Prepare to shake off your turkey slumbers and forget about Black Friday madness. The musical highlight of this holiday weekend happens at Emo’s on Saturday night. Their soon-to-close room on Red River (12/30) will host one of Texas’ finest instrumental ensembles, This Will Destroy You, in a perfectly intimate setting. more ›

On Sunday night, The Parish hosted one of the strongest and most diverse concert bills to roll through Austin since SXSW. Instrumental doomgaze innovators and veritable I-35 locals This Will Destroy You headlined the touring debut of new haunt-rockers The Nighty Nite, with electronica and vocal artist John LaMonica delivering one strongest performances by an up and coming opening act that anyone’s likely to encounter. All of these artists have significant new releases out this spring that would justify making separate trips to see each. Fortunately for us, after winding through the Midwest, East Coast and Deep South, this tour closed-out in Austin, the capital of the state that most of these artists call home. more ›

Out there in real-world land, quite a few of you haven't heard that the Parlor on North Loop is closing. It is, but not before a big celebration. In particular, Sunday night features Jerri Sinfeld's Atrophied Sac, ST 37, Foot Foot, Book Of Shadows, a project called Not Daniel Johnston, Destroyed For Comfort, and many more. more ›

We mentioned that Pure X's Romance is set for release on July 5th, and now we have some more news regarding the reverb-loving trio. The band are putting out an EP called You're In It Now as a joint release from Light Lodge and Acéphale. Here's a new video from the title track of that EP.

pure x - you're in it now from Scott Gelber on Vimeo.

After releasing the stunningly brilliant Forget last year, the only question left of George Lewis Jr. was how well his take on '80s new-wave romanticism would translate into a live setting. He was the sole individual responsible for crafting those ten slices of near perfection, and the idea that he would simply replicate those sounds while standing behind a laptop would never do them justice. Wisely, his live iteration includes three other musicians to help him realize his sound, as well as give him plenty of opportunities to prove himself as a front man. This is exactly what happened on Thursday at Central Presbyterian Church during their set at Pitchfork’s showcase. The pristine basslines and synth flourishes that dominated most of the album were present and accounted for, and it was clear that Lewis recruited some very capable musicians to back him up. This was readily apparent from opener “Slow,” which contained an alternate (ahem) slowed down intro, and that same kind of tight musicianship permeated throughout the rest of the band’s set, including the romantic “At My Heels” and eerie “Castles in The Snow.” more ›

We were going to begin this weekend preview with a crack about how soon all music will turn into this for the duration of the year, but then we realized we made basically the exact same comment last week. So let's just skip it and start talking about what's going on in town this weekend. more ›

What’s the Deal: As far as instrumental groups go, Austin has its fair share - Balmorhea, Explosions in the Sky, Calm Blue Sea. Why not add San Marcos’ This Will Destroy You to that score card? After all, it’s only about a 30 minute drive to the building and bursting of this foursome’s ambient to supernova sound. Their music is full of atmospheric guitar tangles and sparse but powerful rhythms. The band began gaining positive buzz the same year they formed, in 2005, with the release of their first EP, Young Mountain. Later came their self-titled full-length on Magic Bullet Records. And, this year, they released a split with another Magic Bullet band, Lymbyc System. more ›

Hey, happy anniversary to Emo's! They said it best: "Emo’s has seen its fair share of bands come through the doors, some going on to wild success and some that probably should have just stayed home and not wasted the money on a tour." Very true, and their longstanding tradition of booking and hosting bands from all over the world has now entered its sixteenth year. more ›

This Will Destroy You is a hyperbole with a wink, but only slightly. Masters of the thrash-y guitar climax borne of humble, pensive expositions, there's a lot to blow your hair back, and if you just had a messy break-up or a secondary relative die, you're probably going to be more susceptible to actual - albeit, temporary - destruction by the moving instrumental anthems they craft. more ›

Stubb's indoors will host your fill of contemplative instrumental tunes this evening, so come out tonight to fulfill your recommended dose of dreamy lap-pop, spacey guitar work and thick reverb with a trio of performances from upcoming acts. more ›

WEDNESDAY [31] dj • fStar, a biweekly project about "living, breathing, moving graffiti" coupled with a live soundtrack at Jo's on 2nd Street (8-10pm, Free) dj • Cut Club at The Mohawk music • The Lymbyc Systym, This Will Destroy You, Loren Dent at Emo's music • Live Oak Decline, Sounds Under Radar at Stubb's music • Brother Will, Carley Wolf, Stoney's Spoken Word (featuring the Golden Boys) at Beerland music • Militant Babies,... more ›

Whether you think of it as a test run for SXSW, a belated Christmas present to local music fans, or an excuse to drink for seven days straight, Emo's Free Week kicks off today with a schedule of acts that reads like a who's-who of local punk, indie, and rock. As the showcases are all without cover, we'd recommend getting there early. Emo's Free Week January 2-8 603 Red River Tuesday, January 2 Inside:... more ›

This Saturday night, Peel will be sharing some stage with The Happy Bullets (Oak Cliff, TX), Caspian (by way of Boston), and This Will Destroy You (San Marcos – holla!) at Beerland. All we have to say is: Peel better play Oxford, because that song is the total shit. It also appears that hometown playas, Peel, are working with Peek a Boo Records (see their profile here). Rumor has it that they already self-produced... more ›

Austin’s AM Syndicate pulls together some of the best musicians in town from some of our most well known bands to create an experimental multi-piece super group. After two self-released EPs, the band traveled to Chicago this fall to record their first full-length album, Empire, with Sick Room Records. Empire is an interesting record. Yes, “interesting” is often thrown around as a label for artistic endeavors taken on by your friends that you cannot... more ›

Our comprehensive theatre guide can be found here M O N D A Y [13][film] Ralph Nelson's "Tick…Tick…Tick" at Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Alamo Music Mondays presents "Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon" at Drafthouse Downtown (9:45pm) (link) [comedy] "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" at Drafthouse South Lamar (10:15pm) (link) [film] "Coachella" at Drafthouse Village (9:45pm) (link) T U E S D A Y [14] [party/music] The White Ghost Shivers Valentine's Day Ball at... more ›