SpoonX3

As reported by everyone and their mom earlier this week, indie rock kingpins Spoon will be throwing their own "mini-festival" this summer in Austin. The band will play a three-night stint at Stubb's from July 9-11 and are expected to debut new material from their forthcoming album. They also handpicked some great openers for each night, including Trail of Dead, Black Joe Lewis, Low and The Strange Boys. Hardcore fans can purchase three-day passes at spoontheband.com, and individual tickets are available through stubbs.frontgatetickets.com.

• 7/09 w/ Trail of Dead and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
• 7/10 w/ Low and Dale Watson
• 7/11 w/ Atlas Sound and The Strange Boys

Woven Bones

Woven Bones is an Austin three-piece whose music is a psychedelic-shoegaze-rock and roll concoction filled with rumbling distortion, fuzzy vocal effects and thick reverb that immediately brings to mind The Velvet Underground. Woven Bones also name-drops influences that include Link Wray, The Gun Club, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

I was hooked as soon as I heard the wah-wah guitar action on their song "Grown Crazy." Needless Records recently released it on a split single with Miami garage rockers Jacuzzi Boys, and that same label will release "Janie" on seven-inch May 1st. "With You Alone" was released by HoZac Records, who will also be handling the band's debut LP.

There's another tune available for download at wovenbones.com, and Nites has some video of their gig at Beerland with Christian Bland of The Black Angels. Woven Bones will play at Emo's on Wednesday, May 6th.

• Woven Bones - "Grown Crazy"
• Woven Bones - "Janie"
• Woven Bones - "With You Alone"
• myspace.com/wovenbones

George Clinton and a River Revolution

Here is what's on tap in rain-soaked Austin for the next few days. Tonight the father of funk, the atomic dog himself, George Clinton, will be taking people to outer space with Parliament Funkadelic at Stubb's. Bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay. Tickets and more info are available at the link.

Elsewhere tonight, Heartless Bastards will be opening for The Gaslight Anthem at Antone's. Thursday night is kind of slow, but on Friday T-Bird and the Breaks are at Emo's with the Greyhounds, and Red Cortez opens for Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit at Antone's.

There are two events on Saturday that I strongly recommend. First, Ultra8201 is putting on a show at La Zona Rosa featuring Ume, True Widow, and a cool new Austin band called The White White Lights. It's well-established that I dig Ume, and I caught TWWL during free week back in January and was quite impressed. The show is just $5 with RSVP. Head over to Ultra for more info on the bands.

Second, there's a sweet house out on the river bank in East Austin, and the owners like to party. Everyone had a good time at the River Revolution they hosted last year, so they're doing it all over again. Entertainment will be provided by The Story Of, Sunset, Diagonals, DJ Thibault and many more. They will also have free booze, a bonfire, a party shuttle, and overnight camping. Find more information on River Revolution 2 at Do512, Austinist, and riverrevolutionparty.com.

If you're down for Sunday fun, go see MC Chris at the Mohawk.

Here's a song that has nothing to do with any of this:

• The Flaming Lips - "Borderline" (Madonna)

ACL Festival Lineup Announced

The lineup for the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival was announced today! The headliners look good, notably Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon and Thievery Corporation, but those weren't much of a surprise. I'm more excited to see some names I did not expect, including Rodriguez, Here We Go Magic, Girl Talk, and Bassnectar.

ACL was fun last year, but I think this one should easily top it. I'll finally get to see Sonic Youth, and we get a chance to check out Jack White's new band The Dead Weather. Arctic Monkeys and Andrew Bird are always really good live, Ghostland Observatory and Black Joe Lewis will both rock the house, Mos Def will surely be cool, and I'm happy to see the inclusion of Deer Tick and Alela Diane. The rest of my schedule will likely include The Walkmen, Dr. Dog, Heartless Bastards, Grizzly Bear, Devotchka, and the everlasting Toadies.

It's going down October 2-4 at Zilker Park, where C3 spent a bunch of money on irrigation to combat the dust problem from years past. I haven't seen a full list of after parties yet, but that information should be coming shortly. Head over to aclfestival.com to get your tickets and stuff.

• Beastie Boys - "Rhyme The Rhyme Well"

Peter Bjorn and John Daytrip

Pitchfork runs around with Peter Bjorn and John during SXSW for a series called Daytripping. Bjorn gets lost, they eat some Italian food and stop in for a Daytrotter Session, among other things. Watch bigger at Pitchfork.tv.

In other Peter Bjorn and John news, Aziz Ansari says they beat him up over a serving of mashed potatoes.

• Peter Bjorn and John - "Amsterdam"
• peterbjornandjohn.com
  

Photos - The Kills at Emo's

On Friday night the blues-based garage rock duo The Kills came through town along with fellow Brits The Horrors and Nashville "cosmic pop" duo Magic Wands. There were occasional drizzles of rain falling outside throughout the night, but if anyone left the show soaking wet it was because of the sweat-inducing performance by Alison “VV” Mosshart and Jamie “Hotel” Hince of The Kills.

Using just two mics, two guitars, and a drum machine, the London-based duo provide a full-on rock show with a danceable groove that kept the crowd moving. I missed both opening bands, but The Kills got their set started quickly with "U.R.A. Fever," the first single from their latest album Midnight Boom. The Decider has the full set list with their recap.

The next time we see Alison Mosshart it will likely be as lead singer of The Dead Weather, a side project also featuring Jack White, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs. You can click here to see more photos from this show, including shots of The Horrors and Magic Wands. All photos by Ed Lehmann.

• The Kills - "Sour Cherry"
• myspace.com/thekills
  

Strange Boys on Daytrotter

The Strange Boys hooked up with Daytrotter during SXSW to lay down some of their fine garage rock, recording live versions of two tracks from their debut album along with a new song the Austin foursome are "messing around with." On record store day I set out to pick up a copy of And Girls Club on vinyl, but End of an Ear was completely sold out.

Austin Sound gave the album a glowing review, saying "there is hardly a moment on the 16 track disc that doesn’t support the notion that the Strange Boys are the best new band in Austin." I've listened to this thing front-to-back more times than I can count, but I still need to get a shiny vinyl copy to add to my collection.

The Strange Boys will be touring throughout the US this summer. The dates are posted at myspace. Here is the new song they recorded for Daytrotter, and you can click the link to hear two more.

• The Strange Boys - Untitled 2

from And Girls Club:

• The Strange Boys - "Should Have Shot Paul"

Photos - My Bloody Valentine

I woke up with a headache today, something that hardly ever happens. Another thing that hardly ever happens is getting a chance to see My Bloody Valentine live in concert. As I waited for friends outside of the Austin Music Hall I noticed several empty boxes of ear plugs and overheard staff members calling down for more. I opted to forgo the ear plugs, hence the throbbing head this morning.

My Bloody Valentine sounded like a freight train. If you closed your eyes it was hard to even tell which direction the sound was hitting you from. The whole stage was awash in explosions of color and light, and abstract visuals flickered in the background. The members of My Bloody Valentine, singer-guitarist Kevin Shields, singer-guitarist Bilinda Butcher and bassist Debbie Googe hardly moved from their positions on stage, remaining stoically furious for the length of the show. This excludes Colm Ó Cíosóig, who was a beast on the drums.

One song that stood out above the rest was Loveless opener "Only Shallow" with a re-vamped, monstrous chorus. Another was the epically-long set closer "You Made Me Realise," which descended into 16 minutes of glorious, blistering noise. If My Bloody Valentine ever happens to come through town again, I'll have my ear plugs ready.

All photos by Ed Lehmann. Click here to see more.

Bonobo

The bonobo species is a pretty interesting animal in itself. It appears that after the Congo River made its presence, the bonobo was separated from it's sister species, the common chimpanzee. This was due to it being a poor swimmer, and so they remain endangered and only survive in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's from Wiki.

Knowing this, now listen to Bonobo (Simon Green), the Ninja Tunes downtempo badass. You can hear the landscape of the Congo River in his tunes. In "Sugar Rhyme" from his Animal Magic album, those long calls from the saxophone ooze across the mix with a sense of danger lurking ahead. The beat drops and we start traveling on this slow and steady boat tour.

After coming out with his debut album in 2000, which he produced himself and played most of the instruments you hear, Ninja Tunes gobbled him up the next year. He's put out a few albums, released several mixes and remixes, and is now contributing to other artist's music by way of producing. Check out Andreya Triana. He's recently finished up producing her new album, and it should be coming out this summer. She has a great voice, and it should be a great album with Bonobo guiding her.

Ninja Tunes has just released a 10" single of a remix of "Between the Lines", with the B-side being a remix of "Recurring" by New York's own Mice Parade. The Mice Parade remix sounds like it's using Kevin Shield's tricks with the reverse guitar loops and changing tape speed. It definitely has elements of shoegazer all over it, which is an interesting take on Bonobo's original composition that more beat-driven.

We can only guess that this was released three years later to prepare us for something new from Bonobo. Keep an eye out for more from him soon, and be sure and check out the new Andreya Triana album this summer.

• Bonobo - "Sugar Rhyme"
• Bonobo - "Recurring" (Mice Parade Remix)
  
• myspace.com/sibonobo
• bonobomusic.com
  

My Bloody Valentine in Austin

If you are anywhere near the downtown area tonight and happen to hear a band playing, its probably just echoes from My Bloody Valentine's wall of noise bouncing off the Austin skyline. The band that effectively invented the shoegaze sound will be performing tonight at the Austin Music Hall, two days after blasting the whole Coachella Valley with their sonic guitar waves. Here's what Billboard said:

"MBV's insanely loud layers of feedback were only enhanced by the open-air setting, with the vocals of guitarists Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher perfectly centered in the mix for maximum effect. By the time the band finished the nearly 15-minute earthquake-like feedback jam at the end if its set, Coachella had witnessed the most radical, difficult and unforgettable hour of music in its decade-long history."

Their show tonight at the Music Hall is one of only five US tour dates, and tickets are still available at the link, or at the door. Next up for My Bloody Valentine will be The Palladium Ballroom in Dallas, the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, and WaMu Theater in Seattle. Here's a tune from '88, found on the You Made Me Realise EP.

• My Bloody Valentine - "Cigarette In Your Bed"
• mybloodyvalentine.co.uk
  

Photo Julio B

Kurt Vile

Philadelphia native Kurt Vile and his band The War on Drugs turned a few heads in 2008 with their debut album Wagonwheel Blues, drawing comparisons to Bob Dylan, Spaceman 3 and Tom Petty. On his solo recordings Kurt Vile creates hazy, psych-folk tunes that lean more toward the territory occupied by artists like Devendra Banhart.

His recent release, God Is Saying This to You, is a perfectly laidback compilation of "blazed singer-songwriterisms" with sparse guitar and atmospheric effects. On his myspace page, Kurt Vile describes his music as sounding like “when you wake from a long and glorious slumber, then you realize you don't have to go to work, then you fall back into long and glorious slumber.” Here's to slumbering.

• Kurt Vile - "My Sympathy"
• Kurt Vile - "Songs for John in D"
• myspace.com/kurtvileofphilly
• mexicansummer.com

New Deerhunter

Deerhunter aren't wasting any time following up on last year’s brilliant Microcastle. The Atlanta, Georgia band recorded a 5-track EP with Microcastle engineer Nicolas Verhes, and they are calling it Rainwater Cassette Exchange.

The digital version will be available on May 18, and CD/vinyl formats will arrive via Kranky/4AD on June 8. The EP’s title track is a short, summery sweet jam with a hint of tropical flavor. Take it for a spin...

The Rainwater Cassette Exchange track list:

1. Rainwater Cassette Exchange
2. Disappearing Ink
3. Famous Last Words
4. Game of Diamonds
5. Circulation

• myspace.com/deerhunter
  

Photos: Mike Relm & Del

Saturday was an absolute blast. After lunch at Lulu B's we hit up End of an Ear for record store day, where a three-piece Brazos played a nice afternoon set. They played a few tunes from a new album which I'm told will be available soon. After some hot rod-ogling at the Lonestar Round Up it was time for the Do512 bbq and the Del the Funky Homosapien/Mike Relm show at Emo's.

Just like his performance during SXSW, Mike Relm had the audience in the palm of his hand, mixing and scratching his way to a rousing ovation. I kind of felt bad for Del, because a whole lot of people left after Mike Relm finished up, but Del still held it down anyway. Here are a few photos from the show, all by Ed Lehmann. A full gallery is posted at the link.

Photos - Dan Deacon at Emo's

Dan Deacon came to town on Friday and brought a full band to help him pull off the material found on his new album, Bromst. I'm just going to be honest and admit that I drank too much at a happy hour and ended up missing the show, but I did have a photographer and a few friends on the inside who assure me that everyone had an awesome time. The Decider was there and they said the same thing, just a bit more thoughtfully. From their review:

"Approachable and affable, he joked around and made everyone feel welcomed, eschewing any sort of indie-rock star complex. And that's what makes Dan Deacon so dangerous: Before you know it, sweaty, dancing bodies surround you with circuit-bent synthesizers blaring in your ears, and strobe lights flash hypnotically. All eyes are on Dan, and you’re helplessly following his every command, having way more fun than you thought was possible."

Since I can't hold my liquor I'll have to let these pictures do the rest of the talking. All photos by Ed Lehmann. Click here to see more of the show, including Teeth Mountain and Future Islands.

New Bat for Lashes

The new Bat for Lashes album is out and it's outstanding. Bat for Lashes is a pseudonym for Natasha Kahn, a half British and half Pakistani musician, and Two Suns is her followup to her critically acclaimed debut Fur and Gold. The debut fell just short of the Mercury Prize and I think she makes another solid case for the award this year. The album shows just how broad Khan can be vocally against an impressive subterranean ambient sound.

It's great when you listen to an album and you can feel that the artist loves and believes what they are trying to convey through their music. She's bold in this album and oozing with confidence. The album revolves around the idea of duality in life. She explores this through fables and even creating a character Pearl who is both enticing and chaotic. The sixth track "Siren Song" provides a lot of basis for that, it's a pretty fantastic song. This album gets some percussion help from the band Yeasayer on a few tracks.

This album will be on many, many "best album of the year" lists. You should pick it up. The entire album is also up on Lastfm.com. 

• Bat for Lashes - Pearl's Dream
• www.batforlashes.com

Oh yea, and she's already released the single "Daniel" for the album, check out the cover for the single.

Holy Fuck on tour

Toronto's Holy Fuck just don't seem to like taking breaks. In 2008 they toured nonstop with the likes of MIA, Super Furry Animals and A Place To Bury Strangers, and now they're gearing up to hit the road for a tour that will keep them in the States through mid June. The tour will make its way down to Austin on June 11th, when Holy Fuck performs at the Mohawk. Tickets are on sale for $8 at the link.

Pitchfork called their last album "an exciting blend of aggressive rhythm and nuanced, skillfully manipulated noise." We can expect to know more about their new album soon, and in the meantime, they are offering up a previously unreleased recording of "Jungles" for your enjoyment. This song was on their Daytrotter Session as well.

• Holy Fuck - "Jungles"
• myspace.com/holyfuck

Photo Indeed

Alela Diane - "Every Path" video

myspace.com/alelamusic

Clues

While countless new bands have imitated the pop sounds made famous by Montreal's music export, CLUES counts among its members originators of that sound. CLUES is comprised of Alden Penner (Unicorns) and Brendan Reed (Arcade Fire,) along with multi-instrumentalists Ben Borden (Les Automates de Maxime de la Rochefoucauld), Lisa Gamble (Gambletron, Evangelista, Hrsta) and Nick Scribner (Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble.) The band's shows are frenetic and theatrical, featuring multiple drummers and unique instrumentation.

CLUES began in 2007 and has kept a low profile, playing a series of un-advertised shows in Montreal’s lofts & small venues. Despite a near media black-out, their first above-ground performances have elicited passionate response and following from audiences & have caught the attention of numerous music media. Montreal’s Constellation Records will be releasing their debut, self-titled album on May 18th.

From the label:

"This debut record yields one undeniable tune after another. It is one of those albums that coheres effortlessly in spite of the restless energy and distinct identity of each song – nothing ever really sounds or stays the same, but neither are there any forced spastics or facile schizophrenics. Forged from postpunk, no-wave and psych influences, Clues compose a rare breed of complex pop anthems that consistently inscribe their own perfect limits, without overreaching and without pandering."

• Clues - "Crows"
• Clues - "Ledmonton"
• villavillanola.com
• cstrecords.com

Stuff You Should Do...

If you only go to two shows the rest of the week, I strongly recommend that you see Dan Deacon on Friday, and Mike Relm on Saturday. I had the most awesome time ever the last time Dan Deacon brought his show to Emo's, and I'm looking forward to repeating it.

For his current tour Deacon has a 14-piece orchestra, including eight percussionists and three guitarists. They will be performing material from his latest album "Bromst," which I personally think kicks the shit out of Spiderman Of The Rings. Tickets are available for $10 at the link. Prepare yourself for a mind explosion.

• Dan Deacon - Padding Ghost
• myspace.com/dandeacon

Here is some cool footage from the recording sessions for Bromst:

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On Saturday one of the most innovative DJs on the planet, Mike Relm, returns to Austin. He is known for live performances which feature a series of audio mash-ups with video images, manipulated simultaneously. His audio-visual performance absolutely killed it at the Do512 SXSW party, but none of the videos I've seen do it justice. You really have to see Mike Relm perform his show live in person to get the full effect.

He will be opening up for Del the Funky Homosapien at Emo's as part of the "Funk Man" tour. Del's latest album The Eleventh Hour was brutally mediocre, so he's offering up a new, funkier album, totally free of charge. Check it out here.

Do512 is having a sweet pre-party for this show, complete with free food and drink. A $10 suggested donation will benefit Groundwork Music Project, who provide free music lessons to children who could not otherwise afford them. The pre-party info is here, and tickets to the show are available at the link.

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Elsewhere this week:

Thursday

• The Starlight Mints, Evangelicals, Moth!Fight! at the Mohawk
• Markus (With a K) and DJ Thibault at the Beauty Bar

Friday

• White Denim, Corto Maltese, Ume at the Parish
• Snake Trap, Transmography, Prince Klassen at the Beauty Bar
• The Strange Boys at Beerland

Saturday

• Brazos at End of an Ear - 2pm
• Delta Spirit at Zilker Park - 1:30-3:15pm (info)
• French Kicks at the Mohawk

New Crystal Stilts

Crystal Stilts have a sound that mixes "post-punk gloom with classic 60s pop and garage, Suicide-ish 50s buzz/twang and a dash of 80s jangle." The Brooklyn-based band generated a lot of buzz in 2008 with their debut album Alight of Night, and just last month they released a new single featuring two brand-new songs. Here is the word from Slumberland Records:

"Love Is a Wave" is a firm favorite of the band's live show, a perfect two-minute pop nugget in the best punk rock tradition. B-side "Sugarbaby" is no slouch either, sounding for all the world like The Clean if they had been produced by Lee Hazlewood back in Arizona in the late 50s.

With a spookily evocative keyboard line, breathless backing vocals and undistorted twang, "Sugarbaby" could be from 1959, or 1969, or 1989. But it's pure 2009, and another great example of how Crystal Stilts have managed to mine rock's past and create something entirely new and crucial for today.

• Crystal Stilts - "Sugarbaby"

Crystal Stilts were also recently featured on Daytrotter, where they performed two unreleased songs. Here are a few words and one of those unreleased tunes from the session:

"He sings about distorted time or distorting time and it applies to everything in a Crystal Stilts song – the vacant stares that seem to come out of the corners of the tune, the coolly smoking atmosphere and the smart efficiency of all of the sounds that these four come with."

• Crystal Stilts - "Sycamore Tree" (more)
  

And here's some live action from Pitchfork.tv, starting with "The SinKing":

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Formed almost 19 years ago, neo-psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre are making a comeback of sorts. They released a new album (My Bloody Underground) last year, they just released a new EP (Smoking Acid), and they are playing with a rejuvenated lineup that included founding member Matt Hollywood.

Led by the unpredictable front man Anton Newcombe, the San Francisco-based group helped usher in the revival of psychedelic rock in the 1990s, and (along with the Dandy Warhols) were the subject of the award-winning 2004 documentary DIG!. They will be cranking out the reverb at Emo's tonight en route to Coachella, and tickets are $15 at the door. Here's one from the new EP:

• The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Tempo 116.7"
• myspace.com/brianjonestownmassacre
  

Celebrate Record Store Day

The second annual Record Store Day is going down this Saturday, April 18th. More than 1,000 stores will be participating worldwide, including nine Austin-area stores. The celebrations will vary by store, but most will offer cool in-store events, giveaways, and rare singles and albums that are generally unavailable. This is a great time to support your local record stores and grab some great exclusive items.

End of an Ear will have loads of goodies to give away, with an in-store performance by Brazos at 2pm. Waterloo Records has a list of exclusive Record Store Day items that will be available for purchase, including a Flaming Lips / Black Keys split 7" and a Black Moth Super Rainbow 7" with two tracks from their forthcoming studio album, Eating Us.

• Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Twin of Myself"

From the organizers:

"Record Store Day is a celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently owned record stores. This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances."

Here is a list of local record stores who will be participating:

• Antone's Record Shop
• BackSpin Records
• Cheapo Discs
  
• End of an Ear
  
• Musicmania
• Out of the Past Collectibles
• Piranha Records (Round Rock)
• Snake Eyes Vinyl
• Waterloo Records

Get yourself to a record store this Saturday. Go here for more info.

Too Short at the Mohawk

The Too Short train rolled into Austin on Saturday night, bringing out a whole bunch of hardcore fans who knew the words to every song. Too Short went through material that spanned his entire career, starting back in '87 and continuing all the way up to his more recent stuff.

They had performed in Houston the night before coming to Austin, and apparently the crowd was super lame, just standing around with arms folded. There was none of that at the Mohawk, as it was all hands in the air, crowding your way on stage to dance, and staying long after the music was over to shake hands and show some love.

With a big thank you to Transmission for the access, here are a few pictures from the show. All photos by Ed Lehmann. Click here to see more.