While Roky Erickson and the Black Angels get proper credit for being ambassadors of Austin psych past and present, let us consider the Boxing Lesson. Mixing swirling, soaring guitars with synth instead of bass, the trio is looking to expand minds beyond the boundaries of what other psych rock bands…
In all honesty: the thought of performing on stage in an improv troupe scares the feces out of us. The thought of having to be hilarious and insightful, often at the same time, at the unexpected drop of a rubber chicken is enough to make us find a gang-banger to…
Whether it’s Mark “The Bird” Fidrych from the ’70s, or William “The Fridge” Perry from the ’80s, we can not get enough of athletes that seemingly come out of nowhere. Before the season finally started, a game with the New York Knicks would’ve been circled on the calendar for the…
Regular readers of DC9 and regular drinkers at just about any North Texas honky-tonk are likely familiar with Grant Jones & The Pistol Grip Lassos by now. Between celebrating a great victory in the 2009 Shiner Rising Star Contest (where they won a recording contract) and suffering unimaginable loss when…
Dropkick Murphys House of Blues Monday, February 27 A Dropkick Murphys show isn’t one to hold surprises, nor is it one to attend when you’re just looking for a decent night of music. Don’t get me wrong, the beloved Celtic punk band’s performance last night at House of Blues was…
If it seems as though we’ve been discussing emerging New West Records signees or inventive bands who know how to artfully blend folk, rock and country together lately, it’s because we have. So why don’t we continue that trend right here, yes? OK, good. Buxton, a five-piece from Houston, has…
One of the better young acts excelling in rootsy chemistry is Florida’s Have Gun Will Travel. While their current album, Mergers & Acquisitions, is the band’s strongest to date, the quintet’s last LP, Postcards From the Friendly City, was an excellent example of their talents as well. For those who…
At the end of the 2005 movie Sideways, Paul Giamatti’s character Miles decides to create a special event by drinking a bottle of high-dollar wine on a less than extraordinary day, instead of waiting for a cork-pop-worthy occasion to magically occur. Now, apply the same line of thinking to a…
Look. We can’t all bring it on. We can’t all sit in the back of the bus with the football studs. Some of us have to haul the water bottles and sweaty uniforms and then sit up front with the coach and his spit cup. Lucky for those of us…
Reigning MVP, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Hart Trophy Winner, and J-Lo’s current boy toy: These are a few of the more coveted titles in the world of pop-culture today. None of them, regardless of the spoils that come with such a victory, sound anywhere near as cool as Adventurer of the…
There have been some notable record deals inked among North Texas artists in recent years — Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights on Atlantic and Midlake on Bella Union pop to mind — and as of February 10, Dallas-based singer-songwriter Ronnie Fauss joined the ranks of regional artists with serious…
There’s not just one Austin roots band that knows how to produce a video that must be watched a bajillion times to be believed. While The Possum Posse’s “Guy On a Buffalo” series has proved to be quite the Internet phenomenon, the video for the Whiskey Shivers’ “Gimme All Your…
To apply the term “hardcore” in describing the sounds and vibes of Bay Area titans Neurosis is to miss the point. Whether the Scott Kelly-led outfit writhes with more recent ambient tones or pummels with the punk of their late-’80s beginnings, there’s a legitimate sense of emotional heaviness that can…
In a day when a Kardashian is deemed multifaceted for having her own perfume, while allowing cameras to follow her to lunch, it’s especially impressive to gaze upon the resume of someone who’s multitalented. The UK’s beautiful advocate for environmental care, Roz Savage, is multiremarkable. After leaving her corporate job,…
While it has become beyond comical to see everything from mayonnaise to nail polish marketed as “extreme,” there are some realms in which the youth-magnet buzz word is still appropriate, even a bit understated. Motocross is certainly one of those worlds where to be simply extreme is almost to be…
Michigan’s Breathe Owl Breathe knows how to make young parents rather happy. Their latest offering is an imaginative and heartwarming 7-inch/children’s book combo, The Listeners/ These Train Tracks. (Personal aside: I’m a father of a 4 year old, and I’ve put in way too much time singing to Wonder Pets…
This Saturday at the Granada Theater, one of the best Texas oddball pop shows of the year takes place, featuring Austin’s The Octopus Project, Houston’s Wild Moccasins and locals Mystery Skulls. Recent New West Records signees Wild Moccasins are nearing the re-release of their shimmering, catchy-as-all-get-out LP, Skin Collision Past…
In 2008, influential Canadian heavy metal forerunners Anvil finally tasted the fame that had eluded them for decades, thanks to the documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Instead of becoming novelty stars who had a heart-warming yet heart-wrenching movie to their name (like the stars of The King of Kong),…
Efrim Menuck of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra has a simple request of music fans and writers alike: Become engaged and find your own voice. The Canadian native, who’s also in the process of reigniting his seminal band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, cuts a definitive path to what society…
Lead Lemonhead Evan Dando has no problems performing under the name of the band that made him an indie-rock hero. “I love the liquid aspect. It keeps it fresh,” he says. Keeping the sounds of his past vibrant seems to be the order of the day: The current version of…
Going to see a concert at the Granada Theater is a fine way to spend an evening. But, there are plenty of folks who remember that, before the proliferation of movie grills and theaters with full bars, the Granada was the one place where one could have a pitcher of…
Boats are fun. For the friend of the boat owner, that is. The friend just shows up, puts a can of Bud Light Lime in a koozie, then himself into a life jacket , and enjoys avoiding the onset of skin cancer for a couple of hours. As the sun…
