The Mohawk’s Independence Day Beach Party takes place this Sunday – come on down and enjoy a snow cone, a game of ping pong or pool, a dip in the kiddie pools, and more. The shindig starts at 4 p.m. -- Wiretree take the stage at 6 p.m.; The Sideshow Tragedy follow at 7. As Biff Tannen once said, “God Bless America.”
The Davis Cup is coming to town (July 8 -10 at Frank Erwin Center) – this is one of the most epic, historic tennis events, a World Cup for tennis even. ACL Live at the Moody Theater will host a Draw Ceremony bash at noon on Thursday, July 7th, complete with player introductions and a live set by Asleep at the Wheel – get your tickets here.
The Austin Chronicle’s “Best of Austin” poll and “Sound Wars” competition are both back – submit your picks for the former here and learn more about the latter here.
Sign up to attend SXSW’s inaugural Eco Conference (October 4 – 6 at the Hilton Austin) here; sign up to present at the seminar here.
The ND is taking a break until July 21st to renovate, etc. – read the club’s official statement here.
Frank stellar brunch menu can now be enjoyed with quality tunes courtesy of DJs Kid Slyce and I Wanna Be Her (a.k.a. Thick A$ Thieves) every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In other news, Frank’s live music calendar launches later this summer; former Ghost Room all-stars Glynn Wedgewood, Josie Fluri, and Chris Payeur will handle the booking.
Check out the new episode of The Wooden Birds’ tour diary video via Crawdaddy!. The band departed on a month-long North American jaunt earlier this week; they return to play The Mohawk on July 20th.
Built By Snow, one of my favorite local pop-sters, return from a brief hiatus to headline a quality free show at Red 7 this evening.
Exile In Austin, Free People’s Austin Catalog Release Party, takes place tomorrow evening (5 – 8 p.m.) at The Mohawk. The free event includes a performance by The Happen-Ins; the Austin band is featured in the latest catalog.
Check out STEREO IS A LIE’s new video for “Last Call” off the self-titled debut full-length here.
Catch Andrew Kenny’s The Wooden Birds at Waterloo Records at 5 p.m. today; the band heads out on tour in support of Two Matchsticks later this week. Kenny once spearheaded the legendary local outfit The American Analog Set.
After checking out the Birds, make your way to The Parlor for one of many “final” shows at the historic hot-spot on North Loop -- tonight’s impressive bill, assembled by Giant Step Productions, boasts Jonathan Terrell from Not In The Face!, Jesse Moore from Guns of Navarone, Josh Mazour from Crooks, and Mike Harmeier from Mike and the Moonpies, among others (Full Lineup). The Parlor original location shuts its doors at the end of the month.
Future Sounds’ next Rumble in town is set for June 15th at Beerland – RSVP here to get in for free.
Paul Streckfus’ Kingdom of Suicide Lovers celebrate the release of the “System vs. Factory” b/w “Capsules” 7" at Ruta Maya on June 23rd. You may remember Streckfus from Glorium, a cult favorite up and down I-10 back in the '90s; pre-order the new KoSL single via the Golden Hour Records website.
Foot Patrol will perform “hip hop’s greatest hits” at The Scoot Inn on June 25th – more info via Facebook.
The Emo’s Boat Party Series sets sail at 5 p.m. on June 27th from the Beach Front Boat Rentals dock next to Volente Beach. Tickets ($20) can be purchased at the Emo’s bar and include complimentary BBQ and beer (21+); Riverboat Gamblers perform.
The next Peligrosa shindig takes place June 17th at Scoot Inn (FB event page); if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, check out the next Soul Happening Shakedown at the Legendary White Swan on the same night (FB event page).
Local blog Red River Noise has put together a nice little bill at The Mohawk on June 18th – get the deets via Do512.
Ume will release their new full-length Phantoms on August 30th on Modern Outsider Records; expect a fair share of previews at their next gig in town, at The Mohawk on July 22nd.
Mark your calendars! The Big 4 Tribute lands August 13th at Red 7 – more info coming soon.
Chaos in Tejas takes over much of Red River St. and its surrounding areas this Thursday through Sunday – scope out the schedule here; purchase a four-day pass to Chaos show at The Mohawkhere and a three-day pass Red 7here.
On Friday, the same venue hosts Southern Violator, the final edition of Knuckle Rumber’s Vs. series -- RSVP via Do512 for $3 entry. Get the low-down on KR’s next event, the intriguingly titled Smash Dat A$$ Up (Beauty Bar / June 18th), via Facebook.
uLOVEi’s A Night For Lovers series rolls on at Lanai tomorrow night. On June 8th, head down to Dirty Bills and buy good man Richard Gonzalez from ultra8201 a birthday shot (or five) at a special “birthday” edition of Isabel J Presents: Dirty, another infamous uLOVEi fueled residency. uLOVEi’s selections can also be enjoyed every second and fourth Friday of the month at The Eastern, and of course, at my First Friday Frolic series at Club de Ville.
KVRX 91.7 FM kicks off its Summer Concert Series on June 3rd at the 29th Street Ballroom at Spider House -- details via Facebook.
The Austin Variety Show studios are now located inside the oft-maligned Highland Mall. The first taping at the new home is set for June 18th but in the interim, all are invited to the housewarming party on May 28th from 8 to 11 p.m., complete with a “Stupid Housewarming Gift” contest. (No cover; free BBQ from Sam’s.)
But why wait till September -- you can get your fest on at Pachanga this Saturday at Fiesta Gardens -- purchase tickets here, scope out the schedule here, and keep the shindig going all night with the Peligrosa crew at the Pachanga After Party at Volstead Lounge. Peligrosa's set at the fest takes place in the Electro Cumbia Café at 5:30 p.m.
It’s almost time for Chaos in Tejas as well (June 2nd - 5th) – a very, very impressive schedule can be viewed here. Plus there’s the enticing Liquid Sludge Fest at Scoot Inn on June 2nd and 3rd. Of course, no festival roundup would be complete without a mention of the epic weekend in November that is Fun Fun Fun Fest -- win sweet prizes via the Guess The Fest contest.
Download the Black Lips’ new single “Modern Art” via SPIN; check out the cover art for the upcoming Arabia Mountain record (due June 7th) below.
Rave On Buddy Holly, a new compilation that pays tribute to the Texas legend, drops June 28th – stream The Black Keys’ rendition of “Dearest” via Pitchfork. Paul McCartney, Patti Smith, and My Morning Jacket are just a few of the many other notable contributors.
Sebastian Bach, Anvil, Cherie Currie, Matt Sorum, Joey Belladonna, Jim Norton, Duff McKagan, and Glenn Hughes have all been featured on recent episodes of VH1’s That Metal Show. For my money, it’s easily the best hour on TV every Saturday evening. Catch a sneak peak of the next episode (Carmine Appice and Dave Meniketti) here.
GOBI and Peligrosa cohorts King Louie and Hobo D furnish the soundtrack at Knuckle Rumbler’s Cinco de Mayo bash at Venue 222 this evening; La Condesa’s annual block party is another viable option.
The Parish is launching a new electronic music series starting June 22nd – the free, all ages events will be hosted by Jo Mirasole from The Bright Light Social Hour.
Freedom Express Line, a collaboration between Cymarshall Law and The Beatnikz, is the newest offering from local label Beats Broke -- purchase it here; check out the video for “Zion Land” below.
The details for Pachanga’s interactive kids bash a.k.a. Niños Rock Pachanga have been announced. The scheduled entertainment includes a live set by Ozokidz (Ozomatli’s children themed project), workshops by Alex Vallejo and Gina Chavez, a whole host of assorted arts ‘n’ craft activities, and of course, Annie Ray’s infamous photobooth to preserve those magical memories forever. Pachanga Fest takes place on Saturday, May 21st at Fiesta Gardens.
The Midgetmen celebrate the release of their fourth record on May 20th at The Mohawk -- more information via Facebook.
Talented local rapper ZEALE is the latest artist to be featured on the 20QATX blog.
If you haven’t watched the fascinating documentary Heavy Metal In Baghdad yet, now would be a good time – Acrassicauda stops in at Red 7 on May 24th. It should be pretty epic.
Austin Psych Fest kicks off this evening at 5 p.m. at the Seaholm Power Plant -- get all the deets via the website .
Browse through scores of epic records, vintage artifacts, used CDs, and even new DVDs at the always enjoyable Austin Record Convention this weekend at the North Austin Event Center.
Foot Patrol celebrate the release of Pussyfooting at the Playland Skate Center this Sunday; the Gentleman Rogues’ EP release show is set for May 13th at Skinny’s Ballroom.
Steady Eye Shaky Bow, the new album from Suzanna Choffel is now available via her website in a variety of packages.
If you didn’t get a chance to cut a rug on Friday or Saturday, wrap up your weekend at Synth Sundays, a new residency curated by DJ collective Procession at Beauty Bar.
The Recording Academy’s Texas Chapter will host a Grammy U Summit at the AMD’s Lone Star Campus on April 30th; your truly has been invited to co-host The New Millineium: Strategies for Online Promo/Marketing workshop – get all deets here.
The latest installment of Knuckle Rumbler’s Vs. series is set for April 30th at Scoot Inn -- RSVP for Phunkavelli (2Pac vs. George Clinton) via Do512 to get in for three bucks.
Two Matchsticks, the upcoming full-length from Andrew Kenny’s The Wooden Birds, drops on June 7th on Barsuk -- stream the title track via MTV Hive; catch the band at The Mohawk on July 20th.
Bill Baird’s Blank Fritz, Missions, and Spells all perform at The Ghost Room on May 19th as a part of Knuckle Rumbler’s next event at the venue. The entertainment on offer this evening includes dazzling visuals by Vid Kidz as well. Before all that madness, Missions play inside at Stubb’s immediately after the Cut Copy show on Friday.
In other afterparty news, Learning Secrets invite you to end your night on Friday at Beauty Bar. You’ll get in for $5 if you have a stub from Yelle at The Mohawk or Cut Copy at Stubb’s. And you’ll continue to dance the night away, this time courtesy of DJ sets by the LS lads as well as Holy Ghost!. Learning Secrets present Aussies DJ Bang Gang at the same spot on the 29th and continue to enliven the mood at Malverde every Thursday.
Chaos In Tejas has sorted out its lineup and announced the schedule – check it out here.
Get your tickets for Austin Psych Festhere and for Pachangahere.
Southwestern University in Georgetown has a cool little fest going on this Saturday – get the deets here. The slightly bigger ClusterFest featuring Matt and Kim and The Octopus Project takes place on April 29th at the Corbin J. Robertson Center.
Drummer Trivett Wingo has left The Sword. Wingo states, “It is with deep sadness that I am announcing my departure from The Sword. After nearly seven years and some of the most amazing adventures of a lifetime, I have arrived at a place where I am physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of The Sword. If I could go any further, I would as I love the music and JD, Bryan and Kyle are people that I deeply respect, but I have reached a point where I just can’t do this anymore.” Read his statement in full via the band’s official site.
Although this news is pretty heartbreaking, there may a silver lining, even if ever so small. Wingo also handles the skins for a Nirvana tribute band in town -- perhaps we can hope for more frequent In Dudero shows now?
Either way, Wingo's considerable contributions to The Sword's bludgeoning sound will always be appreciated, and I look forward to seeing the band reconfigure, rebound, and return to the road. They have understandably canceled its U.S. and European Tour for the moment.
White Denim has added a fourth member and released a “summer retreat” collection of songs called Last Day Of Summer (produced by Danny Reisch) -- get the full scoop here. As you’ll notice, the band’s new full-length is due very soon as well. Hooray!
Check out the new video from Fran Healy (Travis) here; pre-order his solo effort Wreckorderhere. The album, set to drop October 5th Stateside, includes collaborations with Paul McCartney and Neko Case.
The Black Angels will celebrate the release of their third LP Phosphene Dream tomorrow with a performance at Waterloo Records at 7 p.m. The band previewed “Telephone” off the new album last week on the Late Show with David Letterman -- check it out below.
The Bright Light Social Hour Record Release Show is set for this Friday at Antone’s. On their self-titled debut full-length, the versatile lads in this emerging outfit showcase their penchant for mastering a whole a host of styles, be it psychedelic prog-rock, funky dance-pop, or the odd bluesy jam session. The result is a diverse collection of exhilarating tunes that should appease fans of most genres. Get your tickets for Friday’s gig via Frontgate.
Do512 and Shiner have teamed up to offer you a chance to win three day passes to this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park -- complete details here. If you don’t prevail, or can’t make it to ACL Fest on Saturday, you may want to scope out the Lucy The Poodle’s Ditch The Fest Fest on October 9th at Cheer Up Charlie’s.
I love The Thermals. They’re one of the most talented, energetic, lovable punk-pop bands around. Fuckin’ A from 2004 is truly a classic; the rest of their records all include a couple of epic anthems at the least. Needless to say, I am pretty stoked for their show at Red 7 on October 23rd. The new record Personal Life is set for release on September 7th (mega excited for that as well) -- check out the video for the first single “I Don’t Believe You” via Pitchfork. And jam out “No Culture Icons” off their debut More Parts Per Million and “How We Know” off Fuckin’ A below.
I’ll be the first to admit that I should have more Melvins albums in my collection. I had the opportunity catch the band in all its glory back in 1997 at the Austin Music Hall when they opened up for Tool. But somehow, I never got around to accumulating their albums. There’s a lot of them. The esteemed noise-brokers dropped their 20th album The Bride Screamed Murder this past June. “Electric Flower” from the record was recently remixed by a whole host of producers as a part of the Scion A/V Remix Series. I’ve been enjoying these intriguing concoctions this week and I figured so should you – check ‘em out via Preemtiv if you so wish.