Results tagged “builtbysnow”

What’s the Deal: This Boston-based group lead by multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Brian Carpenter has undergone several lineup shifts and some directional changes since their formation in 2002. They began as an improv instrumental group frequently using a circus music vibe as a jumping off point with instruments like sax, accordion, banjo, musical saw, and others. That was during the Ringleaders Revolt recordings. For the release of their second album, Dreamland, Beat Circus moved toward a narrative music style and centered this concept album around historical events in turn-of-the-century New York and Coney Island. Now, their latest is set to be released in September. Boy From Black Mountain is “a collection of very personal songs about children, fatherhood, dreams, lost love, lust, revenge and redemption,” according to Carpenter. The music, which he says is inspired by his son, true stories from his family in the South, and Southern Gothic literature, mixes the sounds of bluegrass, Appalachian strings and a touch of southern gospel into a pot with a stygian, circus orchestra vibe.

We hear quite of a bit of Doves influencing their sound, pared down just enough to firmly place the Mercers within the camp of sarcastic pop bands currently flashing chord progressions as juicy as their lyrics’ wit is dry. Austin seems to be an incubator for this "Wit Pop" (can we trademark that?) sound, hatching such masters of the style as Spoon and Okkervil River.

"Every year, over 500 acts from around the world perform for 70,000 music fans and industry delegates at 40 clubs and outdoor stages during the four-day, four-night festival." No, it's not a SXSW marketing blurb from the early days, it's a legitimate summation of NXNE, Canada's own little festival that could. Now in its fifteenth year and much like its older counterpart in Austin, NXNE offers live performances by a fair share of underground and established musicians, tons of educational opportunities via panels, and a healthy dose of film, albeit largely music related.

Why is Austinist giving away tickets to Toronto's North by North East festival, you ask? Well, if you're paying close attention, you already know that the festival -- now in its 29th year -- has enough Austin in it to justify our excitement. Not only have they created a sustainable festival that covers music, film and conferences patterned after our own love-child SXSW, they also work hard each year to represent Texas well in their lineup.

All week long, Austinist is giving away tickets and guestlist spots to some of the hottest private, unofficial parties taking place during the annual SXSW Festival. Contests will be posted throughout the day and run for a few hours apiece, so check back frequently for your best chance to win.

Ringo Deathstarr kicks off its pre-SXSW tour this Wednesday at Emo’s (Outside) -- the shoegaze stalwarts travel to Virginia after tonight’s gig and continue on to New York for a couple of dates before heading south to Georgia on March 14th. They band will be back in town after that for a few unofficial SXSW shows, including the ominously named South by South DEATH at Beerland on the 17th.

Built By Snow and Ume, two of Austin’s finest bands, celebrate CD releases this Saturday -- the former at Club de Ville, the latter at The Mohawk. We chatted (and played video games) with Built By Snow this past Monday at Arcade UFO -- watch it via Roxwel’s site. You can read our recent interview with Lauren Larson from Ume here.

Free Week at the Mohawk is featuring both the outside and inside stages will be packed with an army of bands. From psychedelic rock to turntabalism, the Mohawk should have you covered, and less money at the door means more for booze!

Anyone who says they don't have fun in Austin is a liar. That's right, a liar. Or, maybe they just can't recognize it. Fun does tend to change shape and usually has no particular odor which one can use to follow it. It does, however, usually have a sure fire way of tracking it down. Just follow the people wearing smiles, laughing and generally having a good time. Those are the people who usually know where to find it. Or, you can just listen to us when we say, "THIS MUSIC IS FUN!"

The sugary sweet pop harmonies of Calamity Magnet permeate Emo’s Lounge this Monday with support from local outfits Built By Snow, Hollywood Gossip, and Household Names. A former member of The Rentals and native Texan, Sara Radle heads up the L.A. based Calamity Magnet; the band released their first EP in March of this year. It’s worth noting that Radle was still a part of The Rentals up until last month when the allure of full time duties with Calamity Magnet dragged her away. You can stream an a capella version of The Rentals classic “Getting By” on her solo MySpace page -- she calls it her goodbye to the band but warns that it’s only a demo!

Renowned for excellent sound quality and a feeling of coziness that belies its substantial size, The Parish Room has been Sixth Street's favorite little concert hall for quite a while now, and this Friday they'll be hosting yet another quality show: four of Austin's most interesting and diverse pop acts. Headlining is the clap-happy and catchy Built by Snow, a band who often channel an updated version of cultural phenomenon Weezer in their tunes--they will soon be heading into the studio to record their second CD, and this show is sure to provide some pleasant previews of the new material.

“Ever wanted to be a space ship pilot in an 8-bit Nintendo game?” With that subject title, the latest press release from local synth-pop outfit Built By Snow grabbed our attention well before we even ventured into deep space. The “rad dudes” rescue a princess in the brilliant video for “Underneath”, the first song on their debut EP Noise, eventually scoring cheeseburgers for their troubles. The video incorporates plenty of eye catching imagery and retro animation and the result is a hilarious conglomeration of pop culture influences.

In keeping with its aim of promoting exceptional artists to the unsuspecting masses, or “starting fires”, SureFire Media + Promotion presents an exciting line-up of local talent this Thursday at Antone’s. SureFire takes on responsibilities such as booking, publicity, and marketing for Austin acts with The Soldier Thread and The Mercers being just two of the bands on its roster. The Antone’s showcases are meant to bring a new set of local bands to the legendary venue -- according to SureFire’s Director of Media Relations, Stephen Tatton, “Antone's is really an Austin landmark, and I think that if we can do something there that helps everyone involved, then we've done our part.”

When Built By Snow contacted us via MySpace to share their love of The Beatles and Weezer, we were admittedly intrigued by what these local lads are capable of. It’s not everyday we get a message from an act about having the same two favorite bands as us. Noise, Built By Snow’s debut EP, appeared in our mail in due time and we discovered a talented act with catchy tunes that land somewhere between The Rentals and Ozma with a dash of Weezer mixed in.

Image provided by Soundcheck MagazineWhile attending the University of Texas at Austin, one faces a constant barrage of “the weekend starts on Thursday” type advertisements. Although largely for exposure of Thursday night drink specials at bars on 6th Street, the intrinsic appeal of that statement bleeds through on days like these. Kick off your weekend early (and gently) with Swedish singer-songwriter José González at The Parish or dance away at the Electric Six show at...

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Greetings from Froggy McGee, writing to you while recovering in sick bay. I'm happy to report that the Bay Area tour I went on with the brilliant and talented crew of the Broken Clock Cabaret, featuring the rowdy and ravenous No Salvation Army Band, was an absolute success! Unfortunately, the crazy schedule and...

Friday, July 6artB Scene - Too Darn Hot! at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5-$10) booksAlan Porter presents Before They Were Beatles, with Beatles cover band Daytripper at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyJohn O’Connell with Jesse Pangelinian at Cap City Comedy Club comedyPunchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) comedyLovey and Lovey at ColdTowne Theater (8pm) comedyWeekly Improv Cage Match! at ColdTowne Theater (11:30) film"Bonnie & Clyde" and "White Heat" at The...

Monday, July 2film"Clash By Night" and "The Asphalt Jungle" at The Paramount Theatre filmLast day of "Labyrinth" at Dobie Theatre film/awesomeRobosaurus Live with "Transformers" at Alamo South Lamar foodCentral Market Cooking Class: Empanada Workshop at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($65, 6:30-9:30pm)musicCanada, Our Solar System, Ryan Anderson at Emo’s musicBurning Brides, Strange Boys, Black Earth, Blackmarket at Emo’s musicBurning Brides at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm)...

FRIDAY [25] party • The Onion's "Summer Fun Blast Blowout Extravaganza!" Party with Clap!Clap!, Crash Gallery, Devil in the Choir, DJ Rubix, Prince Klassen, and a chance to win a scooter from Scooter Revolution at Beauty Bar ($2, 9:30pm) theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Voxtrot, Au Revoir Simone, The Black, Zykos at Emo's music...

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note I have a favor to ask, if I may be so bold: Will someone PLEASE give me an extra dose of caffeine? Yours truly, hostess of The Laurie Show, has been working double time at KUT 90.5. Today is an extra challenge. I'll be sitting in during the afternoon drive for the...

THURSDAY [24] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Small Stars, Sounds Under Radio at Stubb's music • DJ Qbert, DJ Craze, DJ Klever, Table Manners Crew at The Parish music • Winovino, Bourbon Legends, Jett Mullens, Jaime Thomas at Beerland music • Morrissey Pre-Party with Andy Rourke! at The Mohawk music • Gulf of Mexico,...

MONDAY [21] comedy • 22nd Annual Funniest Person in Austin Final Round at Cap City Comedy Club music • Eoto at Stubb's music • Buck Jones Tribute with Ray Wylie Hubbard, Walt Wilkins, Brandon Rhyder, Josh Grider at Antone's film • Movie Mondays with "Breakin'" at Beauty Bar music • JT Van Zandt and Friends at Scoot Inn film • "Killer of Sheep" at Alamo Downtown film • Music Monday: "Wasted Orient: A Film...

FRIDAY [4] party/bikes • Yellow Bike Project's Second Annual Bike Art Show with music by DJ Orion, DJ Katherine at Gallery 1906 (Free, 7pm-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: memoria/memoir: Carol Flax at Volitant Gallery, 320 Congress Ave., Ste 100 (6-9pm) art • B Scene at the Blanton Museum of Art 1st Anniversary Celebration at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5 members, $10 non-members, 6-11pm) art • Opening Reception: Tunnel Vision: Parading Down the...

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)...

MONDAY [30] food • Central Market Cooking School with Chef Aimee Olson: Spectacular Sponge Cakes at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($45, 6:30-9pm) books • Dirty Found: Live! with Found Magazine Creative Directors Jason Bitner and Arthur Jones at Alamo Downtown (7:00pm) film • "Dirty Found" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Music Mondays: "The Smiths: These Things Take Time" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music • Music Industry Boot Camp, presented by...