Austin Sound Check

The Calm Blue Sea is playing Emo’s this Saturday (10/4) to celebrate the release of their new self-titled album. Be sure and check out the album review from earlier this month. Definitely one to see, especially for fans of Explosions in the Sky.
Also on the bill for the night are The Midgetmen, Murdocks, and Hat Talk along with Businessman DJs.
If you’d like to attend the show at Emo’s, leave a comment here. We’re giving away a pair of tickets. Entries close Friday at midnight and the winner will be notified via email on Saturday morning. Good luck and happy commenting!
For …read more

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Best Set of The Day: Dan Dyer
Best Band I’d Never Heard Of: Autamata
Best Set I Wish I’d Seen: (tie) NERD and Jamie Liddell
Worst Set I Wish I’d Never Seen: Vampire Weekend
ACL kicked off on Friday with one of the best sets I’d see all weekend, courtesy of Austinite Dan Dyer. I previewed him before the festival began and he honestly lived up to every expectation I had. I can’t recommend Dan Dyer enough.
Another band that lived up to my expectations (albeit extremely low ones) was Vampire Weekend. They were so underwhelming I left halfway through their set. Despite my criticisms …read more

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What a weekend… whew! But I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing about ACL. If you didn’t go this weekend and are actually feeling like getting out to see music, I’ve got this week’s show recommendations below, totally ACL-free and with a healthy dose of the heavy stuff.
Monday 9/29
Cut Copy & The Presets @ Emo’s
Electro goodness that’s coming to town on a major wave of blog buzz.
Tuesday 9/30
Charanga Cakewalk @ Continental Club
Latin lounge with indie flair. Charanga will be in residence at Continential Club each Tuesday in October.
Thursday 10/1
Southpaw Jones @ Flipnotics (Triangle)
Not just your average singer-songwriter, ‘Paw (as he’s …read more

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It was an incredible time in Zilker Park at Austin City Limits Festival this weekend. There was lots of great music including favorites new and old. Thanks to those of you who followed along on Twitter.
I’ll be blogging detailed pieces this week on new favorites like Ireland’s Autamata as well as local heroes Dan Dyer and Octopus Project. There will also be more on Saturday soul, R&B and hip-hop revival with artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Eli “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves, Bavu Blakes & the Extra Plairs, ending with Erykah Badu in stellar fashion.
Flyleaf kicked off …read more

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ACL Festival begins tomorrow. I’ll be at Zilker Park all three days covering the event and interviewing bands. Follow me on Twitter for all the latest updates. Until next week, I bid you all good music!

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Warm up for ACL weekend tonight at Lovejoy’s with Tribella. The all-female power pop/new wave trio has some exciting shows on the horizon, including a Houston gig with Girl in a Coma and a spot opening for Sarah Bettens (ex-K’s Choice) at Momo’s.
If you didn’t catch Tribella on the air with Dudley & Bob on KLBJ this morning, you should know that the show is free and Lovejoy’s has one of the best beer selections in town. Throw the lovely ladies of Tribella in the mix and there really is no excuse to miss this show.
For more information: Tribella // …read more

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Author’s Note: The guest post below is an essay by Hoag of Full Service. As one of the most successful truly independent bands in Austin, Full Service has funded numerous tours and albums all on their own. Read below to see what Hoag has to say about their experiences, the current state of the music industry and why a little anarchy is a good thing. For more information on Full Service visit their website or MySpace.
This past summer, my band Full Service embarked on its first ever Takeover Tour. Armed with 5,000 demo CD’s, a mailing list that we …read more

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The Black & White Years’ rise to fame has been quick by industry standards, and for good reason. The electro/new-wave four-piece was discovered at an unofficial SXSW showcase at Opal Divine’s on 6th St. None other than Talking Head Jerry Harrison was in attendance at the parking lot show and ended up producing B&WY’s first album. The band’s music is currently being distributed through pioneering internet label RCRD LBL, an innovative feather in B&WY’s cap.
Visit The Black & White Year’s MySpace for two free home recorded downloads of You Are A Dragon and Wetter Sea. Also be sure to check …read more

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The Mother Truckers have posted a video for their song Dynamite. Lots of local love in this video, filmed at the legendary Continental Club on South Congress with the assistance of some of Austin’s finest Rollergirls.
For More Information: The Mother Truckers // MySpace

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Chances are you’ve heard of Vampire Weekend. Stereogum and other blogs just like the one you’re reading now latched onto Vampire Weekend and propelled them into stardom. Having recently played Kimmell and SNL, Vampire Weekend will take the stage at Austin City Limits Festival this weekend with more buzz behind them than some of the industry veteran headliners.
Beginning at MP3s and iPods and extending all the way to music media, the Digital Revolution has brought the internet into all facets of the music industry.  The ease of free internet promotion has resulted in a greater body of music being foisted …read more

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