"Black Girls in Dresses" music video by Tony Castles

One of my favorite blogs is Look at this fucking hipster. They have only posted photos from what I've seen, but if they posted videos, this one would definitely be on it.

Bad Tits: 'No Skin' music video

So I was going through my emails tonight and came across this one from The Great White North. I admit, the group's name caught my attention but the music didn't keep it.

(8/15) Hipspanic goodness with ZZK at Beauty Bar

All you Latino hipsters and cumbia lovers should be pretty excited about this one. The Argentinian DJ collective known as ZZK will be making a tour stop in Austin this Sunday, August 15, at Beauty Bar. Dance music lovers, Latin music lovers and anyone looking for something cool and different will love these dudes. They mash cumbias and electronic dance music with traditional South American sounds we can all get down to. I first heard about them last year when they had an album on Nacional Records. Going on their own now, these DJs keep on truckin' and are making rare stateside appearances in different cities as we speak.

Arrive at 8:00pm and be ready to party all night. Dress for photos, as all the hipster photographers and photo bloggers will be out in full force. Admission is $7 but you can get in for $5 if you RSVP here. Local support comes from the Latin DJ team, Peligrosa All-Stars.  I mean really, what else are you going to do that's cooler than this on a Sunday night? You better call in Monday or tell your boss you're coming in late.

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. 

New music video from We Have Band: "OH!"

We Have Band is an indie-electro dance outfit from The U.K. Their new music video for their single "OH!"caught my attention. The song is alright, danceable but nothing world changing. It reminds me of the stuff you hear walking by Barbarella on Red River. Watching the video, I thought it looked like an American Apparel commercial if they actually did that sort of thing. I think a lot of people will like this though, so I decided to share it with you all for shits and giggles. Check it out:


We have band - OH! from naiverecords on Vimeo.

It's a Mohawk Weekend: J. Tillman and Cursive

Fleet Foxes drummer, J. Tillman, is coming through Austin Friday night to do his solo thing at The Mohawk. The interest in Tillman is obviously The Fleet Foxes connection, but he has actually had solo stuff before joining Fleet Foxes. He music is more along the lines of indie singer-songwriter with a bluesy touch. It's definitely not something I could listen to while in traffic, but definitely when relaxing at home. His Year in the Kingdom album is a must have for not only Fleet Foxes fans, but anyone who loves good indie-folk stuff. Other than maybe A.A. Bondy, it is my favorite indie-folk album released this year.

Saturday at Mohawk marks the return one of my favorite bands of all time, Cursive, back to Austin. They haven't been here since SXSW in March. I wasn't sure they would make it back around this way, but they're coming Saturday. Their latest record, Mama I'm Swollen, is their best since The Ugly Organ. I reviewed it earlier in the year for Double Stereo, and don't have anything negative to say about it. That review turned several of my friend into Cursive fans, and they were people who I wouldn't have guessed would be into it. It just goes to show good music is good music, and that is all that matters sometimes.

Opening for Cursive is their touring mate, Capgun Coup. I know little of the band, but look forward to checking them out after listening to some of their music. It's like indie meets surf rock or garage. Speaking of listening to music, check out the latest video from Cursive. It's for their song "Let Me Up" off their current album, Mama I'm Swollen.


Let Me Up from Cursive on Vimeo.

For ticket info or to purchase advance tickets, click the following link:

Mohawk Austin website

White Denim Video: "I Start To Run"

White Denim

www.myspace.com/whitedenimmusic

It's always good to see an Austin based band kicking ass and taking names on the national level. Austin based indie-garage rockers, White Denim, premiered their new video on mtvU. I just  recently picked up a copy of their new album, Fits, the other day at Waterloo Records. What sold me was the song " I Start To Run" and the fact that it came with a second disc. That second disc was a copy of Explosions, a previous album from White Denim. I wasn't really into them so much until this album came out, but now it is in regular rotation in my truck's CD player. White Denim, if you or your publicist are reading this, get at me. I want to talk to the band and check them out live. In the meantime, for those of you unfamiliar with White Denim, check out the video for " I Start To Run".

We Should Be Dead at The Scoot Inn August 7th

It looks like I may be at the Hipster hangout known as The Scoot Inn this Friday. Ireland's We Should Be Dead come back for another Austin appearance for Dart International . Also on the bill are Austin garage punk rockers, Black Panda. The shows benefits my friend Dave Dart's organization dedicated to bring all of us music lovers international bands to play for us.

I got to meet and interview We Should Be Dead this past march at South By Southwest. I was hoping they'd be back soon. I caught them at the Dart showcase at Roux and really dug their indie pop sound. Go check them out if you're not doing anything and judge for yourself. I think you'll have a good time.

Check out the interview and video here at Double Stereo: We Should Be Dead Interview

Save Paste Magazine!!!

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?

With our sincerest thanks,

Josh, Tim and Nick for the entire Paste family


Click here to donate to Paste Magazine

Album Review: The Old Prince by Shad K

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.

Click here to read the full review on Double Stereo

New Album from Built By Snow

We just received the upcoming release, Mega, from Austin’s own Built By Snow. Mega is set for a January 20, 2009 release, but I got an early listen this week. Having followed Built By Snow for some time now, I was not surprised or disappointed by what I heard on Mega.

Full Review...

Tilly and the Wall at Emo's

Once again I stepped outside of my normal realm of musical tastes to venture into the world of “indie girl rock”. Last month it was Rilo Kiley. This month it was the Tilly and the Wall show at Emo’s Thursday night. I had a good time at Rilo Kiley, so I was up for some Tilly.

I recently discovered Tilly and the Wall by accident, randomly combing over different myspace band profiles. I recognized the name as I remember they were one of the bands that received a lot of buzz during SXSW. After browsing their myspace page, I saw that they were coming to Emo’s and penciled it in to my calendar. I didn’t have anything planned for Thursday and I wanted to see what the buzz was all about.

As I arrived at Emo’s, the place was kind of empty as the show didn’t start until an hour later. Those that were there early seemed to be a similar crowd to the people I saw at Rilo Kiley. There were lots of teen girls that looked straight out of the Urban Outfitters catalogue. There was no shortage of leggings, 60s style dexter glasses (or what I call Lisa Loebs) and headbands. The few guys in attendance seemed to be with their dates or girlfriends.

The first band to start the night was a young Austin based band called “Ringo Deathstarr”. I have seen their name on a few flyers around the web, but were not familiar with them beyond that. From the very start they seemed nervous to me. Perhaps some sound issues contributed to that. Age and band maturity may been a factor, as none of them looked older than 21 to me. I also had trouble hearing their vocals. I did come away with a good idea of what their sound is like and heard some good things musically. They incorporate feedback well and have a really good guitar player who stands out. As I am listening to their music on myspace while writing this, I can’t help but notice a complete paradox in what I heard from them Thursday and what I am hearing now. Their music is really good. You will like it if you are into stuff that sounds like The Cars, Starfly, Joy Division, etc. I will just call it an off night. I’m making it a point to go catch another show from them later on sometime.

The second band on the bill, Belaire, came on shortly there after Ringo Deathstarr wrapped up. Belaire is another band whose name I had seen and heard but have never seen live. I noticed a larger crowd had come in for Belaire, with even more headbands and leotards to go around. Once Belaire got started, it immediately became an idie rock dance party. Oh yeah, the sweet-sweet electro pop, synthesized sounds have a lot of power over of the hipster and indie girl persuasion. They can’t help but move to it.

I didn’t catch the names of their songs really, except for one called “Madison”. They claimed that “Madison” was about a dog. Over all their set was good. They had a much better sound than Ringo Deathstarr did, technically speaking that is. Their last song of their set was the stand out single for me, called “Back Into The Wall”. They mentioned they are working on a new album for a fall release. Belaire fans should look out for that.

Finally around midnight came the headliner we were all waiting for, Tilly and the Wall. You could tell they were coming by all the glitter and balloons circulating around. It was going to be “one of those shows” I thought to myself. The reality of it was that I didn’t know what to expect. All I ever heard about this band other than the SXSW reviews was that they had a tap dancing percussionist. Right in the middle of the stage was an elevated wood platform. There were also two smaller wood platforms by each microphone towards the front of the stage. I couldn’t wait to see what all that was about.

As soon Tilly and the Wall came out, all you could heard was screaming cheers. They even brought out more balloons and yes, a tap dancer. The two lead vocalists, Neely and Kianna, were both wearing tap shoes as well to enhance the tap effect. It was definitely original and cool.

Besides the tap dance percussion, Tilly brought with them an elaborate lighting system to provide a real psychedelic atmosphere and further enhance their live show. The lights were even brighter than their clothing, which as you can see from the clips and pictures, is pretty bright. It was like living in an episode of “Laugh In” for a second there.

Once they got started, I was totally drawn in. There was not one second that went by during their set where I was bored, spaced out, or dying to leave. I couldn’t have been more entertained by something so unfamiliar to me. I heard so many familiar elements from other bands as I listened to Tilly and the Wall. I heard some elements of Simon and Garfunkel, The Cars, The Bangles, The Octopus Project, and even Abba. Yes, Abba.

Tilly and Wall is something straight out of the 60s. If Tilly was around during the first Woodstock or The Monterey Pop Festival, they would have rocked those crowds and been legends by now. Your mom would be telling you about Tilly and the Wall. Instead, your once hippy mom will soon be asking you to put some Tilly and the Wall into her ipod for her.

Tilly is now a band I will continue to listen to. Pull my man card if you want. I don’t care. I probably left it Rilo Kiley anyway. I’d recommend Tilly and the Wall to anyone, and I mean anyone, even if for just their live show. Check out a clip of my favorite song of theirs, called “Pot Kettle Black”.

Tilly and the Wall standout tracks: Pot Kettle Black, Tall Tall Grass

Getting Down in Austin with Afrika Bambaataa

Never in my life did I ever think I would ever get to see Hip Hip pioneer and legend Afrika Bambaataa. I thought I missed that chance as I was too young and didn't live in a major Hip Hop mecca like New York City. Well this past Sunday my luck changed. Thanks to a local email list I subscribe to, Do512, I was lucky enough to check out Bambaata over at Beauty Bar on 7th.

For those that don't know, Afrika Bambaataa is a Hip Hop legend best known for being part of the Zulu Nation and such hits like "Planet Rock" and "Looking For the Perfect Beat". If you do a Google image search you'll see him in really eccentric costumes, which he was also known for. Every real Hip Hop fan, B-boy, B-girl, hipster, scenester, dance music lover and their mom knows of Afrika Bambaataa. I had heard that he did DJ sets every now and then at various spots. Again, I was just surprised he came to Austin on a Sunday night. Then again I'm not surprised. That's Austin for you folks. That's the kind of scene and vibe this city has....one of the main reasons I love it here.

Starlynx and D.J. Dojo, according to the show flyer, were responsible for putting the show on. It turns out that D.J. Dojo is DJ Manny and DJ Big Face's record store on Sout h 1st. I had the privilege of meeting DJ Manny in May at an M.E. Live! taping. He was kicking it with Nortec Collective as they were both performing at the first annual Pachanga Festival. Well, here he was again with his DJ and business partner DJ Big Face at Beauty bar before the AfrikaBambaataa set. DJ Manny, being the down to earth and the cool dude that he is recognized me and thanked me for coming. As you can see from the picture, him and Big Face are both pretty animated dudes. The camera you see there was connected to a projector for them to project images on the wall while they do their set. It really adds to their show and is really cool in a dark setting. Their two man, DJ team set included some old school hip hop (of course) and some good electronic beats and rhythms.

Manny and Big Face wrapped up around midnight and did a good job getting the crowd dancing and ready for Bambaataa. What's funny is I was expecting Bambaataa to be in the same area DJ Manny was in, but he was in the DJ booth at the other end of Beauty Bar. I still made my way up to the front of the booth which was conveniently located by the bar (mmm...Lone Star). As he started spinning, me and everyone else went crazy. He spun some old school hip hop and I even remember so old school Luther Vandros in the set. I believe it was "All My Love", but the alcohol clouded my memory at that point. Plus, this wasn't the usual show where the artist or band performs and either I sit and watch or am fighting a crowd in mosh pit. This was a dance party. I was dancing my ass off getting sweaty, as it was crowded and humid Sunday night. I could literally ring my t-shirt out with sweat and I came home tired and worn out.

Check out a shot I took of the crowd at Beauty Bar during the set. The crowd was your typical Beauty Bar crowd: eclectic, all races and all scenes represented including hipster kids, B-boys, and everything in between. Sunday night with Afrika Bambaataa was in my mind, what early Hip Hop pioneers envisioned for Hip Hop. Hip Hop would be a way to unite everyone regardless of crowd and age, class or race, and make them feel good together. Thanks to Starlynx and Beauty Bar for hooking this whole thing up and giving me one of my best memories yet.

When you see an Afrika Bambaataa DJ set, you just get down crazy (as in dance a lot). Something takes over you and you feel like it's the early 1980s all over again, when Hip Hop was fun and new. Hip Hop is alive and well in Austin, even though it isn't what we are really known for.