Austin Bloggy Limits

The Kills in Austin

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I know what you're thinking, an outdoor show at Stubb's in January, what were they thinking? Well, I can't speak to that specifically but I can assure that The Kills make it all better. If you've never experienced the genre-smashing fuzz and drama of a live Kills experience then you should throw on a hat and poncho and stand your ass in the rain. Look at it this way, everyone else at the show tomorrow will also be in the rain so, you can consider it a communal, bonding experience with your fellow concert patron. At the moment tickets are still available and the weather lends me to believe that the show will not sell-out. However, if you want to be on the safe side you should probably just snag some tickets right now.

The Kills - The Last Goodbye video via YouTube

I suppose if you can't handle standing in the rain to catch The Kills tonight your next best bet is to tune into KUT this afternoon where they'll be playing a live set. I can't find the exact time that the live performance starts but I was listening on my commute home yesterday and they mentioned that it would be this afternoon.

For those of you heading out to the actual show at Stubb's tonight make sure you arrive early enough to catch Jeff the Brotherhood. They have a lot of buzz building for them and have even been chosen by Mr. Jack White to represent Third Man Records with an exclusive "Blue Series" 7", as well as a live LP.

Jeff the Brotherhood - Whatever I Want video via YouTube

A Lull with Deleted Scenes

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:45:00 +0000

Hey there, come here often? You looking to party? I got you covered, well not literally, you're going to have to buy your own ticket but you should meet me at the Mohawk next Monday night. Me and all the cool kids are going to drink Lone Stars, PBR's and make fun of the other cool kids. We'll also be jamming out to A Lull. You may not recognize that name right now but in a few months when everyone is talking about them you'll be like, "Ugg, I saw them like 3 months ago and now that you like them I'm bored." You might also go for, "Remember 3 months ago when I tried to get you to go see them with me at the Mohawk?!?! Pshaw!" None of this hipster posturing will be possible if you don't make it out to the show though. It is for that reason that I'm posting this today, I want you to have a week's heads-up to get your act together.

A Lull - Some Love video via YouTube

If A Lull wasn't enough awesome music to tempt you, you can also catch Washington D.C.-area band Deleted Scenes playing the support slot. If you didn't catch them last time they played Austin then you're in luck. They put on a great live show with lots of David Lee Roth high kicks. Ok, I made that part up but they really are great musicians and they are a band to watch in 2012 according to this sentence.

Deleted Scenes - Bedbedbedbedbed video via YouTube

Kendrick Lamar at Beauty Ballroom TONIGHT!

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:16:00 +0000

I included it in my ticket round-up post at the beginning of the month but January 20th really snuck-up on me. I didn't realize that tonight was the night to catch Kendrick Lamar at the brand-new Beauty Ballroom over on East Riverside. Kendrick's 2011 album, Section.80 was released digitally and made a lot of year-end lists in December. Hailing from Compton, Lamar is carrying on a tradition of great hip-hop and at a concert last August Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Game pronounced him the new prince of west coast hip-hop. If you didn't catch Kendrick Lamar's album last year you can check it out on Spotify. He can also be heard guesting on Drake's latest LP, Take Care on the, "Buried Alive Interlude." It's not too late to get tickets to tonight's show at the Beauty Ballroom they'll be waiting for you at will-call.

Kendrick Lamar - ADHD video via YouTube

Apparently Kendrick Lamar is a huge fan of 2Pac and usually dedicates at least 10 minutes of every show to him and his music so, if you head out to tonight's show you can expect to hear that. Also, look for Kendrick's studio LP, Good Kid in a Mad City at some point this year.

Kendrick Lamar - HiiiPower video via YouTube

Review: Cass McCombs

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Last Saturday night there were a lot of great shows in Austin to choose from. All the kids were over at the Mohawk for the Starfucker show, meanwhile the grown-up were down the street watching Cass McCombs on the inside stage. I wasn't sure how full the show was going to be but I was pleased to walk into a completely packed room just as support act Frank Fairfield was starting his old-timey, one man folk show. The audience was very attentive and Frank put on a good performance. It wasn't really my thing but the crowd erupted in cheers and applause at the end of every song so, clearly, has some fans in Austin.

Cass McCombs started about 10 minutes later than he was scheduled for, with a full backing band that included a steel guitar/guitar, bass, keys and drums. I spotted Erica from the Heartless Bastard enjoying the show along with lots of other Austin scenesters. Cass opened with Equinox from his 2007 album PREfection triggering lots of hooting and hollering from the audience. I, for one, didn't expect to hear an older song so soon in the set but for Cass McCombs fans, that song is a classic and a great opening number. The set culled tracks from Cass' full catalog, including his latest single Bradley Manning.

Cass McCombs - Bradley Manning via Soundcloud

Overall, I had a great experience at the show. The crowd was rapt and mostly attentive throughout the performance and I found myself really paying attention to the lyrical content of the songs. Cass McCombs' songs exist in their own universe and when you see him perform live it's, somewhat, like living in a David Lynch film. The mood of the songs is much thicker in person than on record and they evoke a very dream-like feeling. I hate to try to pin down the music with a genre because it straddles several but Saturday night I was thinking that there was a psychedelic-country-soul thing going on and that seemed quite fitting at the moment.

The set closed with one of the greatest songs of 2011, County Line and I could help thinking that it sounded like a soul record through an American filter. I would love to hear an artist like Charles Bradley re-imagine the tune to enhance it's soul-music qualities. Cass McCombs is still on tour through March so, if you're reading this from outside of Austin you should head out to the following places to have your own Lynch-ian moment with Cass and Co.

01-20 Saxaphaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom *
01-21 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
01-22 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie *
01-25 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
01-26 Montreal, Quebec - Il Motore *
01-27 Toronto, Ontario - The Garrison *
01-28 Detroit, MI - Pike Room *
01-29 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
01-30 Madison, WI - High Noon *
02-01 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
02-02 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room *
02-03 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive *
02-04 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *
03-05 Manchester, England - Band on the Wall
03-07 Liverpool, England - Leaf Cafe Bold St.
03-09 London, England - Union Chapel

^ with White Magic
* with Frank Fairfield

Cass McCombs - County Line video via YouTube

Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up in Flames) video via YouTube

Interview: Twin Sister

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Long Island indie-popsters Twin Sister will be here in Austin at the end of the month and tickets are almost sold-out. Normally, I do these preview posts closer to the actual show date but I want you to be at the Mohawk on the 29th so, I'm posting about the show today. Neo-whiteboy-indie-soul group, Ava Luna will be playing the support slot so I encourage you to arrive early and catch both bands because they're both fucking awesome. That's right, I said it.

Ava Luna - Clips video via YouTube

I had the chance to send some questions to Andrea from Twin Sister, which you can find below the break.

Twin Sister - Kimmi In a Rice Field video via YouTube

What are some other monikers TWIN SISTER tried out before choosing TWIN SISTER?

Vampires, Dreaming Kids

If the members of TWIN SISTER were to choose non-musical professions, what might those be?

I would work in an Aquarium or be an Art Director.

What band names would have decorated your notebooks/lockers/bumpers in High School?

Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Björk, Space Robot Scientists. I think I use to do this a lot more in Middle school and like, the beginning of High School. Then I started tacking up flyers for our local acoustic shows.

Did you grow up in a musical house-hold? If so, what music were/are your parents really into?

When I was really little and my parents were still into their early 20s, my father used to play guitar with his friends and my mom was really into dance. So, I had Pink Floyd, Blondie, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Michael Jackson, Salsa, Merengue, Madonna.

What are some of your choices for a "guilty pleasure" playlist?

Katy Perry - "Last Friday Night"

Michelle Branch - "All You Wanted"

Ne-Yo - "Closer"

Vanessa Carlton - "A Thousand Miles"

Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream"

Vanessa Carlton - "Ordinary Day"

Ke$ha - "TiK ToK"

What have you been listening to lately? Do you have any favorite LP's from 2011?

Roy Orbison, the "Crying" cassette

The Best of Bowie cassette

Kate Bush, "The Whole Story" cassette

I think my favorite from 2011 is Björk's "Biophilia." So far, I haven't been listening to enough new music, just old music. I have to wait until this new music is old.

What were some of your favorite films that you saw last year?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 and The Borrower Arriety

The Borrower Arriety

Official English Trailer

YouTube

If you were to make the analogy of band as a family,what roles would your various members play? Who are the parents in the van?

Dev is dad that pays the bills and makes sure that the modem is still giving the house internet. I'm (Andrea) the mother I guess, too busy with make up and hair to pay attention to my kids, but I'll still take them to the doctor. Eric is my favorite son, little stinky brat that does everything right and kisses mummy's buns. Bryan is my stoner son, that is locked in his room listening to music, being all creative and having a good time with his friends and stealing mama's liquor! Gabel is a friend of my son, and I'm sleeping with him behind my husband's back.

What's the biggest/most common myth about touring?

It isn't like a road trip, it's fun and work. I never have enough energy, time or money to really enjoy every place I visit. I still haven't spent more than a few hours in Paris. WTH? If you want to become an alcoholic it's perfect! I hate paying for drinks when I come home.

If you could collaborate with any artist(s), in any medium, in any time period, who would it be, when and what would you be working on?

1940s, Walt Disney, Cartoon production cells.

Twin Sister - Bad Street video via YouTube

Scarface and Wu-Tang This Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:33:00 +0000

Are you a hip-hop fan? Maybe you're a suburban white kid trying to earn some street cred? Perhaps your're a hipster who doesn't like anything because it's too commercial. Wait, don't tell me, you've been a huge hip-hop fan your whole life and kids used to make fun of you for it but now it's cool. You were into Scarface while everyone else was gettin' jiggy with it? Well, regardless of your sorted past this weekend has two incredibly solid hip-hop shows and you could be in attendance if you get on board the ticket train. Friday night, you'll find Houston hip-hop legend Scarface at the Mohawk. Lots of emcees claim to be legendary but most of them are just boasting, that can not be said of Scarface. As a member of the Geto Boys, Scarface helped to put Houston hip-hop in the national spotlight with underground classics as well as urban radio jams like, Mind Playing Tricks on Me. I'm not going to go through his whole resume´ you should just trust me and get yourself some tickets before they're gone.

Scarface - On My Block video via YouTube

Then, on Saturday night over at Emo's luscious, new E. Riverside location you will find New York legends, Wu-Tang Clan. Just like Friday night's Scarface show, I'd expect this show to sell-out before doors open so be sure to grab some tickets now! If you feel like you can't afford tickets to see Wu-Tang you can try your luck at this contest, that's your call. If I even need to explain to you who Wu-Tang Clan is, or why you should care about this show then you need to turn your computer off, go to the nearest record shop and buy yourself a copy of Enter the Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers RIGHT NOW!

Wu-Tang Clang - Careful video via YouTube

Cass McCombs at Stubb's

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:53:00 +0000

By now, you've all had a chance to peruse my ticket round-up post so this show is not news to you. However, I wanted to focus your attention on the Cass McCombs show taking place on Stubb's inside stage Saturday night. Cass has been a blog favorite for years and he's also been championed by fellow musicians for his beautiful song-craft and his deeply honest, moving live performances. I expect this show to sell-out within the next day or two so if you want to be a part of this intimate experience you should grab some tickets while they're still available.

Cass McCombs - The Same Thing video via YouTube

The above song comes from Cass McCombs' second album of 2011, Humor Risk. That's right, the second album of 2011! Did I mention that Cass is an extremely proficient songwriter? His first LP of 2011 is called, Wit's End and like Humor Risk is has some of the best songwriting in recent years. The thing that is most interesting to me about the two albums is how they are so different from one another. Wit's End has a more intimate feel, with a more classic singer-songwriter sound, while Humor Risk delves deeper into a true rock sound. They both sound like they are from the same artist but they just explore different sides of Cass' sound. With 6 LPs to cull tracks from, Saturday's live set at Stubb's could last two hours and be sourced from almost a decades worth of material.

Cass McCombs - County Line video via YouTube

Did I mention you should probably get some tickets quickly? The inside room at Stubb's doesn't fit very many people.

Planning Ahead: Spend that Holiday $$$

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:19:00 +0000

It's a new month, a new year, new beginnings and you've got all kinds of holiday related debt OR you're flush with holiday cash OR you're a Jehovah's Witness and holiday is just a bangin' Madonna track. Regardless, I thought y'all might want the heads-up on some fantabulous shows that will be in the Austin area coming up in the near or distant future.

First of all, you should know that SXSW is nigh and the sooner (before Jan. 13th) you buy a badge or wristband the cheaper it will be. I know a lot of you just enjoy all of the free side parties and stuff and that's aight. Trust me though, if you just spring for a music wristband it saves you lots of headache with RSVPing, pretending you like Perez Hilton, standing in lines outside of power plants for prima donnas and all that Jazz. In any case, at this point you can only buy badges for SXSW but keep an ear to the street for the sale of the wristbands. For now, check out a song from a band I'm really looking forward to seeing at SXSW 2012 and then look for all of the ticket links after the jump.

North Highlands - Benefits video via YouTube

Alright, you should know the drill by now, this list is not comprehensive and does not represent an endorsement of any show, venue, artist etc. This is merely a list of shows that may or may not interest you, happening here in the Austin area. Click the name of the artist to go to the ticket page, the name of the venue will bring you to the venue's homepage. If the listing has a strike-through it means the show is already sold-out but I wanted to acknowledge my awareness of the event and also make you feel bad about not getting tickets when they were available. Also, I didn't include a lot of highlight-worthy shows from local bands because they (mostly) don't have pre-sale tickets available. If there is anything I have neglected to include...whoops.

Friday, Jan. 13th

Saturday, Jan. 14th

Wu-Tang Clan at Emo's
Cass McCombs at Stubb's
Starfucker at Mohawk

Tuesday, Jan. 17th

Langhorne Slim at Stubb's

Thursday, Jan. 19th

The Mountain Goats / Nurses at Antone's
Frank Smith at Mohawk

Friday, Jan. 20th

Kendrick Lamar at Beauty Ballroom
The Toasters at Antone's

Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortis video via YouTube

Saturday, Jan. 21th

Mason Jennings at Parish
But you LOVE Ladysmith Black Mambazo at ACL Live
Don Chani at Flamingo Cantina

Wednesday, Jan. 25th

The Kills / Jeff the Brotherhood at Stubb's

Friday, Jan. 27th

Theophilus London at Beauty Ballroom

Saturday, Jan. 28th

BENEFIT FOR ESME'S FAMILY! Ted Leo at Beerland

Sunday, Jan. 29th

Twin Sister at Mohawk

Twin Sister - Bad Street video via YouTube

Monday, Jan. 30th

A Lull / Deleted Scenes at Mohawk

Wednesday, Feb. 1st

HarMar Superstar at

Friday, Feb. 3rd

Zola Jesus at Parish
They Might Be Giants at La Zona Rosa

Saturday, Feb. 4th

King Khan and the Shrines at Mohawk
Caitlin Rose at Stubb's

Wednesday, Feb. 8th

HarMar Superstar at

Saturday, Feb11th

Thurston Moore at St. David's Episcopal Church
Lemonheads (Playing, "It's a Shame About Ray") at Mohawk

Wednesday, Feb.15th

HarMar Superstar at Mohawk

Thursday, Feb. 16th

Trombone Shorty at ACL Live

Friday, Feb. 17th

Los Campesinos! at Parish
Loretta Lynn at ACL Live

Saturday, Feb. 18th

Los Campesinos! at Parish

Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand video via YouTube

Tuesday, Feb. 21st

Matthew Good at Antone's

Friday, Feb. 24th

HarMar Superstar at Mohawk

Saturday, Feb. 25th

Cloud Nothings at Red 7
Reptar at Stubb's
Band of Heathens at Parish

Monday, Feb. 27th

Gomez at Antone's
Drake / A$AP Rocky / Kendrick Lamar at Frank Erwin Center

Tuesday, Feb. 28th

Gomez at Antone's

Wednesday, Feb. 29th

Grimes / Born Gold at Lambert's

Friday, March 2nd

Gladys Knight at ACL Live

Sunday, March 4th

Shearwater at Antone's

Wednesday, March 7th

~~Radiohead / Other Lives at Frank Erwin Center~~

Friday, March 9th

Dr. Dog / Givers at Stubb's

Tuesday, March 13th

Band of Skulls / We Are Augustines at Antone's

Friday, March 23rd

The Naked and Famous at Stubb's

Saturday, March 24th

~~Young the Giant / Grouplove at Stubb's~~

Sunday, March 25th

~~Young the Giant / Grouplove at Stubb's~~

Thursday, April 5th

Childish Gambino / Danny Brown at Stubb's

Danny Brown - Greatest Rapper Ever video via YouTube

Wednesday, April 11th

Keep Shelly in Athens at Mohawk
Bowerbirds at Parish

Saturday, April 14th

Cursive / Cymbals Eat Guitars at Mohawk

Tuesday, April 24th

Bear in Heaven at Parish

Thursday, May 3rd

Roger Waters (Performing "The Wall") at Frank Erwin Center

Saturday, May 5th

Tom Petty at Frank Erwin Center

Friday, May 18th

M83 / I Break Horses at Stubb's

I Break Horses - Winter Beats video via YouTube

Tuesday, June 5th

Foster the People / The Kooks at The Backyard

You're on the Guest List

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:36:00 +0000

What started with a single club (whose original location is now closed) has spread throughout the Red River district and beyond. That's right, as you should know by now, it's FREE WEEK! Think of it as a small-scale local music festival with Austin bands playing for free at all sorts of venues, I didn't write about the first two days of free week but let me highlight a couple of shows to round out your week. Tonight, I recommend you head on over to Skinny's Ballroom to check out Leatherbag. Skinny's is fairly new to Austin's music scene so this will be a great way to welcome them into the free week fold.

Leatherbag - Living in the Dark video via YouTube
Lo
On Wednesday night I would head over to ye olde Beauty Bar where the Manateam Group will be hosting a split showcase with the folks over at Giant Steps. You'll find 5 up-and-coming Austin groups at this showcase, including Tactics.

//////////// by Tactics

I'd also recommend you check out Equals' headlining set over at Antone's Wednesday night. That's the benefit of free week, you can hop around and see sets from several band and several venues without paying a cover!

Equals EP by Equals

Thursday night, I'm all about Antone's as I love those indie-piano-popsters of Oh No Oh My. I somehow neglected their album, People Problems, when I was doing my local, best of round-up last month so I want to be sure to highlight their headlining performance this week.

Oh No Oh My - So I Took You via YouTube

Friday night has a ton of great shows, you really can't go wrong no matter where you end up. You could see OBN III's at Beerland. You could also head down the street to the Mohawk for a set from Calm Blue Sea. Travel slightly north and east for Zlam Dunk at The Annex at 1808. Get your post-rock on at the Scoot Inn with Markov, with La Snacks on the same bill. If you haven't been to Emo's east Riverside location yet, you can see Quiet Company and Speak there on Friday night. Or you can stay slightly off the beaten path and enjoy the cozy confines of Lambert's for a set from Mice and Rifles.

This Quiet by Markov

Saturday night also has as great line-up of performances including a couple of repeat sets at different venues. If you don't cram yourself into the hostile armpit that is Beerland, on Friday night for OBN III's then I highly recommend you catch their Saturday night set at the lovely Mohawk. Also, if you missed Quiet Company's at Emo's East on Friday night they play, the very intimate, Swan Dive on Saturday night. Bloggy favs, TV Torso will be playing the Ringo Deathstarr at Beauty Bar, Fresh Millions at the Parish, What Made Milwaukee Famous at Antone's, Megafauna at Flamingo Cantina, La Snacks and The Cocker Spaniels at Skinny's, and Guns of Navarone at Scoot Inn.

Prize and Battlefield by Guns of Navarone

Sunday night is your final night to not pay a cover charge, bringing 7 nights of free-ness to a close. I don't recognize as many bands playing Sunday but you can find free music at: Mohawk, Antone's, Red 7, ND and Beerland. So, there you have it, FREE WEEK! If you want to see more info, I always like to use Show List Austin. You can also find a great write-up by our brothers of the blog over at Ultra8201. Have fun out there, don't drink and drive and make sure to tip your bar-staff.

By the way, almost every link I posted for these bands will bring you to their Bandcamp page where you can listen to their latest releases. Enjoy!

15 Great EP's of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:15:00 +0000

By this point you should have already seen my best locals list, my best non-locals list, and Shivvy's best albums list. So, technically I don't have to post anything else for the rest of the year. That's how this works right? Well, I figured I also wanted to highlight some great EP's that came out this year. I'm not going to call it a best of and I'm not going to mention EP's that were included in the other lists from this site BUT when these bands become famous in 2012-2015 I want you to remember this list. Also, you can expect all or most of these bands to appear on Austin stage during SXSW 2012, or thereabouts.

As with all of the other lists, click the name of the artist to be brought to their homepage, click the title of the EP to go to a purchase page (lots of these are limited pressings in physical form so you may have to go with the digital option), listen to the song sample by pressing the play button. I have also created a Spotify Playlist to accompany this post. Let's begin shall we?

Grimes - Darkbloom

Grimes - Vanessa video via YouTube

Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics

Surfer Blood - Miranda via YouTube

Young Buffalo - Young Von Prettylips

Young Buffalo - Full Metal Whacket via YouTube

Empress Hotel - Empress Hotel

Empress Hotel - Bells Ring via YouTube

Races - Big Broom

Races - Big Broom via YouTube

Weekend - Red

Weekend - Hazel via YouTube

Chapter 24 - Chapter 24 EP

Chapter 24 - Blisland to Cry video via YouTube

Reptar - Oblangle Fizz Y'all

Reptar - Stuck In My Id via YouTube

Yukon Blonde - Fire//Water

Yukon Blonde - Water video via YouTube

Alex Turner - Submarine (Original Songs)

Alex Turner - Hiding Tonight via YouTube

Dom - Family of Love

Dom - Happy Birthday Party via YouTube

Keep Shelly in Athens - Our Own Dream

Keep Shelly in Athens - Lazy Noon via YouTube

Purity Ring - Belispeak
This one isn't technically an EP, it's a split single but I'm totally including it, so there!

Purity Ring - Belispeak via YouTube

Phantogram - Nightlife

Phantogram - Don't Move via YouTube

Radiohead - TKOL RMX 1234567
This also isn't truly an EP, it's compilation of 12" singles that was compiled onto a CD. There were 7 of these 12" singles at the point this compilation was released, since then an 8th remix 12" has appeared. The song below is my favorite of all of the remixes.

Radiohead - Separator (Anstam RMX) via YouTube

Contest: Grieves at Stubb's

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:06:00 +0000

Ho ho ho! In the spirit of the Rick Perry's war on Christmas, I have some tickets to giveaway. Tomorrow night you can catch some live hip-hop at Stubb's inside room. Grieves is hitting Austin with his On the Rocks tour, you can buy tickets or you could win some from me. This could be your chance to see a star on the rise in an intimate space. His album, Together/Apart was released on the Ryhmesayers label and it features classic boom-bap hip-hop beats with tight, introspective rhymes over the top. If you haven't heard it yet, you can check it out on Spotify. Since I was so wrapped up in year-end lists I only have the rest of the day to pick a winner so send an e-mail to contest@austinbloggylimits.com if you want to win. All you have to do is put GRIEVES in the subject and give me a brief reason why you should be picked. One person will get on the guest list with a +1 for tonight's show.

Grieves - On the Rocks video via YouTube

Like I said I only have a few hours to choose a winner for this contest so make sure you enter the contest and/or tell your friends about it NOW.

Shivvy's Best of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:58:00 +0000
This was my first complete year of not working in radio, but I got back into music in a big way. In the months that followed WOXY's demise, I honestly tuned a lot of music out. I was never big on indie buzz and the flavor of the month style way that indie bands are consumed these days, but I was exposed to pretty much all of it while working for the station. Now, with a rekindled passion in my heart, I find that my biggest sources for discovering music are Austin Bloggy and Spotify.

While I have friends who swear up and down that Rdio and other services are better, I subscribed to Spotify when it finally launched here the states earlier this year. Now that I'm working a more traditional office job, I have plenty of time to listen to whatever I want. I put my headphones on and listen to everything from old faves to the the newest releases. I can say that, as a result, my listening has moved back more to being album-based. My preference is always to support my local indie record stores by buying as much vinyl as I can. There is a happy medium there for me - I stream at work and in the car and play records at home.

However you are discovering new music, please make an effort to support the artists that create it. If possible, do it at the local stores that we want to thrive in our communities for a long time. For me, Record Store Day is a year-round event. If you aren't fortunate enough to live close to a great store like End Of An Ear or Waterloo Records here in Austin, there are links embedded here to buy from the artists/labels or from Insound.

20: Meshell Ndegeocello - Weather

Meshell Ndegeocello - Chance video via YouTube

19: Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Mogwai - Mexican Grand Prix video via YouTube

18: Melanie Laurent - En t’attendant

Melanie Laurent - Kiss video via YouTube

17: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Keep Me Waiting video via YouTube

16: Generationals - Actor-Caster

Generationals - Ten-Twenty-Ten video via YouTube

15: Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

Beastie Boys - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win video via YouTube

14: TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

TV On The Radio - Will Do video via YouTube

13: SBTRKT - SBTRKT

SBTRKT - Wildfire video via YouTube

12: Drake - Take Care

Drake - Headlines video via YouTube

11: Cults - Cults

Cults - Abducted video via YouTube

10: Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams

Dum Dum Girls - Bedroom Eyes video via YouTube

9: k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang - Sing It Loud

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang - I Confess video via YouTube

8: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Senator video via YouTube

7: Wild Flag - Wild Flag

Wild Flag - Romance video via YouTube

6: PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder video via YouTube

5: The Weeknd - House of Balloons

The Weeknd - What You Need video via YouTube

4: The Kills - Blood Pressures

The Kills - Future Starts Slow video via YouTube

3: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83 - Midnight City (Trentemøller Remix) video via YouTube

2: Beyonce´ - 4

Beyonce - Countdown video via YouTube

1: Björk - Biophila

Björk - Crystalline video via YouTube

Bloggy's Best of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:37:00 +0000
First off, I want to note that I think ranking art is ridiculous but, at the same time, I adore lists. It is always harder for me to decide what will be excluded rather than what will be included whenever I'm making these lists. It is so hard to say what deserves to be attached to what number, especially in a year that Radiohead have an album release. In the end, I had to make this a top 20 list since I had such a hard time narrowing it down to 10 or 15, but I could just have easily made this a top 50. I can assure you that I loved every album on this list and I ranked them based on how much I listened to them. In other words, this represents what my favorites were just as much as it represents albums with artistic merit. I have developed an evolving playlist that has samples from all of the albums I considered contenders for this list, which you can listen to on Spotify.

The last thing I want to mention involves the format of this post. Just as I did with my Best of 2011: Locals Only post, if you click the name of the artist it will bring you to their homepage, if you click the album title you will be brought to a page to purchase the album. Also, with one or two entries you'll see I have both an LP and EP listed under one spot. My reasoning for this is EP stands for "Extended Play" so I'm considering it to be an extension of the album. Now, with that all said here it is, The Bloggy Best of 2011:

20: The Parson Red Heads - Yearling

The Parson Red Heads - Burning Up the Sky video via YouTube

19: Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine/Freaking Out

Toro y Moi - How I Know video via YouTube

18: Braids - Native Speaker

Braids - Plath Heart video via YouTube

17: Washed Out - Within and Without

Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed video via YouTube

16: Givers - In Light

Givers - Meantime video via YouTube

15: Other Lives - Tamer Animals

Other Lives - Tamer Animals video via YouTube

14: Widowspeak - Widowspeak

Widowspeak by WIDOWSPEAK
Widowspeak - Nightcrawlers via Bandcamp

13: Active Child - You Are All I See

Active Child - Playing House video via YouTube

12: tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

tUnE-yArDs - Gangsta video via YouTube

11: SBTRKT - SBTRKT

SBTRKT - Pharoahs video via YouTube

10: The Weeknd - House of Balloons

The Weeknd - The Party & The After Party video via YouTube

9: Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Girls - Honey Bunny video via YouTube

8: Cults - Cults

Cults - Go Outside video via YouTube

7: Vetiver - The Errant Charm

Vetiver - Wonder Why video via YouTube

6: Tristen - Charlatans at the Garden Gate

Tristen - Baby Drugs video via YouTube

5: Radiohead - The King of Limbs

Radiohead - Lotus Flower video via YouTube

4: North Highlands - Wild One

North Highlands - Benefits video via YouTube

3: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83 - Midnight City video via YouTube

2: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - Swerve video via YouTube

1: Caveman - CoCo Beware

Caveman - Easy Water video via YouTube

Digitalism at the Parish

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:38:00 +0000

It's been emeffin' cold in Austin this week. You know the best way to cure those cold weather blues? If you answered, dancing your ass off to German electronic music played through Austin's best sound-system over at the Parish then we are on the same wavelength. You can find me and the rest of Austin's coolest people sweating through our Threadless T-Shirts on the hardwood floors of the Parish tomorrow night. If you'd care to join us in seeing Digitalism then you should grab yourself some tickets while they're still available. Something tells me even if there are a few tickets left at the door Friday night they'll be gone early. The latest release from Digitalism is, I Love You, Dude and it's filled with big, industrial beats, edgy keyboard sounds and just the right amount of indie-minded live instrumentation. If you went to the Alamo Drafthouse this summer then you probably already heard the song Two Hearts, which was featured in one of their monthly trailers.

Digitalism - 2 Hearts video via YouTube

Taking opening band duties tomorrow night is up-and-coming electronic duo, Data Romance. They hail from Vancouver and have been compared to The XX and Bat for Lashes so you know I'm sold. Also, the fact that they are coming out of the Vancouver scene speaks very highly of them, they've been churning out some amazing electronic music in the great, white North lately. I mean, have you heard Blood Diamonds? It's tiiiiight! Anyway, if you get to the Parish around 10p you shouldn't have any problem catching all or most of Data Romance's set. I expect it will be one of those, I'm glad I was here for this moments, like when Warpaint opened for Akron/Family. Remember that?

Data Romance - The Deep video via YouTube

Damn, that Data Romance video was creepy y'all! Even though it's, mostly, unrelated I'm going to include this jam from Blood Diamonds too. Vancouver represent!
Blood Diamonds - Grins video via YouTube

Best of 2011: Locals Only

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:52:00 +0000
Alright, I'm going to start this list with the usual disclaimers about how art is subjective and ranking one piece of art above another is just silly. However, as a music nerd I love lists, which is why this is my favorite time of year. You can look forward to my albums of the year list next week along with Shivvy's. For now, I thought I'd shine a light on some Austin and/or Austin-area artists who had enjoyable music releases this year. Click the name of the artist to go to their homepage, click the name of the release to go to a purchase page. I'm sure there are lots that I will leave out, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy that band, it just means I didn't include it in this list. In other words, you can save your gripes for Oprah's return 'cause I ain't even interested grrrl! In the spirit of, "oh shit I forgot about that one" I present to you the Bloggy Top 11 Austin releases of 2011:

11: Equals - Equals EP

Equals EP by Equals

10: Frank Smith - Monsters

Frank Smith's record, Before You Were Born actually comes out in January but he released Monsters and A Decline THIS year so, I'm including it.

Frank Smith - Monsters video via YouTube

9: Pure X - Pleasure

I'm also including Pure X's You're In It Now EP, as part of this entry. Although, the video below is from the LP, Pleasure.

Pure X - Surface video via YouTube

8: The Calm Blue Sea - The Calm Blue Sea

The Calm Blue Sea - Literal video via YouTube

7: The Strange Boys - Live Music

The album title uses the short "i" sound, as in "living the music."

The Strange Boys - Me and You video via YouTube

6: Sleep ∞ Over - Forever

5: Wild Child - Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk by Wild Child

4: Quiet Company - We Are All Where We Belong

Quiet Company - Fear and Fallacy, Sitting in a Tree video via YouTube

3: The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks

The Wooden Birds - Criminals Win video via YouTube

2: Ume - Phantoms

Ume - Captive video via YouTube

1: White Denim - D

Just like I did with the Pure X entry, I'm including White Denim's Takes Place In Your Work Space EP because it's an extension of D and features one of my favorite White Denim songs to date, Handwriting.

White Denim - Street Joy video via YouTube

You can find most of these artists if you're a Spotify user and want to hear more. Frank Smith has his previous releases on Spotify but, the songs I posted above are from an album due out in 2012 so you won't find them there. For the other 10, I've made a little playlist for you to enjoy. So, there you have Best of Austin 2011. Feel free to leave your thoughts, concerns, etc in the comments or tweet @AustinBloggy.

The Sea and Cake Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Living in Austin, it seems that every few months a band comes along that I adored in college but never really thought I'd be seeing perform live. Well, this Thursday one such band is gracing the Mohawk's outside stage and I am very excited. The Sea and Cake are one part jazz band, one part indie-rock group and when I was in college radio I had never heard anything like it. Their latest release is called Moonlight Butterfly, it was released this year to little fanfare but I recommend you check it out. With 6 tracks it's not quite an LP and more than an EP but regardless of how it's classified it's great music and you can expect Thursday night's show at the Mohawk to be excellent. Tickets are only $15 and given that this is an outdoor show you can expect it to start and end fairly early. I really have no idea how popular The Sea and Cake are in Austin but something tells me that this show will be sold-out before the doors open at 7pm. In other words, you should probably grab some tickets while you still can.

The Sea and Cake - Weekend video via YouTube

Like I said, Thursday night's show is going to start and end early so you should arrive before 8p if you want to catch local band, My Education's, opening set. Their sound is more shoe-gaze than jazz but they don't really fit into either of those categories. I think they're a great fit for The Sea and Cake show even though they don't just like them, their music should still appeal to the same audience. You can listen to My Education's music, which is streaming over on their bandcamp page.

My Education - Sunrise video via YouTube

Wilco in Austin

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:45:00 +0000
I know it's late in the day, so I'm late to the party in writing about last night's Austin City Limits taping featuring Wilco. Those other blogs had lots of fancy words and lots of fancy pictures but I was waiting tables at 6am today so, not only is my review late but I'm fucking surly y'all! Let me start by saying if you have tickets for tonight's Wilco show at ACL Live, then you are a very lucky individual because I thoroughly enjoyed last night's performance and I'm sure the dynamics are much different for performers without cameras in their faces. Last night was my first time seeing Wilco perform, I had heard many great things from many great, to moderately great, people so I had high expectations. As far as I'm concerned Wilco completely delivered, as usual my only complaints were with the crowd and not the band or the venue.

The sound was superb, not too quiet, not too loud and everything perfectly in balance. The patrons were generally well-behaved but as usual people need to shut their fucking yaps while a performance is taking place. Also, what's with people taking photos of themselves while at a show? The caption should read, "This is me disturbing people around me in a crowd." It's one thing to take the photo in a way so the artist ends up photo-bombing your self-portrait but when it's just two drunk bitches squeezing their fat faces in the frame of their iPhone it makes no sense to me whatsoever. The other thing that bothered me is, somewhat, specific to Austin City Limits TV tapings but also kind of applies to any venue charging more than $5 for poor quality beers. Must you continuously drink while watching a show? Like the whole time? Each minute of each song? You think maybe you could just get beers before and after, maybe at a neighboring bar so you don't have to keep moving past me in both directions? This would not only save me from getting annoyed by you, it would save you money. Get off my lawn!!!

Back to the performance, since last night was Wilco's fourth taping of ACL, I was expecting to hear mostly new to newish tunes and I was perfectly ok with that. I'm not one of those people (assholes) who insists that anything after a band's first 1-3 records is total crap. In fact I think Wilco's latest album is really great. Much to my surprise the set list had lots of "classics" peppered in with the new tunes so even if you are one of those assholes you still got to hear some of your favorite songs. For the full set I'm going to refer you to the handy-dandy instagram photo from the official Austin City Limits TV Twitter.

My, personal, highlight moments were Nels Cline's guitar solo during, Impossible Germany and Nick Lowe guesting with Wilco to play, Cruel to be Kind. I have been to lots of concerts from a variety of artists playing a variety of genres. Many of these shows have brought tears to my eyes but I have never been so verklempt from a guitar solo. I can't even explain to you what made it so great but when Nels' solo wound down and Impossible Germany got back into its main riff, I lept from my seat, with tears in my eyes and clapped until my hands became chapped. I wasn't the only one moved by his guitar work. During the solo itself you could see each member of the band looking at Nels like proud papas. It was the most earnest and well-deserved standing ovation I've ever participated in and when I was trying to explain the scenario to someone at work today I started crying again. It was like that. Do I even need to explain what was so cool about Nick Lowe playing Cruel to be Kind with Wilco as his backing band? I feel like my hipster cred jumped up like 10-20 points just because I was in the room for that. If you were even near the W last night your hipster cred jumped 5 points just for being in the same zip code while that happened. Did that really happen?

All in all, I would say if you ever get a chance to see Wilco anywhere, you should go. If you are lucky enough to see a taping of Austin City Limits featuring any artist (except Bob Schneider(fuck that guy)), then you should go. Oh, and if you have any influence over who gets to go to Austin City Limits tapings then you should call me, we need to hang out more.

By the way, I don't know who took the shitty cell phone photos in this post but it wasn't me, I would NEVER break the rules like that. People are so rude.

Planning Ahead: Ticket Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:47:00 +0000
Yee-haw! It's time for the ole ticket-roundup kiddos! It's that post that I do monthlyish that takes me hours but you seem to find very helpful. *insert sympathy* 2011 is coming to a closer before you know it and there are a few note-able shows that you should snag tickets for before they're all gone. I like to explain that my mention of a show in this post does not, necessarily, equal an endorsement of the show, artist, venue etc. There will be things I list here that I couldn't care less about if I tried. I, also, do not consider this to be comprehensive. Consider this your virtual highlighter. With that all said, the format is, click on the name of the artist, for the ticket page, click on the name of the venue for the venue's homepage. Oh, also, if it just says "Emo's" that implies the Red River location and "Beauty Ballroom" is the new E. Riverside location. The fun begins after the break.

Wilco - Born Alone video via YouTube

Thursday, Dec. 1st

~~Wilco at ACL Live~~

MiMOSA at La Zona Rosa

The Devil Makes Three at Stubb's

Friday, Dec.2nd

Rachel Yamagata at Parish

DMX at The Mansion

Alpha Rev at La Zona Rosa

MyNameisJohnMichael at Stubb's

Saturday, Dec. 3rd

Frank Smith at Mohawk

Big Sean at Emo's East

Sunday, Dec. 4th

~~The National / Local Natives at Austin Music Hall~~

Cake at Stubb's

Ume at Stubb's

Tuesday, Dec. 6th

The Wailers at Antone's

Wednesday, Dec. 7th

Not In the Face at Antone's

Thursday, Dec. 8th

The Sea and Cake at Mohawk

Friday Dec. 9th

Kimya Dawsom at St. David's Episcopal Church

Digitalism at Parish

Flosstradamus at Beauty Bar

Yukon Blonde at Lambert's

Politics at Frank

Digitalism - 2 Hearts video via YouTube

Saturday, Dec. 10th

Scratch Acid at Emo's East

Scarface at Mohawk

Wild Child at Stubb's

Craig Finn / Will Johnson of The Hold Steady at Frank

Tuesday, Dec. 13th

Trampled by Turtles at Parish

Wednesday, Dec. 14th

The Couch (CD Release) at Mohawk

Thursday, Dec. 15th

Devin the Dude at Mohawk

The Pons at Frank

Friday, Dec. 16th

Man or Astroman? at Emo's

White Ghost Shivers (CD Release) at Antone's

Saturday, Dec. 17th

Clutch at Emo's East

Auto Body at Mohawk

Sunday, Dec. 18th

Clutch at Emo's

Wednesday, Dec. 21st

Yip Deceiver at Mohawk

Tori Amos at Bass Concert Hall

Wednesday, Dec. 28th

Better Than Ezra / Cowboy Mouth at ACL Live

Thursday, Dec. 29th

Quintron / Mindspiders at Emo's

Friday, Dec. 30th (My birthday)

Willie Nelson & Friends at ACL Live

Christopher Cross at One World Theater (2 shows, 1 night)

Saturday, Dec. 31st

The Black Angels / Wooden Shjips / Ume at Emo's East

White Denim / Royal Bangs at Empire Automotive

Grupo Fantasma at Beauty Ballroom

All My Friends at Beauty Bar

T. Bird and the Breaks at Stubb's

Willie Nelson & Friends at ACL Live

Saturday, Jan. 14th

Wu-Tang Clan at Emo's East

Cass McCombs at Stubb's

Starfucker at Mohawk

Reverend Horton Heat / Not in the Face at Antone's

Cass McCombs - The Same Thing video via YouTube

Tuesday, Jan. 17th

Langhorne Slim at Stubb's

Friday, Jan. 20th

The Toasters at Antone's

Wednesday, Jan. 25th

The Kills at Stubb's

Friday, Jan. 27th

Mutemath at Stubb's

Sunday, Jan. 29th

Twin Sister at Mohawk

Twin Sister - Kimmis in a Rice Field video via YouTube

Friday, Feb. 3rd

They Might Be Giants at La Zona Rosa

Blood, Sweat, & Tears at One World Theater (2 shows, 1 night)

Saturday, Feb. 4th

World/Inferno Friendship Society at Red 7

Los Lobos at One World Theater (2 shows, 1 night)

G Love & Special Sauce at La Zona Rosa

Saturday, Feb. 11th

Thurston Moore at St. David's Episcopal Church

The Lemonheads at Mohawk

Friday, Feb. 17th

Loretta Lynn at ACL Live

Tuesday, Feb.21st

Matthew Good at Antone's

Saturday, Feb. 25th

Cloud Nothings at Red 7

Wednesday, Feb. 29th

Dropkick Murphys at Emo's East

Grimes / Born Gold

Grimes - Vanessa video via YouTube

Saturday, March 3rd

Big Head Todd & the Monsters at Stubb's

Wednesday, March 7th

~~Radiohead / Other Lives at Frank Erwin Center~~

Tuesday, March 13th

Band of Skulls / We Are Augustines at Antone's

Thursday, May 3rd

Roger Waters performing The Wall at Frank Erwin Center

Friday, Mar. 23rd

The Naked and Famous at Stubb's

Saturday, Mar. 24th

~~Young the Giant at Stubb's~~

Sunday, Mar. 25th

Young the Giant at Stubb's

Giveaway: This Will Destroy You w/Tactics

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:11:00 +0000

I know it's only Tuesday but a lot of you will be away from the internet (gasp) in the latter part of this week so I'm giving you the early heads-up on a show going on at Emo's this Saturday night. You can catch This Will Destroy You at classic Emo's on Red River, tickets are $15-$17 depending on when you buy them but I have 3 pair to giveaway. Not only that, one of those 3 sets of tickets will come with, Tunnel Blanket, the new album from This Will Destroy You pressed on colored vinyl as well as an 11 x 17 poster. To win is simple, all you have to do is e-mail contest@austinbloggylimits.com with "TWDY" in the subject and tell me why you want to win. The winners will be chosen at random on black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). All 3 sets of winners will get in to the show free of charge and one of the lucky winners will get the prize pack with the vinyl and the poster.

This Will Destroy You - Communal Blood video via YouTube

In what, could be, the most perfect musical pairing to date, Tactics will be playing the support slot at this Saturday's show. The latest release from instrumental rock group, Tactics is the single, Titan. If you think it sounds good on their Bandcamp wait until you hear them perform live. There really aren't very many opportunities left to see shows at Emo's Red River location but this show is the perfect sort of last hurrah. Local bands, with a big sprawling songs, cheap beer in hand that's the way I want to remember classic Emo's.

Titan by Tactics

Barbarella's 2 Year Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Well kiddies, the weekend is upon us and there are lots of fantastic things for you to occupy your time with but I'm already focused on Sunday. Our baby sister Barbarella is entering her terrible twos and she's throwing one hell of a party to celebrate. It seems fitting that Glitoris is soundtracking the night, since without Tuezgayz I might have never discovered what a bumpin' place Barbarella is to begin with. This isn't just Tuezgayz on a Sunday though, DJ Harvey will be bringing his New Noise as well.

It all kicks off at 10pm Sunday night and the first 100 people through the door will receive a commemorative T-Shirt to help you remember you were there when the sun comes up on Monday. There's no cover charge but the party is 21+, happy hour is running all night so you can get $1 Lone Stars till it's no longer legal. Grab your best girl, guy, transgendered person, roommate, co-worker, acquaintance, ex-lover, future-lover, frienemy or foe and get your booty on the dancefloor. We won't let you out until your drenched with sweat and you have glitter in unknown places from unknown places.

Blood Diamonds - Grin video via YouTube

Join myself, ATXHipsters and theGlitoris for the best birthday for a 2 year old that you have ever seen. Oh, and don't forget parking meters are free downtown on a Sunday but with happy hour going all night, you should plan for sober transportation. Draw straws to decide who stays sober. Last but not least, if you have a smartphone, Barbarella is a Tabbed Out venue and that's a great way to NOT lose your credit card at the bar.

Beyconce´ - Countdown video via YouTube

Make sure you RSVP on Facebook and you should "Like" this event on Do512 while you're at it. See you on the dancefloor!

The Foreign Exchange at the ND

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:15:00 +0000

The Foreign Exchange isn't the greatest name for a hip-hop group. They never went platinum, never went jail, never been shot and you probably never heard their songs on the radio. What they do have is great music, thoughtful lyrics and an uplifting message. The story behind their name is simple, all of the beats you hear are produced by a man who goes by Nicolay. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and produced all of the beats for the first album from The Foreign Exchange overseas. He has, since, moved to South Carolina, which is much closer to where you'll find his other musical half Phonte, who is based in North Carolina. Phonte was once part of, the now defunct, hip-hop collective known as Little Brother. Now that you know the history, you should know that this Friday is my first chance to ever see The Foreign Exchange in person and I am incredibly excited. Our friends over at Knuckle Rumler are hosting Nicolay and Phonte at the ND and I think you should be there. It's a Friday night show, so (hopefully) you don't have to work the next morning. As of this moment, you can still get tickets for the discounted advance ticket price but I think today is the last day for that price so act quickly. Once you have your tickets, RSVP on F*c*book so your friends know.

The Foreign Exchange - The Last Fall video via YouTube

Sharing the bill with The Foreign Exchange at the ND Friday night, you'll find Zo!, Sy Smith and Jeanne Jolly. You can expect to hear these artists performing solo as well as with The Foreign Exchange. If, you've ever heard recordings of The Foreign Exchange then you know it's a collective sound, the whole idea of the project is to bring varying voices, styles and minds to one project. Also, did I mention they'll be performing with a live band? Because that's happening. Get your tickets now!

The Foreign Exchange - Raw Life video via YouTube

Holy Ghost! at the Parish

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:23:00 +0000

It's not very often that I get to blog about two awesome shows at the Parish in one week. As you know, I love the Parish and it saddens me that it's being under-utilized. Well, this week they've got Real Estate on Wednesday night and Holy Ghost! on Thursday night. Two very different types of show but also two really great shows. This, Brooklyn-duo's, latest release is a single out on Green Label Sound for the song, I Wanted to Tell Her, which is a brand-new take on the Ministry classic. They also have a full-length, eponymous, album that came out on DFA Records this year, as well as an EP for the song, Hold My Breath. In other words, they have been very busy and they have been on the road a lot. Thursday night's show is going to be an effing party, so if you want to start your weekend early, I suggest you grab yourself some tickets. Or, will you be the lucky person who wins a pair of tickets via Austin Bloggy Limits? All you have to do to win is send an e-mail with "Holy Ghost!" in the subject and your name in the body to contest@austinbloggylimits.com. One name will be chosen at random to have their name on the list with a +1 to Thursday night's show. You will be notified by email on Wednesday afternoon if you HAVE won.

Holy Ghost! - I Wanted to Tell Her video via YouTube

Holy Ghost! - Wait & See video via YouTube

Real Estate and Big Troubles at the Parish

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:38:00 +0000

Alright y'all, I really can't believe Wednesday night's Real Estate show at the Parish isn't sold-out yet. In fact, pause reading the rest of this and click this link for tickets now because by the time you're done reading they may not be available any more. It's a $13 ticket, the show is at one of the best venues in the city and Real Estate are touring in support of their best material to date. Granted, it's only their second album but Days is light-years ahead in terms of production value and the song-craft is as good as its ever been, which is to say pretty great. Don't get it twisted, I love the first album from Real Estate, their songs always sounds so classic but I think this latest release is just the perfect follow-up. The songs are more focused, the production is slicker without losing the do-it-yourself aesthetic and overall it's just very shiny and lovely. Hence my surprise that the show isn't sold-out.

Real Estate - It's Real video via YouTube

Once you have secured your tickets for Wednesday night's show at the Parish be sure you arrive early enough to catch, support act, Big Troubles. Their album Romantic Comedy is out now and features 10, beautifully written, songs that make me think of 90's-era college-rock, great brit-pop and jangly-indie-rock. There are sing along choruses, beachy guitar sounds and a youthful, disaffected love-lorn vibe permeates the album as a whole. The, limited edition, red vinyl release of the album is sold-out on the Slumberland Records site but I'm guessing they'll have it with them at the merch table Wednesday night, so bring some cash vinyl-junkies. I've taken the liberty of embedding Big Troubles's album in this post so you can get an idea of what you'll be listening to. I feel like they are the perfect support act for Real Estate. This is looking to be a really great show.

Big Troubles - Sad Girls - video via YouTube

Romantic Comedy by Big Troubles

Interview: The Wilderness of Manitoba

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:07:00 +0000

Canadian, folk-rockers The Wilderness of Manitoba will be on Austin tomorrow night. They play the Parish in the support slot for Rasputina. If you're a fan of honest, pastoral, roots music packed to the gills with gorgeous harmonies, then you should listen to the latest album from The Wilderness of Manitoba, When You Left the Fire. Or, you can just pick-up the new album down at the Parish tomorrow night. There are still tickets available and if you buy them today instead of tomorrow, you'll save yourself 2 bucks. I had the chance to interview Melissa of The Wilderness of Manitoba, which you can read below the break.

The Wilderness of Manitoba - Orono Park video via YouTube

What inspired the title "Orono Park"?

We worked on this song over the course of a couple of months, in different parks around Toronto and finally finished it while on tour, in Montreal's Mont Royal park. We visited Scott's hometown of Orono, ON before heading home and decided that Orono Park would be a fitting name.
   
Who designed the beautiful album art and what is the medium?

I made the artwork for the album using a variety of media - watercolor paint, hand screen-printed fabric, embroidery and yarn woven on a traditional loom. Then it was scanned and collaged together on the computer. It was, in part, inspired by the idea of loneliness in the wild and Joni Mitchell's song 'Cactus Tree'. 
 
What was the music of your youth? Was your household a musical one?

Some of us grew up with parents who played instruments and wrote songs (one of our songs, 'Evening' was written by Will's mom in the 60s) and I think in general, we were all influenced by what our parents listened to which is a lot of the music that we continue to be inspired by. Bands like Simon & Garfunkel, CSN, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac etc.
 
The song-cycle is very wintry, what is one of your favorite winter records?

'Our Endless Numbered Days' by Iron & Wine is a great wintery album that I'm into. The song 'Cinders & Smoke' has a sound, somewhere in the background, that I imagine is a gas stove being lit in a snowed-in cabin. 
 
If you could collaborate with anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?

Joni Mitchell. I feel like I could learn a lot from working with her and I know that she would be entertaining to hang out with - she seems to have such a different perspective on life and music and is a very funny woman (or so I've heard!).

 The title, "When You Left the Fire" implies an important life-change. Was this record inspired by a specific event or series of events or is meant to be evocative?

I suppose it's a combo of events and the desire to express loneliness or of an empty, wild landscape. At the time that we made the album, we were spending a lot more time together (some of us were living together) and that led to more writing and arranging as a group so that did affect the sound from the previous recording that we had done and it also affected how we interacted with one another.
 
Is everyone who performs on the record part of the touring band and/or are there members of the touring band who are not on the record?

The 5 of us are all on the record and touring together - though some songs on the recording didn't involve everyone and sometimes we tour without our drummer, Sean. 
 
What are the high-points and low-points of touring? Is touring the U.S. vastly different from touring Canada?

High points - camping in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, meeting cool new people, listening to great bands like Other Lives or Rasputina live, trying delicious craft beers like 'Ibita'. Low points - traveling for too many hours at a time, traffic on I-95 from Delaware to NC, Northern Ontario van breakdowns. So far, the difference between touring in Canada and the US is minimal though we are learning a lot of new things about each state that we go to - like the honey on pizza thing that we discovered in Nebraska! - but the crowds are equally friendly and supportive. 
 
As Canadians, what are your thoughts on Ketchup chips?

Sometimes, you crave them but they aren't an every day kind of thing!

Great Wednesday Shows

noreply@blogger.com (birkley3030) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:44:00 +0000

It's hard to imagine going out to see a show after spending 3 days at Fun Fun Fun Fest but you know what y'all? I'm going to do the hard thing and go drink cheap beer while listening to bad-ass live music. Keep me in your thoughts. No, but seriously there are a lot of really fantastic musical outfits playing downtown this evening. Personally, I know I'm going to be at the Phantogram show at the Mohawk. Sadly, if you don't have tickets you can't get through the door because this show is sold-the-fuck-out. Should I tell you how great this, upstate New York, band's latest album is or would that just depress you? I guess, technically Nightlife is a 6-song EP not an album but you should check it out whether you can make it out tonight or not. It's on Spotify if you want to hear it before buying it. You can also download a couple of Mp3's over at the Barsuk Records site.

Phantogram - When I'm Small video via YouTube

Some of you may recall the band opening for Phantogram from their set at Austin City Limits Festival. They take their name from the Rugrats favorite cartoon character Reptar. They have an EP out right now on Vagrant Records ridiculously tittled, Oblangle Fizz Y'all. As you've probably surmised this band takes themselves VERY seriously so not talking or smiling during their set. Obviously, I kid their music is fun, energetic and kind of reminds me of 80's band Was Not Was. How's that for an obscure musical reference? Since tonight's show is an outdoor event you can expect Reptar to go on around 8:00pm.

Reptar - Rainbounce video via YouTube

Let's move onto non-sold-the-fuck-out shows shall we? Our old pals from Detroit, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. are back in Austin this week. They played Stubb's inside stage last night, they will do so again tonight but you can also catch a free in-store performance from them at Waterloo Records. Then, tomorrow night, the guys from Dale Jr. Jr. will be hosting a screening of Jurassic Park at, the much beloved, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. I already scored by tickets for that screening and you should too.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Simple Girl video via YouTube

Speaking of Stubb's, Modest Mouse are playing for their second night in a row and would you believe the show is sold-out? Do people really love Modest Mouse enough for them to play Stubb's two nights in a row? Do you know the name of their latest album or when it came out? I really thought their moment was over as soon as they signed to a major label. I bet at least one of you is reading this thinking what a bastard I am and you're ready to proclaim your undying affection for all things Isaac Brock. Well, that's lovely that you're still a huge fan and apparently there are enough people in Austin who feel strongly enough to buy $38 tickets to see Brock and co. at Stubb's for two nights in a row. If they still play Neverending Math Equation and/or All Night Diner then I'm with you in spirit but I'm guessing the sets are heavy on whatever their newest record is called. Seems like the last new one came up in March of 2007 and is called We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Can that be right? Are they touring in support of a 4 year old record? Oh, I guess they actually did release an EP post-2007. Can you feel all of the meh oozing from this paragraph?

Modest Mouse - Neverending Math Equation video via YouTube

On the opposite end of the Modest Mouse spectrum you'll find Austin-based folk-pop group, Wild Child. They play Antone's tonight in support of their record, Pillow Talk. I encourage you to keep an eye on WIld Child, their songs have mass appeal and they put on a great live show. Don't believe me? Watch the performance I've posted below and listen to their album embedded below that.

WIld Child - SIlly Things video via YouTube

Pillow Talk (full album available now) by WildChildSounds

Austin Bloggy Limits

The Kills in Austin

A Lull with Deleted Scenes

Kendrick Lamar at Beauty Ballroom TONIGHT!

Review: Cass McCombs

Interview: Twin Sister

Scarface and Wu-Tang This Weekend

Cass McCombs at Stubb's

Planning Ahead: Spend that Holiday $$$

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You're on the Guest List

15 Great EP's of 2011

Grimes - Darkbloom

Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics

Young Buffalo - Young Von Prettylips

Empress Hotel - Empress Hotel

Races - Big Broom

Weekend - Red

Chapter 24 - Chapter 24 EP

Reptar - Oblangle Fizz Y'all

Yukon Blonde - Fire//Water

Alex Turner - Submarine (Original Songs)

Dom - Family of Love

Keep Shelly in Athens - Our Own Dream

Purity Ring - Belispeak

Phantogram - Nightlife

Radiohead - TKOL RMX 1234567

Contest: Grieves at Stubb's

Shivvy's Best of 2011

20: Meshell Ndegeocello - Weather

19: Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

18: Melanie Laurent - En t’attendant

17: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

16: Generationals - Actor-Caster

15: Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

14: TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

13: SBTRKT - SBTRKT

12: Drake - Take Care

11: Cults - Cults