This is fine.
There’s not a lot in the way of traveling acts coming through town, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a chance to get out and support tons of local artists, and even celebrate some venues. No need to wax poetic here, just check out some great gigs. Read more
ATH was invited to attend X Games and we agreed based on the strength of he local lineup that graced the big stage during the day leading up to the headliners and then on to the Super Stage mega headliners. The cool part was that my access allowed me to moonlight as a sports photographer. We all have a history of skateboarding or riding a bike or something rad like that, don’t we? I worked in a bike shop to buy my Haro freestyle bike and still have my Lance Mountain special edition in the office. To get to see some guys like Dennis McCoy and Tony Hawk still riding and skating at a high level and catch the innovation coming from so many guys from Austin along with rally car and truck racing and maniacs on dirt bikes, it was an exciting change up to my usual subject matter. I got a little twitchy not shooting f2.8 or bigger and ISO 200? What is that? I don’t leave the house for less than ISO 2500. #concertphotographerjokes
So join me as we take a trip down memory lane and talk X Games…
One thing that’s great to see is that a majority of the people working behind the scenes in venues here in Austin are also a big part of that scene, all rocking out in their own bands. This is the case with Tyson Swindell, who helps run the always kind Red 7, but let’s turn our focus to his band Town Hall Devils. The band have just readied their new Ouroboros Blues EP, and it’s definitely something to sink your teeth into. It reminds me at times of a heavier-handed Lucero, but sounds similar to our other local favorites like A. Sinclair, just playing good old fashioned rock n’ roll. You’ll be able to catch them live for their album release over at The Blackheart tomorrow night; the whiskey and the tunes will keep you warm, I promise. Stream the EP below.
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Just because we rep Austin doesn’t mean we don’t look around Texas for great tunes from our neighboring cities, which is where we ran into Denton’s Birds of Night. The group’s new single has this guitar that cuts through the pounding rhythm section, tied in tightly with a great Southern vocal that wears a Texas drawl proudly. It reminds me a lot of local band A. Sinclair, just offering up a heavy dosage of great no-frills rock n’ roll. Their album, Birds of Night, was recorded by Midlake‘s McKenzie Smith at his Redwood Studio, so you know they’ve already caught the ear of some Texas heavy-hitters. Here’s to them reaching beyond our state line; look for the album on April 21st.
I’ve been fortunate with this site, and such fortunes continue with some friends reaching out to have me curate an hour of music featuring SXSW Official Austin acts that I wanted to rest of the world to know about. It also features my horrendous voice, though only for like 30 seconds total. I kind of went all over the map, trying to be as diverse as possible within the realm of my own tastes. The little show will run three times today on SXSWFM (9 AM, 3 PM, 9 PM), which is a great place to get to know some of the artists, not just the Austin ones. Here’s the artists I chose to include: Flesh Lights, Sour Notes, Jess Williamson, Roger Sellers, Mirror Travel, Shivery Shakes, Grape St, Ramesh, A Sinclair, Love Inks, Hundred Visions, Abram Shook, Ssleeperhold, The Zoltars, Warm Soda and The Eastern Sea. Just doing what I can to give a little love to our friends. Special thanks to Brett and Rory for this rad opportunity.
Well, you’ve only got a few days left before 2015 kicks into gear, so why not join us and our friends to really make your night a bang? We’re helping host a rad night of music and good times at Cheer Up Charlies with our friends at SOTO, OVRLD and No Play Music. There’s going to be tons of great bands: Mom Jeans, Sphynx, Sour Notes, Silk Rodeo, Grape St., Lowin and A Sinclair…so basically, you’ve got all the reasons right there! But…there will also be various other activities like a midnight balloon drop and free puppies. Party time starts at 7 PM, and it’s only $5! You can guarantee entry by grabbing tickets HERE. Hope to see you out, and if not, have a safe night folks…we’ll all hang more in 2015.
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The early part of our month featured a lot of great writing from our friend Brendan Bond in A. Sinclair. In his section titled “Touring w/ a Band” he went on about his experiences as a musician traveling the country. He asked is he could add his final thoughts, and so here he is. Look for Brendan to go on the road with Grape St. and his own solo performances soon. Read more
It’s that time folks! We get to update you on the road travels of our friend Brendan Bond, who filled us in on the latest exploits in his life on tour with A. Sinclair and What Made Milwaukee Famous. They’ve been traveling all over the Midwest and the South, and they’re working their way home to us. Brendan briefly filled us in on his life today. Here’s Mr. Bond from the road. Read more
Oh no. It seems Brendan Bond has his mind on only one thing…well, more than one thing, but I’m stuck on the first paragraph. Click below for a quick look into the mind of our touring friends. Note that while on the road, if you’re just joining us, that Brendan is also playing with What Made Milwaukee Famous, not to mention his regular gig in A. Sinclair; he’s rocking two shows a night. Below we check in with him from the ATL. Read more
A. Sinclair have been hitting the road hard, but they had a day off yesterday, so we encouraged Brendan Bond to enjoy the time off, and then get back to us. He obliged, and he’s back with yet another look into the life of a band on the run. There’s no need for much more introduction, as we hope you’ve been following the band in our last few installments, so without further adieu…here you go folks. Read more
