Red River Noise is now Backbeat Magazine

Yes folks, it is true. I decided to post this video because I am still getting emails and questions about my involvement with Backbeat Magazine and what's happening with Red River Noise. I made this announcement officially at Club de Ville on July 1st. Red River Noise merged with Backbeat Magazine from San Antonio. We will not only be writing for the Backbeat Austin print edition, but also online when we launch the new website. We are currently working on launching that this summer. The first issue drops today at our Block Party on 7th. I can't wait for you all to see it. Click here for the Block Party details.

(7/9) Backbeat Magazine Block Party

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.

(6/22) Preview: Suzanna Choffel at Blues On The Green

One of my absolute favorite Austin artists is Suzanna Choffel. Sorry to say this folks, but she is way too good to be local. Count your blessings that she is and that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to see her live. She often gets compared to Nelly Furtado because she does sound like her, but Choffel is more bluesy and soulful.

Listen: "Muerta" EP by The Boxing Lesson

The Boxing Lesson are Austin's self-proclaimed "space rockers" that have been flooding my inbox for the past few years thanks to a relentless work ethic and a nose to the grind publicist. They are more of a psychedelic rock band than anything, but they do incorporate electronic elements into their music. They also do a good job incorporating progressive rock breakdowns. Lastly, lead singer Paul Waclawsky looks like he's the lost older brother of actor Ryan Reynolds.

Listen: "Trashcan USA" by A Giant Dog

A Giant Dog are one of many talented garage rock bands based here in Austin. They perform tomorrow (4/1) at Club de Ville at 7:00pm. Like with many local bands here in Austin, there is always a struggle to get people's attention in this crowded field of local talent and of course the constant stream of popular touring acts.

Since Red River Noise is a media sponsor for the showcase tomorrow, I thought I'd shed a little bit more light on the night's headliner. Listen to A Giant Dog's new EP Trashcan USA below:



For more details, visit our preview on Red River Noise here.

(8/14) Preview: Mother Falcon at The Parish

Mother Falcon has been on my list of bands to see here in Austin for a long time, but I have to be in the mood to see something really relaxing in order to see them. When I go see a show, I usually need that live show experience to amp me up and get my blood flowing. If you read any of my online publications, you know that I always go see the hard stuff live and the listen to the slow stuff I review at home. I may make an exception Thursday night as this will be the last chance I have to see Mother Falcon before I start work for the fall semester.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mother Falcon, they are orchestral indie collective of young musicians. When I mean collective, I mean collective. Here is the list of members and which instruments they play:

Laura Andrade - Cello
Rita Andrade - Viola
Italo Benavides - Cello
Diana Burgess - Cello
Kira Bordelon - Violin
Clara Brill - Violin
Nick Calvin - Cello
Maurice Chammah - Violin
Yun Du - Violin
Nick Gregg - Vocals, Cello, Mandolin, Guitar
Austin Harris - Violin
Tamir Kalifa - Vocals, Accordion
Matt Krolick - Trumpet
Gilman Lykken - Bassoon
Josh Newburger - Violin
Claire Puckett - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Matt Puckett - Vocals, Saxophone, Glockenspiel
Luke Stence - Bass
Isaac Winburne - Saxophone, Percussion, Piano

I often describe them to folks as sort of a young Balmorhea. These kids are amazing musicians and The Parish really is the ideal venue for them. The Parish has the sound, lighting and aesthetics suited for a small orchestra. Catching them Thursday night would also be good because they may be performing new songs off their new album they are currently recording. I'm looking forward to hearing it whenever it does come out. This Thursday's show is also the last show with their original line up. To get a better idea of what Mother Falcon looks and sounds like, watch this live video clip of them performing at Mohawk.




Doors are at 7:00pm. Advance tickets for this show are not available. Admission is $8 at the door. All ages are welcome. Also on the bill with Mother Falcon are Battle Bend and Little Lo. For complete details, visit The Parish online here. 

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.

Red River Noise presents: Tornahdo, The Paper Shapes & They Mean Us at Beauty Bar

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.


Untitled from THEYMEANUS on Vimeo.

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:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134552089891397&ref=mf

(5/4/10) Cuatro De Mayo at Momo's

Before this Tuesday's Cinco de Mayo partying begins, there's a pretty damn good show happening at Momo's on Tuesday you need to catch. Two of Austin's best young bands, La Guerrilla and Este Vato, will be performing for a special edition of their regular World Music Nights. Both bands released their debut CDs this year and are great party bands.

Album Review: Vinyl Dharma EP

Vinyl Dharma is a five-piece indie-electro outfit from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas but has called Austin home for the past few years. After making an immediate entrance into the Live Music Capital’s local scene and capturing national attention on MTV2, Vinyl Dharma recently released what may be the best EP the Austin indie music scene has yet to embrace. The six-song, self-titled EP may be Austin’s best kept secret.

Read the full review here on Austin Vida.

Pachanga Fest 2010 line up & artists to watch

So this year's Pachanga Fest line up was announced this week and I liked what I saw. It is now a two day festival, taking place on May 21st and May 22nd. They kept the variety of musical genres that they have always had since the festival's inception in 2008. Other than it being a celebration of Latino musicians, that variety of genres is what makes Pachanga one of my favorite music festivals. There really is something for everyone, not just Latinos.

2/22/10 Free Show with Downtown Rulers Club at Continental Gallery

 

Alex Chavez of Dowtown Rulers Club

Two weeks ago I went up to the Continental Gallery on South Congress to checkout Downtown Rulers Club, the soul side project of Maneja Beto's lead singer Alex Chavez. It was the first time I have ever heard him sing anything non-Latin and in English. The dude is good. He got soul and so do his bandmates: Christopher Grady on bass, Jeremy Bruch on drums and Beto Martinez on guitar. All four members play for bands or artists you might recognize including Brownout and What Made Milwaukee Famous. 

Downtown Rulers Club is a semi-new new band and looking for a good spot for a weekly residency. Their show Monday night is free. They play at 9:30pm and put on a good show. That Continental Gallery space is small but has a good vibe to it. It is not The Continental but the second floor loft next to the tattoo place and The Continental Club. Check it out for free and have a good time listening to music that your momma would love. 

Visit the Downtown Rulers Club on Facebook here: Downtown Rulers Club Fan Page

2/13 Weekend Show Pick: White Denim at Antone's

 

What more do you need to know? Oh wait, there is more. If you are on of the first 200 people to RSVP on Do512, you can win tickets and maybe even a VIP table for four. If you've never seen White Denim live or heard their music, time to get with the program. These dudes rock. I'm so glad they are playing Antone's because the sound and lighting are always good. Good for White Denim. 

WHITE DENIM - Shake Shake Shake from ACIDBIRD on Vimeo.

Like what you hear? RSVP on Do512 here:

http://do512.com/event/2010/02/13/white-denim-w-tba

New Strange Boys Video for "Be Brave"

Austin's garage rock darlings, The Strange Boys, released their new music video for their first single off the upcoming album entitled Be Brave. That's also the title track for the single.

Now I haven't been up on the blogosphere recently as I have been swamped with Austin Vida stuff, but I'm sure I'm not the first blog to post this video. The Strange Boys are a "blogger" band, but deserve all the recognition they get despite that. The last time I saw these dudes was at Fun Fun Fun Fest. The new single sounds like everything you'd expect from the The Strange Boys, but that's not a bad thing. Check it out:



The Strange Boys will be peforming at Emo'son February 19th before going on tour. They will be back for SXSW and then tour some more. mark your calendars.

1/23/10 Saturday show pick: Vallejo at Saxon Pub

Austin rockers, Vallejo, will be releasing their new Acoustica album this Saturday night at Saxon Pub. In case you hadn't really seen the poster above, you get a free CD with admission. How cool is that? More bands should do that. If you don't make it out Saturday, then Acoustica will be available to the public on the 26th. I know this isn't going to be all the blogger buzz, but anyone interested in Austin music and its history should check out Vallejo at least once as a right of passage.


Vallejo - Move On from Jeff Ray on Vimeo.

Win free tickets to see Morakestra from Austin Vida

My Austin Vida crew and I are giving away two tickets to this show. If you haven't checked out Morakestra and are an indie lover, it's time to get with the program. Details HERE.

1/16/10 Saturday Night Show Pick: Riverboat Gamblers & Ume at Red 7

With a Saturday full of great choices, it is only fit that my Saturday show pick is the one show with two big local heavy hitters in two different genres. Saturday night at Red 7, both Ume and The Riverboat Gamblers (RBG) take the stage. Both are headliners in their own genres, Ume being the indie headliner and RBG the punk rock headliner. When I saw this one come to my inbox, it didn't matter what else was going on that night. Only a Rage Against The Machine or At The Drive In reunion featuring all original members could steal this Red River thunder. 

Many of you caught Ume during Free Week I'm sure, or have seen them before as they are an Austin blogger darling. Unlike most "blogger bands", Ume is worth some buzz. I am not as into them as many of the blogosphere is, but I dig their live show. I even own their Sunshower EP, which is worth picking up at the show Saturday. Check out Ume here in their official video for "The Conductor" which is on their EP.



Now while Ume is all the buzz and everything, I'm sold on tomorrow's show because I'm a huge Riverboat Gamblers fan. I last saw them in November at Fun Fun Fun Fest, but without guitarist Ian Macdougall on every song. A few of their friends and old members filled in for him. He was in a bad accident that had his arm in a cast. According to the band's MySpace and an article on Austin 360, MacDougall is ready to go. The whole band in fact, is ready to go on this summer's Warped Tour. They will be on the entire tour representing Austin, Texas punk rock once again and I couldn't be happier about it. Catch The Riverboat Gamblers now while they are in town. Check out their latest music video for "DissDissDissKissKissKiss" off their soon to be Red River classic, Underneath The Owl.



Also playing before Ume and RBG are Austin bands The Altars and Shapes Have Fangs. Get there early as this show will sell out.

I love you Free Week, but now I'm tired...

Man oh man, am I sleepy. For the past ten days in Austin, my Red River cohorts and I have been venue hoping all over downtown for Free Week. With Beauty Bar and The Parish participating in Free Week this year, there was even more to check out. It was fun to see some of my favorite local bands I usually pay to see and to check out some new bands I had yet to check out live.

I didn't go out every night of the week, but almost all. I was glad to see people come out despite the cold weather. After talking to random strangers, old friends I hadn't seen in a while and eaves dropping people's conversations, I learned that a lot of people were really excited about what they were hearing. I only hope that their excitement carries over throughout all of 2010. As much as I love to go check out major touring acts, which I do regularly, there is just something special about seeing a good Austin based band. It is as if our local bands are only for us cool Austin kids and no one else. Some may call it snobby or pretentious, but Austin has the best local scene in the world.

So which band did I "discover" or check out for the first time? Well I liked a young band called In Situ Sound and finally got to see Haunting Oboe Music for the first time. Sadly enough, they will be playing their last show soon from what I'm hearing. Bummer. Other than that, 2010 is off to a good start.

Here's one of the clips I captured on my new toy. It features The White White Lights, a cool indie band with a foxy lead singer and killer guitar player. She even wished David Bowie a Happy Birthday. I just wonder which Bowie she was talking about. Was it Ziggy Stardust Bowie?

1/7/10 Thursday Free Week Pick: Suzanna Choffel at The Parish

Suzanna Choffel in shiny pants (photo by Todd Wolfson)

In the midst of all the A-List Red River bands playing tonight, there is a special treat happening tonight at The Parish. Tonight one of my absolute favorite local artists, Suzanna Choffel, ventures out of Momo's for once to play a venue on 6th. Not only that, it's a Free Week show! For those of you who are too cool to venture off Red River, drop the ego and head to The Parish where it's warm.

I have had the opportunity and privilege of seeing Choffel many times as she is an Austin music staple. She is a great live performer and her style mixes jazz, folk, world music sounds and even R&B. I don't know what color her eyes are, but she is what they refer to as "blue eyed soul". Often compared to Nelly Furtado, Choffel has wide appeal and enough edge for Red River. So after the Longhorns stick it to those 'Bama girls, bundle up and head to The Parish. For those outside of Austin or those not yet familiar with Choffel because you live under a rock, check out the following clip from M.E. Television. Thank me later.



Also at The Parish tonight is Sounds Under Radio, which is a decent radio-rock band with hint of ambient indie. We're talking lots of crunchy guitar riffs, spacey noises, floating notes and heavy bass lines. You may want to hang out after Choffel is done, especially since it is free and warm.

1/5/10 Tuesday Free Week Pick: Cruiserweight at Red 7

Cruiserweight photo by Wylie Maercklein

Tuesday will take me to Austin's best hardcore venue, Red 7, for a pretty good pop-punk show of all things. A genre that really blew up in the '90s and got mainstream in the early part of the previous decade, pop-punk had a real strong hold in Austin a few years ago it seemed. Bands like Dynamite Boy, Riddlin' Kids and Tuesday's headliner, Cruiserweight, were a big part of that movement. Around ten years later, when all those other bands they played with in those days are making their reunion show circuit, Cruiserweight have sustained.

It is really refreshing to me that they have sustained. In a day where most local blogger blow hards and snobby Austin music media fail to acknowledge the relevance or existence of pop-punk, Cruiserweight remains. When I see them live now a days, I see myself in their young teen and early twenty-something fans. I was around that age when I first saw them live. Those same young teens and early twenty-somethings make me feel really old when I catch their shows now, but there are always a few old fans my age hanging around to make me feel less cool. I'm also glad to see front woman, Stella Maxwell, still battles on the dance floor at the end of every set. She hasn't lost a step or her passion. If you've never seen them live, you're missing out. You'll see me there as I'll be the old guy who knows the words to most, if not all, of their songs.

I'll be talking about Cruiserweight more later I'm sure, so I'll save my rants, raves and odes to Cruiserweight for another day and an actual publiction. I know they have yet another new record in the works, so maybe they will perform some of those. I'm crossing my fingers that they are. What I will bet the house on is that they play the following classics I've posted below. If you have never seen or heard of Cruiserweight, then I strongly encourage you to watch and listen to both as well as check them out for free on Tuesday night.

"Cautionary Tale" off their album This Undoubtedly Come Out Wrong




"Yellow Lights" off their album This Undoubtedly Come Out Wrong



Playing before Cruiserweightwill be The Anchor and Buffalo's own Lemuria who are on tour. Oh and I almost forgot, O'Pioneers. They are one of my favorite post-rock or post-punk bands (depending on who you ask) that I saw for the first time in 2008 when they opened for Less Than Jake. Get to Red 7 at 9:00pm so you can find parking and absorb it all.