Friday Night Local Show Pick: Subrosa Union

With lots of big national touring acts coming through Austin all the time, it is easy to overlook good local talent. It isn't right, but it happens. With so much going tonight and tomorrow for Halloween, I just wanted to shed some light on an affordable show with a good local band. Tonight after new rock Gods, Wolfmother, there's an after show inside Stubb's. After all the "Cosmic Egg" craziness is over, chill out and relax to the dub-reggae sounds of Subrosa Union. 

I have seen Subrosa Union several times by default, meaning they opened or played a show I was at for someone else. Shame on me, I know. An Austin staple, by way of El Paso, Subrosa Union single handedly holds it down for the dub-reggae genre here locally. Not since The Long beach All Stars can I say I have really enjoyed a new dub-reggae band. In the mainstream, I think that genre fell off after Sublime wasn't around anymore. I even remember seeing some cool bands like them in the '90s on The Warped Tour. My how times change I guess, but good for Subrosa Union for keeping it alive and doing it well.

Check out this video by Austin Vida from earlier this year and give them a listen for yourself. 

Austin Vida Live: Subrosa Union from Austin Vida on Vimeo.

Concert details: Show at midnight, Stubb's indoor, 801 Red River, Free with Wolfmother ticket stub, $6 w/o ticket stub

Album Review: 'Colour' by Latin Bitman

Nacional Records recording artist and Chilean mix master, Latin Bitman, recently released his follow up album to his critically acclaimed debut entitled Colour. Multi-lingual, upbeat and funky, Colour feels too summery to be a fall record. None the less, it may just be what you need to warm up your iPod or morning commute. Every influence of Colour comes from someplace tropical like Puerto Rico, Jamaica or Brazil. What’s cool about Colour is that it is more international club versus being something too world music section, which makes it accessible to broader audiences.

Read the full review here on Austin Vida

Album Review: Blow Up by Bomba Estereo

Nacional Records recording artist, Bomba Estereo, is a five piece Colombian Reggae Fusion band. Their latest release, Blow Up, is a unique collective of different Latin and Afro Caribbean sounds. It is difficult to make comparisons off hand because not a lot of bands, other than Todos Tus Muertos or perhaps The B-Side Players, are in this genre. With all the different sounds and influences involved in Blow Up, it may appear on paper to be an unorganized, chaotic listening experience. Somehow Bomba Estereo make it all come together and make it a good fit for the vocal stylings of Li Saumet.

Click here to read the full review on Austin Vida

Album Review: IV By The Aggrolites

The Aggrolites are an awesome Reggae fusion band from Los Angles whom I have been a fan of for a few years now. They have come around to Austin to play The Flamingo Cantina on multiple occasions and also to play South By Southwest. They are always a great live band and their albums are good enough to listen to all the way through. Their new release, IV, is even more of the high quality I expect from them but with more songs.

Click here to read the full review on Double Stereo