New York songstress Nina Nastasia stops by the Mohawk tonight at the near-beginning of what will become a sprawling world-wide tour, meeting up with Denton's well-liked Tre Orsi and the local Silver Pines in the process. Nastasia has garnered herself quite the underground momentum, moving from humble roots as an untethered musician wandering her way through the dimly-lit club scene, to an artist with international demand and the respect of idolized names such as producer Steve Albini and Dirty Three drummer Jim White. Her debut album, Dogs, is impossible to find and is futilely sought in a way not unfamiliar to Belle & Sebastian's debut cut, Tigermilk. But she's not just a machine for hype---she plays some pretty fine music, too, using her acoustic guitar and a knack for captivating storytelling to cut through the muck of singer-songwriter-dom to create a niche all her own. And that niche has her and her band being called everything from "remarkable" to "enrapturing" to "inspired" by critics....

Covers are inherently ballsy, and Lord knows Chan Marshall is no coward. She's already released one full length's worth of odes to her varied inspiration, 2000's Covers Record. In general, the songs Marshall covers are tiny glimpses into what we gather is her inner life, and they're almost always hit or miss, just like the lady herself. Her version of Pavement's "We Dance" was withered, but her rendition of Lou Reed's "I Found a Reason" was emotionally devastating. "I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)" was inspiring and combined her natural strut with a legend's perfectly, but here we find her opening number, "New York New York" an uncomfortable, shallow mess. ...

The Carousel Lounge is hosting a night of mysterious, dark and definitely dense music tomorrow in the form of a couple of reclusive Texas bands. Headdress (formerly Worship) specialize in predominately instrumental songs thick with echo, space and traditional elements. Fans of Dirty Three will like the band's latest album, Turquoise, a dark, brooding jaunt into a dimly lit motel room on the edge of some southwestern town. Each note and every carefully chosen guitar......

Blanton Museum is hosting their monthly B Scene art party tonight, and Austin's own My Education will be providing their gorgeous sound to the festivities. If you're not familiar with them, they sound like the perfect marriage between Dirty Three and Sigur Ros, with a little Do Make Say Think sprinkled on top for good measure. Fans of Popol Vuh, Red Sparrowes and Gastr Del Sol will also find plenty to sink their teeth......