Friday, February 27, 2009
Deerhoof in Juan's Basement

Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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We're Going To Be Friends


The White Stripes - We're Going To Be Friends

Posted by OutlawBlues
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Crying Light


Antony & The Johnsons released a new album recently, The Crying Light, and it's really, really good.  The album's artwork, above, is intense but gives you a pretty decent idea of what you're in for.  

Before I go any further, that's actually a real person up above.  His name is Kazuo Ohno and he's a Japanese Butoh dancer that was born in 1906 (FF: Rolls-Royce was founded that same year).

I've been thinking about blogging this album for a while, but have been trying to figure out just how much I like it.  Antony is clearly exceptionally talented, with a voice that needs little help evoking any sort of emotion from its listener.  The album is deep and emotional.  It's dark and dreary at times, but has a few pick me ups like the bouncy "Kiss My Name" & possibly the lightest song "Aeon".

I've been engulfed in this album for a few weeks now, it's worth you giving is a shot.  Check out this track:

Posted by OutlawBlues
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Coming to Austin

After taking a look at the calendar of events that are going down in Austin before and after SXSW, here is a list of some of the shows coming to town that will be worth your hard-earned dollar. A few of these will sell out well in advance, so use the links to pick up some tickets. In the meantime you can jam on some of their tunes down below...
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
SXSW at Auditorium Shores

The free shows taking place at Auditorium Shores during SXSW have been announced. These artists will join some distinguished alumni; off the top of my head I recall Spoon, Ice Cube and Echo & the Bunnymen having performed at Auditorium Shores x SXSW in the past.

Expect the usual festival food, arts and craft vendors, and great free music on the river bank. Beach House opening for Explosions sounds pretty nice. Get more information on these events at SXSW.com/free.

Thursday, March 19:
Friday, March 20:
Saturday, March 21:
Photo thanks: Marcus T.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Zeroes and Ones

I didn't see any naked chicks or muscle cars, but the "Zeroes and Ones" video from Austin's own Black and White Years does feature dirty mustaches, electrified neon lights, shotguns, and a wolf, making it well worth a view.

The Black and White Years are slated for a Friday SXSW showcase at Austin Music Hall with Devo. Thanks Austin Sound.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Urban Outfitters do SXSW

I'm not sure how they manage to do this year after year, considering the general lack of attendance and less than impressive production value, but Urban Outfitters has another impressive lineup of bands scheduled to play their patio at SXSW.

They will host Women, Crystal Stilts, Titus Andronicus, Human Highway, Max Tundra, Austin's own Wooden Birds, Baltimore rapper/shaker Rye Rye and a bunch more all week during SXSW. And how many shows are Vivian Girls going to play? Tone it down a little, kids. More info is here, thanks ultra for the tip.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Monday, February 23, 2009
Cadence Weapon

Super fly Canadian hip-hop. He will be at SXSW.

myspace.com/cadenceweaponmusic
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
They'll be Your Mirror

On Valentine's day the Ohio lo-fi rock trio Times New Viking played a Velvet Underground tribute show at Columbus’ Wexner Center for the closing party of the "Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms" exhibition. Psychedelic Horseshit opened the show with two VU covers of their own, and Pat Radio was there to record it all.

I'm uploading the file myself to avoid any unnecessary bandwidth usage, but you can go to Pat for other links. Thanks for the tip goes to Paste, Prefix, Pitchfork, Done Waiting, and Tiny Mix Tapes.
Playlist:
Psychedelic Horseshit:

  • Sister Ray
  • Stephanie Says

Times New Viking:

  • Run Run Run
  • I’ll Be You’re Mirror
  • I’m Waiting for My Man
  • All Tomorrow’s Parties
  • Sunday Morning
  • Venus in Furs
  • I Can’t Stand It Anymore
  • Heroin
  • Pale Blue Eyes
  • Here She Comes Now
  • After Hours
Photo thanks: Runolfur
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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SXSW 2009 Torrents

Someone out there went through and compiled all of the free tracks available on the SXSW website and put them in to a couple of torrents you can download. With over 1,000 total songs it won't be the fastest download ever, but once you do get these torrents downloaded you can just throw all of the songs into a folder and then freely browse through many of the artists performing at SXSW.

This could be an easy way to discover a new band to add to your schedule for the festival, like Here We Go Magic for instance. Happy listening.
Via Pitchfortk.tv:

Photo thanks: Steve Hopson
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Friday, February 20, 2009
This Great White North

Listen to my new friend Doug the Canuck on KOOP FM in Austin. He hosts the only 90-minute radio show in the states that features all-Canadian music, and today will be featuring some of the 100+ Canadian artists coming to play SXSW this year.

The show airs today from 4:30-6pm CST on 91.7 KOOP FM, online at KOOP.org. Today's show features Women (one of my tops of '08,) The Coast, In Flight Safety, Gentleman Reg, Honeyloaf, Miracle Fortress, and a bunch more. Take a look at the playlist, and listen live at the link.
Live Women via Pitchfork.tv
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Austin bands at SXSW 2009

Here is a list of all the Austin bands who will be performing (officially) at SXSW 2009. I found the list at Austin360, and bolded those nearest and dearest to my heart.

The schedule for SXSW is now live, and if you want an easy way to keep track of everything, simply click "Add their shows to my schedule" and you can automatically build a schedule with all the day parties and official showcases those bands are playing.

As you may have heard, wristbands for SXSW are now on sale.
Austin bands at SXSW 2009:
Photo thanks: Steve Hopson
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Dark Was The Night

I just got my Dark Was The Night album in. If you haven't heard yet, a whole bunch of really badass indie musicians got together and contributed a compilation of tracks to benefit the Red Hot Organization. The Red Hot Organization is an international charity focused on HIV and AIDs awareness.

This album was produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National and contains a lot of great exclusive tracks. Spoon, The National, Bon Iver, My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, David Byrne, Jose Gonzalez, Arcade Fire...the list goes on and on, you should be purchasing this right now. AND it's a double disc for the price of one.

It's great music and it's a great cause. You can do your small part both here and here.

Here's a video with the Yeasayer track from the album, called "Tightrope".

Posted by OutlawBlues
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Strange Boys..And Girls Club
Austin's Strange Boys will release their highly anticipated debut album, The Strange Boys..And Girls Club, next month on the garage-punk institution In The Red Records. The street date for the album is March 24, but before that they'll rock the Psych Fest and once again be an official SXSW showcasing artist. I can't wait to get my hands on this record. I've been digging the Strange Boys for a while, but until recently I only had a handful of tracks to digest.

I'll let the press release say the rest:
"The Strange Boys evoke a wild-eyed, porcelain-skinned innocence that is capable of summoning the wayward spirit of Brian Jones. The band's proper debut album is seeing the light of day and In The Red is proud to announce the arrival of The Strange Boys...And Girls Club. A 16 track beast that is easy to imagine being blasted out of any stereo system between The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators and Wire's Pink Flag.

The Strange Boys were the main support for Roky Erickson and the Explosives at the Chaos in Tejas festival, have played SXSW, ACL Fest, Fuck Yeah Fest, Music Fest Northwest, Bamalama, and shared bills with Daniel Johnston, Black Lips, Reigning Sound, King Khan and BBQ, Jay Reatard, No Age, Black Angels, Fucked Up, and Crystal Antlers."
The Strange Boys..And Girls Club:
  1. Woe Is You And Me
  2. They're Building The Death Camps
  3. Should Have Shot Paul
  4. Mlks
  5. This Girl Taught Me A Dance
  6. For Lack of a Better Face
  7. Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up
  8. No Way For a Slave To Behave
  9. Poem Party
  10. To Turn a Tune or Two
  11. Most Things
  12. A Man You've Never Known
  13. Then
  14. Who Needs Who More
  15. Probation Blues
  16. Death and All The Rest

-Photo thanks Countessian
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Casiotone

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is the musical moniker of Owen Ashworth. He creates low-fi pop tunes that typically consist of cheap-sounding keyboards and drum machines, with a songwriting style and vocal delivery that gets right to the point. His latest release collects various 7'' singles and compilation tracks he has released over the past few years, making most of them available on CD for the very first time. From Tomlab:
"From Kraftwerk to Leonard Cohen, The Smiths to Suicide, and Pet Shop Boys to Smog, Chicago's one-man musical army Owen Ashworth a.k.a Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - has been bracketed with all manner of illustrious names in the course of his eleven year career. But it's the very particular lyrical and musical vision of Owen Ashworth that's always at the heart of things.

And whether you're a newcomer to his morbidly vivacious micro-narratives, or a long-term devotee - hungry for more clues as to how he got from there to here - Advance Base Battery Life is one short sharp shock you'll want to experience over and over again."
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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New Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon's new album, Bromst, will be dropping March 24th via Carpark. The record has been in the works for about three years, and unlike the 2007 fan-favorite Spiderman of the Rings, which was basically a one-man electronic show, Bromst was recorded live and written to be performed by a 15 person band. The album kind of begins to come unraveled around song #7, but the first 30+ minutes of Bromst are a fantastic trip, and probably more accessible than some of the moments on Spiderman. Here's some press:
"For the last three years Dan Deacon has been working on Bromst. Fusing together the growing intensity of his live performances with his background in electro-acoustic composition, the outcome is a collection of pieces that are intense and epic and at the same time down to earth and welcoming. Bromst embodies the same energy and excitement as Spiderman of the Rings, however the craftsmanship and composition on Bromst have a wider scope and richer palette.

Unlike the completely electronic Spiderman of the Rings, the instrumentation on Bromst is a mixture of acoustic instruments, mechanical instruments, samples and electronics. The player piano, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, live drums, winds and brass give Bromst a much richer tone than his previous work. The intricate and complex parts, skillfully executed by the performers, are woven together into a rich, dense, noisy dance pop that has become Dan Deacon's signature sound."
Deacon has enlisted some fellow Baltimore noise makers to help him out on tour, which will commence shortly after the album release. There are no Austin dates on the schedule this time around, so if any locals want to see the show we'll have to roadtrip to Houston or Ft. Worth. Word has it that Dan is going to play Longhorn Caverns in April, cave-party style. Now that is more like it!

Read an early review of Bromst here, and hear a new tune below. I included the pic of Dan at Coachella just because it is cool.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Simian Mobile Seizure

"Synthesise" is apparently the first taste Simian Mobile Disco's forthcoming album, and visual craft-smiths Kate Moross and Alex Sushon constructed this live visual performance to accompany the new tune.

Cubik and I had a helluva time when SMD appeared at the Mad Decent party at SXSW last year, and the London-based electronic duo will return for SXSW 2009.

Their live set from Japan is still playing at the link, if you want an idea of what to expect. Also expect some cool visuals like the ones above.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Heartless Bastards-Letterman


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In other late night talk show news, Conan has The White Stripes on Friday. It will be their first live performance since they cancelled a bunch of tour dates in September 2007, including ACL & Stubb's. Conan also had Dan Auerbach, backed by the boys from Hacienda, on the show just last week:

Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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New Junior Boys

Finally something comes along to pull my ears away from Merriweather Post Pavilion. Synthpop duo Junior Boys have a new album, Begone Dull Care, arriving via Domino in their native Canada on March 24, with a U.S. release set for April 7.

I'm enjoying this new one more than I did their first two albums, Last Exit (2004) and So This Is Goodbye (2006), with pretty much every song on Begone Dull Care holding a spot in my regular rotation.

Right around the release date, the Junior Boys will be embarking on an extensive six-week tour of the US with Domino labelmate and SXSW artist Max Tundra. Here are a few tidbits from the press release:
"After nearly two solid years of activity around the band's last album, the group spent most of 2008 focused on the completion of the new album. The title is a reference to a short film by the pioneering Oscar-winning Scottish-Canadian animator and electronic composer, Norman McLaren, who was a big influence on the conception and creation of this album.

The meticulousness of film animation is much like the process of sequencing and programming electronic music. On Begone Dull Care, there isn't a single sound emitted that feels out of place or like an afterthought. There is a measured restraint that's rarely employed in modern pop music and it's the precision and restraint in the arrangements that only serve to magnify what is there."
Check Obscure Sound for a healthy review.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Ume: Dead Venues Live

I found this little gem over at the newly sexy Dell Lounge:
"A huge part of Austin's music scene in the '80s, Club Foot (which lived where the Frost Bank Tower now stands) helped break such seminal punk legends as The Skunks. Veteran musician/writer Jesse Sublett talks with Ume frontwoman Lauren Larson about Club Foot's checkered past, shedding light on the history of this venerable Austin institution."
"Dead Venues Live" will be an ongoing series where current bands visit the spot of popular music venues that are now defunct. The first episode features the up-and-coming Austin power trio Ume delivering a blistering set at the Frost Bank Tower, where the legendary punk stomping grounds Club Foot by used to be.

Check out Ume's video performance of "The Conductor," one of the songs on the Sunshower EP I told you about. Ume will be playing my SXSW day party, which I'll tell you all about soon.

Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Octopus Project - Visual Music

Here's something cool: The Octopus Project have hand-picked a series of short films, "ranging from crazy, psychedelic color explosions to quiet, sublime black and white animation", and they wrote all-new live scores to accompany them.

They have two "Visual Music" shows at the Alamo Drafthouse next week, where they will perform this new music live while the films are projected. This is a one-night-only event, so hurry over to the Alamo for tickets because seating is limited.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Friday, February 13, 2009
The return of Psych Fest


This March, the weekend before the SXSW music festival takes control of Austin, The Black Angels and Live Music Capitol will present Psych Fest #2. It will be a three-day event showcasing the most excellent psychedelic sounds you will hear under one roof, including The Black Angels, The Strange Boys, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Warlocks, Dead Meadow, The Wooden Shjips and a whole lot more.

To complete the experience there will be liquid light projections, artwork by Christian Bland & The Vulcan Gas Company, and classic trip sequences by I Luv Video & Austin Underground Film. It is all taking place March 13th, 14th, and 15th at the future site of Radio Room (508 E 6th St,) and it is gonna be awesome.
From the press release:
"Austin, Texas, spiritual birthplace and global epicenter of psychedelia. What better way to honor the cradle of consciousness than a festival of hallucinogenic sights and sounds celebrating the town’s musical heritage and spotlighting the best new vanguards of the most mind-bending music ever played? This year’s Fest also features Austin’s psych cult heroes, The Golden Dawn performing their 1968 album ‘Power Plant’ from start to finish.

Prepare your earthly vessel for lift-off. Psych Fest 2 resurrects the free-thinking spirit of the sane-minded individual through the universality of great music, honoring The Vulcan Gas Company and the innovators that played there. Non-conformists and seekers are welcome, and the uninitiated are invited to come explore outer and inner space and in an atmosphere of psychotropic bliss, because blowing minds is our business."
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Schedule:
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Friday, March 13th
Saturday, March 14th
Sunday, March 15th
Psych Fest tickets are available online online via LiveMusicCapitol.com, and in-person starting next week at fine record establishments in Austin.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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SXSW Wristbands

Here's the word on wristbands for SXSW 2009:

  • All advance wristband sales are at wristband.sxsw.com
  • Wristbands are $129 for the first-come, first-served sale
  • You will pick up your wristband on-site at SXSW
  • You can buy one wristband for yourself and one for a friend
  • All purchasers must use a credit card with a local billing address
  • To be notified of the sales date text the word “join” to 47979.

Read the the full list of SXSW wristband details at the link.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
SXSW Band List Announced

SXSW just announced 1,800 showcasing artists, which includes nearly every singe artist playing SXSW 2009. Check out the massive list at SXSW.com, and keep track of who will be playing when/where at Do512.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The White Stripes' Dylan Covers

One of the coolest thing about the White Stripes is that they seem to love doing just about anything they want with their music. The more successful they become, the more independent and innovative they try to be. I mean, Icky Thump had bag pipes on it. When you look through their song catalog (and exhaustive list of live sets,) it becomes pretty apparent that they love doing covers, and one artist's name that appears more than other: Bob Dylan.

Both Jack and Meg have expressed how influential Bob Dylan was on their music, more than just from being heavily ingrained with the blues, and their covering Dylan seems like a perfectly natural fit. We found these covers scattered across albums, DVD's, and various fan collections on the internet, so we thought we would pull some of our favorites together under one single post.
While technically this one was covered by Bob Dylan, it's cool enough to be included:
This one is also a stretch, but Bob Dylan has said that Gene Vincent's "Baby Blue" inspired him to write "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." The White Stripes have been known to cover the former:
  • Other interesting things that worth noting:
Dylan performed "Meet Me in the Morning," from his 1975 album Blood on the Tracks, in a live setting for the very first time in 2007 with Jack White. Also, A Wink To Bob Dylan has a bit more on the Dylan-Stripes connection.
Posted by OutlawBlues
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Heartless Bastards on Daytrotter

Sean Moeller, the creative force behind Daytrotter, is without a doubt one of the best music writers I have ever met, much less had the pleasure of sharing a cold beer with. More than that, his writing and work with Daytrotter provide exposure to artists in ways few (if any) others can match.

Yesterday they published an article on/studio performance by the Austin-via-Ohio trio the Heartless Bastards, focusing on lead singer and songwriter Erika Wennerstrom. Hear a song from the session below, and hear/read more at Daytrotter.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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The Day the Music Died

Buddy Holly died 50 years ago today. Instead of pretending to know more than I actually do, I'll link to one of the more interesting articles that were published today, along with a couple of my favorite Buddy Holly songs. There is a scene in The Buddy Holly Story where a cricket disrupts a studio recording session, and though that isn't where the name Buddy Holly and The Cricketers actually originated, you can hear a cricket chirping at the end of "I'm Gonna Love You Too." And did you know Bob Dylan saw Buddy Holly in concert two nights before his death, and that Paul McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue?
"To call someone who died at 22 "the father of rock" is not as fanciful as it seems. As a songwriter, performer and musician, Holly is the progenitor of virtually every world-class talent to emerge in the Sixties and Seventies. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Bruce Springsteen all freely admit they began to play only after Buddy taught them how."
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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The Black Lips in India

Last Saturday the Black Lips entertained an audience in Chennai, India with what stateside fans would consider a typically raucous Black Lips show. There was intra-band lip locking, de-pantsing, and an attempt by guitarist Cole Alexander to play his six-string with his man parts. Barely okay in America, definitely NOT okay in India, the band was subsequently chased out of the country under threat of incarceration.

To clear up some of the not-so-accurate information that that washed up on American shores afterword, VBS.tv is publishing a series of videos that document what exactly went down - entitled "The Black Lips in India." Caution: man parts are included. Here's another new one from their forthcoming Vice album, 200 Million Thousand.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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Monday, February 02, 2009
A Decemberists SXSW

The Decemberists have a thematic new album, The Hazards of Love, scheduled for release on March 24. The band also has something special planned for those attending SXSW. On March 18, The Decemberists will headline NPR's SXSW showcase at Stubb's, where they will perform all 17 songs from The Hazards of Love in sequence – how the band intends for the record to be heard.

This will be the very first time the album has been played live, and NPR Music will offer a live webcast and broadcast the entire concert. I don't listen to The Decemberists much these days, but this is an awesome way to debut an album. They even beat most bloggers to the punch, offering up a new track, "The Rake's Song" for free download via their official website.
Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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RSVP to party at SXSW
If you are planning to attend SXSW 2009, you should go ahead and bookmark this entry now. I will have info on just about every single SXSW event that requires an RSVP, and I plan to post each one worth attending, as they become available, into this entry.

Here are the first three that have come to my attention. Information on the bigger parties like Fader, Paste, and Mad Decent should start popping up soon enough. If you see something I am missing, please feel free to leave it in the comments or send me a message.






Posted by Mr. Curiosity
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