Heavy music has long been dominated by power trios and the classic rock combo of two guitars-bass-‘n’-drums, but don’t bother mentioning that to Jucifer. Guitarist/singer Gazelle Amber Valentine and drummer Edgar Livenhood make plenty of racket without backup - indeed, the cochlea-obliterating volume of their live shows has become legendary. The couple has stripped their career down even further by abandoning their former Athens, Georgia base and living out of their RV, preferring a life of constant gigging and recording to anything so bland as a fixed address. more ›

Emo’s Free Week bites back tonight with a smorgasbord of sounds from a variety of acts. Lions draw blood on the outside arena with chant-along chorus’ and scorching guitars. Their 2007 release No Generation allowed the band to voice their political views as well as display their rock n’ roll chops, and their live shows aptly roar with energy and fervor. Lions’ “Heavy Metal Lady” currently encourages the masses in homes everywhere to “unleash your inner rock legend” via Guitar Hero III and you can do the same at Emo's tonight! more ›

Growing up in Indiana with his Jehovah's Witness mother, Dax Riggs got used to going door to door inviting people to hear about Armageddon. He believed that there was a God, and that God was good. One night Dax stayed up late, alone, and watched The Elephant Man on HBO, and nothing was the same after. His other band, Deadboy & The Elephant Men, grew from the ashes of a whirlwind romance that involved... more ›

Every fall, Austin looks forward to ACL Fest, and each year, there's always a point where two of your favorite bands are playing on different sides of the park at the exact same time. ACL Band Clash is a weekly series in which Austinist scribes Paige Maguire and Tom Thornton examine the worst ACL scheduling clashes, and try to provide good advice on finding a resolution. Well, good advice might be a stretch, but... more ›

Heavy Metal -- the phrase has been used in various connotations since Black Sabbath (arguably) generated the first metal ‘sound’ back in the late 60’s. Ever since, the genre has fluctuated between differing standards and floated through a number of decades. Be it radio friendly acts such as Godsmack, the thinking man’s Tool, the stoner riffs of Fu Manchu, or local flavor in the form of The Sword, the current state of metal crosses many... more ›

Neal Kay’s Heavy Metal Soundhouse inspired the first set of air guitarists in London in the late 1970’s and the spectacle has truly evolved into a world wide phenomenon in the last decade. The first World Air Guitar Championships were held in Finland in 1996 (at the Oulu Music Video Festival) and 12 years later, the event is still going strong. Austin is no stranger to the scene, holding regular contests at the Alamo... more ›

The latest project by the Super!Alright! guys is a viral video for Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), which will attempt to answer that nagging question in the back of everyone's mind: What if, instead of going into politics, George W. Bush had pursued his love of Arena Rock? In order to make this work, they need extras for the "backstage" segment of the video, to be shot in a certain parking lot in South Austin. People are... more ›

Austin's The Sword aren't your average metal band. They're "the best band" Klosterman saw at SXSW '05, and they're even up to Joe Gross' (Austin American-Statesman) high standards. Beyond the acclaim, The Sword are one of the only bands left that can manage to take heavy metal seriously without coming off like a dated tribute band or an inside joke gone horribly serious. If you missed them at SXSW, and if you missed their... more ›

As we mentioned a month ago, The Backroom, Austin’s fortress of heavy metal and defender of all things sweaty, boot-stomping and angst-ridden will be shutting its doors for good next week. But not before the legendary Austin rock club gives it one last hurrah. more ›

Metal was alive and well at Emo's outside stage last Thursday night as local shred heroes The Sword christened a European tour. Heralding the release of their new album, Age Of Winters, the foursome, true to their reputation, conjured up the tenth level Were-Griffyns of Rock. Supported by Torche, ASG, and Golden Axe, it was a loud, hairy evening. All of which was tenuously held together by a mysterious force: the irony of Metal retread.... more ›