Tag: austin

Ram Vela & the Easy Targets Drop New Tunes

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As long as we’ve run this site, there’s been a Ram Vela in our lives. He’s been buds with RayRay forever, and his old band Whitman played countless ATH shows. But, he’s been quiet for a bit, focusing on other things. But, as of late he’s been working with his new band Ram Vela & the Easy Targets; he’s been in the studio with Taylor Muse from Austin’s Quiet Company. As of today, he’s got two pop rock nuggets ready to go for you; they’re heavy on riffs and hooks, two things you can always count on Ram to give you in his songwriting. I love the breakdown in “Garage Apt,” while “If I Fail” is more anthemic, built for crowd sing-a-longs. Ram and the band will be playing at Mohawk next Friday with Quiet Company.

Heavy Americana From Will Johnson

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Nathan and I were just discussing some of the original bands we first posted about and have steadily shared over our 10+ year run. After a bit of poking around in older, and terribly formatted posts, our very own Austinite Will Johnson was featured quite a bit in the early days and frequently over the years. Bottom line, we love his music and everything he’s been involved in over the years. Currently Will is going under his own name again with a new album called Wire Mountain coming on September 27th via Keeled Scales. Prior to that new release date, we’ve got this new single “Necessitarianism (Fred Merkle’s Blues)” ready for your ever awaiting ears. It’s a familiar Johnson sound with his ever raspy, haunting vocals, but this time with more of dark, edgy sound to his ever evolving Americana style.

Michael Bain Shares Dad Rock Video + Austin Show

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Earlier this Summer, Sun June member Michael Bain released Tidal Ways; it had some slight sonic nods to SJ, but clearly he’s found a sound entirely his own. You’ll find that guitar lines are sharp and crisp, while his vocals have a little studio growl to them; the percussion seems almost entirely played on the rim of the drum. It almost seem to have this nice haze upon it, which at times, seems matched by the imagery of the accompanying video. If you fancy the sound, you can find the whole album available HERE. But, if you’re super lucky and live in Austin, you can catch Michael playing at the Mohawk tomorrow night; he’ll be joined by our dear friend David Israel, as well as Thank Light; more info HERE.

The Zoltars Share Turn Around

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Having followed the Zoltars for some time, I cannot begin to share how excited we are to have the privilege of releasing their next LP this October. In honor of that release, we thought we’d try out another gem for your ears…so lets get to it. For me, there’s two reasons I love this track…especially going into this week (the first week of school). One, there’s this great contrast between dark and light; the riffs are heavy from the get-go, churned and driving, but the chorus changes that into this shimmering light creeping in from the horizon. But, like all great songs, they need great lyrics or themes…as a teacher dealing with kids (though this applies to all humans), thematically its about seeing your own gifts. If you’re interested in buying Telling Stories, you can pre-order the whole LP right HERE.

Genuine Leather Share Three Chord Song

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Austin act Genuine Leather always seem to have something up their sleeve, and this week’s no difference as they’ve just shared a brand new track from their forthcoming EP. At the moment, the band seems super-intent upon just rocking anthemic pop songs. I can hear little hints of Elvis Costello curl in the vocals delivered, while also hearing a nod to power-pop heroes across the board. It’s infectious and hits hard, especially if you’re willing to let your speakers hit full blast. You’ve got appreciate the band’s push to craft a pop song within the confines of 3 chords…and pull it off no less. Their EP is slated for release later this year, but you can catch the band at Mohawk tomorrow night (9/21) with Blood, Nick Adamo, Reen & the Renegades.

More From Matthew Squires

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Hey now I think we’ve made it abundantly clear we are big fans of our local ATX friend Matthew Squires and the music he creates. He’s always had a knack for being a just a tad left of center in the Austin indie scene while also churning out some absolutely beautiful songs over the years. As he prepares for the release of his new album Visions of America, Squires recently dropped the lead track for streaming enjoyment. This guy seriously continues to evolve into one of the most important songwriters in our city.

Visions of America will drop on August 30th.

Sorry I Missed This: Sasha and the Valentines

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Even in our own backyard, things slide by, which probably isn’t aided by me choosing to stay home more often and kick it with my rad kid…so please, I apologize for not pointing you earlier to how great Sasha and the Valentines are. I just caught them playing at our friend Maud’s birthday party, and while I knew the rest of the acts would be great, I was caught off by how entrancing this act was. Their EP, dropped at the end of May has these slightly dreamy pop tones, perfectly coated in musical atmospherics right where they need to be. One of the things I loved live, which lives in the recorded version, is the way singer Sarah holds onto monosyllabic notes; it definitely provides a hypnotic effect you might enjoy. These four songs are great, I’m sorry I missed them. But here they are now.

Listen to Longriver’s Wasting Time

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David Longoria has been a longtime fixture in the Austin music scene, so it makes sense that his new project Longriver features folks such as Thor Harris, Sarah La Puerta and Lindsey Verill. This song’s a nice stripped down ballad, but what struck me was the fragility in Longoria’s voice; it’s almost as if it’s accented by the strum of each string, plucked to match his changes in pitch. I like the quieter close of the song too, as if David’s resigned himself to the concept of just ‘wasting time’ writing this song. Trust me, though; he’s not wasting our time; you can grab his debut album, Of Seasons, on September 6th from Hullabaloo Records.

Indigo Bunting Return with Two New Tracks

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Indigo Bunting are the kind of act you’re meant to fall in love with and know very little about. They’re an Austin outfit with some connections to Tiger Waves, but that’s where the story ends…as far as we know. Still, they pop up out of nowhere, toss an album at us, disappear then pop up with a few new gems, like today. While everything’s showed brilliant promise, these two numbers feel like they’ve finally got things clicking on all gears. “White Noise” this bursting pop hit, calling upon forefathers like Unicorns and Animal Collective to craft collage pop pieces on the right side of weird; the chorus for this one is super rewarding. “I Don’t Mind” illustrates the band’s songwriting gifts, offering warmer tones while still orbiting the same pop planet as the A-side here. Never enough words to write about such a talented bunch.

Abram Shook Shares Your Time

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Since the inception of this site back in the 00s, Abram Shook has been a constant feature on these Internet pages…either as a solo artists or one of his various projects like Feverbones or Great Nostalgic. Next week, he’ll be releasing his new LP, the Neon Machine, and while it definitely has his imprint, I think a lot of folks will be surprised by the sounds. For me, the synth pulse, albeit in a smooth fashion, was an unexpected twist; it’s interesting how some of those notes match the rhythm of Abram’s vocal delivery. Speaking of his vocals, there’s this velvety soulfulness that it far more pronounced than anything he’s done; I think the “with your time” line is the only time when I was like “yeah, this sounds like Abram, 100%.” It’s a really impressive shift into new territory, and I can see this getting some Neon Indian comparisons for those with careful ears. The new LP is out August 16th via Western Vinyl. He’ll be out on the road through October with White Denim, mostly through East Coast/Midwest; check some of those dates HERE.

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