This is fine.
Fun Fest weekend is here kids and ATH is just about ready to kick this thing into high gear. Before we wrap up our pre-festival coverage, we’ve got one more interview coming your way from one of our favorite all time Austin bands Mineral. Founding father and vocalist Chris Simpson was nice enough to answer some of our tough questions. I tried my best not to be a fan boy… Follow the jump for one of my most anticipated interviews of the festival season.
Earlier this fall we caught a quite exceptional set from 
Lemuria over at Mohawk, and I’ve been thirsting to hear more music from the band ever since that night. Luckily, this track popped up just the other day, and it’s worth sharing with you all. I really love the approach the band takes on this tune, revealing a classic alternative rock sound, which was produced by Mark Ryan of Marked Men. Plus, if you pick this up (December 16th), as you should, then you’ll get a 40 page comic book alongside your purchase…so you’ve got to appreciate a little differentiation on the sales side…that and this song’s great. They’ll also be back in Austin at the end of November.
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Just when it looked like we were going to skip that whole fall season thing, last night’s rain and cold front had us grateful for the change in venues from the Scoot Inn to Emo’s. This same rain didn’t prevent people from getting there early to catch the opening act, even despite the 6:30 door times. It was a night of appreciation for beauty in simplicity, where opener Chris Staples did his part to warm the crowd for the elegance of Manchester Orchestra. Read on for a brief synopsis of the evening. Read more
Don’t let the name, Bruising, fool you. There’s nothing bruising or dangerous about this beautiful track from the UK outfit. Sure, there’s some cascading guitar parts that might throw off a little bit of an edge, but for the most part, there’s nothing but sugar here. Just listen to the main vocal, or the harmonies that join in carefully as the song unfolds; if you do so, I think we’ll be on the same page, right? This is our first listen to the band, as they’ve really just jumped into things, so I’ll give you a heads up on more to come in the future.
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Okay, so maybe they don’t go all the way back there, but seeing as the members of Orange Cassettes are from Elefant and Radio 4, that seems like a solid time for the bands to really be making a wave. But, with that out there, the duo has comprised some music that moves forward while still wearing the patches of the not so distant past. The tune below is definitely begging to get a nice club remix, though I miss the brash quality that Radio 4 seemed to bring to the table. The single is being released digitally by Ring the Alarm, which is calling all parities to action…seems like that action here is to just shake it.
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You know what’s going to make your day a little bit better? You’re going to have to listen to this new track from The Black Watch in order to make that happen. The band are prepping the release of their new LP, Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy; it’s just a year after the most excellent The End of When (you better have that LP!). Listening to this first single, there’s a hint of Bobby Pollard in it, though I still love the crisp twang of the guitar that’s in the background. Pop Culture Press will be releasing the album in late January, but I’ll remind you closer to that date, as this is sure to be another successful long player from the group.
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Is Fun Fest really this weekend? Hard to believe some major fun times (x3) are ahead on Friday. You know the drill with ATH by now, we interview a lot of bands leading up to the festival to hopefully give you some nice reading material prior to the weekend. Today we’re speaking with one of our top bands of the weekend, Chicago natives Twin peaks. Follow the jump to see what these guys had to say.
I so wish I had had this track on Friday evening after the kids had left my hood and gone their merry way home. As I settled around a fire with friends and some adult beverages, this tune would have been perfectly fitting, just as the cold of Fall barely made its way into Austin. This New York artist is crafting music that begs for some communal listening; it’s the sort of Americana-inspired folk music that asks you to grab a friend and just enjoy the companionship of great friends. I expect to hear more like-minded tunes when Bay Uno releases his debut LP some time in the next year.
Download: Bay Uno – River [MP3]
Going to a festival is great. Good bands, good vibes (usually), but it’s also about having yourself a grand old time. So, with that spirit, and our previous experience at Fun Fun Fun Fest, we decided to create a little FFF Bingo for you to play with your friends. All you have to do is print this out, then play with us via twitter, and you can win a sweet prize or two. Even if you don’t wanna play, have yourself a fun/safe time out there this weekend folks.
FFFFestBingo (PDF) – Right Click to save as
Jack Name has worked with a lot of your favorite heroes, and in doing so, he’s built a following all his own. His music’s something of an outlier, at least upon the first listen to his new song. There’s a synthesized beat that serves as the backbone, while the darkness of his vocals is so enchanting that I can’t pull myself away from it. He’s also got the approval of John Dwyer, who he’ll be touring with (including this week’s Austin date at Hotel Vegas); Dwyer will also be releasing Jack’s Weird Moons LP on his Castle Face imprint in January of next year.
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