Cullen Omori, singer/songwriter for the band Smith Westerns, has come a long way since February. When Austinist last chatted with him at the beginning of 2011, the group had just released their second album Dye It Blonde and were starting a tour, optimistic about the rest of the year. That optimism has surely paid off, as Austinist found when speaking with Cullen about Smith Westerns' touring evolution, Ramones influences, and the fact that they are not a garage rock band. more ›

The early story of Smith Westerns sounds like the story of that time you and your best friend from high school formed a band: brothers Cullen (guitar, lead vocals) and Cameron Omori (bass) and Max Kakacek (lead guitar) recorded their debut self-titled album in Kakacek's basement while the trio were still attending Chicago's Northside College Prep. The album had a strong D.I.Y. aesthetic, full of grimy, Nuggets-inspired rock with some serious hooks and a streak of T.Rex and David Bowie glam. In short order - thanks to "the power of the internet," says Cullen Omori - Smith Westerns found a distributor in Chicago-based singles label HoZac Records, went on tour with Girls, quit college after one semester, and signed with Fat Possum. more ›

While we here at Austinist primarily review music on CD, digitally, or on eight-track cassette, we do have a longstanding love of vinyl. Here we’ll take a look at five recent “7 singles put out by musicians both local and from afar. more ›