Mohawk’s 10th Birthday Photo Show

img_1776Hi.

Those of you that know me probably know that The Mohawk is a near and dear environment for me. I love the place, the people and the shows. Too many great moments for me over the years to count, from seeing how shy and awkward Lauren from CHVRCHES was early on in their first tour to Iggy and The Stooges wanting to be my dog. I was spell bound by Phantogram, shimmied with Twin Shadow, thrown beer on by Hunx and met Thurston Moore. Now you can come and see photos of those moments and so many more as me and several other of the awesome Austin music scene’s best photographers put works up for auction to benefit Austin Music People, never too early to check off a few people from the Christmas list. Full list of Photographers: Brian Gray (that’s me), Chad Wadsworth, Cody Cowan, Daniel Cavazos, David Brendan Hall, Ismael Quintanilla, Jessica Alexander, Maggie Boyd, Mary Rehak, Randy Cremean, Pooneh Ghana, Rick Kern, Roger Ho.

Thursday night, starting 7pm, come hang with the photo nerds and buy stuff for charity. It is free to look, so spend some jack on a printed and framed shot of your favorite artist and show.

Show Preview: Mild High Club @ Mohawk (Tonight!)

mhcThere aren’t too many choices for checking out shows after a long weekend, so tonight do yourself a favor and head out to Mohawk for Mild High Club. The eclectic band recently released Skiptracing, which we ran a review of last week, HERE. They specialize in modern psychedelic vibes, pushing the envelope a bit more than most of their peers. And, by attending, you get to catch your dose of great local acts as well, with Tamarron and Rotten Mangos taking the stage as openers. It’s a highly anticipated show, but tickets will still be available at the door. Start this short week off right folks!

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Show Review: Parquet Courts @ Mohawk

Parquet Courts shirts 8 15 2016Covering all the shows in this town is trying sometimes, so we sent our good friend Phil Baier, of Summer Salt, out to cover US Weekly and Parquet Courts at Mohawk last night. Here’s what he had to say.

“It’s muggy as fuck,” said Ryan Fitzgibbon, guitar player of Us Weekly.

“It’s kind of the perfect weather for this,” said fan in the crowd.

Both were right. The steady rain complemented the dystopian drizzle of Us Weekly. They played discordant mid-tempo music with hardcore punk vocals, yelling lyrics like “set me on fire” and “American hate.” The packed crowd loved the dark forces behind the band, and happily nodded as the sun went down.

Right when Parquet Courts started, the rain picked up. Their perky chords quickly initiated wet crowd surfers, leading to the retreat of skittish old people (and Chaco wearing me).

Playing songs mostly off Human Performance, they sounded just as crisp as the record. Their guitar sound was as expected, D. Boon (The Minutemen) style with the treble all the way up, bass all the way down. Andrew Savage and Austin Brown’s signature voices kept the energy going, even in the “muggy as fuck” weather.

Brown and A. Savage’s stage banter was a sarcastic loathe towards Texas, targeting wall building, the death penalty, lack of Uber, sports, etc., but no one took it offensively.

The edgy vibe matched their trademark sound, noisy yet damn catchy. They thanked all their friends for coming, and didn’t play an encore.

Show Preview: Parquet Courts @ Mohawk (Tonight!)

Parquet CourtsThere’s a great show every night this week, so you should start your week off right by hitting up Mohawk tonight for everyone’s favorite rockers, Parquet Courts. They’re still riding high on the release of their latest, Human Performance, their first for Rough Trade. Live, the band have always fulfilled, bringing energy galore to the countless fans that line up hours before to catch the band live. Plus, if you get there early, as you should, you’ll get to see one of the hottest tickets in Austin at the moment, US Weekly; the band are on the verge of being huge, by our standards. Doors are at 7 PM.

An added bonus comes if you stick around late to catch Sssleeperhold, who are one of Austin’s best electronic acts from the scene that brought you the soundtrack to Stranger Things.

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Show Preview: Luna @ Mohawk (5.5)

lunaLast weekend, with the cancelling of Levitation, people were clamoring to see Slowdive (among others). It’s great to see such a nostalgic musical renaissance, though when I think of Luna (tomorrow’s headliner at Mohawk)…I think of their longevity, and their influence. Whether it’s Dean’s role in Galaxie 500, Luna itself, or his work with wife Britta…there hasn’t been a year when I haven’t fallen back into the influence of their music. I guess Lunamight be called one of the earlier pioneers of dream-pop, though I think of them as the pop version of the Velvet Underground (at least when you listen to some of the tracks on Penthouse). Also…we get a special treat as Britta will be taking the stage solo at the beginning of the set to play who knows what, though you can be guaranteed a great bit of it will be from her new solo effort, Luck of Magic, which came out last week. Doors are at 7:00 PM, Tickets are HERE.

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Show Preview: Bent Shapes @ Mohawk (4.26)

13002472_1743728915872333_1976087033947776178_oI looked at the Austin schedule for Tuesday night, and there’s no where you need to be more than at Mohawk to catch Bent Shapes. They’re touring on the back of their recent release Wolves of Want (Slumberland Records), which has gotten praise from all the Internet heavies. They’ve got this blend of pop-rock that’s so infectious you can’t find a way to turn it off. Plus, the show’s relatively early, so you can still make it home in time to catch some zzz’s. Joining the band will be local up-and-comers, Ponyboy and the Horsegirls and perennial indiepoppers, Rose Selavy.

Doors to the show are at 8 PM, and your presence is required.

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Show Preview: Kindatheart @ Mohawk (Tonight!)

12885771_1004034949689769_3802782784501058910_oLocal pop music has me excited, with tons of new bands brewing about town with hits galore. Kindatheart is one such young band, bringing upbeat pop rock of the indiepop ilk, even including some trading male/female vocal harmonies to boot! Of course, I’d be remiss to not mention two of the other acts taking part; Wildfires and Rose Selavy. Rose Selavy are great friends of ours, and the band is currently in the studio working on finishing touches for what we believe is a debut LP. It’s cheap, doors are at 8 PM, and you can go home feeling good about your life. Stream this sampler EP from Kindatheart to get a feel for the night’s vibes.

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Show Preview: Junior Boys + Jessy Lanzy @ Mohawk (TONIGHT!)

juniorboysSo you thought that with SXSW your should could rest from all the music, but not so! There’s a great show over at Mohawk this evening, featuring some of the best purveyors of electronic music..all of whom hail from Canada. First, you have Junior Boys, who just released Big Black Coat; it’s a pretty special listen considering we had to wait five years. They’ll also be bringing with them their friends Jessy Lanza and Borys, all who’ve earned a name for themselves in their own right. it should be one of those nights where you can just let yourself go, and dance your way into the cool Spring evening. Grab tickets HERE all day, and bring your dancing shoes!

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The Villas Record Release @ Mohawk Tonight!

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Date: 1/29/16

Location: Mohawk

Door Time: 9PM

Tickets: @ the door

The Villas are a local band that I’ve been following quite some time as one of my favorite acts in town. Today I’m pleased to offer some support for a big moment for the group as they plan to celebrate the release of their new LPLong Playerat the Mohawk this evening. The guys will be joined by fellow locals Wildcat Apollo and Waco band Loafers opening things up. Here’s a great opportunity to get out there and support one of the hardest working, and most talented, bands in town.

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New Sleepercar EP Is Out

jimmyRecently, I caught Antemasque at FFF Fest. Despite the endless talent musically, the songs just didn’t really appeal to me; they didn’t have any accessibility or focus. But, that’s why Jim Ward has always been the unheralded mastermind that made At the Drive In work. You can hear his songwriting talents in his Sleepercar project, though the sound is admittedly a slight bit more Western. Still, there’s soul to this song, featured on his new Breathe and Count EP.  There’s hints of Beck in Ward’s vocals on this round, but I love how the song opens slowly, then erupts a little bit later on down the line…sort of like a journey with Jim. If you’re in Austin, he plays at the Mohawk Wednesday night to celebrate the new EP.

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