This is fine.
Homosexuality may not always be the easiest subject matter to broach, but it’s one that people often turn away from when discussing homosexuality in modern rock n’ roll. However, some of the greatest inspirations for modern music all have their gentle touch. So in honor of these brave souls, who bared it all, we give you our Top 5 Gay Dudes That Rock.
Aussie band Red Riders are the latest and greatest to get our SXSW Watchlist treatment. The band is not the first to make the leap from the Australian market, but the country hasn’t had much to talk about as of late. Influences of the band are cited as mid 80s fellow Aussie acts like The Go-Betweens, The Triffids, and The Church. Follow the jump to read a brief interview with lead singer Alex Grigg, check some dates and grab a tune.
We here at ATH started getting a little jealous of everyone having fun with this day party thing during SXSW week, so we thought it was time to join in the fun. The shindig we’ve put together will be going down at Victory Grill on March 21st from 3pm-8pm and is completely free. Our lineup should spark your interest and make you want to leave all those other free day parties behind. You won’t even have to leave the kids at home since all ages are welcome at the show! I’d recommend getting to the venue early as space is limited. If you’ve got a little free time, be sure to Like our event on Do512 and check out their sweet SXSW coverage while you’re there. We almost forgot a map to the venue for you out of towners! Follow the jump for more details and links to all participating bands.
The 80s saw the birth of the best music from the better half of the century. The problem is that like many similar great works of art, these songs weren’t always immediately recognized for their brilliance. So when Van Halen’s sexually-rowdy “Hot For Teacher” blares in the strip club scene in Varsity Blues, you can’t help but give it a “ten” (a f-ing ten!). It’s from there that the song earns it’s immortality and lives in film fame for years to come. The only rules to this list: the song couldn’t have been written for the movie or debuted in the movie (sayonara Top Gun, Breakfast Club, and Kenny Loggins). So here’s a list of the most memorable 80s songs from the movies…
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We continue our attempts to bring you some lesser known SXSW acts today with Swiss artist Choo Choo. Originally formed as a 3 piece back in ’06, the band now performs their brand of 60s style garage rock as a 4 piece out of their home in Berne, Switzerland. Catchy hooks infused with fuzzy guitar and some pop stylings all their own characterize the sound on Choo Choo’s debut self-titled LP out in 2008. The band’s going to be hard at work making a name for themselves during SXSW and playing more shows than any band ever should.
Catch an official showcase @ B.D. Riley’s Thursday March 19th 9pm.
Or for you freeloaders, check the band’s myspace for a whole slew of other unofficial parties planned.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/a-little-wiser-now.mp3]Download: Choo Choo – A Little Wiser Now [MP3]
Twenty-eight years ago today Kurt Cobain’s uncle gave him a choice of either a bike or a guitar as a present for his 14th birthday. Kurt chose the guitar. As the front man for Nirvana, he would spearhead a cultural shift in rock music by bringing underground rock overground with the album Nevermind. DGC records hoped to move 250,000 copies. It went on to sell millions and symbolically dethroned Michael Jackson from the #1 spot on the billboards. Suddenly the hair metal bands and carefully crafted pop icons that dominated before Nevermind’s release looked dated and ridiculous. Nevermind was more than just an album, it was a pivotal moment in rock history. Follow the jump as we unveil our Top 5 Forgotten Nirvana Songs.
Seeing as the Hallmark Holiday is hours away, I thought I would browse through my collection and throw out my Top 5 Favorite Songs with the word “valentine” in the title. Sure, one would think that songwriters have better things to do than sing about a nonsensical holiday with little or no meaning, but then again, they are just love songs in the end, aren’t they? Some of these bands have made appearances on our lists before, and some you might not be aware of, until now that is. So here is to you and yours on this most sacred of holidays. I hope your Valentine’s Day is as good as these songs.
We’ve been following Appleseed Cast since the days of End of the Ring Wars way back in 1998. It would be easy to think that maybe the guys have lost a step or two having been away from touring for so long, but that wasn’t the case at Mohawk. Some of the older tunes like “Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets” & “Steps and Numbers” were not quite as tight as they used to be, but encore songs “Fight Song” and “Fishing the Sky” sounded like the old days. New tunes from Sagarmatha also quieted the crowd in their low points and blew you away in those typical AC rising actions. Let’s just saw we got exactly what we came for. Before the show, we had the chance to speak with singer, guitar player and founding member Chris Crisci about the state of his band. Follow the jump to read the full interview and check out some pictures from the show.
While it’s true that most early Pub rock was just a bunch of British dudes ripping off The Band, at it’s core it was a roots rock movement reacting to the wankering of Emmerson, Lake and Palmer and other over-the-top progressive rock acts of the early 70’s. You can just imagine a working class kid in England seeing this on the telly. More of a circuit of pubs and music halls than an exact musical genre, Pub rock created an outlet for stripped down roots rock that would eventually pave the way for punk rock in England. Ranging from bluesy country to basic rhythm and blues, if there was one aesthetic that was common to all of the Pub rock scene it was a no frills return to basics. So grab a pint, start calling your friends your mates and your pants your trousers, and check out the Pub rock top five.
This past Saturday we were lucky, as were many of our fellow Austinites, to catch Broken Social Scene in the act. The band played for nearly three hours, despite Kevin Drew’s illness, which forced him to cancel their show in Dallas on the previous evening. Here are some solid pictures from the show for you to relive those special moments, or to pretend you were there. You can also read our interviews with Charles Spearin and Brendan Canning.
