(10/22) Texas Soul Revue at Ruta Maya

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:

Weekend Preview: Fresh Millions at The Parish

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.

Can't Stop Thinking About Zlam Dunk!

I saw Zlam Dunk last night at The Parish. They opened up for Bright Light Social Hour. Talk about a killer line up! Zlam Dunk is one of my favorite local bands, local being out of San Marcos as they are Texas State students. Their fans are loyal, enthusiastic and wild. It totally reflects the spirit of the band. If I were a 20-something student, I'd want to be in that band. I'd want to be the hype man with the mic and tamborine. He looks like he has fun.

1/4/10 Monday Free Week Pick: Head Panic at Red 7

Monday night is the first night that will bring me to Red 7, Austin's premiere hardcore venue. With nothing else that really interests me anywhere else Monday night, an old local punk rock favorite of mine headlines. Austin's own punk rock outfit, Head Panic, is a great band for punk rock lovers to check out. I admit I haven't seen them in over a year. The last time was at Room 710, may it rest in peace. I reviewed their album, America, on cdFuse in 2008 before it made the change to Double Stereo. It was one of the better, lesser known punk releases of 2008.

Fronted by the talented Phil Bracey, Head Panic is a punk band with a bi-coastal sound that incorporates dub, hardcore and ska. They sound like a '90s punk band actually, which is a good or bad thing depending on your personal tastes. They don't have huge mohawks or skinny jeans. They probably fall somewhere in between which makes them approachable to all sorts of punk fans. They are both political and fun, while always being a good live band to see. I don't think they have taken off locally they way I thought they would, but then again they do their fare share of touring regionally and nationally. Most of the shows I caught from them were at head Hunter's and Room 710. I hope they move into the bigger Red 7 level gigs that enable them to open for bigger touring acts so more people can get exposed to them. Check out this cool widget that has some of their music on it and give them a listen. If you like what you hear, head to Red 7 Monday night and enjoy Free Week.