Better Than Something

BETTER THAN SOMETHING is a feature documentary about the controversial and prolific garage rock icon Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr, better known to the world as Jay Reatard. This intimate portrait, captured just months before his untimely passing, brings us incredibly close to Jay's complicated punk-rock world in Memphis, Tennessee. It features scenes from an insightful and candid week spent with Jay, who reveals personal childhood stories and the struggles of life in Memphis.

from betterthansomething.com:

Tirelessly devoting his entire life to music, Jay Reatard has become a garage rock icon, having created a massive discography spread out over dozens of singles, EPs, and full-length albums, released on labels like Matador, Fat Possum and In The Red. A relentless live performer, Jay toured the world with dozens of bands including Reatards, Lost Sounds, Bad Times, Persuaders, Cheap Time, The Pixies, Spoon, Beck and many more. A devoted - and oftentimes notorious - fixture in his hometown of Memphis, Jay celebrated and continued the city’s long-standing history of American music.

2006 saw the release of Blood Visions (In the Red), Lindsey's first solo album under the moniker Jay Reatard. After a lengthy tour supporting Blood Visions, he signed a multi-album, exclusive deal with the New York-based indie label Matador Records. He released six limited 7" singles throughout 2008 with Matador. Soon after the release of the first single and reviews in NME, Spin Magazine, and Rolling Stone, Lindsey began playing larger shows and various music festivals all over the world. In October 2008, Reatard's Matador Singles '08 compiled all six of the singles on one LP/CD, and Lindsey again hit the road with a second, more extensive tour to support the album.

Lindsey's final album, Watch Me Fall (his first proper studio album with Matador), was released in August 2009. Lindsey was found dead in his home in the Cooper-Young neighborhood of Midtown, Memphis, around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Lindsey was 29 years old. A memorial was held for Lindsey on Saturday, January 16 in Memphis at Memorial Park Funeral Home. Eric Friedl and bandmate Stephen Pope were those that eulogized Lindsey. One of Lindsey's trademark white Gibson Flying V guitars hung behind his coffin at the funeral home; he was buried with the guitar the next day. His grave is near that of Memphis soul musician Isaac Hayes.

THEATRICAL DATES

March 2 - 8: Nitehawk Cinema, Brooklyn, NY Malco Studio on the Square, Memphis, TN Grand Illusion Cinema, Seattle, WA Clinton Street Theater, Portland, OR March 3-5: FilmBar, Phoenix, AZ March 8-11: American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre, Los Angeles, CA March 9-10: Pickford Film Center, Bellingham, WA March 15: Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH March 26: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, Austin, TX April 11-12: Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA

http://www.betterthansomething.com/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/betterthansomething

• Jay Reatard - "I'm Watching You"

Jay Reatard - "You Get No Love"

Max Frost (feat. Kydd) - "Sunday Driving"

Up and coming Austin artists Max Frost and Kydd came together to create "Sunday Driving," a bluesy, hip hop-laden ode to the time-honored tradition of the lazy Sunday. The two cruise through town in a Bentley convertible (hijacked from the Uchiko valet) picking up a diverse cast of characters along the way that includes a priest, young women, old women, Patrick Terry (of P. Terry's), dogs, homies from the neighborhood, etc. The video was directed by Austin-born filmmaker Jordan Haro.

Max Frost is a native Austinite, guitar player, and singer/songwriter. Learned at the Austin School of Music, he began his career as a member of the award-winning teen group Joyride, then became co-front man of Blues Mafia, and has since toured and written songs with fiddle prodigy Ruby Jane Smith. He's done many collaborations with Austin-born MC Randell Jones, aka "Kydd Jones," who won an Austin Hip Hop Award for Best Lyricist Of The Year in 2009. Kydd has also done collaborations with some of the heavy hitters in the new movement of hip-hop, from “Fly Society” to Pac Div to The Cool Kids to Yelawolf.

http://www.maxfrost.net/

http://www.facebook.com/KyddMusic1

http://www.kyddmusic.com/

Kydd & Max Frost

Guadalupe Plata

Guadalupe Plata is a rockin' and rollin' dirty blues trio that hails from Ubeda, Spain. Pedro de Dios Barcelo handles the guitar and vocals, Paco Luis Martos wields the washtub bass, and Carlos Jimena keeps time on the drums. Their devilish, rhythmic rock and roll draws inspiration from legendary American blues artists such as John Lee Hooker and R.L.Burnside, with the madness of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the sweet sound of Tampa Red, the killer slide guitar of Elmore James, and the essence of Son House. The band kicks out on instrumental blues chock full of slide guitar. The vocals are lo-fi, distorted, and hypnotizing, sounding like Spanish voo-doo chants. Download their album for free at guadalupeplata.bandcamp.com.

Guadalupe Plata will be in Austin for SXSW 2012

See them at Do512 and Shiner Presents: The Big One 2012 

Saturday, March 17 at The Belmont

Free Entry w/ RSVP on Do512

http://www.facebook.com/gpblues

Video: Hunters

Hunters - "Acid Head"

via Aagoo Records:

"Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Hunters’ music is charged with wild energy -- led by singers/guitarists Derek Watson and Isabel Almeida. Mixing boy/girl harmonies with super catchy guitars, their songs tend to get stuck in your head before you even finish listening to them. Somewhere along the way they got with Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs who mixed their upcoming EP, and former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha on the production end. The result is exactly what you would expect. Well maybe not... think The Vaselines on a wonderfully chaotic acid binge."

Hunters just finished a Winter tour opening for The Kills and Jeff The Brotherhood

Their Hands On Fire EP was released on October 25, 2011

huntershunters.tumblr.com

http://www.facebook.com/huntersny

twitter.com/huntershunters

Heartless Bastards - Arrow

Austin-based rock band The Heartless Bastards recently signed to Partisan Records (Deer Tick, Middle Brother) and will release their newest album, Arrow, on February 14, 2012. The album was produced by Spoon drummer and co-producer Jim Eno at his Public Hi Fi home studio in Austin. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Erika Wennerstrom is now accompanied by an expanded lineup that includes drummer Dave Colvin and bassist Jesse Ebagh (who both played on the Bastards’ first-ever demo recordings) as well as a second guitarist in the form of Austin native Mark Nathan.

The Heartless Bastards, originally from Dayton, Ohio, released their debut Stairs and Elevators in early 2005 via Fat Possum. Their last album, 2009's The Mountain, was produced by Mike McCarthy and coupled mandolins, banjos, and strings with Wennerstrom’s transcendent voice. The band has been getting good press lately from the likes of NPR, Spin, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and are now touring in support of the new release. They have also confirmed appearances on Letterman (Feb 22) and Conan (April 4.)

Stream Arrow on SoundCloud

Much to our delight, the Heartless Bastards recently made a stop at the Do512 Lounge where they performed a great set that included "Parted Ways," the first single from the new album:

http://www.facebook.com/heartlessbastards

(Beat)en Senseless: Austin Beat Culture

(Beat)en Senseless is a documentary being made about the rapidly growing electronic/beat scene in Austin, Texas. All filmmakers and artists involved in the production are volunteering their time, simply inspired to bring attention to Austin's underground culture. The crew is seeking help to fund the production of the project, and are asking people to donate via Kickstarter:

"The film will focus on three local emerging crews: Exploded Drawing, Applied Pressure, and LNS. We will dive into the personal lives of three particular artists: Butcher Bear, Boombaptist, and Lo-Phi. We want to provide viewers with a heartfelt perspective into the fascinating worlds of these artists and explain why they call Austin home. Through the documentation of live performances, personal interviews, and compelling acts of musical creation, we plan to share the spirit of camaraderie that ignites their sound."

 www.beatensenselessfilm.com

T Bird and The Breaks

T Bird and the Breaks is a funk-filled group out of Austin. Tim Crane leads the parade on vocals and piano, backed by an unstoppable rhythm section that consists of longtime partner in crime Sammy Patlove on drums and Cody Furr on bass. Johnny “Too Bad” Allison and Sasha Ortiz, on guitar and vocals respectively, add the icing on the cake. Their sound that pulls from the origins of hip-hop and old-school soul, blending it into what they call chunk music. Properly defined:

Chunk Music (noun): A form of twenty-first century American music consisting of equal parts funk, hip-hop, and rock and roll characterized by its rough sonic quality and energetic, visceral performance. Commonly served hot with a side of girls and brass.

Their latest offering is the single "Good So Bad," written and arranged by Allison with Crane behind the piano:



T Bird and The Breaks will be releasing their new EP Dancehall Freakin' the first week of March, streaming it exclusively on MOKB for that week, and performing at the EP Release party at The ND on March 2. And their live shows are always a sweaty, funky good time. Over the past few years the band has performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Festival International, and provided tour support for Galactic.

Keep track at tbirdandthebreaks.com.

And hear more at music.tbirdandthebreaks.com:

The Parting Gifts

The Parting Gifts were born out of a collaboration between Greg Cartwright (frontman of The Reigning Sound) and Coco Hames (lead singer for The Ettes). Cartwright and Hames first worked together in 2009, when Cartwright was invited to produce an album for The Ettes. Cartwright and Hames discovered they were musically compatible and decided to collaborate on a one-off single, with each contributing one song. However, once they set aside some time to write material, the ideas came fast and furious, and before long Cartwright and Hames had enough songs to fill an album, so the single gave way to the debut album from the Parting Gifts, Strychnine Dandelion.

In addition to Cartwright and Hames, the album features a number of garage rock and punk blues notables, among them Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and Patrick Keeler of the Greenhornes and the Raconteurs, as well as Hames' bandmates from the Ettes, Jem Cohen and Poni Silver, and Dave Amels, who has previously worked with Cartwright in Reigning Sound. The 15-track album was released on In The Red Records in November of 2010. It's got a little bit of everything - rockabilly, garage, country, blues, pop - all done just right. Good stuff. Check this album out sometime.

• The Parting Gifts - "Keep Walkin'"

http://www.facebook.com/thepartinggifts

Rachel Fannan

Rachel Fannan - "Let Me Sing You Love Songs"
Speaking of Sleepy Sun, here is what former co-vocalist Rachel Fannan has been up to. She has not only developed a touring solo repertoire, but also formed an all-girl group called Only You. For the video above, Fannan duos with Brandon Intelligator of Slang Chickens. Fannan self-released her debut album "Deeper Lurking" in 2008 under the moniker Birds Fled From Me and has recorded with several artists including UNKLE, Will Oldham, Jeff Wootton, Slang Chickens, Residual Echoes, Antarctica Takes It, James Rabbit. Most recently she has played a role singing in the super group Anywhere along side Mike Watt, Christian Beaulieu & Cedric Bixler.

http://rachelfannan.tumblr.com/

Facebook / Only You

Sleepy Sun

San Francisco psych rock powerhouse Sleepy Sun will be releasing their highly anticipated third album - Spine Hits - on April 9th, 2012 via ATP Recordings. The album was recorded in the California desert with producer Dave Catching (ex-guitarist for Queens of Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal.) Over the past few years this five-piece band has solidified its place among America’s elite neo-psychedelic bands with a powerful live show and a slow-burning brand of music that mixes earth-shaking guitar riffs with a softer, melodic folk underbelly.

Sleepy Sun - "Ooh Boy"

Co-vocalist Rachel Fannan, who was featured on Sleepy Sun's debut album Embrace and the follow-up album Fever, parted ways with the band in 2010. Sleepy Sun went on tour with The Black Angels in 2011, and were one of the featured acts at Austin Psych Fest on 2011. Odds are they will be reunited again at the 5th Annual Austin Psych Fest this April.

"Recorded under the big skies of the California high desert with Queens of Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal alumnus Dave Catching, the jams on Spine Hits are alternatingly precision whittled and moodily muscular. Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss' guitars adroitly move from steamroller heavy to beachside airy and bouncing to interstellar- tinkering with texture and dynamics like never before. Vocalist Bret Constantino sings with a road-toughened, husky soul yowl and hush that occasionally betrays a society-weary frustration but more often hints at a way out. The rhythm section of drummer Brian Tice and Jack Allen is a super-cohesive, tricky, and tough-as-hell unit that keeps the Sleepy train on track as it teeters, creeps and runs wild across the land." -http://www.sleepysun.net/

http://sleepysunmusic.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/sleepysun

http://www.atpfestival.com/recordings/artist/sleepysun/

Sleepy Sun - Pigs on L





Sleepy Sun - Open Eyes


Sleepy Sun - New Age

Bill Baird "Career" teaser

via Bill Baird's digital home:

"Finishing up my order for “Career,” a sort-of thrash record, if I’m capable of making one. Sure to confuse a few, delight some others, and perhaps slip by the rest. Vinyl w/ gatefold, poster, clear blue vinyl, chapbook of ramblings and writings and a few photos. CD with digi-pack and said chapbook. Cassette with said chapbook. All orders receive immediate download of 2 songs, full digital download on release, and a download of the accompanying film, also called ‘Career,’ which is funny and strange and non-linear."

 Pre-order here

Ume

When Ume's incendiary video for lead single "Captive" premiered it was shown on mtvU 24 times in 24 hours. It has now moved up the ranks and today made its debut on MTV2's "120 Minutes." The clip features the band performing in a burning abandoned house along with some scorching guitar heroics by frontwoman Lauren Larson. The Austin-based trio will be heading out on tour with indie rock dynamos Cursive next week (new dates have been added). The tour will begin in Denver on February 12 and hit Los Angeles on February 24 before ending in Omaha on March 3.

Before leaving for tour Ume will headline a hometown show at The Parish in Austin on February 10 for the Oh Snap! Blackout Party. Just before the band were to play a headlining set at the Oh Snap! benefit show last Friday night the power on 6th Street went out leaving hundreds of fans in the dark. This show will make up for that and feature several bands that weren't able to play due to the outage. 

•  Ume - "Captive"

Lauren Larson: Guitar, Vocals

Eric Larson: Bass

Rachel Fuhrer: Drums

Produced and Directed By: Matt Bizer

Assistant Director: Will Rimmer

Special FX: Travis Mott

Wardrobe / Set design: Gypsy Sun Vintage, Eryn Brooke, Lindsay Lipscomb

Production Assistants: Charlie Rall, John Ruiz

UME ON TOUR WITH CURSIVE:

February 10 - Austin, TX @ The Parish - Oh Snap! Blackout Party

February 12 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

February 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

February 15 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux

February 16 - Pullman, WA @ The Bell Tower

February 17 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos

February 18 - Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club

February 19 - Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar

February 20 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall 

February 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall

February 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

February 25 - Pomona @ The Glasshouse

February 26 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah

February 27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom

February 28 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad

March 1 - Wichita, KS @ Abode

March 2 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar

March 3 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown

*Without Cursive

Find Ume online at facebook.com/umemusic