Achilles' Last Stand: Led Zeppelin to play gig this evening in London for the first time in decades in honor of deceased Atlantic record mogul Ahmet Ertegun. Show is rumored to be their last. US President hopeful Mike Huckabee appears to be gaining ground, which is quite interesting considering his shockingly inhumane views on carriers of the HIV virus, for example. Another interest rate cut expected by the Fed to counter-balance more sub-prime mortgage......

The Fiery Furnaces--they of the Friday and Saturday night headlines at Emo's Inside--have an unmistakable sound and an unmistakable presence. Between mastermind Matthew Friedberger's pounding around on three different keyboards, to sister Eleanor's ultra-intense vocals, The Fiery Furnaces are a band who's crafted quite a unique little niche in the psyche of music lovers all round that big ol' world. With their two-night to-do at Emo's coming less than a month after the release of......

The Broken West play the sort of power pop you'll want as background for a trip to the beach, especially if you're into the Kinks and enjoy wearing vintage Adidas short shorts. The L.A.-based band released their first album earlier this year, and the sound is bright and dense, filled up with guitar and piano draped with harmonized vocals that seem to be looking toward George Harrison's work. The Broken West Los Angeles, CA......

Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight (Warner) Whereas their last few releases were more Omaha or Seattle and Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis’ solo record last year, Rabbit Fur Coat, was pretty Nashville, this latest effort is totally L.A. With its ensnaring pop choruses, undeniable disco feel and lyrical nods to the porn industry, it is perfectly suited for the extravagant metropolis where people go to give up everything to become a star. With Under The......

Little-known outside the experimental guitar scene, the immensely talented Japanese guitar-slinger Tetuzi Akiyama has been perfecting his improvisational rockabilly style for the better part of 20 years now. Due to play several shows during SXSW and a smattering of shows in Texas and elsewhere, Tetuzi kindly extrapolated on his singular talents for us: You started playing guitar when you were 13. What sort of music were you listening to at the time that drew......

Lots of random music news today. Let's get to it before ACL Fest's lineup gets announced on Thursday and we forget about this stuff: - Prefuse 73 has cancelled his Austin appearance later this month due to a serious illness. A note on Prefuse's Myspace page makes it sound as though the health issues are pretty severe. Pitchfork reports that the shows may be rescheduled later this year. - Bloc Party has announced a......

If you haven't had the vaguely familiar pleasure of hearing Wolfmother yet, think Black Sabbath meets MC5 meets Black Sabbath with a smidgen of Led Zeppelin for taste. Did we mention they also conjure shades of metal progenitors, Black Sabbath? Sunday evening at The Parish, this Aussie power trio did their best to remind us of the enduring relevance of proto-metal. Having trimmed the proggy fat off their forefathers music, they stopped in to......

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.......

UPDATE: Congrats to Jeff Orr, who won a pair of tickets to the show! Former Austinites-turned-coastal dwellers Oliver Future are heading back to the town from whence they came, playing a couple of shows through Saturday night. We'll bring you a proper show preview sometime tomorrow, but for now we're giving away a pair of tickets to see the dynamic bunch for yourself! The recent LA Times-selected "Buzz Band" spent January enjoying a ridiculously-successful......

A while back, we interviewed Broken Social Scene co-founder Kevin Drew before their show at Stubb’s. In their latest, self-titled album - one of our favorites this year – they’ve realized brilliant, anthemic indie rock majesty, what Drew himself refers to as a “big, beautiful mess.” And by all accounts, their live shows rival, if not surpass, their studio efforts. Found In Various Contexts In This Interview: “Ibi Dreams of Pavement”, Just Pressing Record......

Before their show at the Parish Room last week, Austinist sat down for a brief chat with the boys of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - one of the hottest bands out of the East Coast this year. Over drinks at the Jazz Kitchen downstairs, the guys - Alec Ounsworth, Lee Sargent, Robbie Guertin, Tyler Sargent, and Sean Greenhalgh - were more than happy to answer the questions that you, our readers, suggested beforehand.......

The opening track to The Heartless Bastards' Stairs and Elevators hits you with the untamed ferocity of a tropical typhoon, lead singer Erika Wennerstrom's voice the shrieking gale winds set aloft amidst the torrential thunderclap supplied by her band's driving bass line and wild drumming. Stairs is the debut album from Fat Possum Records trio , a blues-tinged garage punk outfit from Ohio. They've the pomp and flourish of a 70s rock band, and......