Every once in a while, an album from a local artist pops up with little or no notice, grabs our attention, and holds on tight. Although we’ve only recently been able to count the peripatetic Matthew Hovey Kemp and his Lost River/Old River project as one of Austin’s own, his new record No Clouds is surely one of those albums. No Clouds is Kemp’s second full-length album to be released in five years under the LR/OR name, and was recorded in five houses in four different states—somehow, it holds together remarkably well as a single statement. Over the course of the album’s 53 minutes, we’re treated to a dusty, cinematic take on Fleet Foxes’ folk ballads scored with beautiful and moody instrumental arrangements that the Constellation Records roster would be proud of. more ›

For a band that’s only been active for a couple of years, Yellow Fever have already changed their name, lost, then added, then lost again a handful of members, and played their catchy and intriguingly minimal songs at venues all over the country. more ›

This is a show we’ve been anxiously anticipating since it was announced last month. San Juan, Puerto Rico isn’t exactly renowned for its punk scene, but over the past two years Davila 666 has been making a serious effort to change that. The band’s 2008 self-titled debut on garage punk’s torch-bearing label In The Red is a dynamic, near-perfect slab of garage rock, laced with singer Carlitos Davila’s irresistible pop sensibilities. Their current US tour has been knocking calcetines off all over the country, and you can bet Emo’s inside will degenerate into a raucous, and very loud, dance party when Davila 666 hits the stage tonight. more ›

The four impeccably coiffed lads that comprise local quartet The Steps have been playing around Austin for a couple of years now, and while they’ve already been exposed to the international music press and toured extensively, they seem to fly under the radar of music fans in their home town. Comparisons to The Strokes and The Stones are frequently lobbed at the band (and not without merit), and the members don’t necessarily discourage said comparisons, which are at least tacitly supported by their new EP and first official stateside release Take It All In. The EP sees the group further establishing their Strokes homage in style as well as sound, but you listen closely, The Steps appear to have more chutzpah than your garden-variety black-clad rock combo. more ›

Emo’s inside has a veritable intrastate indie pop summit on their hands tonight, as Houston’s Young Mammals and Austin’s International Waters head up a four-band bill. Young Mammals (formerly the Dimes) are bringing their fun, upbeat, and occasionally hyperactive guitar pop back to town for the first time since they opened for the French Kicks back in April. International Waters should offset the exuberance of Young Mammals nicely with their comparably measured, sophisticated jangle that brings to mind Unrest, Comet Gain, and other bands that could be described as twee-with-an-edge. The Sour Notes and Way No Way open. more ›

It’s interesting that White Denim, a band that’s already joined the vanguard of recent Austin attention-grabbers (Shearwater, Harlem, Black Joe Lewis, et al.), has yet to see a physical release of their music supported with even a modicum of distribution in their home state. That’s set to change on October 20th, when Downtown Music will finally release Fits, the band’s second (third if you count their UK debut Workout Holiday) and most adventurous LP domestically. Actually, adventurous is an understatement: it’s head-spinning how much they pack into the record’s economical 37 minutes. Fits is a short but dense blast of moody, psychedelic soul that careens from hard-edged funk and breezy soul, to straight up psych rock with flourishes of jazz and dub. It manages to be in nine places at once without feeling directionless or schizophrenic. The trio is incredibly tight, and the song structures and time changes are so fascinating that you have to occasionally stop and ask yourself, how the hell are they doing this? However they conjured it up, Fits is an excellent, occasionally face-melting rock album that deserves to be played loudly and often by many more people than are currently familiar with it. more ›

Now this, this is going to be some kind of unhinged, goofy, and indubitably fun time. Atlanta’s the Coathangers are in town again, and this time around they’re supporting their new record and first for Seattle’s Suicide Squeeze label, the aptly titled Scramble. For a band that essentially began as a one-off joke at a house party, the Coathangers have gotten a lot of mileage out of a crass abortion reference and a sound that's somewhere between vintage Athens new wave and a ramshackle Kathleen Hanna tribute/novelty act. more ›

Daily heat indices are hitting 110+, the Austin electric grid is strained to its limits, and major cultural icons are dropping like flies. It must be time for Almost There Records to drop the newest edition of their annual local-focused Turn compilation series! It’s difficult to believe that it’s been five years since Ty Chandler founded Almost There, a local label that’s best known for the aforementioned compilation series, as well as tribute albums and hoot nights that feature local artists paying homage to legends like Paul McCartney, The Who, and Big Star. more ›

The mysterious process of selecting a band name can only be the subject of conjecture among non-musicians. Case in point: local trio The Gary. How they came to name themselves after your dad is anyone's guess, but peculiar as it may be, The Gary's chosen handle is not the band's most interesting characteristic. There is, of course, the music to consider, principally that from their debut EP Chub, released earlier this year.

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Wednesday, February 25, the Octopus Project and the Alamo Drafthouse are combining experimental rock and experimental film into one amazingly unique, kooky concoction of coolness (alliteration! Ho!). more ›

Two days after SXSW kicks off and our city becomes a living, breathing conglomeration of people from all walks of life, Austinist presents Local Music is Sexy at the PureVolume Ranch. Past Local Music is Sexy events have showcased acts such as The Black Angels, Brothers and Sisters, The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, Black Before Red, and IV Thieves to name a few. Last year, we remember dancing the night away to Car Stereo (Wars)’ mad mash-ups, drinking free Red Bull (among other things), and having a go at the sweet Wii set up in that little lounge at the location. All in all, an excellent time. more ›

The Black and White Years are not merely a group of affable gents - as Austinist discovered in a recent interview - they're also way into creating compelling pop morsels that eschew immediate categorization and confound otherwise severely judgmental blog-journalists. more ›

Here’s the scene: It’s late in the evening on a Saturday night, and there’s a line full of 16-to-30-year-olds wrapped around the block extending away from the large black door of the New Brookland Tavern in Columbia, South Carolina. Tonight, local, epic, electronic rock band Baumer is playing, and it’s going to be a packed house. A sizable portion of those dance party hungry hipsters clad in t-shirts both black and neon waiting in queue will not even make the capacity cut-off point. But, many of them will stand outside for a good portion of the set, listening from the street. Inside, as Baumer heats up, the cramped crowd bounces and sweats to New Order-inspired electronics, indie rock guitars and a bold voice not unlike that of Muse singer Matthew Bellamy. This isn’t a rarety for the band; it’s every time they play a show in their hometown. more ›

Item: The organizers at SXSW have responded to years of complaints about long lines and short notice by dramatically revising the wristband system for the 2008 festival. 4,000 wristbands priced at $139 are reserved exclusively for Austinites and will be distributed via an online lottery system that commences at 9am on Thursday, February 21st. There is a four-day period for sign-up, then the festival will let the winners know they've been selected shortly thereafter. All registrants must live in the Austin area - a credit card with an Austin metro area billing zip code will be required (this generously stretches as far as San Marcos, Georgetown, and Taylor). One can purchase two wristbands, but one of them must be for the purchaser...and the recipient of the second one must be named when placing an order. more ›

You may have already purchased tickets, or you might have been our lucky winner last week (Dax Riggs post-show included), but what you didn't know at the time was that local heartthrobs the Lemurs would be opening. more ›

The Austin Museum of Digital Art (AMODA) is bringing back its monthly Digital Showcase tomorrow night at Club DeVille, and, as usual, they've managed to assemble an impressive roster of electronic musicians and visual artists. Saturday's headliner is New York City's DJ /rupture, aka Jace Clayton. A gifted musician and producer, Rupture has enjoyed a prolific career that's run the gamut from releasing mix albums and performing with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (as a turntable... more ›

Eleven Hundred Springs specialize in a pure brand of country that should provide a perfect anti-dote for fans of that genre amidst the variety of pop, rock and electronic acts at the 2007 Wall Of Sound Festival. Lead by Matt Hillyer and Steve Berg, the band has put out a number of records on labels such as 13 Recordings and Palo Duro Records. Besides their upcoming gig at the Wall Of Sound festival, Eleven Hundred... more ›

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Hi folks, Thanks for helping us make Local Music is Sexy IV such a success! We hope you guys had as much fun at the free show as we did putting it together. For those of you who weren't able to snag an Austinist tote bag but wanted one, we're gonna make things right: fill out the contest form below, and we'll randomly select twenty people to receive their very own, plus assorted goodies. If... more ›

In less than two days, we'll be hosting our big annual pre-ACL party, Local Music is Sexy IV, Thursday night's soiree will feature Austinites The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, and Brazos on the outside main stage, with DJs Car Stereo (Wars), Ceeplus Bad Knives*, and Markus with a K supplying dance-party jams inside alongside Magic Surprise. We're also thrilled to be bringing in Seattle indie rockers Say Hi To Your Mom* as our headliners. What's... more ›

ACL Previews Interview: Patterson Hood Del McCoury Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band Jon Dee Graham, Kevin Devine, and Ike Reilly Assassination Beau Soleil & Will Hoges Rail Road Earth It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow So You Wanna See An ACL Taping Trent Summar, Steve Earle, & DeVotchKa Interview: Crowded House It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow Weekly Features The Accidental Gentrifist:... more ›

On the eve of ACL Fest, we're gonna turn off our laptops, put on our drinking shoes, and head over to the Mohawk, because Austinist is hosting Local Music is Sexy IV. An annual tradition since its inception in 2005 (back when the 'hawk was the Velvet Spade, and folks were still arguing over the smoking ban), Local Music is Sexy showcases a bunch of promising young Austin bands and DJs that we're most excited... more ›

Austin Sound, if you haven't checked it out already, is a great site featuring information about local music. This Saturday, they're pulling out all the stops to celebrate their one year anniversary, and throwing a mini-ACL that's much, much cheaper. With 13 bands playing, there's bound to be someone to rock your picky ass. Also: free food and FREE BEER for five bucks! We know, it doesn't make sense to us either, but it... more ›

We had, like, totally the best time at the Rude Mechanicals' annual fund-raising shindig this past Saturday, the Magnum P. Eye Ball. Hosted by Jonathan Quayle Higgins III, of course, the island-themed event featured local music icon Graham Reynolds of The Golden Arm Trio spinning period tunes. Meanwhile, numerous dudes walked around in mullets, mustaches and Hawaiian shirts, and several screens played different Magnum P.I. adventures. The night even included the chance to ride "The... more ›

ME Television (Time Warner cable channel 15), Austin's local music video station, is gearing up for their own reality show which will be based on their nationwide search for two new VeeJays. The first set of open auditions takes place Thursday, August 30 in Austin. These auditions will be filmed for the reality series, which will start showing on ME in October. Duties of ME VeeJays include artist interviews, as well as coverage of... more ›

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take... more ›

Single Frame has been creating eclectic electro-pop for a good number of years now. The band formed in 2000 in Austin and early recordings included a first full-length, Wetheads Come Running, and the Burn Radio Airtest EP released under their original moniker Single Frame Ashtray. Now veterans of two additional records, Single Frame distinguishes itself with eccentric pop that utilizes a variety of jingles, be it the simply synth outputs or unusual sounds obtained from... more ›

Author's note: I will do local music stuff next time, I swear. As an old-school Interpol fan, there is no way I'm not reviewing this record. Interpol - Our Love To Admire Despite all the Joy Division references, Interpol made an impression largely by splitting the difference between The Cure and Duran Duran. The balance of minor-key dirges and slick decadence, perfected on 2002’s Turn On The Bright Lights and poppified on 2004’s Antics, made... more ›

It must be the week of a major holiday, because there won't be a lot of new beautiful stuff on the walls at Waterloo or End of an Ear this week. If you're anxious for Kelly Rowlands' latest (Ms. Kelly), you're breathing a big sigh of relief right now, but H-town is about as close to home as it gets July 3 (please correct us if we're wrong). The new Madlib effort, Yesterday's New... more ›

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Greetings from your San Francisco-bound host of The Laurie Show. I'm going on a trip with my Broken Clock Cabaret peeps to the Bay Area for a short tour of Inside A Broken Clock: A Tom Waits Peepshow next week. However, you can bet I'm on the air tonight, 90.5 on the... more ›