This is fine.
Photo by Keeyahtay Lewis
I am here to report that the angsty teenager inside of me is alive and well. The part of me that I thought was long-gone jumped back out with a vengeance when I saw that Taking Back Sunday would be performing their 2002 debut album in full on a worldwide 20th anniversary tour with a stop in Austin, TX for two nights at Emos. Read more
Flesh Lights has long been a favorite of ATH, it was cemented for me when they opened for Thee Oh Sees (the old name) at La Zona Rosa. Remember, I said a long time favorite. I know we were happy as hell to put this record out. Elissa came out from the drum kit, the band donned Bandanas to do a rousing edition of “Institutionalized”
I love a good house party. I have experience with warehouse parties (don’t remember some of them). I love a party in a backyard. I am fond of parking lot parties, too. Plenty of friends joined us for shenanigans at the loading dock at Fine Southern Gentlemen. Flesh Lights had Werewolf and Dregs join in.
Last Friday, we celebrated this record with friends at Mohawk with Bayonne performing the songs live for the first time. Today, we celebrate the record’s release. Drastic Measures is an evolved sound, at times up front and varied, I especially like the clean piano start of this track and following ballad evolution interrupting by a swell of percussive synth and loops.
Since I mentioned it, how about we spend a second talking about the show and I share some photos. Just click that read more below or keep scrolling.
Every year, we gather with our frienemies over at Side One Track One, and throw down a huge show over at Hotel Vegas/Volstead. As is the case every year, we have 30 bands from all over Austin, and a few on the ATH Records roster. When we set up this years show, we wanted to make sure the bands all had new music on the way in 2019…and that seems to be the case. You can click on this glorious photo to see the show poster, or head over to the FB Event Page to see who all is going to show up. The show takes place Sunday, March 10th…and its absolutely free! Really stoked to see our friend Ram Vela return to the stage with his new band. Plus, ATH acts the Hermits, Being Dead and She Sir sharing their new tunes!
It’s been a hot minute since free week, that thing where bands play to help put money in tip jars for the venues during a typically very dead week in Austin that also serves as a test run for SxSW. We obviously have several friends involved in many aspects of Free Week. One friend of mine is Ismael Quintanilla III. He has shared his photos with us before, but he is also part of a pretty rad little music project called The Guacamole Police and Officer Hass. Unique perspective, shooting and playing Free Week, I poked the bear to get some response.
Read on for some of Ish’s great Free Week photos and some insight into putting in the work…
Willie is the godfather of Austin being weird. Or at least, that is what we are told. A rebel, legendary country artist, yet a through and through hippy, political activist (kind of), he is responsible for giving the world a collection of amazing songs, but away from those songs, he has a legacy of creating legends around him.
His song craft, both writing and interpreting, was on display Monday night at ACL TV. It was his eighteenth taping, but his first in fifteen years with his band, his way, the songs he wants to play. The recent flurry of activity from the octogenarian has raised eyebrows. Is it a new energy or is it finality? Was this the first of many last times?
Read on for more thoughts and some photos from the venerable Scott Newton.
As you likely know, many of your faithful ATH crew members ventured out this weekend to take part in this thing called Austin City Limits Festival. Have you heard of it? It’s kind of a big deal. As always, the festival was run smooth like a baby’s bottom and a good time was had by all. Part of what we do to earn our keep is to offer opinions on the music side of things and overall thoughts/concerns from the weekend. Each member of the team who attended this weekend will share their own opinions.
Follow the jump for more from me and Nicole with a little gallery from around the grounds by bgray.
ACL season is here sports fans, and as always, ATH will be doing everything in our power to prepare for the festival. A couple of years ago I started a new concept of asking bands to create a short 5 song playlist filled with songs featuring only artists playing the festival. Lucky for us, my dear friends in Atlanta based band Neighbor Lady thought this was a great idea and made a playlist for the site. If this sounds intriguing to you, which it should, hit the jump for the songs and for short blurbs about each.Neighb
Thursday night is as good a night as any for a rock show, and all of Austin is in for a treat, should they choose to visit Hotel Vegas on said night. You get two great traveling acts in the Molochs and Smokescreens, the latter associated to our site’s highly regarded fave label, Slumberland Records…not to mention a Terry Malts/Business of Dreams connection. If you haven’t, as we suggested, picked up Used to Yesterday, then we suggest you do so now. The Molochs, for their part, will likely play a good deal off their forthcoming LP, Flowers in the Spring, so why not sneak a peak? And, both Tres Oui and the Zoltars will be peforming on the night, both ATH approved! Doors are at 9!
Beach House have come a long long way since the first time I caught them at old Emos back in the day…but even then, they were onto something. That all culminated in a sold out show at ACL Live, which was a pretty near perfect venue for the band.
Click through for the words and pics.
