The Blakes, who don’t have a schtick to wax clever about. They’re just straight-up gritty Seattle garage rock. They sing tweaked rock songs about misbehaving that sound like they were recorded in a toolshed. If we’ve gotten to the point where that sound comes off as retro, it’s more a quirk of our times than the Blakes’. After all, there aren’t many places better for making music than a garage. more ›

SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early. more ›

Photo of White Denim courtesy City on Fire The Blakes w/ White Denim, Golden Boys, The HugsTuesday, Nov. 13The Mohawk (912 Red River)Free Show[info]If by some chance you have not yet experienced the thrill that is a White Denim show, there's no excuse after tonight. They'll be playing a free show at the Mohawk, alongside The Blakes, Golden Boys and The Hugs. The Blakes are a three piece outfit from Seattle, touring in support of... more ›

Efterklang Parades (Leaf) The Danish sextet known as Efterklang (the Danish word for reverberation) have quietly released a couple of wonderfully subtle, ethereal, electronica albums since 2001, but Parades might finally get the band the attention they deserve outside of their homeland. The band is still focused on softly layered electronic veneers between lush symphonic embellishments and chorus-style vocal arrangements, but there's an oomph here that we've missed before. A sort of urgency drives... more ›