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February 2011
AMP announces show with Ghostland Observatory, Blue October, Courtyard Hounds, more
Tickets available at www.acl-live.com and www.austinmusicpeople.org.
As the music group gears up for its first big event, we checked in with AMP chairman Paul Oveisi to see what they’ve been up to since the group announced its existence in October. “We wanted to focus on the first year on growing our membership and become more politically involved later,” Oveisi said Monday. This would likely have helped solidify their public profile, but Oveisi says AMP had to become engaged immediately with revising the temporary aspect of the sound ordinance.
“It wasn’t easy and it took a lot of dialogue with city leaders and the neighborhood community,” Oveisi said, “but this is kind of why AMP was formed. Previously, city leaders would call who they thought were leaders in the music community, act accordingly, then find out that the were actors who felt left out.” In other words, AMP hasn’t been doing a lot publicly but has been active behind the scenes.
The issue of extending parking meters into the evening and Saturdays has also been a concern. “Our official position is that there should have been initially way more dialogue with the music community before you start pushing for extending parking meters,” Oveisi said. “The Red River area, especially needs to be further engaged before moving forward. Let’s say the typical Red River patron has $20 to spend on a show and drinks and they’re used to free parking: Extending parking meters makes a real impact on their budget. And to their credit, the city has been responsive about our concerns.” (The council is scheduled to vote Thursday on the parking meter proposal; more @statesman.com.)
He praised the work of the City of Austin Music Program Manager Don Pitts, who essentially embodies the “city music office” idea floated by the Live Music Task Force in 2008. “He and his people have done a really good job of communicating with neighborhood associations,” Oveisi said. “He sort of has to wear two hats right now, regulatory and development, but he’s doing a great job.”
Oveisi says AMP also is working on an economic and cultural impact study regarding live music and the city of Austin that he’s hoping will be finished by autumn. “The political relevancy of the creative community is on the rise,” Oveisi said.
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KLRU hires general manager for ‘Austin City Limits’
Music industry veteran Tom Gimbel, who manages songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston, has been hired as general manager for the “Austin City Limits” TV show. Gimbel will handle business affairs for the 37-year-old live music program, including finding new ways to distribute ‘ACL’ content and identifying new revenue streams.
KLRU’s Maury Sullivan confirmed the hiring Monday, though an official announcement is coming soon. The position is a new one, Sullivan said, created to handle the TV show’s heightened visibility because of its namesake music festival and swanky new studio on West Second Street.
A 1992 graduate of University of Texas, Gimbel worked for Arista Records for 10 years, leaving as senior director of national marketing in 2005 and returning to Austin, where he founded High Wire Management and Clatterhead, a social media advertising and marketing company.
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mtvU Woodie Awards should bring big names to SXSW
The 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards will be held at the Austin Music Hall on Wednesday March 16 and some of the names of probable performers is impressive. The Black Keys, LCD Soundsystem, Matt & Kim, B.o.B., Eliza Doolittle, Wiz Khalifa and Local Natives are all rumored to attend and, perhaps, perform a song.
The show will air live beginning at 11 p.m. on mtvU.com.
This is the first year the awards will be held in Austin. Past shows have aired live from New York City.
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Perez Hilton a SXSW pirate no more
Reformed celeb blogger Perez Hilton will take over the 2.750-capacity ACL Live on March 19, the Saturday of SXSW, publicist Elaine Garza confirmed Monday. The show, which runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. will be an official SXSW showcase, unlike previous “One Night In Austin” parties hosted by Hilton. The music-crazed gossip hound will pick the acts to play his shindig. Besides badges and wristbands, the show will have a guest list of about 500.
Past performers at the Perezathon include Lady Gaga, Robyn, Hole, Indigo Girls and Snoop Dogg.
More SXSW news: a big rumor buzzing around is that the Foo Fighters will play a surprise show on Tuesday March 16 following the world premiere of a documentary about the band at the Paramount. The location of the concert will be kept secret (yeah, right) until after the screening.
One last bit of mid-March dirt: Rachael Ray, who discovered SXSW the same year as Perez (like, 2007), is expanding her presence this year. Besides throwing her big Stubb’s party on March 19, she’s reportedly renting the former East Cesar Chavez St. location of Big Red Sun and hosting parties there March 17 and 18 in conjunction with C3 Presents.
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Kanye West at SXSW?
As if Wu-Tang, Odd Future and the Strokes weren’t enough, the above video, posted today, hints that an appearance by Kanye might be in the works as well. The reference, the first few notes of Kanye’s song “Runaway,” comes at the end of a promo for an event dubbed the VEVO Power Station, happening at midnight on Saturday, March 19. Kanye is no stranger to SXSW, having played a set at the Fader Fort in 2009.
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Hype alert! L.A. rap crew Odd Future coming to SXSW
There was already a fair amount of blog buzz behind L.A.’s offbeat rappers Odd Future, but this performance on Jimmy Fallon earlier this month maxed the meter. We guessed they’d put in a SXSW appearance. Now it’s official. They’re playing the Billboard Bungalow at Buffalo Billiards on Saturday, March 19.
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Classy, man. Kid Rock to host private showcase during SXSW
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
This just in. Inexplicably still relevant rap-rocker Kid Rock has been tapped by Jim Beam to host a private showcase at Speakeasy during SXSW. The invite-only event goes down Friday, March 18 at Speakeasy and will apparently feature sets by three “emerging artists” handpicked by Pammy A’s ex himself. And presumably fountains of free-flowing bourbon.
My money says Raphael Saadiq, James Blake and Adele will not be in the house.
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Danzig coming to Stubb’s
Put down May 6 on your calendar for the ex-Misfit. Also on the bill are Devildriver and 2 Cents.
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SXSW Artist of the Day: Spoek Mathambo
From: South Africa/Sweden.
In 50 words or fewer: Nthato James Monde Mokgata, d.b.a.Spoek Mathambo, creates a global electro, informed by American indie hip-hop, his South African upbriging, European dance music and having amazing taste in video directors. The above song, a cover of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control,” is the fourth single from his 2010 album “Mshini Wam.” (Dude is very nearly upstaged by his own clips.)
Could share a bill with… DJ Assault, B L A C K I E, Lil Wayne, Katey Red, M.I.A, Wu Tang Clan, a popular uprising anywhere in the world.
Tantalizing tidbit: His stage name means “ghost of bones.”
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Live review: Diana Ross at ACL Live
(Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
- Photos: Diana Ross at ACL Live
She doesn’t have the majestic voice of Barbra Streisand or Aretha Franklin and can’t put on a show like Bette Midler, Tina Turner or Lady Gaga, but Diana Ross proved to be the equal of those divas Sunday night at Austin City Limits Live just by being herself. Thanks to her time leading the Supremes, she’s the most successful female recording artist of all time, yet when she unrolled 21 songs in 80 minutes, it felt less like an icon going through the motions than a total pro keeping the show moving along.
At 66, Ross looks great and sounded even better, moving between her Motown classics (“Where Did Our Love Go,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “You Can’t Hurry Love”) and her disco period (“Upside Down,” “Love Hangover”) with an effortless grace. The beam never left her face all night and it felt great to be in a room with her and her history.
Costume changes dictated the hew of each segment, especially when she wore blue sequins on a jazz vocal turn near the 3/4 mark that opened with “The Look of Love” and moved into a couple of Billie Holiday songs from “Lady Sings the Blues.” Her nine-piece band got plenty of room on “Don’t Explain,” which gave Ms. Ross a chance to don a ’50s-styled red dress for “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” When she started that song, a well-wisher from the crowd presented Lady Di with a bouquet of yellow roses the size of a sleeping child. “Help!” Ross said, good-naturedly, as a stagehand finally relieved her of the well-intended baggage, so the song could go on.
Ross rarely talked between songs and only commented once, asking a fan who she was talking to on her cellphone. Her concentration was clearly on the set, which climaxed with 2,500 fans (not quite a sellout) feeling every bit of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and then dancing wildly to “I Will Survive,” which is not Ross’ song. Well, Sunday night it was.
A few words about ACL Live, which I had not previously attended a show at. It’s spectacular, the best mid-sized live music venue I’ve ever been to. When I got bored during “Touch Me In the Morning,” for obvious reasons, I went up to the much-ballyhooed “worst seat in the house” and it was just as good as my seat on the floor and without the annoying amateur videographers that are making live shows a bit of a drag. (It was easier on the rest of us when these smartphone bottomfeeders were merely stage door autograph hounds.)
Everyone was in such a good mood Sunday night, with even the security crew smiling and asking if everything was okay. With the gracious Ms. Ross at the center of this bowl of good vibes, an hour and twenty minutes flew by like a nap on a plane. And yet the show was completely satisfying.
I don’t know if I could ever go to Stubb’s again.
(Selist after the jump.)
1. “I’m Coming Out”
2. “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday”
3. “My World Is Empty Without You”
4. “Where Did Our Love Go”
5. “Baby Love”
6. “Stop! In the Name of Love”
7. “You Can’t Hurry Love”
8. Love Child”
(first costume change during samba break)
9. “The Boss”
10. “Upside Down”
11. “Touch Me In The Morning”
12. “It’s My House”
13. Love Hangover”
14. “Ease On Down the Road”
(costume change)
15. “The Look of Love”
16. “Fine and Mellow” (as Billie Holiday)
17. “Don’t Explain” (more Billie)
(costume change)
18. “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”
19. “Do You Know Where You’re Going To? (Theme From Mahogany)”
20. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
(costume change)
21. “I Will Survive” (reprised for encore)
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Live shots: Diana Ross at ACL Live
(Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
- Photos: Diana Ross at ACL Live
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Latest radio ratings released; KUT back on top
After a one-month absence, KUT is once again the city’s top-rated radio station.
Non-stop holiday tunes helped Majic 95.5 bump Austin’s NPR affiliate from the No. 1 spot during the holiday ratings period, which ran Dec. 9 through Jan. 5. But, after returning to its regular soft-rock playlist, newly released numbers show Majic tumbled to seventh place in January.
New to the Top 10 list is Mix 94.7. KVET-FM also moved up a few notches, from 11th to ninth place. Univision’s La Que Buena, meanwhile, saw its ratings dip a bit and fell out of the Top 10, along with KLBJ-FM.
Average quarter-hour ratings as of Feb. 2, courtesy of radio-info.com (numbers in parentheses indicate rank as of Jan. 5):
1.) KUT (2)
2.) KASE (3)
3.) KHFI (6)
4.) KLBJ-AM (7)
5.) KBPA (4)
6.) KLZT (8)
7.) KKMJ (1)
8.) KPEZ (5)
9.) KVET-FM (11)
10.) KAMX (12)
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SXSW band of the day: Playing For Change
From: Everywhere
In 50 words or less: A reader wanted to know where she could see this band’s incredible cover of “What’s Up?” by 4 Non-Blondes. The above video was from SXSW09 at Opal Divine’s. The first part of the medley, a slowed-down “What’s Up,” is missing, but at the 3:30 mark, the band kicks back into it in unforgettable fashion. Don’t worry, you’ll be happy.
Meaningless tidbit: One of my alltime fave SXSW moments..
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SXSW band of the day: Guadalupe Plata
From: Andalucia, Spain
In 50 words or less: Like the Cramps, only more into Delta blues than Memphis rockabilly, this Spanish group is looking to trash Austin out. Check them out Wednesday (3/16) afternoon at Trailerspace Records (1401 Rosewood Ave.) for that first jolt.
Could share a bill with: Flametrick Subs, Dax Riggs, Gories
Produced by: Former Austinite Mike Mariconda, who’s been working with bands in Spain the past four years.
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Zac Brown Band playing April 17 at Dell Diamond
Just announced on 100.7 KASE 101, tickets for the recent Grammy winners show will go on sale March 4. More details from the radio station, which will be giving away tickets before they go on sale.
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SXSW band of the day: Boy & Bear
From: Sydney, Australia
In 50 words or less: Entirely derivative, right down to the “Bear” in the name, this quintet wins on great, melodic songs full of feelgood harmonies and rhythmic punch. Men At Work for the Pitchfork posse? Or Mumford & Sons from Down Under?
Could share a bill with: Fleet Foxes, the Shins, Avett Brothers, Laura Marling
Coming green: B&B have yet to record a full-length album but that changes after SXSW when they step into the studio with Joe Chiccarelli ( My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes).
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Pat Green to play Backyard June 4
The 2011 concert season is shaping up nicely for the Backyard, who have Willie Nelson playing there on his birthday April 30 and the Grammy-winning Arcade Fire coming in on May 3.
It’s just been announced that Pat Green will play the venue in Bee Cave June 4. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10am through www.thebackyard.net, Waterloo Records or by phone 888-695-0888.
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Paste announces SXSW party lineups
And they are (and you can RSVP here):
Wednesday, March 16: Eisley, Sondre Lerche, Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, Kopecky Family Band, Lord Huron, Matthew & The Atlas, Lost In The Trees, Jeremy Messersmith, Trampled By Turtles, Keegan Dewitt, The Civil Wars, The Wealthy West, Futurebids, TV Torso and Ponderosa
Thursday, March 17: J Mascis, The Submarines, David Wax Museum, John Vanderslice, Rural Alberta Advantage, Exene Cervenka, Kim Taylor, Sarah Jaffe, Luke Rathborne, Oryx & Crake, Nathaniel Rateliff, Seryn, Ólöf Arnalds and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
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Belleville Outfit disbanding
Members of Austin-based Belleville Outfit have announced they’re calling it quits.
Together for the past three years, the folksy group has decided to disband rather than replace violinist/vocalist Phoebe Hunt, who decided earlier this year that she was ready to venture out on her own.
As of now, the group’s final show is set for March 26 at Momo’s. Before then, stops are also scheduled at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on Feb. 25 and Momo’s on March 5.
Belleville Outfit made the announcement this week in a letter to fans, reposted after the jump, at bellevilleoutfit.com.
Dear Friends and Family:
After much thought and discussion over the past couple months we have some unfortunate news to deliver: As of April, 2011, The Belleville Outfit will be disbanding after 3 amazing years of playing, writing, touring, and recording.
This band has been an incredible journey for us. It’s allowed us to travel to some of the most amazing places on earth, meet some of the most talented and inspiring people alive, and it’s pushed us individually as writers, performers, and musicians. We owe a great deal of thanks to all of the wonderful people who’ve made this journey possible, and for that, we also owe a brief explanation of how we’ve come to this decision.
In January of this year, Phoebe brought us the news that she planned to leave the band to pursue a solo career. It’s been a delight to play with such a talented performer and we wish her well in any and all of her new endeavors. But, the decision then rested in our hands on whether to replace her and continue, or take a break ourselves. With Belleville, we believe we’re truly a sum of all of our parts — the real definition of a “band.” Beyond individual success, it takes a certain chemistry to make a successful band, and we believe that without all of our parts, that chemistry is lost. In order to preserve the integrity of what we’ve created throughout the last 3 years, we’ve decided to step back.
None of the last 3 years would have been possible without the love and support from our families, friends, and fans. You’ve supported us every step of the way. On many occasions, you’ve opened your homes to us or cooked us a hot meal. You’ve bought our records and driven many miles to see us play. You’ve shared your stories with us, and you’ve shared our story with so many others. For all of these things — we owe you a heartfelt thanks.
So with heavy hearts, we close the book on an incredible, fun, and rewarding chapter of our lives. And while Belleville may be no more, where one door closes, many others will certainly open. All of us plan to make music for as long as we can, and hope everyone will keep abreast of our new projects as they sprout up.
Sincerely and humbly,
The Belleville Outfit
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Black Joe Lewis,Trail of Dead, Dum Dum Girls to play Waterloo Records during SXSW
Waterloo Records will once again feature a mix of local and national acts in their parking lot every day between noon and 6 pm during SXSW. Highlights include Sahara Smith, Black Joe Lewis, J Mascis and Hayes Carll. See the full lineup after the jump.
Wednesday, March 16
Noon - Sahara Smith
1 p.m. - Morning Teleportation
2 p.m. - Wild Flag
3 p.m. - Fitz & The Tantrums
4 p.m. - Apex Manor
5 p.m. - Hunx & HIs Punx
5:30 p.m. Laura Jansen (inside)
6 p.m. - Telekinesis
Thursday, March 17
Noon - Naked & Famous
1 p.m. - Greenhornes
1:30 p.m. - Toro Y Moi (inside)
2 p.m. - Generationals
3 p.m. - Jessica Lea Mayfield
4 p.m. - Royal Bangs
5 p.m. - Black Joe Lewis
6 p.m. - Wye Oak
Friday, March 18
Noon - Moondoggies
1 p.m. - Dum Dum Girls
2 p.m. - Joy Formidable
3 p.m. - La Sera
3:30 p.m. - Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
4 p.m. - Oh Land
5 p.m. - … Trail Of Dead
6 p.m. - Cloud Nothings
Saturday, March 19
Noon - DOM
2 p.m. - Meat Puppets
3 p.m. - Chapel Club
4 p.m. - Neon Trees
4:30 p.m. - J Mascis (inside)
5 p.m. - Hayes Carll
6pm - Kurt Vile
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KUT celebrates Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month, and the folks at KUT are planning daily profiles of women who have made a difference in Texas history to mark the occasion.
The NPR affiliate has partnered with the Ruthe Winegarten Foundation for Texas Women’s History to produce a series of 90-second profiles on Aviation Hall of Famer Bessie Coleman; Oveta Culp Hobby, first secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; journalist and political activist Jovita Idar and others. The spots will air all month long.
A number of well-known Austinites are lending their voices to the project, including singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, Austin American-Statesman editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent, and author Angela Shelf Medearis.
Weekdays, the spots will air during:
“Morning Edition,” 5 to 9 a.m.
“Music with Jay Trachtenberg,” 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“All Things Considered,” 4 to 6 p.m.
“Music with Matt Reilly,” 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, and “Left of the Dial with Jeff McCord,” 8 to 11 p.m. Friday
On weekends, tune in during:
“Weekend Edition,” 7 to 9 a.m.
“Folkways,” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday
“A Prairie Home Companion,” 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday and “Across the Water with Ed Miller,” 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday
“Twine Time with Paul Ray,” 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday and “Global Grooves,” 10 p.m. to midnight Sunday
You can also listen online at kut.org and, after March, at the Winegarten Foundation’s site, womenintexashistory.org.
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5X5Y: 25 years of SXSW exhibit now open
Tim Hamblin and the Austin History Center have been working for months on an exhibit that marks 25 years of South by Southwest. 5X5Y: 25 Years of SXSW Music is on display in the main hallway of the center at 810 Guadalupe Street and will run until July 31.
But the official kick off will be Saturday March 5 at 4 p.m., with a panel discussion with SXSW co-founders Roland Swenson and Louis Black, moderated by Joe Nick Patoski.
Then, at 6:00 p.m. a free concert begins on the north steps of the Austin History Center, featuring Schmillion and Why Not Satellite. Ninth Street from Guadalupe to San Antonio Streets will be closed for the concert.
After dark, a free double feature movie presentation in Woolridge Park will feature a preview of “Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW,” an upcoming documentary, followed by “The Friendly City,” a recently restored 1943 Chamber of Commerce film in the Austin History Center’s film collection.
It’s all free and open to the public.
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Weekend picks: Civilized chamber rock, nonstop groove and an r&b queen
- Photos: Picks for Feb. 25-27
Friday
Balmorhea at the Mohawk. Influenced by modern composers as much as clubs with cheap bars, Balmorhea traffics in a very civilized chamber rock. This is the band’s last local show before a short tour, then some SXSW gigs. With the Rocketboys. 8 p.m. $10 advance, $12 door. 912 Red River St. www.mohawkaustin.com. — Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- MSG Crew at Flamingo Cantina
- the Black and White Years, Zeale at Stubb’s
- Cherry Bombers at Trailer Space
- Weird TV at Club 1808
- Serious Tracers, Holy Wave at Beerland
- French Inhales at the Parlor
- the Gary at Red 7
- Hickoids at Emo’s
- My Education at the Hole in the Wall
- How I Quit Crack at Thunderbird Coffee
- Mojo Nixon and the Toadliquors, New Duncan Imperials at the Continental Club
- the Chieftains at Riverbend Centre
Saturday
Funkfest V at the Parish. Funkybatz has put together quite a lineup for nonstop groove. Headlining is Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, with such standouts as Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Will Bernard, Papa Mali, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Black Red Black and DJ Easybake. 7 p.m. $35. 214 E. Sixth St. www.theparishaustin.com. — Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Mother Falcon, Golden Arm Trio at Central Presbyterian
- Omar and the Howlers at Saxon Pub
- SuperLiteBike at Stubb’s
- Bruce Robison at Broken Spoke
- Jungle Rockers at Trophy’s
- Kids Are Allright Fest at Mohawk
- Civil Twilight at Antone’s
- Booze Weasels at Continental Club
Sunday Diana Ross at ACL Live. This is part of “ ‘More Today Than Yesterday’ — the Greatest Hits Tour,” so something tells me you are going to hear, say, “I’m Coming Out,” “Love Hangover” and “Touch Me in the Morning,” as her audience would demand. Loudly. ACL Live is the best-sounding big room in Austin. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. $68 to $138. 310 W. Second St. www.acl-live.com. — J.G.
Also recommended:
- The Bubbles, the Laughing at the Mohawk
- Everyone Dies in Utah (CD release) at Emo’s
- Mescquire, Baron Grod at Beerland
- the Church of the Friendly Ghost presents Netherfriends at the Salvage Vanguard Theater
- Carole King tribute with Kelly Gray, Suzanna Choffel at ND
- White Dress at the Hole in the Wall
- the Music Lab/Raw Deal Battle of the Bands 14 at the Red Eyed Fly
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SXSW artist of the day: Hip Hop Pantsula
From: Johannesburg, South Africa
In 50 words or less: The tightly woven tapestry of distinctively South African a capella harmonics that open HHP’s ‘Acceptance Speech’ instantly reveal this is not an ordinary hip-hop album. The fact that the rapper twists off to mix classic hip-hop bravado with thoughtful lyricism over everything from disco to funk only reinforces this thesis.
Could share a bill with: Common, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, BoB
Going global: One of South Africa’s premiere hip-hop artists, he’s attracted the attention of notable Americans including r&b artist Amerie who appeared in a video of his in 2007 and rap legend Nas who shared a track on his most recent album.
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Arcade Fire tickets on sale March 4
Last week, the band announced summer dates, including a May 3 stop at the Backyard. Now we know tickets will be on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 4. It’s a C3 Presents show.
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KMFA, KOOP win Gracie Awards
The winners of this year’s Gracie Awards have been announced, and Austin broadcasters are well represented.
Two local stations — KMFA and KOOP — have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media for their “programming created for women, by women and about women.”
In the Outstanding Portrait/Biography category, KMFA 89.5 FM is being recognized for “Michael Nyman: Motion and Emotion.” And “Idea Lounge with Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon” on KOOP 91.7 FM has been named Outstanding Interview Program or Feature.
The awards will be presented during a ceremony May 25 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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Larry Monroe back on the air
Former KUT icon Larry Monroe announced today that his Phil Music and Blue Monday programs have a new home: KDRP in Dripping Springs. Phil Music will be on Thursdays from 7 till 10 PM beginning March 3. Blue Monday will be on Mondays from 7 till 10 PM beginning March 7, Townes Van Zandt’s birthday. KDRP is at 103.1 FM and 100.1 FM and can be heard on the INternet at KDRPlive.org. There’s also an app for smartphones.
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SXSW Band Of The Day: Oh Land
In 50 Words Or Less: Frosty but disarmingly tender dance pop from Copenhagen born Nanna Fabricius, whose performance name is a twist on her middle name “Øland”. Think of Bjork’s “Vespertine” crossed with Katy Perry’s pop sensibility and a dash of hippie-dippy flower power and you’re in the right neighborhood.
Could Fit On A Bill With: Feist, Goldfrapp, the aforementioned Ms. Guômundsdóttir
Tantalizing Fact(s): Courtesy of NME we learn that Fabricus: left home at 16 to live in a forest; uses found sounds and street recordings as the rhythmic foundations for songs; knows four languages; applies lip gloss to her face before dipping it in glitter; plays live shows that find her stationed in a sort-of fort illuminated with video projections synced to synths and other instruments.
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The Strokes to play Auditorium Shores on March 17
(The Strokes at ACL Fest 2010 Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN)After teasing about their plans last week, the band announced the free show via their twitter account. As pointed out on the SXSW website, this will be their first appearance at the festival in 10 years, when they played the Iron Cactus in 2001. With the announcement of the Wu-Tang show at the Austin Music Hall earlier today, St. Patrick’s Day is shaping up to be a wild night of music in Austin.
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Lone Star Jam announces partial lineup
The 4th annual Lone Star Jam at Waterloo Park takes place Saturday April 16 with a lineup to include Casey Donahew Band, Josh Abbott Band, Roger Creager, Brandon Rhyder, Kyle Park, Turnpike Troubadours, Curtis Grimes and more.
The two top headliners won’t be announced until after the Star of Texas Rodeo next month, which makes it seem that they’re playing that event first.
The Jam is presented by Young Texans Against Cancer.
This could be the final concert at Waterloo Park before the Waller Creek Tunnel Project kicks off.
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Wu-Tang Clan with Fishbone at SXSW 2011
(Wu-Tang Clan at Emo’s 12.11.10. Tammy Perez FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)Well, isn’t that a coincidence, I was just musing about what Yelawolf was doing hanging out by himself at the Austin Music Hall on St. Patrick’s Day, then this came across. Fishbone, who are the subjects of the documentary “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone” which is screening at SXSW Film Fest will be performing at the Austin Music Hall on March 17 with (oh snap!) Wu-Tang Clan. Holla!
UPDATE/CORRECTION: The above information was passed along to us by promoters of the film “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone.” A spokesperson for SXSW has informed us that Mobb Deep will not be playing this showcase as was originally posted.
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Last call for SXSW wristbands
From SXSW:
SXSW is almost out of the 4000 wristbands that were put on sale online at www.wristbands.sxsw.com last week. An additional 500 will be put on sale until they sell out or 6:30 pm today whichever comes first.
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Catch …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s Jason Reece on 101X
With 101X deejay Toby Ryan temporarily off the air after announcing he’s running for Austin City Council, the station has lined up an impressive array of guest hosts to help fill in.
Night jock Trevin has moved into Ryan’s 2 to 6 pm. slot until after the May 14 election, leaving the 6 to 10 p.m. shift up for grabs. Starting tonight — and continuing through Friday — tune in to catch …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s Jason Reece, pictured at right.
“It’ll be a chance for me to play some tracks that aren’t normally heard on 101X,” says Reece, who has been friends with Ryan for a number of years. “Hopefully they’ll give me some leeway.”
Reece, who’s been busy promoting the group’s newly released “Tao of the Dead” CD, says he’s a tad light on radio experience — just a bit of it back in college — but he’s not too worried.
“It’s not that hard, really,” he says. “Basically you just yap about stuff and play music.”
With Ryan’s campaign focused heavily on preserving the local music scene, expect to see Reece and other local musicians campaigning around town for the well-known deejay.
“They’re trying to change the whole downtown landscape,” Reece says about the current council. “Toby just wants to be the voice of the minority.
“Austin’s special. Without live music, it would be like any other city.”
101X program director Lynn Barstow says a number of other local musicians have signed on to appear in the coming weeks, including Jim Ward from Sleepercar, Sparta and At The Drive In; Rise Against’s Zach Blair; and Joe Sib, host of “Complete Control,” the station’s punk-rock program.
Ryan, who is doing behind-the-scenes work right now, will be on hand to help the artists and produce the shows.
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More hip-hop at SXSW ‘11: Talib Kweli, Hieroglyphics, Freestyle Fellowship, Yelawolf
As the SXSW schedule continues to fill out several notable rhymeslingers have appeared on the list. Hip-hop collectives Hieroglyphics and Freestyle Fellowship from Oakland and L.A. respectively will both put in appearances. Lyrical rapper Talib Kweli will be dropping knowledge at Emo’s on Weds. Thurs., March 17, as part of a bill that still has plenty of open spots. (My boy Lupe Fiasco, with his new album out March 7 would be a great fit. Just sayin’.) Also, Alabama rebel rapper Yelawolf, who slaughtered a day party I dropped in on last year, is on the bill twice, headlining at the Dirty Dog on Thursday, March 17 and, intriguingly, hanging out by himself at the Austin Music Hall on that same night. Could a Southern rap super show be in the works?
Correction: As a reader pointed out, March 17 is, in fact, a Thursday, not Wednesday as it was listed once above. Thanks!
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Bloodshot announced free day party at Yard Dog
The 16th annual SXSW shindig is Friday March 18 from noon to 7 p.m. in the back of Yard Dog (1510 S. Congress Ave.) Free and open to the public.
Bands appearing:
12 - 12:20: Carolyn Mark with The Jack Grace Band
12:30 - 1:00: Ben Weaver
1:10 - 1:40: Maggie Bjorklund with Cobirds Unite
1:50 - 2:20: Lydia Loveless
2:30 - 3:00: Exene Cervenka
3:10 - 3:40: Whitey Morgan & the 78s
3:50 - 4:10: Freakwater
4:20 - 4:50: Eddie Spaghetti
5:00 - 5:30: Ha Ha Tonka
5:40 - 6:30: Waco Brothers
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SXSW band of the day: Las Robertas
From: San Jose, Costa Rica.
In 50 words or fewer: It’s not that hard to find common ground between Phil Spector girl groups and the Jesus & Mary Chain — after all, the Jesus & Mary Chain did it. What makes this band interesting is a decidedly neoprimitive approach to noisemaking and ethereal vocals. It’s the soundtrack to your dreams when you’re down with swine flu.
Could share a bill with: My Bloody Valentine.
Tantalizing tidbit: According to their Myspace (kickin’ it old school, yeah), “There’s just no lead singer in our band.”
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Spoon added to Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards
Our colleagues in the Austin Movie Blog have the details on the show, which is March 10 and also includes Renee Zellweger, Rip Torn and the cast from “Friday Night Lights.” Spoon will get the Soundtrack award.
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A good story from the cutting room floor
I had a really great time writing this story about Eddie Stout and his label, Dialtone Records. But sometimes when you’re reporting a story you’re lucky enough to stumble into another story, and that’s what happened when I called Bob Sullivan.
Sullivan is 84 and lives in McAliston, Okla., but the Louisiana Music Hall of Famer has a long history of recording everybody from Paul and Paula to James Brown and the 13th Floor Elevators. He got his start on the Louisiana Hayride in 1951, where he worked with Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
Recalling audiences watching a young Presley, Sullivan said, “They were mesmerized. He was a really nice guy. I understand he changed a lot.”
And then there was this: “I still say Hank’s the greatest entertainer I ever saw in my life.”
For a time Sullivan ran a studio, Sumet, in Dallas where on a night off between filming concert performances in Houston and Ft. Worth that would become “Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones” the band booked some studio time.
“I started a session with them,” Sullivan said. “I owned a couple dirt track race cars. Friday night is racing night. And the stones booked on a Friday night starting at 4 o’clock.” Well, Sullivan figured if they finished early he could still make it to the races. But the band was late.
“I looked at that dissipated bunch and thought I’d rather be with my race car than hang out with them. I got my engineer to do it. I never heard those tapes. They’re probably in a vault somewhere.
Stones scholars are probably way ahead of me on this. While I was still on the phone I Googled “Sumet Studio Rolling Stones” and the first hit I had was this.
Yup, they’re bootlegged.
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SXSW Band of the Day: Esben and the Witch
From: Brighton, England.
In 50 words or fewer: Never thought that goth was going to make a resurgence as an influence, but dreams do come true. This trio in another entry into the “Bands that sound kind of goth but look like regular people” genre. Their Matador debut “Violet Cries,” full of lonely tom-toms and woozy chordings, was released Feb. 8. (That video is something else, huh?)
Could share a bill with… Siousxie and the Banshees, Tamryn, the Cure, Puerto Rico Flowers
Tantalizing tidbit: The band is named after a famous Danish fairy tale. Well, it’s famous to Danes.
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Chaos In Tejas adds Killing Joke, more; some tickets on sale Monday morning
The four days of bone-breaking awesome otherwise known as Chaos In Tejas added a few more names to an already sick lineup over the weekend, industrial punk heroes Killing Joke chief among them. KJ lead singer Jaz Coleman and company join Off With Their Heads, Mammoth Grinder, Career Suicide, Chinese Telephones, Title Fight, The Mind Spiders, and Underground Railroad to Candyland on the bill that runs from June 2-5 at venues all over the city.
The complete itinerary - as far as who’s playing where and when - isn’t anywhere I’ve been able to find (if you know, hit me here) but starting Monday morning tickets for all four days at Emo’s are on sale here. Further updates will more than likely come via the festival’s Facebook page, or its Web site. There’s also its Twitter account. No word on smoke signals or one of those St. Bernard messenger dogs, but if anything develops on those fronts we’ll pass that along too.
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Review: Trombone Shorty and Los Amigos Invisibles
The parade of the curious, people who appear to be more sightseers than truly devoted fans of the musicians on stage, continues at the new ACL Live at the Moody Theater. They range from the very tall graybeard bopping in an “Austin City Limits” cap to the diminutive pink-haired young woman just a few feet away at the front of the stage for Los Amigos Invisibles on Friday night.
At the introductory rate of $5 a head, an eclectic crowd filled the hall for the world-beat sounds of the headliners and the opening horns-centric jazz of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Something for everyone appears to be the motto of ACL Live, at least for the opening weeks.
On this warm evening, the open-air porch over Second Street held a sea of faces apart from the usual Austin club habitues. They came, they listened and they smiled a lot over joining the latest downtown nightlife scene, at least for a look.
Terry Lickona, executive producer of the “Austin City Limits” series, said he was there just to experience the crowd and music from a standing spot on the floor. His first taping of an act at the new studio/concert hall doesn’t arrive until Feb. 26 with Steve Miller.
Trombone Shorty broke in the place for New Orleans-style music with an energetic performance. For 25, his showmanship and ease with an audience is well hewn, probably because he’s been blowing trombones and trumpets on stages since he was 6. Yet “suddenly” he is everywhere, touring arenas with Lenny Kravitz and appearing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
The whole audience was on its feet Friday when Shorty (aka Troy Andrews) did a prolonged cheeks-popping blow for “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” Dizzy Gillespie would have been beaming.
Los Amigos Invisibles, the veteran Venezuelan dance party band, followed to display its own polish and range of voices to keep everyone in motion. It’s great to see a stylish Austin hall keep nearly 3,000 people jumping to beats not always heard here.
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Live Review: Robyn at ACL Live
At ACL Live Thursday night, Robyn looked and sounded like she comes from a world where the New Wave movie “Liquid Sky” was historical fact (call it Earth-Ziggy), where fembots became sentient and learned how to grow up without growing old.
Some background: You may or may not remember the Swedish, former teen popster Robyn from her 1997 album “Robyn in Here,” (the hit was “Show Me Love”). It was as state-of-the-art as the Backstreet Boys or Britney; she became huge on her native continent and somewhat big here.
She left Jive in 2004, then bravely rebooted her career, indulging a new-found infatuation with electronic music. Her 2005 album “Robyn” was killer - clubs, especially gay clubs, worshiped it, as did Europe, but the American market barely noticed.
2010 was even better, two mini albums (“Body Talk, Pt. 1” and “2”) that combined to form the blipping, catchy, touching “Body Talk,” one of the year’s truly great albums.
On “Body Talk,” Robyn is smart enough to know what to take from her teen years - Swedish pop savant Max Martin co-wrote the excellent single “Time Machine” - but also fascinated by the emotional and musical parameters of mechanized disco. It’s music that sounds from 20 minutes in the future and the past simultaneously.
Once again, only dance clubs seemed to get it - it peaked at no. 142 on the Billboard Top 200 and the world may never understand why. Robyn is that oddest of ducks - the cult-level pop queen.
Which is perhaps why tickets to the truly stellar ACL Live show were only $15 and the 2700-count room was not sold out. Everyone who was not there: You lose.
Flanked by two keyboard players and dancing in front of two drummers, a constantly-dancing Robyn delivered a set that was both brilliantly high energy and intriguingly stripped down.
Even the stage was spare - the only props were two oversized pinwheels and a few bananas (!) she ate in the middle of the set (the latter was greeted with wild cheers from the extremely male audience).
There were no guitars, no basses, nothing that could be construed as organic, except for the drummers, who usually played in unison but who occasionally broke into complimentary polyrhythms. This was pure fembot music, except the fembot looked dressed for a workout (in platform sneakers).
Taking the stage to “Time Machine,” Robyn cranked through her dazzling dance-pop with ecstatic efficiency as ACL Live proved its worth again - the harsh, electronic club music sounded stellar.
In front of a packed, worshipful floor section, Robyn’s theme was loneliness, from the “Fembot” who “needs love too” to “Dancing On My Own.” She told us “Love Kills” even when it’s (or perhaps because it’s) “Indestructible.” On the aching “Call Your Girlfriend,” she can’t figure out if she’s the new one or the old one, and the moving “Hang With Me,” with its sparkly, music-of-the-spheres synths, wants to just be friends.
When she folded a bit of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” into a spare, show-stopping “Show Me Love,” she reminded you that this fembot deserves all the love we can give her.
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Arcade Fire coming to the Backyard in May
Fresh off a HUGE night at the Grammys, smokin’-hot Arcade Fire has released a long, long list of shows planned for April and May, including a stop at the Backyard on Tuesday, May 3.
A show in The Woodlands — former home of bandmates/brothers Win and Will Butler — follows on Wednesday, May 4.
Arcade Fire, winner of the Album of the Year Grammy for “The Suburbs,” will be joined by Explosions in the Sky at both shows.
No word just yet on when tickets will become available.
The next few months are shaping up to be busy ones for Arcade Fire, with appearances at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest, and three straight sold-out nights in Chicago.
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Duran Duran at SXSW
We’ve been debating the pull of 1980s vs. 1990s nostalgia lately, with the ’90s coming out ahead most of the time. We might start taking the other side with this news: Duran Duran will headline a March 16 showcase at Stubb’s during South by Southwest, and submit to a “feature interview” on March 17 at the convention center. Oh, we have questions for you John Taylor!
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SXSW band of the day: Yuck
From: London
In 50 words or less: Led by 20-year-old Daniel Blumberg, Yuck sounds a bit like ’90s “modern rock” radio, right down to the obvious Pixies influence and strong melodies getting fuzz-washed. But Blumberg’s songwriting and concise vocals also lend a more literate feel.
They should share a bill with: Okkervil River, Olivia Tremor Control, Pavement.
Before Yuck: Blumberg was signed to XL Recording at age 15 while a member of Cajun Dance Party.
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Add Jackson Browne to ACL Live schedule
Jackson Browne’s acclaimed solo acoustic tour is coming to Austin City Limits Live May 13. Tix go on sale Feb. 25 at Waterloo Records or online at www.acl-live.com.
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Alex Napier memorial Feb. 27 at the Continental
The life of Alex Napier, who played bass in the Cobras and did much to create the closeness of the Austin music scene with his warm personality, will be celebrated Sunday Feb. 27 from 2- 5 p.m. at the Continental Club.
Napier, who recently lost a two-year battle with liver cancer, was loved by many fellow musicians and fans who became his friend.
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Chelsea Handler returns to Bass
Comedian Chelsea Handler is Bass Concert Hall bound Sunday June 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets ($65- $85) go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at livenation.com or TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO (2386).
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Jason Reece among those filling in on 101X
With 101X announcer Toby Ryan taking a three-month leave to run for Austin City Council, the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. slot weeknights has been filled by Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld this week, with Trail of Dead’s Jason Reece taking to the airwaves Feb. 22 - 25. Later on, listen for Zach Blair of Rise Against.
If I could put in a request: Gibby Haynes! The Return! I found some old tapes of when the Butthole Surfers singer was the original morning man at 101X and they are pure genius. The Gibster’s habit of arriving for his show with a full cooler of beer and conducting unsavory dealings on the air made his time at the station a bittersweet affair for staffers.
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Okkervil, Atlas Sound to play free daytime parties
Under the Radar magazine is hosting two free, open-to-the-public parties Thursday March 17 and Friday March 18 at Flamingo Cantina during SXSW. No RSVPs are required, but you have to wonder how crazy the lines outside are gonna be for this one.
Here are set times:
March 17th:
5:00 PM: Atlas Sound (only SXSW show)
4:05 PM: The Dears
3:15 PM: Lord Huron
2:25 PM: Anna Calvi
1:35 PM: Yuck
12:45 PM: The Dodos
12:00 PM: Violens
March 18th:
5:00 PM: Okkervil River
4:05 PM: Menomena
3:15 PM: Telekinesis
2:25 PM: Surfer Blood
1:35 PM: Owen Pallett
12:45 PM: Hooray for Earth
12:00 PM: Porcelain Raft
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Spank Rock, Asher Roth, DJ Premier to play SXSW
Two new adds to the schedule electro-rap group Spank Rock and preppy rapper Asher Roth. Also legendary hip-hop producer DJ Premier performing with Nick Javas & NYG’z.
No Lupe Fiasco yet, but with that March 8 album drop date we’re still holding out hope.
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Weekend picks: Unexpected reunions, true storytelling and the Empress of Soul
Friday
Gladys Knight at the Paramount. The 66-year-old “Empress of Soul” has an amazing catalog to pull from, so let’s hope she won’t do too much from her latest album, the standards-saluting “Before Me.” We want to hear “Midnight Train To Georgia,” “Neither One of Us” and, of course, the original version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” No Pips, just the classic soul singer. 8 p.m. $30- $150. 713 Congress Ave. www.austintheatre.org. — Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Sons of Hercules at Beerland
- Lemurs at Antone’s
- Lower Class Brats at Red 7
- Arturo Sandoval at One World Theater
- Hickoids at Jovita’s
- Eleven Hundred Springs at Continental
- Broken Social Scene at La Zona Rosa
- Brownout! at the Parish
- Swans at the Mohawk
- Tapes N’ Tapes at Emo’s
- Los Amigos Invisible, Trombone Shorty at ACL Live
Saturday
Sebadoh, Quasi at Emo’s. Sebadoh wasn’t quite the most unexpected 1990s reunion (I really didn’t see those Slint shows in 2005 coming), but they were one of the most fun. The band’s excellent album “Bakesale” and slightly less excellent “Harmacy” will be re-released later this year — the tour supporting them is now. With Quasi, another blast from the Clinton years who happened to release an album last year. With TV Torso. 9 p.m. $17. 603 Red River St. www.emosaustin.com - Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- Styx at ACL Live
- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at La Zona Rosa
- Spazm 151, Criaturas at Emo’s (inside)
- ST37, Marriage at Trailer Space
- KVRX Pledge Drive Benefit Show with Knifight, Literature, My Milky Way Arms at the United States Art Authority
- Think*182 (Blink 182 cover band) at Red 7
- Bird Peterson, Nick Nack at the Beauty Bar
- Jason Austin Benefit with Pong, Pocket Fishrmen at ND
- Saints of Valory at the Ghost Room
- Bachaco at Flamingo Cantina
- Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys at the Continental Club
Sunday Jon Dee Graham and Friend at the Continental Gallery.This week’s guest is Texas Monthly writer Michael Hall, who, as Wild Seeds’ leader, used to play a lot of shows with Graham’s True Believers. The Escovedo brothers’ ears are gonna be burning, as this residency is as much about funny, true storytelling as it is songcraft. 8:30 p.m. $10. 1315 S. Congress Ave. www.continentalclub.com. — M.C.
Also recommended:
- Nick Verzosa, Colin Gilmore at Saxon Pub
- White Dress at Hole in the Wall
- Heybale! at Continental Club
- Downtown Struts at Mohawk
- Warren Hood and the Goods at Momo’s
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SXSW Band of the Day: Blue King Brown
From: Melbourne, Australia
In 50 words or less: A spirited blend of righteous reggae and rebel rap music, this is message music craftily disguised as radio-friendly dance tracks. The occasional heavy-handedness of the lyrical content is cut by both lead singer/emcee Natalie Pa’apa’a’s obvious sincerity and the sheer exuberance of the uplifting grooves.
Could share a bill with: Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Ozomatli, any of the Marley brothers
Walking the walk: Social activism isn’t a side project for this band. They include an ‘Activism’ section on their Website championing causes they believe in and posts on the band’s Facebook page alternate between notes about gigs and band promotions and political calls to action.
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SXSW wristbands on sale Thursday (Feb. 17)
As in the recent past, wristbands for South by Southwest will go on sale online only, starting at 10 a.m. today. According to SXSW, 2,000 wristbands will go up today for $139 (including tax). When those are gone, 2,000 more will be sold for $165. That sale ends Tuesday (Feb. 22), or sooner if they sell out quick.
You have to be an Austin resident (as in, a credit card with an Austin billing ZIP code must be used). You can buy two, but you must provide the name of the other person at the time of purchase.
Buy the wristbands at wristbands.sxsw.com.
More wristbands will go on sale at some point in March during SXSW. The music portion of the festival is March 16-20.
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Bobby Ray a.k.a B.o.B. to play SXSW. Also, Miss Pamela Des Barres
And the SXSW announcements continue. Atlanta rapper B.o.B., fresh off an appearance at Sunday’s Grammy Awards show where he was nominated for five awards, will be headlining a hip-hop showcase at Kiss and Fly on Thursday, March 17.
Completely unrelatedly, Miss Pamela Des Barres, the self-proclaimed “world’s most famous groupie,” will be hanging out down at the Continental Club on Friday, March 18.
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Ray Wylie’s Grit N’ Groove Fest coming April 2
Ray Wylie Hubbard’s 3rd annual Grit N’ Groove Fest has quite a lineup this year, with Joe Walsh, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes doing an acoustic set, Teenie Hodges, Tony Joe White, the Gourds, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights and more.
The show is at the Whitewater Amphitheater Saturday April 2 from 2 p.m. til midnight.
Address is 11860 FM 306 New Braunfels. PH: (830) 964-3800. Tix are $25 here
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It’s official: Queens of the Stone Age playing SXSW 2011
Confirming one of the less astonishing SXSW rumors floating in the ether, rockers Queens of the Stone Age announced today that the band will be kicking off a series of dates promoting the upcoming reissue of the band’s self-titled debut album with an appearance at La Zona on March 16.
Now about that whole Radiohead thing…
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One more Austin Grammy win
How did we overlook this dude?
While we were busy celebrating Grammy wins from Grupo, Griffin and more earlier this week, we missed local graphic designer Rob Jones who took home the prize for best boxed or special limited edition package award for his work on the White Stripes’ Under Great White Northern Lights (Limited Edition Box Set) during the pre-telecast Sunday. He also rocked a fantastic pink leather suit at the ceremony. Jones is best known around town for his work for Mondo, with MondoTees available at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. Congrats Rob!
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SXSW Band of the Day: Beans
From: White Plains, NY
In 50 Words or So: A founding and still occasional member of avant hip-hop heroes Antipop Consortium, Beans (born Robert Stewart) has a flow best described as “slippery”; syncopating and lingering on unexpected syllables and managing to stay funky despite an almost impossible meter. Paired with often clattering, noisy beats, Beans’ creations are at times hard to penetrate but wholly distinct.
Could Share A Bill With: Edan, Lyrics Born, Mr. Lif, Why?
With Friends Like These…: Producers and collaborators on the new full length “End It All” (Anticon) read like SXSW in microcosm, including TV On The Radio heavy Tunde Adebimpe, Four Tet, Ade Firth, In Flagranti, Son Lux, DJ Nobody, Sam Fogarino of Interpol, Clark, Tobacco, and Fred Bigot.
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Yoko coming to SXSW
She’s been rumored to be coming several times, but this year it’s confirmed: Yoko Ono will make her SXSW debut. Her good friend, Jody Denberg of KUT, will interview Ono Friday March 18 at the Convention Center. The next night, Ono will perform at Elysium as part of son Sean’s Chimera Music Night.
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Stephen Bruton wins posthumous Grammy
Somehow, completely inexcusably on my part, our Grammys coverage omitted that the great Stephen Bruton won his first Grammy Sunday night in the category of Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for “Crazy Heart.” Bruton co-produced the album with T Bone Burnett.
Sorry for the oversight. With the film winning Oscars and Golden Globes, this wou;d’ve been sweetest for lifelong musician Bruton, who passed away in May 2009 from the effects of cancer.
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Stocktons reopen Legendary White Swan Lounge Friday
The White Swan at E. 12th and Chicon Sts. is about to get a lot whiter. Randall and Donya Stockton have added the great juke joint to their staple of nightclubs and lounges that includes Beerland, Rio Rita, Good Night and Shangri-La (where they have other partners.)
Once “Crack Corner,” 12th and Chicon is starting to clean up, with Club 1808 and the renovated Mission Possible building replacing rundown liquor stores and dominos bars. Most of the “action” has moved a block north, which will make for interesting viewing from the Swan patio.
The Legendary White Swan will open its doors to the public Friday. Randall Stockton said that he plans to have live blues music on Sundays, continuing the 40-year-old club’s tradition, but it will mainly serve as a cocktail lounge with pool tables, pinball and booths.
The Stocktons do not own the building, but have a multi-year lease.
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Win passes to an exclusive SXSW after-party
The A-List scavenger hunt is back, and we’re giving away passes to one of the most exclusive SXSW after-parties. (So exclusive we can’t tell you which one just yet.)
To enter, click through the 10 most recent A-List photo galleries to find three SXSW code words. Email the code words to austin360contests@statesman.com. If you’re really, really bored, complete contest rules can be found here.
The contest will end at 11:59 p.m. CST on March 6, 2011, and winners will be selected at random. Happy hunting!
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Two Austin acts in Rolling Stone cover contest
Two acts who claim Austin as their home base are in the running to get their mugs on an upcoming cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
In an Internet-based contest announced Monday night on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show, locals Ume and Jamestown Revival were included in the 16 bands from around the country (and Canada!) that will square off in a March Madness style competition for the high-profile spot.
How the competition works is a little convoluted (there’s Internet voting, a live competition at some point… possibly the involvement of Thunderdome) so go here to get the full breakdown and here to rate the bands.
It’s something of a pleasant but not unexpected surprise to see Ume in the running here. The noise rock trio have been live titans since relocating from Houston a handful of years ago, they’ve built up a ton of goodwill and fan support and what we’ve heard of their upcoming full length album has us salivating.
Jamestown Revival, on the other hand… we’re kind of scratching our heads. In nearly three years of managing club listings for all of Austin I’ve not run across their name once, their MySpace page has a TOTAL of 1,542 views and a sort-of bio video posted on YouTube yesterday has a total of eight views as of this writing, three of them from me and a fellow music fan whose response was an incredulous “These kids are playing dress up”.
(Pictured: Ume. Photo by Tammy Perez FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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Panic, Buffalo Springfield, The Black Keys to play Bonnaroo
The lineup for Bonnaroo is out, and it’s packed with some heavy hitters. The festival, which takes place in Manchester, Tennessee from June 9-12, will play host to Buffalo Springfield, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Widespread Panic, the Strokes and My Morning Jacket, among others.
Austin acts on the bill include Explosions in the Sky, Iron and Wine, The Sword, The Black Angels, Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll.
Austin City Limits doesn’t take place until the end of the summer, but it’s always fun to guess which of the bands on the summer festival circuit will show up here in September. Eminem is rumored to be headlining Lollapalooza, but he doesn’t seem like as much of a sure thing as Buffalo Springfield. MMJ, Arcade Fire, Iron and Wine and the Decemberists have all played to big crowds here too, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see one or more of those groups again.
Which Bonnaroo acts do you want to see at ACL?
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SXSW band of the day: Hundreds
Hundreds - Solace from Sinnbus on Vimeo.
From: Hamburg, Germany.
In 50 words or fewer: Dreamy, ethereal electronica from these German siblings, Eva and Philipp Milner. Great to wake up or go to sleep to, and I mean that in a good way. Watch the video and remember how much you unreasonably enjoyed “Solaris.”
Could share a bill with: Cocteau Twins
Tantalizing tidbit: Debut LP came out in Germany last year.
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Review: Willie christens ACL Live
Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN
It took Willie Nelson a little while to get comfortable with his new home in Austin on Sunday night. Maybe it was the full orchestra seated behind him and a conductor to his side. Or the tux he wore over his black T-shirt (a bowtie and guitar strap just wouldn’t work).
He didn’t smile until he got to the end of each song, happy he’d made it through the slowed-down and multi-layered renditions of his classics and less familiar romantic standards. The 10th number, his own “Valentine,” appropriately cemented the special-occasion mood and he seemed relieved when he announced, “We’ll take a short break and then do ‘Whiskey River’.’’
That he did, and 29 other songs. Returning in jeans and cowboy hat, Nelson ditched the orchestra for just four longtime bandmates. It was like the 1980s again when the last local joint he owned, the Austin Opry House, was the site of so many exhilarating Willie marathons. Only this time he has a stake in some decidedly finer downtown digs.
The new Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater is getting a formal two-night christening by Nelson with a 35-piece orchestra. It’s a fitting way to show off how $40 million and a partnership with the “Austin City Limits” television series can produce a classy, state-of-the-art hall for live concerts and recorded shows. (Reports from Thursday’s first how, kid-friendly Imagination Movers, and Friday’s soft opening with Cody Canada.)
The sound was perfect Sunday. Every instrument could be heard in crisp, clear tones, from the violins to Nelson’s rapid-fire turns on his old acoustic guitar. (The much-repaired Trigger never looked so worn as it did in these shiny surroundings.)
The moveable floor seats felt solid and comfortable, though they could stand a few more inches between rows. In the modest-sized mezzanine and steeper balcony, the seating curves around the big stage to bring the audience in closer than one might expect for a hall holding its maximum 3,000 people.
Bars tucked into every corner and hallway left no one thirsty from long wait lines. Plentiful lobby couches and a big fresh-air porch off the main floor made for easy group loitering. Ushers were helpful and omnipresent. The only common complaint heard was about the many stairs to be climbed from sidewalk to balcony seats.
If there was a statement to be made, it came with the fancy opening orchestra segment, ably conducted by arranger David Campbell, who’s worked with Nelson on the Hollywood Bowl stage. Nelson’s staples of “Nightlife” and “Crazy” fit nicely alongside even older songs such as “Oh What It Seemed To Be” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” from Sinatra’s romance repertoire.
After the intermission, Nelson made it clear that he’s most at home in Austin with his own small band - sister Bobbie on piano, Bee Spears on bass, Billy English on drums and Mickey Raphael on harmonica. Raphael had helped guide Nelson through the orchestra songs. Veteran drummer Paul English even made an increasingly rare appearance for “Me and Paul.”
What followed the delayed “Whiskey River” opener was an hour and a half whirlwind of nearly every great song Willie has written or borrowed from the likes of Hank, Ray, Billy Joe, Waylon and Kris. He turned furious on Trigger at times, strumming harder than players a third his age and proving once again that it’s not just his voice that matters.
Nelson appeared to like his view of the new joint when the house lights came up during “On the Road Again” and he surveyed the audience on all three levels for familiar hometown faces. “I hear you and I see you,” he confirmed. He’s played every kind of venue in his decades on the road, from palaces to dumps, so he didn’t need to say anything specific about the place.
The name of Austin’s favorite music legend is not on the big new building at West Second and Lavaca streets next to the W Hotel. But a signpost on the corner reads Willie Nelson Boulevard and a bronze likeness of him will be erected soon at the foot of the stairs leading into the ACL Live concert hall.
All kinds of acts will play here in the years to come, but they should know that Willie Nelson got here first and played his heart out.
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SXSW Artist of the Day: Sharon Van Etten
From:Brooklyn, NY.
In 50 words or fewer: A singer-songwriter sporting a glorious folkie voice, Van Etten could have stepped out of Laurel Canyon or rural England. Her critical breakout album “Epic” (Ba Da Bing) clocked in at only seven songs, but it was one of last year’s true growers — she is an artist full of nothing but potential.
Could share a bill with… Joni Mitchell, Karen Dalton, Kristen Hersh, Bon Iver
Tantalizing tidbit: Speaking of Bon Iver, lead Bon Justin Vernon has covered Van Etten’s “Love More” live. Someone alert Kanye.
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Live shots: Willie Nelson and the Austin Symphony at ACL Live
Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMANFollow Austin Music Source on Facebook and Twitter.
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Arcade Fire, Lady A, locals win Grammys
The Grammys, long criticized for conservative choices, finally got it right, Sunday night, awarding the Album of the Year to “The Suburbs” by Montreal indie rock band Arcade Fire, in a mild upset.
Country trio Lady Antebellum picked up Grammys in Record and Song of the year for “Need You Now,” a huge hit on both country and pop charts.
The night’s biggest shocker was in the Best New Artist category, when jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, who splits time between Austin and New York, beat Justin Bieber, Drake and Mumford and Sons. In the past 18 years, a solo female artist has won the award 13 times according to Billboard.
Such Austin acts as 97-year-old bluesman Pinetop Perkins, Latin rockers Grupo Fantasma, singer Patty Griffin and the late, great Stephen Bruton won Grammys at pre-telecast ceremonies.
The 53th annual Grammy Awards opened with a tribute to ailing soul Queen Aretha Franklin, saw Bob Dylan leading a singalong on “Maggie’s Farm” and featured the first-ever Grammy appearance of Mick Jagger, performing a tribute to great soulman Solomon Burke, who passed away last year.
The night’s best performances were by newer acts Mumford & Sons, Muse and Arcade Fire. That latter group did a second song after winning the night’s last award.
While the music business is on hard times, there was no shortage of big production numbers. Lady Gaga was hatched from a plastic egg, “Spinal Tap”-like, to debut her new single “Born This Way.” She won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Performance for “Bad Romance.”
Teen heartthob Justin Bieber was shut out, however.
With the passing of founder Ham Guerrero two weeks ago, Austin’s Tortilla Factory was the sentimental favorite for Best Tejano Album, but that award went to Guerero’s former bandmate Little Joe Hernandez.
Grupo Fantasma won in the Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album category with “El Existential,” Perkins was a repeat winner in the Traditional Blues category and Griffin won as Traditional Gospel Album with “Downtown Church.”
UPDATE: An original report omitted Stephen Bruton’s Grammy in the category of Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for “Crazy Heart.” Bruton co-produced the album with T Bone Burnett.
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Scene report: Live at ACL Live on Friday
ACL Live at the Moody Theater underwent what seemed to be a glitch-free soft opening on Friday night with its first full-fledged band performance by Cody Canada and the Departed (a children’s show, the Imagination Movers, preceded Canada on Thursday night). General manager Tim Neece estimated between 1,900 and 2,000-plus music fans were on hand in the 2,700-seat house
Patrons getting their first taste of the state-of-the-art facility made their way up a sweeping flight of outside stairs before emerging on a plaza that connected the venue with the equally-new W Hotel.
A long covered open-air balcony with a full bar and merchandising station served as a sort of holding area where fans could converse between acts. Inside the heavy doors (made especially so to facilitate soundproofing when “Austin City Limits” episodes are being taped), patrons emerged into a multi-tiered black box, the three-level Moody Theater itself. If it is a jewel of a facility, as has been described, it’s a black opal.
As has been previously noted, there are no bad sightlines or acoustic black holes, although those sitting in the last rows of the top level are treated to a vertiginous plunge
“The seats are good, but I can either hear the words or the music,” said one patron, Keith Ambler, in one of those top seats. “If they could put a couple of speakers pointing up here, you could hear the whole sound. But I like the place overall.”
Moving between the levels is going to take some getting used to, owing to the down-the-rabbit-hole experience of learning to negotiate the numerous staircases between levels. More and clearer stairway signage would be welcome.
Better signage would be welcome, too, inside the hall. There are signs pointing to various rows and sections, but they are hung high, close to the roof, and are only dimly lit.
Those who remember the old “ACL” studio can only be gladdened by the array of bathrooms throughout (with, as my wife noted, a goodly number of stalls in the ladies rooms). Full bars are at hand seemingly at every turn, with prices ranging from about $5 for a beer to $7 and up for cocktails.
After months of frantic work, the proprietors seemed exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure. ACL Live general manager Tim Neece said, “Running water in one ladies room sink has been the biggest problem for now. The biggest challenge (in a project like this) is there’s never enough time. If we had another week, we’d still be working until the last minute.”
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Kristofferson catches Willie’s kid at Antone’s
The Willie Nelson fan site www.stillisstillmoving.com has photos of Kris Kristofferson and Lukas Nelson at Antone’s Friday night. Kris was impressed.
Kristofferson is in town filming “When Angels Sing: A Christmas Story,” based on a fable by Turk Pipkin. Willie Nelson and Harry Connick Jr. co-star.
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SXSW band of the day: The Baseball Project
From: Portland/Seattle/New York
In 50 words or less: Supergroup made up of Peter Buck, Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey and Linda Pitmon return with their second album of baseball inspired rock, “Volume Two: High and Inside.”
Could share a bill with: Any of the guests on the album, including Craig Finn (The Hold Steady), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) and Steve Berlin (Los Lobos)
Batter up: Craig Finn’s guest spot on the album, “Don’t Call Them Twinkies,” was played during the 2010 MLB playoff series between the Twins and the Yankees.
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Irish bands to play free St. Patrick’s Day show at Seaholm
The Austin Fleadh (fest) is coming back to town during South By Southwest. Legendary Dublin manager Frank Murray (the Pogues, the Frames) has booked 16 acts so far for the March 17 show at Seahoilm Power Plant, plus he’s got Jovita’s the next day for a party featuring Bob Geldof.
“The Austin Fleadh is free and open to the entire city of Austin,” Murray said via phone from Dublin today. The party starts at noon and goes until about 9 p.m. Among the acts set to play: the Mighty Stef, O’ Emperor, the Funeral Suit, BD Fallon, Sweet Jane, the Minutes, RSAG and more. There will even be a band from Mexico City, Soul Sour- perhaps a nod to John Riley and the San Patricio Battallian.
The Jovita’s party is sponsored by Murray’s Hill 16 Management.
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ACL Live opens with Imagination Movers
If you’re headed to Cody Canada tonight or Willie Nelson on Sunday or Monday, check out this report from Thursday’s night official first show at the new ACL Live at the Moody Theater.
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SXSW band of the day: O’ Emperor
From: Waterford, Ireland
In 50 words or less: This five-piece grew up together and started off as a teenaged cover band, but singer Paul Savage emerged as an engaging songwriter and the band soon had an all-originals set. Although they’re not discovering unchartered musical territory, the band delights in little details- high harmonies, unexpected melodies- that make for a fresh spin on indie rock.
Could share a bill with: Mumford and Sons, Band of Horses, Midlake
Breaking news: O’ Emperor will perform at the second annual Austin Fleadh on St. Patrick’s Day at the Seaholm Power Plant. Former Pogues, Glen Hansard manager Frank Murray is putting together a great lineup of Irish acts.
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Mega goes gaga for Gaga
Because we can never, EVER get enough Lady Gaga, radio station Mega HD2 will play the singer’s new single for three straight hours Friday morning.
Tune in from 6 to 9 a.m. to hear “Born This Way” over and over and over again.
“It will be heard on Mega HD2 a full two hours before the single is released for sale to the public at 8 a.m.,” says station marketing director Gary Weaver.
If you’ve got an HD radio, you’ll find Mega at 103.5 HD2. Folks who aren’t as technologically advanced can find the station’s live stream at megahd2.com.
Weaver also passes along that sister station KGSR has officially sold out of its “Broadcasts Volume 18” CD. Released each year during the holidays, “Broadcasts” helps raise funds for SIMS.
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City Council passes new live music ordinance
Does anything on the Temporary Events and Outdoor Music Ordinance jump out at you? I just had music permits specialist Gary Etie on the line, but his phone just conked out. Before it did, he said the main new thing in the wording is that the city music office, headed by Don Pitts, has more power in deciding where live music can be played outside in Austin.
The music office will handle all applications for a live music permit and after investigating the venue will submit a recommendation to either approve or deny the permit.
Some of the factors include:
“Suitability of the site for outdoor music based on topography and proximity to existing and future residential, commercial, and civic uses.”
Recently, Lustre Pearl in the Rainey Street area was denied a permit for live music by the City Council, at least for the time being, after neighbors complained that the noise and added traffic would be too disruptive to their lives.
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Austin Psych Fest Announces New Venue, Lineup Confirmations
The fourth annual Austin Psych Fest, slated for April 29 to May 1, has moved from East Side Drive-In to at Mexitas Events Center.
The second round of lineup confirmations include: Roky Erickson, Indian Jewelry, Beaches, Black Hollies, Lumerians, The Soft Moon, Young Prisms, The Quarter After, Woodsman and Lower Heaven
A limited number of $85 weekend passes go on sale 3 p.m. Sunday at http://austinsychfest.com/.
A third round of confirmations will be announced on March 1st along with daily lineups and day ticket details.
Current lineup after the jump:
Roky Erickson (Austin TX) Spectrum (Rugby, UK) The Black Angels (Austin, TX) Black Moth Super Rainbow (Chicago, IL) Atlas Sound (Atlanta, GA) Dead Meadow (Los Angeles, CA) Prefuse 73 (Atlanta, GA) Crystal Stilts (Brooklyn, NY) Sleepy Sun (San Francisco, CA) Indian Jewelry (Houston TX) Black Ryder (Sydney, Australia) Crocodiles (San Diego, CA) Fresh and Onlys (San Francisco, CA) The Growlers (Costa Mesa, CA) Tobacco (Chicago, IL) White Hills (New York, NY) Pontiak (Holtzclaw, Virginia) Black Hollies (New Jersey, NJ) Beaches (Melbourne, AU) Young Prisms (San Francisco, CA) The Night Beats (Seattle, WA) Lumerians (San Francisco, CA) The Soft Moon (San Francisco, CA) Woodsman (Denver, CO) Lower Heaven (Silverlake, CA) Cloudland Canyon (Memphis, TN) The Meek (Los Angeles, CA) The Cult of Dom Keller (Nottingham, UK) The Quarter After (San Francisco, CA) Vacant Lots (Burlington, VT) The Diamond Center (Richmond, VA) The Sky Drops (Wilmington, DE) Tjutjuna (Denver, CO) Holy Wave (Austin, TX)
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By the time they get to Woodstock: big Gourds news!
The Gourds have signed to Vanguard Records and will record their album for the label up at Levon Helm’s barn studio in Woodstock, New York, with Larry Campbell producing. The sessions are slated to start in late March.
Since the Gourds have been compared to the Band about as often as Christian Slater was to a young Jack Nicholson after “Heathers” came out, the connection to Helm and his guitarist/ producer Campbell makes perfect sense.
“Bill Bentley got the ball rolling,” Gourds singer Kevin Russell said of the former Austinite and Warner Bros veteran who’s currently working as an A&R guy for Vanguard. Bentley became aware of the Gourds several years ago when they played a Doug Sahm tribute at the Hole In the Wall and has been a fan ever since.
Campbell, on the other hand, had never heard of the Gourds when approached by Bentley. “We met Larry at Bass Concert Hall when he was in town with Levon Helm,” said Russell, “and he said that when he asked around about us, everyone he talked to said we were the band he had to work with.” Former Bob Dylan sideman Campbell produced the past two Helm albums.
“It promises to be the highlight of our year, or of our career even,” Russell posted on the band’s news blog about the upcoming studio project.
In other Gourds news, co-leader Jimmy Smith and wife Jen are expecting their third child in May, bringing the number of Gourds babies to 12.
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Party time! Austin360’s SXSW party database is here
So it seems party season is upon us, or will be as soon as the temps break past the freezing point. What this means is South By Southwest will be here before you can blink five times, and that our comprehensive list of official and unofficial side parties is open for business and growing by the day.
New this year; easy to use searches by day, free events, free drinks and food, venues, bands and pretty much any criteria you can think of to prepare for those weeks of mid-March when our town turns into a sort of spring break haven for music, film and multimedia geeks of all kinds.
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Weekend picks: Indie pop pioneers, amazing soul and Willie Live
Friday
Jonathan Richman at the Continental Club. One of the weird luxuries of Austin. You can see Jonathan Richman — Modern Lover, Velvet Underground fan, indie pop pioneer, rock lifer — in a club that sounds as good as the Continental whenever he rolls through town for less than the cost of a 3-D movie. This is an early show. 8 p.m. $12. 1315 S. Congress Ave. continentalclub.com. — Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- Girl in a Coma at Red 7
- Carolyn Wonderland at Antone’s
- Fivehead at ND
- Future Clouds and Radar at Stubb’s
- Golden Boys at Beerland
- Set Aflame at Emo’s
- Crooks at the Mohawk
- the Heartless Bastards at the Ghost Room
- Frederico7 and the Hashashin at Flamingo Cantina
- Possessed by Paul James at Ruta Maya
Saturday The Relatives, Barfield at the Continental Club.The main thing you need to know about this amazing soul show is the set times: the Relatives go on at 10 p.m. and Barfield goes on at midnight. What this means is that if you show up at midnight, it’ll be like arriving at an orgy when folks are putting their socks back on. Barfield’s great, but a band like the Relatives — a ’70s gospel-soul group recently thawed by Austin’s Heavy Light Records — is something you don’t want to miss. And forget about getting a drink in the back room; bartender Clara Que Si is going to be dancing all night. $15. 1315 S. Congress Ave. www.continentalclub.com. — Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Stereo Is a Lie at Ghost Room
- Sahara Smith at the Cactus
- Lux Interior Tribute at Emo’s
- Grand Champeen, Mother Hips, Pink Nasty at the Hole
- Rev. Horton Heat at Antone’s
- Foot Patrol at Scoot Inn
- Follow That Bird at Mohawk
- Iron City Soul Shakers at the Saxon Pub
- Alejandro Escovedo at Austin Music Hall
Sunday
Willie Nelson at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. And here we go: Austin’s musical granddaddy at its newest music venue. Seeing as how it’s brand new and made for TV, one expects near-perfect acoustics, which might be a first for an Austin venue of this size. Expectations are high for this place; no doubt Willie will do his part. Tickets are $39 to $79. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 8. 310 Willie Nelson Blvd. acl-live.com. — J.G.
Also recommended:
- Haste the Day at Emo’s
- Missions at Red 7
- White Dress at the Hole in the Wall
- Rigor Mortis at Headhunters
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SXSW band of the day: Ze!
From: Kuala Lumpur
In 50 words or less: Don’t let the heart-shaped glitter glasses fool you. This electro-disco diva cuts her sex kitten persona with riot grrl growl. With a club-bumping single atop the charts at home and a badass attitude that needs no translation, the flashy Malaysian sensation has her sights set on the global stage.
Could share a bill with: Rihanna, Flosstradamus, Datarock, M.I.A.,
Hipper than you: Before embarking on a music career, Ze! and her sister ran a fashion boutique. She’s modeled for a mess of designers, headlined fashion events and she designs her own spectacular costumes.
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SXSW Band of the Day: Ghettosocks
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
In 50 Words Or Less: Restrained but vivid rhymes from the great white north, where the man born Tony Bennett pulls double duty as his own producer. “Socks” can go either serious on cuts like the cautionary “Don’t Turn Around” or absurdly humorous on the should-be hit “Out For Treats” off the Juno Award-nominated album “Treat Of The Day.”
Could Share a Bill With: Atmosphere, a back-from-the-dead Guru of Gang Starr, Dilated Peoples
Canadian anthems: The list of notable Canadian rappers starts with Drake, proceeds to K-Os and Buck 65 and then plummets down to Snow (shudder). Ghettosocks is part of a full-on movement from north of the border and his album is a showcase guest gallery for a bunch of names — El da Sensei, Pumpkinhead, Edgar Allen Floe, Cesar Comanche, D-Sisive, Muneshine, Apt, and Timbuktu — we haven’t heard much from yet but should probably keep an ear on.
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Eminem to headline Lollapalooza: Chicago Tribune
Greg Kot of the Trib wouldn’t post this without very good sources.
A call to Lolla booker Charles Attal of Austin’s C3 Presents wasn’t immediately returned.
Lollapalooza takes place Aug. 5- 7 in Chicago’s Grant Park.
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Marvin Sease 1947- 2011
Smooth singing Marvin Sease, whose transformation from gospel singer to sexually explicit soul man was jarring, has passed away at age 64. South Carolina native Sease was best known for the tunes “Candy Licker” and “Ghetto Man.” The cause of death has not yet been determined.
Unlike contemporaries such as Al Green and Lou Rawls, Sease didn’t cross over to white audiences. But he was always on the jukebox at East Austin joints like T.C.’s Lounge and the Shack.
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Blue October to play Auditorium Shores during SXSW 2011
Dates and venues have slowly been working their way onto the band schedule at SXSW.com and we now know that platinum-selling San Marcos powerhouse Blue October will be playing the Auditorium Shores stage on Friday, March 18. Suzanna Chofel and World Party will also share the bill that night. SXSW shows at Auditorium Shores are free and open to the public.
Previously announced acts Bright Eyes, The Felice Brothers, Man Man and Wavves will all play the free Lady Bird Lake Stage on Saturday, March 19.
Hat tip @78triple6
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Billy Joe Shaver to remarry Wanda?
The great Texas songwriter Billy Joe Shaver was in Little Rock, Ark. last month to watch his friend Robert Moore being sworn in as the state Speaker of the House. According to an Arkansas Times report, Shaver sang several a capella songs at the ceremony.
He also made a trip to the courthouse to apply for a license. to remarry his ex-wife Wanda Shaver. The couple was involved in an incident at Papa Joe’s Saloon near Waco that resulted in a shooting that Billy Joe was acquitted for last year.
Shaver married his first wife Brenda three times (divorcing twice). He has yet to return the filled-out application, but has until March 10 to do so.
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Life is a cabaret on Valentine’s Day
Austin guitarist Mark Younger-Smith, who was Billy Idol’s righthand guy for so many years, has put together a Valentine’s Night event called Secret Circus, which will transform the Texas Federation of Women’s Club building at 2312 San Gabriel St. into a 1920’s-era Berlin cabaret. High fashion and decadence are promised.
During and after a four-course, seated dinner, such musicians as Chrysta Bell and David Garza will perform.
Younger-Smith’s wife, Dawn Simorangkir, “the Boudoir Queen,” will host a fashion show, Esther Levonne will play elegant piano pieces and then at 9 p.m. comes the rock n’ roll. Younger-Smith’s Murder My Sweet headlines, with New Mexico aerialists Ricochet and rock band Electric Touch also on the bill.
Sounds like a party (and you can be sure Courtney Love won’t be there.)
Dinner and show tickets are $150 and available here. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets to just the show are $75, which also includes an open bar.
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Escovedo to play benefit at Austin Music Hall Saturday
Alejandro Escovedo, who recently turned 60, will perform at the Music Matters benefit Saturday at the Austin Music Hall, with special guests Stephen Barber, the renowned composer, and the Tosca Strings. Proceeds from the event benefit Parkside Community School, which has locations in Austin and Wimberley.
Two of the rocker’s six daughters attended the montessori schools.
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SXSW preview: Great Lake Swimmers
For Tony Dekker, the frontman of Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers, songwriting is an exploration of the rhythm of the natural world - from the pronounced death and rebirth cycle of his province’s landscape to the flow of water. In fact, the band’s lush, organic tone landed Dekker a spot last year as a songwriter for Canada’s National Parks Project, a multimedia celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Canada’s parks department. But before that effort airs on Discovery Canada sometime later this year, the Great Lake Swimmers will hit Austin for SXSW. Dekker recently talked on the phone about the project and his band’s latest album, “Lost Channels.”
Where did you go to write for the National Parks Project?
They were doing one park in each of Canada’s provinces and territories. And the one we did was at Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which is on the East Coast in Nova Scotia, sort of north of Maine. We were out there for about a week, writing and camping and playing music.
What did you draw inspiration from?
We were constantly surrounded by wildlife. There was a family of moose that came to our site where we were camped out one morning. We were close to a beach where you could see whales spouting off in the Atlantic Ocean.
You also recorded “Lost Channels” on location in the Thousand Islands. How did that come about?
This aerial photographer heard us on a radio show and dropped us a line saying “Hey, if you’re ever thinking of recording, or if you want to check out this place, there’s lots of little unknown spots.” So when we stared thinking of places to record, we got in touch with him, and he was sort of our guide to the area. He knows all the history, and he helped us kind of tap into the mythology of the place. The name of the album is a reference to a story he told us about some ships that had gone missing in certain channels of the Saint Lawrence back in the 1700s.
How did you incorporate the location into the recording?
We actually recorded the song “Singer Castle Bells” inside of that castle and recorded those bells from inside the bell tower, which is why you can hear all of the gears and the pulleys working. We had access to go right up into the bell tower and record the machinery of what was happening.
The Great Lake Swimmers have a history of location recordings. Do you have any plans to do anything like that for the next album?
I’m hoping to sort of continue with that theme. There’s no concrete plans yet, but I’d like to take the idea as far as it can go. I think it’d be really great to be able to get into a place and do as much work in a place as possible to absorb as much of it as possible.
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SXSW band of the day: Alberta Cross
From: Brooklyn by way of England and Sweden.
In 50 words or fewer: This might have looked like a very bad idea on paper. The band’s prime inspiration is the American South, with big, fat guitar riffs, a bit of a swagger and Neil Young-ish vocals not nearly as annoying as My Morning Jacket. The band recorded its first full-length album right here in Austin.
Could share a bill with: The Shins (in fact they have), My Morning Jacket.
Tantalizing tidbit: According to the Interwebs, the band’s name is an anagram…but they won’t say of what.
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Heart, Beirut added to ACL Live lineup
The Wilson sisters of “Barracuda” and “Crazy On You” are coming to Austin City Limits Live April 7. Tix go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at www.acl-live.com. With such acts as Styx, Diana Ross, Steve Miller Band, Moody Blues and now Heart on the way, the new venue could be dubbed AARP Live at Moody Theater. You wonder if one of the four decked-out dressing rooms will be designated for oxygen tanks.
Now it makes sense that Imagination Movers were tapped to fill the spectacular new live music venue with 8-year-olds. That should drop the median age of clubgoers to about 61.
Ah, but then ACL Live also booked the Balkan-inspired Beirut, led by 24-year-old Zach Condon, to show that there’s room for acts that haven’t already been played to death on KLBJ-FM. Tix go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m.
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‘Strictly Business:’ SXSW sneaks EPMD, The Knux more into lineup
While final round of official showcase invitations for unsigned little guys looking to build hype went out a week or so back, notable names of established artists are still trickling into the expansive band list over at sxsw.com. A few notables who slipped in over the weekend include 80s hip-hop heavyweights EPMD, oddball Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne and NOLA brothers The Knux. Also new to the bill are Liz Phair (hello 1996!), Emmylou Harris, Man Man and Thao with the Get Down Stay Down.
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KCRW announces two SXSW showcases
Los Angeles-based public radio station KCRW will host a pair of showcases at SXSW on opening day of ther music portion.
Brett Dennen, Jessica Lea Mayfield and Irish singer James Vincent McMorrow will perform at the Austin Convention Center from 3- 6 p.m. March 16, then that night Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will unveil his new “Alexander” project at the Phoenix. Also on the bill are New Zealand’s white hot the Naked and Famous, UK buzz band Chapel Club, LA folkies Belle Brigade, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr and Nashville’s Tristen (who plays the Mohawk tonight).
KCRW will also broadcast its signature program “Morning Becomes Eclectic” live from Austin on March 17 and 18, with performances from the Kills and Raphael Saadiq, respectively.
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SXSW Panic at ACL Live
South by Southwest confirmed today that Widespread Panic will play at Austin City Limits Live Thursday March 17, with the set to be taped for airing on the “ACL” TV show.
Also on the bill that night are SXSW Music keynoter Bob Geldof, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and UK funksters the New Mastersounds.
Totally unconfirmed, but heavily rumored, is that a certain celebrity gossip blogger of Cuban descent will host his now-annual SXSW closing night party at ACL Live on March 19.
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SXSW Band of the Day: Purling Hiss
(Recorded at Austin’s own Emo’s indoors)
From:Philadelphia, Penn.
In 50 words or fewer: A bracing blend of killer popcraft, the occasional oddball tape loop and fuzzy, six-string jams. The two(!) albums from 2009 were psychedelic guitar blowouts, but last year’s excellent “Public Service Announcement” had songs to spare.
Could share a bill with… Roky Erickson, Sebadoh, V-3, Guided By Voices, anything on the Emperor Jones or Twisted Village record labels, a road trip to 1975 or 1992.
Tantalizing tidbit: Head Hiss Mike Polizze also plays in the even-jammier Birds of Maya.
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Pittman leaving Lounge Lizards, KUT
After 31 years in the group he co-founded, Tom Pittman is leaving the Austin Lounge Lizards. His last Austin performance with the satirical folk band will be Sat., Feb. 19, at the Texas Union Theater on the UT campus.
Pittman will also be giving up his Sunday gig as one of the two rotating hosts on KUT’s “Folkways” show. But he’ll keep his hand in radio, by hosting the Sunday morning “Strictly Bluegrass” show on KOOP once a month.
The cause of all this change? Pittman and his wife recently bought a second home in Asheville, NC, where they plan to spend six months out of the year. “He didn’t want to inconvenience the Lizards by essentially shutting them down for half the year,” said the band’s publicist Renee Hopkins. “They’re carrying on without him.”
I guess this means someone else is going to have to take lead vocals on such songs as “Jesus Loves Me But He Can’t Stand You,” “Life Is Hard, But Life Is Hardest When You’re Dumb” and “Leonard Cohen’s Day Job.”
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Sweet Baby James returns to Bass 4/23
James Taylor and his band will be playing Bass Concert Hall April 23. Tickets go on sale Friday Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. at all Texas Box Office locations, including most area HEBs.
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ArmadilloFest II brings taste of SXSW to Taylor
Taylor’s Armadillo Hall has booked 100 acts to play the second annual ArmadilloFest on three stages March 10-20.
Among those announced today are the Leroi Brothers, plus SweetKiss Momma, Puyallup, WA; The Beauvilles, Tampa, FL; Evolove, Los Angeles, CA; The Jeremy Miller Band, Round Rock, TX; Native June, Los Angeles, CA; AnnAMercury, Seattle, WA; The David Martinez Band, Corpus Christi, TX; Lovebettie, Pittsburgh, PA; Danika Holmes, Des Moines, IA; Union Specific, Austin, TX; Michael Wayne, Austin, TX; Sam Barlow Band, El Paso, TX; Djinn, Los Angeles, CA; Seventh Sun, Austin, TX; Shuffle Up & Deal, Austin, TX; Green Whiskey, Thorndale, TX; When Planets Align, Los Angeles, CA; Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets, St. Petersburg, FL; Dean Ferrell, College Station, TX; Bastard Love Child of Rock & Roll, NY/FL; Black Owl Society, Austin, TX; Big Wheel Stunt Show, Seattle, WA; Caravan Go, Austin, TX; Tara Craig, Austin, TX; Brother Magnum, Austin, TX.; The CropDusters, Elgin, TX.
Check back here for more details as they become available.
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Tonight’s Bromberg show moved to Threadgill’s
Since the University of Texas is shut down today, David Bromberg’s show at the Cactus has been moved to the inside stage at Threadgill’s World Headquarters (301 W. Riverside Dr.)
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Willie Nelson to play Backyard on 78th birthday
Willie Nelson will kick off the 2011 concert season at the Backyard at Bee Cave on his birthday, April 30.
Tickets, ranging from $37.50-$78.00 go on sale tomorrow at www.willienelson.com. It was originally announced that Nelson would play the Backyard during SXSW, but that date was moved to his 78th birthday.
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Snow day reading: How to be in somebody else’s band
Some great tips from the great banjo player Danny Barnes. Also, a cool peak behind the scenes for non-musicians.
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SXSW notes: Saxon Pub back in, Merge announces showcase
* After 15 years of booking their own shows during SXSW, the Saxon Pub will be an official venue this year.
* Merge Records has released its SX showcase Friday March 18 at the Parish
set times to be announced later
WILD FLAG*
Wye Oak
Versus
American Music Club
Telekinesis
Apex Manor
Times New Viking
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SXSW band of the day Nexcyx
From: Barbados
In 50 words or less: Lead singer and chief songwriter Mahalia (that’s right, Mahalia!) follows basic modern R&B/ hip hop form on such tunes as “Gossip Girl” (used in the TV show), but she fronts a ultra tight live band, which gives the sound a more kinetic bounce. In just three years, the group has become a top live band in the Caribbean, so the time is ripe for a big SXSW breakout.
Could share a bill with: Kid Cudi, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Missy Elliott
Say their name, say their name: Nexcyx is pronounced “Nexus.”
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Show preview: Datri Bean CD release at the Swan Dive
Like an antique kaleidoscope haunted with abandoned memories, Datri Bean’s latest album, “Ruby,” twists through a series of shifting landscapes. Alternately mischievously quirky and wrought with bittersweet melancholy, Bean’s sinuous voice meanders effortlessly.
Both as a solo artist and as ringleader of the Minor Mishap Marching Band, Bean makes no secret of her affection for Prohibition-era music. “I find a sheer joyfulness and playfulness in pre-war jazz,” she explains. Consequently, it’s no surprise that the album takes a few swings through a speakeasy. But with a gift for evocative details, her rich song-craft also transports us to urban back alleys, breezy parks and lazy afternoons in her own backyard. We checked in with Bean via e-mail about the new album, the Minor Mishap crew and her CD release party Friday at the Swan Dive. Q&A and more info below the jump.
What brought you to Austin, and how long have you lived here?
I first moved to Austin in 1994. I spent my first year out of high school at the Boston Conservatory of Music. I came to visit my sister, who was living in Austin at the time, during spring break. I loved Austin and returned for the summer. When fall came, I decided not to return to school … I ended up graduating from (the University of Texas), moving for six years to Seattle with my then-boyfriend-now-husband. When we were ready to leave Seattle, we were presented the opportunity to move anywhere in the world, and we talked about a few other locations (Paris, New Orleans), but we both knew Austin was home, and we came straight here.
How did the Minor Mishap Marching Band come about and how does it work?
Minor Mishap Marching Band is a 27-piece renegade brass band (and a whole pile of fun). I started Minor Mishap on a wild hair … I was taking a little break from performing solo, but couldn’t really stop making music altogether. I love to dance, I love street music, I love brass - and I knew that this kind of music transported me into a really joyful state.
Of course, one of my goals was musical, but another goal was to create community - within the band and within the larger context of our city. Minor Mishap is made up a large group of really cooperative, really wonderful people and I am grateful that they give so much to this project.
The tone of this album seems alternately playful and melancholy. Is bittersweet a good word to describe your general outlook on life and love?
I feel like I am quite a happy person, but in terms of writing, I am interested in the tension between feelings. I am interested in opposing images and senses.
You seem to have almost a literary approach to songwriting, with vivid imagery and carefully drawn characters, what writers influence your work?
My favorite writers are Sandra Cisneros, Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They all create such richly vivid characters and gorgeous, surprising descriptions. Everything shimmers with life under their words. I feel like I do my best work when I have been reading great writers.
One of the striking things about this album is the interesting instrumentation, the sousaphone bass lines, the Dixieland clarinet. Has working with a large ensemble and such a strong community of musicians affected the way you hear music?
Definitely. Making the album was a really fun journey into arranging and taking a lot of creative risks.
I have always loved low brass, and a lot of the tracks that contain sousaphone were tracked before Minor Mishap existed. I think working with the horn players on my record influenced me to start Minor Mishap.
Arranging is a musical skill just like writing or playing is, and I feel very fortunate to be exploring on a regular basis in relation to my small band (Datri Bean) and my giant band (Minor Mishap Marching Band).
What can we expect from your CD release party?
The Swan Dive is a gorgeous room, and we are encouraging everyone to dress in Prohibition-era clothing. DJ Shorty Stump (Westen Borghesi of the White Ghost Shivers and Second Sunday Sock Hop) will be spinning vintage jazz tunes before my set. My set will be a quirky, highly textured set of songs from “Ruby,” as well as a few new songs. Instrumentation includes piano, ukulele, vocals, clarinet, toy piano, flugelhorn, musical saw, violin, cello, bowed bass, trombone and more. Minor Mishap Marching Band will join me for our closing number, and then Minor Mishap will kick off the dance party. Minor Mishap Marching Band will have 35 members that night and we are ready to raise the roof. We are playing a number of my compositions as well as several traditional Klezmer and Balkan tunes. Then, DJ Shorty Stump will keep us dancing until the wee hours.
Datri Bean CD release When: Doors at 8 p.m. Friday Where: The Swan Dive, 615 Red River St. Cost: $10 Information: datribean.com, minormishap.com
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Weekend picks: Powerhouse Truckers, roots metal and crazy punk rock
Note: Winter weather could cause event cancellations. Call ahead to confirm.
Friday
Mother Truckers at the Continental Club.Although “Van Tour” wasn’t quite as good as its entirely engaging predecessor, the rockin’ country Mother Truckers had their best year in 2010. Not only was “Summer of Love” chosen as one of the “Coolest Songs in the World” on Little Steven’s satellite radio station, but the powerhouse duo of Teal Collins and Josh Zee torched Europe for the first time. It’s always a blast when they come home to Conto. With Chris Gates and Gatesville. 10 p.m. $12. 1315 S. Congress Ave. continentalclub.com. — Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Grupo Fantasma at Momo’s
- Two Fresh at the Parish
- Wild Nothing, Abe Vigoda at Red 7
- Robert Randolph at Antone’s
- Robert Johnson tribute show at the Paramount
- Datri Bean CD release at Swan Dive
- High Tones at Club Deville
- Esperanza Spalding at One World Theatre
- Flesh Lights at Beerland
Saturday
Grady at the Scoot Inn. Still delivering power-trio rock somewhere between heavy country and roots metal, or as Jello Biafra once famously said, “These guys are the missing link between Junior Brown and Black Flag.” Their latest release is the live DVD “Calling All My Demons.” With Scott H. Biram, Dixie Witch and Thunderosa. 8 p.m. Tickets are $9 advance, $12 at the door. 1308 E. Fourth St. 478-6200. scoot-inn.com — Joe Gross
Also recommended:
- Murder by Death at Red 7
- Baths at the Mohawk (inside, 9 p.m.)
- Soft Healer at Beerland
- Times of Grace at Emo’s
- Tina Dico at Stubb’s (inside, 9 p.m.)
- Jonathan Terrell and the Heartbreak Tycoons at the Ghost Room
- Bob Marley Birthday Tribute with the Mau Mau Chaplains at Flamingo Cantina
Sunday
OBN III’s, Hot Crush, Blood Royales, Texxas at Beerland.Nonstop, loud, crazy punk rock on a Sunday: Why are these kinds of shows better when you have to work the next morning? It’s club employees Graham and Timmo’s birthday party. 9 p.m. 711 Red River St. beerlandtexas.com. — M.C.
Also recommended:
- Heybale at the Continental
- Warren Hood at Momo’s
- Mike Flanigin B-3 Trio at Continental Gallery
- Junior Brown at Continental (early)
- the Living Room Show with Mo and Friends at Flipnotics
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Alex Napier 1951- 2011
Alex Napier, who played bass for the Cobras with Stevie Ray Vaughan, plus in the bands of both Charlie and Will Sexton, died this morning after a bout with liver cancer. He was 59.
Napier was one of the white musicians from the Dallas- Fort Worth area, including Jimmie and Stevie Vaughan, Paul Ray and Doyle Bramhall, who helped establish Austin as a blues town during the Cosmic Cowboy era. During the late ’60s he did light shows at the Vulcan Gas Company and opened a club in Westlake that eventually became Soap Creek Saloon..
Also a founding member of the Leroi Brothers, Napier passed away at his home in Desoto, his nephew Mark Stanley confirmed.
Besides being a noted bassist, Napier was an unforgettable character, with a wry sense of humor topped only by his great musical taste.
“He had more stories than any book will every be able to write about the early Texas blues days in the 60’s- 2000’s,” said Steve Dean, who often booked Napier’s bands at the old AusTex Lounge.
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SXSW band of the day: Dominique Young Unique
From: Tampa Bay, Fla.
In 50 words or less: Straddling booty club beats that mix heavy doses of Miami Bass with 808 groove and electro blip, Dominique Young Unique is a barely legal, stiletto-strapped, spitfire with a furious flow. Unabashedly nasty and exuding irresistible fierceness, she drops frenzied rhymes that move hip-hoppers and hipsters alike.
Could share a bill with… Ying Yang Twins, Nicki Minaj, Girl Talk, A-Trak, any of the Sissy Bounce queens (like she did at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010).
Tantalizing tidbit: Rapping since she was 12, Ms. Young Unique’s career began to take off last year when she was 18. Look for her to put in appearances at some of SXSW’s hippest hotspots, Fader Fort, et al, sipping on a Sprite, no doubt.
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‘ACL’ to tape Widespread Panic SXSW showcase
Love it when rumors, blogged as such, turn out to be true. A few weeks ago we reported that Widespread Panic could be playing the new Austin City Limits Live venue during SXSW, but we didn’t know if it would be a show taping or a showcase.
Turns out it’s both.
‘ACL’ producer Terry Lickona confirmed Wednesday that the Georgia jam band would have their showcase recorded for airing on PBS. This is the first time a SXSW showcase has received the Lickonavision treatment.
Admission to the 2,750-capacity venue will be like any other SXSW showcase: badges have priority, followed by wristbands. Oops, we forgot to ask which day, but since we know Lost Highway has Friday night and a certain reformed celebrity blogger of Cuban descent has Saturday night, we can place the Panic on either Wednesday March 16 or Thursday the 17th.
There’s also talk that the band will return to ACL Live for Halloween.
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British Music Embassy announces SXSW acts
Once again, Latitude 30, at Sixth and San Jacinto will be transformed into the British Music Embassy during SXSW.
The invitation-only parties kick off Tuesday March 15 with the Boxer Rebellion headlining.
BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens hosts the official kickoff Wednesday March 16 with a bill that includes Bombay Bicycle Club, Jamie Woon and Dry the River.
Frankie and the Heartstrings, Bearsuit, RAMS’ Pocket Radio, Veronica Falls, and The Good Natured will also rock the Embassy during SXSW.
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As Austin freezes, what is closed and what is open in Austin music
— Mohawk is open, “assuming we have power,” owner James Moody said. “We had about 600 people come out for Deerhoof (outdoors) Tuesday night, so I’m kinda proud of these Austinites. The band killed it.” Tonight’s show is indoors, tomorrow’s is outdoors.
— Red Seven is closed tonight, but plans to be open tomorrow for the Native show outdoors.
— Emo’s is open tonight. The show is indoors.
— Beerland is open.
— Antone’s is closed; the Hubert Sumlin show has been canceled “due to weather and travel,” according the club’s website.
More clubs will be added as events unfold.
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SXSW Band of the Day: The Smith Westerns
From: Chicago
In 50 words or fewer: Swirling, mostly dreamy pop rock songs that shoot for classic territory mined by names like The Beatles, T. Rex or Big Star, and get close to the mark far more often than you’d expect of a trio whose oldest member is 20-year-old Cullen Omori. Brother Cameron Omori and guitarist Max Kakacek round out the roster on the new, hotly tipped “Dye It Blonde”.
Could share a bill with: Girls (who they toured with last year), Surfer Blood, Nada Surf
Mostly Reasonable Prediction: The Smith Westerns are the smart money to be band that logs more than a dozen shows with lines around the block once SXSW gets going next month. They’re photogenic, precocious, abnormally talented and on a label (Fat Possum) that’s on an impressive streak after last year’s well-received Crocodiles album. Start RSVPing for side parties now, or snag a ticket to their stop at Emo’s on Monday and tell everyone all about it while they’re trying to hustle their way into the Spin party.
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Ghostland, Girl Talk, Dwight confirmed for Whitewater Amphitheater
The Ghostland Observatory shows at 5,000-capacity Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels are becoming a summertime tradition. Whitewater booker/ co-owner Will Korioth confirms that GLO is coming back July 16, with two additional dates available in case of sellout, Tix go on sale March 1.
Also, Girl Talk is coming June 25 to the Guadalupe River hotspot, with Dwight Yoakam coming July 21.
There’s also talk of Robert Earl Keen hosting a two-day Texas Uprising Festival with C3 Presents on July 2 & 3, but there’s no word yet on support cast. And let’s not forget the 4th annual Toadies Fest coming Aug. 26 & 27.
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Randy Rogers gets third straight ACM nomination
Austin’s Randy Rogers Band has earned their third consecutive Academy of Country Music nomination in the vocal group category. The band found out this morning in Los Angeles, where they performed on the Conan O’Brien show last night. The band’s latest album is “Burning the Day.”
RRB is up against Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, the Band Perry and Zac Brown Band in the top vocal group category. So, it’s just great to be nominated (and watch Lady A walk off with the statue.)
The awards will be handed out April 3 on CBS. Miranda Lambert received the most nominations with seven. Her competition as Entertainer of the Year is Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
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SXSW band of the day: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
From: Springfield, Mo.
In 50 words or fewer: High school pals Will Knauer and Philip Dickey are the core of this pop quartet that enjoyed early success with 2005’s “Broom,” which was favorably received in the blogosphere and in Pitchfork and other publications. In 2008 “Pershing” hit a lot of year-end best-of lists. Their melodies stick in your head like a wad of bubble gum in your hair.
Could share a bill with: Death Cab for Cutie (Chris Walla produced last year’s “Sway”).
Tantalizing tidbit: They’ve toured Russia.
