While Red River Noise is not yet a year old, my crew and I made some serious headway in 2010. We debuted with a an epic day party during South By Southwest that had both Zlam Dunk and Bright Light Social Hour on the bill. We offered media sponsorships to various local shows, including those put on by Giant Steps and Adi Anand. Now, we are back at it this week for Austin's own little local music festival of sorts, Free Week.
This year we went "off the river" to one of my favorite venues in Austin, The Parish. During a cold January, it is nice to have an indoor venue that is not only warm, but has epic sound and lighting. Shows at The Parish always look great in photos and the twenties style speakeasy aesthetic looks great.
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.
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.
Austin indie band, Quiet Company, put out this new Star Wars JibJab video. Aside from making good tunes, they have The Force. More bands should do this sort of outside the box promotion.
This is one of the best poster's I've seen. I love me some classic Farah. Anyway, this is one of the many showcases you need to put on your weekend calendar. It is not often I mention local happenings unless the quality of the bands is on par with most of the touring acts. That is not a knock on the local scene at all, as here in Austin we have lots of local bands/musicians that blow away most touring acts. It is just that it is rare you have three bands that could be a local showcase headliner on one bill.
Saturday night at The Parish, you get two see three top tier Austin bands in good venue with awesome stage lighting and fantastic sound. The semi-newly formed Love At 20 is a blogger buzz band in the indie world, while SuperLiteBike does their brand of experimental indie well. What makes this pick a no brainer for me though is headliner, Fresh Millions. Think indie, electronic dance elements and funky beats all mixed up and all over the place in sort of an organized chaos. I am not even into this sort of genre really, but I somehow manage to find myself liking these dudes. Time to check them out live. Check them out here in this video:
The Parish is located at 214-C East 6th Street. Advance tickets are not available for this show. Tickets are $7 at the door and doors open at 9:00pm.
By the way...
If you'd like to go to this show for FREE, then hit up Red River Noise here for details on how to win a pair of tickets to the show. Add Red River Noise on Facebook here to keep up with all the great eclectic content as well as with our multiple ticket giveaways.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Adi Anand is doing his thing again on Wednesday at Mohawk, this time with The Frontier Brothers headlining. They will headline again on June 23rd. This is an early show for folks who either don't want to be out all night or work early on Thursday. There's an art show element to the show and a chance to win some Austin Aztex soccer tickets.
Doors open at 6:00pm. Both Seaholm Electric and Invisible Inks are on the bill as openers. I've never seen either or heard either so it will be cool to hear something different Wednesday. I suggest you do the same. If you've never heard The Frontier Brothers, check out their music video for their single "You Should Start A Band". Notice the token indie usage of bears. Yes, the rule of thumb in the indie band world is animals like bears, rabbits and deer are "indie" animals.
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.
Austin’s new blogger buzz band, The White White Lights (TWWL), have just released their new EP, Medium Head Boy. The EP is a six song gem that gives fans that have seen them live in Austin for the past year or so something they can finally put in their iPod or car stereo. Medium Head Boy is serves also as their gift to new listeners who are tired of the endless stream of samesy indie bands talked about on every popular music blog. The new EP is a clear sign that The White White Lights are indeed this year’s new “it” band to come out of The Live Music Capital.
So last night I was at Antone's because one of my favorite Austin bands, White Denim, was playing and it was cheap. Thanks to Do512 for hooking that that up for only five bucks. I think that and the fact White Denim rocks your face off brought in the packed house last night. When I got there people were lined up outside waiting to get in. I'm glad to see White Denim drawing that kind of crowd. The funny thing for me though, was that people were in line while the lead singer was starring at all of them as he was outside by the door having a smoke. Perhaps it is because people have only heard them and not seen them that no one seemed to notice. Maybe they just don't get amped like I do about that stuff. I tend to be a bit of fan boy sometimes.
For those of you not familiar with White Denim, you need to watch the video above and the ones I uploaded to my YouTube Channel. What makes this band for me is the soulful, old school rock and roll voice of the lead singer. When you combine that with high energy indie-garage rock, you have a winner. The guy may look like a dorky hipster of sorts, but he got soul I tell you. If you like what you hear, go to Waterloo Records and purchase the their album Fits which comes with a bonus disc. The bonus disc is White Denim's Explosion album. It's not as good as Fits, but you might as well get them both while supporting local talent.
As I prepare and wait for next week's Austin Vida Indie Showcase, I was looking through my old mini-cam files and found this clip of showcase artist, In Situ Sound, that I took during Free Week. I am really feeling this band right now and that is exactly why we (Austin Vida crew) chose to spotlight them. For more info on the showcase with Hydra Melody, check out our Facebook page here: Austin Vida Indie Showcase on Facebook.
We at Austin Vida are always on the forefront of the Latino music scene. Whether it is the hottest Rock en Español band, an international touring act or an angsty singer-songwriter, we make sure they are given their moment in the spotlight. We care not if they are major label or unsigned. That is why we have teamed up once again with Bemba Entertainment to bring you two of the best unknown young bands in the music scene. You don’t know them now, but we will make sure that you do from here on out.
In Situ Sound is an ambient, progressive rock quintet composed of young Rio Grande Valley natives and a couple of their non-Latino friends. In Sit Sound is now proud to call Austin home and eager to impress with their new EP, Between All We Can See. While no member of In Situ Sound is older than 24, this young band’s sound is reminiscent of a mature Minus The Bear and early Dredg. Having already been featured in Austin Vida and recognized by the Austinist during Free Week, In Situ Sound will win over even the most pretentious of indie music lover. They are so good, that they will even win over the average listener who is ready to be moved by the power of music.
Headlining will be Helotes, Texas’s best kept secret, Hydra Melody. A progressive indie sextet that features the congas as recent addition to their live show, Hydra Melody impresses audiences everywhere. They impressed me with their exciting live show and insane energy on a trip to San Antonio recently. I immediately thought they sounded like Cursive meets Mars Volta. Having recently been featured in the SA Current (San Antonio) and a West Coast tour, Hydra Melody’s stock is also quickly rising. Stay tuned for their feature coming up this month in anticipation of the Austin Vida showcase on February 20th.
These amazing young bands will take the stage at Mi Casa Tamales & Cantina, Austin’s new Cantina and Austin Vida favorite. Mi Casa is located at 503 East 6th street between The Dirty Dog and Coyote Ugly.
Austin's own indie rock Gods, Spoon, will be releasing a new album on January 26th entitled Transference. The album will be put out by Merge Records and will consist of eleven new songs. Finally! I love me some Spoon but their last EP, Got Nuffin, didn't give me my much needed Spoon fix that I though it would. It was okay, but I expect better from Spoon. Here's a video teaser from Spoon's YouTube Channel. I like what I hear...
Transference Track Listings:
1. Before Destruction
2. Is Love Forever?
3. The Mystery Zone
4. Who Makes Your Money
5. Written in Reverse
6. I Saw the Light
7. Trouble Comes Running
8. Goodnight Laura
9. Out Go the Lights
10. Got Nuffin
11. Nobody Gets Me But You
Austin indie rockers, Quiet Company, just sent over their new video for their single "On Modern Man". The song is their show closer and has quickly become a fan favorite as the band openly invites audience members to join them on stage and perform the song with them. The video just premiered today and looks great. It was directed by Digital Shakedown's Justin Kirchhoff. Check it out and give it a listen. After watching, someone please tell me if that is downtown Round Rock. It looks really familiar.
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.
