Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > December
December 2008
Weekend picks for 1/2-1/4
FRIDAY
- Built by Snow at the Mohawk
- Sad Wings, Drifter at Red Eyed Fly
- The Lemurs, Ringo Deathstarr at Emo’s
SATURDAY
- Riverboat Gamblers at the Mohawk
- The Ugly Beats at Emo’s
- Mickey and the Motorcars at Antone’s
- Flametrick Subs at Beerland
SUNDAY
- Heybale! at Continental Club
- The Always Already, Haunting Oboe Music at Emo’s
- Lowdown Shaky Chill, Los Hispanos UK at Red 7
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Music
Malford Milligan is moving to Milwaukee
Malford Milligan is moving to Milwaukee and Antone’s is giving him a big send-off Jan. 6.
Expect the Blue Monday band of the past and the current Blue Tuesday Band including Derek O’Brien, Chris Layton, David Grissom, Tommy Shannon and more.
Advance tickets are available online at www.antones.net
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
James McMurty’s another Austin artist who cleans up on year-end lists.
Austin, Texas, ladies and gentlemen, home of the critically acclaimed and under-employed.
James McMurtry’s “Just Us Kids” may have come in no. 2 on our own AMP Awards, but it came in at no. 1 on critic Geoffrey Himes list for the Baltimore City Paper. Here are a few more, cribbed from McMurty’s MySpace page:
USA Today: no. 2 album of the year
Entertainment Weekly: Stephen King’s no. 3 album of the year
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: No. 4 album of the year
Americana Music Chart: No. 2 album of the year
Popmatters: no. 5 Americana album of the year
McMurty plays a two-night stand Jan. 9 and 10 at Cactus Cafe, then heads off to Europe with Jon Dee Graham and Ian McLagan.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Man charged with KLBJ threat
Austin police have arrested a man they say walked into KLBJ studios Tuesday afternoon, displayed a gun and threatened to “go postal,” police Lt. Cedric Hudson said.
Police have charged Rocky Perez Lopez, 51, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Bail had not been set late Tuesday.
Lopez, who Hudson said was a former Department of Public Safety officer, is accused of walking into KLBJ’s offices, at 8309 N. Interstate 35, about 2:30 p.m. and displaying a gun while speaking with a producer there, Hudson said.
The gun was in his waistband, Hudson said.
After threatening the producer, Lopez walked out, Hudson said. On his way out, he left his name and papers with his name on them, Hudson said.
Hudson said police later tracked Lopez down to a home in the 9300 block of Queenswood Drive in South Austin and arrested him.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Radio
Gourds’ South Austin roots are no masquerade
The Gourds do relish audacity. Now, witness the Austin quintet’s boldest statement yet: “Haymaker!” Singer-songwriter Kevin Russell says the band’s new album - a trademark composite of country blues and surrealistic vignettes due Jan. 6 - lives up to its knockout name. “Haymaker’s a boxing term for a big roundhouse, and we felt like we landed a pretty solid punch with this record,” Russell says. “Plus, it’s the only title we could agree on.” Expect glimpses at the Gourds’ New Year’s Eve masquerade ball.
American-Statesman: The South Austin references in `Tex-Mex Mile’ are too good to be fictional.
Kevin Russell: Yeah, it’s pretty factual. I used to live in a little house around West Annie and South First (streets) that’s a chiropractor’s office now. It was a carefree time. (Gourds bassist) Jimmy (Smith) and me split $275 monthly rent two ways, and I had no TV and no car. Those were wake-and-bake days with nothing to do. We’d hear sirens going at the same time every night, which we called the “South Austin Lullaby.”
How did living specifically in South Austin during the early Gourds days influence your songwriting?
Immensely. There was a lot of communal freedom there. People were always on their front porches, walking around and talking to each other. That probably still goes on, but the more affluent people get, the more private they are. They lose the spirit of community because they don’t need it. That’s the case with me, too. I moved out of that part of Austin because I had more kids and needed a bigger house.
Does that relate to the new songs Country Love' andCountry Gal’?
I have two more that I do in my Shinyribs (solo) shows called “Country DJ” and “Country Cool,” but they’re all separate. I wrote “Country Gal” at the French Broad River Festival near the mountains in Asheville, N.C. There were huge rains, the river was raging and I was in a little cabin by the river. It was idyllic and totally muddy. Those festivals are about music and partying, and there’s a definite sexual tension between the kids. “Country Love” is purely about going camping in the country.
You must be working up a new cover for the New Year’s Eve show.
Oh yeah, “Rock the Casbah” by the Clash, which is awesome (laughs).
The masquerade ball benefits the Capital Area Food Bank, a particularly pressing cause right now.
It’s so important. You should give to the food bank just like you give blood, because you might be the one who needs it a few months down the road. It doesn’t take much to be in that situation. Donating food is a direct way to influence and improve the lives of people in your community.
There’s always a big push around the holidays, but what would you encourage people to do that extends throughout the year?
I’m a typical American who buys too much. So, I clean out my pantry twice a year to give to the food bank. It’s a great way to reorganize your life and give food to people who need it.
The Gourds perform at 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Waterford House, 2008 Brandt Road. Advance tickets are $32-$40. 888-512-7469; frontgatetickets.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Legend coming to Austin Jan. 23
Rising star John Legend will bring his sophisticated R&B to the Bass Concert Hall on Jan. 23. London-based singer/rapper Estelle, the first signee to Legend’s HomeSchool label, will open. Showtime is at 8:30 p.m.
Priced $45- $99 before surcharges, tickets are available at most area HEB stores, the Erwin Center box office and other Texas Box Office locations. To order by phone call 477-6060.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Musicmania Top 10 for the week ending Dec. 28
Lil’ Keke ‘Love By Few Hated By Many’ (TF Records)
Jamie Foxx ‘Intuition’ (J Records)
SPM ‘Last Chair Violinist’ (Dope House)
Plies ‘Da Realist’ (Atlantic)
Keyshia Cole ‘A Different Me’ (Geffen)
Trae ‘Streets Advocate’ (Oarfin)
Scarface ‘Emeritus’ (Rap-A-Lot)
Anthony Hamilton ‘Point Of It All’ (Arista)
Z-RO ‘Crack’ (Rap-A-Lot)
Kanye West ‘808S & Heartbreak’ (Def Jam)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Old 97’s show love for home cookin’
Among the lessons learned at a pretty packed La Zona Rosa on Saturday night: the Old 97’s know how to cook.
Not in the culinary sense - though something suggests bassist Murry Hammond has got some “Top Chef”-level game - but in that way that only sun-seared southern roots and country bands can pull off.
It’s what happens when a song’s closing bridge turns into a greased lightning race track and every member of a band stays locked into a girder-strong rhythm playing faster (Faster, FASTER!) and not really soloing (despite guitarist Ken Bethea’s fingers literally dancing across his instrument’s neck) so much as twisting the song’s dominant key and melody inside out.
The Dallas combo’s old-reliable lament “Doreen” was the first song of several songs that cooked on Saturday, issuing a clear reminder that its country roots still run deep despite the Graham Parsons-meets-Big Star territory mined in recent records.
All facets of the Old 97’s were on display Saturday, from the power pop of “Murder (Or A Heart Attack)” and “Rollerskate Skinny” to rootsier back catalog stuff (“Barrier Reef,” “Here’s To The Halcyon”), making a case for the band as one of the more underrated of the last decade.
Not that any of that was on the foursome’s minds. Instead they were clearly unwound and carefree, “It ain’t punk, but it’ll do for now,” Hammond quipped about 90 minutes into a show that clocked in about two songs shy of two hours.
After an almost non-existant encore break, lead singer Rhett Miller returned alone to play a song destined for his about-to-be-recorded solo record (“the Old 97’s keep turing it down,” he joked) that we’re guessing is called “Two Is Enough, And You’d Make Three.”
After a Miller/Hammond on the pretty, yearning “Valentine,” Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples took their spots again for a powerful stretch run that included “Four-Leaf Clover” and closed with the band cooking again on the burly oldie (for them) “Time Bomb.”
Earlier in the night Hammond shared that with the band members now living in different part of the country it’s a treat to return to see family in Texas during the holidays and let loose at shows with familiar fans.
And it’s hard to argue with him. Clearly, the home cooking has done them good. —Chad Swiatecki
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
SXSW releases more confirmed acts
Just before heading out on holiday break, the folks at SXSW released a few more names of acts who’ll be heading to Austin in March:
Ra Ra Riot (Syracuse, NY)
Gabriella Cilmi (AUSTRALIA)
Ximena Sariñara (Mexico City, MEXICO)
Primal Scream (Glasgow SCOTLAND/UK)
Friendly Fires (St Albans, ENGLAND/UK)
B.o.B (Atlanta, GA)
Sage Francis (Providence, RI)
Buraka Som Sistema (Lisbon, PORTUGAL)
Arc Angels (Austin, TX)
Courteeners (Manchester, England/UK)
Raul Malo (Nashville, TN)
8Ball & MJG (Memphis, TN)
Reflection Eternal (New York, NY/Cincinnati, OH)
Wale (Washington, DC)
Pete & the Pirates (Reading, ENGLAND/UK)
Ben Harper and Relentless7 (Los Angeles, CA)
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2009
Escovedo to headline Wimberley benefit Jan. 4
Fresh from his near-sweep of the 2008 AMP Awards Alejandro Escovedo will play a fundraiser concert for Parkside Hill Country Montessori School of Wimberley at Memory Lane Special Events Center in Dripping Springs. Showtime is 5 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 4.
Wimberley resident Escovedo, whose youngest daughter Kiki attends the school, will be backed by guitarist Charlie Sexton, cellist Brian Standifer and violinist Warren Hood. Hood’s combo will open the show, which also features singer-songwriter Amanda Mora, who recently released her debut album “The Ribbon.”
Advance tickets are $25 and may be purchased at Waterloo Records, among other places. Memory Lane Special Events Center is located at 403 KC Memory Ln., just off Ranch Road 12. It’s 10 miles north of Wimberley.
For more information, contact Renee Boschert at Parkside Hill Country Community School, 512-847-6055.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Weekend picks for 12/26-12/28
Austin’s singing the blues this weekend at Antone’s starting with legend Pinetop Perkins performing Friday, followed by Saturday’s show featuring Gary Clark Jr. with new collaboration partner, hip-hop artist Bavu Blakes.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
- Gary Clark Jr. with Bavu Blakes at Antone’s
- Finally Punk, Total Abuse at Emo’s
- Old 97’s at La Zona Rosa
- Bill Carter and the Blame reunion at Continental Club
SUNDAY
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Jon Dee busted up again; Dec. 26 Skunks gig, Dec. 27 Momo’s gig both canceled
Let’s make it offical: Jon Dee Graham has no luck at all.
The former Skunks guitarist/solo artist/Austin fixture/ increasingly Job-like figure has been hospitalized after a fall off a ladder putting up Christmas lights resulted in cracked ribs puncturing his lung and liver, resulting in internal bleeding. According to his MySpace page, he tried to tough it out for a few days, then went to the hospital on Sunday.
“That explains all the pain he was in, in addition to the OLD pain, from the lower vertebra that has still not healed properly since his July 31 car crash,” Skunks bassist Jesse Sublett posted on Facebook Sunday. “Therefore, he is hospitalized and needs to lie still for a while. Hopefully there will be no surgery needed.”
According to his MySpace page, Graham will be hospitalized all week. No visitors, please.
The Dec. 26 Skunks gig at Continental Club is canceled, as is the Dec. 27 gig at Momo’s.
Send all Christmas cards to:
Jon Dee Graham
c/o Heinz Geissler
Texas Music Group
805 West Avenue
Suite 1
Austin, TX 78701
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
McMurtry to embark on first overseas tour
It’s hard to believe that singer-songwriter James McMurtry, who once drove from Austin to Chicago for a hot dog (from Weiner Circle- so worth it), has never toured Europe. But with “Just Us Kids” getting so many year-end accolades (including top five LP of 2008 in USA Today), it’s time to spread the message. And with Bush/ Cheney soon to be sent packing, McMurtry may not have any new material for years.
J-Mac is taking along Jon Dee Graham as opening act, plus keyboardist Ian McLagan, for the 22-date tour, which kicks off Jan. 16 in Nuremburg, Germany. McMurtry and Graham play the Continental Club New Year’s Eve.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Antone’s website, phone down, club still with us
A concerned reader alerted us to the fact that Antone’s website is down and their phone seems to have been disconnected.
This was news to owner Susan Antone, who is looking into it and assures us that the club is still functioning and that Raul Malo will take the stage tonight as planned.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Attention punk rock drunkards!
It’s not looking good for your favorite drink, Sparks.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
NYT on roots of roller revival
The New York Times has an article today on “Devil Dan” Policarpo and the roots of the roller derby revival.
For more on the subject, here’s our oral history of the revival
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Morrissey to play Bass Concert Hall on April 12
Former Smiths frontman/Oscar Wilde obsessive/all-around rock genius Stephen Patrick Morrissey is slated to play Bass Concert Hall on April 12. No word yet on tickets.
Morrissey’s new album “Years of Refusal” is due out on Lost Highway, of all places, on Feb. 17.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Weekend picks for 12/19-12/21
It’s shaping up to be a weekend of local bands headlining area clubs before the holiday week. In addition, Raul Malo performs two shows at Antone’s and Momo’s hosts a benefit for the Capital Area Food Bank.
FRIDAY
- Mother Truckers, Two Tons of Steel at Continental Club
- Raul Malo at Antone’s (night one)
- Broken Teeth, Dixie Witch at Room 710
- Sounds Under Radio at Stubb’s (inside)
- Bob Schneider at the Paramount Theatre
- Asleep at the Wheel at Broken Spoke
- Honky, Amplified Heat at Trophy’s
SATURDAY
- Cobras Reunion at Continental Club
- Raul Malo at Antone’s (night two)
- Derailers at Broken Spoke
- Ephraim Owens Quartet at Elephant Room
- Eric Tessmer at B.D. Riley’s
- Beto and the Fairlanes at Jovita’s
SUNDAY
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Music
What are your favorite holiday songs?
Here are a few Statesman office faves:
The Waitresses - “Christmas Wrapping.” Absurdly charming song. Their best of hits is out of print and that is a shame. It’s one of the very best compilations I’ve ever seen - good song selection, shockingly well-written liner notes from founder Chris Butler, all in all a bargain in its time. R.I.P. Patty Donahue. (Weirdly, there is no video for it on YouTube. History has not treated this underrated band well.)
David Bowie and Bing Crosby - “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” A deeply weird version of a love it or hate it classic. Bowie seems at the very peak of his ’70s lack-of-health. Man, that Harry Nilsson reference has aged oddly. Crosby died about a month later at the La Morajela golf course near Madrid, Spain. Bowie remains with us, more or less.
Run-DMC - “Christmas in Hollis” Best Christmas pop song video ever?
Celine Dion - “O Holy Night” Perhaps the most technically awesome Christmas song ever written, it has been butchered by more people than you could beat up in a lifetime. The problem is that it is both tough to sing and fun to sing, a deadly combination. Plenty of folks start in a lower key so as not to be foiled by its famous high note, which was originally a G in the key of C major. As for Celine, giggle at her all you want. She kills the song and does it without all the melismas of, say, a Mariah Carey.
So what are your favorites? Let us know in the comments section!
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment
More Austin acts place nicely on year-end lists, get shout-outs from balding drummers
Over in the Dec. 25 issue of Rolling Stone, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said that Austin-based tourmates the Sword’s “Gods of Earth” was his favorite album of 2008. “It reminds me of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath or Judas Priest,” Ulrich says. “They’re not really a young Metallica, but that’s because they’re cooler than we were.”
White Denim’s song “Shake Shake Shake” came in at no. 92 on the singles list.
Over in Spin, Okkervil River’s “The Stand Ins” came in at no. 19 on that magazine’s year-end best-of.
Hayes Carll’s “Trouble in Mind” comes in at no. 33 (or dead last) in Blender’s best-of.
In Pitchfork, Shearwater’s “The Snow Leopard” came in at no. 35 on their “best tracks” chart.
Heard any other Austin accolades? Please put them in the comments section.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Hayes Carll tops year end Americana chart
Hayes Carll’s “Trouble In Mind” has topped the American airplay chart for 2008. Click here for the full list with numbers of spins.
Other Austinites on the Top Ten are James McMurtry (#2), Ryan Bingham (#6), Band of Heathens (#8) and Alejandro Escovedo (#10).
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
A couple of shows worth noting, holiday and otherwise
Former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland plays Jan. 16 at La Zona Rosa. His new and atrociously titled solo album “Happy in Galoshes” is out now in stores that feel they must carry it.
Lou Ann Barton and the “Blue Monday” band (as in the band that played many a Blue Monday at Antone’s) play the storied club Dec. 29. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30. Expect all sorts of special guests. Tickets are $10, $25 and $30 and can be purchased at at www.antones.net.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit are playing SXSW in support of their self-titled album, which is slated for release Feb. 12.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs
Jazz Fest lineup announced
The 40th anniversary of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 24-26 & April 30-May 3) will feature such acts as Wynton Marsalis, Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper, Kings of Leon, Tony Bennett and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Austin’s indie pop kings Spoon and JazzFest mainstay Marcia Ball will also appear, along with the Neville Brothers, Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Etta James, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Toots and the Maytals, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris, Irma Thomas, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Mavis Staples.
Go here for a complete schedule and ticket info.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Adele to play March 12 at La Zona Rosa
Is she the new Duffy, who was the new Amy Winehouse? Regardless, the latest singing sensation from the U.K. is coming to Austin. Tickets go at on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for the March 12 show through GetTix.net outlets including: Waterloo Records, RunTex locations and the UT Co-OP. By phone at 1-866-443-8849 or online at www.lazonarosa.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Review: Aasim Holiday Party at Red 7
If performances from six groundbreaking local bands, a slew of requisite Austin fashionistas, and a drunken half-naked Santa Claus are your type of thing, I hope you were at the Aasim Holiday Party at Red 7 on Saturday night. The show, which boasted a roster of old-to-new school local acts such as Glorium, … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Those Peabodys, the Black, Diagonals and Ume, was a belated birthday party for Aasim Syed, a local photographer.
In recent years, Syed evolved into a bit of a local house party legend by hosting all out rock-fests with intimate performances by Austin “it” bands. “All the bands that played were friends,” Syed says, “like the Black, Brothers and Sisters, Voxtrot, Black Angels, A Tiger Named Lovesick, and others.”
Last year, in an effort to cut down on some carpet cleaning (and presumably remain in good standing with his neighbors), Syed moved the yearly bash to the Beauty Bar for a packed show featuring DJ sets and a performance by Aaron Blount of A Tiger Named Lovesick. When August rolled around earlier this year and his annual birthday fiesta didn’t materialize, the photographer confessed that he “still had the strong desire to throw a full-on bash before the year was over.”
And what better way to celebrate one’s belated birthday and the holiday season, than to organize a veritable festival of Austin music royalty, bring a notorious local act to its original lineup, and commission a virtually defunct South Texas band to play an album they released a decade ago?
Sure, the promise of witnessing Trail of Dead — Conrad Keely, Jason Reece, and Kevin Allen — as a three-piece was draw enough for many of the audience. But for much of the crowd, the real meat and potatoes of the Holiday Party was the incredibly rare opportunity to see a performance by mythical San Antonio avant-gardists Glorium. The five-piece, who formed in 1991, seldom perform since relocating to different cities nearly 10 years ago.
“Glorium has played shows few and far between,” says vocalist Paul Streckfus, “because initially we all lived in different cities, beginning around 1998. We would play out when we could all get together.” In fact, the group has performed publicly less than 10 times since releasing their 1998 album “Close Your Eyes,” which they played in its entirety on Saturday.
The album, recorded in Streckfus’ attic and in an East Austin studio, released to mixed reviews and has since been relegated to the bowels of virtual music obscurity. Lucky for the band, Austin music lovers feed on such obscurity and view witnessing a group like Glorium perform tantamount to discovering a unicorn.
Track-for-track, Paul Streckfus wriggled and balanced on the edge of the stage while the rest of Glorium traced the ambient and driving overlapping melodies of “Close Your Eyes.” With the help of tight arrangements from drummer Juan Miguel Ramos, guitarists Linus Streckfus and Ernest Salaz (who is also member to I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness), and bassist Jorge Lara, the band sailed through renditions of crowd shakers such as “Doomsday Kiss” and “Moonbeam King,” making one fact dreadfully clear: After all these years, audiences still love Glorium.
So much so that it’s a wonder why the group hasn’t released an album since 2004’s “Fantasmas.” According to vocalist Streckfus, the band isn’t “recording new material right now,” though he’s quick to add that his new band, Kingdom of Suicide Lovers, is recording an album, as is I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness.
Though Glorium might have toiled over old material on Saturday night, Austin’s wonder-band Trail of Dead had plenty new pieces to share. The three-piece, with Keely and Reece rotating singing, drumming and guitar duties, played loads of work off their recently released EP “Festival Thyme,” as well as songs from an untitled upcoming full-length.
Other highlights from the Holiday Party included an early performance by the utterly brilliant pop-country musings of the Black, who released the six-song EP “Donna” in summer 2007. The foursome, fronted by the ever-smiling vocalist, guitarist and pianist David Longoria, filled the back patio of Red 7 and even prompted a couple of brave souls (OK, maybe just Aasim and a friend) to spastically jerk and hop about during the raucous renditions of songs such as “Eshu Blues” and “Little Hits.”
This town may have its fair share of garage-country acts but nobody does it like the Black. Their idea of country is the echoed guitar chord, the whoosh and slap of a drum, a lovelorn whine on the microphone and a slick pearl-snap button-down shirt. The Black’s music has a firm finger ton Austin’s pulse. Judging by his Holiday Party, so does Aasim Syed.
The event was a complete success. One knows that they’ve scored a hit when anyone — let alone a dude in a Santa Claus suit — climbs atop the bar at last call and proceeds to get naked.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
Review: Ice Cube at Mohawk
Like Will Smith on a smaller scale, Ice Cube doesn’t have to rap to pay the bills. A riveting presence in “Boyz n the Hood,” he seemed destined to take himself way too seriously in issue films or lousy actions flicks. Instead, wisely, he’s established himself as a viable comic actor in comedies such as “Friday” and Barbershop” and family fare such as “Are We There Yet?”
But unlike Smith, he’s also one of the most charismatic, galvanizing rappers who ever lived. His group, N.W.A., formed when he was just in his teens, shifted the balance of power in hip-hop from the East to West coast for nearly a decade. Dude has some game.
And it was on display Sunday night at the Mohawk. Considering the controversy surrounding the opening act Trick Trick, it was a little disappointing to see a nice chunk of the crowd present for Trick Trick’s set, even if there were scattered boos. (Many of us wished he could have rapped to an empty room, even if that would have meant missing the excellent local act Gerald G.) That said, Trick Trick’s beats were classic West Coast thunder-funk, spare, bone-rattling bass and lots of gun sound effects. He also won over the crowd with a “(Expletive) Oklahoma” chant regarding the BCS standings.
Like many rappers of a certain age, Cube is essentially working a nostalgia circuit, playing club-sized rooms where he once commanded stadiums. No matter, the man is still riveting. And has a much deeper catalog than you might remember.
He opened with the comparatively obscure “Natural Born Killaz,” a 1995 single that reunited him with N.W.A. producer Dr. Dre. and segued into “Hello” (“I started this gangsta (expletive) and this is the (expletive) thanks I get!”). Deeper cuts such as “Why We Thugs” alternated with bigger hits: “Check Yo’ Self,” “Bow Down,” “Good Day” and “Bop Gun” got huge reactions.
But nothing like the N.W.A. set, which saw hundreds of (mostly white) arms frantically waving and jumping up and down to “Gangsta Gangsta” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
This is why N.W.A. were “the world’s most dangerous group.” Not the songs about the police, not the chatter about life in the Los Angeles ghetto. Ice Cube’s music changed lives, the majority of whom were white, because the majority of people in the country were white. Along with the rest of the hip-hop generation, they smashed open racial barriers that older Americans didn’t even know existed. Why do you think we have a black president coming into office?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs, Reviews
The Skunks play Continental Club Dec. 26
Austin’s first punk band, the Skunks, play their annual reunion shindig at the Continental Club Dec. 26. The Ugly Beats and Chili Cold Blood open.
Make sure to tell Skunks bassist Jesse Sublett about the extent to which their version of Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” sounds like the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner.” He just loves that.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Review: AC/DC in San Antonio
A trainload of heavy guitars rumbled into San Antonio’s AT&T Center Friday when AC/DC conducted a rock ‘n’ roll thrill ride that shook the crowd all night long.
Back after eight long years and playing to a capacity audience of nearly 15,000 (many wearing flickering red devil horns that glowed to the rafters), hard rock’s legendary mischief-makers opened with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train” from the chart-topping, new album “Black Ice.”
With a derailed locomotive lodged into the backdrop and video screens flashing animated flames, girls and railroad imagery, singer Brian Johnson barreled on stage in a sleeveless work shirt and low-tipped cap.
Looking like a steelworker at happy hour and mustering his indestructible cigarette rasp, the grinning, wild-eyed Johnson was in strained, but surprisingly strong voice considering his long-abused 61-year-old pipes should now be rusted shut. By second song, “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be,” Johnson gleefully prowled the catwalk making special efforts to shake mitts with youngsters hoisted forward by excited fathers.
Guitarist Angus Young, now 53, is balding and slightly less prone to violent neck-snapping, but still does the duck walk to frenzied effect. In various states of undress, his trademark schoolboy uniform now makes him look more like a naughty professor than saucy brat. Stripped to his shorts during “The Jack,” Young and AC/DC reveled as unsuspecting women in the crowd were randomly implicated on overhead video screens as the song’s trampy subject.
Backed by guitar-playing brother Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams and cig-smoking drummer Phil Rudd, the iconic guitarist and roughneck singer jack hammered such crowd-pleasing classics as “Back in Black,” “Dirty Deeds,” “Thunderstruck,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “Hell’s Bells,” “Let There Be Rock,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “TNT,” “Whole Lotta Rosie” and fiery, cannon-blasting encores “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About to Rock.”
Still electric after 33 years, AC/DC delivered a hell of a jolt.
Note: Opening act, the Answer, was rendered unseen and unheard because of a $15 parking fee ambush that necessitated a retreat to an ATM. Buyer beware.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
Mohawk disowns tonight’s homophobic opening act
Red River nightclub the Mohawk has issued the following statement on its Web site concerning Detroit rapper Christian “Trick Trick” Mathis, whose gimmick is hating homosexuals in often violent and disgusting terms:
“Although we are monster fans of (headliner) Ice Cube and his records over the years, we personally do not support the views of his opening act, Trick Trick, when it comes to gay rights and more simply put, human rights. Openers generally come with the package on big events like this, and to be honest, we didn’t even check this guy out until last week. He is clearly an idiot,” the posting begins. The Mohawk apparently takes its vetting cues from John McCain.
“I don’t think he will feel too welcome at this event though, and I hope he doesn’t. His personal statements are counter to the culture that has developed at the Mohawk, so my guess is he will be there for the electricity on stage, get heckled, and leave.
As you know, as a music venue, we can’t get in the business of policing free speech or projecting our personal religious or political beliefs on shows because we would probably have to cancel half of what is booked if we really looked into certain lyrics, records, etc… as a live music venue we don’t believe in censorship…but as individuals, we feel like Trick Trick crosses a very important line and it’s not OK with us. As for me, I will be showing up when the headliner begins and not before.”
In other words, come late and don’t hate.
Ice Cube goes on at 10.
Permalink | Comments (21) | Post your comment
Free Matt & Kim show tonight at Mohawk!
As part of its Undiscovered Austin series, local sponsor Go Gear has flown in Brooklyn’s Matt and Kim to play a special “surprise” free show on Red River Saturday night. Mohawk doors open at 8pm, with the Lemurs, DJ Markus with a K and others getting the music started at 9. The new-wavey duo M&K go on at 11 p.m.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Future Clouds under the radar no more
Future Clouds & Radar
‘Peoria’
(Star Apple Kingdom)
Like Robert Harrison’s previous band Cotton Mather, whose fans included the Gallagher brothers of Oasis, Future Clouds & Radar has found greater acceptance out of its hometown of Austin. It’s been noted that our blues-rootsy burg is more of a Stones town than a Beatles town, which could account for some lack of recognition, as Harrison’s brand of melodic psychedlicism is more White Album than “Sticky Fingers.” Plus, we can be the princes of short attention because of the sheer amount of music here, so FC&R’s 2007 double disc debut may have been too daunting to digest.
But there’s no excuse to ignore “Peoria,” a more urgent, compact package of Harrison’s orchestral vision. On this one, which soars on the coupling of “Old Edmund Ruffin” and “Feet On Grass,” then hovers brilliantly on the epic “Mummified,” the band settles into a tight four-piece (with random embellishments of the brass and string variety), giving the songs room to breathe. New drummer Darin Murphy and bassist Josh Zarbo (ex-Spoon) are ready to rock, and keyboardist Hollie Thomas, a longtime Harrison collaborator, adds just the right Monkish coloring to keep it challenging. Then comes “Eighteen Months” like the first song played in the garage after the old mattresses have been nailed up.
Because of the overall lushness of the sound, Future Clouds has been thought of as something of a studio band. It was a recent live set, however, that turned me around. Although the tinny p.a. of San Antonio’s Beethoven Mannechor beer garden did Harrison’s croon no favor, the band was cracking with so much energy that it didn’t really matter that the lyrics couldn’t be made out. Drummer Murphy was MVP that night, with his affinity for Harrison’s songs shining brightly in the way he played them.
“Peoria” ends rather blandly, with a trio of tunes that reek of art rock pretension. Harrison’s voice seems to get more nasal, his lyrics more obtuse as the album wears on. Guess they can’t all be chestnuts. But for more than a few splendid moments, “Peoria” is where the heart meets the mind, where the melody and the beat converse splendidly, where the songs tell the listener to open up.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Weekend picks for 12/12 - 12/14
Tim Crane and his 11-piece band T-Bird and the Breaks play the Victory Grill Friday night, kicking off a weekend chock full of music that includes holiday tunes, indie rock, hip-hop and more.
FRIDAY
- T-Bird and the Breaks at Victory Grill
- Diamond Smugglers at Continental Club
- Bavu Blakes at Ruta Maya
- Alpha Rev at Antone’s
- The Sounds at La Zona Rosa
- Bloody Tears at Scoot Inn
SATURDAY
- Trail of Dead at Red 7
- Teddy and the Talltops Reunion at Ginny’s
- Kevin Fowler at Midnight Rodeo
- Guitar Shorty at Contiental Club
- The Gourds at Antone’s
SUNDAY
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Review: Peter and the Wolf
In both sight and sound, Peter and the Wolf’s Red Hunter is the epitome of a seasoned traveler. The young songwriter, with his full beard and shoulder length hair, played a short but surprisingly energetic set on Thursday night in the garage of the Rancho Relaxo for the house venue’s final show.
Though the album versions of Hunter’s poetic folk songs are typically stripped down and lo-fi, the addition of a bass player and drummer took the live performance to a new level. Hunter almost never stood still, constantly jumping up and down while singing songs about adventures on tropical islands and trips by sailboat.
Further adding to the exotic feel of the set was Hunter’s use of the kalimba. He pounded out alternate renditions of songs spanning many of his albums with the tiny African thumb piano, including lesser-knowns “Strange Machines” and “A Race Around the Earth.”
But all the songs — from “The Ballad of Red Hook,” a tribute to a forgotten New York Town, to “City Birds,” an ode to a homeless fisherman — conveyed a sense of fluid movement and longing.
As the show came to a close, Hunter passed around a bowl in hopes of gathering $32 in donations to finance his trip to the West Coast the following morning. Yes, $32. “That’s really all you need to get across the country these days,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
Review: David Banner, Bun B and Z-Ro at Austin Music Hall
David Banner would like you to feel him. Indeed, he demands it.
The Mississippi-born rapper, actor and activist always lets you see him sweat, whether he’s doing back flips across the stage, bounding into the crowd only to surf it and climbing on the balcony only to walk on the edge and jump off.
The dude absolutely owned the stage Tuesday night at Austin Music Hall, reminding the crowd just how galvanizing live hip-hop can be when it’s done right, with things like solid sound (at Austin Music Hall, no kidding) and good lights. (Openers Da C.O.D. even brought out Gary Clark Jr. on guitar, a good call for both parties.)
Which isn’t to say that it was done perfectly. Too often, acts rapped along with pre-recorded vocal and instrumental tracks, which is a bad look no matter how charismatic you are.
And the usually excellent Z-Ro, who can communicate menace effortlessly on CD and is profoundly popular in Austin, was hobbled by his backing track being louder than he was.
The sweetest moment came at the very beginning of Banner’s set. He wandered out without fanfare at the end of Bun B’s set to note the former UGK member’s legendary status and how silly it was for Bun to open for him (Banner).
Cheesy? Sure. False? I don’t think so.
Bun isn’t just a Texas legend, but a genuinely nice man in an industry not known for same. (Bun was equally gracious - “this man has earned the (expletive) right to headline!”). Bun’s attitude comes from the inner confidence of a guy who knows just how good he is. He cranked out hits and oldies like the pro he is, moving from the Texas tributes “Draped Up” and “Swang on ‘Em” to the Jay-Z song “Big Pimpin’” to the R-rated “Give Me That” to the lyrical wonder “That’s Gangsta,” the UGK classic “Pocket Full of Stones” and “Get Throwed.”
A live band would have been nice, as Bun works with them as well or better than anyone in hip-hop; he always impresses, no matter what the setting.
But nearly anyone would have looked off their game next to Banner. He was pure energy, a riveting presence whether ripping through “9MM” or lecturing on the importance of taking care of high blood pressure while getting in shape (“I hear folks say ‘David Banner lost 50 pounds, (expletive) think he cute”).
He turned “Cadillacs on 22s” into an a capella ballad, shouted out the president-elect (“When I say ‘O,’ you say ‘bama!”“), and gave some love to “the white people” by playing a few bars of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and using the aural excuse to crowd surf. (Not sure when “Teen Spirit” became the official song of white people, but, well, here we are.)
It’s virtually unheard of to have a live hip-hop show get you excited about the genre in general, but that’s what Banner did. Yeah, it was probably wise to have him headline.
Click here for more photos from the show
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
SAJB calling it quits
In a move that came out of left field, singer-songwriter James Hyland has announced that the South Austin Jug Band’s ten-year run is nearing its end. The popular local band’s final Austin performance will be New Year’s Eve at Momo’s. Then they’ll play a few gigs in Colorado then, in an email Hyland sent to fans, “we are turning the page and putting to rest the South Austin Jug Band.”
The band plays the next two Wednesdays at Momo’s, which has long been home base.
Hyland cryptically holds open the prospect of a possible reunion down the road. “What will we all do?,” he writes. “Nothin’. For a little while…I can only speak for myself but I have to let ya know I have no other skills than writing songs and performing them, so I imagine that’s what I’ll get back to doing.”
There have been seven SAJB lineups through the years, with fiddle/mandolin wizards Dennis Ludiker and Brian Beken in the band longest, besides Hyland. The group’s third LP “Strange Invitation” was the best-received of its career and has been getting tons of airplay on KGSR.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment
Meet T Bird and the Breaks
T Bird and the Breaks, from left to right: John Allison, Damien Llanes, Stephen Beasley, Houston Rawls, Matt Price, Cody Furr, Sam Patlove
Sasha Ortiz, Jazz Mills, Stephanie Hunt and Tim Crane
Photo by Nando Lafuente
It didn’t take Massachusetts native Tim (T Bird) Crane, who sounds like he grew up on the same records as did Delbert McClinton, long to hit his groove in this town. On a coast-to-coast train ride in 2006, Crane got off in Austin, then got off on the downtown music scene. He vowed a quick return and true to his word assembled a band of crack locals and New England jammers to tear up clubs as T Bird and the Breaks. Not since the Scabs started packing Antone’s at $20 a head circa 2000 has a new local R&B/ funk band lit a fire under kids whose parents were toddlers when Otis Redding’s plane went down.
But the Scabs have not recorded a record as good as “Learn About It,” which suggests a collaboration of James Hunter and the Dap Kings.
This debut shows massive potential, with songs like the bluesy “Sunday On My Own” and supersonic sax-driven“Stand Up” notches above the usual dancefloor workouts. Led by Crane’s delightfully scruffy voice, the 11-piece Breaks breathe life into old charts, with even the rote funk of “Baby Bottle” getting a fresh spin. One can hear traces of Swamp Dogg in the propulsive standout “Take Time,” while “Esmerelda” has an unmistakable Nawlins feel. Pretty gritty stuff for such a young, fresh band.
Although this album won’t be released nationally until next month, T-Bird and the Breaks are putting it out locally this week, marked by a release party Friday at midnight at the Victory Grill. Didn’t take T. Crane (T Bird, get it?) long to find the best club in town for his chitlin circuit revival.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
For Uglysuit, a pretty good indie life
Three years after four of the six childhood friends in the Uglysuit dropped their experimental hardcore outfit to pursue sweeping, hook-laden pop, the band is beginning to live what pianist Jonathan Martin aptly describes as “an indie dream come true.” In August, the early twentysomething Oklahoma City natives released their expertly crafted self-titled debut on Touch and Go, and have since toured internationally with some of their favorite bands, including the Sea and Cake. Martin took a few minutes to talk by phone about the band’s progression and what concert-goers can expect from Tuesday night’s gig at the Mohawk.
American-Statesman: What’s the response been like to your album?
Jonathan Martin: It’s been amazing. We just got back from Europe and we weren’t sure what the response would be over there. We played a couple of shows in really nice, sit-down theaters. It’s really more mature audiences going to sit down with their kids to watch. We were a little nervous because we’re a pretty noisy band, but the response was really good. We sold a bunch of albums and people seemed to enjoy it. It’s been better than we really could have hoped for.
How did you get connected with Touch and Go? We recorded an EP about three years ago in our lead singer’s bedroom. A friend of a friend from Chicago knew a guy who worked for Touch and Go, and we gave him our album and he really liked it. He had his own record label that he was putting bands out on, and he asked us to come up and record a full-length in a studio, which is the album we have now. It took us about a year to record it, because we had to make a bunch of trips up there. But after it was done, he started passing it out up at Touch and Go, and the two main guys at Touch and Go offices in Chicago picked it up and really liked it.
How have things changed since? The biggest thing that I think has changed is that we’re touring a lot more, which is good to be out doing what we love to do and making a little bit of money. Other than actually being out touring and trying to build a name for ourselves, things haven’t changed that much. We still work when we come back to Oklahoma City, we just get to make music a little more now. We get to tour with bands that we really like, which is a lot of fun.
What can people expect from your live show? Anybody that’s going to come watch us should expect a very energetic, completely different from the album spectacle. We like to jam, and we make sure everybody who watches us knows that we like to jam and that we love what we’re doing.
The Uglysuit plays at 10 Tuesday night at Mohawk with Til We’re Blue or Destroy. 912 Red River St. 482-8404, www.mohawkaustin.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Music
CDs in stores this week
Noteworthy CDs released this week:
“Twilight: the Score” (Atlantic): Composed by the excellent Carter Burwell, this score, as one might imagine based of the popularity of the books and movie racked up insane presale numbers on Amazon, where it was #54 overall as of Dec. 4.
Brandy, “Human” (Epic): Breaking a four-year recording hiatus, Brandy returns with this album, allegedly her most personal to date. Does this mean songs about that car crash she was in where the other driver died?
Common, “Universal Mind Control” (Geffen): Producers include the Neptunes, Mr. DJ and Common’s fellow Chicago native Kanye West. Word has it this is a party record, which means more club bangers and fewer jazzy tracks. Because sometimes you just have to get your mack on.
Pavement, “Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition” two-CD set (Matador): The fourth in Matador’s on-going series of tricked-out Pavement reissues. Not their best studio record, but the second CD of B-sides and extras is shcokingly strong and includes their brilliant cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “the Killing Moon.”
Various artists, “Revolutions in Sound: Warner Bros. Records — The First Fifty Years” 10-CD box set (Warner): Also available as a hardback book and USB drive set with twice as much music. Is this the future of box sets?
Selected releases
Rock/pop: Thrice, “Live at the House of Blues” (Vagrant); Maroon 5, “Call and Response” (Octone)
Country/roots/singer-songwriter: Charlie Louvin, “Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs” (Tompkins Square)
R&B/hip-hop/reggae: Void Union, “Void Union” (Megalith / Jump Up)
From the vaults: Various artists, “Motown: The Complete No. 1’s” 10-CD box set (Motown/UME); The Brian Jonestown Massacre, “And This Is Our Music,” “Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective” (A Records/Redeye); Bullet for My Valentine, “Scream Aim Fire: Deluxe Edition” (Zomba/Sony BMG); Collective Soul, “Afterwords” (El Music Group); the Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Electric Ladyland: Collector’s Edition” (Experience Hendrix); Diana Ross, “Surrender: Expanded Edition” (Hip-O Select); Flipper; “Generic Flipper,” “Sex Bomb Baby,” “Gone Fishin’” (Water)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Music
Stephen King likes us. He really, really likes us. (Or, rather, he really likes guys who play the Continental Club.)
Horror author and pop culture columnist Stephen King has two Austin albums on his 2008 best-of list in the Dec. 5 issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Alejandro Escovedo’s “Real Animal” comes in at No. 5, while King’s beloved James McMurtry, with his “Just Us Kids,” comes in at No. 3.
Then again, Buckcherry’s “Black Butterfly” and the Pretenders’ “Break Up the Concrete” tie for No. 1, so take all of this as you will.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Emo’s beefs up sound; public (well, I) thank(s) them
So you know how I mentioned in the Deerhunter review that Times New Viking sounded really good outside? (I didn’t happen to mention that Deerhunter did as well, but I chalked that up to being mixed by Parish sound goddess Chris Payuer, whom Deerhunter asked to work the boards for this show.)
Turns out that Emo’s has beefed up both the inside and outside sound using the system from the now-sold Emo’s Lounge. They even replaced the urinal trough in the men’s bathroom, something most folks figured would happen around the turn of the next millennium.
This is the first real sign that Emo’s is taking seriously the threat posed by Transmission Entertainment - which was co-founded by former Emo’s booker Graham Williams and is currently getting a whole mess of shows (booked at other clubs) that would once have gone to Emo’s.
Well done, guys. It sounds worlds better.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs
Review: Anthony Hamilton at Austin Music Hall
Anthony Hamilton, R&B’s certified country boy/soul singer/preacher, was earnest, affable and intense Saturday night at Austin Music Hall. In a soul environment where his contemporaries are pretty young things like Ne-Yo or Chris Brown, who sing about independent women and hot girls, Hamilton is a proudly Christian family man who sings about love, self-empowerment, health, God and joy.
Where pure sexuality and romance infuse the soul game, Hamilton offers stamina, verve and a voice that belongs in the company of legends like Donny Hathaway and Luther Vandross. Saturday, he combined offerings from his first album, “Coming From Where I’m From,” with “The Point of It All” his latest release out this month, but he also added a stirring rendition of the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come” to a show that felt more like a church service.
His playful demeanor and rich voice were off-set by his boundless dancing — like that of a teenager hyped up on caffeine — which he maintained for more than an hour straight. Those other guys might have legions of squealing women tossing undies onto their stages, but Hamilton is content to inspire a call-and-response kind of adoration, the kind of “Sing it, Anthony!” reverence that he earned from the audience.
The highlights of the show were the beautifully rendered performance of “Pass Me Over” and the athletic “Soul’s on Fire.” Until the very last song, “Cool,” he claimed the stage with his b-boy swagger and eventually danced and sang his way through the aisles. By then, everyone else had caught the spirit, too, and the dancing continued as the crowd sang along.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
The Oaks music venue closes
Steve Dean and Deb Fleming had wanted to create a music venue that harked back to the old Soap Creek of the 1970s, when a bit of a drive couldn’t keep away music lovers. But their club near Manor, the Oaks, closed Nov. 30, after less than three years of operation. “Rising costs and declining sales all contributed to (the) decision to close the doors for good on November 30th,” it said in a press release, which goes on to detail a messy closing night.
Noise complaints from the nearest residents a mile away, “prompted citations by Travis County deputies, accompanied by TABC, who literally plugged the plug on the event and required all patrons to vacate premises before the event was over.”
The Oaks was best known for its event the Sunday of South By Southwest, which attracted fans from overseas to hear authentic Texas and Louisiana roots music.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Case, Morlix to play with heavy hearts
Tomorrow’s show at the Cactus Cafe with Peter Case and Gurf Morlix will take on the air of a wake for Case’s former drummer and spiritual brother Michael Bannister, who was found dead of an apparent suicide in his van in the Arizona desert Nov. 23. Bannister had been suffering from untreated depression, friends say, heightened when gigs in L.A. dried up for the once in-demand drummer (Lucinda Williams, Burning Sky, Victoria Williams, Plimsouls, Doug Sahm, etc.) He was 58.
The Cactus gig provides an opportunity for friends and fans of Bannister to reminisce about this great soul and, perhaps, hear Case’s “The Ballad of Michael Bannister,” written years ago in jest.
“His death is a great tragedy for the people he’s left behind, that’s for sure,” Case wrote on his blog the day Bannister’s body was found. “I can hardly believe the news, yet I know it’s true. My prayers are with you, and your family, Mike. You’ll be missed.
He was like a brother to me, with all that can entail.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Dixie Chicks hit with defamation suit
A story in Arkansas Business lays out the details in the suit filed by the stepfather of one of the three 8-year-old boys murdered in 1993.
Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines has been an outspoken crusader for the imprisoned West Memphis Three, who are trying to get a retrial in the case. The two “Paradise Lost” documentaries explore inconsistencies in the prosecution of the WM3, whose case has also drawn the support of Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Henry Rollins and others.
To read more about the case, go here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Teddy, Talltops to reunite at Ginny’s
Those 1980s/ 1990s country rockers Teddy & the Talltops are getting back together to play Ginny’s Little Longhorn this Saturday. Featuring Ted Roddy on vocals and harp, the great classic-styled guitarist Joe Dickens, Speedy Sparks on bass, Marty Muse on steel and Mike Buck on drums, the Talltops were equally well-versed in honky tonk and garage, making for some raucous good times.
Also, the Talltops were key in establishing Henry’s Bar & Grill on Burnet Road as a hip venue. They kept the doors open for Don Walser, Junior Brown, High Noon and others.
Ginny’s it at 5434 Burnet Road (ph: 458-1813). Admission is free, so get there before the 9 p.m. show time if you want to get inside the joint.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Live Review: Deerhunter at Emo’s
Deerhunter leader Bradford Cox likes to keep things moving, at least in the studio. His work with Deerhunter has moved from oddly aggressive ambient music to weirdly passive punk to songs that could pass muster as stadium-ready Radiohead outtakes (note: not an insult).
With his side project Atlas Sounds, he added more colors to his palette - bedroom dub reggae, goof-offs, ephemera that hangs together more as flights of fancy than the finished work of a potentially major indie artist.
But live at Emo’s Monday night, Deerhunter moved in a different way. The quintet’s best moments were the heads-down, three-guitar juggernauts, focused jams driven by the propulsive, future-now beat associated with ’70s Krautrock. Bassist Josh Fauver and drummer Moses Archuleta made all of this stuff work brilliantly.
Drawing on the band’s breakout 2007 album “Cryptograms” and this year’s tighter, more songful “Microcastle,” Cox’s vocals moved from a mumble to a wail, sounding at points like a frail, American Bono. (It’s easy to tell Cox is a fan of Brian Eno, the polymath producer who has had a hand in about a billion good albums, including U2’s finest work.)
Openers Nite Jewel played no wave-style aggro-synth-duo rock as derivative as it was forgettable, but Times New Viking delivered primitive basement rock in the tradition of Guided By Voices at its simplest and noisiest. Emo’s harsh, unforgiving sound worked shockingly well for them; they may be the only band in that club’s history who sounds better outside than inside.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs, Reviews
Live review: Jim Gaffigan at the Paramount
It’s telling that comedian Jim Gaffigan’s surname rhymes with “laugh again,” because although the Indiana native had Thursday’s Paramount Theatre audience howling over his PG-rated “Sultan of Sloth” routine, too much of the material was held over from previous performances in Austin. It’s commendable that the Phillip Seymour Hoffman lookalike can do 15 minutes on bacon, but most of that was stuff he did last year at the Paramount. In fact, this review is starting to read a lot like the review I did then, when I knocked Gaffigan for treading too much in a sea of lines that had already been recorded.
In this case, the triple threat (actor/ pitchman/ comic) gets a pass because he’s in town filming his next Comedy Central special over five consecutive sold-out shows at the Paramount (through Saturday). Aside from the obligatory “Hot Pockets” routine, which is Gaffigan’s “Free Bird,” most of this set had not yet been taped for a standup comedy special. But it seems that his championing of laziness spills over to his writing. His wife, once a “Shiite Catholic” is now an “extra crispy Catholic.” Same joke, but not as funny. Has Gaffigan peaked with the “Beyond the Pale” set?
But Gaffigan’s a comic with a golden delivery- and that hilarious inner voice- and so you bust a gut all over again about how they try to make recycling as hard as possible, how one layer of the KFC bowls seems to be cigarette butts, how a Waffle House is like a gas station men’s room that serves waffles, how wrong it is to take the battery from the smoke detector when your TV remote goes dead and how a hammock is like a net for catching lazy people because you can’t get out of one.
The set started off strong with new observations on bowling (not a good sport for germaphobics because you have to wear damp shoes that have been worn by 10,000 other people, then you have to stick your fingers into dirty holes) and camping (“My parents never took me camping… because they loved me.”) But Gaffigan’s 70 minute set would’ve been better at 40 minutes. For the sake of comedic freshness, he needs to go scuba diving, travel through Europe, work at a summer camp for kids, attend Pentecostal church services- anything to get out of his fast food comfort zone.
Though five sellouts in three days says that maybe ol’ Doofus Wainwright has got it all under control.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
Weekend picks
FRIDAY
Ground Zero Texas II at Beerland. An absolute blast for anyone who loves noisy rock caked in feedback and garage punk of a smart yet primitive stripe. Ground Zero Texas, curated by Beerland booker/doorman Max Dropout, contains yet another stellar lineup. Friday night is headlined by French noise rockers A.H. Kraken, with sets from the Terrible Twos, the Unholy Two and more. Sunday, check out sets from garage punks the Barbaras, Thomas Function, the Wax Museums and more. Special day shows and a secret Saturday night night show somewhere other than Beerland are a distinct possibility. It’s pure stomp for now people. Man, I love Ground Zero. No advance tickets. 8 p.m. 711 Red River St. 479-7625. - Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- J.D. Souther at Cactus Cafe
- Anthony Hamilton at Austin Music Hall
- Arc Angels, Gary Clark Jr. at Antone’s (also Saturday)
- GWAR at La Zona Rosa; Kat Edmonson Jazz Quintet at Elephant Room
- Wood Brothers at Stubb’s
SATURDAY
Acknowledge Me DIY Fest at Mohawk. This event brings together Austin’s crafters, artists, social justice groups and bands. Check out zines, vegan food and bands including the Golden Boys, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Pataphysics and more. This is also a clothing and consumables drive for Austin’s homeless population. House the Homeless has requested beanies (aka watch caps or ‘that hat Ian MacKaye wears’) and gloves; the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless requests toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo). Frankly, it would be nice to see this sort of homeless benefit show every month - people don’t just need toiletries during the holidays. 8 p.m. Cover is $6, $5 with donation. 912 Red River St. 482-8404. - J.G.
Also recommended:
- Asylum Street Spankers, Guy Forsyth at Cactus Cafe
- Chicano Soul Revue with Sunny Ozuna at the Continental
- Holly Golightly and the Broke-Offs at Emo’s
- Belleville Outfit at Saxon Pub
- Brujeria at Red 7
- Danny Malone CD release party at Club DeVille
- Masonic at Hole In the Wall
SUNDAY
Jose Feliciano at One World Theatre. He’s 63 now, at the tail end of a fascinating career that’s included stints on the pop charts, respect as a stellar guitarist and a nuanced singer and generally being one of the most famous Puerto Rican musicians in the world. His rendition of ‘Feliz Navidad’ is the standard, one of the most-played Christmas songs in the world. His most recent album is ‘Soundtrax of My Life,’ the first English-language album he’s even composed and written. Sets are at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $50 and $65. 7701 Bee Cave Road. 329-6753. - J.G.
Also recommended:
- Bells of Joy gospel brunch at Stubb’s
- Kristeen Young at Emo’s
- Seven Black Tornados CD release at Room 710
- Fat Man & Little Boy: The Atomic Duo at the Hole in the Wall
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
In other Grupo Fantasma news, the band plays the Parish Dec. 31
Thursday night, Grupo Fantasma get a Grammy nomination for “Sonidos Gold” for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Now, Grupo is playing New Year’s Eve show at the Parish.
Open bar, appetizers, door prizes and raffle, champagne toast for $100 per person. Tickets can be purchased through here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Quincy Jones to deliver SXSW keynote
Producer Quincy Jones will deliver the SXSW keynote address March 19, it was announced today.
Q has much to promote, including the new “The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey and Passions” book, an upcoming duets album with Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder, and he’s also planning a chain of nightclub-restaurants based on his album “Q’s Jook Joint.” The first Joint is slated for next year in Las Vegas.
Jones will be the second African American keynote speaker at SXSW, following Little Richard a few years ago.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2009
Several Austin acts up for Grammys
While Lil Wayne topped 51st annual Grammy away nominations with eight, several Austin acts also received nods.
Tortilla Factory’s “All That Jazz” and Ruben Ramos & Mexican Revolution’s “Viva La Revolucion” are both up for Best Tejano album.
Marcia Ball’s “Peace, Love and BBQ” was nominated for Contemporary Blues album and Pinetop Perkins’ “Pinetop Perkins and Friends” is up for Traditional Blues album.
Grupo Fantasma’s “Sonidos Gold” is up for Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album.
Redd Volkaert is one of several guitarists up for Best Country Instrumental for the song “Cluster Pluck.”
Austin choral group Conspirare grabbed two nominations including Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance. Read all about it here.
Coldplay grabbed seven nods, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each earned six noms.
Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead and Jazmine Sullivan received five each, and Adele, Danger Mouse, Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, George Strait, and T.I. each received four nominations.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Grammy nominations
Nominees for Album Of The Year are:
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends — Coldplay
Tha Carter III — Lil Wayne
Year Of The Gentleman — Ne-Yo
Raising Sand — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
In Rainbows — Radiohea
Nominees for Record Of The Year are:
“Chasing Pavements” — Adele
“Viva La Vida” — Coldplay
“Bleeding Love” — Leona Lewis
“Paper Planes” — M.I.A
“Please Read The Letter” — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Best New Artist nominees are:
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan
Song Of The Year nominees include:
“American Boy” — William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray &
Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle Featuring Kanye West)
“Chasing Pavements” — Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele)
“I’m Yours” — Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz)
“Love Song” — Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles)
“Viva La Vida” — Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
POP FIELD
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals nominees are:
“Viva La Vida” — Coldplay
“Waiting In The Weeds” — Eagles
“Going On” — Gnarls Barkley
“Won’t Go Home Without You” — Maroon 5
“Apologize” — OneRepublic
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals nods go to:
“Lesson Learned” — Alicia Keys & John Mayer
“4 Minutes” — Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
“Rich Woman” — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
“If I Never See Your Face Again” — Rihanna & Maroon 5
“No Air” — Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
Nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album go to:
Detours — Sheryl Crow
Rockferry — Duffy
Long Road Out Of Eden — Eagles
Spirit — Leona Lewis
Covers — James Taylor
DANCE FIELD
For Best Dance Recording, the nominees are:
“Harder Better Faster Stronger” — Daft Punk
“Ready For The Floor” — Hot Chip
“Just Dance” — Lady Gaga & Colby O’Donis
“Give It 2 Me” —Madonna
“Disturbia” — Rihanna
“Black & Gold” — Sam Sparro
TRADITIONAL POP FIELD
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album nominees are:
Still Unforgettable — Natalie Cole
The Sinatra Project — Michael Feinstein
Noël — Josh Groban
In The Swing Of Christmas — Barry Manilow
Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall — Rufus Wainwright
ROCK FIELD
Nominations for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals go to:
“Rock ‘N Roll Train” — AC/DC
“Violet Hill” — Coldplay
“Long Road Out Of Eden” — Eagles
“Sex On Fire” — Kings Of Leon
“House Of Cards” — Radiohead
Nods for Best Rock Song go to:
“Girls In Their Summer Clothes” — Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
“House Of Cards” — Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway & Thom Yorke,
songwriters (Radiohead)
” I Will Possess Your Heart ” — Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr & Christopher Walla,
songwriters (Death Cab For Cutie)
“Sex On Fire” — Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters
(Kings Of Leon)
“Violet Hill” — Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
Best Rock Album nominees are:
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends — Coldplay
Rock N Roll Jesus — Kid Rock
Only By The Night — Kings Of Leon
Death Magnetic — Metallica
Consolers Of The Lonely — The Raconteurs
R&B FIELD
Nominees for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals are:
“Ribbon In The Sky” — Boyz II Men
“Words” — Anthony David Featuring Indie.Arie
“Stay With Me (By The Sea)” — Al Green Featuring John Legend
“I’m His Only Woman” — Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia
“Never Give You Up” — Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton
Best Urban/Alternative Performance nods go to:
“Say Goodbye To Love” — Kenna
“Wanna Be” — Maiysha
“Be OK” — Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am
“Many Moons” — Janelle Monae
“Lovin You (Music)” — Wayna Featuring Kokayi
For Best R&B Album, the nominees are:
Love & Life — Eric Benét
Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA — Boyz II Men
Lay It Down — Al Green
Jennifer Hudson — Jennifer Hudson
The Way I See It — Raphael Saadiq
(more)
51st Annual GRAMMY Award Nominations
Page 4
RAP FIELD
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration nods go to:
“American Boy” — Estelle Featuring Kanye West
“Low” — Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain
“Green Light” — John Legend & Andre 3000
“Got Money” — Lil Wayne Featuring T-Pain
“Superstar” — Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos
Nominees for Best Rap Song are:
“Lollipop” — D. Carter, S. Garrett, D.Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters
(Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major)
“Low” — T. Dillard, M. Humphrey & T-Pain, songwriters (Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain)
“Sexual Eruption” — Calvin Broadus, S. Lovejoy & D. Stewart, songwriters (Snoop Dogg)
“Superstar” — Lupe Fiasco & Soundtrakk, songwriter (Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos)
“Swagga Like Us” — D. Carter, S. Carter, Clifford Harris, & Kanye West, songwriters (M. Arulpragasam, N.
Headon, M. Jones, J. Mellor, T. Pentz, P. Simonon, songwriters)(Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne)
For Best Rap Album, the nominees are:
American Gangster — Jay-Z
Tha Carter III — Lil Wayne
The Cool — Lupe Fiasco
Nas — Nas
Paper Trail — T.I.
COUNTRY FIELD
Nods for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals go to:
“Shiftwork” — Kenny Chesney & George Strait
“Killing The Blues” — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
“House Of Cash” — George Strait & Patty Loveless
“Life In A Northern Town” — Sugarland, Jake Owen & Little Big Town
“Let The Wind Chase You” — Trisha Yearwood & Keith Urban
For Best Country Song, the nominees are:
“Dig Two Graves” — Ashley Gorley & Bob Regan, songwriters (Randy Travis)
“I Saw God Today” — Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell & Wade Kirby, songwriters (George Strait)
“In Color” — Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller & James Otto, songwriters (Jamey Johnson)
“Stay” — Jennifer Nettles, songwriter (Sugarland)
“You’re Gonna Miss This” — Ashley Gorley & Lee Thomas Miller, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
Nominations for Best Country Album are:
That Lonesome Song — Jamey Johnson
Sleepless Nights — Patty Loveless
Troubadour — George Strait
Around The Bend — Randy Travis
Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love — Trisha Yearwood
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Wood confirms Faces reunion tour
Rolling Stone’s Web site is reporting that Ron Wood has confirmed the widespread rumor that the Faces, featuring Manor’s own Ian McLagan on keyboards, are reuniting next year for a tour. The other original members, singer Rod Stewart and drummer Kenney Jones, are also back on board.
“We had a few fantastic rehearsals last week and we’re ready to go,” Wood told Rolling Stone. Rod Stewart’s touring bassist Conrad Korsch sat in, replacing original Faces bassist Ronnie Lane, a former Austinite, who died in 1997.
There are currently no dates set. McLagan, whose band plays the Lucky Lounge every Thursday in December, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment
The Pretenders to play Austin on March 1
The band announced tour dates, their first extensive headlining tour since 2003. And the dates include March 1 at Stubb’s.
Other Texas dates: Feb. 27 in Dallas and Feb. 28 in Houston.
The band released “Break Up the Concrete” in October.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
The Jesus Lizard reunite, various Austinites pray for a local show
The Jesus Lizard, one of the best live rock bands of all time (no, really), will return, briefly, in 2009.
The original lineup of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly will reform for a very limited series of live dates starting with the All Tomorrow’s Parties event dubbed “The Fans Strike Back” on May 9 and 10 in Minehead, UK, and ending with a final appearance in Chicago in late November.
Yow and Sims are both vets of legendary Austin band Scratch Acid, who played a few amazing reunion shows in 2006, one of which took place at Emo’s Sept. 2 of that year.
These shows will be the Jesus Lizard’s first since disbanding in 1999 and the first in 12 years to feature the original quartet.
Touch and Go Records will reissue four full-length releases from the band in May. Remastered recordings of “Head,” “Goat,” “Liar” and “Down” will be available on both LP and CD, all with expanded packaging and liner notes.
No word yet on an Austin date, but many promoters are likely begging for one. Either ACL Fest or Fun Fun Fun Fest would be ideal, as both festivals are in the fall before the band’s final Chicago show.
Boy howdy, would that be awesome.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Armadillo Xmas Bazaar lineup announced
Event producer Bruce Willenzik has released the music lineup for the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, which has found a new home at the Austin Convention Center. Admission is $3 during the week until 7 p.m., when the price jumps to $6. It’s $6 to get in on weekends. Kids 12 and under are free.
Friday 12/12
12:30- 3:00 Sahara Smith
8:00- 9:00 Son Dos
9:00- 11:00 Del Castillo
Saturday 12/13
12:30 The Resentments
3:30-6:00 Terri Hendrix
8:00-11:00 Eliza Gilkyson
Sunday 12/14
12:30-3:00 Austin Lounge Lizards
3:30-6:00 Toni Price
8:00-11:00 Cienfuegos
Monday 12/15
12:30-3:00 Suzanna Choffel
8:00-11:00 W. C. Clark
Tuesday 12/16
12:30-3:00 Matt the Electrician
8:00-11:00 Marcia Ball’s Pianorama
Wednesday 12/17
12:30-3:00 Band of Heathens
8:00-11:00 The Gourds
Thursday 12/18
12:30-3:00 Paula Nelson
8:00-11:00 Ray Wiley Hubbard
Friday 12/19
12:30-3:00 Dan Dyer
8:00-11:00 Jimmy LaFave
Saturday 12/20
12:30-3:00 Shelley King
3:30-6:00 Carolyn Wonderland
8:00-11:00 Van Wilks
Sunday 12/21
12:30-3:00 Rick Trevino
3:30-6:00 Asleep at the Wheel Quartet
8:00-10:00 Butch Hancock
Monday 12/22
12:30-3:00 Biscuit Brothers
3:30-6:00 Sara Hickman
6:00-6:30 Mary Hattersley’s Blazing Bows
8:00-11:00 The Eggmen
Tuesday 12/23
12:30-3:00 Sarah Elizabeth Campbell
3:30-6:00 Ponty Bone
8:00-11:00 Albert & Gage
Wednesday 12/24
12:30-3:00 Slim Richey and Friends
3:30-6:00 Warren Hood & The Hoodlums
8:00-11:00 Texana Dames
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Transmission Entertainment gets in on the Free Week action
Back when Graham Williams was booking Emo’s, the club started the tradition of Free Week, meaning no cover for shows between Jan. 2 and Jan. 10.
Well, now that Williams is running Transmission Entertainment and oversees Club de Ville, Red 7, Mohawk, Beauty Bar and shows at other venues, he’s expanded the idea into those clubs (also Jan. 2-10). Look for free gigs that week from such bands as:
Riverboat Gamblers, Loxsly, Golden Boys, Peel, The Laughing, Moth!Fight!, Golden Bear, Complete Control, Crash Gallery, Til We’re Blue or Destroy, Tia Carerra, The Strange Attractors, Calm Blue Sea, Transmography, Dikes of Holland, Scorpion Child, Haunting Oboe Music, Pack of Wolves, Lower Class Brats, Harlem, The Applicators, The Ugly Beats, La Snacks, Cry Blood Apache, Weird Weeds, Shapes Have Fangs, Cavedweller, Broadcast Sea, and many, many more.
Between these clubs and Emo’s Free Week, it is, needless to say, an excellent time to get caught up on local bands.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs
Freedy Johnston at Saxon Pub.
Word has it that songwriter’s songwriter Freedy Johnston has relocated to Austin.
He’ll be playing with a full band at 8:30 p.m. every Monday in December at the Saxon Pub. Tickets are $10.
Expect it to be packed, especially with people who memorized his still-stunning 1992 album “Can You Fly.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Musicmania Top 10 for the week ending Nov. 30
Lil’ Keke ‘Loved By Few Hated By Many’ (TF Records)
SPM ‘Last Chair Violinist’ (Dope House)
Trae ‘Streets Advocate’ (Oarfin)
Kanye West ‘808S & Heartbreak’ (Def Jam)
Ludacris ‘Theater Of The Mind’ (Def Jam)
Chris Ward & Big Pokey ‘Swang Session’ (TWW)
Z-RO ‘Crack’ (Rap-A-Lot)
Trae ‘Beginning’ (Rap-A-Lot)
Various Artists ‘KGSR Broadcast 16’ ((KGSR)
10. Beyonce ‘I Am Sasha Fierce’ (Columbia)
Musicmania 3909 North IH 35 Austin Tx. 78722
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Dec. 11 is Girls Rock Camp Day
Mayor Will Wynn has declared Dec. 11 to be Girls Rock Camp Day in Austin.
A proclamation ceremony is slated for 5:30 p.m. that day with a a performance by the Velvet Pretzels, veterans of the 2008 Girls Rock Camp.
An after-party follows at Jo’s Downtown, with performances by Follow That Bird and rock camp graduate Fabi Reyna. Both events are free and family-friendly.
A Girls Rock Camp benefit is scheduled for Dec. 19 at Red 7 with Adrian and the Sickness (ex-Tuna Helpers) and Cruiserweight.
Girls Rock Camp Austin launched in 2007; the first Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls started in Portland, Ore., in 2001.
This year, Girls Rock Camp Austin served 104 girls age 10 to 17 and culminated in showcases that drew more than 800 people. The girls worked with acts such as Rosie Flores, Belaire, LZ Love, Ume, and Follow That Bird.
