Free Week at Mohawk 2010

Yes! The best week of the year in the entire country and world even, is Free Week. I'll be previewing some bands and making show pics, but for now you need to check out the following link to Transmission's website about what they have going on. I can't wait!

Transmission Entertainment Free Week post

New Tour Dates for The Sword

The Sword (photo by Jack Thompson)

My favorite band of all time is and always will be Rage Against The Machine, but The Sword challenges that crown every time I listen to their music or see them live. The Austin metal Gods rocked Fun Fun Fun Fest in November and are currently working on a new album. If you were at Fun Fun Fun Fest, you heard a few of their new songs. For those of you who weren't there, don't worry. They are still epic and rock your face off. Their new stuff sounds just as good if not better than what they've done thus far. They just announced some new tour dates, which appear to be strictly regional for now. There isn't an Austin or San Antonio date, which is a real bummer, so I may be driving to Corpus, Houston or Denton for one of their shows. Here are the dates and cities:

January 23 Corpus Christi, TX House of Rock
January 24 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
January 25 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
January 27 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Café
January 28 Oklahoma City, OK Conservatory
January 29 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves

Did I mention they rocked Fun Fun Fun Fest? Here is a video someone captured in decent quality of one of their new songs entitled "Tres Brujas", which translates as "Three Witches". Check it out.



For more info about what's coming up in 2010 from The Sword, check out my interview with bassist Bryan Richie at Fun Fun Fun Fest in November 2009.

New Music Video for 'Two Reservoirs' by The Black and White Years

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.


The Black and White Years "Two Reservoirs" from Matthew Hoffman on Vimeo.

12/18 Friday Show Pick: At All Cost at Red 7

It pains me to pick this show as it is the last show in Austin for one of Austin's best metal bands, At All Cost. The were one of the few to really build a following and whom I thought were going to get bigger nationally. I was hoping they'd be responsible for bringing in more metal to Austin so the metal heads of the world can stop calling Austin "hipsterville" or "an indie town". While we do have a plethora of indie talent here, we also have a lot of good hardcore the world needs to hear. Again, at one point I thought At All Cost would be one of those to bring more hardcore attention.

Well it has been since January 2007 I believe, since I last saw At All Cost. After a few member changes a some solid albums, they are saying farewell. It is only fit that the show be at Red 7, as I really don't remember them playing anywhere else but Emo's maybe. It is like their home venue, also one of my favorite. Something cool for this sad occasion is that every member who was ever in the band will be taking the stage to perform, including Pack of Wolves vocalist Trey Ramirez. That's the way to do it if you ask me, give the fans the complete line ups and play their favorite tracks with the band that actually played them. Very cool.

Co-headlining this show will be Houston based hardcore outfit, Jonbenét.I caught these dudes once a while back at Red 7 also, but don't know too much about them other than whatever is online. They're calling it quits as well, much to fan's disappointment. I'll definitely be there to check them out as well since it's my last chance in Austin. For those of you in Houston, At All Cost and Jonbenét play Saturday at Walter's.

Also on the bill playing early will be Austin bands Radioland Murders and Set Aflame. I'll be there early hanging out to check them out, supporting local hardcore bands worth supporting. You should also get there early as this show is going to be packed and possibly sold out.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with At All Cost or just want to reminisce, check out this old school video I found on YouTube for "Death To Distraction". It pissed off a lot of people during that time. Say what you will about their politics, but their sound is killer.

12/17 Thursday Show Pick

Thursday night I'll be at The Parish checking out Austin based indie-psychedelic group, Amplified Heat. I have been meaning to check these dudes out for while now, but just never got around to it for one reason or another. Shame on me, I know.

I love what I have heard from these guys so far, as they remind me of my dad's record collection. He listens to a lot of Cream, Vanilla Fudge, some Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly. What Hacienda does for old school indie, Amplified Heat do for psychedelic '70s style rock. I bet the Woodstock generation would totally dig these dudes as well.

Amplified Heat (photo by Todd Wolfson)

Amplified Heat is Jim, Chris & Gian Ortiz. They are signed to the Austin label, Arclight Records. Arclight also has one of my favorite local metal bands, Pack of Wolves. That speaks well for Arclight if you ask me.

Anyway, I'm stoked about this show as should you be. The Parish has great sound and an indoor venue on the second floor, so a little warmth should be nice in this cold spell we're having here in Austin. Show up early and you'll be able to check out more local goodness from The Strange Attractors and Smoke and Feathers.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit the following link:

Amplified Heat at The Parish

A Look Back at Death at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009

Me with Death at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 in Austin, Texas

The biggest reason to be excited for me at this past Fun Fun Fun Fest was not Danzig or The Sword, but the resurrection of the iconic punk rock group Death. Seeing them live felt like being in a time warp. They were punk before punk was genre. Think Stooges getting Jimmy Hendrix as a lead singer. It's something like that. Anyway, as I was surfing around YouTube tonight I came across the live video that I have been waiting for since the festival ended. Here's the live video of Death performing "Politicians In My Eyes" at Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009.

For more on Death, check them out on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/deathprotopunk

New video from Therefore I Am: 'I Am Only An Island'

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.

12/16 Wednesday Show Pick: Subrosa Union and Driver F

Wednesday night at Stubb's indoor is a great local show, sort of the best of the best if you will. Two great young Austin bands with two distinctly different styles, Subrosa Union and Driver F, will play together on on bill. When I saw this listed online it was another no brainer for me for my Wednesday night pick. It is also affordable too as advance tickets are only $8.

I've talked about Subrosa Union on my blog here before, but briefly they are a dub-reggae ska band somthing to the likes of Sublime. They are a three piece originally from El Paso but have called Austin home for a few years now. They play all over town, from Stubb's to bars like the Chuggin' Monkey. They are real road warriors also, having gone as far as the Middle East to perform for our troops overseas. Lead Singer Michael Anaya has a great voice, especially for this genre. For more on Subrosa Union, read their interview on Austin Vida here.

Driver F, Wednesday's other feature artist, is another good young Austin band. They fall more into the pop-punk category, but not in the sense where you'd see too many bad tattoos or uber tight jeans. Their music is catchy and very easy for fans to sing along with, but has a few more adult elements a lot of pop-punk bands don't have like horns and grown up lyrics. Just as I write that, I'm staring at the back of their latest album Chase The White Whale and looking at the ridiculous song titles that have nothing to do with the songs what-so-ever.

Driver F

That album by the way, could have easily been the best local release in 2008 on many people's lists if they weren't so weird about selections. You ever hear the expression "blogger band"? Driver F couldn't be one because they don't qualify for Paste Magazine or Under The Radar. It could be for several reasons, but mostly because they aren't ultra indie. I'm not knocking those publications or indie music, as I love them all, but mainly pointing out that the group and album deserved more local buzz than it got.

Currently Driver F is still working on their next album, which is one album I'm dying to get my hands on once it comes out. They either haven't decided on a title or aren't leaking it yet, but I'll keep you posted. I just hope they have normal song titles and stick pretty close to the formula that's worked over the years for them. If you go to Stubb's Wednesday, you will get a hear some new songs I'm sure. If you're new to Driver F, check out their video here for "Temple of Doom", an Indiana Jones reference no doubt that has nothing to do with the lyrics int he song, but enjoy anyway.



For advance tickets or more info on the bands, visit the following links:

Purchase advance tickets

Driver F on MySpace

Concert Review: Ola Podria at Mohawk

Dave Wingo of Ola Podrida (photo by Mary Rehak)

Friday night I found myself once again at Mohawk, one of my favorite Red River hangouts here in Austin. Headlining was Austin’s own Balmorhea, whom I heard on the local tastemaker radio station earlier in the day. As brilliant and symphonic as Balmorhea may be, the attraction for me was their label mate, Ola Podrida. I was actually looking forward to seeing both bands, as this bill sounded like something worth seeing live underneath the night sky at Mohawk’s outdoor stage.

Unfortunately due to the cold weather (cold for Austin anyway) and the chance of rain, Friday’s show had to be moved into the smaller indoor stage. The indoor stage isn’t the outdoor stage by any means, but at least it’s intimate and everyone was warm. It just tends to be too crowded indoors for a show that draws a crowd the size of Friday’s.

As I walked inside, Martin Crane of the Austin based indie band Brazos, was performing some solo stuff he’d written. It was just Crane and his electric guitar. I caught the last couple of songs from Crane and it was literally over in a flash. Shortly thereafter, Ola Podrida took the stage for the first time in Austin this year. Ola Podrida, which translates in Spanish as “rotten wave”, is fronted by Dave Wingo. Wingo is an Austin based singer-songwriter who has spent the last year receiving great critical acclaim for Ola Podrida’s latest album, Belly of The Lion.

As Ola Podrida got started, Wingo introduced new band mates Colin Swietek (guitar) and David McComb (bass). Wingo also introduced his drummer, who he told everyone was with him since the beginning, Matthew Frank. After a couple of sips of the Lone Star to his side, Wingo and company started playing songs from Belly of The Lion.

From the get go, the band had to deal with sound issues. Their faces showed them trying to play through it, but it was clear that it was bugging them. It wasn’t anything terrible, just an annoying little buzz coming through the speakers for all to hear in between songs. Once Ola Podrida started playing a song, the buzz was hardly noticeable. I only heard it because I was front and center to the stage.

As much as I like Ola Podrida's albums, it didn’t start translating live until they picked up the indie shoegaze. The first couple of songs were acoustic guitar driven and when the buzzing sound was at its worst. Come the third song, the electric guitar and the drums woke up with “Roomful of Sparrows”. Watching Colin Sweitek strum away at light speed and hearing Wingo turn up his internal vocal volume woke us all up.

Right after, Wingo put his guitar down and picked up the banjo to start playing “Donkey”. On “Donkey” Wingo had to start that over a couple of times as he pulled the cord out of his banjo only to create more of that darn buzzing noise. Having made a full recovery from the small hiccup, they went on to play “Donkey” and nailed it. That was a nice gift for me as it is my favorite slow song on Belly of The Lion.

The other highlight of the set for me was “This Old World”, also off Belly of The Lion. Wingo had his banjo again and the buzz almost wasn’t there. I think because their music is so good, there wasn’t anything that could have kept me from enjoying Ola Podrida’s set. There was just something about being there for their first live show that added something special to the evening.

(Review written for and published on Double Stereo.com. All live photos by Mark Rehak).

12/15 Tuesday Show Pick: The Devil Wears Prada at Emo's

The Dayton, Ohio based Christian metalcore band that shares the same name as that terrible book is bringing they're high energy live show to Emo's Tuesday. The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP) was the one bands that I did not get to see at Warped Tour this past summer, much to my disappointment. Besides As I Lay Dying or maybe Underoath, no band with an openly "Christian" tag or identity has held my attention. TDWP are not preachy or cheesy, or trying to be something they aren't. Ok so they did cover of the Big Tymers song "Still Fly" for a pop-crunk album of some sort, but I choose to block that out. Overall, TDWP just do their thing their way and do it well.

Don't let their bright t-shirts and young faces fool you. TDWP is metal. Their particular brand of metal is "metalcore", which refers to heavy metal with punk rock elements and with heavy emphasis on melodic breakdowns. The drums are still played at lightning speed, and the vocals still sound very metal but with a little more screaming. That's the short version for those of you who don't follow the genre or are unfamiliar.

The Devil Wears Prada has been touring to support their current release, With Roots Above and Branches Below. It's their first album on Ferret Music, as the band's previous albums were released on popular hardcore label Rise Records. While I still prefer 2007's Plagues, With Roots Above and Branches Below is a solid album from beginning to end. Besides being constant road warriors, that album is why the band's stock has risen this year and has fans old and new thirsty for a new album in 2010.

The Devil Wears Prada (photo by Gordie Ball)

Tuesday, Emo's should be packed. I'd be shocked if the show wasn't sold out at this point. This is their last Austin appearance for quite some time. In 2010 they will be touring with Kill Switch Engage and there aren't any Austin stops on that calendar. In fact, only Houston and Dallas get tour stops. It shocks me to not see San Antonio listed, as both bands made appearances there in 2009 on Warped and Mayhem Fest.

The Devil Wears Prada's touring mates are some heavy hitters in their own right in terms of fan base. All That Remains, Story of The Year and Haste The Day are a good fit to play under TDWP and the hardcore kids should love it. For me they are hit or miss, but I'm going for TDWP. So should you.



For more on The Devil Wears Prada, visit the following link:

TDWP on MySpace