Austin's biggest and baddest Latin band is celebrating ten years of awesomeness. Seeing Grupo Fantasma on New Year's Eve is a tradition for many and one I look forward to this year when they do it again at La Zona Rosa with Black Joe Lewis. The anniversary show will be at Antone's on Friday night, Nov. 12, and is sure to sell out quickly so be sure and get your tickets here.
Like any other Friday night in Austin, there are so many amazing live shows to pick from. This Friday night though, is especially heavy. Choices ranging from The Gorrillaz at The Frank Erwin Center to Stone Temple Pilots at The Backyard will force music lovers to choose between many of their favorites. If you are looking to get out and avoid all that touring act and stadium show craziness, then you should head over to Ruta Maya on South Congress. They seem to have a good party going on that celebrates some of the best local blues, funk and soul.
Ruta Maya has been one of my favorite local venues in the past few years, especially since they moved from downtown to South Congress. I love how it is out of the way from downtown, sells food, non-alcoholic drinks and has a great new sound system. It is a venue unlike any other in town and now they have a new booking manager. I have already seen the changes in what they are trying to do, the first sign being a Leatherbag residency on Thursdays. Friday night they are throwing a soul party with Lisa Marshall, Dertybird and Soul Track Mind. The line up is a mix of southern rock style blues and old school soul. It is not an everyday showcase although those musical genres can be found here in Austin.
Doors open at 8:00pm. The cover is $10, which I think is a little high for this sort of local show. Still, I know local musicians don't make a lot of money on shows and have to split the door amongst all the performers. I hope it does well which is why I chose to spotlight it here on my blog. Here's a clip I found on YouTube from headliner Soul Track Mind that gives you an idea of their vibe and sound:
I know you have been hearing about these Knuckle Rumbler parties and events around town. They've made quite the name for themselves as event producers and promoters. I'm not into the everything they put on because they get too hipster for me at times. When they get it right they get it right though, they get it right.
This Friday their event involves chicken and waffles with some soul? Are you kidding me? Delicious and fun. I have always said more live music concerts and events need to have food available, food other than pizza or cheap tacos that is. I mean I'm always music first, but I gotta eat when I'm hungry. Oh and the band, Soul Track Mind, looks like they'd be fun to check out live. Blue eyed soul is nothing new, but it makes for a good time. Check these dudes here on this video from TC's Lounge over on the Eastside.
Advance tickets for this event are available. VIP gets you a meal, a drink ticket and a copy of the Soul Track Mind CD. Purchase tickets here. If you want to try and win tickets, Red River Noise is giving them away on their Facebook here.
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:
My crew and I at Red River Noise are big fans of the Red River music scene. We all have our own individual favorites. We disagree on who is good locally and who sucks. One thing we all agree on is that the local scene must be supported either way. I know that not all bands here are "there" yet, but some are and aren't being talked about enough or at all. I know because I am out and about and see first hand for myself. Plus I do have all the "buzz" blogs in my reader and do listen to who is being talked about, eventually that is.
So one way to help promote good Austin based bands on our site which is nationally focused is we have a "Made In Austin" feature we are expanding on currently, so I'll keep you posted for that. In this case, we are helping local promoters with good shows get the word out. After all, we kicked off our site's (delayed) launch with a bad ass showcase during the week of South by Southwest at The Parlor. We want to continue to do so, and are open minded about genres unlike other indie leaning blogs around town.
Tomorrow we are presenting a cool show at Beauty Bar which features three good bands with a different enough sound to be entertaining but not boring. I say boring because I personally don't like shows where are the bands on the bill sound like the same band. You know what I mean right? Tonight though, this isn't the case. Now I will be the first to admit these bands are the most popular or the big local buzz bands, but all are of top quality in their respected realms and worth checking out.
First there is They Mean Us from McAllen, Texas. They are an instrumental indie band that sound decent on MySpace, but that is honestly all I can tell you as I have never seen them live. I look forward to it though and am very interested in checking them out. I have a thing for instrumental indie and post-rock music for some weird reason. Bands like Mono and even Calm Blue Sea locally are the bees-knees. This is a video for They Mean us I found on their MySpace that kind of gives you an idea of what they sound like, but keep in mind it is a tour blog and not a professional video so please mind that when you hear it.
The locally known favorite on this bill are The Paper Shapes. I've seen them live once, but it was only for a short bit. My friends and Red River Noise peeps Ajay Miranda and Sarah Vasquez talk about them. They basically told me I need to check them out so I'll do that tonight. I just downloaded a free mp3 of their song "Bed Bugs"they were giving away on their website. Check it out:
The other band on the bill is a semi-new band on the scene and one that came highly recommended to me by one of the guys I know in The Sword, my favorite band not named Rage Against The Machine by the way. I'll show you my tattoo one day when it's done. Anyway, so I got word of Tornahdo when I interviewed Bryan Ritchie of The Sword last fall at Fun Fun Fun Fest. That's all I needed to hear. He said "They are totally worthy of some praise" and "they have this little Zach Hill on drums". It's totally different from what else I've seen or heard locally lately. Check out this clip of them performing on the steps of the Capital.
So there you have it. Three bands, all different but good. This show is 21+ and only $5 cover. Come out and have a good time doing something different. Keep checking in with me here on occasion as I keep you up to date with more happenings with both Austin Vida and Red River Noise. Thanks as always for reading. Feel free to RSVP for the event on Facebook since you're other tab is on Facebook anyway:
The craziest show Friday night in Austin is easily the Krum Bums at Emo's. They are one of the best live punk rock shows ever to hit the Red River scene. They've been a band for over decade and haven't lost s step. This year during Free Week, they had a crazy show at Red 7 that our Red River Noise crew captured here in this video. It shows what a Krum Bums show is like and why you need to go to Emo's Friday night. Check it out.
Also on the bill Friday night at are Hot Rails To Hell, Women In Prison and World Burns To Death. Emo's is located at 603 Red River. Doors at 9:00pm. Get there early and make it crazy night out. If you're an Austinite, it is a right of passage to see the Krum Bums at least once.
I love free shows. I love free shows on Fridays. I love Mi Casa Tamales & Cantina on 6th. So should you. This Friday night, my good friends at Dart International are getting the whole festival week thing started early with a cool free show. Given that I am saving for next week, FREE is very much appreciated right now.
Dart International is bringing in a ton of international bands for SXSW next week, as they do every year. Friday night gives us an early taste of some of that international flavor the festival brings. A couple of Austin bands will join these international acts on stage Friday, including The Lemurs.
It is time to get some soul in your life with a splash of funk. By Friday you will have had a long week. You will be in need of some good back ground music to compliment your alcoholism. The best thing to do for yourself this Friday night is head to Antone's for T-Bird and the Breaks and Brownout. Trust me, only a lack of a pulse will keep you from enjoying this show. These are two of my favorite Austin groups. I own the Learn About It album from T-Bird on vinyl and it is in regular rotation during my commute around town. Enough said. Take a listen to the new T-Bird single right here on this widget.
For more full details on this show, visit Do512 here:T-Bird & Brownout
Friday nights in Austin are full of great shows to check out. This Friday is no exception. With that being said, I think avoiding the downtown riff-raf is the way to go Friday night. Austin Latin funksters, Brownout, perform at The High Ball on 1120 South Lamar. You will be hearing a lot about this place as it seems to have some cool things happening this year.
Joining Brownout, as if they aren't reason enough to go, are DJ Manny and Bigface. You may know them from DJ Dojo, the record store that they have DJ lessons at. They've spun all over town for years now. I last saw them at Beauty Bar before the Afrika Bambaataa set in 2008. It's been too long, I know.
Manny is known for his crazy DJ bicycle. If you've never seen it, it is quite impressive. Even more impressive is the crew from B-Boy City who are going to be doing some breakin'.
Check out this video to get an idea of what this whole crew is about in terms of vibe, sound, etc. There is nothing else like it in town that I know of, so treat yourself to some dope beats and funky rhythms.
One of the coolest people I met recently, Jennifer Leduc, is also one of Austin's biggest music supporters. When I saw her around at shows, I assumed she was media as she was always out at a lot of the same shows my crew and I were at. She's not media actually, but that's also refreshing. She has the right idea about how to be an "Austinite". If you live here, you should be at live shows as much as you can. It is only fit she gets a bad ass birthday bash at Beauty Bar with one of Austin's better indie bands, Stereo Is A Lie. Check out this video by my friend Ajay Miranda, whom I always credit for introducing me to this band. See flier for show details.
It pains me to pick this show as it is the last show in Austin for one of Austin's best metal bands, At All Cost. The were one of the few to really build a following and whom I thought were going to get bigger nationally. I was hoping they'd be responsible for bringing in more metal to Austin so the metal heads of the world can stop calling Austin "hipsterville" or "an indie town". While we do have a plethora of indie talent here, we also have a lot of good hardcore the world needs to hear. Again, at one point I thought At All Cost would be one of those to bring more hardcore attention.
Well it has been since January 2007 I believe, since I last saw At All Cost. After a few member changes a some solid albums, they are saying farewell. It is only fit that the show be at Red 7, as I really don't remember them playing anywhere else but Emo's maybe. It is like their home venue, also one of my favorite. Something cool for this sad occasion is that every member who was ever in the band will be taking the stage to perform, including Pack of Wolves vocalist Trey Ramirez. That's the way to do it if you ask me, give the fans the complete line ups and play their favorite tracks with the band that actually played them. Very cool.
Co-headlining this show will be Houston based hardcore outfit, Jonbenét.I caught these dudes once a while back at Red 7 also, but don't know too much about them other than whatever is online. They're calling it quits as well, much to fan's disappointment. I'll definitely be there to check them out as well since it's my last chance in Austin. For those of you in Houston, At All Cost and Jonbenét play Saturday at Walter's.
Also on the bill playing early will be Austin bands Radioland Murders and Set Aflame. I'll be there early hanging out to check them out, supporting local hardcore bands worth supporting. You should also get there early as this show is going to be packed and possibly sold out.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with At All Cost or just want to reminisce, check out this old school video I found on YouTube for "Death To Distraction". It pissed off a lot of people during that time. Say what you will about their politics, but their sound is killer.
After The Jump tonight at The Mohawk is the event I have been looking forward to ever since I heard about it via email. According to the advertising for the event, this is where we get to learn "what's new and next in blogs". The popular bloggers or blogs listed in the event flier posted here are going to share how they pick what to blog about and why they always look to Austin blogs. Technically I'm an Austin blog with thousands of unique visitors a month, so that alone stirs my curiosity.
Now blogging is just a serious hobby for me; something I enjoy as an outlet to share music I enjoy (or don't) with folks. Besides being fun, blogging was just a way to see what I could do with it and what bigger things it could lead to. It eventually lead me to start "blogging" for cdFuse a little over a year ago. As you should should know by now, cdFuse became Double Stereo and has improved by leaps and bounds. It lead me to start interviewing, reviewing albums and posting information relevant to a national audience.
The Double Stereo blogging experience also led to my eventually taking over Austin Vida from both the editor's desk and ownership table. There wasn't any good Latin music websites here in Austin that were kept up with, broad in focus or that provided a young voice to the scene that so needed Austin Vida. Since my Austin Vida crew and I are writers with blogs, I'm anxious to hear what the bigger publications like Spin and Billboard have to say.
Now perhaps your reasons for attending After The Jump are completely different than mine, and that's fine. I was talking with good friend and Austin Vida Managing Editor, Ajay Miranda, the other day and we were both of the same mindset about blogs. Blogs should be what launch a writer or lead to something bigger. It should not be the main product or where one stops. I am hoping these panelists tomorrow aren't looking to all these popular shitty blogs that are just cluster fucks of random content as examples of what to do. I understand why these kind of blogs get hits. It has to do with quantity of posts, not quality, tags, link backs and other important SEO components. Still, I want the panelists to address that as well as good sites for easy do-it-yourself templates. See you at After The Jump folks. If not, see you at Fun Fun Fun Fest, my favorite Austin music festival not named Pachanga Fest.
For more details on After The Jump, check out the post on Do512.
Tonight at Hogg Memorial on the U.T. campus is where it is at tonight. It wasn't easy making my concert selection as there are several great shows tonight. Del Castillo at Antone's is going to be great as always. You could experience some Red River history at The Red Eyed Fly and see the Riddlin' Kids and Rubberhead. I used to like seeing the Riddlin' Kids in my early twenties, but the rare opportunity to see Nortec Collective takes precedence over all. It is not everyday you hear music like Nortec's, much less get the opportunity to see them live here in Austin.
Nortec Collective is a group of four DJs from Tijuana, Mexico. At Hogg Memorial tonight you'll get to see Bostich and Fussible. No stranger to Austin, this same duo was the headlining act at the first annual Pachanga Fest. Signed to Nacional Records, arguably the best Latin Music label in the world, Nortec has received nothing but praise and critical acclaim. Their fusion of electronica and Mexican Norteno music is truly original. They coined the sound. Their Tijuana Sessions albums are some of my favorite in my personal collection.
What is great about Nortec is not just their original sound, but their live show. They perform to a back drop filled with an array of multi-colored lights and images while their band backs up their DJing. Pictured in the show flyer, you'll see them holding this white board with squares. It is actually called a tenori and they use it in their music. It's pretty cool actually, and rather than describe it I figured I'd post a video clip for you to check it out. Go to the show and you'll see it live in person. If I had a tenori, I'd never leave the house.
This weekend in Austin we are blessed with not one, but two back to back nights with Alejandro Escovedo at the legendary Continental Club on South Congress. Escovedo is a music icon and a real genuine dude. I only hope I'm half as cool as he is one day. I admit I didn't much care for his music until Boxing Mirror came out, but wasn't totally won over with his latest album came out, Real Animal.
The first time I got to see Alejandro live in concert was at the legendary Gruene Hall in Gruene (pronounced like "green") right outside New Braunfels in 2008. It was also my first time seeing a show at Gruene Hall. My dad and I went and had a blast. Afterward, Alejandro stayed and signed autographs, took pictures with fans, etc. I bought my vinyl copy of Real Animal that night and had him sign it. I snapped this photo with him for the scrap book.
Just to briefly touch upon his music for those who don't know, it is very modern rock meets alt-country. It leans a little on the American side at times, but then kicks ass '60s rock style. He is an old school punk rocker, world traveled and made what is being called his "debut to the world" by sharing the stage with Bruce Springsteen. He often gets comparisons to The Boss more than any other known artist. Although I don't agree with the comparison, I know The Boss's fans will no doubt love Escovedo.
He does draw, and forgive my honesty and age here, an older crowd most of the time. There's always a few of us 20 something, in the know music geeks in the crowd. I am hoping that changes over time and believe it will as more people hear Real Animal and attend his shows. You may even get to hear him cover "All The Young Dudes" or see him share the stage with some talented musician friends of his.
When I was surfing around for a good live clip to embed in this post, I came across some great live footage on Vimeo of Alejandro performing "Always A Friend" live at SXSW this past March. Turn it up and give it a listen, then thank me later. There's some helpful links for the show as well as my interview with Alejandro I did this spring for Austin Vida. It was one of the highlights of my career.
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.
Friday nights in Austin are full of great shows to check out. This Friday is no exception. With that being said, I think avoiding the downtown riff-raf is the way to go Friday night. Austin Latin funksters, Brownout, perform at The High Ball on 1120 South Lamar. You will be hearing a lot about this place as it seems to have some cool things happening this year.
It pains me to pick this show as it is the last show in Austin for one of Austin's best metal bands, At All Cost. The were one of the few to really build a following and whom I thought were going to get bigger nationally. I was hoping they'd be responsible for bringing in more metal to Austin so the metal heads of the world can stop calling Austin "hipsterville" or "an indie town". While we do have a plethora of indie talent here, we also have a lot of good hardcore the world needs to hear. Again, at one point I thought At All Cost would be one of those to bring more hardcore attention.
After The Jump tonight at The Mohawk is the event I have been looking forward to ever since I heard about it via email. According to the advertising for the event, this is where we get to learn "what's new and next in blogs". The popular bloggers or blogs listed in the event flier posted here are going to share how they pick what to blog about and why they always look to Austin blogs. Technically I'm an Austin blog with thousands of unique visitors a month, so that alone stirs my curiosity.
