Fun Fun Fun Fest has been setting the bar for “fun” in a music festival/event for the past couple of years, and with SXSW looming in the near future, I find myself looking forward the fall of 2010. March has somehow lost a bit of it’s appeal and luster.  For those of you who haven’t made it out to Fun Fun Fun Fest yet.. shame, and here’s what you have been missing…

Our good friends over at the fine Austin music blog Ultra8201.com are celebrating 4 years with a little style. The poster says it all. Come out for some fine entertainment, a lively crowd, and some good times with a few friends.

As if music geeks in Austin don’t have a full plate in March with SXSW and various other shows happening, The Flaming Lips add another event to the calendar on March 12th at the Austin Music Hall.

No one else does furries, confetti, fake blood, and tripped out music like the guys from Oklahoma, and you can bet that this show will be an event to remember. Chances are that tickets will move quickly.

On sale this Saturday Jan 30th @ 10 a.m. HERE

The highly anticipated release from Midlake The Courage of Others doesn’t become official until Feb 2nd, but any little bit fans can get their hands on at this point is needed. With the upcoming release, there will be a deluxe edition available packaged with a double LP, 45 rpm version of the record, a 32 page book, a live CD, and a short film DVD directed by Jason Lee. The trailer for the film follows:

A list of tour dates one being the recently released NX35 festival gig taking place in the band’s hometown of Denton:

Midlake Tour Dates
March
1 Tucson, AZ – Plush
2 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
3 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
4 San Francisco, CA – The Great American Music Hall
5 Arcata, CA – The Van Duzer Theatre
6 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
7 Bellingham, WA – The Nightlight
10 Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
11 Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater
12 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon
13 Denton, TX – NX35

Quite simply, Retribution Gospel Choir is a welcomed and what seems to be an inevitable extension of the slow-core outfit Low. Consisting of Low founder Alan Sparhawk and current Low bassist Steve Garrington, the only lineup difference is Eric Pollard on drums. Low percussionist/vocalist Mimi Parker isn’t completely out of the picture, as she makes her appearance on the sophomore release from the band, chiming in vocally.

I’ve always been somewhat of a casual fan of Low for a few years, latching on to the occasional song over the course of their quiet career, but recently became more intrigued with the band and it’s existence. The interest was sparked by the documentary of the band titled You May Need A Murderer released in 2008. It is an examination of a band, and a man that wrestle with the same demons that each of us endure while justifying a life in conflict with some religious leanings. A film that I highly recommend. In this film there is a scene where Sparhawk, who is married to Parker, is in what appears to be the basement of his house, practicing with what would seem to be Retribution Gospel Choir, while Parker attends to household chores and their children play outside. And while we may have seen glimpses of Sparhawks sonic tendencies in Low and even on the debut Retribution Gospel Choir record, this scene reveals Sparhawk’s electric guitar inner child, and it’s intriguing. Something inside me ached to see that come to fruition. To hear Sparhawk let loose on the electric outside of the pace and level of Low. And that is what 2 delivers.

The guitar reminiscent of Neil Young and Crazy Horse at times, while Sparhawk continues with the lyrical fodder that defines his unique views, opinions, and conflicts within the world that not only he lives in, but the one that we inhabit as well. It’s a quick 34.5 minutes of hearty, gritty rock in a time when many of us are dazzled by the bells and whistles of technology wearing the face of music.

Retribution Gospel Choir’s 2 out 1/26 on Sub Pop!

Shearwater have established themselves as a band who make beautiful music that is more cerebral and less inviting upon first listen, but always delivers upon time committed. The third release from the band The Golden Archipelago is already being pitched as “not an easy or immediate record”, confirming that the band is staying true to the musical path that they have chosen.

The Golden Archipelago is set for release digitally on Feb 16th and will see physical, both shiny and waxy, on Feb 23rd.

Released MP3 from upcoming album

MP3> Shearwater ‘Black Eye’

Shearwater tour dates Read more

The fine folks over at Austin Sound have stirred up some s*** in the music media scene with a recent blog post. Seems some were quick to jump into the fray without thinking through what they had actually read.  Honesty is always the best policy, so says my mother…

Pillow Queens Pack It In Tomorrow Night (And An Open Letter to Patrick Caldwell)

I’ve been posting a lot of videos lately it seems. Maybe it’s me pining for those days when MTV was actually about playing music videos, and I spent many an hour watching my music, especially those glorious 2 hours every Sunday night titled 120 Minutes.

Shout Out Louds are back with a new album to be release on Feb 23rd, titled Work. An appropriate title in a time rife with unemployment.

Tour for the band starts up in May…

Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Spoon. If you don’t know who they are by now…..well, I wouldn’t know how to respond to that exactly.

The band is set to release it’s newest offering, and it’s first self-produced, titled Transference on Jan 19th. You can stream the entire album currently @ NPR’s “Exclusive First Listen”, which I’m doing right now. If you are looking for an album that is going to follow closely in the footsteps of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, you might be a bit surprised. Britt Daniel and Co return to the sound that established the band as one of the more original and creative indie band’s over the past 15 years. A bit raw and crafty in timing, while holding on to some of the stylistic songwriting that Daniel has achieved over the years. Upon first listen..Bravo!

In another collaboration with NPR, Spoon will play Stubb’s on March 17th as part of the station’s SXSW coverage.

More Spoon news to surface soon, I would suspect….

If A Place To Bury Strangers haven’t been influenced by early Cure, then the bass line on this track is a weird coincidence. One of my favorite songs off of the 2009 release Exploding Head, while the recording as a whole pretty much rules. The band makes a stop here in Austin @ The Parish, performing opening duties for the big bombastic Brit sounds of The Big Pink. That show takes place April 8th.

A few shots of frontman Oliver Ackerman working away at his other full-time gig, his own Death By Audio guitar pedal factory.

Matador Record’s and current Austin resident, Gerard Cosloy has pieced together a compilation of Austin artists and their songs to be released on Jan 26th. Casual Victim Pile seems a likely title taking into consideration Cosloy’s loss last year when his Austin home burned to the ground. In addition to the release, Matador, WOXY, and The Austinist have put together a string of shows featuring artists from the recording.

The track from a band currently on my radar, Follow That Bird!

MP3> Follow That Bird! ‘The Ghosts That Wake You’

Cosloy’s own words in regards to the release and show(s) details after the… Read more

It’s absolutely official..I have become slightly obsessed with this band. There are so many elements to the sound and the look that are so appealing. Many elements of 80’s indie ala Cure and Cocteau Twins with a dash of psych, and looks that kill.

Warpaint will be in town opening for Akron Family on Feb 24th @ the newly remodeled Parish, and of course SXSW dates will be surfacing soon as well. Get on the Warpaint train as it’s going for a long ride in 2010…

Video for “Elephants” (thanks to Ultra8201 for the heads up)

So, I’m sitting in my truck at a stoplight in downtown Austin yesterday when I notice the woman driving the minivan next to me obviously enjoying some music that is being played over her stereo. As I look to the back seat there’s a little girl who appears to be playing with her Barbie doll. I soon realize that the doll is stuck to a hook above the girls window, and she is desperately trying to pull the doll down off of the hook. For minutes I watch the child try to think through the problem at hand, not really grasping why the doll won’t come down. Then I notice that this song “This Old World” is playing over my stereo. And it brings a smile to my face.

I’ll have more on this band Ola Podrida soon, as I haven’t been able to remove this cd from my player for awhile for it’s beauty. Belly Of The Lion is the album, and this is the video for “This Old World”

Lions live

Being the “Live Music Capital” of the world, the perpetual buzz of bands taking to the stage only comes to a subdued hum for a couple of weeks each year as the holiday season sets on the city, only to roar out of its slumber on Jan 1st when the annual Free Week begins. For those not familiar with Free Week, it’s like  a mini SXSW, but for locals only. A giant celebration of Austin bands and music taking place in a handful of venues mostly around the Red River strip, for a little more than a week actually, and for..free. That would be 10 days of some of the best local music in some of your favorite venues, all within a short walk of each other, at no cost to you.

Graham Williams began Free Week about 6 years ago when he was with Emo’s, and carried on the tradition when he started up his own Transmission Entertainment which books The Mohawk, Red 7, and Club De Ville. The tradition has since grown legs and spread to include several other venues around town, with the newest editions for 2010 including Stubb’s Jr and The Parish. While not all venues are planning shows for every day of Free Week, Emo’s and The Transmission Entertainment venues and Emo’s both have their schedules full for most of the 10 days providing plenty of opportunity to take advantage of this generous offer. With much time spent on catching as much as possible of the constant stream of touring acts, Free Week presents the perfect opportunity to catch up on the rich offerings in local talent.

Some notables that are on my list for the week:

Lions @ Mohawk (outside)  Sat 1.2 – c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, get your party metal on!!

Harlem @ Emos (outside) Sat 1.2 – Pill poppin junked out garage rock that took Austin by storm in 2009, and made the face of Busted.

Brazos @ Mohawk (outside) Thur 1.7 – Martin Crane and Co. quietly remain on the lips and minds of many with the latest release Phosphorescent Blues.

Mothfight! @ Emos (inside) Thur 1.7 – Arcade Fire spawned a new attention to bands with many instruments and just as many players slowly edging out guitar fronted rock than many of us still love. You just might be a fan.

T-Bird And The Breaks @ Mohawk (outside) Sat 1.9 – Black Joe Lewis might be the reigning king of bluesy rock inspiring ass shakin, but T-Bird And The Breaks are just as inspiring and the band has it’s pretty face as well. Lady singers always help.

UME @ Emo’s (inside) Fri 1.8 – If you missed their Mohawk performance early during Free Week, and speaking of guitar rock. Get there early for a bill full of 2010 hopefuls with The White White Lights,The Authors, and Speak. Get there really early for the bluesy punk of Follow That Bird playing the first slot on the outside stage.

And there’s a ton more of great stuff to see during Free Week….Give it a whirl, it’s free!