I’m a little late with this one, sorry KEXP, but better late than never. KEXP, the radio station based out of Seattle, that brings us the best music, commercial free, needs your help to pay the bills. KEXP is listener supported, corporate free, and pretty friggin awesome. I can say in all honesty that KEXP turns me on to most of the music that I write about, Dead Confederate, The Blakes, The Shackeltons, and a host of other bands. I first heard them on KEXP.

Tune in and help out this radio station that is the ideal model for how radio stations should be. And if you are wondering, yes I’m pledging a little bit myself, as I do each pledge drive that they hold. Any little bit helps.

There are two major elements to songs that I’m always scrutinizing; lyrics and melody. I’m a dedicated fan to both, holding every musician up to Radiohead standards (who couldn’t with astounding guitar melodies and lyrics like Ambition makes you look pretty ugly/ Kicking and squealing, Gucci little piggy ). So whenever an artist comes along that makes me stop and really listen, over and over and over again to their album, I can’t help but become a fan.

And to me, M. Ward epitomizes that standard, helping to change the way we listen to music.

With six albums (debut was Duet for Guitars #2 in 1999), two EPs, compilations (The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Uncovered to name one), outside projects (co-produced Jenny Lewis‘ solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat), and as well as being a guest on MANY records (My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes and Cat Power to name a few), Ward has gained loads of credibility within the music industry. His fervent skills with the guitar and distinct vocals have certainly plotted a major spot on the map of music history.

I was late to join the M. Ward fan base, getting my first real taste of his music with his 2005 hit, Transistor Radio, but I know it was a proper introduction. Although his style has a folk/country foundation, using mainly acoustic, Spanish and lap guitars, he still distinguishes himself from the rest of the pack, throwing in minor chords and alternative harmonies.

I haven’t even talked about the lyrics, have I?

“My heart is always on the line/ I’ve traveled all kinds of places/ The song is always the same/ God loan some fuel for fire/ Got 45s to play at night/ Got books to spend with every weekend/ The story’s always the same/ God loan some fuel for fire” -Fuel For Fire, Transistor Radio
“Where you gonna run to now/ That you ain’t got space to fill/ What you gonna do with your time now/ You ain’t got time to kill/ Where you locked in coverage falling in time/ And it’s hot enough just to let your song go by/ I’m gonna give it to you/ If you let me give it to you”-Hi Fi, Transistor Radio

His awareness of the human condition seems effortless, strumming desolate chords that can match many minds. Yet his warmhearted voice makes you believe that everything will definitely be ok.
Check out his solo SXSW show on Saturday, March 15th at St. David’s Church at 9 pm. I saw that Jim James from My Morning Jacket will be performing a solo gig after his, so you might want to get there early. You can also check out the Merge showcase featuring his She and Him partner, Zooey Deschanel at the Parish on Friday, March 14th at midnight, and you can be sure that this one will fill up as well.

-Sonya

MP3> M. Ward ‘Poison Cup’

MP3> M. Ward ‘Eyes On The Prize’

photo : valerie@fremin.net

If you pay much attention to this site at all, you may have noticed that I have a thing for the local band UME, and have invested a bit of time in tracking their progression. The opportunity to see them on the Stubb’s indoor stage opening for the ever growing in popularity, The Black & White Years, was very tempting. The band played a blistering set, featuring some very new material that really showcased the songwriting talent and maturity of the band. The newer material is at times a bit more subdued, quieter at times, and more melodic, while never forgetting it’s original roots is guitar slashing, guttural vocal attacking post punk, rock. If I’m not mistaken this was the second outing of most of the new songs, most of which hadn’t even been titled as of show time. This band is a different band than the one that I first caught almost a year ago, and heading in the right direction.

UME is on my list of bands to watch in 2008, and highly recommend that you check out the live performance, as it’s an experience that you shouldn’t be denying yourself.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

You’ll find UME at the Above the Radar event taking place during the week of SXSW, as well as at these other dates.

Feb 29 2008      9:00P

            @ The Scoot Inn            Austin, Texas

Mar 13 2008      1:00P

            Above the Radar Party @ Trophy’s          Austin, Texas

Mar 15 2008      8:00P

            SXSW Flameshovel/Pretty Activity Showcase      Austin, Texas

Mar 16 2008      8:00P

            Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival   Hot Springs, Arkansas

Mar 17 2008      8:00P

            @ The Monolith             Tulsa, Oklahoma

photo : valerie@fremin.net

What do these three things have in common you ask? Quite a lot these days. A recent discovery by myself thanks to some local bloggers, Blog Fresh Radio presents the music and the bloggers writing about the music in a unique fashion. Blog Fresh Radio releases a weekly online show, as well as a daily feature, that showcase music and blogger commentary on the bands that are that making that music. The weekly and the daily are available for stream or download.

The latest weekly show was released yesterday and features music from The Mountain Goats, Findo Gask, Dead Confederate, Tapes ‘N Tapes, and more. Yours truly appears on the show, discussing my interest in Dead Confederate. Imagine that? Me, talking about Dead Confederate.

Blog Fresh Radio are also making an appearance here in Austin during SXSW, and are taking part in a little party called Above the Radar, along with Covert Curiosity, Cubik Musik, Sound on the Sound, Do512, DJ DOJO, and Switchburn. A bunch of good folks bringing you a kick ass party during the week of SXSW.

Complete details, with band information, reviews, and video can be found @ Do512/Above the Radar. And you can expect that there will be more on this site about the event coming to you soon.

So listen to Blog Fresh Radio, come to our Above the Radar party, and your life will be soooooo much more fulfilled.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Looking forward to the weekend in Austin is definitely one aspect of living here that I enjoy (I’m sure it’s that way for everyone else, but here at Sonic Itch Music, we literally live off of live music). So when the amazing band, The Black and White Years advertised that their CD release party was going to be at Stubb’s this past Friday, I immediately knew my Friday would be for reserved just for them.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Arriving at the inside stage early was a good idea, considering that by the time they started playing, the place was packed. Black blazers and Indie kids of all kinds nodded their heads and tapped their Chuck’s to the bright, Casio-pop that The Black and White Years provided.

It’s been four years since the band has been formed and they’ve survived “embarrassing” band names, massive amounts of stolen equipment and a percussion section with just drum machines. But now, and with a real drummer, The Black and White Years have developed into a full-scale hit machine, subliminally infiltrating your subconscious with their esoteric lyrics and vibrant tempos.

Their new debut, which was produced by Talking Heads member, Jerry Harrison and adequately called Real In Color! greatly signifies the band’s effort finally realized. Harrison, who heard the band from last year’s SXSW festival, was an instant fan, recognizing the catchy riffs and energy.

And finally the band is getting the respect that they deserve, considering the turnout for the show.

Austin-based trio, UME rightfully opened up the show, with their Sonic Youth-like distortion and lead singer/guitarist Lauren’s faint, yet significant voice. Guitar shredding has never sounded and and looked so beautiful.

Check out both bands who will be performing during SXSW. The Black and White Years will play a showcase at Maggie Mae’s Gipson Room, Thursday, March 13th at 8:50 and UME will be at B.D. Riley’s, Saturday, March 15th at 8:00.

-Sonya

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Straight from the horse’s mouth:

Mess With Texas, an annual party thrown in Austin, in the south by southwestern region of the US, at the same time as a certain other major music festival, has expanded in its second year to a massive, outdoor, FREE, ALL AGES event with three stages and an exclusive Austin performance from headliners The Breeders and NOFX and A-list comedians like Janeane Garofalo, MTV’s Human Giant and Brian Posehn.

The festivities go down on Saturday, March 15 from Noon to 10pm at Waterloo Park, which is in walking distance from 6th St. Last year, the inaugural Mess With Texas took place at Red 7 with David Cross serving as the curator and host. The event’s organizers this year include twenty-two year old Sean Carlson who books the Los Angeles based F*ck Yeah Fest, Adam Hobbs from LA-based music marketing and PR agency The 857 Collective, Austin’s Transmission Entertainment, with booking assistance from Comedy Death Ray, Keith Morris of Circle Jerks & Black Flag and Henry Owings of Chunklet Magazine.

 

 

 

Pretty sweet free gig!!

Sasquatch! 2008 looks good. I’d go just to catch the Dead Confederate kids on the Festival stage. Sonic Itch Music just might make the trip this year.

THE 2008 SASQUATCH! MUSIC FESTIVAL
Memorial Day Weekend | The Gorge, George, WA

The 2008 Sasquatch! Music Festival, now in its seventh and best year yet, will expand to
three days and take place Memorial Day Weekend at the legendary Gorge Amphitheatre.
Already the official opener to summer for music fans, Sasquatch! is becoming a
certified monster of a musical event: this year features another exciting and diverse line-up for the
musically adventurous, and ups the ante on an event already hailed for its independent spirit.

Over the years Sasquatch! Music Festival has evolved from a unique homegrown and laid back fest
into a full blown three day extravaganza, complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets and three stages,
and this year (for the first time) a comedy tent. .

R.E.M. / The Cure / The Flaming Lips U.F.O. Show / Death Cab For Cutie / Modest Mouse / M.I.A. / Flight Of The Conchords / Rodrigo Y Gabriela / Michael Franti & Spearhead / The Breeders / Built To Spill / The Hives / Tegan & Sara / The Presidents / Ghostland Observatory / Ozomatli / The New Pornographers / Blue Scholars / The National / The Kooks / Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks / Cold War Kids / Beirut / Rogue Wave / Okkervil River / Fleet Foxes / Kinski / Mates of State / Crudo (featuring Mike Patton & Dan The Automator) / Sera Cahoone / Battles / Destroyer / Dyme Def / The Blakes / Pela / Jamie Lidell / The Cops / Dengue Fever / Siberian / Say Hi / White Rabbits / David Bazan / The Little Ones / “Awesome” / Dead Confederate / The Heavenly States / 65daysofstatic / Grand Archives / Vince Mira with the Roy Kay Trio / Joshua Morrison / Throw Me The Statue / J. Tillman / Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down / The Cave Singers / Matt Costa / The Shaky Hands

Via Chicago, Wilco makes it’s debut on this weeks Saturday Night Live. Arguably one of the greatest bands of my generation, and in the history of rock-n-roll. That’s my opinion of course, and I’m sure that a few of my associates might beg to differ, but then again, I’ve watch them develop since the very beginning, since the days that they graced the stage of Liberty Lunch. Oh how I miss thee Liberty Lunch.

Wilco on

Airing live March 1st @ 11 p.m. ET

MP3> Wilco ‘How to Fight The Loneliness’

Darondo

For today’s pick, I’ve decided to highlight an artist that made his mark in a way that would make Lauryn Hill pleased; he released three singles during the 70′s and then mysteriously quit the music scene without making another appearance for over 30 years. But lucky for us, this legendary R&B performer will leave his Bay Area home and make a trip out to this years festival.

Many enter the music world with agendas. Scenarios where the booze and shows flow freely are common amongst those who take jobs in the industry. But Darondo had something else in mind. His desired to be in music was just a hobby for him, a creative outlet for the time being. However, the songs and his voice (which has been compared to Ronald Isley and Al Green) have sustained. His records, which are considered rare to many dedicated vinyl collectors (“Legs Pt. 1 had only 2,500 presses and is considered a very coveted single, selling between $400 and $600) are reminescent of the funk/soul/do-wop sounds that helped him to open up for James Brown during a San Fransisco tour at one time. The three singles, which were re-released on Ubiquity Records in 2006 (there was a great demand after BBC 1 Radio DJ Giles Peterson showcased Darondo’s “Didn’t I” track for his “Giles Peterson Digs America: Brownswood U.S.A.” CD compilation) have started to create more of a buzz for him, rightfully securing a place for him at SXSW.

Check out his album, Let My People Go, which contains the A and B sides of the three 45 singles, along with three revisited demos. The songs, which range from Afrobeat, to Latin and of course, funk will epitomize the 70′s style it was created under. The slightly imperfect harmonies and jazzy guitar riffs blend magically to add true appreciation from a man who knew this opportunity was too good to pass up.

And don’t miss this opportunity to see him before he decides to disappear again. Catch his showcase at Club De Ville (900 Red River) on Saturday, March 15th at 10:45.

-Sonya

MP3> Darondo ‘Didn’t I’

MP3> Darondo ‘How I Got Over’

Our good friends over @ Do512 put together this widget for Austin’s Psych Fest. Check out video for the band and buy tickets all right here in this little widget. Widgets are fun, and cool at the same time.

Feeling the need to shake that ass? Or maybe have your face rocked off? We’ll be there.

The Coachella related east coast festival, All Points West, has released the lineup and ticket info to boot. We already know that Radiohead secured the headlining spots for both Friday and Saturday of the festival, and now we have Jack Johnson headlining Sunday night. Maybe Sunday night TV will have something better to offer?

Can’t say that I’m more than excited to see locals The Black Angels being a part of this festival.

Lineup here Read more

The initial SXSW 2008 band schedule came out today in the Austin Chronicle much to my delight. I’m posting the initial lineup off of the official site for your viewing. For those not familiar with the process, the schedule will change, and big name acts will be added, and mistakes will be corrected over the next few weeks, but this moment makes it start to feel real.

Look for our thoughts on who we are looking forward to seeing this year.

Wednesday 3.12

Thursday 3.13

Friday 3.14

Saturday 3.15

This is my favorite part of the year where the transition between winter to spring allows room for the weather to get better and for the college basketball games to get more intense. But here in Austin it means something else; it’s almost time for South By Southwest. The list has been released and this year there are over 1,600 bands being showcased to help pack the bars, clubs, streets, bathrooms, pedi-cabs, and any other location were space is available.

And since Sonic Itch Music is well, a blog about music, we’ve decided to do our part and help you guys out a little. I’ll be featuring a band that will be performing during the festival (maybe even some who won’t) to aid that everlasting fear of which show to choose.

And we present, The Black Keys.

Being that this is the city where Stevie Ray Vaughan sharpened his skills to become one of the most influential artists to ever live, there are enormous expectations when it comes to blues music. And the blues are everywhere here, from sidewalks to Antone’s. Any given night in Austin, there are musicians singing for their Tex-mex supper, greeting us with their heart-wrenching tales of Texas blues. So, for a duo from Akron, Ohio to enter the blues arena and challenge the long-standing heavies with their immeasurable sound, completely justifies me showcasing them as the very first band I won’t miss during the festival.

For any blues fan, hearing that 12-bar blues chord progression never gets old, even with one of the oldest forms of American music. But lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach revives life and wisdom into his songs, even with his under-30-mind, resembling the sounds of Chess Records, circa 1951. The songs are simple yet poignant, with lyrics keeping in tune with the blues frame of mind. But Auerbach’s guitar-playing skills raise the stakes, adding more than the essential elements that the blues require. Drums, which are done by Patrick Carney, stays in sync with Auerbach’s incessant need to rock. And Auerbach’s pitch-perfect moans complete the sound, making you think he was 75 with a drinking problem.

Maybe it’s the lack of direction that the music industry has obtained or maybe it’s my need to know how the blues should sound, but whatever the reason, these guys are saving all of our heads and minds one song at a time. SRV would definitely be proud that Austin is host to this band again.

And now you can be too.

MP3> The Black Keys ‘Work Me’

Catch their show at Emo’s Main Room (603 Red River) at 1 a.m. (a perfect time for the blues) on Wednesday, March 12th.

-Sonya

Maybe the brains over at C3 had a little insight into this, thus resulting in a reschedule of their Highline Festival. How can you compete with Radiohead on 2 nights? That’s right, 2 nights of Radiohead headlining the All Points West Festival, Aug 8th and 9th. Git yer Radiohead on!

Current announced Radiohead dates:

05-05 West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre
05-06 Tampa, FL – Ford Amphitheatre
05-08 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
05-09 Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
05-11 Bristow, VA – Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
05-14 St. Louis, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
05-17 Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
05-18 Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center
06-06 Dublin, Ireland – Malahide
06-07 Dublin, Ireland – Malahide
06-09 Paris, France – Bercy
06-10 Paris, France – Bercy
06-12 Barcelona, Spain – Parc del Fòrum
06-14 Nimes, France – Arenes
06-15 Nimes, France – Arenes
06-17 Milan, Italy – Civica Arena
06-18 Milan, Italy – Civica Arena
06-20 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany – Southside Festival
06-22 Scheeßel, Germany – Hurricane Festival
06-24 London, England – Victoria Park
06-25 London, England – Victoria Park
06-27 Glasgow, Scotland – Glasgow Green
06-29 Manchester, England – Lancashire County Cricket Club
07-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Westerpark
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival
07-04-05 Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter Festival
07-06 Arras, France – Main Square Festival
07-08 Berlin, Germany – Wuhlheide
08-08 Jersey City, NJ – All Points West Festival
08-09 Jersey City, NJ – All Points West Festival