Brooklyn’s Pela is one band who has captured my short term attention for the moment,with the latest release Anytown Graffiti spending time in the player, and anticipation of a live show here in Austin @ The Mohawk 8.10 is building as the date gets closer. KEXP’s John Richards has no loss of compliments for the passion that these guys have for the music, and arranging for their appearance at this years KEXP BBQ is enough for me to believe that the show @ The Mohawk will not disappoint.

A video for ‘Calvary’ has been posted by Spinner, and as the syncing of the recorded material to the live footage seems a bit off, it still is enjoyable. Looks like the guys have just wrapped up shooting their first “official” for Lost to The Lonesome, so keep your eyes peeled for that hitting the eternerd soon enough.

Mp3►►Waiting On The Stairs

Mp3►► Song Writes Itself

Eagerly anticipating the newest release from Seattle’s Minus the Bear Planet of Ice I do as well as the next opportunity to see these guys in the live setting as well. First leg of the fall tour has been announced with promises of the touring to continue well into 2008, and once again I await the dates that have the band playing somewhere near here in Austin, Tx. Look for Planet of Ice coming legal 8.21 and you can find ticket information here.

Mp3►►Drilling

Mp3►►Pachuca Sunrise

Bear Tour Read more

photo : valerie@fremin.net

It was hot, humid, and Sunday night at Emo’s, but the crowd didn’t care about the heat or humidity because one of Canada’s most recent exports in the way of young lads laying down quick indie rock songs about robots and spaceships with some love tales intertwined, were sweating it out on stage in great form for the enthusiastic attendees. Tokyo Police Club played a well attended show @ Emo’s that had the band dripping sweat from the moment that they hit the stage until they departed a quick 45 minutes later, and these guys can cover a lot of ground in 45 minutes effectively.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Austin’s own buzz worthy White Denim opened the show along with Ra Ra Riot who have recently been in the news with the sudden loss of drummer John Pike, yet forge ahead dispite the loss much to everyone’s approval. Tokyo Police Club have a full date book of shows scheduled well through October with several Festival dates and a couple of sold out shows in NY and NJ. Fresh off of inking a deal with Saddle Creek Records one can only think that the work from these fresh young lads from Canada is going to be coming at us a rate that rivals their live show, which you should investigate for yourself.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Mp3►►Citizens of Tomorrow

Mp3►►Be Good

photo : valerie@fremin.net

photo : valerie@fremin.net

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Police Club Tour Read more

photo: Daniel Perlaky, cityonfire.us

As you may or not know, both Lollapalooza and ACL Festival hold a voting competition to allow one lesser known band the opportunity to take the stage at each festival based on votes placed from fans and then a celebrity judged competition which takes place in the later stages of the competition. The current competition for ACL Festival is underway, and as there aren’t many Austin bands that I’m familiar with throwing their hat into the ring, local favs Lomita are taking the plunge. I’ll be voting for the guys in Lomita, and if you want to see one of Austin’s best up and coming band have to opportunity to showcase their skills at our own ACL Festival help out with a little voting. One vote per day per e-mail address is all you get, so go out and get yourself as many e-mail addresses you can and help the local kids out.

Get out there and vote dammit!! It’s the American way!!

Here is where you want to be: ACL Sound and Jury/Lomita

I’m still working my way through Yellow House and am starting to understand the appeal, and am beginning to believe that this is some of the most interesting work that my earbuds have suggested to me lately. The complex orchestration that takes place over a bleak landscape of low-fi minimalism is intriguing and engaging. I loved Knife from the get go and the rest of the record is growing on me at a pace that rivals most of the songs themselves. The guys did a version of Knife during a visit to KEXP that is absolutely amazing, and I highly recommend you visit the KEXP site for a listen. With this post I present news that may be joyous to some out there, although I don’t fall into that category with no shows scheduled within my area of residence. Patiently I await.

The Grizzly guys will join former tour partner Feist for a McCarren Pool Party spot, support some reading with Jim James for the 826NYC Benefit, and then rest of the tour lingers around the upper East and West Coast while slipping into Canadia for a few shows.

Mp3►►Grizzly Bear ‘Plans’

Mp3►►Feist ‘Intuition’

Bear Tour Read more

photo: Daniel Perlaky, cityonfire.us

Who: Belaire (a mashing of members from Arkay, Fozlur, Flashlight Fiction, Voxtrot, and Fancy Feast)

Sounds Like: A night a the carnival

Where: Waterloo Records 7.25 @ 5pm Today!

I have put off investing much time into the sounds of Belaire for reasons that I choose not to reveal as they may shine an ugly light on the processes that run my brain, but the procrastination is done! I like Exploding Impacting, its a happy record with well constructed songs that seem to casual flirt with the sounds and styles of some of the more interesting things happening in music today, while maintaining a style of their very own. It’s not the type of record that I would find myself attracted to normally, and I attribute the occasional similarities to Feist that are more than likely responsible for holding my attention to the recording to much my delight as the record stands firmly on it’s own two feet, Feist similarities aside. If this record doesn’t make you forget that it’s been raining for a month straight, you may want to up the dosage on the meds.

Waterloo Records @ 5 p.m. to chase the doldrums away, and watch for these kids spreading Exploding Impacting cheer around town in the near future.

Belaire myspace

If for some reason you just don’t get enough of your favorite bands at this years ACL Festival, or maybe some crazy scheduling conflicts force you into making a decision between a few of your favorite bands, or maybe you would prefer to see your band in a more intimate setting than sharing the moment with thousands of other people, then fear not, there may be hope. The official ACL afterparties/shows have been announced and will be taking place in various venues around town, and I for one, am excited about a few of these. You can check out the schedule for show by clicking on the ACL Festival logo. I just about crapped my pants when I saw that Blonde Redhead and The National are both playing @ Emo’s on the same night.

Mp3►►The National ‘The Geese of Beverly Road’

Mp3►►Spoon ‘Sister Jack’

Vegoose 2007 is set to take place in Las Vegas 10.26-10.28 and headlining the 3 year old festival is everyone’s band come back to life, Rage Against The Machine. Looks like the guys are having a time playing together again, and to the benefit of the rabid RATM fans. The rest of the line-up looks pretty darn sweet as well, with an Austin representation by the dance inspiring duo Ghostland Observatory, with more acts still to be announced. Tickets are on sale and VIP tickets are available as well, with perks galore available to those willing to shell out $477.50. Check the website for updates and ticket information.

Initial lineup:

Rage Against The Machine
Daft Punk
Iggy & the Stooges (performing Fun House)
Muse
The Shins
Cypress Hill
Queens of the Stone Age
Public Enemy
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Umphrey’s McGee
Thievery Corporation
STS9
Ghostface Killah & The Rhythm Roots Allstars
Blonde Redhead
Gogol Bordello
UNKLE
Ghostland Observatory
Pharoah Monch
Battles

Mp3►►Ghostland Observatory ‘Sad Sad City’

Mp3►►Blonde Redhead ‘SW’

Bands looking to hitting the big stage @ ACL that haven’t already been invited can throw their hat into the ring for a chance to do so, granted they have enough fans willing to vote for them. Much like Lollapalooza’s Last Band Standing, the competition opens up an opportunity for a lesser known band to gain a time slot at the Festival as olong as they are willing to do some serious promotional work to get their fans to vote as often as possible.

Local acts I think might put themselves in the running: Lomita, Peel, White Denim, ????

What are your thoughts, or who would you suggest??

click logo to watch the competition unfold

photo : valerie@fremin.net

The band that flirted with breaking the surface of comfortable success while making their way into the conscious of the critics and fans alike, The Wrens, have seemingly called it quits? The history of the band that began in the late 80’s reads like a indie rock success/horror story, with critics hailing their efforts and unfortunate label greed and ignorance holding them back from their deserved rewards. I’ll be the first to admit that I only came across these guys about three years ago on the recommendation of a friend and was floored by the live show even though I was unfamiliar with their recorded material. Even since, I rarely put on their music for a listen but the live show these guys put on as I have most recently been reminded of, is a perfect example of why I fell in love with the rock-n-roll performance to begin with. Raw, honest, heartfelt, and driven by pure emotion.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

According to the band this evening, this was the last show, and they made the decision to close it out in Austin, Tx @ Emos and I for one, am glad I was there to witness the good-bye. A lengthy set that involved a good part of the crowd armed with drumsticks on stage for several songs, felt great yet was lined with a bit of resentment and sorrow for the future. It’s sad to see these bands that you love for one reason or another that you assume will be there for years to come to entertain you over and over again call it quits, and to watch them perform the songs that they have poured their hearts and souls into, for one last time sits uneasy.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

If you didn’t ever catch these guys live, there is a documentary in the works and you can contribute to the effort if you care by going here: The Wrens Documentary. I’m sure that the documentary of the band and its struggled existence will be an eye opening experience for many of us in the music community, that will entertain us to no end as well.

So long Wrens, you’ll be missed, and your songs of relationship trials and turmoil will always ring true no matter how old we become.
Mp3►►Happy

Mp3►►This Boy is Exhausted

Mp3►►Hopeless

The Tokyo Police Club arrest us for being in love, sing songs about robots and spaceships, and find themselves in some of the best indie label company by signing to Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records as of recently. We can only speculate what this might mean for the listening public, but chances are it only means that the future looks bright for both us and for the young futuristic voyeurs in Tokyo Police Club. Locals can catch the boys from Ontario this coming Sunday 7.29 @ Emo’s with Ra Ra Riot and the much talked about Austin trio White Denim. I’m looking forward to catching them again at Lollapalooza here soon, and there are many more chances to catch them bouncing around through October with Australia’s Dappled Cities performing opening duties on a number of dates.

Mp3►►Shoulders and Arms

Mp3►►Nature of The Experiment

Robot and Spaceship Love Arrestor Tour Read more

photo : valerie@fremin.net

As one might guess the line formed fairly early as the local band made good, Spoon was to take the tiny stage @ Waterloo Records for a free in-store performance showcasing new material from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga for the legions of local fans who may not have a chance to see the band again until September’s ACL Festival, or maybe sooner? Did Britt mutter something about a show on Friday?? Keep your eyes and ears peeled, and we’ll see if the words of Britt ring true. This is their hometown and one would think that the boys in Spoon would have a treat for us in store other than just an in-store.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Spoon’s latest effort Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was released last week legally, as we are all aware that most of the Spoon fans have had a copy of the leaked record in their possession for weeks now. My first few listens had me panning the recorded as a mediocre attempt to branch out into new territory with slick production and songs straying a bit more from the pop formula that Britt has managed so well in the past. It seems as if with each new recorded from Britt with it comes a challenge, and the challenge is to understand that slight adjustment to the right or the left away from the sound and structure of the last record. I’m still spinning the record on a daily basis and some of the changes I have come to embrace, but the jury is still out on some of the tunes and I have a feeling that my final decision on this record will be less favorable than with previous efforts. I may be more critical than most, as I have been listening to Britt since the Skellington days, and each change he makes always has me holding that change at arms length for a time.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Mp3►►The Beast and Dragon Adored

Mp3►►Don’t You Evah

Mp3►►Rhythm and Soul

photo : valerie@fremin.net

One of my favorite local bands who are quietly rising from being Austin’s best kept secret, Lomita, are going to show off some of their talent for a few other cities around the states. The tour is short, but will surely be effective in adding more fans to their already growing list. Please don’t miss these guys if they are scheduled to make a stop in your town, as you have my promise that these boys from Texas won’t disappoint. Citing influences ranging from The Church, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and Sonic Youth for their most recent release Downtown Mystic hardly conveys the live show to be experienced deliverd by these guys. Seeing is believing, and words can barely describe.

Jul 18 2007 10:00P
The Replay Lounge Lawrence, Kansas

Jul 19 2007 10:00P
Lomita at the Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado

Jul 20 2007 9:00P
Burt’s Tiki Lounge Albuquerque, New Mexico

Jul 25 2007 9:0oP
The Viper Room West Hollywood, California

Aug 1 2007 10:00P
High Dive – CD Release Show! Seattle, Washington

photo : valerie@fremin.net

This month’s Mohawk residency belongs to local transplants via Houston, Ume. Tonight, Tuesday 7.17 you can catch the last night of the residency for the Ume for a low price guaranteed to entertain. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ume, they are not your poppy idie twee lo-fi rockers that dominate the modern rock scene these days, they are a fierce threesome lead by a guitar wielding spinderella machine by the name of Lauren. Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Nirvana with a dress (?), and even more recently Land of Talk would some comparisons to draw from, and actually I think that Land of Talk and Ume would make a great double female fronted trio bill. KEXP lends its name to the sponsors for this show, so you know its good quality and only $2 gets you in the door with El Paso Hot Button opening up the festivities. Ume are finishing up some new material at Sweatbox Studios, and you can check out Demo1 on their myspace page.

Seriously though, watching Lauren on guitar is well worth the $2, she kicks some serious ass.

Mp3►►Hurricane

Mp3►►Manic

photo: scott newton

Last I reported Explosions in the Sky had cancelled their summer tour due to family issues, and as the guys have just recorded a taping a couple of weeks ago for the local PBS show Austin City Limits, this news of some fall tour dates is new to me. Looks like the young reigning champs of instrumental sonic landscape destruction who have been clasping on to their somewhat obscure notoriety will be thrust into the spotlight while performing opening duties for the Smashing Pumpkins. Personal thoughts on the subject aside, I wish the boys all the success they deserve, and hope that this venture proves a positive and productive one for the band and it’s personal ventures.

Mp3►►Its Natural to Be Afraid

Mp3►►What Do You Go Home To

Explosions Tour Read more