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.
Tactics is the side project of Brett Thorne and Ross Bennet from Zlam Dunk. I saw this video online today from their first show back in December at Mohawk. Damn I wish I would have gone. Not only were they playing on the same bill as This Will Destroy You (f*cking epic!) but Tactics actually sounds good. I need a record and to check them out.
In the interest of full disclosure, Brett Thorne is a friend of mine. That being said, our friendship has zero influence on my opinions of the bands he plays in. In fact, if I thought they sucked I'd have a blast teasing him about it. Trust me, I would and I'd be really mean.
Tactics perform at Beauty Bar tonight. Click here for the details.
All you Latino hipsters and cumbia lovers should be pretty excited about this one. The Argentinian DJ collective known as ZZK will be making a tour stop in Austin this Sunday, August 15, at Beauty Bar. Dance music lovers, Latin music lovers and anyone looking for something cool and different will love these dudes. They mash cumbias and electronic dance music with traditional South American sounds we can all get down to. I first heard about them last year when they had an album on Nacional Records. Going on their own now, these DJs keep on truckin' and are making rare stateside appearances in different cities as we speak.
Arrive at 8:00pm and be ready to party all night. Dress for photos, as all the hipster photographers and photo bloggers will be out in full force. Admission is $7 but you can get in for $5 if you RSVP here. Local support comes from the Latin DJ team, Peligrosa All-Stars. I mean really, what else are you going to do that's cooler than this on a Sunday night? You better call in Monday or tell your boss you're coming in late.
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.
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:
One of the coolest people I met recently, Jennifer Leduc, is also one of Austin's biggest music supporters. When I saw her around at shows, I assumed she was media as she was always out at a lot of the same shows my crew and I were at. She's not media actually, but that's also refreshing. She has the right idea about how to be an "Austinite". If you live here, you should be at live shows as much as you can. It is only fit she gets a bad ass birthday bash at Beauty Bar with one of Austin's better indie bands, Stereo Is A Lie. Check out this video by my friend Ajay Miranda, whom I always credit for introducing me to this band. See flier for show details.
Austin indie rockers, Frantic Clam, will be playing their EP release show at Beauty Bar Thursday night. The EP is serving as a teaser EP for an upcoming album entitled Lolita. Perhaps some of you got a chance to check out these guys during Free Week. My apologies go out to Frantic Clam as they were one of the few bands I missed. However, I will be checking them out Thursday night as should you.
There are plenty of other reasons to head to Beauty Bar, like FREE COVER before 10pm and FREE Treaty Oak rum starting at 10pm. Bands supporting Frantic Clam on this bill include Motel Aviv, The Pons, Candi and the Strangers and DJ Czech One. For you hipster types who love photo booths, there will be some of that too on hand provided by Trevor Ray Thompson. I'll be there for the music thanks.
Here's a little taste of Frantic Clam for you...a little something I found on YouTube.
For more on Frantic Clam, visit them on Double Stereo here. Full line up details and a discounted cover available on Do512 here.
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?
I give full credit to my good friend and partner in crime, Ajay Miranda, for this one. Stereo Is A Lie is pretty good band that grows on me the more I hear them. Playing along side New Roman Times, She Sir and The Strange Attractors is a great way to get selected as my Wednesday Free Week pick amongst everything else great going on. This band kind of came out of IV Thieves, whom I saw a few years ago at a Roller Derby match of all places. Glynn Wedgewood fronts this semi-new band at Beauty Bar Wednesday night, so fans of IV Thieves who want some more Wedgewood can get their fix for FREE. Check them out here on this 'Nites video where I first saw Stereo Is A Lie:
New Roman Times and The Strange Attractors are also really good bands worth seeing on their own, much less together for Free.For indie lovers and Austin bloggers, this is your ideal showcase. Even I have to tip my hat to whomever booked this as it is the best overall bill of the night. Oh, and Beauty Bar is a good spot despite the uber hipstery clientele. It's only supposed to be around 56 degrees so don't be afraid to leave the house and take advantage of Free Week. Here's some more quick video goodness for you of New Roman Times from their in-store at Waterloo Records.
That's right! After a year of working our asses off to make Austin Vida what is today, we're throwing a party to celebrate. We hooked up with local Latin music experts, Conexion Rockera, to bring you some of the best from Austin's Latin music scene. I couldn't be happier with the line up we were able to put together for this one. Everyone of these artists will have people dancing and partying all night long. You're all invited if you're over 21. We don't do this often, but when we do, we plan on doing it big and doing it right. Here's some info about the performing artists.
Maneja Beto:
Maneja Beto is one of my personal favorites. Why these dudes never got picked up by a major label is beyond me. No one sounds like them. I can't really compare them to anyone you'd know other than maybe telling you they are sort of this unique hybrid or fusion band along the same lines as Cafe Tacvba or Aterciopelados. The genre they kind of go by and I use also is indie en Espanol. They fuse Brit-pop, indie, jazz, traditional Latin percussion, cumbias and lately some funk even. They recently released their latest single, "Ofrendas", and plan on releasing one single per month. I'll make sure to keep you posted. I'm stoked they agreed to headline our showcase, as they represent the standard in Latin Alternative coming from Austin.
El Tule:
El Tule has been playing in Austin for around six years or so now, and now is the time to see them live. I don't think I wold have said that two years ago. I am not saying that to BS anyone, but they've gotten so much better live this past year. I am not sure what it is attributed to, but I think it is because they picked up the tempo and ditched the whole Latin reggae thing. When I saw them at Xemumba Fest in October, I was shocked and impressed. Their new album, Volumen II, was just released last week.
Did I mention that these dudes are mostly white dudes? Including the lead singer? You'd have a hard time finding someone more Mexicano that John Dell. His border Spanish is better than your high school Spanish II level education. He gets down too, trust me. He can have my brown card anytime. Like Asher Roth, Eminem or even Channing Tatum, he too proves being white is no longer an excuse not to get down. If only there were more people like you John Dell...
Este Vato:
Este Vato, translated "this dude', is one of the best new up and comers in the Austin music scene. I swear they came out of no where. I didn't even knew they existed last year. I first saw them at Trophy's in February. I remember my friends and Austin Vida crew members, Angela and Mari, went with me that night. We were all surprised that Este Vato were as good as they were. We expected worse to be honest. Is that fair to say? Probably not, but I'm just being honest with you here.
When Chano came took the mic and started rapping, I was like "aawwww shit!". He sure did. They play with a live DJ, drawing comparisons to Ozomatli or being called a young Ozomatli. I wouldn't go that far yet, but the potential is certainly there if these young vatos keep at it. I dig their cumbia stylings and overall swag.With their debut album in the works, expect big things for Este Vato in 2010. More importantly, I expect to
be getting down with Este Vato on December 19th at The Beauty Bar.
DJ Chorizo Funk:
The showcase starts at 9:00pm with DJ Chorizo Funk (love that name!) spinning to get the party started. With a name like that, you know he's a bad ass. He has to be. I have to also give "kudos" to The Beauty Bar for letting us put on an all Latino showcase. Usually bands like Este Vato and Maneja Beto have to play with non-Latin bands in order to play a show there. Maybe it is because that is how the individual promoter has been booking shows with those artists, I don't know. Either way, it has been a long time since I remember seeing an all local Latino band showcase there. I hope to see you all there. All are welcome. It's only $5 to get in if you're 21 or older. Feel free to send me an email with any questions. Thanks for all your support, for reading my blog, Double Stereo and Austin Vida.
I have no intention of going out tonight as I have been feeling under the weather since yesterday, but you should go out. If you're not going to see Charanga Cakewalk at Momo's, then you should head over to the uber hipster hangout known as the Beauty Bar for some drinks and dancing with DJ Scorpio and friends. I'll post some links for you to check out, but do check out the poster collection these dudes have using old vintage soft core images. I love their posters, easily the best in town.
EZ Action Tuesdays info:
Location: Beauty Bar, 617 E. 7th right by the I-35 Bridge and Red 7.
Hosted by DJ Scorpio, featuring DJ Trey Lopez and DJ Czech 1. Get there at 10 and stay until 2. Dance to some underground glam and dance music. Drink Lone Star and forget about working Wednesday morning.
Never in my life did I ever think I would ever get to see Hip Hip pioneer and legend Afrika Bambaataa. I thought I missed that chance as I was too young and didn't live in a major Hip Hop mecca like New York City. Well this past Sunday my luck changed. Thanks to a local email list I subscribe to, Do512, I was lucky enough to check out Bambaata over at Beauty Bar on 7th.
For those that don't know, Afrika Bambaataa is a Hip Hop legend best known for being part of the Zulu Nation and such hits like "Planet Rock" and "Looking For the Perfect Beat". If you do a Google image search you'll see him in really eccentric costumes, which he was also known for. Every real Hip Hop fan, B-boy, B-girl, hipster, scenester, dance music lover and their mom knows of Afrika Bambaataa. I had heard that he did DJ sets every now and then at various spots. Again, I was just surprised he came to Austin on a Sunday night. Then again I'm not surprised. That's Austin for you folks. That's the kind of scene and vibe this city has....one of the main reasons I love it here.
Starlynx and D.J. Dojo, according to the show flyer, were responsible for putting the show on. It turns out that D.J. Dojo is DJ Manny and DJ Big Face's record store on Sout h 1st. I had the privilege of meeting DJ Manny in May at an M.E. Live! taping. He was kicking it with Nortec Collective as they were both performing at the first annual Pachanga Festival. Well, here he was again with his DJ and business partner DJ Big Face at Beauty bar before the AfrikaBambaataa set. DJ Manny, being the down to earth and the cool dude that he is recognized me and thanked me for coming. As you can see from the picture, him and Big Face are both pretty animated dudes. The camera you see there was connected to a projector for them to project images on the wall while they do their set. It really adds to their show and is really cool in a dark setting. Their two man, DJ team set included some old school hip hop (of course) and some good electronic beats and rhythms.
Manny and Big Face wrapped up around midnight and did a good job getting the crowd dancing and ready for Bambaataa. What's funny is I was expecting Bambaataa to be in the same area DJ Manny was in, but he was in the DJ booth at the other end of Beauty Bar. I still made my way up to the front of the booth which was conveniently located by the bar (mmm...Lone Star). As he started spinning, me and everyone else went crazy. He spun some old school hip hop and I even remember so old school Luther Vandros in the set. I believe it was "All My Love", but the alcohol clouded my memory at that point. Plus, this wasn't the usual show where the artist or band performs and either I sit and watch or am fighting a crowd in mosh pit. This was a dance party. I was dancing my ass off getting sweaty, as it was crowded and humid Sunday night. I could literally ring my t-shirt out with sweat and I came home tired and worn out. Check out a shot I took of the crowd at Beauty Bar during the set. The crowd was your typical Beauty Bar crowd: eclectic, all races and all scenes represented including hipster kids, B-boys, and everything in between. Sunday night with Afrika Bambaataa was in my mind, what early Hip Hop pioneers envisioned for Hip Hop. Hip Hop would be a way to unite everyone regardless of crowd and age, class or race, and make them feel good together. Thanks to Starlynx and Beauty Bar for hooking this whole thing up and giving me one of my best memories yet.
When you see an Afrika Bambaataa DJ set, you just get down crazy (as in dance a lot). Something takes over you and you feel like it's the early 1980s all over again, when Hip Hop was fun and new. Hip Hop is alive and well in Austin, even though it isn't what we are really known for.
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.
