Recently, a friend suggested that I check out this band True Widow, and it was noted. Then he persistently asked if I had gotten around to doing so. Usually when this happens, there’s something to the suggestion. Now, I haven’t spent a lot of time with the band’s self-titled release, but what I have heard indicates that this is going to require some pretty serious listen time. It’s dark, dense, and moves along at a patient pace. It’s a fuzzy haze of stonegaze, that suggest you check out. I insist.

True Widow’s SXSW schedule on Do512

True Widow Album II Trailer from Justin Wilson on Vimeo.

After two EP’s, landing themselves on Fat Possum Records, and putting out a full-length, the school mate band of brothers called Colour Revolt came to a crossroad. Members Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick found themselves without a band, and without a label. Dissolving the band seemed imminent, and a short lived breakup took place, but both realized they still wanted to make music together, and lucky for us they still do. Coppenbarger and Kirkpatrick kept writing, pulled a band together, landed a deal with Dualtone Records and put out one of their most comprehensive musical works titled The Cradle in 2010.

The lead track from The Cradle which tells the tale..

MP3> Colour Revolt ’8 Years’

Colour Revolt’s SXSW schedule on Do512

Honestly, I know almost nothing about this band, but when you hear people whose opinion you generally respect, drop a band’s name, it’s always worth investigating.

Small Black are from Brooklyn (surprise) and are listed as electronica, lo-fi, chillwave, etc. You know, the stuff that all the kids are into these days. I can get into some of it as well.

Small Black’s SXSW schedule on Do512

No, Low aren’t the latest Pitchfork darling hipster band that you haven’t heard of, actually quite the contrary. Low, founded by the husband and wife team of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, make up the slow-core trio that are set to release their 9th studio album. They produce music that flows at a pace that, upon first listen, can be a difficult listen. Patience is rewarded though with beautiful instrument minimalism laying down the canvas for Sparhawk and Parker’s lyrical exchanges that shift from daydream beauty to the dark crevices of the human psyche.

The band is set to release that 9th studio album titled C’mon April 19th.

A rare opportunity to see a band that has already established itself one of the best kept secrets in the scene.

And I have to apologize to Deer Tick, as if there really only ONE band that I could see during SXSW, Low takes the honor.

Low’s SXSW schedule on Do512

Follow that Bird

The Ghost Room – Riot Act Media SXSW Party

Wednesday, March 16 @ 1:50 PM

Headhunters Official SXSW Show

Wednesday, March 16 @ 7:00PM

SXSW House Show

Friday March 18 @ 6:30PM

www.myspace.com/followthatbiiird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZauDOVrAuNk

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14917

Follow this Band!  With an appearance on Casual Victim Pile Austin 2010 available on Matador records and a full length record due this year, you will not regret taking some time to check out this Austin threesome. Laid back and in your face, an excellent addition to your SXSW schedule.

Bad Brains

Emo’s Main Room

Wednesday March 16 @ 10:40PM

badbrains.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjITD9LnwRY

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS15127

I don’t know for certain if these hardcore pioneers have made up with Austin’s punk scenesters of the early 80′s, but chances are that their new fans weren’t even born when those arguments took place. Great-grandfathers of the american hardcore genre, these guys will show you how it all started.

Fishbone

Austin Music Hall

Thursday March 17 @ 10:50PM

fishbone.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrONIb9gQ-k

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14973

Last time I saw these guys was just last year when they played a surprise show at La Zona Rosa, and I have to say that Fishbone has still got it. Intense energy and a super tight delivery – an experience to behold. Put on your dancing shoes and just try to keep up.

The Fleshtones

Continental Club

Friday March 18 @ 1:00AM

www.fleshtones.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQcdbAFOYfA

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12622

Put a cap on your Friday night at the Continental Club with the swinging sounds of The Fleshtones. Fueling fandom for over 25 years these NY city rockers will cure what ails you.

OFF!

Emo’s Main Room

Wednesday March 16 @ 9:50PM

Club de Ville

Thursday March 17 @ 10:00PM

offofficial.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_EsYmPwYWI

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14236

Hardcore punk rock the way it was in the beginning – Keith Morris fronts this outfit that debuted at last years SXSW and bringing the earliest of Black Flag vibes back and in your face. Surely with some thoughtful interjections between songs, Mr. Morris will certainly be letting you know what’s on his mind.

Check out YUCK and the video for “Get Away” and mark your SXSW schedule.

What’s in a band name these days anyways? The name Deer Tick might not conjure up any ideas of pleasantry, but as the band’s music would suggest, life isn’t always that pleasant. If you really want to get down to it, rock-n-roll was born out of the blues, and we all know that the blues weren’t exactly a reflection of the best of times for some folks.

So, Deer Tick write rock-n-roll songs founded in the solids of their predecessors, and as the title of their latest full length titled The Black Dirt Sessions might suggest, shiny happy people songs are not their forte. What the band is great at doing with their music, is tugging at and reflecting  the emotional core of our existence as human beings. While the recorded material seems tame enough in the realm of rock, the live shows are a treated as a challenge by the band, to be a little more extreme.

Principal songwriter and front-man John McCauley has another project which will be in town during SXSW, but I will address that soon enough.

A bit from the band’s website:

There are many reasons why Deer Tick are an excellent band. Here are mine. Firstly, they have great songs. War Elephant is a great album. The follow up, Born on Flag Day is just as strong. Alt-country is a curious genre, often misconstrued, misrepresented and misunderstood. Well, for me, this lot here’s a contemporary blueprint. There’s country (duh), punk, blues, folk, grunge and garage rock. Hell, even their choice of cover versions – Replacements, Michael Hurley, John Prine, The Sex Pistols and Chuck Berry – goes a long way to pinning down their sound.

McCauley’s voice is a hybrid of Kurt Cobain and Gary Louris from the Jayhawks. Sometimes he sounds like he’s been gargling gravel with moonshine. He can croon, he can yelp and he can shout. He’s a superb lead singer, backed by a talented, if mostly acquiescent unit. They recently recruited guitarist Ian O’Neil from New Jersey noiseniks Titus Andronicus, which allows McCauley more freedom to noodle, drink more beer, or, um, get his cock out.

If there were one band that I had to choose to see at SXSW this year, and only one, it just might be these guys. The have the stamp of approval from Brian Williams, so why think twice about it? And you have 3 opportunities to do so..

03.18.11          Swan Dive/Barbarella – SXSW      Austin, TX, US      Partisan Records/KF Records/Brooklyn Vegan Day Party          FREE

03.19.11          Lustre Pearl – SXSW (NOTE: as DEERVANA)          Austin, TX, US             A Classic Education, Tim Easton, Robert Ellis, Holy Sons, Dawes

03.19.11          Mess With Texas Party – SXSW          Austin, TX, US             Dead Milkmen, !!!, Ted Leo, Odd Future, Surfer Blood, Thee Oh Sees, Off!         RSVP

MP3> Deer Tick ‘Piece By Piece Frame By Frame’

Surely by now the RSVP hand cramps and headache are starting to set in, and you’ve plugged so much SXSW information into your melon, it’s becoming a cloudy sea of March dates, sponsorship logos, and band names you aren’t quite that familiar with, but have checked. I too, have begun that list, trying as much to keep it simple, so that I can focus on the stuff that I really want to see, while leaving some time for those pleasant unexpected surprises.

Haven’t heard the name Yuck? I hadn’t until a couple of weeks ago, when a track being played on KEXP caught my attention just long enough for me to catch the name. Then I see the band featured in Under The Radar magazine as one to watch in 2011, and then I came across this video yesterday by chance when checking out the new Walkmen video..the music gods are speaking to me.

Yuck might be the sign that the indie sounds of the 90′s might be ripe for filling some of the holes in between the overplayed 80′s resurgence in music. Hinting at Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, and even Superchunk, would sound understated, but Yuck make you feel right at home today while pining for yesterday.

Check out some Yuck, check your schedule.

Thur 3/17 @ Club de Ville

Fri 3/18 @ East Side Drive In @3:30

Fri 3/18 @ Kiss and Fly

Yuck – Yuck by Yuck

It will be here soon, and your chance to get wristbands for this years SXSW Music Festival will be gone soon. First round of $139 wristbands is gone and now the second round of 2000 are up for grabs for $165. Get them HERE. Must be able to prove Austin residency.

Grid is up with full schedule of all things SXSW, and you can check that out HERE.

Deer Tick was one of my favorite band discoveries of 2010, and the band’s Black Dirt Sessions finished up the year on my most listened to list. With that being said, any move by Deer Tick’s John McCauly is one to follow, and linking up with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit sound like a match to pay attention to, if just on paper. More than just good on paper, Middle Brother are stirring up quick attention with only two live appearances under their belt, first one being here in Austin during SXSW 2010. The second performance was for the KCRW sponsored benefit in Los Angeles, for the Invisible Children project.

The band is set to release their debut self-titled recording on March 1st with a tour kicking off soon after that leads them to town where they first took the stage together, Austin, TX for SXSW 2011.

MP3> Middle Brother ‘Me Me Me’

Middle Brother performing “Me Me Me” @ The Troubadour in LA

Middle Brother // Me Me Me [live] from Brandon Tauszik on Vimeo.

Middle Brother Tour

Mar-02 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

Mar-03 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

Mar-04 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

Mar-05 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

Mar-06 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

Mar-09 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts

Mar-10 - Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall

Mar-11 - Toronto, ON - Opera House

Mar-12 - Chicago, IL - Metro

Mar-13 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre

Mar-14 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

Mar-17 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada

Mar-19 - Austin, TX - Auditorium Shores/Ground Control Touring Showcase

The little band that landed the big deal with very minimal amount of effort, hits the road with a stop here in ATX for SXSW, although unconfirmed as official SXSW talent. But, how could SXSW not have the band that has accomplished the almost impossible in today’s music environment? Cults will undoubtedly go down in indie rock history as the band that landed a recording deal with Columbia records while only having a few songs posted on their Bandcamp page and little less than a year of touring. I have to admit that the band’s performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 was a standout next to indie darlings Best Coast and Wavves, but what’s the real deal with this deal? Soon to find out as the band hits the road, with one of the most grueling tests of a band’s stamina happening in March. SXSW.

Hopefully this schedule means that Small Black has it’s sites set on SXSW as well.

MP3> Cults ‘Most Wanted’

Yep, believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking and planning for SXSW 2011. They just released the second set of bands which includes notables DeVotchKa, Alberta Cross (been wanting to see these guys for awhile), J Mascis, The Dears, and JEFF The Brotherhood, just to name a few. Follow the jump for the entire list including the first release of bands. Alberta Cross (Brooklyn NY)
AM (New Orleans LA)
Asking Alexandria (York UK-ENGLAND)
Bajzel (Poznan POLAND)
Bare Wires (San Francisco CA)
The Bellrays (Los Angeles CA)
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (York UK-ENGLAND)
Beta Wolf (Los Angeles CA)
Bituaya (Caracas VENEZUEL)
Black Gandhi (Barcelona SPAIN)
Bleu Edmondson (New Braunfels TX)
Blue King Brown (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Bowling For Soup (Denton TX)
Carter Twins (Nashville TN)
Casiokids (Bergen NORWAY)
Chetes (Monterrey MEXICO)
City and Colour (Toronto ON)
Colleen Green (Los Angeles CA)
Curry & Coco (Lille FRANCE)
Dame 55 (Los Angeles CA)
Dawn of Ashes (Los Angeles CA)
Dax Riggs (Austin TX)
The Dears (Montreal QC)
Demon’s Claws (Montreal CANADA)
DeVotchKa (Denver CO)
Eliza Doolittle (London UK-ENGLAND)
Elizabeth & the Catapult (Brooklyn NY)
Endless Hallway (Los Angeles CA)
Fergus & Geronimo (Brooklyn NY)
Francis and the Lights (New York NY)
Frazey Ford (Vancouver BC)
Gary Wilson (San Diego CA)
Gepe (Santiago CHILE)
Grass Widow (San Francisco CA)
Grieves (Seattle WA)
The Happy Hollows (Los Angeles CA)
Harrys Gym (Oslo NORWAY)
Heavy Cream (Nashville TN)
Hell & Lula (Los Angeles CA)
Hey Rosetta! (St John’s NL)
HORSE the band (Los Angeles CA)
Ice Black Birds (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
J Mascis (Amherst MA)
Janka Nabay (SIERRA LEONE)
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville TN)
Joan of Arc (Chicago IL)
Jukebox the Ghost (Washington DC)
Kina Grannis (Mission Viejo CA)
Kopecky Family Band (Nashville TN)
La Sera (Los Angeles CA)
Locos Por Juana (Miami COLOMBIA)
Maps & Atlases (Chicago IL)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Distrito Federal MEXICO)
Middle Class Rut (Sacramento CA)
Morning Teleportation (Portland OR)
Murfila (Barcelona SPAIN)
MURS (Los Angeles CA)
NOAH AND THE WHALE (London UK-ENGLAND)
North Mississippi Allstars (Hernando CO)
O’Death (New York NY)
Onra (Paris FRANCE)
Parlor Mob (Red Bank NJ)
Paul Cary (Chicago IL)
Pedropiedra (Santiago CHILE)
Pernett (Cali COLOMBIA)
Prince Rama (Brooklyn NY)
Professor Green (London UK-ENGLAND)
Protistas (Santiago CHILE)
Pterodactyl (Brooklyn NY)
Pujol (Nashville TN)
Quintron and Miss Pussycat (New Orleans LA)
Rey Pila (Distrito Federal MEXICO)
Rosie and Me (Curitiba BRAZIL)
The Secret Handshake (Dallas TX)
Shuttle (Boston MA)
Skrillex (Los Angeles CA)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Denver CO)
Some Community (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Springfield MO)
Sounds Under Radio (Austin TX)
The Strange Boys (Austin TX)
Stephen Kellogg (Northampton MA)
Summer Camp (London UK-ENGLAND)
Suzanna Choffel (Austin TX)
Teen Daze (Vancouver CANADA)
Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco CA)
Tôg (Stavanger NORWAY)
Turbo Fruits (Nashville TN)
Ty Segall (San Francisco CA)
The Vaccines (London UK-ENGLAND)
Voxhaul Broadcast (Los Angeles CA)
Wagons (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
War From A Harlots Mouth (Berlin GERMANY)
Whitechapel (Knoxville TN)
The Woggles (Atlanta GA)

Here’s a video from the band’s performance at the Purevolume House during SXSW 2010.

[RSVP]

Stage One

FRIDAY, MARCH 19th

Man Man / Billy Bragg / Man or Astroman?  / Frightened Rabbit / Black Angels / YACHT / Mariachi El Bronx / Grupo Fantasma / The Bronx / Jeff the Brotherhood / OFF! (Featuring the man with the longest dreads on the west coast, Keith Morris and Steven McDonald) / Admiral Radley (Members of Grandaddy & Earlimart) / Brazos / Lissie / Jim Jones Revue / DJ Spooky and GHP / Hacienda / Jail Weddings / Suckers / Lost in Trees / Oh no Ono

SATURDAY, MARCH 20th

GWAR / Andrew W.K. with full band / Fucked Up / Crystal Antlers / Big Freedia “The Queen of New Orleans Bounce” / Neon Indian / The Soft Pack / Japandroids / Japanther  / Avi Buffalo / Holy Fuck / Adam Green / Dam Funk / Pivot / Fool’s Gold / The Duchess and the Duke / Smith Westerns / Let’s Wrestle / Katie Stelmanis

@ the MWTX Lot

1001 E. 6^th St

Austin, TX

12:00PM BOTH DAYS

FREE / ALL AGES / OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

RSVP AT: WWW.MWTXPARTY.COM

You know I’m a big fan of the Athen’s music scene, and the 40 Watt Party happening during SXSW is always a great opportunity to catch some of city’s finest.

Once again taking place at the Side Bar, this year’s event is featuring 3 stages, one dedicated to the recently passed Vic Chesnutt. 3 stages and a healthy dose of music, including the lovely ladies in Warpaint and the veteran’s Camper Van Beethoven.  Open to the public and no wristbands or badges needed.

Party will be held at the Side Bar, located at 602 E. 7th Street in Austin, TX, onSaturday, March 20th from 12PM- 8PM. Below is the line up in order of appearance, first to last. Set times TBD.

Minus The Bear have remained on my radar ever since I came across the Menos El Oso recording, and as much as I want still be a big fan of the band, some of the singles that they have been releasing lately, just don’t seem to have the same hold on me as some of their earlier work.  I’m still holding out for the full recording though, before I jump to any conclusions.

The band recently signed to the Dangerbird Records label, and have a newly recorded album to set loose May 4th, titled Omni. The release was recorded with Grammy Award winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket). My least favorite MMJ album.

MP3> Minus The Bear ‘My Time’

SXSW Dates:

March 18th            Filter Showcase @ Cedar St Courtyard (3:30pm)
March 19th             Relix Magazine Party @ Antones (3:20pm)
March 19th            Musebox @ Rusty Spur (1am)
March 20th            Stubbs (9pm)
March 20th            Dangerbird Records @ Mellow Johnny’s (11:20pm)

Austin music bloggers Covert Curiosity and Sonic Itch Music team up once again to present a special music and visual event that will showcase their individual styles and musical leanings.

Sponsored by Spectacle Sunglasses along with Salvation Pizza, Birds Barbershop, and Do512

+ featuring visual art by:

EricPowerUp and Total Unicorn

Eastside Get Down
is happening
Thursday, March 18th noon-6 p.m.
@ The ND @ 501 Studios
corner of 5th and Brushy
Austin, Tx
www.ndvenue.com

and features:

Twin Tigers (Athens, GA) – 5 PM

About the bands:

Twin Tigers

Twin Tigers is a four piece rock and roll band from the ever blooming music scene of Athens, Georgia. They are quickly making their mark thanks to a dark and explosive sound that fuses indie and psychedelic rock influences. With only a self-released EP under their belt, Twin Tigers still managed to gig with the likes of Deerhunter, Dead Confederate, and A Place to Bury Strangers. Already receiving praise from WOXY and NPR, the band set to release their debut album Grey Waves via Old Flame Records on March 2, 2010. “Twin Tigers combine everything you used to love about The Smashing Pumpkins with Swervedriver, Primal Scream and Sonic Youth.”

Ty Segall

Burying 60s sing-alongs and dance crazes with waves of reverb and thud, Ty Segall is carving out his own brand of neo-psych garage alongside SF compatriots and collaborators Sic Alps and Thee Oh Sees. After clawing his way out of the Bay Area garage scene with a frantic one-man-band act that the local crowd and press couldn’t get enough of, Segall has now given up the solo act for a three piece that destroys sonic and melodic boundaries with manic glee. Read a cover story from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ringo Deathstarr

Austin quartet Ringo Deathstarr combine fuzzed-up guitars with powerful drumming and waves of feedback to create a sound fierce enough to peel paint from the walls. With a sound that has been referred to as “psychedelic shoegaze,” their music draws fitting comparisons to the likes of My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Read a review via A Certain Romance.

Golden Ages

Golden Ages is an anonymous electronic music project out of Philadelphia. Creating a mixed breed of psychedelic pop and chillwave, the sound is influenced by the likes of Panda Bear, Washed Out, and Fuck Buttons. The Golden Ages full-length debut, Tradition, is filled with pounding beats, swirling vocal effects, and layers of synth loops that create a trance-inducing sound. Having only been on the scene for a few short months, Golden Ages has already gotten praise from the likes of
The Fader, XLR8R, Neu Magazine and more.

Sisters

Sisters are a noisy duo from Brooklyn who are part of the Death by Audio music collective founded by A Place To Bury Strangers The two piece consists of Aaron Pfannebecker, who sings and plays guitar, and drummer/keyboardist Matt Conboy. Dubbed one of the Death By Audio “house bands”, Sisters’ music embraces a collage of noise and garage rock with distorted, reverberated guitars and heavily amplified drums. Though there are only two members in this band, their live sound packs a major punch, and they have the same kind of joyousness as Japandroids.

Futurebirds

Futurebirds come from the same Athens community that birthed Dead Confederate and Twin Tigers. But instead of bringing a ballsy rock ‘n roll sound, Futurebirds get down on the alt-country, good-timing-folk side of things. Their live shows are filled with passion, energy, and contagious fun. They sound a little bit like Real Estate, just more southern.

DJ Thibault

Austin’s own DJ Thibault has spun all over these great United States, from underground dance clubs to festivals to swanky lounges and late-night sushi bars. He is not only one of the most seasoned and eclectic DJs in Austin, but also one half of the exciting electronic dance duo known as Auto Body. Thibault (pronounced tee-bow) has been asked to play events featuring everything from local bands like Ghostland Observatory to nationally recognized acts like Jamie Lidell and The Killers.

Poster art: City on Fire

And you might find Twin Tigers during SXSW playing a little party @ The Independent being put on by some really, really, really good friends..Rawr!

Twin Tigers @ SXSW
3/17 Wednesday
10am WOXY.Com Radio Session

3/18 Thursday
Sonic Itch Music Day Party @ the Independent

3/19 Friday
12:35pm Twin Tigers @ Sneak Attack Day Party @ Clive Bar w/Jukebox the Ghost, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Speak, The Spring Standards, Danny Ross
9pm Official SXSW Showcase @ Emos Annex WOXY.Com Showcase w/Bear in Heaven, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Crystal Antlers, French Miami, TV Torso

3/20 Saturday
1:30pm Old Flame/Obscure Magpie Day Party w/Born Ruffians, Black & White Years, Dead Confederate, Many More
5pm 40 Watt Party with Futurebirds, Dead Confederate, James Husband, Gift Horse, American Cheeseburger, more