South by Southwest is a static thing — both in theory and in practice. It’s a chance for bands to fans to see the established acts they’ve been wanting to see and for new, up-and-coming acts to try and make names for themselves. And that latter part very much tends…
Because nothing is more happening at SXSW than Twitter right now — or so we can only assume by all the people we’re seeing with eyes fixated on their cameras instead of their phones — we present to you reviews of the shows we caught last night, in standard, 140-character…
Last week, we had our Art Director Alexander Flores and illustrator Noah Patrick Pfarr create a bingo card based on what we’d likely see at SXSW.Turns out our predictions are fairly accurate so far. While we haven’t seen Bill Murray or a Monster Energy car annihilate a Red Bull car,…
On Saturday, March 12, Lower Greenville dive The Winedale Tavern would have turned 26-years-old. But, just days before its birthday, the bar’s owners shuttered the doors and closed for business. In three weeks’ time, though, the doors will be open again — and this time it will be called The…
People drunk. After day one-ish of SXSW Music, it’s a new term. People drunk is the dulled sensation, the open-mouth brain shock of trying to figure out which great band to catch in a completely huge crowd. Looking at yesterday’s schedule (and today’s…and tomorrow’s), it’s an overwhelming choice. So, yeah,…
In this week’s paper, Daniel Hopkins breaks down Sunday’s annual post-SXSW spillover showcase, Parade of Flesh’s Bro Fest, at Club Dada, which, as part of its two-stage offering will feature performances from Wild Flag, Dom, Small Black, Castanets, Grooms, Fang Island, JEFF The Brotherhood and The Greenhornes, among others. And,…
Eisley have been waiting a long time for this: It’s been four years since the Tyler-based family band released its last full-length album, Combinations, and during that time they’ve been through the wringer, both personally and professionally. Personal relationship breakups and an ugly split from Warner Bros. Records left the…
Lest the Forever The Sickest Kids’ pre-release interviews for this, their second full-length release, didn’t make it abundantly clear, then the final track on this self-titled affair (saying nothing of the ten songs leading up to it) certainly does, with its all-in shouted refrain: “We’re never gonna stop / Never…
While Army of Elephants, Descender’s 2010 debut, was no emotionally shallow affair, it would seem that sophomore release Dark Water finds the band leaving their past behind as a mere memory. Personnel-wise, the only remnants here of past projects Doosu and The Burden Brothers seem to be the band’s well-seasoned…
A majestic Texas ranch is a fitting backdrop for a country music festival that views itself as a revolution. This all-day affair, held at Southfork Ranch, is packed with a brilliant mixture of national and regional talent, all in an effort to provide attendees with an apt symbolization of what…
Toronto trio Rural Alberta Advantage’s breakout 2009 debut, Hometowns, was surprisingly muscular for all its folk undertones and atmospheric sheen. Sound swirls like flurries about frontman Nils Edenloff’s nasal, impassioned croon, which recalls Jeff Mangum’s craggy vocals. The warm textures and anxious bristle are keyed to extraordinary drummer Paul Banwatt,…
The song that put Das Racist on the map was “Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut,” which could not be simpler, and the generally accepted story is that the band made it up while performing it at a show. Yet the ensuing online analysis would have us believe that Das…
For a guy crossing Missouri in a ragged van in the middle of winter, Eric Elbogen sounds fairly chipper. And happy he should be: Elbogen’s band, Say Hi, is out on tour supporting their seventh effort, Um, Uh Oh, an album that’s garnering some of the best reviews of Elbogen’s…
On Sunday evening in downtown Denton, as the crowds gathered to catch Atlanta rapper and 35 Conferette headliner Big Boi perform in the Wells Fargo parking lot that had been temporarily converted into a concert space, a different personality entirely sauntered onto the stage. Rather than the final outdoor performer…
So-called supergroups are often less than super. But the reality is there’s nothing wrong with an intriguing collection of stars joining forces to be a “really good-group.” Middle Brother, a “really good-group” consisting of Taylor Goldsmith, John McCauley and Matt Vasquez—from promising young bands Dawes, Deer Tick and Delta Spirit,…
Every year around March, the spillover effect from Austin’s South By Southwest music festival sends hundreds of underground bands through North Texas. Which is good news for those whose wallets aren’t thick enough to afford a 2011 SXSW pass (a basic music pass goes for $750), as there are more…
Things slow down just a bit tonight as SXSW gets fully underway tonight down in our state capital. Still, there are certainly some viable musical options available this evening for the discerning listener…
There’s little doubting Atlanta duo Outkast’s place in hip-hop history. The twosome of Andre 3000 and Big Boi practically invented the southern hip-hop sub-genre, developing a crazy style to call their own — and something all their own, too. Even some 17 years after their 1994 full-length debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, few…
If known only for his work with the legendary trio known as The Minutemen, bassist Mike Watt would still have his place in rock ‘n’ roll lore. But even after that band disintegrated following the death of singer/guitarist D. Boon, Watt pressed on and formed another acclaimed trio: Firehose. And,…
As we mentioned yesterday, the South by Southwest spillover effect has reached our beloved record store Good Records. And this evening, before he performs a full blown electric show at The Loft, Mike Watt will be over at Good for what he calls a “hoot & spiel,” more commonly known…
Chaz Bundick’s chill. But he’s not that chill. Or so the 24-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina, and the man behind the Toro y Moi moniker is hoping to prove with his latest “organic” effort, Underneath the Pines, which was recorded in the small recording studio at Chaz’ house on drums,…
Welcome to My First Show, where we give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended — no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be. Guitarist Scott Porter has helped anchor Record Hop with two fantastic full-lengths, especially their self-titled second album, which was…
