The 21st season of KGSR's Blues on the Green concert series continued Wednesday night with a pair of joint return visits from Nakia and Marcia Ball on a hot night in Zilker Park. more ›

For the better part of two decades, Austin's KGSR has been producing the Broadcasts CD series - a one-off run of highlights from the station's in-studio and on-air performances that is pressed each November as a souvenir of the year in music for Austin-area fans. The catch with the series is that it isn't for profit - all proceeds are donated to the SIMS Foundation, which provides mental heath services to the Austin musician community and their families. The discs started as a limited edition of just a few thousand, but have now grown in popularity to the point that 22,000 2-disc sets were produced this fall. We recently spoke to KGSR's Andy Langer, part of the team producing and curating this year's Broadcasts project, to discuss the changes, challenges, and highlights of this year's edition.

more ›

• If you’ve smelled the air in Deer Park, then you’ll wonder why someone picked that particular Houston suburb for Perry to have a press conference arguing against an EPA takeover of our state's air quality program!
• Oil spill cleanup update: they are trying to saw off a section of the broken pipe… and the saw has gotten stuck.
• Whoa! Millions of dollars worth of cocaine washed up on a Galveston beach.

KGSR has announced their hire of Mark Abuzzahab to replace longtime afternoon drive host and Music Director Jody Denberg, who signed off back in December. Abuzzahab formerly worked for WOXY back in Ohio, and most recently for Clear Channel’s KBCO in Colorado. He starts his first on-air shift at KGSR Feb. 22. more ›

As we mentioned earlier this week, Spoon definitely have their Springtime plates full with Transference media duties. The band will headline Stubb's during SXSW, but before that, they'll be doing a smattering of Austin performances that you'll have to plan in advance to attend. The Waterloo instore (which is rumored to be taking place in the parking lot) happens on January 25 at 4 p.m. Before that, they'll be at KGSR's studios to do a lounge performance for a live audience at noon. Tune in to KGSR next week at 8:20 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. to get details on that -- or just register at KGSR.com to register. more ›

Power 92 isn't the only Internet station to find a home in Austin. In September of 2009, Ohio's WOXY.com moved to South Austin. WOXY broadcasts 24/7 and concentrates on independent rock and roll. more ›

Dear Jody Denberg, WTF? WTF? WTF? AT-WHAY E-THAY UCK-FAY?!! Okay, so I was in the car the other day when I hear the news that you are leaving KGSR. There was irony, for Kevin Connor was the one who was doing the announcing. Now, I know Kevin has long been on KUT, but I will forever associate him with KGSR. Plus, since he was talking about you, and you’re not on KUT, I got confused and thought I’d entered some weird place of crossed signals. When he said the words, Those last songs are for my friend Jody Denberg, I actually looked to see which station I was listening to. Then, I had that dreadful thought that sometimes visits when, say, I hear four songs in one day by an artist not typically played so much-- Oh shit, is he dead? But no. You’re not dead. And yet, I realize I’ve been writing this letter to you in my head, an epistle with the distinct feel of a eulogy to it. Not such a terrible thing. See, I went to a fancy reading recently, the star of which was my great friend Sarah Bird. Sarah just won a big fellowship, and UT threw a gala in her honor. Before she read, there was this speech about her, and a slideshow. more ›

Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band at Blues on the Green at Waterloo Park, Austin Texas, July 1, 2009. Photos by Steve Hopson, www.stevehopson.com. more ›

KGSR's Blues on the Green 2009, Week 2 with Cyril Neville and Tribe 13. Photos by Steve Hopson. more ›

Photos from KGSR's Blues on the Green at Waterloo Park, Austin Texas, Jume 3, 2009 with Ruthie Foster. All photos courtesy Steve Hopson. more ›

So Day One of SXSW was, for me, more shitty than not. I ventured out to catch some daytime music. There were a couple of bright spots, like watching my kid play on a big stage. But, as I detailed over at my blog, this being a town of minus six degrees of separation on a regular day, SXSW unfortunately boosts the typical glut of negative opportunities to run into known assholes better avoided. Couple these run-ins with my crowd-induced anxiety and you’ll understand why I was home, locked in the house with the dogs by five, vowing not to venture out to hear anymore music this week. Why bother when I can see great shows the other fifty-one weeks of the year and not have a panic attack in the process? more ›

KGSR 107.1 invites Austinites to jump in this week and explore Austin's culinary scene while benefiting a great cause. Through Sunday, participating restaurants will showcase some of their favorite menu items to the tune of three courses for $25 (plus drinks, tax, and tip ... don't forget to tip for Heaven's sake, people gotta make a living!), with $5 going to the Kids Café, which are safe places kids can go after school and get a hot dinner and some help with their homework. more ›

I know, I know, apparently it is illegal to use the letters “s,” “x,” “s” (again), or “w” in any combination this week unless you are officially sanctioned by the folks at SXSW. And so here I sit, risking some Midnight Express fate (did you see how I worked not one but two “s’s” and an x into Express) because I am going now wax poetic on zen and the art of SXSW. First, a brief history of Spike and The Festival. I got to Austin late ’91. My first SXSW was spring ’92. I was a waiter at the Magnolia and so my baptism was by fire as the place was slammed with all those badge wearing assholes. I became a badge wearing asshole a year or two into my Austin tenure because, as I like to remind y’all, I am so popular. Sometimes I got a badge for performing (back when they still had a poetry venue for SXSW) and sometimes for being a reporter. And suddenly, I understood that sense of entitlement I once loathed back when I was pre-badge. I pitied the fools who had to wait in long lines when I could simply sashay to the front of any line, Japan night being a favorite. more ›

More Wristbands Available Wednesday: At least a few of the coveted SXSW wristbands will be sold via the conventional route this year. The Austin Chronicle reports that 400+ wristbands priced at $165 will be on sale from 9:30am on Wednesday 3/12 at Waterloo Records. These wristbands do not require an local ID, so out-of-towners can finally get their show at wristbands not obtained through nefarious means. They also report that a second batch may be made available next week, so stay tuned for more information. more ›

Andy Langer is Austin's nearly ubiquitous multimedia music journalist. In the past, he's worked for both The Austin Chronicle and KUT. He now hosts music news segments on News 8 Austin, writes a column for Esquire magazine, and appears on both KSGR and KROX radio on Thursday mornings. Now, after twelve years of (also) hosting 101X's Sunday new music program The Next Big Thing, Langer is migrating to a prime weekday evening spot at KGSR. His show will air Monday-Friday from 6 to 10pm, immediately following Jody Denberg's drive-time broadcast. Though KSGR's format is pretty flexible for AAA, it's a big change for the guy who's been playing lots of loud indie, Britrock, electronica, and lo-fi material at KROX. We spoke with Langer yesterday about the changes to his radio job, and he had a lot to tell us more ›