New music video from Ahmad Ali Lewis: "Nig Can't Tell Nunt"

I follow Cypress Hill's B-Real on twitter, which is where I saw this music video by Ahmad Ali Lewis. As I do with all of B-Real's tweets, I check the links to see what he's posting or talking about. He posted this music video so I gave it a look and listen. I'm so glad I did.

Besides being one of the best hip hop songs I've heard lately, I learned Ahmad Ali Lewis is the same Ahmad that created one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time back int he '90s, "Back In The Day." Ahmad sounds way different now, but that's to be understood as the dude is older now. He's still lyrically on point and a great story teller. That's the kind of hip hop I always loved, not this bullshit you hear today. I'm now eagerly awaiting for Ahmad's album which drops in August according to his twitter. If he puts it out on vinyl, I'll trip.

Bowling For Soup ticket give away on Red River Noise

The Denton, Texas based pop-punkers, Bowling For Soup, will be playing at The Parish this Saturday in Austin with The Dollyrots. We are giving away tickets on Red River Noise. Visit this link to find out how you can win a pair: http://tinyurl.com/29bpz98.

New music video from Holy Ghost!

With all this talk of Chromeo coming to Stubb's next month, Holy Ghost! seems to be getting lost on the shuffle. Holy Ghost! is nothing to sneeze at. They premiered their new music video last week for their single "I Know, I Hear" on Stereogum and now YouTube. If you dig what you hear, you should pick up their new EP, Static On The Wire.

Tickets are still available for the show with Chromeo at Stubb's on August 24th, but I I wouldn't count on that being the case for long. Purchase advance tickets HERE. It should be quite the epic dance party.

Figured out what I'm buying next...

Padre Antonio - Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar from orosman design on Vimeo.

After watching this live video, it's time to add some Ruben Blades to my collection. Waterloo is carrying more Fania Records these days, so off I go tomorrow.

Have you downloaded this yet?

So I have had this EP downloaded for a while and just haven't gotten around to listening to it until now. It's great for listening to late at night while you read through your emails or just surf the web for whatever. What you see (and hear) above is the music video from Trent Reznor's new band, How To Destroy The Angels. The group is a trio made up of Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and lead singer Mariqueen Maandig. Mariqueen is also Reznor's wife and singer for Los Angeles-based band West Indian Girl. If you like what you hear or are just curious like I was, you can download the How To Destroy Angels EP for free through their website here:

www.howtodestroyangels.com

New solo album coming from Cursive's Tim Kasher

Cursive frontman, Tim Kasher,will be releasing a new solo album on October 5th via Saddle Creek Records. The first solo album from Kasher is titled The Game of Monogamy and marks the first time Kasher has written, recorded or produced under his own name. Kasher will play his new album live in Chicago on July 27th and will announce more tour dates later. I'm looking forward to hearing it as Cursive is one of my favorite bands. Here is the track list for The Game of Monogamy:

1. Monogamy Overture
2. A Grown Man
3. I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here
4. Strays
5. Cold Love
6. Surprise, Surprise
7. There Must Be Something I've Lost
8. Bad, Bad Dreams
9. No Fireworks
10. The Prodigal Husband
11. Monogamy

New video from Keegan DeWitt

Keegan DeWitt - "Hearts Beat Loud" (Official Video) from Keegan DeWitt on Vimeo.

Keegan DeWitt is probably known more for scoring movies then his own music, but that will soon change. His new EP, Nothing Shows, is available now from Daytrotter's Record Barn. The video you see above is for his song "Hearts Beat Loud". Although DeWitt's raspy vocals are better suited for his brilliant ballads on Nothing Shows, but there really isn't a bad track on the album. Indie lovers and folk minded music listeners would enjoy his EP. To check out more from Dewitt or purchase the EP, visit his official website here:

www.keegandewitt.com/

Live concert video of Local Natives at The Bowery Ballroom

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

Popular music site, Babel.com, captured some excellent live video of Local Natives. They captured a a good seven songs and the sound quality is good. Local Natives are going to be at ACL Fest this year and probably the biggest thing in indie for years to come. Check out the original link for the live video here:

Local Natives live at The Bowery Ballroom

In the studio with Bright Light Social Hour part 2

Austin's Bright Light Social Hour is in the studio recording their first full length LP. The band made this video to solicit help from fans. The whole campaign is called "Jack's Moustache", referring to bass player Jack O'Brien's awesome porn 'stache. You can learn more about the whole campaign on the official Jack's Moustache blog here:

http://www.jacksmoustache.com/

The Action Design return to Austin

The Action Design is band I met and discovered in 2008 after they did their first real tour. I remember they played an outside show at Red 7 with Under The Gun. The first thing I noticed was that the singer was front woman "Agent M" from Tsunami Bomb. The guitar player was also from Tsumani Bomb. While The Action Design is pretty good, I was bummed to see Tsunami Bomb was no more.

The Action Design still have punk elements to their music, but they went a more indie-electro route with their sound. It's not the indie-electro stuff you'd see all over the indie mags or blogs, but more Alt Press style if that makes sense. The group is currently on tour supporting their album "Never Say". Check out the video for their single "Landmines" here:



Also on the bill are one of my favorite local bands, the dance punk rockers Zlam Dunk. La Snacks is the headliner. Get to Mohawk at 10:00pm to catch the whole show and get your responsible drink on. To learn more about The Action Design, check out my interview with the band from SXSW 2009.

The Action Design Interview on Double Stereo

Royal Forest and Samantha Crain ticket give away

 

 Samantha Crain is one of my favorite new music discoveries. She is a singer-songwriter of the indie-folk persuasion. I'm not always in the mood for that sort of genre but when I'm at home relaxing late at night in I tend to get in those kind of moods. I'll throw on some J. Tillman, A.A. Bondy, Ola Podrida and now some Samantha Crain. She just released her sophomore album, You (Understood), in June and will be performing at The Parish this Saturday, July 24th.  Take a look and listen to Crain's music video for her single "Santa Fe" here:

Headlining will be indie-psych rockers, Royal Forest. If you like what you here or are fans of the either artist/band, Red River Noise is giving away a pair of tickets on their Facebook page. All you have to do is "like" Red River Noise on Facebook and you are eligible to win. It's that simple. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/redrivernoise
 

(7/18) Pack Of Wolves at Mohawk

Metal at Mohawk? Yup. That's not a misprint. You were thinking it should have said Red 7 right? Me too but it is indeed Mohawk. I'm glad to see the indie heavy venue get a little "heavier" for this one. Anytime you have Pack Of Wolves, you have a solid line up and a damn good Sunday night show. What else are you going to listen to after church right? Check out this epic music video from Pack Of Wolves:



Mohawk is located at 912 Red River between 9th and 10th street. Also on the bill are Burials and Curse The Heavens (Manchurian Candidate anyone?). Get there at 10:00pm and bring some cash to pick up some vinyl. Support Austin's metal scene.

The best news I heard all day yesterday was Slick Rick was going to play Fun Fun Fun Fest. That's a great start to my favorite music festival.Check out this video on the official Fun Fun Fun Fest website HERE.

Friday Night Concert Pick: White Denim and My Education at Antone's

This is a no brainer for me. White Denim is epic. I've seen them live plenty of times and I can't get enough. I saw them the last time they were at Antone's and they packed the place. Get there early. Doors are at 9:00pm and the show is at 10:00pm. It will sell out!

If you get there early, you may be pleasantly surprised by how amazing opener My Education is. They aren't the adrenaline ride that White Denim is, but they are brilliant musically. The Golden Boys are also on the bill. I've never seen them so I'm looking forward to listening to someone new, new to me anyway. It should be a good time.

In the event you heard of White Denim or heard their music, time to get familiar. Check out their music video for their popular single,"I Start To Run" here:


White Denim - "I Start To Run" from Downtown Music on Vimeo.

You can purchase advance will call tickets to the show from Front Gate Tickets HERE.

More Zooey goodness with "Thieves"

She & Him - Thieves from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Admit it.You have a crush on Zooey Deschannel too. It doesn't matter whether or not you are male or female, straight or gay. We all can't get enough of our darling Zooey. That's the only reason needed to post the new She& Him music video for their latest single "Thieves" off of Volume II.

(7/13) Korn listening party at Encore Records

Korn is releasing a new album tomorrow, titled Remember Who We Are.There is a listening party happening at Encore Records starting at 8:00pm and one lucky winner will come home with a signed Korn lithograph. Remember Who We Are is Korn's ninth album and their first on Roadrunner Records. As a long time fan, I am looking forward to it but I already know it will never be what early Korn was for me. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, who knows? See the poster above for details.

7/14 The Rumble Austin featuring The Frontier Brothers

Just letting you guys know about this show at Beerland because it is going to be one of your last chances to see The Frontier Brothers in Austin for a while. They are moving soon. This show for the poster above is FREE. Yes, FREE! The Rumble Austin is a monthly indie rock party brought to you by the indie collective of Future Sounds, The Onion AV Club, Waterloo Records and The Austinist.

For more on the Frontier Brothers, check out their "Made In Austin" feature on Red River Noise:

Q&A: The Frontier Brothers

Mark Austin goes acoustic at Oxygen

My favorite new discovery at this year's South By Southwest festival was Irish rock band, The Minutes.They are three piece, no frills rock and roll throwback of sorts that kick ass live. Of course I follow them on Facebook and came across the video posted above of lead singer and guitarist, Mark Austin, playing acoustic. I had not seen anything acoustic from them yet so I thought I'd share this with you guys. They were part of this year's Oxygen line up and  already got a positive review. More positive things are in store for them once their record comes out this fall. A vinyl for yours truly would be good. To learn more about the minutes, check out my interview on Red River Noise here:

Q&A: The Minutes

Hipsters telling hipsters not to date hipsters? I'm Confused

I guess I'm over a year late on this, but someone just sent this video to me today. The group is called Ménage à Twang, which reminds me a little of David Garza's Twang-Twang-Shock-A-Boom. I hope they weren't calling me a hipster or undateable by sending me this. I am certainly not a hipster. I thought some of you might enjoy this so I figured I'd post it. I give them a gold star for creativity. 

Actually looking forward to a "Nightmare" release

 I have dismissed anything and everything from Avenge Sevenfold ever since the 2003 release, Waking The Fallen. It is not that I am some metal snob or put off by their new found fame since that album, but nothing they have done has caught my ear. Even after seeing them at Mayhem Fest, I was only mildly entertained.

That being said, I just heard the first single off their up coming Nightmare vinyl release. The self titled single is not "EPIC" as I would normally say, but pretty close. I was actually surprised I liked it. There isn't an official music video released yet, but I did come across this sing-a-long video on YouTube. After seeing it has over two million views, I realized how late I am to this this Nightmare party. Still, I can't be the only late arrival so I'm posting here. Check it out.



The vinyl will be out in September but the CD will be released on July 27th. It is currently on iTunes if you must have it now. I'm holding out for the vinyl personally, but that is because I'm a purist and a bit of a nostalgist. Pre-orders for the vinyl are available here from Hopeless Records: http://hopelessrecords.com/a7x/

This band is for hipsters and college girls

So I came across this today in my inbox and wondered why someone would send this to me, other than publicity. It is a music video from Sean Bones, a New York band that is influenced by reggae and indie pop. I'm not into this genre or sound really.   The first thing I thought after looking over everything was "This band is for hipsters." Check out their music video for "Let's Do Something Else" here.

New interview with The Frontier Brothers on Red River Noise

In June I got the chance to see the Austin based indie band, The Frontier Brothers, twice at Mohawk. They were part of the "Mind of Adi" residency that month. Red River Noise was a proud promotional supporter of the series. These guys were so good live and a good time was had by all. I got a chance to interview frontman Marshall Newman for Red River Noise which features photos by my friend and photographer, Chantel Clopine. Read the interview on Red River Noise here:

Made In Austin Q&A: The Frontier Brothers

New music video from Gasoline Silver: "Indianapolis"

Gasoline Silver is a three piece indie-garage band from Minnesota. Having just formed in 2009, there isn't too much out there on these guys, but you will be seeing more from come September when their debut release comes out. Gasoline Silver is Ron Franklin on vocals and guitar, Andy Hertel on drums and Josh Misner plays synthesizer and tambourine. Check out their music video for their lead single "Indianapolis" here:

I can't believe you don't own this record!

The best time and place to get it is at Waterloo Records before Wednesday, July 7th, at noon. Why? Alejandro Escovedo will be performing at Waterloo for FREE at noon. Be sure to also catch Escovedo on Wednesday night at 7:30pm at Zilker Park for Blues On The Green. That's also free. Given both events are free, the least you could do is buy the record.

(7/8/10) Ola Podrida at Mohawk

One of my favorite "getting late and close to bed time" listens is the Belly Of The Lion album by Ola Podrida. I was at their first live show last year at Mohawk with Balmorhea. It was quite the experience and also some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Frontman Dave Wingo is a talented dude, playing both guitar and banjo to go along with that soothing singing voice. If you have not heard Ola Podrida (Spanish for "bad or rotten" wave) then you should definitely give it an honest listen. Check out the video for Ola Podrida's single, "This Old World":


This Old World - OLA PODRIDA from Zellner Bros. on Vimeo.

Here is the link to the review I wrote last year for Double Stereo:

Ola Podrida at Mohawk

Tickets for this Thursday's show will be sold at the door. Tickets are only $7 dollars for 21+, $9 for minors as it is listed as an all ages show. Dana Falconberry and Bosque Brown are also on the bill. Arrive by 10:00pm to see the whole show. Don't be that guy (or woman) that only shows up for headliners.

Live concert video of Los Amigos Invisibles at Antone's

(photo by Mari Hernandez)

Have you ever seen Los Amigos Invisibles in concert? If not, you need to. Seriously. Do it now. Austin Vida and Blastro teamed up to bring you their sold out show at Antone's this past spring on high quality video. We have the entire fifty three minute set online now at Austin Vida right now. Watch it here:
 

Los Amigos Invisibles live at Antone's

The kids they love Gaga

This kid is going to be rich, or at least his parents will be if they play their cards right. 

Guilty Pleasure: "Dear Dictator" remix video

Saint Motel is one of the many Los Angeles based indie bands I have received multiple press emails about. I'm just not that into them at the moment but I will say that I think they have real potential to be the next big indie band that we soon forget about shortly there after. That's the indie market for the most part.

Today however, I got a heads up about a new Saint Motel music video for a Sam Sparro remix of their song "Dear Dictator". It sounds like early eighties new wave-pop that MTV used to play when I was a kid. You could also say it sounds like something you'd hear at Barbarella. When I first heard it, I thought of the group ABC. Check out the dancing hipster dictators in the music video here:



If you like the song, you can download it here for free: RCRDLBL