I'm no fan of Kobe by any means, but props to him for being the best player in the game and his own empire. Can't knock the hustle for real. Recently I saw Bryant in this Chinese hip hop video that's been circulating around the blogs and "Facey Spaces".
Many of you younglings out there may not know this, but Kobe is no stranger to music videos. I remember him rapping (yes, you read that correctly) in a Brian McKnight video back in the '90s. I posted both videos for you to check out.
So during SXSW, I try and check out as many international bands as I can. I don't get caught in the all the hype of the free booze hipster parties. I look for music or bands that I will only get a chance to see at SXSW. Everyone else as far as popular bands always make their way back around to Austin at some point so I don't sweat missing them at South By.
Well this past March during SXSW, my favorite new discovery, meaning a band even I hadn't yet learned about or heard of, was The Minutes from Dublin, Ireland. They are three piece Irish rock machine that resurrects the spirit of the 60s when rock and roll was raw. They took me by complete surprise by how good they were live and I can't wait for them to stamp a vinyl for me to add o my High Fidelity collection. Check out The Minutes here. Turn it up and listen loud!
One of the few "blogger" bands I really dig is a Los Angeles based indie rockers, Local Natives.They debuted their new video for their single "World News" today on Pitchfork TV. It's beachy. Also, a couple of my Red River Noise colleagues, Brett Thorne and Sara Strick, caught Local Natives when they were here in Austin last month. Brett interviewed one of the guys from the band while Sara captured some cool photos. Take a look at the links below when you get a chance:
Europe, particularly the U.K., is an indie force not to be messed with. Every time I like a new indie band, which I try not to as indie freakin' everywhere these days, it seems they are European. Is it the cold weather and terrible food that breeds this creativity? Is it the fact that they are more open to different sounds and genres than American audiences? Hard to say...Well I found another good indie-ish type band with from U.K. that has a little rockabilly-garage rock feel. They are called The Brute Chorus.
Oh-Em-Gee! My dear sweet Zooey! Pitchfork debuted this today and I had to watch it twice. It's the video for the new She & Him single "In The Sun". I could watch Zoe hula hoop all day. She's so cute. And in case you're wondering, the new She & Him album comes out on March 23rd from Merge Records. Be sure to look for Zooey while you are out and about during SXSW next week. I hope they stamp a vinyl.
Check out this funny Hurricane Bells video for their song "Monsters". It is a b-side from their album Tonight is a Ghost in case anyone is interested. I just thought this was humorous. Damn those stupid grocery store shopping carts with those crappy wheels.
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.
Oh dear God, this kind of metal scares me. Still, I can't not listen. It's intense like a horror or thriller movie. There must be something about Poland that makes Behemoth do death metal better than most. They've been around a long time despite line up changes and over wear and tear touring puts on your body after a certain age. Still, Behemoth has not lost a step or slowed down one bit. Touring to support their latest album, Evangelion, the Polish metal monsters take the stage Wednesday at Emo's for the Evangelina Amerika Tour.
You should get there early as door are at 8:oopm and the show starts at 9:00pm with local old school thrashers, Pack of Wolves. Septicflesh and Lightning Swords of Death round out the bill under Behemoth. It is going to be cold and dark Wednesday night, just like death! Muahahahaha! Okay...that was cheesy. I couldn't resist.
Oh, remember that part about this kind of metal being scary? Check out this video from Behemoth for their song "Ov Fire and the Void" off of Evangelion. Don't watch around small children or while at work, unless of course you don't care one way or the other. Don't say I didn't warn you. This video is sick.
Monday night at Mohawk is where you can go take pictures for Look At This Fucking Hispter. If you haven't seen that blog, check my blog roll...hilarious. At Mohawk this Monday night will be a bunch of hipster bands of the moment, or what my friends and I refer to as "blogger bands". It seems that all the Austin Bloggers talk about and post fliers for Neiliyo and Markus pretty regularly, but the real gem and reason to get out of the house Monday is to see The Octopus Project.
In the past few years they were the quintessential festival band it seemed, having played Fun Fun Fun Fest, ACL and even Lalapollooza. The Octopus Project is arguably Austin's most musically creative indie group. Most of their music is instrumental, but all very danceable. Think "Blue Stage" at Fun Fun Fun Fest.
What is most memorable about the group is their front woman, Yvonne Lambert, is the the world's prettiest theremin player. She is the indie crush of just about all the sensitive indie boys in attendance, while making the girls consider getting their own classic flipped-up bob haircut. For me though, it's the theremin I find most fascinating about this band. If I had one of those, I'd never leave the house except to go see shows. Oh wait, that's what I do without the theremin.
I'm pretty sure they will playing some songs off their latest EP, Golden Beds. Maybe you'll even hear this song here, which also happens to be called "Golden Beds". For some real Octopus Project goodness, pick up the 2007 release, Hello Avalanche. If you've never seen them live, Mohawk is a a great place to see them.
I just saw these guys live last night at Beauty Bar for our first Austin Vida showcase. Despite the cold, we had a great turnout and people couldn't get enough Maneja Beto. If you're like me and still need more Maneja, fear not. They just released their new music video on Friday for their latest single, "Ofrendas". The video was directed by Johnny Ramirez and features David Garza as a janitor. For those of you in Austin, you may recognize the bar to be Rabbit's on East 6th. Here's the video:
For more on Maneja Beto, check out this interview with Austin Vida HERE.
Always known for their artistic and visual music videos, the Austin indie heavyweights known as The Black and White Years released their latest music video on Vimeo about a month ago. The video is for their single "Two Reservoirs" off their Nursery Myths EP, which is actually pretty good for such a quick listen. For some reason I forgot to post it, but I'm sure every other Austin blog has already posted it since they all talk about the same indie bands all the time. In case you haven't seen it yet, here it is for you.
I met this band at Warped Tour this summer and reviewed the album in spring. I absolutely love Therefore I Am and can't say enough good about them. I am bummed their show Austin show was canceled, but maybe SXSW or spring tour will bring them back around. In the meantime, check out their new video for "I Am Only An Island". If you like it, it is off their album The Sound of Human Lives. Honestly, it is not even the best song on the album.
I saw this on YouTube today and had to post this.It is a parody of the Mylie Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A." from The Fold. If you are into Alt Press bands or Warped Tour stuff, you'll love this. It makes fun of all pop punk cliches like all the stupid neon shirts, skinny jeans and auto tune. My favorite line is "Glamour Kills won't sponsor us". What's cool also is the video was shot on a 3GS iPhone. YouTube is fun.
I know it is a wee bit early still for Christmas videos and "Best Of" lists, but I had to share this video that came in my inbox today that I liked. When I first saw the subject line I immediately cringed at the word "Christmas". Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Christmas. I'm just a fan of not a lot of new Christmas music. I feel most of it is created to sell records, not celebrate the holiday itself. For me personally, I haven't liked a Christmas album since I got The Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack cassette as a kid. The best modern Christmas single that comes to mind was Boyz II Men's version of "Let It Snow", but even that may too old to be considered modern.
Still, there are the occasional new tracks that catch my attention. The video I am sharing with you today is from a Boston based indie group called The Hush Now, not to be confused with The Hush Sound. The Hush Now video is for their Christmas song entitled "Wishing You A Merry Christmas". That's simple enough right? It's the first indie Christmas song I've come across and much to my surprise, I love it. If Mohawk (venue in Austin) had a Christmas album, this would be on it. It's catchy.
The band itself is currently preparing for a tour of the UK in late February in support of their second studio release, Constellations. Without further a do, here's the video which features scenes from their hometown in Boston and a local deli jam session.
I came across this cool music video the other day via email. It is from a Brooklyn based indie-pop artist, Chris Garneau. The dude seems to be a little out there and different, but I guess a lot of creative types typically are. I don't really dig his music, but his new video for his single "Fireflies" is awesome. I am a closet nerd, and an avid video game nerd on top of that. The video for Fireflies is directly inspired by my favorite Nintendo game of all time, The Legend of Zelda. If you've never played the game, then you get excited by the video the way I did when I first saw it.
Real briefly...
Link is the main hero and character Zelda is based on, is who Garneau plays in the video. He got Links outfit down to the core, Grecian headband and all. The video was shot over the course of five days in parts of Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park and Death Valley. It was filmed with a Canon 5D Mark II. Knowing that, you'll understand why the video's cinematography is what it is. It's quite impressive.
Watching video makes me want to buy an old NES system and the gold video game cartridge. I still know where the keys are and know I can save Zelda from Gannon's punk ass. Anyway, here's Garneau's video. Enjoy the nerd porn.
I know it's cold and we saw some snow Austin, but don't let that deter you from going out and having a good time tonight. As always in Austin, there is so much going on that is it isn't worth staying home if you can afford to go out. That's also the trouble living here...what to do? How does the average 9-5 working Joe know what to do or where to go any given night? Easy. I'll tell you.
For those of you who want to check out some local goodness, tonight is your night. It seems like there isn't the heavy hitting touring act to hang with all the Austin based talent Saturday. Again, another great reason I haven't left town and why I don't plan to. Sure Vallejo and Ryan Harkrider are playing at Antone's, Red Leaves play at The Beauty Bar, but that's too chill for a Saturday night if you ask me.
Tonight hardcore and punk rock lovers should be at Red 7 to catch Sober Daze as they open before Chicago based touring act, The Effigies. Known by many as Chicago's punk pioneers, this will be a rare opportunity to see these guys. Red 7 wouldn't just book anyone in front of them, so that should tell you something about the dudes from Sober Daze. I've said for a long time now that these guys have great potential and just kill it live. Lately they've opened for The Vandals, Fat Wrechords artist Dead To Me and now The Effigies. Start paying attention punk rock lovers. Soon you'll be seeing them headline and their cover charge will increase. This show is a great two for one, local goodness and a legendary touring act. Check out the rest of the line up and more details for this show here at Do512.
Also for the hardcore, Pack of Wolves play just around the corner from Red 7 at Mohawk. These Mexican metal heads have had quite the year. They released their debut album, Betrayer, on Arclight Records in spring, opened for The Sword in September and played Fun Fun Fun Fest last month. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. These dudes will be the next metal band from Austin to go major. I don't think they'll blow up like The Sword, but being nationally known and bigger tours are in the future for the wolves. What I am waiting for is their next record, which they are working on and is due out next year. If you love good metal, pick up the Betrayer vinyl which comes with a coded card to download the mp3s. It's good old school thrash with a little death metal touch on the vocals. It's one of my favorite local releases to come out this year.
To prove my point, check out these two videos. The first is their official music video for "Concession" off Betrayer. It's one of the better videos I've seen at the local level.
Here' an interview I did backstage at this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest last month with Pack of Wolves lead singer Trey Ramirez and drummer Adrian Carillo. Hopefully this can give you a little more insight as to what these dudes are about.
I just recently posted a "Music I Listen To" column about these guys. The Twilight Sad must have read it and got inspired to release their latest video for their single "Seven Years of Letters". It just went live on YouTube today. If you like the song, it is available on their current album, Forget the Night Ahead. Visit Fat Cat Records for more information.
It's always good to see an Austin based band kicking ass and taking names on the national level. Austin based indie-garage rockers, White Denim, premiered their new video on mtvU. I just recently picked up a copy of their new album, Fits, the other day at Waterloo Records. What sold me was the song " I Start To Run" and the fact that it came with a second disc. That second disc was a copy of Explosions, a previous album from White Denim. I wasn't really into them so much until this album came out, but now it is in regular rotation in my truck's CD player. White Denim, if you or your publicist are reading this, get at me. I want to talk to the band and check them out live. In the meantime, for those of you unfamiliar with White Denim, check out the video for " I Start To Run".
Austin indie rockers, Quiet Company, just sent over their new video for their single "On Modern Man". The song is their show closer and has quickly become a fan favorite as the band openly invites audience members to join them on stage and perform the song with them. The video just premiered today and looks great. It was directed by Digital Shakedown's Justin Kirchhoff. Check it out and give it a listen. After watching, someone please tell me if that is downtown Round Rock. It looks really familiar.
One thing my friends often tease me about is my affinity for cute indie girls who either act, sing, play instruments or all of the above. I usually deny it in effort to curb the teasing, but it is all so true. I love beautiful indie girls, especially those in bands. I find myself more interested in some of those bands as a result. With so many indie bands that feature many of my girl crushes, I decided to start a brief series if you will on my blog to pay tribute to my future ex-girlfriends. It works for Revolver with their "Hottest Chicks in Metal" series, so I figured why not an indie girl series? Maybe someone will discover a new favorite band in the process, which the main reason I started this blog in the first place.
The first installment of Ian's Indie Girl Crush is none other than the lovely, Zooey (pronounced like Zoe) Deschanel. I just recently saw 500 Days of Summer and the whole time I kept spacing out, just kind of staring at Zooey every time she came on because I didn't find the movie to be that entertaining. It was alright, but didn't live up to the hype. Deschanel made the movie for me and I see this movie as solidifying her as a current generational icon. Her style, her music and her beauty make Deschanel the complete package.
Speaking of her music, Deschanel is half of the indie super duo, She & Him. Her partner in crime, M.Ward, is another Indie taste maker favorite. Together they form a super duo of sorts, playing classic 60's inspired folk pop. Deschannel sounds like an old country artist instead of the indie darling she appears to be. Their first album, entitled Volume One, has been in my iPod since its release. From what I have been reading online, Volume Two is in the works. I wonder if it going to be more of the same indie-folk or something totally different.I look forward to it.
If you haven't heard She & Him before, then check out this video below of my darling Zooey, who is married to the Deathcab For Cutie dude by the way. That's only because that bastard met her first, but I am alright with it since Deathcab is a pretty good band. Check out "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" and see what all my fuss is all about.
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.
Oh dear God, this kind of metal scares me. Still, I can't not listen. It's intense like a horror or thriller movie. There must be something about Poland that makes Behemoth do death metal better than most. They've been around a long time despite line up changes and over wear and tear touring puts on your body after a certain age. Still, Behemoth has not lost a step or slowed down one bit. Touring to support their latest album, Evangelion, the Polish metal monsters take the stage Wednesday at Emo's for the Evangelina Amerika Tour.
Monday night at Mohawk is where you can go take pictures for Look At This Fucking Hispter. If you haven't seen that blog, check my blog roll...hilarious. At Mohawk this Monday night will be a bunch of hipster bands of the moment, or what my friends and I refer to as "blogger bands". It seems that all the Austin Bloggers talk about and post fliers for Neiliyo and Markus pretty regularly, but the real gem and reason to get out of the house Monday is to see The Octopus Project.
Always known for their artistic and visual music videos, the Austin indie heavyweights known as The Black and White Years released their latest music video on Vimeo about a month ago. The video is for their single "Two Reservoirs" off their Nursery Myths EP, which is actually pretty good for such a quick listen. For some reason I forgot to post it, but I'm sure every other Austin blog has already posted it since they all talk about the same indie bands all the time. In case you haven't seen it yet, here it is for you.
I know it is a wee bit early still for Christmas videos and "Best Of" lists, but I had to share this video that came in my inbox today that I liked. When I first saw the subject line I immediately cringed at the word "Christmas". Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Christmas. I'm just a fan of not a lot of new Christmas music. I feel most of it is created to sell records, not celebrate the holiday itself. For me personally, I haven't liked a Christmas album since I got The Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack cassette as a kid. The best modern Christmas single that comes to mind was Boyz II Men's version of "Let It Snow", but even that may too old to be considered modern. 
I came across this cool music video the other day via email. It is from a Brooklyn based indie-pop artist, Chris Garneau. The dude seems to be a little out there and different, but I guess a lot of creative types typically are. I don't really dig his music, but his new video for his single "Fireflies" is awesome. I am a closet nerd, and an avid video game nerd on top of that. The video for Fireflies is directly inspired by my favorite Nintendo game of all time, The Legend of Zelda. If you've never played the game, then you get excited by the video the way I did when I first saw it.
I know it's cold and we saw some snow Austin, but don't let that deter you from going out and having a good time tonight. As always in Austin, there is so much going on that is it isn't worth staying home if you can afford to go out. That's also the trouble living here...what to do? How does the average 9-5 working Joe know what to do or where to go any given night? Easy. I'll tell you.
Tonight hardcore and punk rock lovers should be at Red 7 to catch Sober Daze as they open before Chicago based touring act, The Effigies. Known by many as Chicago's punk pioneers, this will be a rare opportunity to see these guys. Red 7 wouldn't just book anyone in front of them, so that should tell you something about the dudes from Sober Daze. I've said for a long time now that these guys have great potential and just kill it live. Lately they've opened for The Vandals, Fat Wrechords artist Dead To Me and now The Effigies. Start paying attention punk rock lovers. Soon you'll be seeing them headline and their cover charge will increase. This show is a great two for one, local goodness and a legendary touring act. Check out the rest of the line up and more details for this show here at Do512.
Also for the hardcore, Pack of Wolves play just around the corner from Red 7 at Mohawk. These Mexican metal heads have had quite the year. They released their debut album, Betrayer, on Arclight Records in spring, opened for The Sword in September and played Fun Fun Fun Fest last month. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. These dudes will be the next metal band from Austin to go major. I don't think they'll blow up like The Sword, but being nationally known and bigger tours are in the future for the wolves. What I am waiting for is their next record, which they are working on and is due out next year. If you love good metal, pick up the Betrayer vinyl which comes with a coded card to download the mp3s. It's good old school thrash with a little death metal touch on the vocals. It's one of my favorite local releases to come out this year.
