. Since Kelly lived downtown I would text him whenever I was going to a show or whenever I knew I would be downtown. Before during and after SXSW he was my number one person to contact if I wanted to talk shit, or if I wanted to know about secret events. We used to love to spread rumors about secret Wilson Philips performances, we would text each other about lines and send each other tips about where to avoid. We walked the city together, we stood in lines together, we watched buzz bands together and we talked shit together.

Kelly loved his anonymity. He loved the idea that no one knew who or what "@atxhipsters" really was. In the wake of his tragic death I have seen tweets reaching out to the atxhipsters "team" or posts referring to Kelly as a she and it makes me chuckle. I feel like Kelly would love that to some he is still an enigma. He was a genius with coding and the scripts he wrote to create the atxhipsters twitter feed will live on and it will hurt my heart every time I write a post and receive a Twitter notification from atxhipsters.

What many of you may not have realized when you read about Kelly's tragic death is that he was killed about three blocks from his front door. Kelly lived at 11th and I-35, he was killed at 8th and I-35. Kelly hated drunk driving, he was known to let people who were too drunk in his bed while he slept on the couch. He and I had extensive conversations about the need for better public transportation in this city. The last time I spoke with him was two weeks ago and we brought it up then.

Austin is a city of alcohol tourism. We have at least three neighborhoods dedicated to the consumption of alcohol. People travel to our city from all over the world to get drunk. We need to stop burying our heads in the sand. The 6th st entertainment district over-serves their clients on a regular basis. No one should be carried out of a bar because they are too drunk to walk and that behavior is just normal for dirty 6th. The Austin bus system isn't horrible but it's not enough. This city desperately needs a more comprehensive public transportation network. That network should include trains, buses and contiguous sidewalks. Our city likes to boast of the miles of hike and bike trails but I would be pleased with a safe, contiguous sidewalk from my apartment to the grocery store. The Austin City Council is having one big circle jerk over the success of the B-Cycles while completely ignoring how many car vs bicycle accidents we have every year.

Kelly was hit by a drunk driver while trying to walk home. After the first asshole killed my friend, another drunk asshole almost killed the cops at the crime scene of Kelly's death. After THAT asshole was arrested ANOTHER ASSHOLE ALMOST DROVE INTO THE CRIME SCENE!! WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL AUSTIN?!?! My friend's death caught THREE drunk drivers at the same fucking intersection. You know the best part? You can see the fucking Austin Police Headquarters from where Kelly died.

I don't know what's going to happen in the wake of Kelly's death but I know that I'll never get to spend time with my friend again and that makes me really mad. I want to forgive whoever killed Kelly but also hope that person his haunted with the image of what they have done for the rest of their lives. I hope when they close their eyes the image of hitting my friend with their car is seared into the backs of their eyelids.

I don't really know where we go from here and I'm sure this isn't the best memorial I could have written for Kelly but I had to say something. I had to let you all know that I love Kelly. I'm glad he was my friend and I'm really, really pissed off that he's dead now. I'm even more pissed off that someone who was dear to my heart is now one of the several pedestrians killed by drunk drivers in Austin this year. Cars hitting pedestrians shouldn't be a normal thing. When I tell someone my friend was hit by a drunk driver while walking home, I shouldn't have to specify which car vs pedestrian incident I'm referring to.

Right now I want solutions. I don't want band-aid fixes, I don't want to hear all the reasons we can't beef up our infrastructure. I want people getting shit done. Don't ask me how are we going to pay for this infrastructure because so far we're paying for our lack of infrastructure in human blood. How many more of my friends have to die before we get our shit together?

Read more!

Review: Future Islands at Mohawk

Last night I was in attendance for the sold-out Future Islands show at the Mohawk. Future Islands are the returning champs of SXSW 2014 and last night's performance was their victory lap. Before the band took the stage I looked around and I saw so many members of so many Austin bands in the crowd. I also saw most of my fellow music bloggers and presumably some print media types too. In other words, it was the hipster show of night. Maybe even the hipster show of the week?

I'm not going to pretend I've been a big Future Islands fan since before they started getting buzz, because that would be a lie. I have been aware of the band for years, I have heard their records but last night was my first time seeing them perform live. Genre-wise, the band is kind of hard to nail down. They sort of sound like an 80's new wave band but there's more to it than that.


Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You) video via YouTube

It's no secret, Future Islands' lead singer Sam is the star of the show. He stalks the stage, unleashing bursts of movement, gyrating, gesturing, beating his chest and generally acting as if he is on the verge of coming unhinged. Sam was incredibly connected with the audience, making eye contact, pointing, shaking hands and being generally convivial. The core of Future Islands is their incredibly tight rhythm section, with melody provided by a keyboardist/computer-dude and the vocals. I'm still not sure how I feel about Sam's pro-wrestler/cookie monster voice that comes growling out on occasion but the crowd seemed to be into it and if it ain't broke don't fix it. By the end of the night Sam had sweat through his white T-Shirt and every one of his overly dramatic gestures caused great cascades of perspiration to fly through the air.

I had low expectations for the crowd because I knew that this was a show that a lot of people would want to say they were at. I strategically chose to watch from the floor level because the further you get from the stage the more casually attentive the audience becomes. I was hoping that remaining on the crowded ground level would mean people were more dedicated to paying attention to the performance and that was largely true. I also feel like the Mohawk's outside stage always sounds best on the ground level. It sounds good on the decks as well but if you're willing to sacrifice personal space the ground level is where it's at. It was also great to watch the people who were in the viewing area on the side of the stage singing along to every song and mimicking Sam's grand gestures. One of my favorite things in life is that feeling you get when you sing along at a show with your face toward the sky and your eyes closed tightly. There was a hell of a lot of that going on last night.

If you missed last night's show, I wouldn't fret too much. 2014 is a big year for Future Islands and I expect they'll be back through town again before it's over. I'm definitely going to include them in my Guess the Fest spreadsheet for FunFunFunFest. We'll know May 20th if I'm right or not.

Read more!

ACL Festival 2014: Line-Up Reveal

It's been over 24hrs since the Austin City Limits Festival line-up was revealed, which means tickets are on sale now. It also means we've all had some time to reflect on the line-up and form thoughtful opinions. Just kidding, we all formed snap judgements within moments of the announcement and now we are sticking to our guns on that. In a nutshell, I feel like this year's line-up is as exciting or more exciting than in previous years. Clearly, I'm a big hater in a general sense so I'm not really the target market for ACL Festival. If you want to sell-out a big-ass music festival you can't book a bunch of "cool" bands that assholes like me enjoy, at least not exclusively. You have to book bands that people who listen to the radio will be excited about. You have to book a band for the kids and a band for the people who brought those kids. You have to make Bob Schneider fans happy AND AVICII fans happy at the same time. So with that all in mind I'm going back to my original point which is, this year's line-up is good.


Bad Rabbits - Get Up and Go video via YouTube


For my purposes, I feel like a discussion of the headliners is mostly irrelevant. I'm "excited" to see Outkast but after the Coachella reviews I'm setting my expectations pretty low. I'm excited to see Beck and I'm hoping he headlines either Friday or Saturday so the CapMetro Bus System doesn't fuck me with their shitty Sunday night bus schedule. Now's the part where I just list bands I like who will be at ACL Fest this year:

• Outkast
• Beck
• Calvin Harris
• The Replacements
• Major Lazer
• Spoon
• Belle & Sebastian
• Interpol
• Broken Bells
• Chvrches
• St. Vincent
• Phantogram
• Iggy Azalea
• Jenny Lewis
• Sam Smith
• Jagwar Ma
• Mac Demarco
• Polica
• Temples
• Bleachers
• MO
• My Brightest Diamond
• Bad Rabbits
• Cults
• The Rosebuds
• Bully (Weekend 2)

I promised myself I wasn't going to do one of those things where I single out one of the acts and question their worthiness but can I just point out that Lana Del Rey is the 7th name on the list. We live in a world in which LDR gets higher billing than The Replacements. Just putting that out there. Also, I'm really hoping Belle & Sebastian has an aftershow.

Read more!

Review: Damien Jurado at Red 7

I want to start this post by acknowledging that I know very little about Damien Jurado. One of my good friends from High School has been trying to get me to listen to Damien Jurado for a decade or more and thanks to Jurado's most recent LP, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, I finally started paying attention. With that being said, I really can't report much about which songs were or were not played because I'm not that familiar with his catalogue. What I can tell you is that I almost didn't attend last night's show and that would have been a travesty. I arrived at Red 7 shortly after 10:30. I was expecting the first of three artists would be on stage when I entered but it turns out the second of three was already midway through his set. I was kind of bummed that I only got to hear two and half songs from Ola Podrida's David Wingo but what I did hear was beautiful and atmospheric.

Jurado took the stage shortly before 11pm and he started his line check. There was a distinctive hum/buzz in the line and the sound guy asked Jurado about it. Jurado said it's been doing that for the past few days but he didn't seem too concerned. The buzz was very audible and I could tell the sound guy was annoyed that he couldn't get rid of it but he was resigned to just try to lower it in the mix and accept that it would be there throughout the performance. When Jurado first started performing all I really heard was that buzz but by the time he hit the chorus of the first song not only was the buzz not a distraction it complimented the atmosphere of the songs with a distant AM radio vibe.


Damien Jurado - Jericho Road video via YouTube

For the first twenty minutes of the set I had total tunnel vision. I was so focused on the lyrics and the performance that when someone standing next to me accidentally brushed my arm I was completely startled because I had forgotten there were other people in the room. The audience was so completely quiet all you could hear was the songs and the distant hum of cars on 7th street. Not only was the audience almost completely silent, they kept their phones in their pockets and they simply listened. Needless to say, it was an eerie experience considering the utter disregard most Austin audiences have for a performance. There was a moment where it felt like we were all getting Langoliered and the show was going to end with the sound of Jurado cooing as the audience was blissfully eaten-up by those time creature things. Maybe that was just me though?

Jurado was by himself on stage armed with an acoustic guitar, some chorus and reverb affects and his voice. The performance felt naked, vulnerable and honest. He emoted in a way that didn't feel like a contrived performance as much as a genuine expression. This is a man who has lived the majority of his adult life on a stage A performer who has learned how to command a stage without resorting to any sort of tricks or gimmicks. The set was an hour long, with Jurado returning for a three song encore. The library-like quiet wasn't maintained throughout the entire performance but it was pretty damned close.

This is a crazy week for sold-out shows in Austin and last night's performance at Red 7 was the antithesis of most of those other shows. For me an ideal live music experience involves both the performers and audience giving in to the moment for as close to the duration of the performance as humanly possible. If you're in the audience, that means yielding attention from yourself for the duration of a band's set. It means talking time is later, right now let's all be together and listen. It means, taking some photos is cool but try to spend most of the time enjoying your actual reality. The folks who turned up for Damien Jurado last night get it, the people shouting along the lyrics in Orville's face at an OBN IIIs show get it too. It's not about being quiet as a mouse, it's about respecting the performance and getting what you paid for by enjoying the moment. Most importantly it's about trying not to annoy me. Can we all just work together toward trying to annoy me less? Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Read more!

Easter Shmeaster

It's Easter weekend, which means Jelly Beans, Chocolate Rabbits and something about Mel Gibson sugar tits jews? IDK much about religion because I worship indie-rock and my spirituality is based on that show Sliders with Jerry O'Connell. I can tell you that if you want to hit the town and listen to some live music there are several good options. Shivery Shakes are playing a SXSW Cares benefit with Big Bill and Templo X at Spiderhouse Ballroom tonight. Not only are those bands kick ass, it's a benefit show so you can enjoy some music while negotiating your white-liberal guilt complex. You can also just donate to the cause if you wish.



Tomorrow is Record Store Day, which means I won't be sleeping in because I'll be getting in line three hours before the record stores open like the rest of the nerds. Some of the shops are doing "events" but the shopping is event enough for me. I'm not going to get into all of the details but I'll tell you that End of an Ear has my heart and Waterloo Records is going to have the biggest selection. If you're good at shotgunning beer you should bring some over to Trailer Space Records and demonstrate your skills for a discount. Speaking of Trailer Space they have some kick ass bands playing pretty much every day and tomorrow is no exception.

For your Saturday evening there are lots of good choices but not all of them are available at the moment. Canadian smoke-monster, Trust is performing a sold-out set on Red 7's inside stage. I saw that motherfucker at SXSW and the set was pretty bonkers. RIYL: 80's Night at Elysium.

If you didn't get tickets for Trust but you're still in the mood for a touring act, The Sounds will be at Emo's on Saturday night. They have Ghost Beach and Blondfire with them so arrive early to get more for your money. Tickets are still available and it wouldn't really surprise me if you could just buy them at the door tomorrow.

Did I mention Reggae Fest is this weekend? No? I wonder why I didn't mention that.

Read more!

Spending Time and Money on a Saturday

If downtown calls to you on a Saturday night, as it's want to do, I have a few ideas for how you might want to spend your time and money. First things first, who's driving? Who's drinking? What's your timeline? Where are you gonna park? What the fuck are you thinking? Maybe you should just stay home. Blog over.


Pure X - Heaven video via YouTube

The new Pure X record is spaced-out psychedelic-easy-listening. I'm not even sure that's a thing but it sort of makes me feel like I'm listening to a warped Real Estate record after drinking more than the recommended dosage of Tussin. Maybe that's not the most appealing description but I thoroughly enjoy this band and I think you might as well. They're playing Empire Control Room this evening along with M Geddes Gengras. This event should only cost you $8 at the door and I'd expect music to start closer to 10pm.

Maybe psychedelic easy-listening's not your thing? I can respect that. Sometimes you need something a bit more visceral, a real-ass rock 'n roll experience. Well, if that's your thing then you should head on over to Beerland for the Ghetto Ghouls' record-release show. You can buy the band's self-titled LP now from Monofonous for $15 or you can put that money in the hands of the band that made it (or people who know them) at Beerland this evening. Tonight's show is a tour kick-off show, so maybe you could fling fuel cards at the stage instead of just empty beer cans tonight?



Ok, so you don't like psychedelic-easy-listening, you're not interested in the Ghetto Ghouls show either, maybe I can interest you in some power-pop? Cheer-Up Charlies is always the perfect place to end up any night you happen to be downtown and tonight is no exception. First of all admission is free to anyone over 21+ so, if you're tight on funds there's that. If you're not tight on funds, there's usually a donation can at the door for the bands I'm about to recommend. Alms for the poor and all that. The line-up includes Party Girl, Those Howlings, The Mole People, and Growl. Check the Event Page for set times.

Not into guitars whatsoever? Damn boo, you picky. I gotchu though. This is Austin, so far this post has kept shit local. If we're going with that vibe I'm pointing you over to Lambert's for Corduroi and Holiday Mountain. I heard Laurie Gallardo call Holiday Mountain "dub-pop" on KUT. I'm not exactly sure I know what that means but I do know that this poster will tell you everything you need to know about this event. #molly



Ok, so you don't like psych-easy, you're not into garage-punk, you don't like power-pop/guitar-shit and that Holiday Mountain poster scared the shit out of you. Well I have a recommendation even for a judgy prick such as yourself. International superstar DJ/Producer Duke Dumont is in Austin hot on the heels of his Coachella appearance last night and he's playing Kindgom. That's right, the club you get to in that alley behind the Frost Tower is hosting Duke Dumont tonight. If that's not exciting to you, then either you're not into dance music, you're not as gay as I am, or you just discovered Disclosure in which case you'll regret missing this show in roughly 8 months. Tickets are $20 for this show and I wouldn't expect that they'll be available by the time the doors open so if you want in, pay now.


Duke Dumont - Need U (100%) video via YouTube

Still not hearing anything that appeals to you?

Start your own blog.

#dontdodrugs

Read more!

Equals

Austin's-own Equals will celebrate the release of their debut LP this evening with a show at Empire Control Room. Tickets are still available online if you're a pay ahead kind or person but you can also pay at the door. Equals is an instrumental post-rock band that I am already a big fan of. If the first singles from the new LP are any indication, Tracts is definitely going to kick some serious ass.



Also joining tonight's album-release party will be Roger Sellers. Not only did Roger record vocals for the new Equals LP, he himself is celebrating his recent signing to Punctum Records. His performance this evening will feature a full-band.

As if that weren't enough, arrive early enough and you can even catch a set from Future Death. Their new LP is due out next month and the leading track already received a favorable review in Pitchfork.

I know there is always a lot going on tonight but I just wanted to make sure you considered this show. All of the bands on the bill are local, all of them have new material out now or in the near future and the projectors at the venue are really cool. So, just keep this event in mind this evening ok?

Read more!