Results tagged “concerts”

With Elvis Costello, it's all about timing. The restless nature of the man's creativity seems to dictate that he never stay in one place for too long, be that physically or creatively. As such, fans hoping for a pass through Costello's greatest pop hits were likely disappointed at the setlists that emerged last week both at Austin City Limits and at Bass Concert Hall. We suspect, though, that those fans were in the minority. As fans of Costello's great mid-80's record King Of America, we welcomed the chance to see Elvis return to a genre he seems awfully good at given that he's not exactly a folk or country lifer.

If there's a musical genre that Elvis Costello has missed over the past 30 years, hold on a year or two and he'll probably record an album to cover the omission. The eclectic nature of Costello's prolific catalog began all the way back in 1981 with Almost Blue, a collection of country covers that featured Hank Williams and Gram Parsons tunes. Since then, he's often veered away from his main job as a rock singer-songwriter to tackle chamber pop (1982's Imperial Bedroom), roots rock (1986's amazing King Of America), classical (1993's The Juliet Letters), easy listening (1998's Burt Bacharach collaboration Painted From Memory), torch songs (2003's North), and even opera (2004's Il Sogno). In recent years, he's done collaboration albums with both New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint and indie-pop darlings Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice. Confused yet?

North Carolina's Bowerbirds couldn't be more understated in their approach. When we last saw them at South By Southwest, they hardly looked big enough to be a band, and they didn't have much equipment. Yet when they started playing, the crowd fell silent, and some beautiful and unexpectedly huge sounds emerged. The combination of he/she vocal harmonies, basic acoustic guitar, and simple percussion somehow emerges as something greater than the individual parts.

With nearly 150 million records sold between them, we'd wager that you already know plenty about Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Bob Dylan. For some, this might be a dream bill of classic American entertainers, while others might view it as a cash run by a bunch of aging legends past their prime. With Mellencamp and Dylan in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Nelson in the Country Music Hall, what one can't argue is that this is a rare opportunity to view three hugely popular (and populist) musicians in a relaxed setting. So if this is your thing, put on your sunscreen, leave work early, and start packing the car for Round Rock. To help inform and prepare you for tonight's show, here's some information you may not be aware of:

If you thought you'd never see this day, you're not alone. Tonight, the Austin Music Hall will get jaw-droppingly loud thanks to the pioneering shoegaze sounds of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine. After over 15 years of inactivity, the group emerged to play a few dates in 2008, and are currently working (off and on) on completing the third full-length album they started back in the '90s. The band are fresh from a noisy, brilliant performance at Coachella, which Billboard described as "the most radical, difficult and unforgettable hour of music in [Coachella's] decade-long history."

There's always an incredibly annoying interesting thing that happens when a band loved by many in the "underground" all of a sudden finds its music blaring from such awful places as the radio or the nightclub or the in-house music station of your local Target Superstore. And that "interesting" thing that happens is that apparently all the talent that made the band unknown darlings in the first place disappears, thus leading a flock of one-time adorers to shout and cry things like "I used to love them, but now they SUCK."

One of our fav-o-rite bands here at the Austinist is Denver's ultra-eclectic DeVotchKa, a band that skillfully skirts what just about anyone would expect from an indie scene that most often pulls only haphazardly from old world influences. And yes, we mean accordion. We also mean a four-piece band in which every member plays multiple instruments, and not just in that screw-around manner, but actually knowing how to play them. In advance of DeVotchKa's sure-to-be crowd-pleasing performance this Sunday night at La Zona Rosa, we hopped on the ol' internets for a chat with Tom Hagerman, the band's fantastically essential violin and accordion dynamo.

On The Killers' debut album Hot Fuss, the group became hugely popular by striving to be the next Duran Duran. Their second album, Sam's Town, found them grasping for a fusion of Bruce Springsteen and Queen, but coming up mostly empty save for two great singles ("When You Were Young" and "Read My Mind," both of which need no defense). Over Thanksgiving weekend, the band released Day and Age, which finally dropped them off at a musically appropriate spot: mid-'80s, pop star Bowie. The album literally begins by sounding like "Young Americans," and it makes a lot of sense: The Killers are more serious than the average pop group, but are too pretty and radio-friendly for indie rock. And despite some questionable grammar, there's no doubt that recent single "Human" will sound as great in a basketball stadium as it does in your car. To that end, the band arrives on a high after being announced as a Coachella 2009 headliner late last week - to put that in perspective, the other two are The Cure and Paul McCartney.

The Welsh band Los Campesinos! are young. Not Hanson young or anything, but they were playing between classes in 2006 at Cardiff University, so precocious, to be sure. This pasty and feisty collective of seven men and women wowed crowds at the Filter party and the Arts + Crafts showcase at last year's South By Southwest, and now return just under a year later to promote their recently released LP We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.

John and Paul. Mick and Keith. Roger and Pete. None of those famous duos are actually coming to Austin this spring, but you want to know who are turning up? Bret and Jemaine, aka Hip-Hopopotamus and Rhymenoceros, aka winner of the fake 2008 Grammys for best New Zealand act and best manager and the actual 2008 Grammy for Best Comedy Album. They're also in some show on HBO. Flight Of The Conchords will play the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas on May 7th for all the ladies of the world (and anyone else who'd like to purchase a ticket.)

Fresh from his stealth, low-profile appearances at President Obama's "We Are One" concert and this weekend's Super Bowl 43, New Jersey's favorite son Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band return to Austin for a show at the Erwin Center on Sunday, April 5th.

We’ve been crushing on Los Campesinos! since they appeared in 2006, but 2008 was definitely their year to shine. They managed to squeeze out two amazing albums, Hold on Now, Youngster…; and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. We’re already dusting off our dancing boots in preparation for Los Campesinos! coming to town January 30. And we’re oh so proud to be presenting this performance along with 101X. It’s all going down at the Parish, where New Jersey natives Titus Andronicus will join in as support.

You know that a leader can inspire the world when he can demolish Morrissey's misery by turning up. So on a day filled with hope and enthusiasm, we bring you some (suddenly less) mopey news: legendary solo artist and former Smiths frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey is returning to Austin on April 12. The show takes place at the new and improved Bass Concert Hall on The University of Texas campus less than two years after Mozzer's last Austin gig at (former large venue) The Backyard in 2007.

For those not familiar with Squeeze, the most obvious reference points are Crowded House and XTC. The duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have been creating a clever, pop-based, amazingly catchy brand of music for over 30 years. Their work has led to countless hits, a loyal audience, and loads of bands like Razorlight and Lily Allen citing them as a touchstone and trying to emulate the band's effortless sound. The band's hit-filled catalog propelled them all the way to gigs at Wembley Arena and Madison Square Garden in their heyday, so it's a rare treat to have a 'greatest hits' show in La Zona Rosa's more modest confines.

This Sunday, after you’ve gorged yourself on hot dogs, apple pie, fireworks and all things star-spangled, the international psychedelic soul sensation King Khan and the Shrines will be at the Mohawk, waiting to transport you from the Land of the Free to the Land of the Freak.

As the voice of Til' Tuesday, Aimee Mann seemed destined to become a one-hit wonder. But with 1995's brilliant I'm With Stupid, Mann defined her musical identity and found wide critical acclaim (though, at the time, not a sizable audience.) Mann mined the emotional territory of breakups, dysfunction, regrets, and longing, and most who heard the music could relate to Mann's regretful glances into the past. In an interesting twist, right as Mann found her niche, her personal life changed dramatically when she married fellow singer-songwriter Michael Penn.

The week after SXSW is tough. Everyone is behind on their work and buried in email and errands, all of the out-of-town visitors have headed back to cold climes, and nobody has it in them to head out for a show just yet. To combat the post-SX gloom, we've compiled a list of major concerts coming to Austin in the next 90 days. This is by no means comprehensive (check Showlist Austin for that), but merely a warning about great upcoming events that will likely sell out - indeed, two already have. So peruse the list, hit the appropriate ticket outlet (or Craigslist for Feist or The Cure), and get ready to continue to rock.

After Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, and Jay-Z all elected to skip Austin on their spring US tours, it's not unreasonable to feel that our music-loving town seems to be off the radar of the arena pop and rock circuit. This despite a perfectly functional (if rather dated) basketball arena smack in the center in town. Thankfully, the Louis Vuitton Don Kanye West agrees with you, and has elected to show Austin some big-production love with a date here at The Frank Erwin Center in late April.

The first segment of Radiohead's North American tour has been announced, and Austin gets the shaft: Houston's Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion will get a show on May 17, and Dallas' Superpages.com Center (!) will host the Brits on May 18. Tickets go on sale Thursday (Valentine's day) via W.A.S.T.E. with general on-sales following on February 16.

Austin native Rebecca Rosenberg has been living in South Korea teaching English, and she wants to share her experiences abroad with all of Austin. Austinist believes that we could all use some Korean culture. After nine months away from Austin, working as an English teacher in South Korea, I most miss lying on the grass with a margarita, relaxing at the meat market that is Barton Springs, with a Shady Thing pilfered from the...

- Wild Horses Couldn't Sell Those Cheap Seats: Charles Attal must be having some trouble filling those far corners of Zilker Park, because KGSR sent out an email this week offering four Rolling Stones tickets and four concert T-Shirts for $199. If you're keeping score, this is roughly half of the original $95 ticket cost. If you'd like to take advantage of the offer, head over here. - New Concerts Going On Sale his...

MONDAY [10] [music] Rancid, Street Dogs, Complete Control at Emo's (link) [music/party] End of an Ear and XL Recordings presents a special midnight sale and listening party for Thom Yorke’s The Eraser, with loads of giveaways! Plus, hear new albums from Peaches, Sufjan Stevens and others at Emo's Lounge (Free, 10pm-1am) (link) [music] Girls' Tribute to Clifford Antone with Marcia Ball, Angela Strehil, Lou Ann Barton, Toni Price, Carolyn Wonderland, and Eve Monsee at Antone's...

-The Washington Post's Terry M. Neal speculates on Miers' failed bid for the Supreme Court -The latest move in Google's quest to take over the internet: crushing eBay? -Janet Jackson has a secret kid! (Maybe) -2,000 international firms have been accused by the United Nations of paying off Saddam Hussein's regime -MSNBC explains the whole hubbub over the CIA leak story -Charles and Camilla, desperately trying to stay relevant -Another luxury condo's going up...

FRIDAY:: [music] Neo-Catastrophism, 9pm @ Gallery Lombardi [books] Phil Lesh, 7pm @ Bookpeople [music] Of Montreal Instore, 5pm @ Waterloo, CD Release Party, 9:30 @ The Parish [music] ROCKIT 4: Dance party, 8pm @ Big Red Sun - $7 [comedy] Margaret Cho, 8pm @ Bass Concert Hall SATURDAY:: [music] Keren Ann, 8:30 @ The Parish SUNDAY:: [volunteer] Danskin Women's Triathalon, 7am @ Travis County Expo Center ALL WEEKEND:: [theater] Holes Before Bedtime, 8pm @...

Last weekend the Zilker Hillside Theatre hosted Ballet Under the Stars, a free evening ballet performance by the Austin Dance Ensemble. This weekend they bring you yet another wonderful - and free - dose of culture, this time with the Austin Civic Orchestra's Zilker Park Summer Pops Concerts. The program's theme is "Film Scores Through the Decades", and as such they'll be performing themes from movies spanning over seven decades, including The Wizard of...