ATX Spotlight: US Weekly Debut LP is Almost Here

If you’re paying attention to what’s actually going on in Austin’s music scene, then odds are you have been anticipating the release of US Weekly‘s debut as much as I have. While their wild live performances have already won me over, we now turn to their recorded music and their new single. This tune has the perfect balance that displays the band’s ability play with music fans; the bubbling bass and intermittent calm vocal works in contrast to the rolling drums and guttural shouts that burst through your speakers. Bands aren’t supposed to sound so balanced in their execution on their debut…or are they? The self-titled LP hits on April 21st via Night Moves Label.

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ATX Spotlight: Brand New US Weekly

Listen up. US Weekly has been gradually building a huge following in Austin, and with the announcement of their debut album, they’re ready to break through to a larger audience. I love how you can feel singer Chris Nordahl stalking the stage with his vocal delivery, bringing the band’s live energy through on this recording. You’ll also get to hear the band disrupt your ears with discordant guitars and an underlying tension fueled by Kent’s drum rolls. Their full length album hits the streets on April 22nd via Night Moves, ready to take the rest of the country by storm!

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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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