Leading up to Pachanga (May 21st and 22nd at Fiesta Gardens), we’ll be spending five minutes with many of the artists scheduled to perform at the festival. Today, we catch up with Austin’s Brownout. more ›

Austin’s own Brownout!, the not-so-secret Latin funk alter-ego of the grammy-recognized, Prince-backing Grupo Fantasma, are celebrating the release of their sophomore album Aguilas and Cobras tomorrow night at the Mohawk. While their first record, the mostly instrumental Homenaje (literal translation, Homage) paid tribute to the band’s funk and soul forebears, Aguilas and Cobras sees the group experimenting with vocals, adding psychedelic elements, and even coloring a song or two with the occasional tinge of disco, without sacrificing the vintage beats and hard-edged soul that is the core of the group’s sound. more ›

The members of local collective Grupo Fantasma are a hard working bunch. When not churning out Grammy nominated records or taking a break from supporting Prince, the team of versatile musicians dazzles as Latin-funk outfit Brownout! (Le Diamant Brut). The band is currently working on a follow-up to Homenaje, Austin Chronicle's #1 Texas Album of 2007. Although Brownout!'s second album is not expected till this summer, they do plan on releasing new material in the spring via a couple of vinyl releases. Check out our interview with Johnny Lopez and Adrian Quesada from Fun Fest 2008 above and head down to Lambert's tonight for a taste of Brownout!'s sizzling concoctions. Get there early and enjoy some mighty tasty BBQ to boot. more ›

Christie Constante was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IIB in January of 2008. After going through the rigors of chemotherapy, radiation, and internal radiation therapy, the cancer has not subsided, and now her diagnosis is seen as terminal. As if insult needed to be applied to injury, Christie is struggling with Medicaid to cover all bills, So her friends with Latinas Unidas Por El Arte (LUPE Arte), and Klown Dog Bikes are throwing a benefit featuring Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, Brownout, Ruby Rico, Woodgrain, DJ Chorizo Funk, and RAD, in Christie’s name to help ease the financial burden. more ›

Although the quantity of quality road shows in town does slow down during the holiday season, we are fortunate to reside in a city that constantly craves, and in turn, supplies a generous amount of live music covering all genres to its citizens every weekend. This Saturday, head over to Scoot Inn and enjoy Latin flavored funk courtesy of Brownout! Surely you’d like to congratulate the members of the collective, who also do double duty as Grupo Fantasma, in person at the show. The crew was recently nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album” category for GF’s Sonidos Gold record. more ›

This is a star-studded tour if you’re into gritty, gravely punk. It’s Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Tim Barry of Avail and Ben Nichols of Lucero all playing solo sets, but it usually ends up with the guys all playing on the stage backing one another. more ›

Brownout! kick off their tour this week but not before supplying the Beauty Bar with diverse concoctions comprised of Latin funk, Afro-beats, soul and R&B. Following their Tuesday night gig in Austin, the eight-piece plays one more show in the Lone Star State, at Zeppelin’s Pub in El Paso before leaving for California. more ›