I gave you the acoustic version and now the “official” album version.  Cloak and Cipher is quietly working it’s way into my psyche as it’s a departure from the band’s earlier work…in a really good way.

The band is here in Austin on Oct 15th @ the Parish. They don’t come around often, so you should check it..

Austin’s Frank Smith turned heads in the Austin music scene with their 2009 release Big Strike In Silver City. Being the band’s 5th release, it was the first release since relocating to Austin, the music city that can swallow up great music and not think twice about doing so. The band has been plugging away at the follow up, recording at the Bubble Studios with Alex Lyon, and if this track titled “Nineteen” is of any indication of what to expect…well, you tell me what you think.

The track is only available for stream on the band’s website or myspace.

No release date mentioned, but I’m guessing sometime in the Fall.

Some might argue that I don’t support the local bands enough here on the site, so here is a big plug for a slew of local acts bringing their local skills all over the course of one day in one place.

Makers Mark presents Red River On The Rocks @ Mohawk this Saturday 8.28 beginning at 2 p.m. and going all day until closing time 2 a.m. Bands, bands, and more bands playing both the inside stage and outside stage, offering up some of Austin’s finest in the genre of modern rock. DJ’s spinning (they don’t really spin anymore these days) tunes to keep you tapping your feet when taking a break from the head bobbin, fist pumping rock and roll. And it’s presented by Makers Mark, so you know what that means? The booze will be flowing. Some of it for FREE if you pay for VIP or pre-sale. Word is that there is going to be FREE pizza as well! Say isn’t isn’t so, sounds too damn good to be true! But that’s how we roll in the ATX when throwing down a party. And when we party, there’s always a photo booth available to capture these treasured moments of our lives, and Alison Narro does a fine job capturing beautifully. Nothing like showing your kids later in life hundreds of photos of you blasted out of your mind on free booze, night after night, after night, after night. Ooooh, the memories. Funny hats, sunglasses, toy guns, feather boas, what next?

And then there is the music..

Outside
3pm The Georgian Company
345pm Booher and the Turkeyz
430pm The Mercers
515pm The Noise Revival Orchestra
6pm Frank Smith
7pm The Eastern Sea
8pm FUTUREBIRDS
9pm Hacienda
10pm Dead Confederate

Inside
315pm Alkari
4pm My Education
445pm Young Girls
530pm Red Falcon
615pm The Boxing Lesson
7pm Melogrand
745pm STEREO IS A LIE
830pm The Pons
915 Built By Snow
BLOCK
1130pm Ume
1215am Fresh Millions
1am ZEALE

And of course, you  know I’m going to see the boys from Athens, Ga both Dead Confederate and FUTUREBIRDS. Dead Confederate will be celebrating the release of their 2nd full length Sugar, which is reason enough to pick up tickets now and get your Red River Rocks off!

TICKETS

Bear In Heaven make music that I wouldn’t typically spend too much time with, but there’s something about this band that is stirring up quite the buzz pot lately that keeps spinning my attention. At first listen, you could write them off as a band being thrust into the fallout stream of hipster hype created by bands like Animal Collective and Yeasayer, but there’s something a bit more unique about these guys that I appreciate a bit more. Bear In Heaven seem to posses this idea of futuristic exploration in their music that feels much like some of the music that some of the music pioneers, more specifically electronic music pioneers of the 80′s. Band’s like Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, New Order, Skinny Puppy,  just to name a few, that were making music that was experimental, a bit strange, but curiously good.  Bear In Heaven doesn’t sound like these bands, they just seem to embody the spirit of those bands around that time while still maintaining a progressive sound in today’s saturated venue. Read more

You know I love em, and this is a really cool live shot video for what appears to be the latest single from A Place To Bury Strangers record Exploding Head. “I Lived My Life In The Shadow Of Your Heart” video was shot in Heaven in London, and directed by Sian Alice Group guitarist Ben Crook.

You need to turn it up really, really loud…

If there’s a Canadian band that should be receiving your attention currently, I would point you in the direction of Land Of Talk. I know that there’s some other group pulling at your musical heart strings currently, but these folks are the real deal. I posted the captivating live acoustic performance of this track “Quarry Hymns” off the upcoming release Cloak and Cipher and the album version of the track just surfaced, and as expected, sounds incredibly tempting.

If you haven’t seen Elizabeth Powell, the driving force for this band, well…she’s a treat to watch live.

Cloak and Cipher hits legal on Aug 24th on Saddle Creek, and locally you’ll have the rare opportunity to see this band at the Parish on Oct 15th.

MP3> Land Of Talk ‘Quarry Hymns’

This isn’t going to be a full review of Colour Revolt’s latest offering The Cradle, as I really haven’t had enough time with the recording, and if you’ve spent any time with the band’s work, you understand that it’s work that requires a lengthy, patient listen that is more often than not, completely rewarding. It’s rich, layered, textural intensity both musically and lyrically, and The Cradle adheres to this equation while shedding some old skin in the process. After a dramatic shift in lineup, losing 3 of the members of the band to more stable realities in life, founding members Jesse Coppenbarger  and Sean Kirkpatrick forge on as the heart and soul of Colour Revolt. The resilience of these two shines well on the album, which still encompasses the complex energy of the past, while the sonic rages are reeled in and their energy dispersed much more dynamically and musically diverse.

I for one, am thrilled that Coppenbarger and Kirkpatrick weathered the storm and continue on as Colour Revolt, as these guys were made for making music. Great rock music to be specific. God knows we can always use more great rock music in our lives.

The Cradle is legal now. Go get yourself some.

MP3> Colour Revolt ‘Our Names’

The L.A. based Future Sounds has teamed up with some of Austin’s finest, including fellow bloggers Covert Curiosity and Austin Town Hall (I know, you’re not a blog site!) to bring you an eve of local music for the low, low, low price of FREE!

Going down Wednesday night 8.11 @ Beerland: The Sour Notes, Hollywood Gossip, and Literature bring you some of Austin’s finest future sounds for FREE!. Did I mention that it was FREE? How about FREE beer? not really.

While I’ll give the folks over at Austin Town Hall credit for the tip on this, they really did miss out on the real thing a few weeks ago @ Emos. But, there is Aug 28th @ Mohawk with Dead Confederate and a slew of great local bands when you can catch the Futurebirds in action once again here in ATX.

Nice to see other folks squawking about this awesome band from Athens, GA.

Hear*Ya is a cool video blog site where you can check out the full session with Futurebirds along with some other great bands.

One of my favorite songs on the band’s latest release Hampton’s Lullaby “ATO”

Dead Confederate’s Sugar arrived at the office just a few days ago, and it has been spinning non-stop, while I try to digest this monster of rock album. There’s some seriously heavy shit on this record, along with songs like this, which show a different side to the band that previously revealed on their debut LP Wrecking Ball.

Push play, turn it up, and sing along while J. Mascis adds his shred to the track.

Don’t forget, that the band will be giving it away on the Mohawk stage Aug 28th. GET TICKETS

Well, maybe not like a sieve, but I’ve always wanted to use that term. More like a drippy faucet.

So, if you haven’t been keeping score, Fun Fun Fun Fest leaked 3 artists for this year’s event last week. Keeping it real with the old school as Funx3 Fest is great at doing, rapper Slick Rick and hardcore punks Suicidal Tendencies were 2/3 of the initial leak. Introducing something new and fresh, the 3rd artists leaked last week is LA’s Best Coast, who’s surf/pop/gospel is promising to keep it easy breezy.

And that brings us to today. The day that finds us with more sweet leaks from the Funx3 Fest, featuring Dirty Projectors (yay!), Yelle (oh, they’re French), Snapcase, The Gories, and Cap’n Jazz.

Surely the leaks will keep on a comin, and if you pay attention here, you’ll get more info on the bands that we are really excited about, and maybe a few that need a closer look.

“I’m not crazy, you’re the one that’s crazy!”

I can’t say that I reach for a New Pornographers record that frequently, but my experience with the band live spurs this recommendation for Friday night at Stubbs. There’s something incredibly mesmerizing about watching this band so rich in talent work together like a well oiled machine churning out catchy tune after catchy tune. Especially when Neko Case is present.

I’m also extremely curious about opening artists Imaad Wasif. His latest release The Viodist has spent a fair amount of time with my attention, and the fact that Spoon’s Britt Daniel is seen sporting a Wasif’ shirt in just about every photo taken of him over the last 6 months surely means something? Time to do laundry?

Don’t know anything about the DoDos.

New Pornographers will surely be testing the newest of their offerings, from the most recent release Together, but there better be a “My Rights Versus Yours” scribbled on the set list.

Tickets are still available HERE for now.

While I would like everyone to believe that I take the time to listen to every band that sends me music whether it be a physical copy or via the digital, I really don’t. I try to give each one a fair opportunity to grab a moment of my short attention span, but most fall short of doing so, and quite frankly, I’m sure I miss out on some good music at times.

Why this band managed a feat that most cannot, I cannot answer.

Grand Lake’s music has been haunting me since I received the package in the mail just days ago.  I continually find myself revisiting the band’s work, seeking some sort of grasp of what it is they are to trying to convey with their music, and while doing so, all I can really manage is a sense of enjoying something that feels honest and fresh.

Grand Lake is the current result of a long ongoing relationship between Caleb Nichols and Jameson Swanagon, who have continually crossed paths since they met as young boys in California. The two brought on John Pomeroy for drums  and even more recently Danae Swanagon for the keyboards.  The upcoming release from the band Blood Sea reflects the duo’s musical kinship shared over the past 10 years covering plenty of ground musically without straining to be something that it isn’t. A delicate, subtle darkness weaves it’s way through the album while the music forges ahead on with the journey being the priority. The album finds itself turn after turn alternating between fuzzed out art-rock, gentle string accompanied slow dance moments, and slow rolling mood rockers.

Blood Sea is currently available on iTunes and will see “official” release on 8.10.10.

Now we just wait for the tour bus to find it’s way to us.

MP3> Grand Lake ‘Carpoforo’

Grand Lake – Spark from Ryan Pierce on Vimeo.

The moniker Ola Podrida which local musician David Wingo masks himself behind, dropped one of my favorite recordings of the past year, late in 2009 on the Austin based Western Vinyl label, titled Belly Of The Lion. The acoustic based recording brings into fold simple instrumentation that stretches between sublime sonic guitars, subtle drum beats, banjo, tambourine, and Wingo’s own lyrics. Lyrics that soundtrack the simple stories of naive human relationships while exposing the genuine and honest treasures lying within.

Wingo has assembled a band for a U.S. tour launching tomorrow night @ Mohawk. Get there early, as the tiny inside Mohawk stage will surely be a bad bet for showcasing one of Austin’s most promising talents.

“I’ll skinny dip with girls in lakes of wine……….”

MP3> Ola Podrida ‘Lakes Of Wine’

Dead Meadow brought the serious “rock” to Emo’s last Sunday night while on the road in support of their most recent CD/DVD release The Three Kings. A recommended grab for anyone familiar with the band, or in need of a solid dose of guitar, bass, and drums ala psych/stoner rock.

Photos: Mary Rehak