Results tagged “whitedenim”

Rep. Nasishat 'steps in' KUT controversy.

It’s no secret that we’ve been fans of White Denim for a long time. And for good reason. The band has churned out a handful of excellent records, and on stage, the trio of James Petralli, Steve Terebecki, and Josh Block exhibit an instinctive chemistry, combining effortlessly to execute their calculated sonic experiments. Although the new record Fits dropped in the U.K. this past June (read our review here), it finally saw an official release in the U.S. earlier this week and the boys will mark this momentous occasion at The Mohawk on Saturday night with a typically robust performance, no doubt.

Head down to campus, find the communications building, and get ready to rock in the ACL Studios this afternoon from 3-5 p.m. The band has an open call for extras and you're invited ... head out!

It’s interesting that White Denim, a band that’s already joined the vanguard of recent Austin attention-grabbers (Shearwater, Harlem, Black Joe Lewis, et al.), has yet to see a physical release of their music supported with even a modicum of distribution in their home state. That’s set to change on October 20th, when Downtown Music will finally release Fits, the band’s second (third if you count their UK debut Workout Holiday) and most adventurous LP domestically. Actually, adventurous is an understatement: it’s head-spinning how much they pack into the record’s economical 37 minutes. Fits is a short but dense blast of moody, psychedelic soul that careens from hard-edged funk and breezy soul, to straight up psych rock with flourishes of jazz and dub. It manages to be in nine places at once without feeling directionless or schizophrenic. The trio is incredibly tight, and the song structures and time changes are so fascinating that you have to occasionally stop and ask yourself, how the hell are they doing this? However they conjured it up, Fits is an excellent, occasionally face-melting rock album that deserves to be played loudly and often by many more people than are currently familiar with it.

• Built to Spill is coming to Stubb's in October
• Riverboat Gamblers have a new music video for "Victory Lap".
Continue reading "Music News & Notes: Denim, Harlem, Gamblers & More"

Last night, Rare Magazine celebrated at the Long Center with local bands, food and beverages from local vendors, and fireworks. Harlem, White Denim and Grupo Fantasma were on hand, as well as DJ Manny. All photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana.

Cheers to solid shows at the Parish! An ample bar stretches across the length of the East wall providing easily accessible drink-receipt stations, making transactions painless, even if you're as drunk as Lucinda Williams at jury duty. Moreover, the sound is spot-on and the woman behind the board is a complete mensch. If you're lucky enough to nail down a good lineup, you're sittin' pretty ATX-style.

As usual, there’s a fortitude of great music to catch this weekend. But tonight’s lineup at the Parish has got us itching for the work week to end. Three promising acts — Ume, Corto Maltese and White Denim — are teaming up to bring some local flavor to music overloaded souls.

We definitely want to see you at our Local Music Is Sexy 7 party on Saturday night at the Pure Volume House (RSVP) but we have to mention that one of our favorite local bands White Denim is back in action on the same night at Red Eyed Fly. The trio was truly amazing at our Local Music Is Sexy 5 shindig last SXSW; we caught up with James Petralli from the band this week to assess the band’s plan for a new record in 2009; read our interview further below.

Used to be the word “garage” was the template and the starting point for most if not all of rock and roll. Whether the garage was literal was irrelevant - the term could apply to a basement, empty room or vacant storage space/warehouse, or really anyplace a band could put their roots down, plug in equipment and then plug away at songs without disturbing the peace. Back then, rough demos were cut onto cassette tape (putting a pillow over the built-in microphone helped stifle cymbal noise), and “in the garage” recordings were the first and easiest way to get the word out about a project.

Some good news for folks looking for free music, beer and good times during SXSW music: Gorilla vs Bear's annual Gorilla vs Booze party has been announced, and the lineup isn't anything to sneeze at.

Produced by the Downtown Austin Alliance, Action Figure, and KLRU-TV, Lonestar Emmy award-winning show DOWNTOWN offers insightful glimpses into urban life here in Austin. Focusing on the inevitable vignettes that make up our experience here in this special community, Downtown has become one of the most-watched programs here in Austin and beyond.

Yesterday, White Denim is soft-releasing their new album, Exposion, online only through TopSpin Media (if it sounds familiar, it might be because Byrne & Eno just released Everything That Happens Will Happen Today on the same platform).

As the dust settled on another ACL Fest, a storm of a different kind brewed at the Austin Ventures stage where local act White Denim turned in a whirlwind performance. The band eased into their set via "Migration Wind," a breezy instrumental piece that gradually gathered momentum and showcased James Petralli's prowess on the guitar. "All You Really Have To Do" followed immediately, and by the time "Mess Your Hair Up" arrived, the audience was pumping their fists in conjunction with each Petralli howl, clearly invigorated by the sonic explosion.

Okay, okay, so everyone loves White Denim. Or, if you don't love White Denim, you probably haven't heard of them or are in denial. But let's put off talk of them for a moment, because they're just one of the seven oft-awesome acts taking turns, swapping out, roughing up, breaking down, moving through, and bashing in the Austin Ventures Stage this wonderful Sunday. As usual, the Austin Ventures Stage can be counted on for a fabulous variety of acts, and this lineup is no exception, as acts as excellent as Scott H. Biram, Heartless Bastards, Kevin Fowler, and Priscilla Ahn make it a stage worth a sit or a stand.

You're looking at photos contributed by Erin, and below the cut you'll see some more, courtesy Nash Cook and Josh Huck. Summer Extrav-O-Ganza III was presented by Green Potato Ventures, Austinist, Party Ends, Transmission Entertainment, and Super!Alright!, Cacophony Recorders, and Annie Ray Photography.

It's always a sad thing when an old friend stops hanging out. And that's the sentiment sure to be held this Thursday night as Brazos, one of Austin's most solid acts the past few years, hangs up their skins and axes for good. But let's not be too sad for them—the reason for their untimely departure from the Austin scene is that the drummer got into Harvard. Harvard! But really, their nearly flawless approach to pop-folk-rock (the band has existed for only a few years, but they play together like seasoned veterans) will be missed. But don't lose too much sleep—though the drummer will be departing for cooler climes, the rest of the band is sticking around, and new homes surely will be found for the tunes the remaining members write.

As ever, the Daytrotter.com crew acknowledges all Austin has to offer in the way of incredible music. This week, they're featuring a session by Bill Baird's {{{Sunset}}}, featuring an unreleased tune called "Loveshines, Part II".

Alejandro Escovedo's new record, Real Animal comes out today. Geeks: the vinyl edition has a cover of the Stooges' "I Got a Right". If you missed him on the Today Show this morning, catch him this weekend at the Keep Austin Weird Fest.

Friday night will be quite the night at Antone's, as indie-pop wonderboys Tapes 'n Tapes take the stage with their pleasantly simple hooks and choruses. On the backs of their debut release, The Loon, the Minnesota quartet forged themselves a river of hype that extended all the way from Blogland to Spin to Rolling Stone, as the album borrowed liberally from stalwarts like the Pixies and Pavement and made something brand-new from the parts. And now, with the release of their somewhat tentative sophomore album, Walk It Off, they are establishing themselves as a band with a solid and immediately recognizable sound, not to mention a live show that has garnered no shortage of raves.

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.

Saturday Saturday Saturday! It's a bounty of goodness unlike anything most people of privilege (or non-privilege) have seen, seeming that it is filled not only with SXSW's usual wealth of day-funs and joys and diversities, but that it is also privy to the wonderment that is Mess With Texas 2, a noon-to-ten cornucopia of music and comedy at Waterloo Park. It's sort of like a day of Fun Fun Fun Fest plus comedy minus the price plus the knowledge that there's great stuff going on everywhere else as well. So let's get to it, and all the other great stuff going on EVERYWHERE, shall we? Mess With Texas 2 @ Waterloo Park At this event, it's almost ridiculous what a wide range of musics you'll be able to see, from electro-folk to softcore-punk to anti-pop to alterna-world to whatever-other-hyphenated-genre-you-could-possibly-fabricate. Headlining are the Kim Deal-led Breeders and late-nineties punk-stars NOFX, but they are just icing on the cake of a day that features acts as intriguing as the inimitable Islands and the ever-so-subtle Atlas Sound. And, take a deep breath, because also lining up on one of the three stages is rise-from-the-ashes-via-Juno story Kimya Dawson, the mysteriously-spelled Wooden Shjips, hype-machine Simian Mobile Disco, quick risers Yeasayer, Monotonix, and No Age. And in case you haven't already caught them, this may be a convenient time to check out local respectables Shearwater and White Denim. Seriously, though, that's a ridiculous list already, and it's really just the beginning. And it's free, for God's sake! And there was some comedy at this Mess With Texas thing, too, right? Yeah, you can expect some laughs from the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, and Eugene Mirman, among a veritable slew of others. Make sure to get there before the sun goes down if you want to check that out, though, because we all know humor goes best with some sunshine.

Two days after SXSW kicks off and our city becomes a living, breathing conglomeration of people from all walks of life, Austinist presents Local Music is Sexy at the PureVolume Ranch. Past Local Music is Sexy events have showcased acts such as The Black Angels, Brothers and Sisters, The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, Black Before Red, and IV Thieves to name a few. Last year, we remember dancing the night away to Car Stereo (Wars)’ mad mash-ups, drinking free Red Bull (among other things), and having a go at the sweet Wii set up in that little lounge at the location. All in all, an excellent time.

At a time when so many indie dramas focus on directionless white twenty-somethings, it's refreshing (if not downright invigorating) to see a film about two black twenty-somethings who have no ostensible interest in dancefighting, and who have plenty to say about relationships, identity, and cultural displacement.

The ol’ Compound next to Scoot Inn on the east side is throwing a party, and you’re invited! How about that! Also invited: three awesome bands for your listening pleasure. There’s a cover of just three measly bucks, and it’s B.Y.O.B. If you’re looking to kick-start your weekend with good tunes, look no further, but make sure to save some of your hearing for Saturday night’s Black Lips/White Denim show, for sure.

Monochrome is having a big night this Saturday, with the rebellious flower-punk of Atlanta’s Black Lips coming together with our own freewheelin’ sons of garage rock, White Denim.

“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.

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.

Item: The organizers at SXSW have responded to years of complaints about long lines and short notice by dramatically revising the wristband system for the 2008 festival. 4,000 wristbands priced at $139 are reserved exclusively for Austinites and will be distributed via an online lottery system that commences at 9am on Thursday, February 21st. There is a four-day period for sign-up, then the festival will let the winners know they've been selected shortly thereafter. All registrants must live in the Austin area - a credit card with an Austin metro area billing zip code will be required (this generously stretches as far as San Marcos, Georgetown, and Taylor). One can purchase two wristbands, but one of them must be for the purchaser...and the recipient of the second one must be named when placing an order.