I recently uploaded an interview I did for Double Stereo with a cool young band from New York called Lights Resolve. Maybe you caught them with The Used or saw them last year during SXSW. These dudes are good. I think they are going to step up their game this year and put out a hot record. Check out the interview:
I got the chance to interview international Latina superstar, Kat DeLuna, for Austin Vida recently. She was super cool and had a super sexy accent. I didn't think of it at the time, but I should have had her record my voice mail. I also should have asked her to marry me. Oh, and my good friends Ajay Miranda and Mari Hernandez got great video and photos for the piece. Check it out here:
My Austin Vida crew and I are giving away two tickets to this show. If you haven't checked out Morakestra and are an indie lover, it's time to get with the program. Details HERE.
Mark your calendars for February 2nd Austin. Your source all things "Hip-spanic" and Bemba Entertainment are bring you the first Nacional Records Listening Party in Austin this year. Arguably the best latin Alternative label in the World, Nacional Records is releasing two new albums that Tuesday. The first album is by Banda de Turistas titled Magical Radiophonic Heart. Already all the buzz in Argentina, Banda de Turista's jangly indie stylings will soon be heard worldwide and enjoyed by every indie kid who gets a hold of the album.
The second album Nacional is releasing on February 2nd is by Misterio tilted 10 Year Old Zombie. C'mon hipsters! It has zombie in the title! You love Zombies. It has a cool rockabilly feel to it. Fun fact for you, Mysterio features Senor Flavio, a founding member of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.
This listening part will be the first of many this year at Mi Casa on 6th. I am working with Brandon Badillo if Bemba Entertainment and Mi Casa ownership to make the Latino version of Hole in the Wall meets Red Eyed Fly. Badillo already has some good Latino acts playing there, but I'm working with him to get some different sort of latino kids in there. Stay tuned for more details on that.
For complete details and links, visit out blog post on Austin Vida here.
With a Saturday full of great choices, it is only fit that my Saturday show pick is the one show with two big local heavy hitters in two different genres. Saturday night at Red 7, both Ume and The Riverboat Gamblers (RBG) take the stage. Both are headliners in their own genres, Ume being the indie headliner and RBG the punk rock headliner. When I saw this one come to my inbox, it didn't matter what else was going on that night. Only a Rage Against The Machine or At The Drive In reunion featuring all original members could steal this Red River thunder.
Many of you caught Ume during Free Week I'm sure, or have seen them before as they are an Austin blogger darling. Unlike most "blogger bands", Ume is worth some buzz. I am not as into them as many of the blogosphere is, but I dig their live show. I even own their Sunshower EP, which is worth picking up at the show Saturday. Check out Ume here in their official video for "The Conductor" which is on their EP.
Now while Ume is all the buzz and everything, I'm sold on tomorrow's show because I'm a huge Riverboat Gamblers fan. I last saw them in November at Fun Fun Fun Fest, but without guitarist Ian Macdougall on every song. A few of their friends and old members filled in for him. He was in a bad accident that had his arm in a cast. According to the band's MySpace and an article on Austin 360, MacDougall is ready to go. The whole band in fact, is ready to go on this summer's Warped Tour. They will be on the entire tour representing Austin, Texas punk rock once again and I couldn't be happier about it. Catch The Riverboat Gamblers now while they are in town. Check out their latest music video for "DissDissDissKissKissKiss" off their soon to be Red River classic, Underneath The Owl.
Also playing before Ume and RBG are Austin bands The Altars and Shapes Have Fangs. Get there early as this show will sell out.
Zechs Marquise live at Mohawk, Austin in November 2009
When I found out Zechs Marquise was coming back to Austin, I was stoked. From the royal family that is Rodriguez-Lopez, Zechs Marquise are giving my friends and I another Volta like fix of what rock should be. This time around they are touring with RX Bandits, a band I've wanted to see live for a while, and The Builders and The Butchers. Their Austin stop comes on March 14th at Emo's. Here are more tour dates and an awesome live video from Austin Vida.
Mar 5 8:00pm Take II w/ Frontera Bugalu El Paso, Texas
Mar 9 7:00pm Marquee Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Tempe, Arizona
Mar 10 7:00pm Club Congress w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Tuscon, Arizona
Mar 12 7:00pm Granada Theater w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Dallas, Texas
Mar 13 7:00pm White Rabbit w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers San Antonio, Texas
Mar 147:00pm Emo’s w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Austin, Texas
Mar 16 5:30pm House Of Blues w/ RX Bandits & The Builders And The Butchers New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 18 7:30pmCulture Room w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Mar 19 7:00pm The Social w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Orlando, Florida
Mar 20 7:00pm The Social w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Orlando, Florida
Mar 21 7:00pm Masquerade w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 23 7:00pm Cat’s Cradle w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Carrboro, North Carolina
Mar 24 7:00pm Rock And Roll Hotel w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Washington, Washington DC
Mar 25 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 26 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 27 7:00pm Gramercy Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers New York, New York
Mar 28 7:00pm TLA w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 29 7:00pm Toads Place w/ RX Bandits & The Builders And The Butchers New Haven, Connecticut
Mar 30 7:00pm Harpers Ferry w/ RX Bandits & I Am the Avalanche Allston, Massachusetts
Mar 31 7:00pm Harpers Ferry w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Allston, Massachusetts
Apr 1 7:00pm Underworld w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Montreal, Quebec
Apr 2 6:00pm Mod Club w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Toronto, Ontario
Apr 3 8:00pm Magic Stick w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Detroit, Michigan
Apr 4 6:00pm The Bottom Lounge w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Chicago, Illinois
Apr 5 7:00pm Turner Hall Ballroom w/ RX Bandits and The Builders and The Butchers Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 6 5:00pm Triple Rock Social Club w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 8 7:00pm The Marquis Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Denver, Colorado
Apr 9 7:00P
In The Venue w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 10 7:00pm The Venue w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Boise, Idaho
Apr 11 7:00pm El Corazon w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Seattle, Washington
Apr 12 7:00pm Hawthorne Theatre w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Portland, Oregon
Apr 14 7:00pm The Boardwalk w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers Orangevale, California
Apr 15 7:00pm Slim’s w/ RX Bandits & The Builders and The Butchers San Francisco, California
Apr 23 7:00pm The Glasshouse w/ RX Bandits Pomona, California
For a more in depth look at Zechs Marquise,check out this interview by Ajay Miranda on Austin Vida:
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.
Today marks the official release of Vampire Weekend's long awaited 2nd album, Contra. Okay, so it has not been that long since their self titled debut. For current Vampire Weekend fans, and all indie fans for that matter, Contra couldn't have come out fast enough. The video for the fist single off Contra, "Cousins" hit YouTube in November 2009. Even M.E. Television has it regular rotation now.
Plus when it comes to indie, so many bands that come out of the gate with a lot of buzz don't sustain or stay hot. It is not the fault of the bands themselves, with the exception of a break up, but rather of the type of fans indie tends to draw. I'll just say it. Hipster fans only like what's hot now in their circles and once that goes main stream, they abandon you. Just ask Kings of Leon. Once hot bands should only be so lucky.
In regards to Contra, it will certainly please the ears and hearts of current Vampire Weekend fans. In all honesty, everything that is right is wrong with Contra. The good news is that it sounds like another Vampire Weekend album. The bad news is that is sounds just like another Vampire Weekend album. There isn't a sudden change of style or any experimentation outside their normal realm with the exception of a couple of songs. It is just a good indie album that proves Vampire Weekend are no fad. They may even be setting themselves up to be poster boys of the indie genre.
There are some stand out singles on Contra such as their first single, "Cousins", a song most fans already know by now. A quick little ditty just barely over two minutes in length, "Cousins" is fun and catchy little indie ride. Fast drumming and guitar strumming make for an interesting support sound for the Mexican surf-rock inspired sounds that make up the rest of the track. Did I mention this is such a catchy song?
Contra's opening track, "Horchata" is not the ode to my favorite Mexican beverage that I hoped it was, but it is my favorite track off the album. I love the kalimba thumb piano, as it very typical of the sounds of Veracruz, Mexico. This kind of hip world vibe reminds me of something Paul Simon would have done. The vocal echos and reverb are what make it their own versus being a direct Paul Simon clone.
Something else that stood out to me about Contra is that on "I Think UR a Contra", they used an acoustic guitar. This is actually the only song that really distinguishes Contra from their self titled debut in my mind. The orchestral string sounds create a sort of calm that allows Ezra Koenig (guitar/vocals) to finish mellowing you out. The acoustic guitar comes in during the last minute of the song, accompanied by the soft rattle of some maracas.
While these three for mentioned songs stand out, the entire album is worth purchasing for current Vampire Weekend fans. If you have already heard Vampire Weekend and couldn't get into them, Contra isn't going to win you over. If you are new or unfamiliar with Vampire Weekend, give Contra an honest listen. It may even be worth it for you to go back and pick up their self titled debut if like Contra.
Official video for "Cousins" off the new Vampire Weekend album, Contra:
Vampire Weekend will be in Austin on April 10th at Stubb's. To purchase tickets, visit Front Gate Tickets here. For more on Vampire Weekend, visit them on MySpace here.
(This review was written for and published on Double Stereo)
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.
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.
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. 
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.
