This is fine.
You haven’t seen enough bands yet? Well, I’ve got another act that’s coming from over sees that I’d like you to keep an eye on, Amber Arcades. She’s making her way over here, her first visit to Texas from the Netherlands. Read on below and meet someone new, won’t you?
SXSW is officially started, and as we get ready to head out and hit up as much as we can, we’ve got one more interview for you. This round comes from Electric Eye, one of the many acts boarding a plane to make the long trek and try to impress us all. Read what Oystein had to say below. Read more
Haelos are going to be one of the hotter tickets at SXSW this year, especially with the release of their album, Full Circle, coming in at the end of the festival (March 18th). They’re definitely in my Top Ten list of acts to catch this year, so we were fortunate enough to catch up with Dom Goldsmith from the group before they make their way to Austin.
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Night Beats should be no mystery to Austin music fans, as you’ll see in their interview below, the band are in town quite a bit. But, for those of you coming here for SXSW, they’re definitely an act to put on your radar. They just released Who Sold My Generation, and now we’ve got a little insight from James as theband makes their way back to Austin. Read more
After a lot of hard work and tweaking of some components, I’m finally pleased to share the news of a show we have going down on Tuesday, March 15th at Nomad Bar in Austin. Personally I think this might be one of the best lineups we’ve ever been able to put together. Find some deets below and we’ll see ya there. Facebook event link.
Location: Nomad Bar Austin (Maps)
Time: ATH Happy Hour with music by us 5pm-7pm.Music @ 7pm.
Lineup: Keeps, Holy Esque, The Crookes, Adult Books, Oberhofer, Girls Names (check set times on that fancy poster)
Free & Open to the public. 21+ only. Sorry kids.
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We all love SXSW right? Right? I’m assuming that anyone reading this site is a fan, but might need a little bit of help on deciding who to see during the festival. Not to worry, we here at ATH will help you out. The Spook School is one of those bands coming to town we feel like everyone should have on their must see list. To give you a better glimpse of the band, a few members answer our tough SXSW interview questions. Click the jump to see what they had to say.
SXSW is nearing, and ATH has been working with our friends at ATX Popfest to bring you what we know is THE place to be on Wednesday, March 16th. Welcome to the Jangle! Those of you who are pop fans need to come over to Spider House on that day, starting at 12 PM. It’s ALL AGES, and will go all day and night…filled with some of the best talent coming into town. Here’s a quick list of who all is playing: Summer Salt, Hockey Dad, Pinact, Mercury Girls, Wildhoney, Brothers In Law, Beverly, Expert Alterations, Rose Selavy, Fear of Men, September Girls, Diet Cig, Spook School, Dead Stars, Hibou, Tennis System, Literature, and Ramesh.
We’ll have more details as we get closer, but wanted you to plan on taking the day off to spend it with us.
Year-end lists are everywhere…and I can see why they’re important to people. But, seeing as we generally walk off the beaten path more often than not, our list of the Top 50 Albums of 2015 is in no particular order, save alphabetically. It seems pointless to rank one piece of art higher than another, especially when the four of us at ATH all have varying tastes. We just put this list together of the albums we loved the most this year. Are we saying they’re better than records by Grimes or Kendrick Lamar? No, we’re just saying that these are the records we loved more than others. So, you can read on for what we thought was hot.
Also…put links to individual stores where you can buy the albums from the bands…as that’s how we all survive in this music world.
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It’s that time of year when we all throw arbitrary numbers at you, trying to convince you that our tastes are the best. But, I’m going to try taking a slightly different approach this year, giving you just a list of great Austin records that came out this year, but with no numbers or anything. These are just the LPs that connected with me in some way or another throughout 2015. There’s no particular order, just a bunch of records you should probably own. Also, I added some helpful BUY links for you to take you right to where you can get the goods. Just take my word for it and go buy those things.
Sweet Talk – Double Perfect
Stephen Svacina takes on our mundane world, turns it into catchy pop punk, and leaves it memorable. Recommended for those who like high energy tunes that you’ll remember for the rest of your times. BUY
Reservations – Taking Time
‘To be honest.’ some records hit all the right notes, and hit home. The full length debut by Jana Horn and Reservations is just that. Well-crafted, sincere. A joy of orchestrated indie folk. BUY
Lochness Mobsters – War Tuna
Immediate disclaimer. I helped put this record out. These boys take on the modern Austin cliche of garage-psych and turn it into a sweaty party that’s been proven to rile up audiences, then flip the world upside down by breaking into Beastie Boys. Too good. BUY
Video – The Entertainers
Snarling rock n’ roll, no holds barred. I mean come on, you can’t discard the fact that Third Man Records had a hand in getting these tracks out. People are taking notice. BUY
The Zoltars – s/t
Jared is another of Austin’s artists that probably doesn’t get nearly the amount of credit that he deserves, crafting some of the best guitar pop. Pop songs like the one’s on this album aren’t written every day, and when they are, they last in your memory forever. BUY
Stiletto Feels – The Big Fist
Geoff Earle makes good on his promise to get everyone grooving, while still supplying enough grit to make it important. One of the most diverse in sound to come out of the city; you’re bouncing to electronic elements before guitars jump in to guarantee that this is more than just a programmed, laptop affair. BUY
Grape St. – Wallpaper
Another batch of hooks. Another batch of songs from Curtis O’Mara. If you know me, you know I’ll never get tired of listening to his work. Some guys just get you. BUY
Spray Paint – Dopers
I have to apologize to Spray Paint, as this is the only record of theirs that’s going to make it onto my list this year. Maybe people are tired of these guys, but how can you look away when they’re just continuing to release solid album after solid album. It should say a lot that even when they’re so prolific, they never seem to leave you with a track that you can throwaway. BUY
Single Lash – s/t
Lurking beneath the belly of Austin’s rock n’ roll scene is a slowly blossoming shoegaze/indiepop scene. There’s this dense coat of atmosphere coating the album, making it perfect for those who seek darkness reinforced by standard pop structures. BUY
BOAN – Mentiras
If I were still into making mixed CDs for people, “Babylon” would be one of the opening moments; it’s perfect in both it’s simplicity and its construction. One of the few electronic Austin acts that really matter. BUY
Xetas – The Redeemer
How do you take the tenacity and fuel of a great live band, then capture it on tape? Well, Xetas did it, and you’ll be remiss for skipping over the record. BUY
Institute – Catharsis
A few years ago everyone was raging about The Men. That was fair, but if you’re looking for solid rock n’ roll, I hate to tell you that Institute does it better. Catharsis is one of those albums that seems timeless from the moment you press play; it sounds familiar, yet the songs brim with attitude and execution that you’re not going to find in many scenes. BUY
Good Field – Future Me
Indie rock is only sustainable when it’s executed perfectly. These guys nailed it on this go round, giving us the “Business.” Smells like Spoon, sounds like awesome. BUY
Abram Shook – Landscape Dream
Guys. Abram Shook. How many times do we have to tell you. ABRAM SHOOK! Another perfect collection of songs. BUY
There was a lot of talk this year comparing Fun Fun Fun Fest to ACL this. Perhaps it is the proximity with the second weekend, perhaps the tenth anniversary. FFFX returned to it’s original home with a few tweaks to the layout to accommodate demands by Parks and Recreation department. I understand the city wants to protect the competing interests investments, but without events like FFF, this land is kind of under-loved. Let’s get through to the thoughts from our team that had boots on the ground and away from the grounds, too.
