We'd be remiss not to check in with Matt Solanza, journalist/blogger, radio host and promoter and supporter of Austin's burgeoning hip hop scene. A recent transplant from Houston, Solanza came to Austin to work at SXSW and continues to blog prolifically at Austin Surreal. more ›

We were happy to talk to Erik Wofford, primary producer at Cacophony Recorders, the master behind such albums as the Black Angels' latest, some White Denim, Bill Callahan, the Calm Blue Sea and (many) others. Not surprisingly, he stayed very busy in 2008, and opted to share with us the albums he worked on this year that were most exciting / gratifying for him. We very much look forward to hearing what comes out of Cacophony in 2009, but until then, here's what he's most proud of from '08 more ›

Gerard Cosloy is one of our favorite Austin transplants, a busy man that finds time to act as Co-President at Matador Records, keep up with a (mostly) sports blog at Can't Stop the Bleeding, and perform with his most recent musical collaboration, the Air Traffic Controllers. Naturally, we were curious as to what he was into in 2008. more ›

It's no secret that here at Austinist we're just waiting for Randy Reynolds' Leatherbag to emerge as a serious force in the national indie scene. In the meantime, he continues to quietly write some of the finest rock'n'roll music around, on this year's Love & Harm as well as an upcoming EP, Tomorrow. What was he a fan of in 2008? more ›

Local indie-classical auteur Graham Reynolds is probably Austin's busiest composer, bandleader, pianist and drummer. When he's not performing with the Golden Arm Trio, he's working with local composer Peter Stopschinski at their non-profit, Golden Hornet Project, bringing the works of composers to performance. We are thrilled he had some time to let us know what he's been into in 2008. more ›

Andy Uhler spends his time buried under promo CDs and production booths at Austin's NPR affilliate, KUT 90.5 fm. He's a senior producer for Texas Music Matters, contributing to their weekly show on Fridays at noon. When he's not doing that, he's selecting treats for Song of the Day. He's definitely listened to just about everything in '08, and here are his favorites. more ›

Today we're checking in with Jared Van Fleet, of Voxtrot and Sparrow House. Van Fleet's collaborative project with Ramesh Srivastava and others took a bit of a break in 2008, after spending almost all of 2007 recording and touring. He kept busy working on Sparrow House songs due for release in 2009 on Autobus, and lent his production skills to Bill Baird, the Black and Sara Beck (Pink Nasty), as well as the Parisian artist Mina Trindle. more ›

There's no one in the Austin music community more dedicated to the emergence and support of hip hop here than Bavu Blakes. He's a tireless and talented performer, and a very vocal positive voice in the hip hop world in Austin and beyond. We couldn't complete a collection of local opinions without finding out what he listened to most in '08. Don't miss him perform tonight when "What's Wrong With the Scene" series. more ›

Chris Rose is better known around town as the prolific and tireless DJ Car Stereo (Wars), spinning hip hop and pop favorites regularly around town for eager audiences. What does someone with their finger on the pulse of our inner dancers listen to when he's alone? more ›

Today we check in with Laurie Gallardo, who besides being the badass host of many a show on KUT 90.5 FM, also puts in shifts as an Assistant Producer at the station. Gallardo is a staple at all the top concerts in town and she emcee’s a plethora of must-attend events throughout the year. On occasion, she finds time to deliver powerpop melodies with her cohorts in The Platforms. Gallardo has contributed quite a bit to the Austinist over the years. Most recently, she was on hand to conduct an interview with Graham Reynolds at Fun Fest 2008. more ›

Let's take a moment and touch base with Josh Robins, musician and ringleader of the the Invincible Czars and Program Coordinator at the Austin Music Foundation. When he's not performing avant versions of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, he's bringing hands-on, real world experience to one of our most valuable local resources for emerging musicians. He's currently going through a rare major key songwriting phase, and attempting to finish reading the entire run of Dave Sim's Cerebus. more ›

Next we have Bill Baird, the extremely prolific frontman of Sunset who talked with us about his favorite listening experiences of the year. In between releasing two albums, a cassette, and working on a disc of covers, somehow Baird did have the chance to indulge in music that wasn't his, which ranged from an output by a former member of his old Tonewheel Collective to Axl Rose's much-anticipated ProTools exercise Chinese Democracy. more ›

Today we're talking to Mike Booher. Booher is probably best known for his long run with Zykos, but 2008 found him performing with the Turkeyz and hitting the road with Okkervil River for a tour. We'll undoubtedly be hearing more from him this year, and we look forward to it! Check it out: "On Tour With Zykos" (Okkervil River cover) (YouTube). Here's what Booher recommends: more ›

Today, we're picking Aaron Mace's brain. Mace has taken up the Church of the Friendly Ghost torch at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, continuing the tradition of providing space and support for some of Austin's most avant and experimental groups. Earlier this year, Pastiche columnist Adam Schragin interviewed Mace, and you can keep up with the COTFG through their email list. We recommend it: no active listener should ever stop taking the time to hear things that are new and challenging. We're so proud of Mace and his tireless contributions to the local scene, we just had to hear what he was listening to this year. He noted earlier this week, "One major common thread is that 4 of 5 here are what i consider "in miniature." That is to say collections of short songs that are perfectly short due to artistic refinement and ex-positive nature, and also short compared to other recordings typical of the genre." Sounds good to us, Aaron. more ›

We can't imagine getting through the holiday season without bothering Bryan Keplesky about what he enjoyed listening to this year. As one half of the giant brain behind Misprint Magazine, Bryan has earned himself a notorious reputation as a sort of merciless rogue, drowning in a sea of irony, but as his art and design at Round Object proves, his insides are made of little more than CMYK conversion methods and copies of the Helvetica movie. Somehow amidst all this creative output, he manages to work as primary administrator at Shit My Jorts. Ask him all about it tonight at the Misprint holiday party tonight at Club DeVille. Here's what he liked in 2008: more ›

This winter, Austinist wanted to take some time to check in with some of our favorite local performers, artists and musicians to see what they enjoyed in 2008. Our request was simple: give us a few things that you enjoyed listening to this year, and feel free to include releases that might not have been released in 2008, but that found their way onto your turntable anyhow. We'll be sharing our own list too, but be patient and hear what some of our favorite folks thought was worthwhile in '08. more ›

Today we're checking in with guitarist and vocalist Lauren Larson from Ume. Her guitar chops and classic rocker voice have been impressing Austinites for years, and we very much look forward to the band's upcoming album, an as-yet-untitled EP recorded at The Bubble Studio by "Frenchie" Smith. Check it out: "The Conductor" (mp3). Here's what had her spinning this year: more ›

Today we're tapping local fashionistas (and pretty kick-ass DJs) Jenifer Rea and Erin Mikulenka, the duo better known as Team Fabrication. The girls just wrapped their 2008 with a bow, honoring local fashion standouts at Fabrication 6 (Austinist was honored as most fashionable blog, but we're not sure they've ever seen us on a Sunday), and we're sure we'll be hearing (and seeing) more from them in 2009. Check it out: Fabrication 5 (Vimeo). Here's what the girls recommended to us for '08: more ›