Friday, May 4, 2012

Don't Miss the Opener: Youth Lagoon


I know many of you are going to see Death Cab for Cutie at ACL Live tonight and I won't judge nor fault you for that. After all, who hasn't been caught in the spell of the Gibbard? Even Zoey D. was temporarily under his spell in spite of the fact that he once wrote a song called Why You'd Want to Live Here all about what a wretched place Los Angeles is and how all of the people who live there are vapid and shallow. Enough gossiping, the whole purpose of this post is to highlight Youth Lagoon. They are playing the support slot for DCFC and I really want those of you with tickets to catch their set. On record, Youth Lagoon is the brainchild of Trevor Powers who wrote the songs that make up his debut as an outlet during his time at the University of Boise. The Year of Hibernation is already a critical darling and I count myself in the chorus of people who champion the record. I'm not in love with the production values but the songwriting is truly solid and I expect the live show to be quite impressive.


Youth Lagoon - Montana video via YouTube

For those of you, like me, who won't be at the DCFC show tonight and thus won't be catching Youth Lagoon we'll have another chance in November. I know it's quite a ways away at this point but Youth Lagoon will be doing a headlining tour at the end of the year that will make its way to Emo's in November. Although, I suppose that information might have been referring to November 2011, I don't remember?
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Posted by Unknown at 4:17 PM
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Active Child at the Mohawk

Photo Credit: Ricky Chapman

Active Child is the musical expressions of a tall ginger named Pat. He has a high tenor voice and he sang in a boy's choir in Philadelphia as a child. His Dad moved the family out to L.A. where he worked for the record label that released the first N.W.A. record. The first time I heard Active Child was at FunFunFun Fest 2011. I missed most of their set but caught the last song and a half. I was completely mesmerized by the mix of electronic textures and that other worldly high voice coming out of that giant of a man. I listened to the album a few times on Spotify then out of nowhere I found myself listening obsessively. First it was just the song, Playing House over and over, then it was the first 3-4 songs, then I couldn't stop singing Way Too Fast. Next thing you know, I"m at End of an Ear and Waterloo Records digging through their vinyl bins on a mission to own You Are All I See on vinyl. It took several trips and much inquiry but now I have the album on vinyl and I listen to it whenever I have a lot of writing to get done. It is a musical mediation, with themes of love and loss, obsession and pain and I can't get enough of it. You can find out what all the fuss is about at the Mohawk tonight for a mere $10, or $12 if you want to risk it and just pay at the door.


Active Child - Hanging On video via YouTube

Balam Acab and Superhumanoids are playing the support slots starting at 9pm. Expect Active Child to take to the stage around 11pm, it's Friday night so the sound curfew goes a little later.
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Posted by Unknown at 2:30 PM
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Justin Townes Earle with Tristen

Photo Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

Justin Townes Earle lastest album, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now, is his most intimate record to date. It has Jazz, Country, and Americana influences and feels like his most personal work. Imagine Van Morrison and Dr. John collaborating with Ryan Adams and you are getting close to the sound of NGCTWYFAMN. I don't know what informed the songwriting for JTE's latest album but it sounds like he was in a relationship and they drifted a part. This isn't a typical break-up record, I mean just look at the title, that isn't a you cheated sort of situation that's a what happened to us situation. Shit got real y'all and JTE is exorcising the demons of love. Catch him at Antone's tonight, tickets will only set you back $16.


Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now (trailer) video via YouTube

If you are going to see Justin Townes Earle at Antone's tonight, promise me you will arrive early enough to see Tristen. If you haven't seen me write about Tristen then you haven't been paying attention. I adore her and I want everyone to love her as much as I do. I have seen her perform three times and each time was with a different combination of musicians. One of those performances was just Tristen, Buddy and a drum machine it was good but to get the true experience it's best to hear her with a full band. Well, on this tour Tristen will be backed by a full band and she does not mess around in choosing her touring musicians. She is based in Nashville and she selects some of the city's best available talent to propel her music. At the moment, Tristen is still supporting her 2011 release, Charlatans at the Garden Gate but you can expect to hear lots of unreleased material as well. She is a prolific writer and she refuses to play the same song cycle over and over.


Tristen - Baby Drugs video via YouTube
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Posted by Unknown at 10:43 AM
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Thursday, May 3, 2012

Planning Ahead: Another Ticket Link Roundup Post

Well folks it's a new month, which means it's time to get prepared for all of the awesome upcoming shows in and around Austin. As usual, this list is not comprehensive, it is simply intended to be a highlighter. I do not, necessarily, endorse all of the shows I will link to some of them I have included for you more than for me. If the show appears with a strike-through then unfortunately it is already sold-out, if the artist's name is simply bold without a link that means there is no ticket page (yet). All you have to do to buy tickets is to click the name of the artist, the ticket purchase page will open in a new window and you can take it from there.

Let's start with tonight shall we? Austin's-own Strange Boys are back in town and they'll be tearing up the Mohawk's outside stage. I don't think all of the band is based here anymore but we will still claim them as our own, just like we do with Spoon and all of the other bands who may or may not actually live in Austin anymore. Their latest release Live Music really sort of floated under my radar but it has some really great tunes. It's not a live album and in fact the title is with a short "i" sound as in live and let live. Tickets are still available and since the show was announced not too long ago you may even be able to just pay at the door.


Strange Boys - Doueh video via YouTube

Friday, May 2nd


Saturday, May 5th


Tuesday, May 8th


Wednesday, May 9th


Thursday, May 10th


Friday, May 11th


Saturday, May 12th


Sunday, May 13th


Wednesday, May 16th


Thursday, May 17th


Friday, May 18th


Saturday, May 19th


Tuesday, May 22nd


Wednesday, May 23rd


Friday, May 25th


Saturday, May 26th


Sunday, May 27th


Tuesday, May 29th


Wednesday, May 30th


Thursday, May 31st


Friday, June 1st


Saturday, June 2nd


Sunday, June 3rd


Tuesday, June 5th


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Tuesday, June 19th


Thursday, June 21st


Friday, June 22nd


Saturday, June 23rd


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Tuesday, June 26th


Thursday, June 28th


Friday, June 29th


Saturday, June 30th


Monday, July 2nd


Friday, July 6th


Tuesday, July 10th


Thursday, July 12th


Friday, July 13th


Thursday, July 19th


Thursday, August 2nd


Friday, August 3rd
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Posted by Unknown at 1:48 PM
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Review: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs


Last night's Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs show at the Mohawk was exactly what I wanted it to be. TEED did not have his dancers and he performed without stage lighting but he was wearing a feathered costume that I had seen in photographs. He hit the stage shortly after midnight with three tables worth of electronic equipment. I'm not sure if the show ever officially sold-out but the inside room was packed to the gills. I thought the sound for the support acts was kind of quiet but by the time TEED took the stage the bass was chest-rattlingly loud. I was crammed against the front speaker tower and the rhythm was controlling my breathing. The audience was full of fans, with most people knowing most of the lyrics to most of the songs. There is very little material that has been released in the U.S., which means these folks had been studying YouTube videos and/or downloading from BitTorrent.

The music was thumping dance jams some I recognized some I didn't. Most of the set blended from song to song without pause, with a few exceptions. As far as stage banter, there was very little speaking just singing and dancing. It is difficult for me to describe the dance mayhem that was happening in that cramped little room. Especially when Garden and Tapes & Money were played, the whole dance floor became a single, sweaty unit of pogo-ing fools who were completely losing their minds. TEED's music has elements of all of electronic music's subgenres with emphasis on some particularly dirty bass grooves that were very Chicago-House. From start to finish last night's set was a party and I really hope that the fine folks over at Transmission are able to book Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs for the Blue stage at FunFunFun Fest. His music deserves a larger scale audience and stage show. I've heard that in Europe he has glitter cannons!

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Posted by Unknown at 10:51 AM
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Interview: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs


I have been trying to convince my friends and co-workers to go to tonight's Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs show at the Mohawk. One of the things I've been telling them is that it could be one of the most important shows of the year. Sure, that's somewhat hyperbolic but I honestly believe it. TEED's music is completely infectious and undeniably good. In Europe he is already performing at festivals so, to have the opportunity to see him play in the tiny little room inside the Mohawk is an extremely rare opportunity. Tonight's show will be one of those experiences where you'll tell people you saw TEED and the Mohawk inside and they'll be flabbergasted. All of the elements of future fame are there. He's got blogger buzz, he's big in the U.K., he has the approval of platinum-selling superstars, and he's on the verge of releasing his debut full-length album. I didn't even mention the best part, which is that tickets are only $10. I had the chance to send some questions to TEED in anticipation of tonight's show at the Mohawk and you can find those below the break. In the meantime, you should desk-dance to this song:


Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Tapes & Money video via YouTube


  • You've been called the hot new dance act from England in numerous publications.  Is that inspiring or does it simply inspire pressure and stress?
    • Errr...honestly, that's just weird. I like making music and I'm really happy people like what I make.
  • What has been the most surreal moment of your music career thus far?
    • It's always surreal traveling around dressing up playing music.
  • What has been the most encouraging thing for you so far?  Most discouraging?
    • It's good when people make noise and dance, it's bad when I don't get enough sleep.
  • When other people remix your music does it feel like they're messing with your children or do you enjoy hearing other's interpretations of your music?
    • No, it's cool. The original is always finished first so I'm happy to hear what people do with it.
  • I'm sure you've been asked to do lots of remixes for other people in the past year or more, which request was the most shocking to you?  Who would you like to remix but haven't yet?
    • Lady Gaga definitely, I didn't think that would happen. I would like to remix people with completely different sounds to me.

Lady Gaga - Marry the Night Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur remix via YouTube

  • Can Austin expect the full, dinosaur-costume, head-dress, on-stage dancer regalia at the Mohawk or did you have to scale back your stage production for the U.S. tour
    • Wait and see... but yeah, I had to fly.
  • If money and general feasibility were no object, what sort of stage show would you create?
    • I don't know. I think a good show is one that makes the most out of the shitty venues and small amounts of money we have to play with. I've still got a way to go there.
  • Do you still have/wear your first dino-costume that your mother helped you to sew?
    • I've still got it somewhere, but it's been a while since I put it on. Maybe I should get it back out.
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Posted by Unknown at 9:55 AM
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Friday, April 27, 2012

Psych and Moontower Fests, Respectively

Psych Fest starts tonight and Moontower Comedy Festival continues. Meanwhile, I feel like hanging out on the sofa in my underwear with Miss Paws and Mr. S. I guess I've gotten old Austin. I don't really know when it happened but for some reason it feels very official today. My joints ache and I just want to stay in, don't judge me, it could happen to you too! For those of you who aren't sad, old men like me I'll highlight some things for you to enjoy, while I'm in bed with The Hunger Games books.

Peaking Lights headline the Beauty Ballroom tonight. People fucking love that record and with Sleep Over and Ringo Deathstarr also on the bill tonight, Beauty Ballroom could be a great one-stop destination for some trippy-ass tunes. At this point in the game, you can not buy tickets to Psych Fest online but you can pay $45 at the door, which gets you access to ALL of the shows within a single day. You can find the complete line-up here. That may seem steep but it's pretty fair considering how many bands you'll have the chance to see.


Peaking Lights - Hey Sparrow video via YouTube


As far as the Moontower Comedy Festival goes, tonight and tomorrow are the last nights so at this point it would be pretty silly of you to buy a badge if you haven't already. I would suggest you commit to a venue and buy an individual ticket. Tonight, I would suggest you check out John Mulaney at the Parish or JB Smoove at the Mohawk. If you bring a friend of a different race to 29th St. Ballroom tonight for W. Kamau Bell they're doing a 2 for 1 admission.

There's tons of other elements to both of these festivals so, if you feel like hitting the town this weekend you shouldn't be want for things to choose from.


W. Kamau Bell - Two Questions That you NEVER Ask Black People About Their Hair video via YouTube
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Posted by Unknown at 4:59 PM
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Hospitality and Eleanor Friedberger at Frank

With all of the festival hub-bub this weekend it's easy to overlook some of the other quality events going on in Austin. Especially when said events take place in a gourmet hot dog restaurant in the warehouse district. Well Bloggy-faithful, I'm here to point you in the right direction, which isn't to say those festivals are the wrong direction, this is just another choice for you. Hospitality have released an indie-pop confection of a record that have been on repeat at Bloggy-HQ throughout most of the year. I had the chance to see them during SXSW this year and they truly delivered. Their songs have great melodies and you'll find yourself humming them for days after listening. In a live setting they sound even better than on the record. The vocals are on point and the band is a cohesive, well-rehearsed unit. As far as the venue is concerned, Frank actually has great sound, especially when you consider it's a restaurant. However, it is a cramped little space and you will have to wade through the crowd and squeeze by the stage if you need to use the bathroom so, don't drink too much. Tickets are quite reasonable at around $12 and look on the bright-side, you won't have to deal with 6th St. on a Saturday night.


Hospitality - Friends of Friends video via YouTube


The ticket site lists Eleanor Friedberger as the headliner tomorrow night, which shouldn't surprise me since she has been around a lot longer and she played after Hospitality at the Merge Records showcase during SXSW. Her set is a lot quieter and more intimate than what you will hear from Hospitality. She performs solo, just herself and a guitar. Here lyrics are intimate, clever, coy and occasionally bitter and biting. During her SXSW set she informed the audience that she was going to play quietly so that they would be quiet. I would expect she'll try the same thing at Frank tomorrow night and I hope that it works. As I mentioned, Frank is an intimate performance space and when someone is talking it is very disruptive to the performer and the audience. The performer can plainly see the audience so I wouldn't be too surprised if Friedberger called people out.


Eleanor Friedberger - I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight video via YouTube
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Posted by Unknown at 9:54 AM
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Lee Fields and the Expressions at the Continental Club

With everything going on in Austin the last couple of weeks, tonight's Lee Fields & the Expressions show at the Continental Club really snuck up on me. Thankfully, I bought myself and Mr. S. some tickets as soon as the show was announced. I know a lot of you have other plans tonight but Lee Fields doesn't go on until 11:30p so you should consider working this show into your schedule. If you're a fan of Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones or soul music in general then I bet you'll be thoroughly impressed with Lee Fields. If you can't make it out to tonight's show then you should at least check out Lee's latest album Faithful Man, it's an instant classic. My particular jam is I Still Got It. In the meantime here's a live video fo the title track courtesy of Your Tru.ly.


Lee Fields - Faithful Man video via YouTube


I'm not entirely sure what the ticket situation is for tonight. I know that the buy ticket link is no longer on the Continental's page but that doesn't mean it's sold-out. They are pretty old-school so I would suspect that you can pay a cover charge to get in. The tickets were $17 so bring a $20 for sure. If it is sold-out, I would think they would list that on their site but like I said they are pretty old-school so, who knows? When I bought my ticket online I was sent to a PayPal page if that gives you any idea.


Lee Fields - You're the Kind of Girl video via YouTube
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Posted by Unknown at 9:38 AM
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Moontower Comedy and Oddity Fesitval


The Moontower Comedy an Oddity Festival kicks off for the first time every tomorrow evening with comedy showcases all over the city. The festival will run from Wednesday night through Saturday night with a lot of the comedians performing a few times so everyone will get a chance to see them perform. I've made a Spotify Playlist so you can preview some of the acts who will be performing but there are many who are not on Spotify. The comedians range in age, experience and exposure and their styles are just as varied. If you'd like to attend all or part of the festival, there are three different levels of entry available. If you just want to buy your way in to a specific performance there are Individual Tickets. At the mid-level, you can purchase the You Betcha I'm Somebody pass, which even included parking downtown. Lastly, you can be a baller and go for broke with the Hell Yeah I'm a VIP pass. The VIP pass will get you guaranteed first entry into ALL of the shows, including the biggest events happening at the Paramount Theater. You can find the full line-up for the festival here. In the meantime, here's one of my highlights:


Maria Bamford - Sex Hole video via YouTube

Since this is the first year for the Moontower Comedy Festival I really don't know what to expect. The venues are scattered throughout the city so be sure to plan accordingly. I know that there are nights when I will want to catch sets at Cap City Comedy Club followed by sets downtown. If you're doing the same make sure not to plan back to back sets without any gap in between.

Who are you most excited to see? Are you planning to get passes or simply buy your way in to individual events?



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Posted by Unknown at 10:47 AM
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