Dignan on Sunday

One of the best bands to come out of the Rio Grande Valley, Dignan, is coming back to Austin tomorrow for a show at Mohawk with Farewell Flight. I saw these guys at Pachanga Fest in 2009 and again at Emo's last fall. They are the real deal in the uber-indie world, one of the few I actually like. Go see them.

(8/15) Hipspanic goodness with ZZK at Beauty Bar

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.

(7/18) Pack Of Wolves at Mohawk

Metal at Mohawk? Yup. That's not a misprint. You were thinking it should have said Red 7 right? Me too but it is indeed Mohawk. I'm glad to see the indie heavy venue get a little "heavier" for this one. Anytime you have Pack Of Wolves, you have a solid line up and a damn good Sunday night show. What else are you going to listen to after church right? Check out this epic music video from Pack Of Wolves:



Mohawk is located at 912 Red River between 9th and 10th street. Also on the bill are Burials and Curse The Heavens (Manchurian Candidate anyone?). Get there at 10:00pm and bring some cash to pick up some vinyl. Support Austin's metal scene.

Mini-cam Fun: Authority Zero, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Left Alone and Thieves

This past Sunday night was crazy on Red River. There was this big Adult Swim party-carnival-concert thing happening. When I arrived downtown it felt like a Saturday night. I wasn't there for any of that though. That's stuff isn't for me. I was there to see a punk rock show, a damn good one at Emo's indoor. Playing were Thieves (local opener), Left Alone, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Authority Zero. I captured some cool clips from my mini-cam. Here are some clips in order the bands appeared. Check them out.

RX Bandits, The Builders and The Butchers & Zechs Marquise at Emo's

Before all the festival madness starts, let's not forget that this is Austin, Texas and we have awesome live shows happening everyday. I mean, we have a plethora of local talent and killer touring acts coming through everyday of the year it seems. This week, even before the storm that is SXSW next week, comes one of the best shows of the year thus far. On Sunday, March 14th, Emo's is the place to be.

1/3/10 Sunday Free Week Pick: Quiet Company & The Boxing Lesson at Emo's

I almost hate making this show as my Sunday Free Week pick, but I couldn't help it. Both Quiet Company and The Boxing Lesson are what my friends and I refer to as "blogger bands". Every hack job of a blog in Austin has mentioned both bands periodically last year, but in this case the coverage or mention is well deserved. Both bands, while on the same bill, are completely different. They couldn't be more different actually.

Quiet Company is a young Ben Folds Five style indie band, some even referred to them as a "piano rock band". While they do have a piano and it is prominent in their music, I don't see them as a piano rock band. They are like a indie pop band for adults. They have intelligent lyrics, take their music seriously and an obvious desire to "make it". They've played a lot around town and regionally this year, improving every step of the way. I saw them in spring, summer and fall in 2009. They were their best in the fall, which is no surprise. Their most recent album, Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon, is a good album. I only really loved a couple of songs on it, but I can see why people like it. As with many bands, seeing them live is the way to go. Seeing them for free is the best way to go fro new fans or casual listeners. To give people who are new to Quiet Company an idea of what I just wrote, here's their video for my favorite Quiet Company song,"It's Better To Spend Money Like There's No Tomorrow". I dig the Iggy Pop sounding, "Lush For Life" intro.



Also on the bill for this Free Week show at Emo's is Austin's most blogged about psychedelic indie band, The Boxing Lesson.This band grew on me last year. They were talked about so much on the local blogosphere, largely in part to the arrest of their drummer at the time and because they have one hell of a publicist. Now they don't even have a drummer, their down to just two. If you are just seeing this band for the first time, notice how lead singer Paul Waclawsky looks like an older, bearded Ryan Reynolds. 

I reviewed their album, Wild Streaks and Windy Days, on Double Stereo and was only mildly satisfied with what I heard. Like the Quiet Company album, there were only two songs I liked enough to keep in my iPod. That being said, I enjoyed them a lot more live than on CD. Somehow they managed to open for a lot of headlining touring acts I checked out and I saw them five times. I never left the room during their set except maybe if the bar or bathroom was outside. Something kept my attention, maybe the synthesizer sounds. I do dig synths. Check them out live Sunday and maybe you can tell me what it is. For those not familiar with The Boxing Lesson, check out their video for "Brighter" off of Wild Streaks and Windy Days.
 


Also on the bill for this great Sunday night Free Week show are Corto Maltese and Many Birthdays. Doors are at 9:00pm. Enjoy the show.

12/7 Monday Night Show Pick: Quiet Company at The Parish

Monday night at The Parish, one of Austin's best sounding venues, will be one of the most interesting shows of the winter season to say the least. Headlining will be Austin's piano-indie rockers, Quiet Company. They are one of the better local talents not signed to a major label. They have really come up and worked their asses off to build their name this year. I reviewed their album, Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon, earlier in the year and enjoyed it despite it not falling in my usual realm of taste. Often compared to the likes of Ben Folds Five, Quiet Company has the potential to be nationally well known. Their music is hip enough for you to like but approachable enough for the JB and Sandy audiences of Mix 94.7. What will determine whether or not they are the real deal or not is their next record. That will say not only to me, but to the world, whether they are capable of sustaining in the long haul. I saw them live recently at Beerland and enjoyed their set. Based on that and their album, my guess is that they will only evolve and get better. Check them out now before their cover charge goes up.

Playing with Quiet Company are two touring acts, both in the realms of a teen market. In fact, I'd be so inclined to label both groups "Disney Rock". I couldn't listen to either Frank and Derol or Windsor Drive very long, but each do have their own interesting stories. I'll break down each group briefly for you.

First, Windsor Drive is a Houston based band that originally from Wisconsin. They are touring to support their latest EP, Bridges. They have pretty much lived on the road since they started as a band, building their name that way. Their sound is very poppy, but mature considering these dudes are young. If music got movie ratings, they'd be PG....maybe even G. There's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone has to be too cool for school or so angsty. Middle America needs something to listen to, along with young teens and tweens. Their music is so ABC Family and Disney movie ready. If I had kids, I'd let them listen to Windsor Drive. Look at these guys; they even look nice and safe.

Speaking of Disney and ABC Family, that brings me to Frank and Derol. These three beautiful young ladies have an entertainment background of sorts. Right off the bat when you read the band's bios, you'll see the last name "Cyrus". The older half-sister to Mylie Cyrus, Brandi Cyrus, plays guitar and sings in Frank and Derol.

Frank and Derol

The other entertainment link is actress, Megan Park. I was already familiar with Park, as she co-stars on the ABC Family series Secret Life of the American Teenager. Before you go judging me for watching it, know it was the Molly Ringwald factor that drew me in. That may date me a little, but so be it. Ringwald plays the mother on the show, but I even that couldn't keep me watching it. It was too sex obsessed and cheesy. Megan Park plays the role of Grace Bowman, a young Christian girl who wants to wait until marriage and have sex then screws her football player boyfriend. Afterwards, her dad dies and she blames herself, yada yada yada. That's when I stopped watching. Anyway, Park sings and plays synthesizers in Frank and Derol.

I feel bad for the third wheel, I mean member, of Frank and Derol. Codi Caraco, who sings and plays piano, is probably always the last member mentioned if at all. That's too bad, because apparently she has talent. Her bios say she went to Berklee School of Music on scholarship for a year before moving back to LA to form Frank and Derol with her friend, Megan Park.

Quiet Company

Frank and Derol sound like indie-Disney, if there were such a genre. Their bios hit it on the nose when describing their sound as "Wilson Phillips meets Postal Service". I wouldn't mix the two, but they did. There you have Frank and Derol. Again, I imagine there will be a lot of young fans in attendance with their parents. I want to tell parents to make the trip to The Parish worth your while and stay for Quiet Company. Kids, stay for Quiet Company and listen to what an adult band sounds like. You'll thank me later. If you're not yet familiar with Quiet Company, check out their latest video for their single "On Modern Men".


Quiet Company - "On Modern Men" - Music Video from Digital Shakedown on Vimeo.

Just a reminder, doors open at 7 PM and it is open to all ages. The Parish is located on 214 East Sixth Street, Austin, Texas 78701. For more info, visit The Parish's website here:

The Parish Austin

12/6 Sunday Night Show Pick: Deluka at Republic Live

Thanks to the power of publicists and emailing, I got word last minute of a cool show happening at Republic Live, located on 301 W. 5th Street. Touring the U.S. all the way from Birmingham, West Midlands England is indie-electro pop group, Deluka. I get email blasts all the time now and have to pass on all sorts of cool stuff due to time, not interest. It is also rare I go out on a Sunday night, but I think I may venture out to catch these guys. Plus, I have never been to Republic Live. I have always passed by it and figured it was another douche bag Warehouse District type bar, bottle service and all. Maybe it is; I'll find out I guess. I hope this doesn't mean I have to go get something from Ed Hardy to fit in.

Deluka is one of those European bands I got wind of on NME, one of my favorite music sites from Europe other than Last FM. The first thing you'll notice is the foxy lead singer, Ellie Innocenti. I doubt that's her actual last name, but whatever. Her name sounds almost as hot as her voice. Her voice combined with the band's '80s retro sound reminds me of bands like The Start or even the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's hard for me to think of who I can compare them with so that casual music fans can grasp.

The band is touring to support their current self titled EP, a quick five song mix of electro goodness indie girls like to dance to. Since I'm at a lack for words in terms of description, I've posted a Tunecore widget that has the songs from their EP. This way, you can listen and draw your own conclusions or comparisons. Listening to their music does make me miss '80s new wave.



For more information on Deluke and the show Sunday night, visit the following links:

Deluka on MySpace

Deluka official website

Republic Live on MySpace

Sunday Night Show Pick: Hacienda at Mohawk

Hacienda (photo by West Vita Photography)

www.myspace.com/haciendaspace

Tonight after ACL is over, or if you don't have tickets but want to catch a great show, Mohawk is the place. In case you didn't get enough Dan Auerbach or didn't get to see him this weekend, then Hacienda is your show. Hailing from Boerne, Texas, these four young dudes could be the first Latino Beatles or Beach Boys even. Their old '60s rock and roll spirit was on display at February's Fashion Freakout, dazzled Alejandro Escovedo's audience and wowed the crowd at the legendary Gruene Hall this year. It's all happening for these guys.

The show tonight at Mohawk starts at 10:00. Mohawk, one of my favorite venues in town, is located 912 Red River (and corner of 9th). Also taking the stage before Hacienda is Imaad Wasif. Don't miss out on one of your last chances to checkout Hacienda before they embark on a long tour that keeps them out of Texas until at least December.

Not familiar with Hacienda? Check out this video we filmed for Austin Vida this summer at Antones. It is for  a new song not yet on an album, but will be soon. It's called "Younger Days".

For more on tonight's show, click the following links:

Imaad Wasif Myspace

Mohawk Austin Website

Sunday Night Show Pick: Driver F at Emo's

Driver F is one of the best young bands to come out of Austin in a long time. They were all the buzz last year when their album, Chase The White Whale, was receiving much critical acclaim. Critics young and old seemed to enjoy the pop punk sounds of these young Woodlands natives who now call Austin home. They lost a little steam this year in terms of buzz, but not in terms of energy or winning over new fans. Having been so busy with other projects, I have yet to make it out to one of their shows this year. Shame on me indeed.

Driver F in the studio

www.myspace.com/driverf

I admit, I know of couple of the Driver F dudes personally. Tyler and (W)Andy were classmates of mine at St. Edwards. In fact I sat by Tyler almost all year before I figured out he was in a band. I got wind of it when checking out information for a Cruiserweight show, another local favorite pop punk band of mine here in town. It was funny because 1) I had no idea Tyler was a rock star, even though he has the perfect personality for one and 2) the video for their single, "Two Words Mr. President: Plausible Deniability", nearly had me spit out my drink as I was watching for the first time. What's up the song title you ask? I have no idea. They just picked random stuff and named their songs that way I guess. It is still one of their best songs and it gives you a good sense of what Driver F sound like. Think pop punk with brass, but not ska brass. Check it out:

Driver F - Two Words, Mr. President: Plausible Deniability from dane hurt on Vimeo.

To learn more about tonight's show and about the other bands on the bill, check out the post on Do512 here. You'll also enjoy Zlam Dunk. They're dance punk craziness is one of the best live shows around for those who like young, loud and crazy.

Driver F is currently in the studio working on a new album due out next year. When I asked lead singer Tyler Welsh about it, he said "All I can say is we are really working hard on demoing new songs right now and getting ready to record to have a new album out before next summer. Who knows we might play a couple of them at the show". There you have it. Check 'em out.

Helpful Driver F Links:

Driver F Facebook

Driver F official website

Driver F Merch on Double Stereo

One of Houston's Hottest Takes The Stage Sunday at Ace'sLounge : Z-Ro

Houston Hip Hop fans will have one of their favorite MCs take the stage tonight at Ace's Lounge. Making another Austin appearance will be Rap-A-Lot artist, Z-Ro. Having received lots airplay on local hip hop station, Hot. 93.3, Z-Ro is without a doubt a local favorite. It wasn't until last year that I saw the extent of his popularity.

Last year I was the Austin Music Hall for a Hot 93.3 show that featured Southern Rap Legend Bun B, headliner David Banner and Z-Ro. I saw people rapping along the words to all his songs, but I expected that because of the radio popularity I mentioned a moment ago. People weren't going any crazier for Z-Ro than they were for Bun B or the previous local performers. I took a couple of pictures and recorded some low quality video from my point and shoot camera just for fun. I posted them to YouTube shortly after the show. I did so for the David Banner videos and for the Bun B videos. Second only to some Cool Kids videos from Stubb's, my Z-Ro videos have the most views on my YouTube page.

Now I recorded some pretty big names last year with my point and shoot the same way, but Z-Ro was the one who took off? I was surprised by that. My videos weren't even good quality. That said something right there. He may be the underground scene's crown holder. For a while there on Myspace, I was seeing a lot of profile songs that were from Z-Ro. If nothing else, he was kicking ass on Myspace.

Since then I have been intrigued by this dude Z-Ro. I downloaded his recent album at the time, Crack. I combed my iTunes for any tracks with Z-Ro and a bunch of Houston artists came up that featured Z-Ro. These were all big names like Paul Wall, Bun B and Lil' Flip to name a few. He has a real distinguishable voice and flow. You can tell he's a big dude and definitely Texan with that heavy accent that even comes through when rapping. If he does write his own rhymes, and I admit I don't know, then he has some talent there for sure.

Earlier this year I went to hit up Piranha Records in Round Rock, a great local source for anything Houston Hip Hop or Southern Underground, and picked up some Mix Tapes (actually CDs) that featured Z-Ro. His stuff on those Mix Tapes were better than some of his radio hits, although too short in length to be songs most of the time. I prefer full length songs, but that's just me. If you are new to Z-Ro, then start with his album I'm Still Livin'. Surf the net a bit and you'll see there's an interesting story about that album. I'll post some links as always at the end of the post that can give you more info.

Again, I'm semi-new to Z-Ro and don't listen to too much new hip hop these days. I'm more of what you call a "back packer" but there's something about the rawness and grime of Houston stuff that just does it for me. Anyway, I just wanted to post a little something about my Z-Ro experience and let you know he'll be at Ace's Lounge tonight. Hopefully, he will perform for you all my favorite Z-Ro track, "Top Notch". Check out the video and give it a listen here:



Z-Ro Links:

Z-Ro on Myspace

Rap-A-Lot Records

Z-Ro on Wikipedia

Concert info for tonight:

Ace's Lounge is located on 222 E. 6th Street. You'll see it there on the corner of 6th and San Jacinto. If you see Brazos St or The Driskell Hotel, you've gone too far. The show is at 8:00 and is hosted by Smackola from The Dirty Wormz. See the flyer for details or visit Ace's Lounge online at www.acesaustin.com.

Sunday Concert Pick: Music of My Ancestry

 

Sunday night shows are best when they are calm, low key and not too rambunctious. That's what Fridays and Saturdays are for. After sleeping in, watching football and having dinner you should make it a point to go out on Sunday night. My show pick tonight is something different than what I've suggested previously, but something near and dear to my heart. My show pick tonight is Leticia Rodriguez and Azul at Kenny Dorham's Backyard, presented by Bemba Beat.

Being close to Dies y Sies, or Mexican Independence Day, Sunday's show is a great way to get in the spirit. Both Azul and Leticia Rodriguez bring traditional folk sounds of Mexico, a music that has connected the hearts of my family and I. Having danced with the Round Rock Ballet Folklorico for four years in high school, I have an affinity for anything tradicional  Mexicano at a young age.

Azul

www.azulmusica.com

Azul began her professional singing career at the age of 15. Her initial musical influences began with the traditional Mexican folk music passed down to her through her parents. Her career eventually took her to San Antonio where she sang for Son del Sur which focused on traditional Mexican folk, and Jemaya, which mixed a message of racial unity with musical influences from Spain, The Caribbean, United States and Mexico. In 2003 Azul began focusing her career as a solo artist primarily on the conservation and development of Mexican folk roots with influences form a broad range of cultures. Through her soul, guitar and voice, Azul gives life and meaning to the narratives of Mexican history.

 

Leticia Rodriguez

http://www.myspace.com/letmusic

Leticia Rodriguez began her singing career as a backup singer for award winning singer/songwriters and brothers, David Rodriguez and Philip Rodriguez. In 2007 Mrs. Rodriguez began a band to revive the classical bolero compositions and musica tropical from the 1920's -1950's. With band members; guitarist and arranger Eric Calistri, Percussionists Ric Furley and Gerard Villanueva, and Mario Gonzalez for Bass. This popular local band will have you dancing to their traditional Mexican folk tunes.

Bemba Beat encourages you to bring a blanket and your friends. Kenny Dorham's Backyard is located on 1106 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78702. For more info on Bemba Entertainment, visit them online at www.bembaentertainment.com.

Where You Should Be Right Now!

You should be at Red 7 tonight for the CD release show for Austin's own Exeter. It's a free show at a bad ass venue with cool people. There's nothing like a Sunday night show on Red River. All the fuss and wannabe cool kids from Saturdays are at home. On Sundays, it is about nothing but the music and bands themselves. It's refreshing.

For more on Exeter, visit them on Myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/exetermusic