Show Preview: Tiny Vipers and Castanets

Image by Mia Ferm from Asthmatic Kitty

Castanets, Tiny Vipers at The Mohawk
Friday, July 24
The Mohawk (912 Red River)
All Ages, 10pm
[info]

The Castanets have been a fixture in weird folk for years, with Ray Raposa lately dipping further into country music. His latest is entitled Texas Rose, the Beasts, and the Thaw, out on Asthmatic Kitty records, and he's playing The Mohawk tonight.

Sometimes it's interesting to tease Texas connections out of visiting bands, but here you have it all right there in the title - plus Raposa is almost an honorary Texan. He has toured with Red and Jana Hunter (no relation) via sailboat(!), and one memorable Castanets SXSW performance in 2006 featured the above two, Nick Hennies on drums, and St. Vincent's Annie Clark on shaker and banjo.

Opener Tiny Vipers (really one Jesy Fortino) also has a strong connection to Austin. As she recently told Decider, Fortino came down to do vocals for the wonderful ensemble Balmorhea, and ended up working with local engineer Andrew Hernandez on her new release, Life On Earth.

Also performing are two other touring bands: the Kentucky-based Warmer Milk and San Fran's Lazarus.

Castanets: [website] [myspace]
Tiny Vipers: [website] [myspace]
Warmer Milk: [website]
Lazarus: [myspace]