Austin Town Hall

While his longtime rock band Longwave takes a short break from the music world, Steve Schiltz has been working hard to make a name for his new project Hurricane Bells.  This band/side project from Schiltz has been in the works for a few years and just saw a debut LP, Tonight is the Ghost, drop late last year.  That album, while similar to Longwave in some aspects, tones things down just a bit and the songs feel a lot more like a solo record.  Schiltz has since put a band together and plans to stop in Austin during our SXSW music festival.  We had the chance to email Steve a few SXSW oriented questions before his band makes it into town.  You’ll see a musician who is passionate about the industry and hopes you don’t know him as “that band on the New Moon soundtrack”.  Follow the jump for full interview.

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It’s as if these incredible Scotish bands just keep pouring outta the country!  A band that sometimes gets lost in the depths of the Scotish scene is Edinburgh boys We Were Promised Jetpacks.  Now their sound will sometimes sound a bit similar to country mates Frightened Rabbit or The Twilight Sad, but they’re still able to stand out on their own.  I’ve also heard that these guys bring the noise in the live setting, so you’ll definitely want to check them out when they stop in town for SXSW.  Prior to their arrival in Austin, we had the chance to speak to guitarist Michael Palmer about his band.  After the jump you’ll find his answers.

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In retrospect, it was the free tequila at that third South By Southwest party that did it. And there was that energy drink you downed, despite the fact you’d never heard of it (hey, it was free). Of course the Southern Comfort at party five didn’t help either. Nor did the eleven beers between party one and party seven (3 micro-brews, 2 Shiners, 5 PBRs, 1 new crap beer Budweiser is pushing). The fact that this unholy blend of alcohol is now fighting it out with the bratwurst and street pizza you consumed yesterday is only complicating matters. Stomach hates you. Brain not functioning. Unidentified bruises abound. Water and aspirin cannot save you. All this and your friend has the nerve to say: “I’m not hung over at all, I feel great!” Resist the urge to punch him in his stupid face. Go and put on a nice soft record. Follow the jump for 5 Albums that will help you cope with a hangover.
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Now that the SXSW music festival is upon us, it’s time to take a last minute look at the bands you should really be paying attention to during the week.   I’m thinking the best way to do that would be to put the spotlight on Tyler, TX. band Eisley.  Now some of you may have forgotten about this band since they’ve been quiet for a couple years now in the music world, but we haven’t!  We’re also excited to hear that new material is on the way soon.  I’m sure that the first new album since 2007s Combinations will no doubt continue to bring those sweet pop jams we’ve grown accustomed too from Eisley.  We also had the chance recently to speak with front lady Sherri Dupree Bermis about her band.  Follow the jump to read the SXSW oriented questions.

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A couple years ago, songwriting man David Vandervelde dropped his beautiful album Waiting for the Sunrise on our ears and we’ve been following him ever since.  David has been fairly quiet since that release, but just recently dropped some new tracks that will supposedly appear on an upcoming album.  Checking out a live set by Vandervelde should be a great time to hear some of this new material before it’s physically released.  Vandervelde, always the jokester, answered a few of our SXSW questions to build up some hype before he hits Austin.  You can see his brief and to the point responses after the jump.

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Chicago band Califone have been around the music game twice as long as most of the young start up bands you’ll be checking out during SXSW.  They’ve been touring the world/country, releasing countless albums, and generally working their asses off since around 1997/98.  Always adapting and changing their style, Califone have come a long long way since their beginnings over 10 years ago.  Don’t even try to label these guys either, as their music changes stylistically so often that you can’t mark them in any specific genre.  Needless to say, I’m pumped about waiting in line for these guys.  Prior to their arrival in Austin, we had the opportunity to send lead singer Tim Rutili some SXSW questions.  Follow the jump for the questions.

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Bowerbirds are a band we have given tons of love to over here at ATH, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see their name pop up when we talk about bands we want to see during SXSW.  These guys have been doing their thing musically now for close to 4 years, all the while touring the country from coast to coast.  Their sounds fall into the indie-folk category with plucked acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies, and a less is more approach to music.  Also as stated previously, we’ve seen Bowerbirds twice in Austin over the last year or so and we’ll be waiting in line to see them again.  Leading up to SXSW, we had the chance to shoot some interview questions over to leading man Phil Moore.  Follow the jump for some SXSW oriented questions with Phil.

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During 1989 I received my first CD player.  Since that day, I’ve collected music vigorously, but only recently has that seem to have gotten a little bit out of hand.  Some friends know I have stuff, so they want to borrow it, or they want a burned copy.  Other times, people want me to make a mix for some purpose or another, so I gladly oblige.  It recently hit me that there are some mysterious tunes lying around in my iTunes library that I really rather wish weren’t there, or that I am going to pretend like I downloaded for a friend and lay no claim to whatsoever.  Do you have those too? It can’t be just me.

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