It's been a big year for local acts. Big name bands like Spoon, Iron & Wine and Okkervil River made a huge impact on the independent music scene world-wide, while up and coming acts like White Denim and Moth!Fight! captured our attention at the indie rock water cooler all year long. As rising hopes and swelling egos swept the town alongside buzz and bravado, we parted ways with bands like SOUND Team and Clap!Clap!. ...

Photo by Tommy Lucas courtesy of MySpaceRINGO DEATHSTARR What’s the Deal: Definitely one of the better pun band names, with an extra ‘r’ thrown on the end to avoid any messy copyright fisticuffs with Lucas and the Star Wars powers that be. This Austin foursome have very successfully emerged in time with a re-popularization of shoegaze in a way that doesn’t seem contrived or cleverly created to take advantage of this renewed interest. Instead, they......

Another Tuesday means another stellar evening featuring Texas bands at the Mohawk. Horse+Donkey and Basic brought the rock last week for a festive pre-4th of July effort, complete with chants of “U.S.A.” This week, recent Red River regulars Ume headline a night of amazing, ear-shattering noise-rock at the weekly series. Ringo Deathstarr open with their brand of Jesus and Mary Chain inspired feedback, reverberations, and shoegazing sensibility. We cannot stop listening to their demos on......

The Unbearables brought their rock-opera concept to Dougherty Arts Center last year in the form of Bitten! A Zombie Rock Odyssey. Although we were unable to catch that spectacle, the assorted jams on the band’s MySpace page have us day-dreaming about the possible storyline. The band brings its catchy pop and witty lyrics to the Mohawk tonight for what promises to be a grand ol’ time. Supporting the bill are local shoe-gazers Ringo Deathstarr and......

LA's Dios (Malos) - formerly simply Dios - like drugs. A lot. A least, that's what we gather from their latest album, dios (malos), which finds lead singer Joel Morales repeating things like "I get high! / So do I!" Catchy hooks, simple lyrics and a generally sunny disposition make this record a pleasure to listen to. And while it's not terribly revolutionary nor as invigorating as their first album - we particularly like......