This week’s show recommendations are absolutely packed from start to finish with good music. This is definitely one of the best week’s of music in Austin that I’ve seen since I started putting these recommendations together over a year ago.

There are equal amounts of good local shows and good roadshows, leaving some tough decisions to be made. Who are you going to see this week?

Tuesday 4/21
Spoon @ Scoot Inn

Harlem @ Mohawk

Wednesday 4/22
Wild Sweet Orange @ Stubb’s

Thursday 4/23
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, Ume and The Boxing Lesson @ Mohawk

Wine and Revolution and Car Stereo (Wars) @ Victory Grill
KVRX Benefit, $7 includes free BBQ and beer

Adrian & The Sickness and Squint @ Creekside Lounge

T-Bird & The Breaks @ Threadgills

Friday 4/24
The Kills @ Emo’s

The Murdocks and Til’ We’re Blue or Destroy @ Mohawk

Black Label Society and Sevendust @ Stubb’s

Saturday 4/25
Invincible and Jean Grae @ Scoot Inn

Triple Scoop w/ Follow That Bird! & More @ United States Art Authority

Pepper and The Expendables @ Stubb’s

Summer Sweat w/ The Boxing Lesson, The Steps, Zeale & More @ Do512 Compound
6-10pm. Free with RSVP

Sunday 4/26
Zlam Dunk, Motel Aviv and Dead Black Hearts @ Mohawk

Post from: Austin Sound Check

• The Sword talked with LiveDaily, giving us more details about life on the road with Metallica.
• See video of Spoon’s Britt Daniel doing a live cover of 1977 tune 1 2 X U by Wire.
• Drowned In Sound asked several indie musicians what they hope for in 2009, including Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

Back in November, Spoon was live in-studio at KUT here in Austin. They recorded a live cut of their song Don’t Make Me A Target from the critically acclaimed album GaGaGaGaGa. Click here to visit KUT’s Music Matters blog and listen to Don’t Make Me A Target. Be sure to download the free MP3 while you’re there.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

It’s been a good long while since I’ve posted Soundbytes, but today is the day to dust off the old aggregator and bring you some news clips.

• Riverboat Gamblers are the artist of the day on AOL’s Spinner.com. Download your free copy of their single A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology.
  

• Spoon and Iron & Wine are among the multitude of indie favorites who have contributed to an AIDS benefit album called Dark Was The Night out February 17, 2009 on Beggars Banquet. (For the record, yes I know Spoon moved!)

• Brooklyn Vegan has some excellent photos from Ghostland Observatory’s December 12th performance at Terminal 5.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

It’s t-minus three weeks to the big election and we’re bringing music and politics together this week. Kick the week off tonight with Spoon and Gary Clark Jr. at The Parish, playing a Texas Democratic Party Fundraiser. Then on Saturday, Portugal The Man plays Emo’s. I interviewed lead singer John Gourley last week and I’ll be bringing you more on the Wasilla, AK native’s thought on none other than VP Candidate Gov. Sarah Palin.

There’s also a few shows this week featuring ACL 2008 alum, like The Steps and Dan Dyer on Wednesday and Scott Biram on Thursday. Full recommendations below for your viewing pleasure.

Monday 10/13
Democratic Party Fundraiser w/ Spoon and Gary Clark Jr. @ The Parish
Seeing Spoon in a smaller venue is always a treat. This show is also a Texas Democratic Party fundraiser, an added bonus if you’re politically inclined.

Tuesday 10/14
Follow That Bird! @ Beerland
An all girl power pop / punk trio, buzz has started to build around Follow That Bird!. See them at Beerland with The Stolen Minks.

Wednesday 10/15
The Steps and Built By Snow @ The Parish
The Steps won this year’s ACL Sound & Jury Contest. Amongst their early Weezer-inspired geek rock, Built By Snow covers The Rentals. Good music guaranteed x 2.

Dan Dyer @ Momo’s
Another ACL 2008 alum, Dan Dyer will lure you in with his Jamiroquai-meets-Stevie Wonder brand of soul / R&B.

Thursday 10/16
Opeth, Baronness and High on Fire @ The Monarch
Three of today’s best metal bands at an off the beaten path venue. Sounds like a winner, no?

Scott Biram @ Continental Club
A one man band playing down and dirty bluegrass (aka swampgrass), Scott Biram also played ACL 2008. You’ll be glad you checked this one out.

Friday 10/17
Devin the Dude and The Coughee Brothaz @ Emo’s (outside)
Texas rap done right, Devin’s worked with a who’s who of modern hip-hoppers and is definitely a must-see.

The Story Of and The Boxing Lesson @ Emo’s (inside)
These bands are both frequent flyers on Austin Soundcheck recommendations, and for good reason. Infectious indie pop and ethereal space rock make this Emo’s show one of the best of the week.

Saturday 10/18
Portugal. The Man @ Emo’s (outside)
These Wasilla, AK natives are back in Austin with a new record Censored Colors under their belts. Look for an Austin Soundcheck interview with lead singer John Gourley later this week, where he talks more about fellow Wasilla native, Sarah Palin.

Pepper @ Stubb’s
Fans of Sublime and Slightly Stoopid will no doubt recognize Pepper, whose surf rock/reggae is totally irie.

Everlast @ Antone’s
It’s been a minute since Everlast was at the top of the charts, but he’s still got a message and he’s still got a great stage show. Check this one out for the nostalgia factor.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

Car Stereo (Wars) has posted a new remix of Spoon’s Rhthm & Soul. You can listen below or download your copy here.

I’d put Car Stereo (Wars) mashups up against Girl Talk anyday. What do you think of CS(W) remixes?

Post from: Austin Sound Check

Spoon – Daytrotter Session
Peace Like a River (Paul Simon cover)
The Ghost of You Lingers
I Can See The Dude
Back to the Life

More info on Daytrotter Sessions from Daytrotter.com

Daytrotter Sessions

These fine people – as they’re traveling through America’s heartland – take two hours out of their travels between shows to stop in for a Daytrotter Session at Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Ill. The name of the city is not ironic. They use borrowed instruments, play with their touring mates, utilize an often unkempt toilet, eat some food and then cram back into their vans for the last half of the drive. What they leave behind is a pile of ashes, sometimes a forgotten stocking hat and four absolutely collectible songs that often impart on whomever listens to them the true intensity that these musicians put into their art, sometimes with more clarity than they do when they have months to tinker with overdubs and experiments. These songs are them as they are on that particular day, on that particular tour – dirty and alive. We want you to make this your new home as it is ours. We promise that you will love it here.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

• Stream The Black Angel’s new album Directions to See A Ghost on Imeem.
• RCRD LBL is also offering a free download of Doves, the first single from Directions to See A Ghost.
• Download the Ted Leo (as in The Pharmacists) remix of Spoon’s Don’t You Evah.
• Wilco announced upcoming tour dates, including a two-night stand at Stubb’s on May 11 & 12.
• Pitchfork has a great review (with pics!) of last night’s Okkervil River show with the New Pornographers at 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.
• Dilated Peoples announced dates for their Fresh Rhymes Tour, coming to Emo’s on June 9.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

The sound was horrible at Creekside, so bad we couldn’t hear Lucas singing. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the set. The Cliks are one of my favorite bands out right now and it’s really awesome to see them in small venues.

I also caught locals Adrian & The Sickness and Patrice Pike at Austin Music Gym. Adrian & The Sickness features two members of all-female AC/DC tribute band Hell’s Belles. Patrice Pike should be a familiar name as well, from her days with Sister 7 and her appearance on Rockstar Supernova. Patrice even got on stage with Adrian & the Sickness and sang a Led Zeppelin song with them.

The day was going along quite well at this point. I had seen three kickass bands, all before 3pm. We checked out some cool concert posters at Flatstock 16 and were hanging out on Sixth St. waiting for The Donnas to start. When none other than Cisco Adler walked by. In town with his new project, Shwayze, Adler is known more for dating troubled young actresses and his nude pics on the internet than any actual musical talent. This was the lowlight of the day.

Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves were a pleasant surprise. I only happened to catch this band because they were one of the openers for The Donnas. Eli Reed has a velvety smooth voice and the band is definitely a Motown throwback. I really enjoyed their set and I’m planning on picking up some of their music. They are coming back to Austin on April 9, as opener for Say Anything and Manchester Orchestra.

It’s almost time for me to head downtown again, but here are a couple more pics for you. One shot of The Donnas and a view of downtown Austin from Auditorium Shores, where I caught Spoon and Del The Funky Homosapien last night.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

SXSW is the time of year when the industry turns its focus on Austin. Bands from across the globe inundate the city and for a week in mid-March everything is at our fingertips. It is also a chance for the rest of the world to see what an incredible scene exists in the midst of the Lonestar State.

This is part two in a series on Austin bands showcasing at SXSW 2008. For part one, click here. The first post featured showcases on Wednesday, March 12^th. The bands highlighted here will be playing on Thursday, March 13^th

Spoon

Spoon is without a doubt, one of Austin’s most successful exports. They’ve become national media darlings and have worked with an incredible array of today’s most innovative indie artists. To prove the point even further, they are playing a free show on Thursday, March 13^th at Auditorium Shores with Grupo Fantasma and Del tha Funky Homosapien. The same stage was occupied by the likes of Public Enemy and Mastodon at SXSW 2007.

Visit Spoon’s website or MySpace. I highly recommend the Diplo remix of Don’t You Evah.

Spoon’s official SXSW showcase is Thursday 3/13, 8pm at Auditorium Shores (Riverside Dr. & S. 1^st). Note for non-Austinites: outdoor venue.

Scott H. Biram

As a one-man band Scott Biram produces more energy on stage than most mediocre overplayed modern rock bands. The variety of instruments and distorted vocals please even the most discerning music critic, while Biram’s homegrown muddy bluegrass sound draws huge crowds from Texas to California to Montana.

Visit Scott H. Biram’s website or MySpace.

Scott H. Biram’s official SXSW showcase is Thursday 3/13, 12 Midnight at The Ale House (310 E. 6^th st. – Alley Entrance).

Fastball

Fans of 90’s pop-rock will remember Fastball’s hit single, The Way, which dominated airwaves in 1998. After the album, titled All The Pain Money Can Buy, went platinum in the U.S., Fastball continued to work, releasing two more studio efforts since then, with another on the way in 2008. The band also recently added bassist Bruce Robison, whom music-savvy Austinites will recognize as sometime bassist for Bob Schneider project The Scabs. Dallas natives Bowling for Soup have also been writing and recording with Fastball.

Visit Fastball’s website or MySpace.

Fastball’s official SXSW showcase is Thursday 3/13, 1am at Dirty Dog Bar (505 E. 6^th St.)

Post from: Austin Sound Check