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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Beauty Bar and Beerland offer Thanksgiving eve respites
Recent transplant to Austin? Too broke — or busy — to fly back home over the Thanksgiving holiday? Or maybe you’ve got the opposite problem, and you really just need to steal away from your family for a while?
Fear not, because the Beauty Bar and Beerland have you covered. The former, 617 E. Seventh St., will offer free Lone Star and free fried turkey this evening starting at 9 p.m., with a set from DJ Mike Byers, according to the hot spot’s Twitter. Meanwhile, Beerland, 711 Red River St., will be hosting its first “Love and a 45” tonight. The ongoing series, usually hosted by Rio Rita, allows bar patrons to bring and spin their own 7-inch vinyls. The event benefits Blue Santa, so bring an unopened toy along if you go out.
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Neon Indian takes on Grizzly Bear
Austin’s own Neon Indian looks more like the city’s next big breakout indie smash every day.
The chill, synthesizer-driven electropop project from 21-year-old composer Alan Palomo has steadily gathered buzz since the release of debut album “Psychic Chasms” earlier this fall. Now, Palomo has completed a veritable right of passage for any aspiring hipster next big thing, with two remixes of a song from one of those up-and-coming Brooklyn bands you’re always hearing about — in this case, “Cheerleader,” by Grizzly Bear.
Pitchfork, which has something of a fondness for Mr. Palomo, put the tracks up this afternoon. With their inescapable beats, they’re intriguing takes on the Grizzly Bear original, tailor-made for late-night house parties and kitchen dancing. Worth your time.
Neon Indian plays Stubb’s inside Friday night (Nov. 27), with Tunnels and Tigercity.
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Pinetop Perkins finishes album at age 96
Legendary blues pianist Pinetop Perkins just wrapped up an album for Chicago’s Telarc label with his former Muddy Waters Band mate Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. “Joined At the Hip” is scheduled to come out in April, three months before Perkins, who’s lived in Austin five years, turns 97. The album, produced by Michael Freeman, was recorded in Chicago and finished up at Wire Recording on South Lamar.
The oldest living original Mississippi Delta bluesman, Pinetop Perkins performs tonight at 8 p.m. at Antone’s.
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Weekend picks: The holiday edition
THURSDAY
The Scabs, Uncle Lucious at Antone’s. Bob Schneider’s dirty funk band slayed at ACL Fest and now they’re cooking at home. What better way to dance yer feast off? But make sure you come early to see Uncle Lucious, one of the best new rock bands in Texas. They play thinking man’s Southern rock, putting some consideration into the groove. $18. 10 p.m.— Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Jesse Dayton at the Broken Spoke
- T-Bird and the Breaks at Momo’s
- Wayne Hancock at the Continental
- Two Hoots and a Holler at Trophys
FRIDAY
Neon Indian at Stubb’s (inside). Psychedelic synth pop outfit Neon Indian, brainchild of musical multitasker Alan Palomo (he also fronts the rising group Vega), broke out this year with their acclaimed debut, ‘Psychic Chasms.’ The band excels at merging spacy samples with pop hooks, walking fine line between abstract and accessible. With Tunnels and Tiger City. $10. 9 p.m. 801 Red River St. stubbsaustin.com — Peter Mongillo
Also recommended:
- J. Tillman, Pearly Gate Music at the Mohawk (outside) (Read interview)
- A Sunny Day in Glasgow. Moth!Fight!, Fach Idiot at the Ghost Room
- Alejandro Escovedo, Greyhounds at the Continental Club
- Real Estate at the Mohawk (inside)
- Gary Clark Jr. at Antone’s
- Peligrosa All-Stars at the Parish
- Band of Heathens, Brian Keane at Momo’s
- Jeff Lofton Quintet at the Elephant Room
SATURDAY
Mega Buzz at the Travis County Exposition Center. Rave culture is alive and well this Thanksgiving weekend. Twelve hours of dance music starts at 6 p.m. With acts such as Glitch Mob, Q-Bert, Wildchild, Filo and Peri, Rusko and a massive collection of Texas artists including Adam Warped, Cilly C, Nathan Swift and many, many more. Look for lots of tribal tattoos, go-go dancers, tribal drum circles, live art installations and, yes, stilt walkers. 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. $50. (VIP tickets: $70 to $100.) 7311 Decker Lane. massiveintent.com. — Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- Marduk at Red 7
- Cursive at the Mohawk
- the Skatalites at Flamingo Cantina
- Chris Gates and Gatesville at Beerland
- Baby Robots at the Parlor
- Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental Club
SUNDAY
Cafe Tacuba at La Zona Rosa.This Mexico City art rock band — imagine Elvis Costello fronting Los Tigres del Norte — is on a 20th anniversary tour. That’s two decades of erasing borders, two decades of snarling and swirling. Live, this four-piece is out of this world. 9 p.m. $30- $35 612 W. Fourth St. lazonarosa.com. — M.C.
Also recommended:
- El Tule at Central Market North
- Heybale at the Continental Club
- Alesana at Emo’s
- Jenny and the Corn Ponies at the Parlour North Loop
- Jon Dee Graham at the Continental Gallery
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CD review: KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 17
KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 17
Grade: A
Two troubadours — a grinning, shaggy Steve Earle and rising star Hayes Carll — front the cover of KGSR Broadcasts this year (the CD is out Friday, Nov. 27. Check here for retail locations). The contrast between elder statesman of alt-country and beaming, youthful next big thing so adeptly sums up the beauty of the series that one has to wonder if it was specifically chosen as a raison d’etre for Broadcasts as the series enters a period of change.
That ethos of mixing the best of established talent with fresh-faced up-and-comers is particularly pronounced on volume 17, a skillfully curated, two-disc assemblage of 40 live, largely acoustic cuts that offers the single best value in Austin music. Station tastemaker Jody Denberg might be leaving — for now — but he’s gone out with another solid entry of the series that’s become an Austin tradition.
Unsurprisingly, the bread-and-butter artists that serve as the cornerstone of KGSR’s playlist are well-represented. There are recent songs from staple artists, such as an impassioned, rapidly delivered “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)” from Bob Schneider, or a surprisingly funky rendition of Fastball”s “Little White Lies,” with a jumpy bass line that tops the original album version.
But the real treat is the album’s surprising emphasis on collecting some of the station’s most beloved and most played vintage cuts. From Alejandro Escovedo’s “Velvet Guitar” to Todd Snider’s satirical “The Ballad of the Kingsmen,” volume 17 is heavy on energetic new versions of some of the station’s most reliable tunes. Tori Amos’ “Silent All These Years” stings with aching vulnerability, while a naked “Ft. Worth Blues” from Steve Earle makes for a powerful closer.
Lest anyone think newcomers are neglected, though, volume 17 also has plenty to please those looking for something a little more fresh — folk prodigy Sarah Jarosz’s “Song Up In Her Head” is a disc two highlight, and Andrew Bird’s “Fitz and Dizzyspells” showcases the indie rocker at his whistling best. The hipster crowd will appreciate a haunting, spare rendition of Spoon’s “Black Like Me.” Altogether, volume 17 hits a challenging balance between guaranteed crowd-pleasers and the intriguing new material that helps keep the station vibrant.
It’s hard to say how the series — and station — might change in the wake of Denberg’s departure. It’s tempting to say he should have gotten the cover nod. But his pending leave offers a good chance to take stock of everything Broadcasts has accomplished in 17 years: millions raised for the Sims Foundation and dozens of discs with hundreds of hours of the very best in music from artists all over the world. And all of it for only $15 a year.
All in all, not too shabby. Take a bow, Broadcasts.
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