I’ll be the first to admit, that I haven’t always been completely on board with this band Tapes N Tapes. I’ve seen the band a couple of times live, without any investment in the recorded material, and it just hasn’t done much for me. Since then, the some of the recorded material has caught my attention, and in the spirit of being more “open” minded with music these days, I think it time to give the band a shot once again. They are playing one of the best rooms in town, the Parish, so there’s no excuse for a crappy show, unless the band fails to deliver.

You like the Austin export White Denim? Tapes N Tapes could be considered being partially responsible for the increasing popularity of this slap happy style of indie garage rock. Quickly falling into some popularity here locally, while creating quite the buzz these days, Harlem bring their style of garage rock to the stage tonight opening the show for the Tapes N Tapes.

Show starts @ 9 p.m. with Harlem starting things off, Wild Light holding down the middle slot, and Tapes N Tapes getting a 3rd op from this guy. No pressure guys.

MP3> Tapes N Tapes ‘Hang Them All’

MP3> Harlem ‘Witchgreens’

This is how I would like to remember Morrissey. A curious, young, defiant, introverted, poetic frontman of one of the greatest bands of all time. You do know that he was in a band called The Smiths, don’t you? Maybe it’s because The Smiths were so much a part of a specific time in my life, a time of discovery and change. Or maybe it’s because I want to hang on to the youthful image in a subconscious attempt to hold the inevitable reality of my own mortality at arm’s length.

I’ve never seen Morrissey live, nor the Smiths for that matter. I did watch Andy Rourke’s pathetic, intoxicated excuse for a DJ set @ The Mohawk one night, along with 4 other people, but that is the closest I’ve come to any of the Smith legends. Well, there was that time in the early 90′s when I had a ticket to see Morrissey perform here in Austin. His majesty called off the show, unhappy with the state of security and fresh off of being mauled at the previous performance in Dallas. An unfortunate cancellation of the event to discover upon walking up to the venue just after consuming some pharmaceutical enhancements for the mind that evening. It was par for the course back in those days. The pharmaceuticals, not the cancellation.

Morrissey continues to put out records that sell, and maintains legions of fans, but I stopped paying much attention after the first couple of solo records. Maybe it’s time for me to embrace our aging destiny, and take in the man who will leave his mark on the industry, regarded as a pioneer and legend.

For those Morrissey fans who may not be familiar with any of The Smiths work (and I pray that there isn’t one of you out there), please pick up a copy of The Queen is Dead, Meat is Murder, Strangeways Here We Come, Louder Than Bombs, or even a greatest hits record. Please, please, please, I beg of you.

Morrissey plays the newly remodeled Bass Concert Hall on April 12th. Get your tickets quick and get them HERE.

MP3> Morrissey ‘Suedehead’

Black Angels @ Psych Fest 2008   photo:valerie@fremin.net

With the success of Psych Fest #1 still in the minds of psych-rock fans, organizers and Austin’s own, the Black Angels have set their minds to expand the 2nd installment of the music fest to 3 days in 2009. Not officially announced yet, but the word is that this year’s music fest is set to take place March 13-15th, a mere few days before the music portion of SXSW 2009 gets underway. With the indie music world positioning itself for it’s yearly spring takeover of Austin, TX, one can only speculate the number of acts potentially available for this year’s event. I have already heard the name Dead Meadow mentioned as possible acts for the event. Have I mentioned how much I love me some Dead Meadow?

Mark your calendar for March 13th-15th 2009, and get some sleep now. It’s gonna be a long week.

MP3> Dead Meadow ‘Get Up On Down’

All my bitchin and complaining about the music in 2008 must have fallen heavily on the ears of the music gods that be, because 2009 is starting to look like it has some real potential.

Here are a few of the 2009 releases that warrant some attention:

• Dark Was The Night Feb 16th (worldwide) 17th (North America):

I’m not often one for compilations, being a fan of complete albums, but the collection of artists on this release is nothing short of stellar. I remember when the Red Hot compilations began some years ago, 20 to be specific, but wasn’t aware that they were still trudging forward. For those not aware the profits of the recording go to the Red Hot Organization – an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and Aids.

Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National produced the album, with John Carlin of the Red Hot Organization serving as executive producer. The recording consists of 32 exclusive tracks from an impressive collection of artists which include, Spoon, Andrew Bird, Beach House, Bon Iver, My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Feist, Blonde Redhead, The National, just to name a few. The compilation is being released on the always impressive 4AD label.

MP3> Grizzly Bear ‘Deep Blue Sea‘ (Link removed)

• M Ward Hold Time Feb 17th

Fresh on the heels of the success of the She & Him project’s Volume One, the low-fi craftsman M. Ward is quick with his 5th full length recording Hold Time. That’s right. For those of you who didn’t know, M. Ward (Him) has been producing elegant and rustic tunes long before the She (Zooey Deschanel) was in the picture. On this 5th installment, Ward engages the talent of notables Lucinda Williams, Deschanel (She), members of The Decemberist, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle, and Devotchka’s Tom Hagerman. Talent that can only add to the appeal of his songwriting talent, which seems endless.

MP3> M. Ward ‘To Save Me’

• The Decemberists Hazards of Love March 24th

I got on board with The Decemberists, a little bit late. It wasn’t until I caught the last few songs of their 2007 ACL Festival performance, that I came to the realization that I should be paying more attention to

this band. Since then, the band’s debut release on Capitol Records, The Crane Wife has spent many an hour being played around these parts, much to the delight of myself.

Word is that the upcoming release is somewhat of a rock opera, with original plans to stage the album as a play failing to see fruition. Might be a good thing. Let’s keep it rock and roll guys. Instead, there is talk that the band might perform the album from front to back during future shows. Much like The Crane Wife, one can expect that the upcoming release will be full of character driven stories set in an unfamiliar time and place, weaving imagery wrought in musical fantasy.

MP3> The Decemberists ‘The Rake’s Song’

• • Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion Jan 20th

I don’t know anything about this band, other than I heard a song a couple of days ago, and I liked it. Well, that and they released an album titled Strawberry Jam. That’s about it.

Now, I have read a few comments on this new offering from Animal Collective, and am curious as to if anyone out there has any words for me about these guys.

MP3> Animal Collective ‘In The Flowers’

It’s gonna be a good year.

photo:pamela

As the flame of Rock-n-Roll tries to fade quietly into the background within a modern music scene that seems to be forgetting it’s past and origin, Dead Confederate spew fuel on the fire keeping hope alive that Rock-n-Roll will never die.

Taking to the road, where they spent much of 2008 in support of the Mike McCarthy produced Wrecking Ball, the guys from Athens, GA join forces with another Athen’s band hell bent on bringing on the Rock, The Whigs. The road leads West for Feb and March, with the final destination being Austin, TX for SXSW 2009.

Want to keep up with the guys while they are on the road? Check out their tour blog: The Wrecking Blahg

MP3> Dead Confederate ‘Start Me Laughing’

Stay tuned for SXSW Dead Confederate news.

West Coast Tour:

Jan 30 -  Chattanooga, TN – Rhythm and Brews@

Feb 4 -  Savannah, GA – Livewire#

Feb 5 – Charleston, SC – Pourhouse#

Feb 6 – Columbia, SC – Headliners#

Feb 18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (Lola’s Room)

Feb 20 – Skykomish, WA – Steven’s Pass Ski Resort

Feb 21 – Sacramento, CA – Broadway

Feb 24 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up

Mar 4 – Washington DC – Black Cat*

Mar 5 – Philadelphia, PA – The Note*

Mar 6 – Boston, MA – Paradise*

Mar 7 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom*

Mar 9 – Columbus, OH – The Basement*

Mar 10 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick*

March 11 – Akron, OH – Musica

Mar 12 – Indianapolis, IA – Birdy’s*

Mar 13 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge*

Mar 14 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar*

Mar 18-22 – SXSW

* with The Whig

# with Twin Tigers

@ with The Features

The quircky electronic punk outfit from the 80′s, Devo, is set to headline a BMI showcase @ this year’s SXSW Festival. The showcase will be taking place @ The Austin Music Hall on Friday March 20th, and this guy will be doing everything he can to catch this performance by the legendary band.

Best known for the hit single “Whip It” the band produced a dozens of recordings spanning the 80′s, 90′s, and beyond. Other notable singles “Jocko Homo”, “Working In A Coal Mine”,  “Through Being Cool”, “Beautiful World” and others solidified the band as pioneers and legends of the New Wave/Art Rock/Electronic Punk scene of the 80′s.

Being a music fan living here in Austin, TX since the early 90′s, I can tell you that this is one “rare” opportunity to see this band. Don’t miss out.

A perfect song to start the day with this news

MP3> Devo ‘It’s A Beautiful World’

MP3> Devo ‘Through Being Cool’

:

It came, we saw, we heard, they rocked, and just like that, it’s over. This year’s Free Week presented many more an opportunity to catch as much free music as you could bear in one week, with Transmission Entertainment joining in the 7 day music celebration. Adding Mohawk, Club De Ville, Red 7, and Beauty Bar to the ist of venues participating this year, Transmission’s Graham Williams reminded us of the origin of free week.

Thursday @ Emo’s presented one of the more intriguing line-ups for me. A trio of bands that will surely be on the minds and lips of Red River regulars and Austin music fans for 2009.

Ume has been quietly shredding stages in Austin for the past couple of years, after relocating here from Houston, and the band is set to release it’s first recorded material since 2005. The Sunshower EP will be released on Feb 24th. Sonic guitar assault still intact, the new material introduces melodic song structures, threatening to broaden their audience.

MP3> Ume ‘The Conductor’

Harlem. Quite frankly, I don’t know much about this band other than they seem to be the talk of the scene lately. I know that they recently relocated to Austin from somewhere, and they produce an infectious brand of garage rock tinged with a bit of 60′s style psychedelia, with a carefree, free flowing energy on stage that’s difficult to deny. That, and they have one of the biggest bass drums I’ve ever seen on stage. You need a rock to keep it in place. The band recently released Free Drugs, which lightly captures the essence of the band, which shines most brightly when banging it out on the stage.

MP3> Harlem ‘South Of France‘

And then there’s my most recent favorite Oklahoma export, El Paso Hot Button, aka Mickey Reece. The one man band stringing together soul, punk, and rock and roll as best as a one man can on stage. The recorded material is always a blast to listen to, but when Reece puts it together on stage is a full on performance. Look for this guy @ SXSW 2009. I don’t know for sure, but I would wager a few bucks that he’ll be around.

MP3> El Paso Hot Button ‘Rubies and Pearls’

And now the pics taken by the talented Valerie Fremin:

I don’t know much about this band called Fu**** Up, other than they seem to be the “punk” flavor of the month right now. “Punk” might be a bit of a stretch though. Sure, they have some screaming fat guy who sometimes takes his clothes off, and the band is a bit rough around the edges, but “punk”? David Yow and the Jesus Lizard are punk.

Don’t mistake my comments for a dislike of the band, because that isn’t the case. I like this song. In fact, I’m looking forward to the show here in Austin @ Emo’s on the 31st of this month. We’ll see how punk they really are.

Something about this song reminds me of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”. Do you hear it?

Watch it:

For those of you who might not know who Spencer Tweedy is, you surely know his pops, Jeff. Being the son of one of this generations greatest songwriters and performers has to be..kinda cool. As the apple stays close to the tree, Spencer has been involved in making music since he was a wee one. Playing drums in his own band, and most recently on stage with dad’s outfit Wilco, he’s no stranger to the world of making music. Now at the mature age of 13, Spencer has his own blog, and at first, I didn’t think to take it too seriously, but the kid is pretty entertaining. Simple titled “Spencer Tweedy’s Blog”. Reading his latest post called “We’ll Do It Live” but subtitled “Why I Would Like to Punch Bill O’Reilly In the Face” brings about a chuckle, and the realization that most kids are smarter than some adults I know.

check out Jeff Tweedy and Johnny Marr covering Radiohead:

Great Northern is one of those bands that makes sleepy, fuzzy, warmly melodic songs fit for a dreary, wet, winter day much like today, and I like them. One of my “stumble” across discoveries in 2007, the recording Trading Twilight for Daylight has made it’s rounds in my listening collection quite a bit. The band is set to release the follow-up to the 2007 release, titled Remind Me Where The Light Is on April 21st. No single or MP3 to share, but there is a teaser video.

The L.A. band will be in Austin for SXSW 2009, and you can expect that they’ll be showcasing some of the material from the upcoming release.

MP3> Great Northern ‘Just A Dream’ (Trading Twilight for Daylight)

Being just a few days into 2009 and 2008 quietly slipping into the past, I thought it might be worth some interest to reflect on this most recently passed year as well as look forward.

Some years are better than others when it comes to music, and 2008 just felt like a year that didn’t produce a large enough crop of innovative, new, fresh, or exciting sounds. One could argue that I’m just burned out on the scene a bit, which could be the case to a certain extent, but I think that modern music is finding itself awash in mediocre fluff that’s being sold to us as “the next great sound”. I’m not buying it. In fact, I’m running away from it as fast as I can. It’s almost starting to feel like the 80′s all over again. Hell it’s starting to look a lot like the 80′s in a way. And we all know that the 80′s wasn’t the best time for great music. It had it’s fair share, but it also had an over abundance of utter crap. I haven’t lost faith though, as I’ve been here before, and it always seems to change, and I’ll find myself once again engaged and amazed at some crop of new bands that are making music, real music. Music that is pure, artistic, and original.

And now I reflect:

Highlights:

• Dead Confederate bringing back the rock.
• My Morning Jacket @ The Parish
• Fleet Foxes dazzling me with a style of music I wouldn’t usually give much attention.
• Wilco @ Stubbs proving once again why they are such studs.
• Shearwater’s Rook. A beautiful record that I don’t listen to enough.
• Spoon @ The Parish digging deep into a collection of great song after great song.
• Rediscovering my inner stoner-rock compliments of Dead Meadow.
• Colour Revolt rocking me out all 4 times I saw them.
• Sigur Ros DVD Heima. Amazingly beautiful and inspiring.
• Deerhunter @ Emo’s.
• Monotonix @ Mohawk.
• Fun Fun Fun Fest.
• The news that the Jesus Lizard is reuniting for a 2009 tour.

Disapointments:

• An ACL Festival riddled with poor sound and mediocre performances.
• Portishead’s Third. I know a lot of people love this record, but have they not heard Dummy?
• Harp and No Depression calling it quits with the print.
• The Backyard closes it’s doors.
• The remodeled Music Hall.
• Beck @ ACL Festival.
• Music Blogs
• The direction that the modern rock scene has taken. Down, but not out.

Now this is just a quick snapshot of a multitude of memories, and I’m sure that I’ve left something slightly important out of the list.

If anyone has noticed, I haven’t been writing much lately for the blog, and there are a couple of reasons for this void.

First off, not much really happens during the holidays. Sure there are the holiday events, and the occasional touring shows, but the holidays are full of distractions. Shopping, traffic, traveling, parties, etc.

Secondly, I haven’t been moved to inspiration lately as previously mentioned. Sure, I had some great moments over the year, but overall my music experience seemed a bit lackluster. I’ve spent many an hour trying to understand my lack of interest in much that’s happening in the music scene, and I can’t definitively say that I have an answer. Of course my initial reaction is that I’m just a jaded old music snob, which is the case to a certain extent. I’ve seen and heard a lot of music in my lifetime and at some point I can’t help but to notice how much the newer music reminds me something that I’ve heard in the past. It’s true. Originality is hard to come by these days, and even if it sounds somewhat original and really good, you can usually hear a taint of influence. It’s inevitable.

Aside from the obvious, which narrows my tunnel of acceptance, I feel my lack of interest might stem from the environment itself. 2 parts to this if you may. As already stated, the music that is being suggested and promoted heavily in the media these days seems to have lost it’s edge. A lot of cotton candy bullshit with no truly creative element and no heart. In addition to this, the crop of so called “music fans” who have attached themselves to a scene or an idea of something that really only is an accessory to them. An accessory, not a passion. I don’t expect everyone to be as passionate about music as myself, but at least invest a little time into being slightly interested and/or passionate. And those who attend shows for any other reason than being interested the music.. shut the fuck up when the band is playing! If you came to socialize, go do a bump in the bathroom, text your friends, and at the least, get away from the people who are trying to enjoy the show. I know you don’t know who the band is on stage, and are only there because someone told you it was the “show” to be at, to be seen. How about be seen and not heard?

Sound a little angry? Maybe I’m frustrated a bit, but I’ve found myself longing for a time when people were passionate about the music. Passionate about the good music and understood why. A time when people actually listened to a full recording from front to back and not just the songs that they like stored away in some cutely named playlist on their iPod. A time when you went to a show, people danced, sang along, cheered, cried, and felt connected.

photo:charles peterson

With all of that being said, I’m dedicating myself to 2009 in search of a music scene that lives and breathes passion and creativity as it once did. I’m opening myself up, trying to shake the music snob, and embracing more than before. Taking more time to engage myself in the local music scene and discovering the hidden treasures that I know are out there. I hope that you do as well.

The true artists deserve better and the true fans do as well.

Looking forward to things happening with these local folks in 2009:

• Ume
• Harlem
• Monahans
• Lions
• The Black Angels
• {{{Sunset}}}
• White White Light

And of course keeping an ear out for the next crop of Austin hopefuls.

How about you?