Austin Sound Check

The 6th Annual Keep Austin Weird 5K & Festival is slated for this Saturday at Auditorium Shores.  Alejandro Escovedo headlines and is joined on the bill by ACL artists What Made Milwaukee Famous and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears.
If you aren’t lucky enough to attending this years ACL Festival, this is your chance to see two homegrown ACL performers at a much cheaper ticket price.
For more information, including ticketing, visit the official Keep Austin Weird website. Full lineup is below.
8:30 PM – Alejandro Escovedo
7:15 PM – What Made Milwaukee Famous
6:15 PM – Black Joe Lewis and The Honey Bears
5:00 PM …read more

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The Live Music Taskforce was created by the Austin City Council to help address the growing concerns of Austin’s live music community. With subcommittees on entertainment districts, redevelopment, incentives & other financial concerns, sound control & ordinances, and program assistance for locals musicians, the Taskforce is addressing a large number of topics that effect everyone from the musicians & their fans to the venues and the homes & businesses that surround them.
The Program Assistance for Local Musicians subcommittee deals with government funding for musicians and local music-related business as well as city-aided private organizations like Austin Music Foundation, HAAM and …read more

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Papermag is reporting that Boy George was denied a U.S. visa for his upcoming North American tour. It is unclear if this means the tour, including a previously announced stop at Stubb’s in Austin, is cancelled.
First Amy Winehouse and M.I.A. and now Boy George. I, for one, am tired of these visa issues. Not only does this cost the musicians money, but it also denies income to the cities were tour stops were planned.
Stay tuned as details emerge.
Image: Newscom

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This week, I’ve got a good free show for you. IHeartComix is bringing Franki Chan & Co to Beauty Bar. RSVP information is also below. My local pick of the week has to be the Full Service / Muchos Backflips show at Flamingo Cantina on Saturday. It’s no secret I love Full Service. Combine that with Muchos Backflips and one the best downtown venues around… well it’s an irresistable combination. See you there!
Monday 6/23
Franki Chan, Radio Clit, Drop The Lime (IHeartComix Party – Free with RSVP) @ Beauty Bar
Tuesday 6/24
Voodoo Glow Skulls, Al Shire & The Henchmen & The …read more

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Confirming something all Austinites should surely know, Paste Magazine has named Waterloo Records one of the Top Record Stores in the nation. Paste even went so far as to designate Waterloo Records Best Record Store to Grow Up and Grow Old With.

WATERLOO RECORDS AUSTIN, TEXAS
Best Record Store to Grow Up and Grow Old With
Austin’s Waterloo Records has not only grown up with the Texas college-town/cultural crux, but has also stayed weird over the years. Teens find cool indie-rock 7-inches; college kids pick up Vampire Weekend or Criterion Collection DVDs, while their parents can buy Willie Nelson boxed sets and vintage …read more

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The tragic passing of UGK’s Pimp C was felt especially hard around the underground Texas rap scene, which UGK helped build into what it is today. Many touching tributes have been released, but none have struck me like Austin’s own Spin Alley performing One Day at a recent Momo’s show.
Ray Primm (of Austin band Primm) and Heavy guest on the song. Video below for your viewing pleasure.

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Squint performed last night at Antone’s as part of the The Recording Conservatory of Austin’s Best Unsigned Band Showcase. Recent Louisiana transplants, Squint gladly now calls Austin home.
First and foremost, if you’re of the American Apparel / Wayfarer-wearing Indie Hipster crowd, this band probably isn’t for you. Squint is fun pop rock. They don’t take themselves too seriously and succeed in creating a fun party atmosphere at their shows. Their crowds are having a good time and aren’t too cool to rock out. Squint is easily comparable to Bowling For Soup with a touch of Wheatus vocals (ala Teenage Dirtbag).
I …read more

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Recently reunited Toadies are set to hit the road again this summer, including a date at Stubb’s. Ticket’s for the show went on sale June 6 and are surprisingly not sold out yet. Toadies announced an extended touring schedule today, including Lollapalooza and Dia De Los Toadies, which will also feature Austinites Lions.
Tickets to their September 3 show at Stubb’s can be purchased on the Stubb’s website and are going for $25. Full tour itinerary is below along with live video from the Toadies show at Austin Music Hall in 2007.
June 2008
20 – San Antonio, TX – Sunset Station
21 – …read more

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This Saturday at Guero’s The Loyalty Firm presents First Day of Summer Festival. The show is 100% free and just happens to be at one of the best upscale taco joints in Austin. Be sure and get there early and see Built by Snow and then stick around for The Boxing Lesson. Full lineup and other details below.
Guero’s (on the patio)
www.guerostacobar.com
1412 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 447-7688
Noon – HMS Foolhardy
1pm – Built by Snow
2pm – Peel
3pm – MrandMrsmays
4pm – Benko
5pm – Nic Armstrong
6pm – The Calm Blue Sea
7pm – The Mercers
8pm – The Boxing Lesson

Image Courtesy The Loyalty Firm

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The Black & White Years have been selected as this week’s CMJ SonicBids spotlight artists, adding another line to their quickly growing resume. They’ve also struck a deal with RCRD LBL, conquered SXSW and are slated to play ACL this year.
Local and national media alike have endorsed The Black & White Years as an artist to watch in 2008. Fortunately for The Black & White Years, their big break was being discovered by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, who decided to produce their album after reviews drew comparisons between the two bands. Check The Black & White …read more

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