sonic itch music dropped in on our friend Shane Bartell tuesday night at the Hole in the Wall, for a quick treat of the warm, comfortable, take your shoes off, have a glass of wine, and get a little closer to that hotness that you want to make out with, musical stylings that he delivers so well. We love the voice Shane. With make-shift capo in play Shane and company delivered a casual set featuring some new material along with favorites, including a rousing rendition of “at any moment”, from his latest offering To Soon To Say.

You can catch Shane and company at the Parish this Friday 3.2 with Future Clouds and Radar, at which Shane will be saying good-bye to long time bass player Marcus. Look for Shane at SXSW, and check him out here Shane Bartell for more info on recording and touring.

photo credit:  valerie@fremin.net

welcome the newest member of the sonic itch music family shutterbug Valerie Fremin, with whom we look forward to working with as well to her making us look good. Ladies and gentlemen….longtime friend and future star….Valerie

check out some of her work..

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With SXSW around the corner, it’s easy to forget about San Franciso’s indie rock fest Noise Pop, which starts today feb. 27th and lasts through mar. 4th. With it’s humble beginning in 1993, Noise Pop has grown into a formidable beast on the indie fest circuit touting a hundred plus performers over the course of 6 days. Past performers of the festival have included: Modest Mouse, the White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Fastbacks, Bright Eyes, the Flaming Lips, among many more, while this year will be showcasing performances from: Clinic, Dead Meadow, the Dandy Warhols, Ghostland Observatory, Roky Erickson and the Explosives, just to name a few.

check out the official website here: NOISE POP 07

if you haven’t heard of the Silversun Pickups as of yet, you will soon. We first caught wind of this L.A. based band a little over a year ago, and had the privilege of catching not 1, not 2 , but 5 of their appearances at SXSW 2006. Thankfully, the band was quite receptive to our stalking, as we were to their explosive sonic performances, resembling the early days of the Smashing Pumpkins, sonic and beautiful all in one chorded swoop. Since SXSW 2006 the Silversun Pickups have been busy releasing their full length follow-up to the Pikul EP, Carnavas and scoring opening duties for both Wolfmother and Snow Patrol, as well as landing a slot at Coachella (good work guys, and girl!). Keep reading for full list of live dates

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One of our favorite records released over the last couple of years that we honestly don’t spend enough time with, is The Nationals “Alligator” released by Beggars Banquet in 2005 and judging by the photo placement that they received on-line via the Plug Awards of their live performance, a lot folks are paying attention to and liking what these guys are doing these days. “secret meeting”, “all the wine”, and “daughters of the soho riots” are standouts on the recording and showcase the versatility of the band.

Boxer is slated for release on May 22nd, with a tour falling into place around that time, while we’ll all be patiently awaiting The National coming to our town once again. Last time they came through Austin, the show sold out and we missed out. This will not happen again, and if you happen to be in the band and reading this, a spot on the guest list would be a great way for us to show up and show our support for the band, as well as get you guys a little coverage.

you heard right, 2007 SXSW wristbands just went on sale today mon 2/26. get them while you can, as they are going to go quick!!!

2 per person, cash or credit only

hurry down to Waterloo Records 6th and Lamar

with SXSW just around the corner and most of us trying to put together a viewing schedule that will test our stamina yet leave us satisfied, it is easy to forget that we still have a lot of great live music happening around us on a daily basis. Check out our picks for what is going on around town this week…. Read more

KEXP, Seattle’s listener supported radio, deliverer of great new modern music, and avid supporter of many of our local musicians: the Black Angels, Spoon, Tacks the Boy Disaster, Ghostland Observatory, Shane Bartell, Daniel Johnston, just to name a few, needs your support right now. KEXP relies on your financial support to continue bringing you the best in new and interesting music, via radio or online @ www.kexp.org, and right now is the time to let them know that you appreciate what they do for us and music today.

If you haven’t checked these guys out, I highly recommend them as a source of great music from all sorts of genres. Great shows, a huge archive of in-studio performances that you can stream when you want, access past shows by date, dj, or show name, and all brought to you free of the mighty corporate hand that has corrupted most radio stations out there. Please visit them soon and help keep them in our musical hearts for a long time coming. GO HERE FOR KEXP

Arcade Fire, our little indie darlings from the neighborhood of the north, performed on SNL this past weekend busting out “intervention” and “keep the car running” in typical Arcade Fire style. Just a week after a 4 night live stint at NY’s Judson Memorial Church, the band is gearing up for a tour that is going to take them across the pond, skipping around Europe for close to a couple dozen performances, landing back in North America April 26th for a string of dates including a showcase at Coachella. No doubt this SNL performance has fans eagerly awaiting the release of The Arcade’s new album “Neon Bible” on the edge of their seat focused on the March 6th official release date. For pre-order info and a list of dates………… Read more

Local Austin band Ghostland Observatory who, by the way if you haven’t been paying attention is one of the hottest tickets around town, will be playing two dates in London before their splash at SXSW. All you myspacers out there with friends in the U.K. may want to give them a heads up as to the rock that is about to be unleashed in their backyard.

check out future dates for the band…

the Mountain Goats are heading out to the west coast for a short string of dates, then popping in at Austin, Tx’s SXSW for a quicky, ending up across the globe for a trek through Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Cold, cheese, and anything goes.

check website for official listing http://www.mountain-goats.com/

My Morning Jacket fans in the Athens, GA. area must be tickled pink that MMJ has scheduled two nights at the legendary 40 watt club in Athens, with a futuristic/retro under the sea prom theme. Costumes are required, so knock the dust off of your old prom dress, and get ready to shake it MMJ style. March 6th & 7th will be the dates, now all you need to do is find one of your own.

website http://www.mymorningjacket.com/

thanks to Cheryl Waters over at KEXP, we now have a peek at what those fine folks at the KEXP station are bringing to us during SXSW while broadcasting live from our very own Austin City Limits Studio. The Ponys, Apples in Stereo, Okkervil River, Mew, Ghostland Observatory, and several TBA, are scheduled to play live in the studios, and you can attend for free! check out the official website for more info….. http://www.kexp.org/events/sxsw.asp

Welcome to sonic itch music. it’s a music website! There isn’t much to look at right now, as this baby is pretty damn new, but it is going to be growing quickly, so keep checking back with us. Check the about page to learn a little about us.

hope to see you again soon……..