This Thursday, October 16,101X & C3 Presents bring YOU a 101X Special Weezer/Workforce ticket sale!

This Thursday, October 16, 101X & C3 Presents bring YOU a 101X Special Weezer/Workforce ticket sale! Starting at 10:15am, tickets are on-sale at the X-tra low price of $10.15 (convenience charges MAY apply) at Texas Box Office outlets; the Erwin Center Box Office (Red River); online at TexasBoxOffice.com ; or by calling (512)-477-6060. This is a ONE DAY sale and subject to availability (meaning get yours QUICK)! Weezer at The Theatre @ The Frank Erwin Center, Monday, October 20 – stay tuned to 101X to win free tickets, or grab yours at the low $10.15 ticket price, Thursday starting at 10:15am!

Magnetic Fields Doing Fancy Theatre Shows in Dallas and Austin

As if the Magnetic Fields finally coming to a city near you wasn't enough, now you get to see them from your own comfy seat that some sweet old ticket-checker-lady will lead you to by flashlight. Folks in Dallas have the chance to see them at the Vaudville era Majestic Theatre on Monday 10/13 and those in Austin can see them Tuesday 10/14 at The Paramount Theatre on Congress.

MF's four piece crew fronted by pop mastermind Stephen Merritt will be performing lots o' tracks from their most recent album Distortion, which, just a heads up, will be performed acoustic - sans distortion. Fans that want to track their tour which starts this Friday (10/10) can do so on their official tour blog here

My tip for these shows: put on your good pair of jeans and cleanest chucks and take that special someone out for tapas beforehand... perfect opportunity for an indie-riffic date with a touch of class

2nd night Ghostland Observatory Added

When returning home to a sold out crowd, there’s no reason to leave anyone out of the festivities. Ghostland Observatory has decided to add a second night at Stubb’s Waller Creek so that each and every one of you can come and join along in their electro-rock spectacular. The Duo has been out touring in support of Robotique Majestique, and can’t wait to bring it all home to Austin. See you there!

Saturday 11/15

Tickets on sale now online only thru www.stubbs.frontgatetickets.com

Ghostland Observatory - Just announced!!

This just in, blogosphere navigators and music junkies: I just recieved word, this morning no less, that Austin's own Ghostland Observatory are finally making their triumphant return to the ATX!!!! Dance Legions of A-town rejoice!

Aaron and Thomas will be tearing down the house at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater on Friday, November 14th at 7pm, and tickets go on sale, online only, starting October 4th at the link below!! Be the first to get your tickets and be there, the last time these guys came through they sold out the Austin Music Hall in 3 weeks.


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO




TICKETS TO THA SHOW

More PUSA

The Presidents of The United States' latest effort, "These are the Good Times People," has gotten a solid 4-star rating from All Music Guide, who have called the new disc "eclectic" and "satisfying," and have even selected three songs off the the album as AMG Track Picks. Check out the full review here, and don't miss the Presidents when they play Stubb's Wednesday, October 8th with The Black and White Years.

Diamonds in the ACL Rough, Pt 1: Friday AM- Early PM

With all the amazing artists coming to ACL this weekend (The Foo Fighters, Beck, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Manu Chao, John Fogerty, The Raconteurs, The Mars Volta, and Gnarls Barkley, just to name a few,) and with the sheer number of performers the festival is playing host to (130 artists across 8 stages,) and it inevitable that some lesser-known acts will be lost in the calamity of musical saturation that is Austin from Friday to Sunday. That being said, finding those acts which are just ahead of the game, those who are broadcasting the future in their 30-minute, sparsely attended set before blasting off into st

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH:

Dan Dyer, 11:45AM, AT&T Blue Room:


Dan Dyer sounds like Ben Harper or Maroon 5 with a quarter of the pop sheen and 5000 times the soul. Dyer has captured the smoothness of the 70's lounge movement, the ambience and good vibes of a cool summer evening off the coast of some treasure island of relaxation. The music is intellectually stirring, a hot cup of tea for your spirit with just enough sugar to perk you up, freshen your perspective on the world at large, smell all the roses, and set you gently back onto your carseat or sofa, ready and waiting for the next time you fly away through the speakers - which won't be long.

RIYL: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Maroon 5, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees

Autamata, 12 noon, Austin Ventures Stage

Autamata may hail from the rain-drizzled valleys of Wicklow, Ireland, but Ken McHugh's brain must reside somewhere inside a nightclub inside a pirate ship inside an underground cave inside a jungle somewhere in an alternate dimension where the sun comes out whenever it feels like dancin. The "songwriter, producer, and mucho-instrumentalist" draws the line somewhere between Knightrider soundtrack if Hosselhoff was replaced by Rockwell, Built to Spill on disco steroids, and The Postal Service fronted by Nina Persson of the Cardigans. McHugh employs the services of a trio of pixies whose soft touches, along the lines of festival mates Flyleaf's Lacey Mosley's softer moments, add just the right amount of pop sensibility to the eclectic and provocative dance tracks underneath.

RIYL: Natalie Imbruglia, Chromeo, The Postal Service, Nine Inch Nails, Of Montreal, Feist, Broken Social Scene, Blue Monday, J Dilla

What Made Milwaukee Famous, 1:30PM, AT&T Blue Room



Considering the attention this group has been getting lately, they may almost be too well-known to go here, but their sound is so big and so familiar that if you measure these guys in reference to how known they could be, their current fame is but a dust speck on the Stereo of America.

RIYL: Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Trail of Dead, Coldplay, Third Eye Blind

The Pick of the Week: Sep 14th-21st

THE PARLOR MOB @ STUBB'S, FRI 09/19


I know this might be hard to believe, with all the great shows I have access to here at C3, but the Parlor Mob is the show I'v ebeen looking forward to this month out of any, save for ACL itself. I saw the Mob the last time they came through Austin, and they blew me away. They were polished, the came with tons of energy, they had plenty of blazing duel guitar ear candy, emotion in spades, and, above all else, watching the group gave me this feeling that I was a part of something special, an exclusive member of a diverse, yet small group of witnesses to a sleeping giant taking its first morning breaths and turning up the blistering rock radio before letting loose on the unsuspecting world. At that show, there were about 40 people in the audience. This time around, I expect there to be considerably more, now that there's been time for the word to spread, cus the witnesses, we've been talking.

If you're one of those people that doesn't like to see bands they've never heard before because they get disappointed by the usual lack of stage presence we in the off-radio music community so often deal with, this is your show.

If you're a ex-hard rock disciple who misses the golden days and thinks he's never going to hear the music he loves live again, this is the show for you.

If you play an instrument, any instrument, this is the show for you.

The Parlor Mob has something for everyone, and the price is so so right (only $8!?!?), which is why I'm making them my pick of the week.

Get your tickets to the Pick of the Week

Honorary Mention: Dark Star Orchestra @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Saturday 9/20

Impressions of a quick listen to TV On the Radio's "Dead Science"

Strutting down the Street trippin' out to neon lights and city sounds, club beats and rainy streets copulating in your ears, all the while just waiting for somebody to come up to you so you can own them with less effort than it takes to light a cigarette, but really just wanting to chill, kickin back, strutting down the street and peering out at the world from behind the aviators you know you shouldn't be wearing but decided to rock anyway.


Check out cuts from "Dead Science" on the band's Myspace page and see where it takes you.


TV on the Radio. Live at Stubb's Oct 30th, with the Dirtbombs.

Dude, the Presidents!

And you know what? I listened to the new album on their Myspace, and it's good! Yeah, I said it!


THE F*&^*N PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WITH THE BLACK AND WHITE YEARS, WED OCT 8TH AT STUBB'S WALLER CREEK AMPHITHEATRE

The Ghostface/Ghostland Mash-Up will Melt Your Face

Car Stereo (Wars,) the musical mouthpiece of Austin filmmaker Christopher Rose, is an invasion of your sonic privacy. He's digging in your closet, pulling out your musical skeletons, and making them shake their bones to pieces, and when it's all done, you'll thank him for it and ask for more. Here's a sampling of his samplings:





Avril Lavigne
Nirvana
The Theme from Doug
Three 6 Mafia
Journey
Daft Punk
Kanye
Lloyd
INXS
Juvenile
Smashmouth
MIMS
Survivor

By the way, this list represents less than half of two songs, about 2 minutes worth of material. Suck on that.


Clip from the Car Stereo (Wars) CD Release Party at Beauty Bar

CS(W) is all over the place this month, playing gigs at Beauty Bar and Molotov Lounge (with Busdriver, who any fans of fringe-hop like Aesop or Kool Keith need to know) leading up to his ACL Aftershow back-to-back nights on the 26th or 27th of September, at Emo's Lounge. Tickets will be going fast, this guy is blowing up, so get 'em early and shake it, Hipster Austin. This is where musical goldmining meets raucous dance party.

CAR STEREO WARS ACL AFTERSHOWS:

FRI SEPTEMBER 26TH
SAT SEPTEMBER 27TH

Portugal the Man - By Alex

Portugal. The Man, is an ever evolving progressive rock band from Alaska who has recently relocated to Seattle, WA. The band’s sound is a journey through rock n’ rolls’ roots. Combining southern guitar sounds, programmed beats, three-piece harmonies, and solid bass lines on their previous two releases. The band is now setting out on, The Gold Tour, with Earl Grey Hound and WinterSleep; in support of their brand-new effort, Censored Colors. This new album takes the group in a new direction, incorporating horn and string sections to songs, which would make John Lennon proud.
Their live shows bring everything on record to the audience. They are usually joined on-stage by, The Approaching AIRballoons, who are friends, who help recreate all of the layers caught on recording. Adding the feel of something larger. Portgual. The Man is not a group, but a movement.





Get tix to Portugal: The Man, Live at Emo's with Earl Greyhound and Wintersleep, Friday October 18th

More DSO Love

The Dark Star Orchestra carbon-copy Terrapin Station:



This Saturday, Stubb's Outdoors, come out!

Tickets Here, well worth it.

Shiny Toy Guns

Shiny Toy Guns are coming to Austin. These guys have been around for a while and have managed to bridge the gap between electronica and avant-garde indie-core groups like the Blood Brothers, and new lead vocalist Sisley Treasure can rip with the best of groups in the scene. They've taken Trent Reznor's hard edged philosophy towards dance music and taken it to another level of aggression, and their November 2008 release, Season of Poison, is sure to satisfy fans of their Grammy-nominated release, We Are Pilots. There's a ton of buzz surrounding these guys right now, so come down to the Parish and see what the fuss is all about! Ticket link below.



New Vocalist Sisely Treasure:

Shiny Toy Guns Live at the Parish Room, with Jonezetta and The Delta Fiasco

And for the Emocore Crowd....

The forbearers of Emo-core, FINCH, return to Texas with their brand of heartfelt, hardcore. These five brave souls have been bringing their angular guitar and vocal attacks mixed with campfire choruses to the masses since 2001’s, “What it is to Burn.” Touring in support of their new self-titled E.P Finch has come to stake their claim to the Scream-o devotees.

Coming along with them on this wild ride are Scary Kids Scaring Kids, whose Zappa-esque ability to blend tongue-in-cheek humor with technical and complex guitars and soaring vocals have made them a well-known name in the Emocore scene that Finch helped create. Together, these two groups represent an emo history lesson perfect for any fan of newer groups like Story of the Year, Aiden or It Dies Today.

Check out the links below and come rock out!

Get your Tickets to Finch and Scary Kids Scaring Kids at Antone's, Saturday September 20th

Dark Star Orchestra may have stolen Jerry Garcia's Soul, Saturday September 20th

Attention all Deadheads: Clear your schedules. Clear them. Put away your pipes, leave the hackey sack at home, grab your best tie-dye shirt and your Birkenstocks, and get your unkempt, free-lovin asses down to Stubb's.

"But Justen," you all say, "The Grateful Dead don't exist anymore, why should I go see another band?" Because that other band is Dark Star Orchestra, and they not only cover Grateful Dead songs, they meticulously recreate entire set lists, note for note, song for song, word for word. It's the closest most of us will ever get to seeing the Grateful Dead live. I present to you, odorous, fun-loving hippie masses, Scarlet Begonias from the 5/8/77 show in Buffalo, played in 2007.



Compare:


My Work is Done Hippies. Come play and be merry. <---ticketlink

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at Stubb's

Check out Stephen pourin on the charm and laying down some heartfelt tunes below, this will be a great date show or a good show for anyone who needs an uplifting break from the hustle bustle of everyday life.



Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at Stubbs

Thursday, September 18th, come see Stephen do his thing.

Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog got their big break touring with My Morning Jacket in 2004, and in describing the band's sound, the similarities with the aforementioned group are are a good starting point. Much like My Morning Jacket, Dr Dog has found a balance between originality and proficiency, channeling many of the greats of the past and adding a contemporary twist that makes it current and classic at the same time. Listening through the bands myspace one will hear the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, a little bit of Coldplay, a little bit of Crosby Stills and Nash, and another helping of the Beach Boys (you can never have too much Pet Sounds ...sounds?) If you're intrigued, they'll be at The Parish this Saturday, and they are sure not to disappoint.

Dr Dog at the Parish

Tokyo Police Club

I really, really like these guys.

Bands Tokyo Police Club would be fighting for personal space with if we were all magnetically attracted to each other by our musical tastes:

The Strokes
Say Anything
Born Ruffians
The Stills (anyone remember them? You should!)
The Whigs (who are playing with them!)

Basically, these guys are awesome, and a cut above their teen-indie contemporaries. Good on ya, Saddle Creek!



They're playing at Emo's next Friday, again, with the Whigs (that's September 12th), get your tickets at ticketweb and I'll see you there!

Umphrey's McGee at La Zona Rosa

Jamband titans Umphrey's McGee are coming to La Zona Rosa September 11th (that's this coming Thursday.) These guys really do have something for everyone: they have the chops to satisfy the most stringent of jazz critics, they can bring the metal, they're a venerable fortress of laid-back chill grooves, and their extensive experience in the jam band scene makes them solid entertainers. Umphrey's are a staple of the festival scene, having played at the first Bonaroo, and, no lie, they were touted by Rolling Stone as the "odds-in favorites to the next-Phish sweepstakes." Check out the video below, lay back, relax with your favorite beverage, and when the clip is done and you still want more, come see them rock Austin's face off.




TICKETSSSS

CARDINALS

The Cardinals are Ryan Adams, Brad Pemberton, Jon Graboff, Neal Casal, and Chris Feinstein. While Easy Tiger, Adams' new album, is being released under his name, the disc features every member of Cardinals, and they have been making a number of guest appearances to promote the disc. Here's a clip of the group performing "Everybody Knows," the alt-country anthem leading off the new disc's assault on Nashville.



Cardinals will be at The Paramount Theatre October 13th, the show is gonna be awesome as Adams and crew are skilled performers who have been playing together for a number of years. TIXXX

ANTHONY GREEN AT STUBB'S 8-29

Anthony Green of Saosin, Sound of Animals Fighting, and Circa Survive is coming to Stubb's August 29th. Green is a great performer and an amazing vocalist, and I thought that his music would say more than I ever could about him, so here are videos from all 3 groups. Ticket link is below.

SAOSIN:


SOUND OF ANIMALS FIGHTING:


CIRCA SURVIVE:


Anthony's new album is a solo acoustic effort, so the vibe will be decidedly relaxed, emotional, and lo-key. Here's another clip of Green performing "I've Been Dying to Reach You"


Tickets available now.

NAS

NAS GETS FOUR STARS FROM ROLLING STONE FOR "UNTITLED"


Nas is a household name for music fans at this point, so I won't spend much time going over the NY legend's long list of musical accomplishments. Here's what you need to know:

1. Nas is awesome

2. Nas is coming to Emo's this Sunday

3. Nas will be there with Black Star's Talib Kweli

4. Nas will rule all at both the 6pm and 10pm shows.

5. Nas will kill you.

6PM SHOW
10PM SHOW

MATT PRYOR

You may not know who Matt Pryor is, but odds are, if you were into indie, punk, or emo during any of the 1990's, you have heard his music. Way back in 1995, when Dashboard Confessional was just a thought in Chris Carabba's angst-filled mind, when Panic at the Disco were still in middle school, and when Conor Oberst was still playing in Commander Venus, Matt Pryor founded a little band called the Get Up Kids, who are still heralded by many today, along with groups like Sunny Day Real Estate, as one of the original founders of the current wave of indie and emo music. For most musicians, that would have been enough, but Pryor started The New Amsterdams, and toured and recorded with them while continuining to release albums up until the break-up of TGUK in 2005. When Matt entered family life, he started another side project, The Terrible Twos, bringing his experiences as a father into the music world to create children's songs for his kids. And now, in 2008, Matt Pryor is releasing "Confidence Man," his first solo album and a DIY effort in every sense of the word: Pryor wrote, played, recorded and mixed every track on the album, by himself, at his home studio in Kansas. "Confidence Man" will constitute the 15th album that Pryor has released in 13 years. Do yourself a favor and come see him at Stubb's this Saturday, whether its his 4 o'clock show as the Terrible Twos, or his later set with Kevin Devine and Danny Malone. Yes, thats right, he's playing two shows in one night. LEGEND!




MATT PRYOR TICKETS
TERRIBLE TWOS TICKETS

FREEZE!

Hawaii's own Pepper have been percolating the soundscape since 1996, bringing the cool winds and hot rocks of the islands to the world with their solid guitar playing, tight drumming, and innovative mix of reggae, metal, rock, dub, and hip-hop.
Imagine yourself under a bridge, standing under a great highway, landscape a mess of browns, tans, and heat, the sun beating down on everything around it, the ground waving and rising skyward, reclaimed by the tyrannical force of rays and ultraviolet burning its surroundings to an egg-frying desolation. Hearing a small sound, you look left, look right, and creep forwards, the heat radiating, you break into sweat, already gasping for breath, and drag yourself forward, out of your urban burrow, burning, stinging, coughing, desert winds pounding your face, sand like swarms of mineral fleas enveloping you. You fight, you trudge forwards, and just as your last ounce of perspiration trickles from your brow and it seems the red skyward beast will claim you forever, your consciousness is shaken into immediacy by a roar, a clap, and the sensation of raindrops on your face. Instantly cooled, thrown into a glorious trance, relief washes over you and you look up to the sky, laughing. Music pours upward from the freshly soaked soil.

That's what Pepper sounds like.



Pepper @ Emo's, Saturday October 18th, TIX ONSALE AUG 16TH

EXCLUSIVE Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Lolla Footage!

Check it Out!



Also, our good friends at Quinnstorm.com have an interview posted with Bthe band that you will not want to miss.

They're playing at The Parish this Friday, get tickets here and come rock out!

Melvins, or the Melvins, depending on whom you ask, but Melvins if you ask the band (or at least their Myspace,) have been together for 25 years, and have released 25 albums. That's an album a year for a quarter of a century. While their music over that timeframe is arguably too complex to express in words, if you would please take the following words with you as you listen to them, I think it may help:

Jungle Assault Jet Fighting Wild Summer Camp With Strippers Action Metal

These guys are tight and with all that touring experience under their belts, it stands to reason that their show at Emo's will be off the hook! Come out and find out why bands like Tool and Mastodon owe so much of their sound to this group, and why Kurt Cobain, Mike Patton, and John Zorn praise them.

Friday, August 22nd, with Big Business.

Get Tickets Here.

As a whole, music fans in today's world, in my experience, are fairly open minded. Unlike generations past, most of us are fine blending musical tastes, and staying fairly open to new definitions of the genres we do like. One spin of the vast array of radio stations with "rock" in the name will offer up dozens of different interpretations of the word, with lyrics on every subject from broken hearts to broken televisions, and we, as the music-consuming public, are totally cool with putting it all under the same umbrella. "Electronica" in our world is a word used to describe everything, depending on who you ask, from Nine Inch Nails to the Postal Service to BT to Tapes N Tapes, again, with little demur from the public at large.

But try to call Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, or Bus Driver "Hip-Hop" to the wrong person, and you will have a war on your hands. For whatever reason, the Wild West that makes today's musical landscape so exciting has been slow to arrive in Raptropolis, and, in my personal opinion, a lot of amazing, innovative groups like those mentioned above are pushed into a musical oblivion where they are either embraced by a fringe community, as happened when Slug & co were signed to Epitaph, or left to rot, only to be celebrated years down the line, when the community has caught up to the inventiveness they, at the time, were unable to accept and understand. Even classic hip-hop, great groups like Public Enemy that contributed to Hip Hop in unprecedented ways, are brushed aside by many "heads" for their lack of cultural relevance.

Luckily, there are groups out there that span the great chasm between the hardcore hip-hoppers and the casual crowd, great bands that keep it real while pushing the boundaries: bands like The Roots, Hieroglyphics, and now, the second wave, groups like The Cool Kids, who have taken the classic formula, spliced it with everyday subject matter that makes them instantly relatable, and added in enough butt shakin to satisfy drunken partygoers of any age, and Free Sol, who's IDM-infused variety of hip-hop and soul offers, pure, unadulterated chill in near-lethal doses. Both artists, by the way, at Emo's August 20th, get your tickets here.

Oliver Future @ Emo's

Oliver Future is coming to Emo's with Pudge Zeppelin on Sunday, August 16th. The group is very passionate about their music and I've heard that they put on a great live show. Check out the video below, and if you like what you hear, tickets await!

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS

They are Toots and the Maytals. They are one of the original granddaddies of the Reggae sound. They are legends. They are at Antone's this Wednesday. If this seems a little short, it's because I can't understand why the entire city is not lining up there already. If Bob Marley was Bob Dylan, the storyteller who moved mountains, and Peter Tosh was John Lennon, the visionary, then Toots and the Maytals are Led Zeppelin. Yes, this show really is that big of a deal. I'm just going to say it: if you are a fan of Reggae, Rocksteady, Ska, Hip-Hop, Funk, or Jazz, and you don't go to this show, you are an idiot.



TICKETS

In Case You Didn't Know...

Does anyone remember back when Fueled by Ramen was that label that Less Than Jake was on?  They've come a way since then, thanks in no small part to Fall Out Boy and Pete Wentz, who, besides his talents for genitalia self-portraits and paparazzi posing, really does seem to have a great ear for talents across all genres.  All of the Radio vs Underground, Major vs Indie stuff aside, its great to find a label that's not afraid to put Tyga and the Hush Sound on the same imprint and encourage kids to do something our parents seldom did: diversify.

And, speaking of the Hush Sound, come show 'em some love when they play Antone's this Sunday, with Steel Train no less.  TIXXX

Wild Sweet Orange

Wild Sweet Orange don't have any songs about fruit, but they do have insightful power-folk-pop anthems that make me feel good inside and get me thinking the way Conor Oberst did, and they are danceable in this surprisingly comfortable manner, which brings me back to Death Cab on the Photobooth album.

Anyway, they're going to be at Stubb's Sunday, August 10th (that's this Sunday,) and if either of the bands I mentioned before are your deal, you should do yourself a favor and come check them out with Electric Touch and Jets Under Fire, and unwind for an evening.

VIDEO:


tickets!

"Distortion" Rocks Rolling Stone

(myspace link) The Magnetic Fields' new album, Distortion, is getting great reviews, including a noteworthy 4 stars by Rolling Stone.

Check it out!

Of course, no magazine is as important as songwriter Stephen Merritt himself's opinion. What did he have to say about the new album?

"Three-Way," the opening song on Distortion, introduces, in a deceptively exuberant blast of pop noise, the themes and obsessions of Magnetic Fields' eighth album. The lyrics simply consist of gleefully repeated exclamations, by male and female voices, of the song title. While "Three-Way" may summon images of Twister-like physical exertions in a situation where three is not a crowd, the subsequent material describes scenarios in which desire itself is twisted into dark, alluring shapes and love remains tantalizingly unrequited. Using a modest number of instruments, composer and producer Stephin Merritt creates a veritable wall of sound. He employs no synthesizers; instead, he generates waves of feedback that envelop every track like a spiky black gift-wrapping.
"I wanted to make a record of three-minute pop songs, then they turned into three-minute power-pop songs," Merritt explains. "The previous Magnetic Fields record had been self-consciously soft rock, with all the songs starting with the letter 'i.' The idea here was to make this record quickly and use the same instrumentation on every song. And if I had to use the same instrumentation all the time, what would I want it to sound like? Well, like the first Jesus and Mary Chain album! So I attempted to adapt the sound of Psychocandy to the orch-pop reality of the Magnetic Fields, where we have a pianist and a cellist. And the occasional accordionist." courtesy Michael Hill

And make sure to catch them at the Majestic Theatre October 13! Tickets Here!

Listen to Amos

Amongst the great sea of copycats and has-beens that we refer to as the American songscape, there rises a great white whale, full of passion, well-fed on a steady diet of soul, folk, and melody, a skilled navigator of the audial waves that crash against his great stature.

His name is Amos Lee.



C'mon Ahab, don't miss your chance. September 20 at the Granada Theater, Dallas Texas.

- Tickets -

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Gets Lo-Fi

Calling all Dallas shoegazers: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is on tour in support of their latest effort, Baby 81, and they will be at Club Dada this Friday, August 1st. As if that wasn't great enough news in and of itself, the group has decided to forgo their usual electrically charged rock affair in favor of a special acoustic set. We know a week is a long time to wait, so to hold you over in the meantime, here they are performing "Not What You Wanted" from Baby 81.





Get your tickets here while they're still available, we expect this to be a packed house.

Lucero Speaks

Exclaim TV recently interviewed Alt-Country Rockers Lucero, and we've got the video right here:



They'll be at Emo's next Friday (July 17th,) do yourself a favor and pick up tickets while they're still available!

HIERO!

Hieroglyphics, the underground hip-hop supergroup started by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, is rolling through Emo's Next Saturday, July 19th!

The crew has been up to a lot as of late, members Opio and Architect have a new album dropping on July 15th. "Vulture's Wisdom" is a two-disc effort packed full of short films and music videos - almost one for every song! Clips are out, so of course, they're here:




But that's not all! Members of Hiero will be performing Saturday as Souls of Mischief, and you can check out John Mayer, Just Blaze and Kanye paying their various respects here:



Tickets available HERE, its gonna be sick!

Dizzee 1, The Queen 0

Dizzee Rascal has conquered Britain!

From DizzeeRascal.co.uk:

"Massive shout out to all my UK fans who supported and bought Dance Wiv Me feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome! It's gone to Number 1 in the UK Singles Charts and it's my first Number 1 so thank you for all the love and support you've shown me throughout my career, I couldn't of done it without you!

Bless"

Without further ado, here is the aforementioned chart topper:


Catch Dizzee at Emo's on Monday the 21st, Doors at 9, All Ages! Tickets available, as always, thru ticketweb.com

Skankin to the Bandits!

Ska, Reggae, Punk and Eclectiphiliacs rejoice, RX Bandits are coming to Emo's next Friday, July 18th, and they're bringing Portugal. The Man and Facing New York with them.

Tasty Media Morsels for your domes:


The video for the title track from the new RXB album "...And the Battle Begun"

Portugal. the Man's "And I"

Tickets are on sale now thru ticketweb.com, and I highly recommend they migrate from there to your hands.

Bauhaus' Peter Murphy is tearing it up on his new tour and getting great reviews.

Check it out here!

He'll be at Emo's outside July 11th, and so should you.

New mewithoutYou video

MewithoutYou has a new video out for "Nice and Blue (Part 2)" from their new album Brothers and Sisters, and you can check it out right here!



The guys are touring the nation in anticipation of the album's September 26th release on Tooth and Nail, and if you find yourself groovin, movin, or just wondering what they're all about, you can see them in the flesh at The Parish this Thursday with Maps & Atlases and Gasoline Heart.

DIRECT TICKET LINK, GO GET IT!!!

Rooney Comes To Emo's Sat 7/5!

Rooney is a five piece band of Los Angeles natives that formed in early 2000. After self releasing two EPS and establishing a loyal following around L.A. and Orange County, the band signed with Geffen Records in 2002. The band toured relentlessly behind their self titled debut until the end of 2004, when they returned to L.A. to make another record. After many delays through '05 and '06, the band recorded the highly anticipated follow up, "Calling the World” with producer John Fields (Andrew wk, Switchfoot, Har Mar Superstar.) The sophomore album was released world wide on July 17th 2007 and features the melodic songwriting and dynamic playing and singing the band is known for. Rooney will now come to Austin, Texas for a show at Emo's Sat 7/5.

Click Here For Tickets

Upcoming Shows in the Austin Area

Check out these upcoming featured shows:

Jeremy Jay w/ {{{ Sunset }}} and Nic Armstrong - 7/3/08 @ Emo's

Jeremy Jay draws on such esoteric yet melody-minded songwriters of the past as Harry Nilsson and Bill Fay (with a little bit of post-punk disaffection thrown in for good measure). And while he's no throwback act, it's not hard to imagine a tune of his gracing the same classic film soundtracks populated by Simon and Garfunkel and Cat Stevens. - Pitchfork

Click HERE for tickets




Peter Murphy w/ Ali Eskandarian - 7/11/08 @ Emo's

Thin, with prominent cheekbones, a rich voice, and a penchant for gloomy poetics, Murphy is often called the "Godfather of Goth". Focusing on dark, spacey sounds and a penchant for haunting metaphysical lyrics, Murphy has created a following from a career that spans over several decades.

click HERE for tickets

Islands are forever...especially on June 23 @ Emo's

Let me begin by saying, in my humble opinion The Unicorns were a good band. A good band but not a great band. But music history shows us that usually when a good band breaks up, something resurfaces from members of the good band that exceeds the successes of the original band. This is not a rule of music, but is very common.

In the case of Islands, they follow this pattern exactly. After The Unicorns disbanded, two out of the three members formed a new project. Calling it Islands, Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur Diamonds decided to move their music into a more unique and diverse form of music. Diamonds himself has described the group's music as "F-14 Tomcat blah, blah," which we're told is "French Canadian slang for fiery, shiny, and shimmering madcap pop." Be that as it may, it is hard to quite put your finger on what Islands exactly is. Combining bouncy calypso rhythms and hip-hop bursts Islands never stays in one genre long enough for the listener to get bored.

Their new album, Arm's Way, continues to push their musical borders by turning quirk-pop into wonderfully shambolic arena rock — for an arena of 5,000 people. Guitars mingle with viola, clarinet and piano, hopping genres and tempos with an Of Montreal-style theatricality. While their lineup has been through a few changes here and there the core energy and essence of Islands as the band says is...forever. Therefore on June 23rd @ Emo's you will not want to miss a performance that will be hard to forget.

for tix check out www.ticketweb.com

Mate's of State Come to Emo's Friday 6/13

Ok, I'm assuming most people here know a couple that is romantically engaged. This could be your father and your mother, or it could be your best friend and her boyfriend, or maybe it's yourself and your significant other. Regardless, of the combination we all know people who spend their every waking moment together and become nearly inseperable once they become intertwined in their relationship. Now, imagine if this said couple, whoever that might be to you, decided to make music together. Just the two of them. And mind you this is not a karaoke group or a Sonny and Cher tribute group, they are actually going to make real music. They pack up their belongings, move to the west coast and start touring across their country singing songs about love, life, and everything in between.

Well, that my friends, is exactly what Mates of State did. Kori Gardner and Josh Hammel met in Lawrence, Kansas while they were involved with other people and other musical projects. Although they exchanged daily e-mails, they didn't get together until three months later when they were both single again, and were inseparable from then on. Instead of adding members to fill out a full lineup, they decided to create a new sound in indie pop rock that is hard to imitate. Consisting of only a few keyboards and a drum set MOS has been creating jittery, scatter-brained, multi-vocal pop songs for over ten years now. Which brings the question, after so many years of just being two people in the same band, why should anyone expect something new from these guys when they roll into town.

The answer to that is one word: offspring. After becoming parents in the recent years, Mates of State's sound has grown and matured in a positive direction. In a recent article in New York Magazine examines the difference in their latest album compared to their older material, "the vocals are breathy and sweet instead of antsy; the orchestral textures and multipart harmonies evoke the Beach Boys’ 1966 landmark, Pet Sounds, with Gardner a long-lost Wilson sister. Mates of State admit that suburban living has helpfully mellowed their music. “I want to make sense,” Gardner says. “I want people to relate to us. It’s way harder to write a concise, meaningful pop song than it is to write chaotic rock songs.”

So in short, when you go to Emo's don't expect to see a version of Donnie and Marie Osmond singing pop ballads. Rather, anticipate to see/hear intelligent, progressive, positive, jittery indie rock that would bring a smile to the most miserly of people. But also expect prepare to see a married couple growing musically and romantically. The latter half which might make you groan from time to time, but hey at least it's not your mom and dad up there. Gross.

Click here for tickets!

Video for Get Better the lead single off their new album Re-Arrange Us:

Ladytron Friday 6/6 at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater!

In the world of music there are certain holes that must be filled by certain artists. We need a band like Metallica to bring us the thrash metal. We need a band like Death Cab For Cutie to bring us sentimental-indie-pop-rock songs. And we need a band like Slipknot.......well maybe we don't need Slipknot. But if all the holes in music are already filled, who will fill the void of female fronted electro-synth pop rock??????

Well that void my friends is filled by none other than Ladytron, who has been rocking the synth pop for nearly ten years. What could easily have turned into a novelty item, Ladytron has risen to the top of the electronic rock genre by creating dance-pop art rock that continues to blur genres. This is the type of music Fembots would listen to, right before they executed somebody. This is the type of music programmed for androids, but can easily be enjoyed by us regular humans. They have proven to be an act that can stick around by touring often and perfecting a live show that brings the proverbial 'rock'. Over the years they have produced remixes for artists such as Placebo, Blondie, Gang of Four, David Gahan, Goldfrapp, Bloc Party, Kings of Convenience, Indochine, Apoptygma Berzerk, She Wants Revenge, Soulwax, Nine Inch Nails and Simian. A nice resume to say the least. Despite several record label problems, they have managed to build up an impressive back cataloge including their third album, Witching Hour, which saw an augmentation of their sound, prompting Pitchfork to describe the album as a "quantum leap record".

So come tomorrow night, a new entity will be present in Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater. A machine finely tuned to make you dance to the sound of heavenly female vocals combined with analog synth pop rock. And I assure you, if you go, you might as well give in to Ladytron's demands of dancing, because resistance is futile! Click HERE to buy your tickets now!

Ladytron - Ghosts

Big Head Todd and the Monsters attack...I mean, come to rock Stubb's

So you might think you know a lot about Big Head Todd and the Monsters. When a band like Big Head Todd has been around for over 20 years its not hard for people to be familiar with the name or some of their biggest singles including songs like, "Bittersweet", "Circle" and "Brokenhearted Saviour".

For example you might not know that the entire band all attended Columbine High School before forming as a band at the University of Colorado. Or maybe you didn't realize that the band recorded with the legendary blues musician John Lee Hooker on a version of his song "Boom Boom". But I bet you didn't know that their 2005 single "Blue Sky" was written at the request of crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Discovery mission in 2005, the first mission after the Columbia disaster. And that this song has most recently become the official presidential campaign song for Hillary Clinton.

But did you know that in addition to touring over 60 dates across North America, Big Head Todd & The Monsters are working on building their fan base by giving away free copies of their new album, "All The Love You Need." The band has teamed with several radio stations, who are mailing nearly half a million copies of the CD to listeners nationwide. The album is also available for free download at the band's website.

My point is when a band has been around the block as much as Big Head Todd has, you might think you have seen everything they have to offer, or know all their songs better than you really do. But that is where live music changes things. When Big Head Todd and the Monsters come to Stubb's tomorrow May 30, 2008 the band will most assuredly reeducate their audience on why they have been able to stick around for as long as they have. Solid song writing for over two decades and seasoned performing skills have made Big Head Todd and The Monsters a show you will not want to miss!

Tickets available at www.stubbs.frontgatetickets.com at. For more information please visit www.stubbsaustin.com, or www.myspace.com/stubbsbbq

Forever The Sickest Kids Interview

Good afternoon,

We are proud to bring you our first interview ever here on hitSavenotDelete and it was with a group of boys from Texas who call themselves Forever the Sickest Kids. Watch and see how sick it truly was

Clinic: Psych Rockers, Not Surgeons

Surgical masks. Typically not a good sign when you are face to face with 4 dudes wearing them. Unless of course it's a band called Clinic and instead of scalpels they have fender strats and some kick ass old school organs. Not those organs, silly, something you'd see in an Amarillo antioch baptist church circa 1974. Clinic's vintage sound and brooding psych rock brand comes directly from these classic instruments. Or maybe its just their indie-fication of the legendary rock music that came out of their homebase Liverpool way back in the day. Whatever it is, they pull off an awesomely unique sound that makes you yearn for warm vinyl, some marlboro reds, and a tall glass of johnny walker black.

Clinic's new album, Do It!, which came out last month via Domino, scored a 7.7 from the indier than thou taste-tellers Pitchforkmedia.com which means it's pretty good (or you are an idiot). This tour is their first in support of this record. A little background on why you should go see them: They've been critically praised album after album - this being their 5th - since their formation 10 years ago and still have not formed a huge fan base (i.e. you can still see them outdoors at Emo's). They've played pretty much every major Festival in Europe and our country and have opened for the likes of Radiohead and Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire even covers one of their songs. Lastly, in addition to the surgical masks, they will be wearing Hawaiian shirts on stage this Friday. Nuff said.

Here's one from their new album complete with wardrobe:

buy tix hurr http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=238502

Shearwater Spreads Its Wings - May 29th @ the Parish

Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 20 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus. If you think you are reading the wrong blog, please don't let these first few sentences confuse you, because today we are talking about birds. But we are not just talking about a normal bird, no, we are talking about the band Shearwater.

Now Shearwater is obviously not a bird (at least by all standard metrics of what constitutes a bird: feathers, wings, beaks, etc.), but quite interestingly shares many characteristics of a bird. Little baby birds spend a while in their mother's nest before they are ready to spread their wings and fly. For years, frontman Jonathan Meiburg has split his time between Shearwater, and a band you might have heard of Okkervil River. But as time has gone on, Shearwater has grown to the point that it excludes his further participation in Okkervil. Meiburg states that, "This is just a logical extension of the way things have been going since Palo Santo," Meiburg adds. "Shearwater's increasingly demanding schedule has meant that I've performed with Okkervil less and less over the past two years, and with Rook coming out in June, we all felt that it would be best if I completely disengaged from Okkervil rather than stretch myself too thin."

While Shearwater started off many years ago as a small side project, it became a lot more with the release of the album Palo Santo in 2006. This haunting album peaked the interest of Matador Records and garnered much acclaim from critics and fans alike. Featuring a variety of instrumentation and lush arrangements, the album is solid and consistent throughout. Meiburg's vocals are birdlike in their delivery. The sounds of a cooing dove and crying falcon are found throughout the album as Meiburg's voice transitions from soft whimpers to strong exclamations. Their new album, Rook, will be coming out in June of this year, and as you guessed it, a rook is a type of bird, go figure.

In support of their new album, Shearwater will be coming through Austin at the Parish on May 29th. With a plethora of material to choose from it should be an amazing show you won't want to miss. Tickets are available here: http://c3presents.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=21616&eid=26452


Also, if you want to go to this show for free and bring a friend, simply sign up on our e-list on the right hand side of the page, and we will pick one lucky individual to win a free pass to the show!

Are You Ready For Some Reverb??? My Morning Jacket Tix on Sale 5/16!

If you haven't heard of My Morning Jacket by now, you are probably some hillbilly living in the redneck backwoods of Kentucky. Actually, if you are that person, you still have probably heard of My Morning Jacket, because that's where they are originally from. If gracing the cover of the most recent issue of Spin, being named the Breakout Rock Act of 2008 by Rolling Stone, performing live on Saturday Night Live this Saturday, and possibly producing their best album to date weren't enough; My Morning Jacket has now announced a headlining tour date at our very own Waller Creek Amphitheater on Sunday August 24th.

For years My Morning Jacket has been known for their eclectic mix of rock & roll sounds and their enthusiastic and energetic live shows. Now, in support of their fifth full-length studio album Evil Urges, they are poised to display their scope and fearlessness, demonstrating their growth into one of the world’s great rock & roll bands. This impressively evolving band will most assuredly be providing a night of memorable melodies, soaring harmonies, cascading, psychedelic guitars, and drenching the whole thing in head-ringing reverb.

While My Morning Jacket draws distinctly from American music forms (country, folk, classic rock, indie, even hip-hop and r&b at times) there is something that separates them from other "alt-country" contemporaries. But what is that certain distinction?

Some might say its their incredible live stage show. Others might point to their ever expanding catalog of progressive albums. While a few might suggest the certain essence of the band lies in lead singer Jim James's fiery Zeus-like beard. However, I personally feel it is a combination of all the above. My Morning Jacket's dedication to continually push their music to undefinable genres and relentless energy exuded from every performance has earned them a place in rock n' roll that only they can hold. Plus that beard is frickin wicked! Tickets go on sale May 16 at 10:00 AM, wake up early and log on, this show WILL sell out!



Check back here often, we probably will start to give out some free tickets and other cool prizes, more importantly we want to make this blog a community thing. you know, you tell us what you want to hear/learn/see and we will gladly oblige. do not see this as merely a one way conversation, but rather a friendly digital chat where friends come together to discuss the finer points of life. so leave us some feedback!

Did somebody say 2 nights of The Raconteurs AND 2 nights of Wilco?

May is looking gooooodd.

The Raconteurs are coming to Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater for 2 nights in May - Friday May, 2 and Saturday, May 3. Talk about a good weekend. Tickets go on-sale Saturday, March 22 @ 10 AM ONLY thru stubbs.frontgatetickets.com or 512.389.0315.

If that wasn't enough to satisfy your musical appetite, there's more...

Wilco is bringing their ONLY TEXAS performances to Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater for 2 nights on Sunday, May 11 and Monday, May 12. Tickets are on-sale now only thru stubbs.frontgatetickets.com or call 512.389.0315.

I plan on being there both nights, both weekends. Look for me...I'll be the one rocking out with abandon. Oh wait, so will everybody else...

Gogol Bordello

March 13th, 2008 I Steven Chandler

GOGOL BORDELLO: LIVE AT STUBBS ON ST. PATTY’S DAY

If you’re still kicking yourself for passing on the Gogol Bordello show the last time they were in town, no worries – they’re back. Catch the self-described Gypsy Punks when they bring their infamous live show to Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater this Monday. It’s one of only a few remaining dates on the U.S. leg of their Forces of Victory Tour and is sure to be the perfect blend of music, dancing and drinking for your St. Patrick’s Day destination. Replace your Guinness with red wine or vodka and you’ll feel right at home. After seeing just one stripped down performance with only 5 of the nearly dozen band members they quickly shot up my list of favorite live bands. Spin Magazine must agree as they ranked GB 20th on their 25 Greatest Live Bands Now piece in the September ’06 issue. Eugene Hutz and company will be sure not to disappoint. The Ukrainian born front man and his multi-ethnic band bring plenty of character, energy and excitement to go along with their guitars, percussion and the ever so magical party instrument, the accordion. Known not only for fronting GB, Eugene’s resume also includes acting performances in 2005’s, Everything is Illuminated (along side Elijah Wood) and in the forthcoming short film, Filth & Wisdom, directed by Madonna. Not too shabby! Pick up their latest release, Super Taranta!, for some pre-show familiarity or the obligatory You Tube search for Gogol+Bordello+live always works too. Do yourself a favor and make it a point to check out this show. And for you all you SXSW’ers who plan on using the, “I can’t do another night of live music” excuse – there absolutely isn’t a better a way to cap off a full week music and drinking then being at Stubbs on Monday night. Hope to see you there! Tickets at stubbs.frontgatetickets.com or visit www.stubbsaustin.com. Doors @ 7pm, all ages.

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