So I was online today looking up some band info for Pack of Wolves, a band I interviewed for Austin Vida recently, because I wanted to see when their next show was. As I was scrolling through their comments and what not, some dude left a video comment on their page. The video was for an Austin metal band called "Set Aflame". Why I felt compelled to watch the video or check it out, I don't know. I'm glad I did because not only was it a cool video, but the song was bad ass. It has been a while since I last discovered a new metal band that I liked. It made me even happier to learn that they were from right here in Austin, Texas. The video s for a song called "Bloodoath". I look forward to hearing more of their music and checking them out live, maybe interviewing them in the future. Who knows? Anyway, check out the video for yourself and form your own opinion. If you aren't into metal or anything hard core, don't bother watching. Thanks for reading anyway.
So I was up late one night and was chatting with a friend about the indie and garage rock scene happening here in Austin. He linked me to some cool YouTube videos of some bands he listened to. The only one that caught my ear was “Morning Light” from a band called Gliss. The song was so amazing that I had to get my hands on the latest Gliss album. Titled Devotion Implosion, it is an indie psychedelic breath of fresh air.
I found this video today when I was searching around for some Jack White stuff on YouTube. It is the country music legends, The Oak Ridge Boys, covering "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. At first I was like, " You gotta be kidding me". After listening to it, I can't help but dig it a little. It is kind of funny actually. Give it a listen:
Austin Indie band, Quiet Company, has slowly seeped into my Ipod without me knowing. Their latest album, Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon, has a little bit of Ben Folds and a hint of Cold War Kids. I am not into either of those bands really, which I was surprised I liked some of what I heard from Quiet Company.
The Pinker Tones are not coming to Austin, Texas ladies and gentleman. On June 6th, Professor Manso and Mister Furia were rumored to be at the Scoot Inn on 1308 E. 4th. The first time I saw them was during SXSW 2007. While this amazing DJ team hails from Barcelona, their music has a large universal appeal. Many of their popular hits are performed in English, such as "Sexy Robot" and "Happy Everywhere". Hipspanics everywhere (hipster+Hispanic) have been getting down with The Pinker Tones for a while now, and it is about time that you get down with them too. The opening act for for the Pinker Tones was supposed to be the talented DJ crew, The Peligrosa All Stars.
Check out these quick videos from The Pinker Tones and see what you think:
The Action Design may be semi new to the scene or unfamiliar by name, but they should be familiar faces. No strangers to the scene, the members of The Action Design have come from previously successful bands: Tsunami Bomb, Pipedown and The Rum Diary. As sad as I was to see those groups break up, I couldn’t be happier about the formation of The Action Design. Emily Whitehurst (formerly “Agent M”) is one of the best vocalists to grace the mircophone ever. After the break up of Tsunami Bomb, I was sure I’d see her doing something again soon. She teamed up with former Tsunami Bomb bassist, Matt Mckenzie. They later recruited Jaycen McKissick and Jake Krohn to join them. Their electro, punk snyth style is sure to turn heads and get the kids (old and young) dancing.
I first saw The Action Design play at Red 7 last year with Killola and local punk rock favorite’s of mine, Under The Gun. This year, The Action Design played SXSW for the first time. None of the members had ever done the whole South By thing before (according to Emily), not even with Tsunami Bomb. I also saw them in January at Emo’s. As you can see, Austin is a favorite of The Action Design. Fans in Austin can probably spot them eating fish tacos when in town. I caught up with them recently to talk about touring, getting past previous band associations, influences and loving Britney Spears.
Part pop, part soul and all Latina, Selena Garcia is a rising star in the pop world that most people have probably not heard of yet. That will soon change. Her self titled EP has already been compared to the like of Sara Bareilles and Amy Winehouse. Combine that with her killer good looks, song writing talent and sultry voice, you have a complete package.
The Dears are a loose collective of Montreal-area musicians who combine cabaret-style vocals with a moody, intense brand of orchestral pop/rock. They were nominated for 'Best New Group' at the 2004 Canadian Juno Awards, and soon after the band found itself on several 'Best New Band' features in music magazines from Rolling Stone to NME. Great Northern is an indie pop group from Los Angeles with a shimmering, folk-influenced style of dream pop that's anchored with just enough of a rock & roll heart to keep it strong. Eulogies open.
More info:
Monday May 18th 8:00 PM
Venue: The Parrish, 214 E. 6th St, Austin, Texas 78701
Today I opened my inbox and got one of the most disheartening emails I have received all year.One of my favorite magazines I subscribe to, Paste, is apparently in danger of going under. I'd absolutely hate for that to happen, as they not only provide me with a great music resource but also throw great SXSW showcases. I also enjoyed their ACL party last year. Now, it could all be gone with other print magazine going the wayside. Here is the text directly from the email I just received:
Dear Paste readers,
We write this letter with great appreciation for all you’ve done for Paste, as well as sorrow that we need to come to you and ask for further support. The economy has taken its toll on Paste, and we need your help to continue.
As the global recession has continued, many of you have written us (especially as ad pages shrunk) to say, “If you ever need help, let us know.” That day has come.
Today, we are launching the “Campaign to Save Paste" to raise money to keep Paste coming to your mailboxes and computer screens. If you are in a position to give even a little, please consider donating. As thanks for your generosity, over 70 amazing artists (including The Decemberists, Neko Case, Bob Mould, Cowboy Junkies, Indigo Girls, The Jayhawks, Brandi Carlile, John Roderick of The Long Winters, Patterson Hood, The Avett Brothers and Josh Ritter—with more to come) have gathered and donated rare & exclusive MP3s for all who join us in the campaign. Here's what artists are saying about why Paste should be saved.
As a completely independent company, Paste has struggled for the past nine months as advertisers have decided to wait out the recession. As most of you realize, magazines are heavily subsidized by advertising. Industry experts estimate that an average subscription for a monthly publication would cost $60-$80 per year without advertising support.
But last month was brutal. Cash received unexpectedly reached an all-time low, and turned a tough situation into a short-term crisis.
Long-term, Paste will emerge in good shape. Even with the fall-off at the end of the year, 2008 was our best year yet—print subscribers, print ads, online readers and online advertising were all at record levels. Readers (print and online) remain strong. And new advertisers have come on board even in the recession, with more ready when their advertising budgets come back.
In the meantime, we’ve adjusted our business to weather this storm. We’ve cut costs, and we developed a robust online business that’s among the best in the industry. Fundamentally, we’re in good shape and won’t need another appeal down the road. But it’s taken us until this point to get there—leaving us critically low on cash, without some large corporation behind us to bridge the gap.
We’ll make it through this short-term economic crisis—but it’s only with your help. Our fate is (and has been and always will be) in your hands. Big-time investors are not “in the game” right now—but readers can rise up and “invest” in Paste’s future. Will you be a part?
We appreciate all of your support so far—everyone who’s subscribed, given a gift, or even read a story online or opened a newsletter. It’s all enabled us to make it this far. Now, we humbly ask you to consider giving a little more.
It doesn’t take much. Every little bit helps and you can be a part of continuing our efforts to help you find signs of life in music, film and culture. If $1 (yes, one dollar) came in from everyone on our e-mail lists (or $10 from 10% or $100 from 1%), we’ll reach our goal and emerge from this recession as a stronger magazine and website. While we’re not a non-profit (this isn’t a tax-deductible gift), know that every dollar you give goes into keeping Paste alive and, ultimately, making it even better.
While you’re at it, also let us know what more you’d like to see from Paste. What should we do (or do better) online to help you discover new music, film and more? As advertising comes back and the magazine thickens, what would you like to see in print?
This month on Austin Vida we have introduced a new feature. Our new music editor, Ajay Miranda, has captured some great video from some amazing Austin bands like Brownout, Del Castillo and Pack of Wolves. We also shot our first video pilot at La Rumba Disco on Riverside, featuring none other than Houston' Los Skarnales. Feel free to embed and share the videos from the Austin Vida Vimeo or You Tube. Thanks again to Ajay and thanks for reading the new Austin Vida.
Pack of Wolves is my favorite new metal band not only in Austin, but my favorite new metal band period. Being that they are from right here in Austin and Latinos only adds to my enthusiasm for them. Having been a fan of their former bands, such as At All Cost or their other side projects,it was great to see this group come together to take the metal scene to new heights in Austin. Having received some Spins already on No Control, hosted by Austin's metal guru Chuck Loesch, their success will only continue. I got to sit down with Trey Ramirez and Adrian Carillo to talk about the band coming together, the Austin metal scene, and even Hall and Oats. After all, there's nothing more metal than Hall and Oats.
These days it is rare that a band or artist excites me the way Nico Vega has this year. After seeing them live at the Double Stereo SXSW show case, I am totally enamored. They are a complete package in terms of talent, sound and musicianship. Not since the days of Joan Jett or Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders have I been so infatuated by a female lead singer. Nico Vega front woman, Aja, is not only beautiful but has a voice unlike any other woman on the scene today. She will soon be the standard for future female rock groups and lead singers in the same right Deborah Harry and Pat Benatar once were. Put her with a guitar stud and an assassin for a drummer and you have Nico Vega.
They were here last year as the headliner for the first Annual Pachanga Fest, but will be performing at Hogg Memorial Auditorium on September 25. To quickly describe Nortec Collective, I'd say they are a fusion of Mexican Norteno and techno. After having seen them live last year, I can honestly say that they do no dissapoint and the accordian player has the most blinged out accordian I've ever seen. It will be an awesome show to say the least. For those of you not familiar with Nortec, check out these two videos and turn it up loud.
Los Hollywood is a three piece rock band from San Diego whose front woman, Heidy, is constantly compared to or referred to as the Latina Gwen Stefani. There is no doubt (pun intended) that the comparisons will ever stop. Click here to read the full review on Austin Vida
Tickets for this year's 2nd Annual Pachanga Fest at Fiesta Gardens are on sale now. For today only, Cinco De Mayo, you can purchase five tickets for fifty dollars. Not a bad deal at all considering you will get to see headliners Mexican Institute of Sound, Michael Salgado, and local favorites David Garza, Brownout and more. Pachanga also marks the return of Maneja Beto to the stage after almost a year hiatus. Take advantage folks. Thanks for supporting Latin Music in Austin.
I hate to admit this to the world, but I find most hip hop to be stale and cookie cutter these days. Everyone seems to be using the same producers and the art of story telling has gone the wayside. In the large field of copy cat rappers and whack MCs, only a few can catch and hold my attention. Last year I fell in love with the sounds of 88 Keys and The Cool Kids. This year I think Canadian MC, Shad K, is taking over. His new album, The Old Prince, helped me rediscover what I love so much about hip hop.
Ian is a graduate of Round Rock High School and attended St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In 2008 he joined the team at Double Stereo (formerly CD Fuse) as their Blog editor where he reviewed concerts, albums, and did interviews for the popular music site.In January 2009, he became the Editor in Chief for Austin Vida. In 2010, with the help of some of his most talented friends, he launched Red River Noise. "Ian's Music Blog" is also one of the few blogs selected to be a Do512 All-Star.
On any given night of the week he can be found in downtown Austin on 6th Street and the Red River live music district.
So I was online today looking up some band info for Pack of Wolves, a band I interviewed for Austin Vida recently, because I wanted to see when their next show was. As I was scrolling through their comments and what not, some dude left a video comment on their page. The video was for an Austin metal band called "Set Aflame". Why I felt compelled to watch the video or check it out, I don't know. I'm glad I did because not only was it a cool video, but the song was bad ass. It has been a while since I last discovered a new metal band that I liked. It made me even happier to learn that they were from right here in Austin, Texas. The video s for a song called "Bloodoath". I look forward to hearing more of their music and checking them out live, maybe interviewing them in the future. Who knows? Anyway, check out the video for yourself and form your own opinion. If you aren't into metal or anything hard core, don't bother watching. Thanks for reading anyway.
