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

Patiently we await, and until the drop, a sneak peak…

The Black Angels : Phosphene Dream from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

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.

Montreal’s Land of Talk have always been one of those bands quietly bubbling under the surface, just threatening to become recognized for the talent that it posses.  Or maybe I should say for the talent that Elizabeth Powell posses? The crafty songstress and gifted guitarist for the band has been the foundation for the band since it’s incarnation and continues to grow as a writer and performer.

August 24th will see the band’s sophomore full length come legal, on the Saddle Creek label mysteriously titled Cloak and Cipher. Soon after, the band embarks on a headlining tour that will bring them to Austin for a performance @ The Parish. If I’m not mistaken, this would be their first performance in town in more than 2 years. I’m not mistaken that I’m completely giddy about seeing this band once again.

Cloak and Cipher was produced by Jace Lasek ( Besnard Lakes, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and features a slew of Canada’s finest in the modern rock scene. Patrick Watson, Jeremy Gara of Arcade Fire, and members of Stars, Wintersleep, Besnard Lakes, and Esmerine.

A sneak peak with the band performing Cloak and Cipher’s “Quarry Hymn” on La Blogotheque’s Take Away Show

Tour dates follow the jump

9/16                  Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace*

9/19                  Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern*

9/21                  Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall*

9/22                  Minneapolis, MN @ 7^th Street Entry*

9/23                  Omaha, NE @ Slowdown*

9/25                  Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge*

9/26                  Salt Lake City @ Kilby Court*

9/29                  Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room*

9/30                  Calgary, AB @ Dicken’s Pub*

10/2                  Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar*

10/3                  Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore*

10/4                  Seattle, WA @ Crocodile # *

10/5                  Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios # *

10/7                  San Francisco, CA @ Independent # *

10/8                  Los Angeles, CA @ Echo Plex (Culture Collide Festival) # *

10/9                  Costa Mesa @ Detroit Bar # *

10/10                San Diego, CA @ Casbah # *

10/12                Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room # *

10/15                Austin, TX @ The Parish*

10/16                Dallas, TX @ The Nightmare*

11/2                  Portland, ME @ Space Gallery

11/3                  Boston, MA @ TT the Bear’s

11/5                  Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas

11/6                  New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

11/7                  Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel

11/9                  Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506

11/10                Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

11/11                Nashville, TN @ The End

* w/ Suuns

# w/ Besnard Lakes

Or……….you could listen here

MP3> Dead Confederate ‘Giving It All Away’

I like the summer theme of the video, and it works well with the song…

Dead Meadow’s firm grasp of the traditional rock sounds of the 70’s along with their own modern spin, have earned them a fellowship in today’s modern psych-rock scene. With 5 studio albums under their belt, it only seemed the logical move to showcase the band in DVD format, as that’s what band’s do these days. Dead Meadow just recently released the CD + DVD combo titled The Three Kings, in which the band is featured in the live capacity as well as holy mystics on a character based visual trip.
In support of this newest offering to the band’s audience, they tour to bring the message of The Three Kings to their audience. Sunday 6.27 @ Emos finds the band in company with The Happen-ins and Smoke and Feathers.  Get Tickets

June :
Wednesday, June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
Friday, June 25 – Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock
Saturday, June 26 – New York, NY, Creators Project Party, Milk Studios
Friday, July 23 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street Ballroom*
Saturday, July 24 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place – +
Sunday, July 25 – Baltimore, MD – Ramshead Live – *
Thursday, July 29 – Richmond, VA – The National – +
Friday, July 30 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVA – +
Saturday, July 31 – Atlantic City, NJ – Showboat Atlantic City – House of Blues – #
Wednesday, August 04 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre – +
Thursday, August 05 – Boston, MA – House of Blues – +
Friday, August 06 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights – #
Monday, August 09 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis – #
Tuesday, August 10 – Toronto ON – Kook Haus – @
Wednesday, August 11 – Pontiac, MI – Clutch Cargo -+
Friday, August 13 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave – #
Saturday, August 14 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue – *
Sunday, August 15 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre – #
Wednesday, August 18 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm – +
Thursday August 19 – Lake Buena Vista FL – House of Blues – #

@ – on sale June 23
* – on sale June 24
+ – on sale June 25
# – on sale June 26

One voice, one guitar, and one woman’s words can be a difficult sell these days, but Jesy Fortino aka Tiny Vipers manages to close the deal with her somber, haunting, yet powerful weaves of minimalist acoustic guitar and beautiful vocals. Patience is the key, and can be rewarded when applied to approaching the music of Tiny Vipers, and Fortino will test that patience this Saturday night on the stage at The Parish, with reward for those accepting.

Tiny Vipers most recent release Life On Earth, recorded here in Austin, finds Fortino focusing on the organic soul of her songs with the help of producer Andrew Hernandez, and the result is exactly what you will find with the live performance.

Tiny Vipers @ The Parish Sat 6.19 Tickets

Video provided by the folks over @ They Shoot Music Dont They

I like the guitars..but the vocals??

The band just set loose the video for “Black Sheep”, and we bring it to you……

Neon Indian just released a video for “Sleep Paralysist” which is kinda cool although the song sounds oddly familiar in a lot of ways.

Neon Indian will also be playing host to a big ‘ol sweaty dance party on Monday 6/7 @ Emos. TICKETS

Here’s what we’re looking at…

Internationally known as ‘The Live Music Capital of the World,’Austin’s music culture has led it to become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations. As nearly two dozen high-rises pop up throughout the city amidst economic downfall, how does the working musician get along? This lyrical documentary provides a telescopic view in the lives of Austin’s vibrant young musicians as they grapple with questions of artistic integrity, commercialism, experimentation, and the future of their beloved city. Echotone is a cultural portrait of the modern American city examined through the lyrics and lens of its creative class.
There is rising star soul revivalist Black Joe Lewis selling out concert halls by night and delivering fish by day. There’s Cari Palazzolo of synth pop sensation Belaire, poised for commercial success, but conflicted over the thought of her music turning into a commodity. Then there is experimental troubadour Bill Baird, whose band Sound Team enjoyed a major label deal with Capitol Records and were subsequently dropped after one album. The tales of these young artists forms a mosaic illustrating the universal struggle many contemporary fringe cultures are experiencing.

A modern parable on integrity, Echotone is a feature documentary that explores the world of Austin’s vibrant music culture as it struggles to balance notions of personal ethics and sustainability amidst an economic, cultural, and political paradigm shift.

The film focuses the music of indie mainstays (and Austin bands) like The Black Angels, The White White Lights, Dana Falconberry and more!

And here’s your trailers….

Candi&TheStrangers “Tetsu” from Mac&Cheez on Vimeo.

While I would like to believe that I have a pretty decent grasp of what’s of interest in the music scene to a certain extent, at least hearing or seeing the name of a band, the reality is, it’s a vast sea of talent that sees some slipping through many a crack.

A friend recently suggested this band Wild Beasts, and as my initial reaction wasn’t all that positive to what I heard of their release Two Dancers, there’s something here that I can’t shake. I will admit that my initial reaction was based mostly on the countertenor vocals of Hayden Thorpe that clumsily position themselves with a drunken sense of timing against the music backdrop. The music, in itself is what has managed to save our relationship, bouncing free and upbeat, reminiscent of a carefree, frivolous period of 80’s music that left only pleasure to the imagination.

Wild Beasts hail from Kendal, England and have a couple of releases out on Domino Records, the 2008 release Limbo, Panto and the most recent Two Dancers. The band will be performing @ Lollapalooza 2010 along with a few other North American dates which you’ll find…

Fri. Aug. 6 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

Sat. Aug. 7 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

Mon. Aug. 9 – Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club

Wed. Aug. 11 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom

Fri. Aug. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater

MP3> Wild Beasts ‘The Fun Powder Plot’

MP3> Wild Beasts ‘Hooting & Howling’

Have we got a video? Yes, we’ve got a video!

Canada’s Besnard Lakes have been refining their style of spacious pysch inspired rock that at times builds into epic musical tales, since their incarnation in 2003. The band’s latest 2010 release The Besnard Lakes are The Roaring Night weaves vocals into the mix by both Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, into the atmospheric musical landscape where reality slides into grand fantasy.

The Besnard Lakes have been on the “must see live” list for me for awhile now, and Tue 5.18 presents us with that live opportunity at the Mohawk, which quite frankly as much as I love, hasn’t been producing the shows that are bringing me to their door much as of late.

Stardeath and White Dwarfs open with locals The Boxing Lesson

Tickets HERE

MP3> The Besnard Lakes ‘Chicago Train’