Meet the SXSW Band: The Ophelias

We are here and in full force now with some SXSW band previews coming at you several times a week leading up to the festival. Today we are thrilled to share a preview with one of our favorite up and coming acts, Cincinnati based outfit The Ophelias. We get into some great discussions about new music along with a debate about who would be the best dual threat rhythm guitar player to have in your all time band. All that plus show details and a brand new song(!) after the jump.

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Meet the SXSW Band: Native Harrow

It’s here! Well, almost here anyway. Yeah SXSW is right around the corner you nerds and of course we are ready and prepping for the most exciting and enjoyable week of the year. We had a ton of fun with our “Meet the band” pieces last year and thought it’d be a great idea to carry on with them in 2024. Hopefully you find them as an interesting and brief peek into band life and what it means to play SXSW. We are super excited to kick these interviews off this week with responses from Philadelphia based outfit Native Harrow. You’ll find their responses, schedule, and tunes after the jump.

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Last Week’s Jams (2.12 – 2.16)

Sorry for taking off yesterday, but we’ll be honest, this site’s run by folks in the education field, so when we’re granted a rare day off mid-semester, you better believe we’re hanging with our families! But, here I am with hopefully a link to last week to set you up for this week. We covered perhaps too much music last week, getting 28 songs on the mark, and I was super stoked to hear that both Parsnip and Mammoth Penguins were back in business…with new albums heading our way. Plus, Kindsight gave us another sparkling single from their forthcoming LP via Rama Lama Records. I’m in on new Bolis Pupul, so we’ve got that, plus Unwed Sailor have a new release…there is maybe too much new stuff out there! Just take a listen!

Austin Psych Fest Announces Line-Up

Fresh off a rad year at Levitation, those good folks announce the line-up of their Spring edition Austin Psych Fest. After being gone for a bit, it’s been a great return to the Austin music schedule, with this year’s event taking place over the weekend of April 26 – 28! Line-up highlights include heavy hitters like Courtney Barnett, Dehd, Alvvays and Kurt Vile, but you know they always work hard to develop and curate, so expect some surprises as we draw nearer the date. You can grab tickets tomorrow via PreSale, and tickets go out to the public on Friday. Check HERE to get yours! The whole event will take place at the Far Out Lounge, home of $13 Miller Lite Drafts.

Show Preview: Rosie Tucker @ Mohawk (Tonight – 11.16)

When Rosie Tucker dropped a brand new track last week, I took that chance to mention they would be bringing a set to Mohawk today. And, since its the day of the show, I wanted to offer a quick reminder for you to get out to Mohawk to catch them. If you’re just looking for a good show, and unfamiliar with their work, might I suggest spending some time with my personal favorite Never Not Never Not Never Not? Regardless, they offer up some lyrical with and playfulness is destined to charm. Plus, the set starts around 10, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch opener Creekbed Carter Hogan, then Rosie Tucker and then be home by midnight! New single and my favorite LP are below!

 

Lockhart Record Fair – 11/19

If ya’ll are looking for some Sunday fun day type activities with a small road trip involved as well, I suggest you head out to Lockhart on Sunday afternoon for the first ever Lockhart Record Fair. Things kick off at 11am in downtown at Lockhart Arts & Crafts with a ton of great vendors from all over the central Texas area selling all sorts of new and used records. This event is put on by our pals out at Plum Creek Records who are leading the Radio Lockhart effort which hopes to bring a non-profit radio station to their town. If you care to donate to their cause, a giving page is set up on Give Butter. Come out, say hey, and grow your collection!

Here are some social links to all our vendors – Alchemy Records, Antone’s, Big Henry’s, Christopher Lea, Jason Chronis, Ray Ray’s Record (ME!), Resurrected Records, Yard Sale Records, and of course, Plum Creek Records.

 

Show Preview: Say Sue Me @ the Parish (11.16)

If you’ve been reading this site, for a few years now we’ve been huge supporters of South Korea’s Say Sue Me. Well, they’re finally returning to the States, and playing one of their few North American shows here at Austin’s The Parish. They’ve mastered the art of writing infectious pop sounds, and as they’ve shown with recent singles like “4am,” they’ve begun to expand that sound into something more complex and textured. I caught them twice on their last visit, and their sets were spot-on musically, leaving me with a sense of joy that I don’t always get at the end of a set. They’ll be joined by Austin up-and-comers, Skateland. Show starts at 7:30, and you can still grab tickets HERE.

About Last Night: Levitation Night Two (10/27)

While Nathan was solo on Thursday, the ATH crew rolled deep on Friday night with a full crew hitting almost every venue offered by Levitation Festival. While the rain dampened spirits a bit to start the evening, things ramped up once the skies cleared and we took full advantage of the full variety of musical styles on the lineup. We covered a ton of ground and saw a plethora of bands, all which you can read about after the jump.

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Show Review: Nick Cave @ Moody Theatre (10.23)

When one watches Nick Cave, it’s really difficult to spin words out of that experience. He’s got decades of writing under his belt, whether that’s with the Bad Seeds, Birthday Party or various other acts he’s worked with; on Tuesday in Austin, he treated us to a touch of it all, sprinkling his gothic fairy dust over those in attendance at Moody Theatre.

For starters, I love the presentation of the set (you can find the whole setlist HERE); we were offered Nick, clad in his suit, his piano, and a similarly dressed Colin Greenwood of Radiohead. In such a setting, one can easily see how Cave’s personality was the dominant spirit of the evening; his soulful presentation resonated throughout as he wavered between personal storytelling and dry humor. All evening the lighting was simple, merely working to keep Nick just barely out of the theatre’s shadows.

After opening up with tracks like “Girl in Amber” and “Jesus of the Moon,” we were treated to a rare glimpse inside the writing process, as we were given a short ballad that never quite made the cut, though clearly still leaving an impact on the songwriter; he titled the track “Euthanasia,” though I suppose we’ll never truly know until its recorded. From there, the set moved mostly through Bad Seeds catalog, then to some of his work with Warren Ellis. He used “Balcony Man” to create a fictional divide between those seated on the floor and those in the balcony, though sadly the mezzanine was left out of the conversation.

The staged encore also brought special moments, with a rendition of the Rowland Howard penned tune, “Shivers,” from the Boys Next Door catalog. It also gave us my personal favorite moment as Cave dropped a nice little cover of T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer.” I think that moment is when it sunk in, as Cave, like Bolan, is a true artist that has few contemporaries. His writing can be dark and absurd, then turn touching, and his voice can move anyone to tears. If you doubt that, just ask Colin Greenwood, a world-famous star in his own right, who often could be seen side-stage, immersed in the moving power we all witnessed, lost in the magic of the evening.

Couple of notes from bgray, Nick almost seemed restrained by his seat behind the piano. At the end of many of the songs, he would leap up to get closer to the crowd and entice the response that the consummate showman seemingly craves. The other entertaining aspect was the flick of the songsheet when readying for the next song, spinning it the ground. Hopefully, these found their way into fans’ hands.

I left grateful for the night, fortunate to have the option to witness Nick Cave present his gift to the world. But, in thinking upon the night, I was also left with a bit of sadness. I can’t really recall any current musicians who have pushed themselves to the degree Nick has, and for that, I think there will come a time when great art will be relegated to the streaming services in lieu of rolling out singles. And in that, very few will have the longevity of Cave; its a reminder of his artistry and our own humanity…and for that, I’ll sit with the closing track of the evening, “People Ain’t No Good.”

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