One of my favorite artists, Justin Townes Earle, is releasing a new album on September 14th. Titled Harlem River Blues, it will be available on Bloodshot Records. I hope they make this available in vinyl. His records are like warm , satisfying cup of coffee on a cool night. You''d be hard up to find a better Americana singer-songwriter these days. I can't wait to get my hands on it and see him in concert again in Austin.
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.
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.
