This was a rare moment captured on video and I just had to post it for all to see. Punk Rock's Godfather, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, joined Sharks onstage in Virginia recently to perform with them. Why is this a big deal you ask? Mike Ness hasn't performed with anyone for twelve years. The last person was Bruce Springsteen. That is a hell of an endorsement for Sharks.
Sharks is one of the bands I am looking forward to checking out at this year's Warped Tour. The English punk band is a serious up-and-comer in the U.S. punk rock scene and if you don't know them now, you will soon. I'll make sure of it.
I freakin' love these dudes. I'm bummed I missed them the last time they were in town at Emo's. I'll catch them again soon. In the meantime, I really liked this live clip I found on their twitter page.
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:
I saw first saw The Dig this past spring with Portugal The Man at The Parish. They are great live. Their new full length album, Electric Toys, is finally out today so check it out and give it some consideration.If you like what you hear on the video posted above, head over to Red River Noise to read my review of Electric Toys and read an interview with The Dig also. Here are the links:
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.
This past Sunday night was crazy on Red River. There was this big Adult Swim party-carnival-concert thing happening. When I arrived downtown it felt like a Saturday night. I wasn't there for any of that though. That's stuff isn't for me. I was there to see a punk rock show, a damn good one at Emo's indoor. Playing were Thieves (local opener), Left Alone, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Authority Zero. I captured some cool clips from my mini-cam. Here are some clips in order the bands appeared. Check them out.
So I saw this video on YouTube today and played the whole thing through at a high volume. Cincinnati based Foxy Shazam is coming to Austin for SXSW and I want to see them. Their self titled album comes out April 13th, so I have to see them live to get my Foxy fix.
On March 19th they will be performing at Stubb's for the Spin part with a full gospel choir. They are set to go on at 12:40pm. That same day they play the Crush MGMT showcase at Dirty Dog Bar. There they go on at 12:00am.
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.
Michael Buble is a good singer who gets rich off singing other people's songs, but Sharon Jones is the real deal Holyfield. I love me some Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings. Their new album, I Learned The Hard Way, is coming out on April 6th. I'm really hoping they stamp a vinyl for that one. Right now you can visit www.daptonerecords.com and get you a free download of the title track. You know you need some soul in your life.
Oh Em Gee...Vh1 brought back their Story Tellers series, a program I used to watch in the early part of last decade and the early '90s. I own the Sarah McLachlan one on DVD and watched The Smashing Pumpkins episode every time it aired back then. It was a great series where the artist really talked about their songs in an intimate setting, sometimes going "unplugged".
Now VH1 brought it back with some good artists and some I think they could have waited on. One artist that I like that may surprise you about me is John Mayer. I caught the episode today while eating a late breakfast. I never really liked Mayer's music at first, but he grew on me after a while. I did find it impressive that a lot of amazing black artists endorsed him and openly admitted to loving his music. First there was Jay-Z, the Quest Love from The Roots to name a couple. Then I started noticing him on the tabloids with hot celebs, and some not so hot, while waiting in line at the grocery store. Remember the picture with the green Borat swimsuit? Hilarious! How can you not be impressed by the guy?
Zechs Marquise live at Mohawk, Austin in November 2009
When I found out Zechs Marquise was coming back to Austin, I was stoked. From the royal family that is Rodriguez-Lopez, Zechs Marquise are giving my friends and I another Volta like fix of what rock should be. This time around they are touring with RX Bandits, a band I've wanted to see live for a while, and The Builders and The Butchers. Their Austin stop comes on March 14th at Emo's. Here are more tour dates and an awesome live video from Austin Vida.
Mar 5 8:00pm Take II w/ Frontera Bugalu El Paso, Texas
Mar 9 7:00pm Marquee Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Tempe, Arizona
Mar 10 7:00pm Club Congress w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Tuscon, Arizona
Mar 12 7:00pm Granada Theater w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Dallas, Texas
Mar 13 7:00pm White Rabbit w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers San Antonio, Texas
Mar 147:00pm Emo’s w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Austin, Texas
Mar 16 5:30pm House Of Blues w/ RX Bandits & The Builders And The Butchers New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 18 7:30pmCulture Room w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Mar 19 7:00pm The Social w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Orlando, Florida
Mar 20 7:00pm The Social w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Orlando, Florida
Mar 21 7:00pm Masquerade w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 23 7:00pm Cat’s Cradle w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Carrboro, North Carolina
Mar 24 7:00pm Rock And Roll Hotel w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Washington, Washington DC
Mar 25 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 26 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 27 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 28 7:00pm TLA w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 29 7:00pm Toads Place w/ RX Bandits & The Builders And The Butchers New Haven, Connecticut
Mar 30 7:00pm Harpers Ferry w/ RX Bandits & I Am the Avalanche Allston, Massachusetts
Mar 31 7:00pm Harpers Ferry w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Allston, Massachusetts
Apr 1 7:00pm Underworld w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Montreal, Quebec
Apr 2 6:00pm Mod Club w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Toronto, Ontario
Apr 3 8:00pm Magic Stick w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Detroit, Michigan
Apr 4 6:00pm The Bottom Lounge w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Chicago, Illinois
Apr 5 7:00pm Turner Hall Ballroom w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 6 5:00pm Triple Rock Social Club w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 8 7:00pm The Marquis Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Denver, Colorado
Apr 9 7:00P
In The Venue w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 10 7:00pm The Venue w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Boise, Idaho
Apr 11 7:00pm El Corazon w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Seattle, Washington
Apr 12 7:00pm Hawthorne Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Portland, Oregon
Apr 14 7:00pm The Boardwalk w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Orangevale, California
Apr 15 7:00pm Slim’s w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers San Francisco, California
Apr 23 7:00pm The Glasshouse w/ RX Bandits Pomona, California
For a more in depth look at Zechs Marquise,check out this interview by Ajay Miranda on Austin Vida:
To many, Sara Lov is known as the female voice behind Devics. Now both Lov and Dustin O’Halloran have solo projects of their own worth listening to. Sara Lov’s current album, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming, gives fans a new sound from Lov that has received critical acclaim by tastemakers everywhere. After capturing live footage and talking to Lov, it is easy to understand what the buzz was all about.
The other talk about Lov this year has been about her childhood. After an LA Weekly interview, it seems that every interview or write up about Lov after that interview focused heavily on it. It is not that there isn’t a story there, because Lov is a victim of childhood kidnapping. Too often with Lov this year, her childhood story was too much of the focus and her music seemed to play second fiddle.
Lov’s got quite the story in itself when it comes to her album, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming. It was originally released in spring on Nettwerk, but Lov left the label shortly thereafter. She later re-released it through Filter in August. I caught up with Sara Lov when she was in Austin and spoke with her about her live show that features a record player and what’s behind her new album.
How did it feel to play in Austin again?
Sara: I felt great. I’ve only been here with my old band, Devics.
I can’t believe it has been that long since you played in Austin. Usually indie singer-songwriters do well here and love to come tour through Austin.
Sara: I just started though as a solo artist. I was supposed to come for South By Southwest. The label I first signed with, didn’t want to pay for it so I couldn’t afford to come. I ended up leaving that label and that’s why Filter re-released my record.
How has it been for you touring as a solo artist?
Sara: Again, my solo thing is still pretty new. I just put my record out originally in April only to get it released later on in the year. All the shows I had been doing before were with a band. When I went to Europe I did it with me, a cello and a piano. I did that on the West Coast as well. I just did my first full U.S. tour as a solo artist. Since I’d open on a tour with three bands, it made sense that it would be just me. I don’t like playing by myself. I feel that I am not good enough of a guitar player. I’m more of a singer but I knew I needed the music. I was trying to figure out a way to do that and then the record player idea came up.
It was a very cool idea. I saw it and looked vintage, nothing like high end DJ turntables.
Sara: Actually, it’s not. It’s kind of a trick. Originally I really did want a vintage record player because I thought it looked cool. I almost did it because I found a guy who was going to loan me one with an XLR, which would allow it to go into the P.A. It was going to be perfect I thought. Then he told me that once he understood what I was actually trying to do, I learned that it was a bad idea. The old record players are not perfect in terms of speed. They can slow down and speed up. He told me that if I was playing an instrument to it, and if it speeds of or slows down while I was playing, it would be out of key. Plus they weren’t reliable enough to tour with. I had to use a new record player in order to get the reliability and sound quality I needed, but I didn’t want it to look like that. I ended up finding this old vintage suit case and went and had foam cut to fit in it. I traveled with a super fancy DJ record player and it traveled in a flight case. Every night I put it into the vintage suitcase. I made a hole in it so the cords can go in the back. I put some lights around it and stuff to make it look warm. In fact, I made a video about it on YouTube. It has made me a better guitar player in the sense that I have to play perfect to be on time with the record.
Has it ever skipped on you?
Sara: There were a couple funny incidences where it skipped or did weird things, but it made for a good joke on stage.
So the entire set was performed with a record player?
Sara: I had a couple of Sea Wolf’s members come out and play two songs with me. Ted, who was in Divecs with me, played bass. Lisa played piano. With them, it was like a whole new world and sounded so much better.
Let’s chat about your album, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming, for a bit. I would love to know about a couple of specific songs, starting with the song “New York”. What’s the story behind that song?
Sara: I don’t really love to talk too much about lyrics because I feel when I listen to songs, I create a story in my head and I don’t want to take that away from people. I think it builds a story for you.
Well if it is based on the stuff I read in your bio, specifically the moving around and all the difficult events in your childhood, it could be anything from that really.
Sara: It’s not an early memory. My childhood, even though it was really talked about, is not something I write about that much anymore; maybe every now and then sure. In the song “Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming” there might be hints of my past. I wrote a lot about my childhood in Divecs. I tend to write about what I’m going through so stuff is a little more current.
So then what is the meaning behind the album’s title?
Sara: For me that is basically the idea that as you get older you are trying to maintain your idealism as you let go of your innocence. It is a really easy to lose because when you’re young, everything is beautiful, exciting and brand new. As you get older and more jaded, it is harder to feel that way. When you find those moments and you feel like you are looking through young eyes again, that is what it means or is referring to.
Tell me a little something about your former band Divecs for those who don’t know.
Sara: I have been doing music for a long time. In Divecs we made five records and three EPs. We started when I was in my early twenties. We played at Emo’s in Austin with Live To Experience in 2002, if you can remember that band.
So do you think you’re childhood, other than the Divecs connection, is what drives media and fans to give you a listen?
Sara: It seems like it. That’s fine. I don’t have a problem talking about it.
Do you think after this album the questions or talk about it will fizzle away and focus on your music more?
Sara: I don’t know. To me, it’s been around so long and people are still talking about it. Maybe I’ll have a different story or tell my later in life story for my next record.
Will it be a happier record? Maybe less dark? I mean you fooled me into thinking Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming was going to be happier record based on the cover.
Sara: I did the artwork like that so it would not be so dark because I felt like the music was. I thought it brought a nice balance to it. Dark is the kind of music I make and I always have, but you never know. I don’t know if I’ll ever be happy pop songs kind of person. I like a lot of that stuff, but it isn’t what inspires me to write.
Speaking of music you listen to, what is something you haven’t told people yet or something that people might be surprised to hear?
Sara: I started out on the Beatles and Beach Boys. My first discovery was the Grease Soundtrack and Abba. That’s pretty cheesy. One of my first real loves were The Smiths.
What is it about The Smiths that speaks to you?
Sara: I was probably about fifteen years old when I got into The Smiths. At that time I thought I had an idea of what the lyrics meant, but when I got older they meant something different. I think for me it was his voice, lyrics and I got to meet Johnny Marr (Smiths/guitar) a few times.
Do you ever think of writing your own autobiography one day?
Sara: I’d like to. I thought about it a lot lately. I get so many questions. I’d like to try and I think I will. It’s just a matter of me doing it. I’d also like to write it because it will be good for me to get out. Then there’s also people getting facts wrong and when I’m read it I get frustrated. I’d have to figure out what parts to write and what not to.
Is there anything we should know about you as a solo artist that I didn’t touch upon?
Sara: I’m really into the whole YouTube thing. I have a YouTube channel because I have three amazing videos that I had amazing people help me make. One is for “A Thousand Bees”. It was done with a photographer named Noah Webb. It was his first time directing a video. We did all of it with still photographs. The other song is “New York” which was the first video I did. That’s based off my drawings and was directed by Marco Mirandi. The other video is for “Fountain” which features some amazing illustrations by my best friend, Seonna Hong. Check out the covers too that are also on there. They came from fan requests.
So does this we can expect an acoustic cover album from you in the future?
Sara: I do want to do more covers on YouTube. I still have a ton more that I want to do. I love doing other people’s songs for fun. It’s easy to do. What kept me from doing more was I started touring. If I ever did a cover album, it would be with a band.
**Currently Sara Lov is preparing for a January tour overseas in Italy to support Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming. In the meantime, check out this Double Stereo exclusive of Sara Lov performing “Touched” at Emo’s in Austin, Texas.**
Me with Death at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 in Austin, Texas
The biggest reason to be excited for me at this past Fun Fun Fun Fest was not Danzig or The Sword, but the resurrection of the iconic punk rock group Death. Seeing them live felt like being in a time warp. They were punk before punk was genre. Think Stooges getting Jimmy Hendrix as a lead singer. It's something like that. Anyway, as I was surfing around YouTube tonight I came across the live video that I have been waiting for since the festival ended. Here's the live video of Death performing "Politicians In My Eyes" at Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009.
This week on AustinVida my good friends Sarah Vasquez and Alysha Hernandez featured two great singer-songwriters, both Latino. I just wanted to share a little about these artists with you all and link you to the interviews. I do it to also show the wide variety of genres covered on Austin Vida, something I don't think anyone else really does in terms of Latino media based out of Austin.
The first interview is with Seattle based Vicci Martinez. She came through here last month sometime and performed at Momo's, a great venue for this type of genre. I got wind of her when I was reading something online one day and saw her name. Truth be told, I thought it was a friend of mine by the same name that I hadn't seen in years. I "Googled" her and came across a musician's MySpace page. Coincidentally, singer-songwriter Vicci had an Austin date on her tour schedule and the rest is history. She has a great voice, especially from someone who is so little. This girl has something. Give her a listen and check out Sarah's interview with Vicci Martinez.
Also on the singer-songwriter front this month on Austin Vida is Arthur Yoria. I have known about this dude for a while, but he hasn't blown up the spot like I think he's capable of. He is of Colombian descent but born and raised here in the U.S. He is a creative dude to say the least, but not in that weird sense where general audiences would be turned off. Some of my crew and I saw him at Momo's recently, at midnight on a Tuesday. It was the best Tuesday at midnight show I remember seeing. Yoria was like the Carrot Top of singer-songwriters, pulling out different instruments left and right.
Yoria uses some sort of music recorder mechanism that records sounds and loops that sound it records. He then creates another sound, records it and adds it to the loop. It makes him a one man band, literally. It is not something I haven't seen before, but it's been so long and the last time I saw someone do it live it didn't impress me like Yoria did. Watch this video all the way through to get the idea.
Click the link below to read the Arthur Yoria interview by Alysha Hernandez on Austin Vida:
If you like what you hear, please check out the links on Austin Vida. While Vicci Martinez doesn't have anything on the books for Austin anytime soon, Yoria will be here again in December. See the article for details.
Mike Herrera is known to most people as the bassist and frontman of the popular punk band MxPx. What many still don’t know is that Herrera is also an avid classic country music fan. He has been writing country songs with his own style and twist for many years now. It warms my heart to know that I'm not the only punk-rock lover who enjoys classic country.
With Tumbledown, Herrera fronts a new group of musicians from his home town of Bremerton, Washington, while being signed to an Austin-based record label called End Sounds. Herrera toured with Tumbledown recently, which included a stop in Austin. We caught up with Herrera at Emo’s and chatted with him in his tour van while he restrung his guitar. Apparently, the show in San Antonio the night before was a little crazy and all hell wasn’t the only thing that broke.
Click to read the full interview with Mike Herrera here:
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.
