Confessions of a Music Addict

sxsw 2018:: top picks

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 20:00:00 +0000

ok, i know, this is almost a month late. but you know what they say, better that than never, right? either the talent was really great this year, or i just got stupid lucky, because all the stuff i heard over the course of a week was pretty ah-mazing. here are some recos of bands you should try out to expand your musical collection.

>caroline rose:: caught these guys (fronted by, you guessed it, a lady called caroline rose) at banger's kinda early on in the week. a vision of red, caroline rose also sports a guitar - much appreciated when i see that, and sings kitschy, genre-bending tunes with a ton of enthusiasm. check out this video for "money," but also make sure you listen to their other tracks from their newly released new west records album, loner. visit their site, linked at the beginning of the post, to see the laundry list of tour dates coming up.

>the frights: easily my favorite new find of the entire week. they certainly boast that west coast retro-ish surf sound that i like my ears to make out with. i was also highly entertained by their mid-to-end of the set covers mash up, and it was a real crowd pleaser. even more impressive than that is the fact that they don't do the same covers mash up for each set, which i know, because i saw them more than once. had to. get at them! you can see them during the shaky knees festival in atlanta on may 4.

>dentist: this was a total surprise find, for the only reason i decided to preview the tunes on the sxsw app is because of the band's name and how it's the same as my dude's profession. happy accident! you've got a female-fronted outfit who is seemingly angelic, and confirms that with ethereal vocals smothered over gritty rock. bonus - their merch shirts have a sloth on them. a sloth. coming to a venue probably near you this summer.

that should be enough to hold us all over for a few weeks. if you notice any of these kids playing near you, venture out and see them.

day for night 2017 lineup announced

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 17:22:00 +0000

this is a really good one, guys. saddle up and plan to head to houston december 15-17 to see some of the biggest talent available to us all in one spot at the day for night festival. this is one of our favorite festivals because in addition to the music, they have art light installations that are incredibly amazing to look at and photograph. you can check out last year's summary here.

without further ado, feast your eyes on this.

Day for Night is proud to announce its 2017 lineup with performances by Nine Inch Nails, Thom Yorke, Solange, Justice, St. Vincent, Tyler the Creator, James Blake, Pretty Lights, Jamie xx, Phantogram, and many more. Visual installations will be presented by Ryoji ikeda (official), Matthew Schreiber, Conditional Studio and Processing Foundation, James Clar, and others.

guys, you know how i feel about nine inch nails, right? you don't? well, let's say 'love' isn't strong enough of a word. anyway, see you out there?

sound on sound 2017 line up announced

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 15:59:00 +0000

yeah, we'll definitely be all up in this mess. tickets for all the things can be found here.

riot fest 2017 line-up announced

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 16:19:00 +0000

get your tickets today at noon for riot fest. nine inch nails? yes, please. but, that same response to a ton of others. check it out.

cold war kids - new album out today 4/7

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 15:07:00 +0000

they've been around for a while and i still love 'em. i like that i'm seeing them more than circa 2005. like, i don't have to seek them out - they're just there. on the radio. at a venue. ya know, places. anyway, expect to hear more now that their new album la divine is out. cold war kids bring their anthem-like tracks to the world. you can sample some of this here with 'love is mystical.' it's got me excited for the rest of it. listen.

a lot like birds - for shelley

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:20:00 +0000

death cab for cutie might have had a baby with afi. if that happened, then the product was a lot like birds. hey, that's fun, right? a little throwback action for ya. if you like this, you can catch them in person as they tour around the country. austin is up april 27th at grizzly hall. that is going to be an insane week for shows, guys.

coast modern - pockets full of no

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:12:00 +0000

i'm going to go out on a limb and say you'll dig this if you're into the twenty one pilots. coast modern is sharing some slow jazz-ish funk-ish musical goodness with the world on this track. they'll be in austin on 5/3 at parish, so that might be a cool place to check out this unique blend of jam.

gus & jim - boyhood

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:02:00 +0000

another slow-paced tune for your hump day, gus & jim have released a video for their single, 'boyhood.' it feels like swimming in the ocean at dusk.

broods announce north american tour

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 14:54:00 +0000

broods are going on tour this spring/summer and maybe you'll be lucky enough to catch them. they aren't coming my way, unfortunately, because i woulda been all over that like white on rice.

if you're not familiar yet, try the popular route with 'heartlines.'

small black - between leos

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 14:42:00 +0000

after all of the incredibly amazing rock i've been getting lately, this is kind of a nice change from small black. a chill, happy-sounding song with keys and light guitars that's a smooth as freshly churned butter. if you're looking for something to do in austin this weekend that's not a music festival (ahem, euphoria, ahem), then head over to sidewinder on friday, april 7th and see these guys in the flesh.

white reaper - the world's best american band - out 4/7

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 18:31:00 +0000

hey, guys, heads up. one of the top three bands i saw at sxsw is releasing a new album this friday, so you should get on it. white reaper will slather a smattering of punk rock all over your ear canal, and you will love it. i've been listening to what they've released ahead of the album, and it's kind of perfection. legit stuff. they're also going on tour as bands tend to do with new music, so you can catch them april 25th at the sidewinder in austin, or in another spot near you. check their site for the deets. wanna try before you buy? don't we all. here you go.

The World's Best American Band by WHITE REAPER

louise lemon - purge ep

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 17:04:00 +0000

this is for you if you're into lana del rey and that slow, sultry, heart-breaking stuff. louise lemon from sweden is creating just that with her new ep, purge. here is my favorite track from it, thirst.

mermaidens - lizard

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 16:56:00 +0000

if you're found wanting for the 90s and some garbage-esque chick alt rock, you should check out mermaidens and this song lizard. seriously, there is 90s barf all over this one. i thought for a second that i was about to have to get up and trek to third period when i was listening to it.

float fest 2017 - line-up announced

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 16:36:00 +0000

i typically stay far away from public water, like pool or lakes or rivers, but this might get me to change my tune. float fest has announced the line-up for this year's july festival in san marcos, tx, and, it's a good one. you've got weezer, cage the elephant, girl talk, mgmt, passion pit, neon indian, and sweet spirit just to name the few that have me excited. get your tickets here. you may see me out of my element on an inner tube with a refreshing beverage floating down the river. that should be enough motivation right there. cheers!

sxsw 2017:: day 5:: march 16

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 19:36:00 +0000

what a day of interesting acts. here's what we ended up with from thursday evening's pool of bands.

the fin - japan

first stop was to maggie mae's rooftop to see their japan night kickoff. does anything get better than japanese shoegaze dream rock? not really. listen to what they're smacking you up with right here - kind of reminds me of something that might end a john hughes movie, yeah?:

Through The Deep EP by The fin.

second stop of the night was over to buffalo billards where i caught two bands.

spook school - edinburgh, scotland

at first glance, i thought the drummer was pantsless, so i figured it would be one hell of a set. but it turns out that he was just wearing really short shorts. it's poppy and bright, and they clearly like to be on stage. thumbs up.

le butcherettes - guadalajara, mexico

this was definitely one of the more interesting acts. full of the kind of live performance anyone paying money for a show could hope for. mad props for keeping me intrigued for an entire half hour. i'll actually get to see them later on this year with at the drive in at stubb's. you should probably be there, too. might wanna bring a back-up face, though, for when your primary one gets rocked off.

back over to maggie mae's for another japanese act.

tokyo ska paradise orchestra - tokyo, japan

i don't have to tell you much about these guys since their name pretty much says it all. it's a japanese ska band. and, it's fun.

the next stop had me heading to red river to check out cheer up charlie's.

white reaper - louisville, ky

i ended up seeing these guys three times over the course of the week. but i didn't care because they were amazing. yes, there was moshing. yes, there was crowd-surfing. yes, there was all of this because you can't be punk rock without it.

The World's Best American Band by WHITE REAPER

next and final stop was barracuda, where i think i spent the most time this week. they just had all the good shit.

japanese breakfast - philadelphia, pa

guys, i was so excited to see this band, and missed them due to long lines earlier in the week, so finding them playing a secret show was such a huge win. i have shared them with you before (play below), and loooooved it. but i'll be damned, the live show fell way short of my expectations. sad face.

Psychopomp by Japanese Breakfast

sxsw 2017:: day 4:: march 15

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 17:21:00 +0000

totally made up for the week in just one night by hitting a record five bands. and, by some miracle, they were mostly amazing! that never happens.

we started off the night on rainey street at lustre pearl and stayed for quite some time to catch three bands, and to eat FREE TACOS. thanks to taco bell and their feed the beat program, my stomach and my ears were high fiving each other.

beach slang - philadelphia, pa

kicking things off right, y'all. with a sound reminiscent of your early 2000s punk rockish bands, beach slang gave an excellent performance. i think my two stand-out favorite parts of their set were the ruffled tuxedo shirt donned by the lead singer, and the fact that they closed with a cover of the pixies 'where is my mind.' seriously, made my night. i looooove that song. and, they did it justice. for fans of my chemical romance. check this out::

bleached - los angeles, ca

my favorite of the night, hands down, was bleached. i'm really digging the female representation i'm seeing this week. i've been listening to their recorded stuff for months now, so this was a treat. if you're into punk grunge, this is for you. super plus that they're nice to look at while they jam. here's the song that hooked me on them.

minus the bear - seattle, wa

this band has been around for way long, and this is the first time i've been able to catch them live. they definitely have a powerful set of tunes. they have a new album out in case you want to try some of that. here's one of the singles off said album.

after minus the bear, we headed to elysium to catch a band i discovered from npr's top 100 of sxsw playlist. what a great resource, if you're looking to find something new.

cherry glazerr - los angeles, ca

guys, this band is incredible. the lead singer is a monster on the guitar, and just in general. she's engaging, and has got the crazy eyes down like a champ. mad respect for her and the band's hard rock outfit. even though they tend to be on the more hard rock side, they definitely have a softer edge with the female vocals and keys. it's a unique combo, and one to be heard. check out this single from the album they released a couple months ago.

there was one more stop for the night, all the way west of congress to the iron bear. i can't even believe i was able to stay up late enough for this. i'm so old, you guys.

creepoid - philadelphia, pa

okay, i wasn't super impressed by this. imagine you have a neighbor that jams with their friends in the garage every weekend. but they don't jam like high school kids. they jam like high school kids in the 90s. that's this band. you may enjoy that - yeah? well, you can try some of it out, if you like.

wednesday news round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 15:39:00 +0000

haven't done one of these in a hot minute (read:: YEARS), so why not? here is some material for the water cooler.

>snoop dogg - if that's what we're calling him again - uses his craft to poke fun at our new president, causing him to cry about it. boo-freakin'-hoo.

>dolly parton's old manager, who was with her for a super long time, has passed. she's sad about it, of course.

>everyone's favorite pop ginger is going to be on game of thrones. where on earth will they fit him in? are there other gingers on GOT? hmmm...

>thanks to these ridiculous US border regulations as of late, sxsw is pretty much ruined for international artists who are just trying to be relevant.

>dear lollapalooza, $4200 for your luxury experience? who is buying this, and are they single?

>if you're really missing the heyday of the cranberries, you're in luck!

>david bowie has gone into space posthumously.

>rihanna is going to be in an artsy movie with the douchebag from 'girls.'

>while i'm not a huge fan of adele, she is rather funny.

sxsw 2017:: day 3:: march 14

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 14:45:00 +0000

i got an earlier start last night, but managed to see exactly one band, despite hitting about 4 parties - including twitch/reddit, and apple music, where i was gifted with a really ugly bright ass neon orange beanie for some reason. guys, you would not believe the lines, either. anyway, how about i share what i did manage to come away with (other than a newfound hatred for lines).

tennis system - los angeles, ca

we hit barracuda's german haus to see an act that's not german. go figure. tennis system has a dreamy pop rock sound that's so fuzzy, you'll think you're snuggling up with chewbacca while listening to it. don't be fooled, though. these guys are not boring while on stage wailing out that sweet sound. for a three piece, they are loud, and somehow unassuming at the same time. please imbibe in a sample:

sxsw 2017:: day 2:: march 13

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:06:00 +0000

monday is a school night. there's none of this spring break nonsense when you're an adult, ya know. therefore, rather than wasting my precious night hours standing in line at the SPIN house or mohawk, i opted to hit the capital one house at antone's since it boasted at least 2 acts i knew would be the shizz AND free dranks. win. win.

a giant dog - austin, tx

i've heard of these cats (or, dogs?), but haven't had the opportunity to catch them until now. if there is anything you do this year, seeing this band should be among those things. front lady sabrina ellis is my spirit sister - proven to me by her desire to wear no pants. she flailed. she crooned. she got out in the crowd and danced in a way that put jennifer beal's flashdance number to absolute shame. i'll just let you watch some of it here with 'sleep when dead':

i also caught matthew logan vasquez, but i was not nearly as moved as i was during a giant dog. he's got a backwoods kind of thing going on that i imagine would've fit in beautifully at all the frat parties i used to go to during my time in south georgia.

black joe lewis and the honeybears - austin, tx

while i didn't get to witness this because they went on past my bed time, i was super excited about checking them out. get yourself a little funk rock with PTP:

sxsw 2017:: day 1:: march 12

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 21:29:00 +0000

well, technically, today begins the music portion of sxsw, but you know i was out and about last evening scrounging up some recos for you ahead of time. you're welcome!

we hit hotel vegas, where there were three stages set up. no shortage of any kind of music you could want there. personally, these are the two out of maybe seven that i caught that i felt the need to share with you.

mean jolene - austin, tx

good lord, that surf garage sound has me all sixes and sevens, y'all. check out their song, 'cocaine,' in this here vidyah. you'll have a hard time not singing along to those woo ah woo ah wooos.

pollen rx - austin, tx

here's some more dirty, gritty, girl powered rock for you. soak in those retro vibes. they're as easy to absorb as the texas sun. i'm really digging on the lead chick's raspy thing.

of course, i'm sporting that coveted wristband this year, so hopefully, i'll have more for you as the week goes on. definitely planning to hit up the burger records parties, and a few others. stay tuned.

death valley girls

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:23:00 +0000

i thought i would try to find something on my own to share with you on this monday, and lo and behold - i did it. here is something to lift up the shittiest day of the week...the death valley girls! yes, girls. girl garage punk that could've been transported here from the 80s on the coattails of the runaways. thanks to the brilliant humans over at burger records for pushing this on their home page, otherwise i may have missed it. check out their latest album that was released over the summer, glow in the dark. here's a little taste from the title track:

america - ulrich ellison and the tribe

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 17:21:00 +0000

america - ulrich ellison and the tribe i know you guys think i just get an inbox full of rainbows and great music, but that's not the reality of things. every now and then, i feel the need to share the truth. i sift through an enormous amount of shit before i find something worthy of your beautiful ears. for instance, this, from right here in austin, tx:

ulrich ellison. better grab yourself a sleeve of crackers, because this stuff is low-quality processed cheese. i get the jabs at the president-elect...it's not like they're subtle. maybe a little overdone, though. anyway, please watch this video if you need something to make you uncomfortable about the state of rock music. yikes.

collide - vanbot

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:53:00 +0000

want a little bit of that swedish ethereal electro stuff to feed your ears with? then why not try out this gem from vanbot? it's got a purity ring / phantogram vocal vibe to it that i'm really latching on to. bonus is the brilliant synth work accompanying that sweetness.

the 19 hands

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:25:00 +0000

hell. yes. i think my first foray into garage punk was with the films like ten years ago. i think obsessed is a good term to use how i felt about them. so, i have to say i’m pretty excited about this little four-song release from the 19 hands. it’s gritty and surf-like and beautiful all at the same time. you can sample all the goodness below:

Country Drinking by The 19 Hands

awake – freedom fry

noreply@blogger.com (Leah [Not Basic]) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:10:00 +0000

here’s a fun tune from freedom fry (i don’t get the name at all). if you’re into of monsters and men, you’ll probably dig this. it’s got a folky, whimsical vibe to it that reminds me of sunshine…something i feel like i haven’t seen or felt in eons lately.