Austin Sound Check

It’s another fabulous week in Austin and we’ve got an equally fabulous lineup of shows in town this week.
Local highlights include Ume and The Calm Blue Sea, while roadshows from Electric 6 as well as The Starlight Mints and Evangelicals keep things fresh. I’ll be out at The Starlight Mints/ Evangelicals show this week. Who are you planning to go see?
Tuesday, April 14
Betaplayer @ Mohawk
If you like hip-hop, turn off the radio and tune into the progressive underground movement. Betaplayer and other progressive hip-hop acts like them are moving beyond the 90’s gangsta rap stereotype and furthering the rap artform.
Wednesday, …read more

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“Wanting people to listen, you can’t just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you’ll notice you’ve got their strict attention.”
Going into SXSW 2009, Detroit rapper Invincible was one of the artists I was most excited to see. The quote above, from Kevin Spacey as John Doe in Seven, is a sample used in her song Sledgehammer! and really sums up how I feel about this year’s SXSW music festival. Over four days of music, including thirty-five different performances, most of the musicians I saw could use more sledgehammer in their …read more

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Bands Watched : 8
Beers Consumed : 1
Mosh Pits Witnessed : 2
Hipsters Laughed At : Too Many to Count
The truth is, you can never really be prepared for SXSW. The music festival is four days of non-stop live music, coupled with a massive influx of music fans in skinny jeans. Prepared or not, SXSW was finally upon us again and I headed out into the fray yesterday armed with an ambitious schedule and a notepad.
First, I’ll give you the bad. Don’t waste your time on Marching Band or Whispertown2000.  Marching Band hail from Sweden and play a competant brand of indie …read more

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