Japanese rock trio Boris are the elder statesmen (and stateswoman) of the underground metal scene. They've been melting faces off since 1996's Absolutego. The band are known for their style-shifting from album to album: in a career spanning fourteen solo releases and numerous other collaborative efforts, Boris' music has been called everything from hardcore punk to sludge metal, ambient drone to psychedelic noise rock. more ›

Boris played at the Mohawk over the weekend, and Austinist contributing photographer Nash Cook was there for all the action. So good, we bought a t-shirt. more ›

Japanese outfit Boris derives its name from the opening track on the 1991 Melvins record Bullhead and much of its down-tempo drone-rock shares a musical border with the legendary Washington area act. Boris has released a number of stellar records since forming in the 90’s; their full-length studio album count per our math currently stands at 14. Their debut, Absolutego, originally consisted of one 60 minute title-track, but the U. S. release by Southern Lord Records a few years later featured an even longer version of Absolutego and included a bonus song. Highly experimental, extremely sludgy, sometimes psychedelic, and full of scorching riffs, the band has walked the fine line between different genres over the course of its career and employed an array of noise generating devices over time, resulting in a sometimes deranged, often convoluted sound that could be the soundtrack to many a scary movie or just your everyday angst. We are licking are chops already in anticipation of a belligerent performance this Saturday at The Mohawk. Torche and Clouds open with their respective brands of raucous rock. (Buy your tickets here.) more ›

In Austin, you can expect to find good music anywhere on a Friday night. Over at the Mohawk last Friday, the Japanese metal band Boris delivered more than just good music: most notably fog machines and a gong. Photos and copy contributed by Nash Cook.... more ›

If it doesn't thrash, it drones: this appears to be the motto behind which Japanese noise-mongers Boris engage in all their creative affairs. Last year's underground hit Pink serves as a good introduction to the Boris aesthetic, switching gears from heavy-dreamy shoegaze to balls-out punk rock to apocalyptic doom-noise while maintaining an overall tone of singular Boris-ness. But let's not forget this is a band that thrives on curveballs: whereas their debut, 2001's free-noise blowout... more ›

There are quite a few mentionables this week, including Dappled Cities' Granddance, produced by Jim Fairchild (of Grandaddy) and Peter Walker, and mixed by Jaquire King (Modest Mouse). Dappled Cities are an Australian indie rock band that we've grown rather fond of as of late, mostly because of "Fire, Fire Fire". Also of note this week is the latest from Ladybug Transistor and the latest Eccentric Soul compilation, The Prix Label. As usual, do... more ›

THURSDAY [3] film • Austin Film Festival screens "The Ballad of A.J Weberman" at Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (7:30pm Free/$4 Members/General) art • West End Gallery Night at Participating Galleries (Until 8pm) art • Blanton Museum of Art Public Tour: An Introduction to Prints at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress (7-8pm) books • Book Release Party: Collecting the Imagination: The First Fifty Years of the Ransom Center at The Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm)... more ›

For some of you, SXSW is an obsession. For others...not so much. While we're rather immersed in the whole SXSW experience at Austinist, we know that many of you just want to take in a free or cheap event or two during the festival to experience the thing. No problem. Here's a list of events featuring local merchants, community organizations, and radio stations that will allow you to casually dip a toe in the... more ›