Local label Autobus Records is teaming up with a few local blogs and businesses to put together a musical showcase of many of the artists associated with the label. It's all happening at Stubb's BBQ (inside) Saturday evening. more ›

With Bright is the Ring of Words, Mark David Ashworth has made a hall of mirrors in album form. It’s opulent, but a lot of what’s actually offered is a reflection of other projects, from the Robert Louis Stevenson-penned title to “Sometimes it Turns Dry and the Leaves Fall Before They Are Beautiful,” a William Carlos Williams poem that Ashworth has scored. He even paraphrases “Keeping Things Whole” by Mark Strand- for an entire track. But the problems presented by Bright is the Ring of Words are not questions of originality; to even hint at faulting an album for being broadly based on a swath of other artistic works is ridiculous and, maybe even worse, beside the point. With Bright is the Ring of Words, Mark David Ashworth has made a hall of mirrors in album form. It’s opulent, but a lot of what’s actually offered is a reflection of other projects, from the Robert Louis Stevenson-penned title to “Sometimes it Turns Dry and the Leaves Fall Before They Are Beautiful,” a William Carlos Williams poem that Ashworth has scored. He even paraphrases “Keeping Things Whole” by Mark Strand- for an entire track. But the problems presented by Bright is the Ring of Words are not questions of originality; to even hint at faulting an album for being broadly based on a swath of other artistic works is ridiculous and, maybe even worse, beside the point. The problem is that there is no one-to-one formula for the translation from poem to song; they’re written in different languages. It’s difficult even to translate the same musical phrases from one band to another- that’s why cover songs work best when they are less reenactment than homage. On Ashworth’s Bright is the Ring of Words, you can hear this babelfish sort of effect on the tracks that are primarily references. As a result, roughly the first half of the album seems stoic and pageant-like; it’s only during the second half that we hear much of the tactile, organic Mark David Ashworth. more ›

Austin's artist-owned record label, Autobus (also home to Brazos and Sunset), is preparing the February 23, 2010 release of former Austinite and current San Fransisco resident Mark David Ashworth's second album, Bright Is the Ring of Words. more ›

>Local label Autobus records, who grabbed our attention this year with quite a few impressive releases, have announced their official SXSW Showcase for Wednesday, March 18th at the Hideout on 6th and Congress. While usually a venue for improv comedy and that sort of thing, the Hideout is surprisingly adaptable to live music, as attendees of the 2006 Orange Twin showcase (or subsequent SXSW showcases) can attest. more ›