I’ve read again and again what a spectacular display Monotonix’s live show is and finally got to experience it yesterday afternoon. I stuck around for the Circle Jerks afterward, but it was clear there was just no way any band could top Monotonix. So I decided to give my fatigued…

Act: Beach HouseWhere: Cedar Street CourtyardWhat It Was Like: Packed. There were obviously quite a few fans of Beach House’s mellow, cheery songs. Also, judging by all the “Who are these guys?” I heard, many badge-holders were taking advantage of a relatively quiet set to talk, text or chill out…

Free doesn’t always mean free, I’ve learned after striking out twice on the hunt for freebies Thursday before settling for a Reuben sandwich at B.D. Riley’s.The first stop was the Longbranch Inn on 11th Street in East Austin, where King Khan and BBQ Show, Past Lives and Tera Malos held…

Act: Big BoiPlace: Austin Music HallWhat it was like: Awesome. The set of the night. And yet the most frustrating. Big Boi did a couple of solo jams from his upcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. Otherwise the set was nearly all Oukast gems going all…

I was delayed in getting my night started, thanks to some setbacks I’d rather not go into. Let me just recommend that if you’re at SXSW, don’t carry a pocketknife. But I still caught a few interesting acts. Hopefully today will go more smoothly. Act: School of Seven Bells (another…

With the music industry, print media and the economy all struggling (to put it mildly), I imagine there are a lot of people in Austin trying to pinch pennies however they can. At least, I am. Now, I don’t want to be a piker when it comes to bringing home…

Geographically speaking, it makes perfect sense why we see so many shows in town come mid- to late March. Yet, every year, it manages to surprise us. Below is a breakdown of some of the more promising shows coming through as a result of South by Southwest overspill. But it’s…

With North Texas serving as a natural stopping point both on the way in and on the way out of Austin’s South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, fans in the region have always had scores of great shows to see a little closer to home before and after SXSW—but…

The technology has changed from tapes to CDs, but otherwise, Young Bleed (aka Glenn Clifton Jr.) is back where he began. And that’s fine with him. The Baton Rouge rapper started out recording and selling tapes to friends in his South Baton Rouge neighborhood as a teenager—until his drawling flow…

Escadrille, the debut album from Denton’s Starhead, captures a riveting combination of Ira Wile’s passionately delivered poetry over contemplative, hushed accompaniment. It opens with a recitation of Solomon and closes with “Our Revels Now Are Ended” from Shakespeare’s The Tempest over quiet violin and guitar droning—none-too-subtle reminders that the lyrics…

The Internet thinks your Interstate 35E sucks. Constant rain and two major wrecks in the 45-mile stretch of highway between Dallas and Denton made the drive an absolutely miserable mess. I was feeling sorry for myself that my trip took an hour and a half–more than twice the usual time–until…

Obviously, we’re really excited about NX35 this weekend, in case you couldn’t tell. But there are other shows going on too. First, there are the shows we’ve already mentioned. On Saturday, celebrate the Greatest Holiday Of Them All at the Dallas Observer’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Afterparty at Energy Square…

This week’s featured poster is for the Dirtfoot, Warren Jackson Hearne and Starhead show at J&J’s Pizza tomorrow night, part of the NX35 festival. Starhead’s Ira Wile designed this poster, which, he explains via e-mail, was “cannibalized from some Russian thingy from the 1800’s.” Borrowed image or not, the simplicity…