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....

Asleep At Heaven’s Gate – Rogue Wave (Brushfire Records) The year 2006 was full of activity and turmoil for California’s Rogue Wave. There was some great news when founding member Zach Rogue had a baby daughter, but sadly, guitarist Gram LeBron’s father passed away and drummer Pat Spurgeon had a kidney transplant (and was understandably out of commission for a good amount of time.) Adding to the mayhem was the fact that Sub Pop was......

John Vanderslice's latest album, The Emerald City, is a gorgeous glimpse into the mind of a great songwriter - a man attempting to discuss love, loss, and frustration with things outside of his control, both internally and externally. The record is both politically charged and characteristically subtle, bringing Vanderslice to the forefront of his genre. His deft perseverance towards intelligently curated lyrics coupled with an impressive array of acoustic instruments capture the mind and heart,......

Attention local bands: SXSW 2008 is accepting your applications to be showcase performers during the week long festival come March. The deadline is November 9, 2007 for stateside applicants. If your band has a Sonicbid membership, you can register using that account. Otherwise, register online. Future SXSW attendees can register online to attend, too: music badges are a mere $500 through September 28. Paper Thin Walls feature Austin's Best Fwends: "It's a very mixed......

Bishop Allen The Broken String (Dead Oceans) So, the Brooklyn-based (man, it gets tiring typing that out every week) blog band Bishop Allen are a sort of east coast Voxtrot in that they've wet the pop-frenzied masses with a series of well-received EPs over the last couple of years. Instead of releasing an album full of highly anticipated new material, however, they've polished a bunch of old tracks (and previously only available live songs)......

You haven't missed your chance to be in the limelight. No, you didn't get to sing your song when Devendra called that other, weirder kid on stage. And that time you were so going to crowd surf-then-jump up on stage to wail and beat drums with Arcade Fire but never got the guts to just jump--that is all in the past, my friends. Today, er Sunday, is a new day. John Vanderslice, the prolific......

The whole world is at your fingertips. Check it out... Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does too have a music scene. Don't even front like they don't. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don't have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers. Bostonist sees Boston and Somerville each whip out......

Summer is coming, and the post-SX lull appears to be ending for Austin gigs. Many SX bands are scheduling return appearances, and our outdoor venues are beginning to release May and June schedules. The following list offers some highlights (for comprehensive listings, check Pollstar or Showlist Austin): 4/15 - Calexico (free early show) @ Emo's 4/15 - Deathray Davies + The M's @ Emo's 4/24 - TV on the Radio + Celebration @ Emo's......

Mike Booher looks like a rock star until he smiles. Tall and lanky, shaggy black hair, smoking a cigarette outside his practice room, he is a throwback to the Ramones. Then he grins, waves, and he’s the friendly guy everyone loves. Who just happens to be the front man for Austin’s much-hyped Zykos. Originally from Houston, Booher grew up on the same street as bassist Mike Roeder and keyboardist Catherine Davis, a petit blonde piano......

SXSW.com released an updated lineup for this year's SXSW Music Festival earlier today, and it's one hell of a list. The SXSW committee hastens to note that "This is a partial list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival. This list is current as of 1/13/06. All of this information is subject to change." International acts include: Masahiro Nitta, DMBQ, Ellegarden, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, PE'Z, The Emeralds (Japan)......

Is Spoon's lead singer leaving us for fairer shores? Pitchfork yesterday reported that Britt Daniel is packing up his stuff and heading over to Portland, Oregon. Daniel wouldn't elaborate as to the impetus of the relocation, other than to say: "My girlfriend lives up here, and I kept visiting and was like, 'Ahh, that's it, I'm going to move.' I knew I liked it before I moved here, but I'm finding more and more......

Last week, before his show at the Parish Room, Austinist sat down for a chat with SF indie musician John Vanderslice. Famous for his attention to the finest of details and his indelible charm, John was characteristically engaging during the half hour we spoke to him. In addition to his prolific solo career, John also runs a recording studio in San Francisco called tiny telephone, which last year was voted by SF Bay Guardian......

The following is a selection of tracks by artists playing this week. Check the IST List to see when and where they'll be. Enjoy! -John Vanderslice - Exodus Damage [mp3] -John Vanderslice - Trance Manual [mp3] -John Vanderslice - Motel of Lost Companions [mp3] -Locksley - Into the Sun [mp3] -Locksley - She Does [mp3] -Locksley - All Of the Time [mp3] -Living Things - BOM BOM BOM [myspace] -Living Things - Bombs Below......

M O N D A Y [ 2 4 ] Happy United Nations Day! music · Coheed & Cambria, Dredg, mewithoutYou and Blood Brothers at Stubb's music · Elizabeth McQueen and Jason Roberts - of Asleep at the Wheel - hold court at Threadgill's (8pm) film · The Austin Film Festival at various venues around town (Through Thursday) books · Tram Nguyen discusses We Are All Suspects Now, her investigation into the "human cost of......

We won’t argue that August has been pretty slow when it comes to new music, but there are plenty of great releases that came out today that you need to get your hands on. John Vanderslice - http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/vanderslicejohn/pixelrevolt">Pixel Revolt Not as catchy as his last release, but this one will grow on you. JV keeps putting out quality albums. [mp3: JV – Exodus Damage / upcoming show: 10/27 at the parish] Black Rebel Motorcycle......

The rain has come to wash away all the sins of SXSW, and believe us, there was a lot of sin. Amazingly, it also appears to have washed away most of the live music -- looking at the music listings for this week, we see almost nothing but DJs and karaoke. Where have all the rockers gone? Answer: Rehab. But all is not lost. There are a few choice shows to go see, some art......