Yes, the word on the street is true. AJ Miranda and I have merged with Backbeat Magazine from San Antonio. We are co-owners and our staff is coming with us from Red River Noise. It's been months in the making and we couldn't be more excited. We are bringing the best in live videos and national content to a organization that already does a stellar job with local coverage in San Antonio. Backbeat Austin is next and we are kicking off the first issue drop with a big block party on 7th Street this Saturday.
Remember her from the Super Bowl commercials during 2007? I didn't until I saw her video on YouTube again for "Message From Your Heart" the other day. She is Kina Grannis and she will be performing at Stubb's tonight. Hear this fellas...
Grannis's poppy, singer-songwriter style is perfect for taking out your non-Red River girlfriends who shop at The Domain and like Hallmark Valentine's Day cards. It is not exactly a dude friendly genre or sound, but take the time out from being a bro or hipster douche and go with her to see something she will actually like.
Ladies hear this...
Your date, boyfriend, husband, etc will sit through this concert with you. Kina is gorgeous and can actually sing, despite the Hallmark card style content of the lyrics. She is what guys refer to as "attainably hot." I know that isn't even a word, but we use it to describe an above average girl next door type who we mistakingly believe would go out with us. Chances are, guys won't like her music but won't mind the show. Take advantage.
So, here is the video for her most recent single "Valentine" and link to ticket info:
Doors are at 9:00pm. This is an all ages show. Ticket and cost info HERE.
Stone Sour is back with a new album and there is a listening party for it here in Austin this Tuesday at Red Eyed Fly. Stone Sour is fronted by Corey Taylor, who also is a vocalist for Slipknot. They are harder radio rock with some agnst and heavy riffs mixed in. If you haven't heard them, and like hard rock that isn't too rip your face off, give Stone Sour a listen. Here is their new video for their single"Say You'll Haunt Me" off of their new album Album Secrecy:
Something even better for those of you who attend the listening party....
The Red Eyed Fly agreed to give away a pair of tickets to see popular '90s alt-rockers, Sponge, who are playing this Thursday. I'm hoping to check it out.
I often listen to Balmorhea to relax or while I'm working at desk. Beautiful music. It's like an indie band orchestra done right. You have to be in the mood for them, but they are amazing live. They play Wednesday night at Mohawk with Mother Falcon.
I just thought I'd let you hardcore music fans know about some new album release listening parties happening this month at Red Eyed Fly. Pantera is re-releasing one of their oldies but goodies and System of a Down's Serj Tankian releases a solo album. I'm stoked about the Pantera album as I'm curious about any remastering or bonus tracks or whatever else may come with the release. This also gives me a reason to post the "Cowboys From Hell" music video.
Here's a cool free event for you out there looking to live it up on Red River on the cheap. The Rumble at Beeerland is always a great showcase to check out obscure, unsigned and maybe even cool new bands. Even if the bands are terrible, you didn't waste money so there's no need to complain. The Rumble is also one of the few times I go to Beerland.
This show also caught my attention because it is one of the rare chances to see Sleep ∞ Over. Their music is this sort of haunting, obscure indie with hints dark electronic elements to it. I'd be curious to see how that translates live. I can only usually listen to that stuff at my desk late at night. The other bands on the bill are Austin based Pure Ecstacy and Soft Healer. Here's a look and listen to Soft Healer.
Doors are at 9:00 pm, first band starts around 10:00 pm. The Rumble at Beerland is brought to you by the Austin Rumble family of Future Sounds, The Onion AV Club, Waterloo Records, Covert Curiosity, The Austinist, Austin Town Hall and Beerland.
Hardcore punk rockers rejoice! Krum Bums are headlining Friday night at Red 7. This is their tour kick off show so make sure make this show. They'll be playing again in Austin on October 8th but why wait until then? Expect a large crowd, crazy pits and frontman Dave Tejas to climb and jump all over the place. Check out this Red River Noise live video of the Krum Bums from this year's Free Week show. Craziness!
If you want to win a pair of free tickets, there is still time to add Red River Noise on Facebook here.The winner will be drawn on the day of the show in the afternoon sometime. Good luck to ya!
I don't know whether to be excited, weirded out or frightened by this one.The one and only Gram Rabbit will be performing at Emo's on Sunday, August 14. Talk about an interesting Sunday after church huh? This doesn't appear to be your typical indie-pop or dancy-electro band. From what I've read, they have a very loyal following called "The Royal Order of Rabbits." Interesting to say the least. Take a look at this music video for their song "Shiny Monster."
To learn how to win FREE tickets to the show at Emo's Sunday and a copy of the new CD, visit the Red River Noise here.
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.
While I know the attraction to Emo's on August 27th will be headliner Hot Hot Heat, be sure to show up for their opener, Hey Rosetta!. These Canadian indie rockers are a pretty good band, with talent worthy of their own headlining tour. You will be hearing more about them in the near future I'm sure, but you might as well get familiar with them now as they are coming to town. The song in the video posted above is called "Bandages" from their Red Songs EP. Purchase tickets for the Austin show at Emo's here.
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.
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.
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:
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:
This Wednesday marks the last of Adi Anand's residency at Mohawk this year, at least in the current format. Tomorrow also marks the birthday edition of Adi's series, so Happy Birthday to you brother Adi. For Adi's biirthday edition, there will be food provided by Cedar Door, drinks provided by Waialua Soda Works and cup cakes from Peaches Maggee. There will also be an art show by Deep In The Art of Texas.
While that's all cool, you know I'm about the music. Remember this is an early show for working folks and cool kids who just don't want to be out that late but still get the real Red River experience. Doors are at 6:00pm, the show starts at 7:00pm with Shallows AD. I've never seen them before so I'm looking forward to the new experience.Tow The Line go on at 8:00pm, which feature members of the groups Visitors and Recover.
Once again the headliner is none other than The Frontier Brothers. I saw these guys the last time Adi had them at Mohawk, on June 9th, and they were so good live. I loved their sound, their energy and the dapper prep school suits. If you enjoy good indie, then you should check these guys out. Here's their latest music video for their single "You Should Start a Band". I don't know what's up with the furry party, but it's a cool song. The Frontier Brothers take the stage at 9:00pm.
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:
I applaud people who are champions of the local indie scene here in Austin. My good friend Ajay Miranda is one of them and so is my friend Sarah Vasquez. I'm a little embarrassed to say so, but I'm not as tapped into the local indie scene as I'd like to be. My editor's role and responsibilities do not always allow for that, so I have to look at other sources. Adi Anand is one of those people I started looking at this year.
The reason Adi caught my attention is because has these great showcases he puts together on Wednesdays called "From The Mind Of Adi" residencies. What he does is take local bands of his choosing (I assume) and puts on early evening shows at Mohawk. I think it's great opportunity for the bands to play at Mohawk and also for regular working folks to enjoy a little of that Red River lifestyle without losing too much sleep. Being that I'm getting older and am liking my sleep much more than I used to, I hope this trend catches on. I don't mind late nights on weekends, but getting home around 2:00am on weekdays is the only way to catch an entire bill most nights. That can wear on you.
This week the series continues with a band I do know about and dig, The Hi-Tones. I saw them briefly during Free Week. They have this indie garage rock kind of vibe, like a '60s sound if you will. It's up beat and head nodding. Their front man has the swagger of a favorite male child in a Latin family. They do indeed rock. What more needs to be said? Want me to use big words only creative writing majors (Pitchfork anyone?) can understand? I know a lot of those words and can use them appropriately, but why would I? Regular folks don't understand that stuff and all they really need to know is the Hi-Tones rock. Make sure to check them out with The Ashes and Beautiful Supermachines on Wednesday. Even if you don't know who the hell these bands are, get out of the house and enjoy live music.
Doors open at 6:00pm (not a typo!). There is an art show by Deep In The Art of Texas and food from Woodland. The Ashes go on at 7:00pm and then at 8:00pm Beautiful Supermachines go on. The Hi-Tones play the headlining spot at 9:00pm. The Mohawk is located at 912 Red River, at the 10th and Red River intersect. Make sure to vote for the event on Do512.
I don't talk about too many local shows on my blog. I leave that to 'Nites and some of these other Austin music based blogs. Also, too many local acts fail capture my attention on nights when bigger touring acts I want to see come through. That is not to say I don't support local, because I absolutely do. I am always on the lookout for good Austin or regionally based bands. Our local scene is the heart and soul of Austin. I know this. I just hold those bands to the same expectations I would a touring band. Austin's Bright Light Social Hour is one of those bands that is on par with major touring acts or better in some cases. Now they need your help, besides going to tonight's show.
Thursday night when all you faux hipsters will be wearing your best Urban Outfitters to Stubb's for the Phoenix concert, I'll be at Emo's watching one of my favorite new bands, Violent Soho. These Aussies are out to prove grunge and anything Sonic Youth(ish) still kicks ass. Speaking of Sonic Youth, they are even on Thurston Moore's label, Ecstatic Peace! Records. They are touring to support their self titled album before making their way to Lalapalooza this summer. Violent Soho will be playing with Austin's own, The Boxing Lesson and Red Falcon. Now watch this video, turn it up and get your face rocked off!
The pun and western outfit lead my MXPX's Mike Herrera, Tumbledown, is playing Monday night at Mohawk. I saw these guys at Emo's last year. It was a fun show. You need to check them out. Tumbledown is the kind of country and Americana I do like. Cory Branan opens.
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.
