Ian Moore made the move from Austin to Seattle a couple of years ago, and his development from an exciting blues guitarist to equally stirring singer-songwriter has been an intriguing journey for his fans. His latest release, To Be Loved, out now on Justice Records, is a wonderful collection of pop tunes with just a touch of blues, suitable for any city. Besides his many albums, Moore has opened in the past for The... more ›

If you've seen You're Gonna Miss Me, Kevin MacAlester's unflinchingly intimate documentary about the bewildering life and times of Austin's own psychedelic-rock icon Roky Erikson, you were probably left wondering, with good reason, what direction Roky's life took when the cameras stopped rolling. Years of untreated schizophrenia, shock therapy and acid trips had taken such a toll on the erstwhile rock star that he seemed unable--or unwilling--to contemplate life beyond a spacey Grey Gardens-like... more ›

Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.) Folksy but freakish Portlanders Blitzen Trapper have yet to be scooped up by Zach Braff, but that's probably only because they're still on the fringes of too weird. Yet, between soothing and familiar odes to old Grateful Dead tunes and powerful plays towards anti-genre adorableness, the odd sextet manage to capture the listener's attention while totally defying their own. Eccentric, playful and genuine songs fuse 70's goofball... more ›

The SIMS Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to providing low-cost counseling and other mental health services to Austin-area musicians and their families. They're currently running a special online auction over on eBay, to help raise funds for the organization. Check out awesome, custom-designed Gibson Les Paul electric guitars like: Mike Judge's portrait of "Butthead" Bob Schneider's abstract, "Rock, Sex, Drugs, and Roll" Billy Gibbons' (ZZ Top) "Gold Signature" Robert Hurst's "Jimmy Page Tribute"... more ›

Back in the day, rollerskating was the shit. Every Friday night involved some four-wheeled, toe-braking action to the sounds of ZZ Top, The Bangles, Pseudo Echo, [insert ubiquitous 80s country/western singer/band for “slow skate”] and The Cars. Young kids flocked to the rinks for a night of profiling, chili-dog eating, and hoping no one would see them fall on their ass. Mustachioed post-high school goons set up shop in the parking lot to blast... more ›