The Parish hosts an intimate evening tonight, headlined by classical ensemble Balmorhea. After releasing a steady stream of music from 2009's All is Wild, All is Silent through the following year's Candor/Clamor 7", Balmorhea have only a live album to their name for 2011, which means that tonight's one-off show should feature plenty of new material from the sextet. Though they've often been tagged a "minimalist" ensemble, Live at Sint-Elisabethkerk aptly demonstrates Balmorhea's penchant for shocking dynamism; the band know how to put into music the spiritual yawp of yearning. In the live setting, Balmorhea play with all the restrained beauty you hear on vinyl, with an added dimension of visceral power. more ›

Balmorhea would make the perfect score to an introspective and desperate western. In their music you can feel the wind blowing the loose, dusty earth against your cheek as the sun beats on your face. more ›

Seems like it's been a few weeks since the last music festival, doesn't it? ACL and Fun Fun Fun Fest are still around autumn's corner, but a smaller, burgeoning festival this weekend at Emo's promises two full days of fun for much less hassle and cash than our city's more mainstream music-and-arts extravaganzas. It's called Wild Frontier Fest, and in this, its second year, it lays claim to Emo's for both Saturday and Sunday with an expanded roster of indie-rock and folk bands from near (White Denim) and far (Peelander-Z, who continue their remarkable run of playing every Austin music festival in 2011). more ›

For those who would rather moves their heads in a way that doesn't induce whiplash, the lineup for this Saturday show at Antone's will surely make for one of the tamer Chaos in Tejas events. Featuring three acts that are more suited for Psych Fest than a heavy metal and hardcore free for all, it should provide plenty of ambient soundscapes to serve a nice counterbalance to all the doom and gloom. more ›

Austin's premiere go-to band for smart, gentle arrangements featuring strings, guitar, the odd vocals, and complex but sweet compositions. In other words, Balmorhea, who formed in 2006 and released their self-titled debut the year following. This year they released their fourth effort, Constellations, about which we said: "Carrying on our tradition of translating the epic-ness of Texas landscape into instrumental music, it’s the kind of album that can wrest the act of describing Texas’ size back from the blowhards." more ›

Three fantastic local bands land at Mohawk tonight - Mother Falcon, Balmorhea, and Lost River/Old River. more ›

In this day and age, a band that can stop you in your tracks and inspire intense, close listening is rarer than rare, but Austin’s Balmorhea repeatedly stuns. And In a city rife with noisy dive bars, noisier bands, and heated arguments about decibel levels, Balmorhea are content to simmer instead of explode. more ›

Part of the appeal of Marfa is the journey that one must take to reach the city limits in the first place. There is a certain meditative state that one enters when they spend 7 hours staring a dotted and solid lines on a black surface. Perhaps it's a cleansing process, removing thoughts of where you came from to focus you on the events ahead. Maybe it's the mysticism that surrounds the lovely Davis Mountains. In any case, our trek Wednesday was endlessly refreshing. more ›

Mono is another stellar band from Japan that never fails to include an Austin stop on its U.S. travels and the 2010 tour is no exception. The explosive post-rock outfit was here last October in support of 2009’s Hymn to the Immortal Wind and turned in a typically fiery set, garnering many new fans along the way, no doubt. Later last year, the band was joined on stage by an orchestra at its 10th Anniversary Show back home in Tokyo. Mono also celebrated the occasion while in New York during that 2009 tour, this time accompanied by Wordless Music Orchestra. The result is a brand new CD and DVD, Holy Ground: NYC Live with The Wordless Music Orchestra, released this past Tuesday on Temporary Residence Limited. Although the 24-piece orchestra won’t be in attendance this Friday, head down to Emo’s regardless and watch the gifted musicians from Mono meticulously conjure up the calm before the storm before delivering an aural assault that engulfs you in the storm itself. Doors open at 9 p.m. -- be sure to get there early for Balmorhea’s beautiful, euphonic compositions; check out our review of Constellations here. more ›

Photos courtesy Trent Lesikar. more ›

While listening to Balmorhea, if you squint your ears, you can hear where John Cage meets Gillian Welch. Though the influences of founders Rob Lowe and Michael Muller can be heard clearly, their music is an exercise in re-contextualization of classical sensibilities. Think of the fleeting delicacy of Debussy swept out onto the Texas plains, and you have an idea what Balmorhea are aiming for. Austin’s known for producing huge music via small ensemble—see Explosions in the Sky and Western Vinyl labelmate Ola Podrida—that invariably gets labeled as cinematic. But Balmorhea temper their dramatic flourish with a base of spare, open chords like slow-burning post-rock flares. Their last album,All Is Wild, All Is Silent, tugged some wilderness into their disciplined, classical style, escorting chamber music outdoors. Their eagerly awaited newest, Constellations, is set to release February 23rd after a debut performance tonight at Central Presbyterian Church. more ›

We already tipped you off to the beautiful upcoming album from locals Balmorhea, but today we've got an mp3 to share! "Bowsprit" is a gorgeous example of what to expect on the band's new album, due Feb. 23 on local imprint Western Vinyl. more ›

Balmorhea are getting ready to release their latest album, Constellations, on Austin's Western Vinyl record label. This week there's more exciting new for the instrumental troupe: a spate of North American tour dates with Denmark's Efterklang. more ›

Locals Rob Lowe and Michael Muller, the songwriting force behind Western Vinyl's Balmorhea, are prepping the February 23, 2010 release of their latest full-length, Constellations. The group have proven on previous releases that they're quite capable of creating vast, sweeping epics, but on Constellations, we'll hear a scaled back intimacy that proves the band's versatility. They play Friday night at the Mohawk with Ola Podrida. more ›

The genre-defying instrumental band Tortoise arrives in Austin on the 15th in support of their seventh proper full-length LP, the aptly-titled Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey). It's their first new disc in five years, though its cast of five has been quite busy in other projects. They formed in 1992, a Chicago/Louisville conglomeration of rhythm players/sections brought from Bastro, Eleventh Dream Day, Precious Wax Drippings and Tar Babies. Their arsenal of instruments was always impressive - vibraphones and analog synthesizers weren't exactly on the radar of most indie bands in 1994. The fact that really, nobody has ever known what to do with Tortoise (the infamous "post-rock" tag still follows them wherever they go) has probably in part contributed to the band's longevity. more ›

In our fine capital city, we often get spoiled with the amount of independent music born here, right under our noses. With so many indie labels and artists, it's easy to sometimes overlook an amazing talent or forget how incredible the talent is that you've already discovered here. Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) is group that once heard live is impossible to forget. Standing yards apart from the typical indie setup, Balmorhea gives us gripping classical instrumentation wrapped in a tender, acoustic package. more ›

We are thrilled about music in Austin this May, and a big part of our excitement is thanks to the fifth installment of Chaos in Tejas, a multi-venue festival featuring the best punk and hardcore has to offer. This year's venues include Emo's, Red 7, Mohawk, Beerland, the Broken Neck and more, and the lineup is better than ever. Don't miss Propagandhi's reunion tour in support of their new release Supporting Caste, get some Amebix and Severed Heads of State action, shake to the Thermals and please (please) don't miss sets by Harvey Milk, Times New Viking and Trash Talk. Check here for the complete lineup and ticket info, but stay tuned: Austinist will be giving away tons of tickets and three day passes in May. more ›

They’re a really potent and moving orchestral acoustic troupe from Austin who are great about filling the city air with overwhelming atmospheric sounds. They released their third full-length, All is Wild, All is Silent, on Western Vinyl Records (home to J. Tillman, Dirty Projectors and many more) in March, and it’s a wonder why the gorgeous sounds of this record haven’t consumed the city. The rise and fall of strings, acoustic guitars, clashing symbols and the occasional haunting echoey vocal make this one of the more powerful Austin music outfits. more ›

Has it really been four years since those first tedious video diaries, clips of theremin-playing kitties and bootlegged SNL sketches began showing up en masse online? YouTube, you have changed our lives, from expanding our minds to insulting our intelligence. more ›

It's no secret that we in Austinist really crush on Balmorhea. Perhaps it's our gloriously out-of-the closet predilection for hooky, pop-sensible instrumental music. Perhaps it's the great art direction and atmosphere they conjure. Hell, perhaps it's the wonderful folks in the saddle. more ›

This Will Destroy You is a hyperbole with a wink, but only slightly. Masters of the thrash-y guitar climax borne of humble, pensive expositions, there's a lot to blow your hair back, and if you just had a messy break-up or a secondary relative die, you're probably going to be more susceptible to actual - albeit, temporary - destruction by the moving instrumental anthems they craft. more ›

Sub Pop darlings Fleet Foxes performed to an attentive, sold-out crowd at Mohawk last night, supported by Seattle's The Dutchess and the Duke and locals Balmorhea. Austinist contributing photographer Ali Bagheri provided the photos. more ›

By now it should be apparent that we at the Austinist think that Fleet Foxes are absolutely, 100% badass. After all, in the last three months we've touted the excellence of not only their eponymous debut LP, but also have we waxed eloquent on their Sun Giant EP—reading those reviews makes it pretty clear that this is a band whose return to Austin falls into the highly-anticipated category. Simply said, preceding this quintet is a reputation as a throwback to kinder, less electronic musical times, and they have garnered critical acclaim far and wide not only for their studio work, but also for their consistently-satisfying live show. The modest northwesterners use cascades of vocal harmonizing, led by talented frontman Robin Pecknold, and well-arranged instrumentation to make them a group more than worthy of Mohawk's hump day headline. more ›

Minneapolis' intriguing and mostly-instrumental outfit, Dosh, headlines a deep and fascinating set Thursday night at Emo's. Dosh, aptly named after lead soundmaker Martin Dosh (sometimes drummer and co-songwriter for Andrew Bird), blends the electronic with folk and jazz and postrock and whatever else you can think of to form an energetic brand of ambiance—his new album, Wolves and Wishes, has received enthusiastic reviews, and the Martin Medeski & Wood comparisons lie not too far beneath the surface. Surely, this will be a show where the focus is multi-formed and looping is plentiful, as the absence of regular vocals will keep the eyes moving from instrument to instrument, allowing the musicianship and electronic handiwork of those on stage (often just Dosh himself) to shine through. more ›

If you're not familiar with the industrious Balmorhea-ns, you're doing yourself a grave disservice, and, frankly, need to get in touch with the scene. The music is vast, yet meticulously restrained: melancholy, determined pianos slowly upended by cellos, soft-spoken conversations between two acoustic guitars, and distant, inscrutable audio samples that elaborate on what each piece seems to urgently chronicle. more ›

The Church of the Friendly Ghost’s forte is bringing its audience a range of new sounds, and this Friday night is no exception as four Texas experimental musicians will take the stage at the Salvage Vanguard Theater paired with artist LORI 16MM, who will be projecting a film and visual installation. more ›

With all due respect, It's easy to get lost in the scuffed gloss of Austin's rather self-aware indie-rock scene. Take it from us, and we honestly love the damned thing, in all of its shabby hipster glory. We just sometimes need a change of pace to keep a healthy perspective on all the different pockets of music in this crazy burg. This evening, we encourage you, if you're so inclined, to join us for an evening of solid, unconventional artistry in a scene that is thriving and gaining Austin national recognition for something other than our hallowed go-to bands. more ›