Matador records describes newish signees The Cave Singers as "folk music approached by way of punk rock," and apparently this Seattle band didn't have an inclination to work in this genre in the first place - it just worked out that way. It's moody, maudlin stuff, and the kind of genre-splicing act that fits right into the Matador roster, which includes everything from Matmos to Shearwater, Cat Power to Mission of Burma. ...

Austinist Indieroke: The Second Chapter begins next Sunday the 25th at The Mohawk’s sweet outdoor deck next to their brilliantly renovated Green Room. Fret not though because all the classic tunes you’ve grown to love in our karaoke collection are still available for you to enhance (or slaughter) with your personal renditions. But we are confident that you will love our new ideas and incentives. First off, there is an Austinist Indieroke MySpace page now. Get in there and add us as a friend -- photographs of all our contest nominees and winners shall be archived there in our “Hall Of Mirrors” because “even the greatest stars find their face in the looking glass / even the greatest stars live their lives in the looking glass.”...

Founded in 2000, Kentucky post-rock outfit Foxhole specialize in (largely) instrumental epics that utilize the tried and tested routine of building songs layer by layer until the desired crescendo and ensuing coda can take full effect. The band’s early compositions employed a number of instruments, some generic, others self-created, while the trumpet is heavily featured on most of their work. Previous recordings in Church settings have accentuated their sound with a distinct, spacious element and Foxhole’s intricate arrangements include exhilarating moments of clarity perfect for pacifying far reaching emotions. The act falls within the Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky family tree (relatively speaking) and their grand soundscapes should definitely appease fans of the genre. Their newest EP, Push/Pull is available off their official website as is their 2004 debut full-length We the Wintering Tree....

Kid Koala, or Eric San started experimenting with record players at a young age and has been a vanguard in the turntablism field for over a decade now. He brings his jazz flavored, hip-hop influenced concoctions to The Mohawk this Wednesday. Kid Koala compositions range from downtempo electro beats to movie and T.V. soundtrack-esque backdrops, and his use of a diverse array of samples always keeps things interesting. His impressive resume includes collaborations with the likes of Gorillaz and remixes of acts such as Coldcut. And since both the opening acts, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist and Rae Davis are Kid Koala fans, we decided to check in with them regarding Eric San’s influence on the genre and also recent developments with their own projects. Check out some of their insightful (and hilarious) responses starting below and enter for a chance to win free tickets to the show after the jump....

Disturbing psycho-sexual lyricism, multifaceted percussion skills, quivering vocals, all combined with curious extroversion and a skewed appreciation for cuteness? This can be none other than the damaged experimental rock outfit Xiu Xiu, who will play The Mohawk’s outside stage this Saturday. Xiu Xiu’s has a knack for combining whimsy and pain, and we recently called them out as “one of the most excellent and fascinating bands of the decade” in our review of their last record, Women as Lovers. ...

There was the unexpected acoustic Decemberists set. Then there was the sudden Spoon gig. This Sunday, The Mohawk revives this exciting tradition with a surprise show featuring Bill Callahan. Callahan first came into prominence under the Smog moniker; his collection of work from previous decades has stood the test of time while 2005's A River Ain't Too Much to Love is quite simply a masterpiece. In April of last year, Drag City released Woke on a Whaleheart; you can read our review here....

Austinist Indieroke is back in action tonight. Come on down to The Mohawk and sing away your hump day blues. We are expecting some of our regulars to do wonderful renditions of songs ranging from "Young Folk" by Peter Bjorn & John to "Easy" by The Commodores, and from "Creep" by Radiohead to "Material Girl" by Madonna. But we definitely want to see some new blood in the mix. Will it be you who takes a stab at "Never Ending Math Equation" (Modest Mouse) or "All The Wine" (The National)? Or maybe you're just so excited about this breaking news that there's a performance of "Open Arms", "Never", or "Dream Police" lurking within you, waiting to be unleashed....

SXSW provided ample opportunities for all of us to indulge in mass quantities of live music and overwhelming amounts of events but really, what are we left with now? Besides the rumors, archived concerts, and what not, hopefully each one of us can look back now to realize we found fresh inspiration from some form of art or discovered a new idol whose work will get us through our daily rat race....

Because we love you so very much, we've gone ahead and put together a special mini-site dedicated to this year's SXSW Festival....

Austinist & Gothamist are proud to announce our SXSW day party, taking place on Wednesday, March 12 at the Mohawk. The party kicks off around 11 a.m., and the day ends at 6, but not before Shout Out Louds, Shearwater, Liam Finn and Phosphorescent perform. As usual, the party is free, open to all. See you then!...

Kick off this weekend early on Thursday at Antone’s with music from Black Joe Lewis, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, and The Best Love In Town on the special occasion of The Versatile Syndicate’s “Launch Party.” The entity is now open for business, and their agenda is to aid any artist in pursuing their dreams and professional development via booking/tour management, consulting, live production, and so on. This event is a part of the Austin Music Foundation’s Love Austin Music Month and cover for AMF members is $5. The rest of us mere mortals can get in for $10. The shindig also marks AMF's 6th Birthday; free cake and food (courtesy of Whole Foods Market) and free 2008 She Rocks Calendars while the goodies last....

When the band Minor Threat dissolved, lead singer Ian MacKaye famously declared he wanted his next project to sound "like the Stooges with reggae.” For about fifteen years, Fugazi was that band, whose atypical sound and grounded approach to touring and performing have made them legendary, and nearly deistic to their many granola-punk followers....

Sonic Boom (a.k.a. Peter Kember) makes his 2nd appearance in Austin within the last six months at The Mohawk on Saturday. Since our city regularly hosts acts numerous times in a year, this might not seem too extraordinary. But this is no ordinary act -- Sonic Boom was once part of the legendary British outfit Spacemen 3 whose psychedelic innovations influenced many of the bands you might listen to today....

“Ever wanted to be a space ship pilot in an 8-bit Nintendo game?” With that subject title, the latest press release from local synth-pop outfit Built By Snow grabbed our attention well before we even ventured into deep space. The “rad dudes” rescue a princess in the brilliant video for “Underneath”, the first song on their debut EP Noise, eventually scoring cheeseburgers for their troubles. The video incorporates plenty of eye catching imagery and retro animation and the result is a hilarious conglomeration of pop culture influences....

If you love booze and cinema, well, have we got a deal for you. Cine Las Americas, Austin's own multicultural, non-profit media arts center, will be holding Chicha 56, a combo happy hour and after party fundraiser to benefit this year's programming. The event comes a mere 56 days before the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival kicks off....

The Mohawk presents a solid double bill of local pop this evening. The Lemurs have been writing new material over the last few months and a handful of those songs will be included in their set tonight. The band enjoyed a stellar 2007 -- highlights included licensing their music to NBC show Las Vegas (as well as an Australian indie flick called Newcastle) and touring with Canadian act Stars. This past Sunday, ME Television telecast a 2nd ME Live! featuring The Lemurs' shimmering melodies in concert at a recent La Zona Rosa gig....

The iconic Grant Hart, of well-earned Hüsker Dü fame, headlines for Grand Champeen and The Service Industry tonight inside the Mohawk. Hüsker Dü, for those of you who don't remember, or are merely too young to have been a part of their revolution, were one of the most influential hardcore punk bands in history. Not only were they one of the first underground successes to sign to a major label, but they were the first group to truly weave melody into the greater punkrock mentality. Basically, without their influence, we wouldn't have had bands like the Pixies, Green Day, and some little garage outfit called Nirvana. And Grant Hart, my friends, was Hüsker Dü's drummer and part-time songwriter....

Hey everybody, we're giving away two tickets to the Liars/No Age show at the Mohawk on Saturday! Winners are also invited to a late Happy Hour (8-8:30) with Liars before the show. Details and concert entry form after the jump...but first, backstory:...

New York songstress Nina Nastasia stops by the Mohawk tonight at the near-beginning of what will become a sprawling world-wide tour, meeting up with Denton's well-liked Tre Orsi and the local Silver Pines in the process. Nastasia has garnered herself quite the underground momentum, moving from humble roots as an untethered musician wandering her way through the dimly-lit club scene, to an artist with international demand and the respect of idolized names such as producer Steve Albini and Dirty Three drummer Jim White. Her debut album, Dogs, is impossible to find and is futilely sought in a way not unfamiliar to Belle & Sebastian's debut cut, Tigermilk. But she's not just a machine for hype---she plays some pretty fine music, too, using her acoustic guitar and a knack for captivating storytelling to cut through the muck of singer-songwriter-dom to create a niche all her own. And that niche has her and her band being called everything from "remarkable" to "enrapturing" to "inspired" by critics....

Our Indieroke night returns this Tuesday to The Mohawk. What started out as a one-off fling with rock stardom has turned into a monthly gathering of like-minded folks craving that fleeting moment of exhilaration. If you haven’t made it to one yet, we strongly recommend getting there in a timely fashion to get your name and song on the list early…and often. (You know who you are!) We will have multiple song list books going forward to ease that pain....

The Invincible Czars have long had a knack for blending rock with various genres to create entertaining concoctions and unexpected inventions. From ska to metal, from jazz to country, a Czars live show twists and turns through a variety of rhythms and tempos, all while demonstrating their astute musicianship....

Our Indieroke night returns this Tuesday to The Mohawk. What started out as a one-off fling with rock stardom has turned into a monthly gathering of like-minded folks craving that fleeting moment of exhilaration. If you haven’t made it to one yet, we strongly recommend getting there in a timely fashion to get your name and song on the list early…and often. (You know who you are!) We will have multiple song list books going forward to ease that pain....

Even after the sketch comedy gem The State was grounded prematurely (and where’s that DVD already?) it hasn’t stopped Michael Showalter or Ian Black from bounding into many more comedic projects in the ensuing years....

Six Organs of Admittance, complete with awkward band name and bootfulls of whispery/screechy talent, will be taking this town by storm (or sea, or desert cyclone) tonight at the Mohawk. Serving up super-soothing melodies mixed with squalls of distortion to make one big ball of twine, psych-folk style, Six Organs has over the last ten years developed an utterly unique sound, as well as a veritable sand dune of critical acclaim. While they usually tend toward the contemplative and hauntingly beautiful, their most recent album, Shelter from the Ash, has some disturbingly dead-on rockers sure to shake the Mohawk all the way to the lake. And did we mention that Six Organs' frontman Ben Chasney is a guitar god?...

On Wednesday at the Salvage Vanguard theatre, a character named Ethan Master of the Hawaiian Ukulele stripped down to his bathing suit, donned a hat and colorful lei, and then stood on his amp to proclaim, via song, “I heard noise-pop is in.” You know Ethan, you might be right. And leading the fray are none other than our own Peel, a magnanimously kick-ass band whose bits of unbridled feedback and synthesizer explosions are balanced with a collective appreciation for the types of melodies that make ears smile. With some out-of-town friends, Peel will play The Mohawk this Sunday as a fitting end to a great week of music. ...

Emo’s Free Week has come and gone, but the venue and the city march on with a buffet of mouth-watering shows available for consumption tonight. Eclectic beats from Dan Deacon pace Emo’s inside stage (as a part of the Ultimate Reality Tour) while Steamroller, She Craves, Killer Crocs of Uganda, and The Banner Year rock Emo’s Lounge....

Austinist Present IndieRoke
Wednesday, January 9th
The Mohawk (912 Red River)
10pm-2am, free
[info]