Author: brian.gray

The photo taker and manager of the IT Department.

Show Pics: Icona Pop @ Emo’s (12/19)

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Sometimes, I just feel like shooting.

I made some last minute requests with venue people and mgmt. to get access into the Marina & The Diamonds show last night at Emo’s, ended up getting to shoot Icona Pop. I caught a little of their set at Fun Fun Fun Fest. It was a party, a way too early in the day dance party. So what the hell, got done with a happy hour with photog friends and headed over to Emo’s for some synth jams and dance party anthem noise.

Look at the pretty lights. I had fun shooting…

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Who Is E.M.I.L.Y.?

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Friend of the program, Orthy, just added a sweet track we have been digging as part of their live sets for a while now to his soundcloud. The track “E.M.I.L.Y.” is a sweet little builder with the sensibilites we have come to love from Ian and the boys.

Stream it there and if you are frisky, you can download a Baio remix of it here.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/56560241″ params=”show_artwork=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Dog Bite Forever, Until A New Song…

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Dog Bite was the band lucky enough to avoid the downpour during their opening slot at The Mohawk for Washed Out’s last stop in Austin. I liked their set and in retrospect by listening to the recent tracks hitting the intarwebs, I like them more than I did at the show. I need a do over.

Anyway, Phil Jones is leading the band into 2013, Velvet Changes dropping 2/5 via Carpark. This is the second song from the pending LP and is a bit gazier and hazier. The song premiered over at Paste with a download via the Soundcloud embed there.

The band will be in town in support of Toro Y Moi @ Emo’s East on 2/2/13.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dog-Bite-Forever-Until.mp3]

Download:Dog Bite – Forever, Until [MP3 @ Paste]

Let’s Talk Free Week

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Date 1/2/13-1/12/13
Location All Over
Doors TBD
Tickets Free (duh)


The schedule is pending, but the list of artists signed on to do Free Week this year is long and impressive, much like my morning commute.

Created as a way to treat the locals to some locals while the kids were home for the holidays, Free Week continues to expand adding numbers to the venue list and performer count. This year will be pretty big, a Free Week and a half actually, occupying the Transmission locations of The Mohawk, Holy Mountain, Beerland and Red7. Peep the poster of artists for the festivities on Red River, chock full of Austin Town Hall Faves including Tiger Waves, Shivery Shakes, Fleshlights, TV Torso, Orthy and Grape St.

Stay tuned for schedules and be ready to hit the streets.

One event’s schedule I know for sure is Modern Outsider’s Free Week show on 1/4 at Emo’s East featuring Ume, The Calm Blue Sea, The Black and White Years and My Jerusalem. Get details and say you’re going here.

Show Pics: Of Montreal @ The Mohawk (12/4)

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Of Montreal is notorious for putting on lovely and bizarre shows. Mixing theatrical shenanigans, hippy jam band lighting, punk show crowd energy and props to keep you invested, there is rarely a dull moment as props, projectors and extras fill your eyes as the band puts forth another solid sounding set. French Horn Rebellion had opening duties.

It was one of the last outside shows at The Mohawk and the weather was freaking perfect. I had to go. FEATHER CANNONS!!!1!11shift+one

Couple more thoughts and plenty of pics after the break.

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Show Pics: Letting Up Despite Great Fauls/She Sir @ Holy Mountain (11/29)

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After the dance party last Wednesday night, Nathan and I decided to go local and take a stab at the new venue living in Beauty Bar’s space on 7th, Holy Mountain. The bands on the bill were certainly worth two nights in a row of missing a few hours of sleep. Letting Up Despite Great Faults has one of our favorite local records of the year and She Sir played our SxSW showcase a few years back, even lending gear to use for the night, and have recently busted out a few new tracks.

Click through for a few thoughts and some pics…

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What Happens When Dumbo Gets Mad

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“BAM BAM”

Tasty little elctro pop fun time track was just unleashed on the internets. It is the second track from the album Quantum Leap landing after the New Year (If you are hoping for a Scott Bakula reference, well, you just got one).

The interesting bit of news for our readers across the pond is a Detour project to get the group to London. It is like a tour Kickstarter and your requests help make it feasible to fund the trip. Link here.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Dumbo-Gets-Mad-Bam-Bam.mp3]

Download: Dumbo Gets Mad – BAM BAM [MP3 – Email Unlock]

Show Review: The Pharmacy @ 29th St Ballroom (11/23)

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Turkey has come and gone. After the joys of fambly and the crushing defeat at the hands of the Frogs from Ft. Worth, Friday night was bound to be better with a four band show at 29th St. Ballroom. The Pharmacy was in town and we had locals The Bad Lovers, Pharaohs, and Foreign Mothers to surround them in Keeping Austin Weird.

The locals were pegged in the corner of the bar stage while headliners took it to the big room for beer throwing, bass hanging, big jams and really drunk dude being happy (and then taking a nap).

Read on for a few more thoughts and plenty of pics.

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I Love This Song By GEMS

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I just opened up the tablet browser and saw the link to this track was still in the tabs. I don’t where I got the link, maybe DIY or Line of Best Fit, I thank them, though. I love this song. It is somewhat simple and very elegant with several sparsely populated layers and a distance to it.

Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher are the people behind GEMS, with additional percussion from Sean McVey.

…and now you know all I know about the band.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GEMS-Void-Moon.mp3]

Download: GEMS – Void Moon ☾ [Name Your Price DL @ Bandcamp]

Veronica Falls Gets Smooth

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Veronica Falls was one of my absolute favorite sets from SxSW 2011. The band continues to trickle songs out to the world, the latest an offering is plugged-in below from their Souncloud page.

Waiting For Something To Happen lands via Slumberland in the USA on Valentine’s Day 2013. This song, “Teenage”, is very refined and beachy. It isn’t quite as hollow and jangly as early tracks. I love it, nice breakdown as the song let’s you off easy. This is the song made to finish a show.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/66749368″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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