Austin Sound Check

C3 Presents announced that the lineup for ACL 2008 will be released on April 15. That is a full month earlier than in previous years.
Rumors are rampant that Pearl Jam or Radiohead will be headlining. So far Eli Young Band, Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Fowler are the only artists that can be independently confirmed.
Others rumored to be playing ACL 2008 include:
Allman Brothers
REM
Jack Johnson
My Morning Jacket
Death Cab for Cutie
Wilco
Drive By Truckers
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rogue Wave
Band of Horses
Rilo Kiley
The Avett Brothers
Vampire Weekend
Okkervil River
Matt Costa
Ghostland Observatory
Weezer
Counting Crows
Dave Matthews Band
Neil Young
I’ll keep you in the loop with updates, including the official announcement on 4/15. …read more

1 Comment

Jack White project The Raconteurs have announced a short run of tour dates, including a two night stop at Stubb’s in Austin. Full tour listing is below.
The presale starts tomorrow 3/20 at noon here: May 2 & May 3. Password: consolerskrox.
The Raconteurs new album Consolers of the Lonely was announced yesterday, 3/18 and will be released one week later on Tuesday 3/25. Click here for an article on the unusual timing of the album, including the official press release, which states:
The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised. We wanted …read more

Comments Off

Our music channel editor, Mike, occasionally interviews a b5 music blogger. This time around, it is Jason Bean of Christian Music Fan. His interview is below.
BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: JASON BEAN

What blog do you write?

I write for Christian Music Fan. I’ve grown up in the church all my life so there’s anobvious connection to Christian music. I’ve also spent some time living in Nashville and Franklin, TN so I’ve got some contacts in the industry as well.
How long have you been blogging?
I’ve been blogging now for about 3 years seriously. It’s been a terrific ride but there’s been a lot …read more

Comments Off

This week I’m starting a regular feature on recommended shows in Austin. This listing will feature both local and roadshows of all genres. Whether you’re new in town or just looking for something fun to do for the night, look for this post each week. I’ll have it up by Monday afternoon most weeks. I’ve been a bit under the weather, thus the late post this week.

Thursday 3/20
Muchos Backflips & Bee vs. Moth @ Room 710

Friday 3/21
The Story Of @ The Parish

Saturday 3/22
Scott H. Biram @ Red Eyed Fly

Sunday 3/23
Total Foxes @ Hole in the …read more

1 Comment

SXSW Day 3 got off to a late start, but I caught Flosstradamus opening for Santogold. Disappointing wasn’t even the right word for these two acts. Flosstradamus consisted of two guys with laptops. I saw turntables up there, but I didn’t see them used. Call me old school, but computers do not a musician make. I would have been satisfied if the turntables were used, but alas they weren’t. Seemed like expensive stage props to me. Flosstradamus played a set of remixes and heavy sampling. Good party music, to be sure, but I really hesitate to call these guys musicians. …read more

Comments Off

Day Two of SXSW 2008 started off right, as my first show of the day was The Cliks. They played at Creekside Lounge, which is a pretty small venue, so I was concerned about getting there early and whatnot. I was not going to miss this show. Luckily, the show wasn’t very full. I also had my first drink of the day (Bacardi & diet) which the bartender mixed at about 75% rum and 25% cola. Ouch. But, if you’re into blindingly strong drinks, I recommend Creekside Lounge for all your boozing needs.
The sound was horrible at Creekside, so bad …read more

2 Comments

In previous years, SXSW Music week has typically been a rainy one. We had some pretty harsh thunderstorms earlier this week, so I was concerned that it would be more of the same for SXSW 2008. My worries melted away in the warm sun yesterday, as it was a beautiful day in Austin, and a fantastic day to be out and about for SXSW.
Most of the prime shows I want to see are Thursday (today) and Saturday, so I spent the better part of the afternoon strolling around getting situated. There are always a lot of music venues in Austin, …read more

2 Comments

As the beginning of SXSW Music draws near, I’m scrambling to finalize some sort of list of the bands I’ll be seeing this year. There isn’t nearly enough time to cover them all, so below are some highlights with links, so you can check them out. Though (hopefully) you’ll already be familiar with some of them. Bands are in no particular order…
The Cool Kids (Chicago, IL)
Old school hip-hop. Two MCs and one DJ style. Think early Beastie Boys.
Recommended Tracks: I (Mikey) Rock / Gold and a Pager
Website
Shout Out Louds (Stockholm, Sweden)
Melodic, up-tempo alt rock. Sweet, sweet vocal harmonies.
Recommended Tracks: Impossible …read more

1 Comment

This is the final installment in my four part series on Austin musicians showcasing at SXSW 2008. It could have easily been twice as long, with all the talent Austin brings to the table. The impending doom of four straight days of music and mayhem downtown has forced me to abbreviate this feature. I’ll be bringing you one final preview piece, running down the list of national and international must-see acts, followed by play-by-play, beer-by-beer coverage of the festival itself. Standby for takeoff…
Carolyn Wonderland
Every time I recommend Carolyn Wonderland to someone, I compare her vocals and sheer passion to Janis …read more

Comments Off

By the time Friday night during SXSW week rolls around, the crowds really start to show their wear and tear. This is the third full day of music, drinking and mayhem for some. Fear not, brave music fans, as Austin bands will be out in full force to re-energize you quicker than a can of Red Bull.

This is part three in a series of features highlighting Austin musicians selected to play SXSW 2008. This post highlights bands showcasing on Friday 3/14. Click to read Part One: Wednesday 3/12 and Part Two: Thursday 3/13.

White Denim
Anyone with even a cursory knowledge …read more

2 Comments