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Grilled cheese. Simply saying the words conjures up memories of creamy Velveeta toasted between two slices of bread, with a bowl of tomato soup on the side. The standard “visiting grandma” lunch.
Luckily, here in Austin, it’s easy to relive those memories with a wide variety of takes on the childhood classic. From the simply delicious to the decadently complex, Austin’s grilled cheese options are as diverse as our city itself. Here are some of the best. [Read more…]
The Black Angels celebrate their new record, “Death Song,” in style during an Austin City Limits taping on May 23, 2017 (Credit: Scott Newton)
Full disclosure: psychedelic music isn’t my thing. No offense to the genre, but my appreciation is closer to respect than enjoyment. Something about freeform, meandering soundscapes clashes with my drum line, percussion ensemble upbringing. In the correct headspace, it can be beautiful, but it’s not something I blast in my car during my evening commute.
Or so I thought. By taking the evocative expressiveness of traditional psychedelic music and trapping it in a barbed wire cage of aggressive hard rock, Austin’s The Black Angels have created a unique sound. Their May 23 taping for the 43rd season of Austin City Limits on KLRU-TV was a celebration of a new record and 13 years of rocking out. [Read more…]
Come spend an hour or three at one of Austin’s most carefully curated arcades (Credit: Bill Tucker)
Some kids grew up on the baseball field, others on their bikes. I was raised on video games. As a young lad in northern New Jersey, many an afternoon was spent at the local arcade. My dad would hand me $5 in quarters, and I’d wander the labyrinth of lights and sounds in search of the perfect game. The arcade experience defined my childhood.
And while the neighborhood arcade has gone the way of Game Boys and Pogs, one Austin institution is keeping the dream alive. Retro yet modern, classic yet contemporary, Pinballz safeguards the legacy of old school gaming in a modern age. [Read more…]
Emily Bell and The Talkbacks celebrated their new record, “Kali,” at 3Ten ACL on April 28 (Credit: Katie McDowell)
Music should be a constant evolution. If a band’s fifth album sounds the same as the first, something is wrong. And while die-hard fans may want the same old, same old, the work of a musical artist almost inevitably changes as he or she does.
With her April 29 record release show at 3Ten Austin City Limits, Emily Bell shook off the retro soul trappings of her former self, and donned a rock star persona of leather and lace. Vibrant and urgent with a rock-n-roll strut, Emily Bell and The Talkbacks’ latest crop of songs balances beauty and blast in every hard rocking note. [Read more…]
Austin Music Foundation seeks to elevate and educate Austin’s music community (Credit: Mathis Kennington)
Even in the Live Music Capital of the World, it’s tough to make a living as a musician. From poor pay to middling tips to late hours, succeeding in the Austin music scene requires patience, persistence, and a little luck. Unfortunately, the music isn’t always enough.
Enter Austin Music Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bolstering our creative community through artist-empowering programs, education, and economic opportunities. With the organization’s newest venture, the Artist Development Program, Austin Music Foundation aims to educate Austin artists on how to navigate the tricky world of the music industry. [Read more…]
Sabrina Ellis of Sweet Spirit lights up Barracuda (Credit: Paula Horstman courtesy of Compose Yourself Magazine)
When the mayor of Austin creates a day in your band’s honor, one of two things have happened. You’re either in “The Twilight Zone” or you’ve made a serious impression on the Austin music community.
When Mayor Steve Adler took the stage at Barracuda at the stroke of midnight, declaring April 1, 2017, “Sweet Spirit Day,” it was the latter. In response, Sweet Spirit launched into a 90-minute tour de force justifying the mayor’s proclamation.
An all-out blow out of sing-along choruses, blazing guitar, and Mick Jagger swagger, Sweet Spirit continues to rise into the stratosphere of Austin’s music elite. [Read more…]
KOOP is a hub for local music and information (Credit: KOOP)
In a world of streaming, YouTube, and Spotify, radio may seem like a thing of the past. A quaint, antiquated way of getting information and entertainment.
But done right, it can be magical. No Pandora playlist can replicate an experienced DJ selecting songs based on mood and flow. Amazon Prime doesn’t have an ear for the next big thing. Soundcloud has never put down a Taylor Swift record and grabbed a Wild Child song.
Luckily in Austin, we have a number of radio stations who do exactly that. These stations set aside the heavy rotation and Top 40 pop tracks, and spend time supporting local music. Get to know them here and add them to your presets on your way to work tomorrow (you know, in your car…people still do that, right?). [Read more…]
The stages are down; the attendees are gone; and Sixth Street has been cleansed as much as humanly possible. SXSW Music 2017 is officially a memory. And from a local standpoint, the Austin SXSW Class of 2017 was an exceptional one.
To celebrate last week’s musical mayhem, we’re celebrating the best of the best like a high school yearbook would. Time to dust off that letter jacket, grab your backpack and toss some AA batteries into your Discman. Welcome to The Austinot’s SXSW Music 2017 Superlative Awards! [Read more…]
SXSW is a war. Locals curse invading tourists. Business types attending the conference rub elbows with media-loving millennials. Downtown becomes choked with product placement, badge-only lounges and swarms of ads for tech startups. It’s madness.
It’s also a blast if you do it right. During SXSW Music, the eyes of an entire industry are focused on our fair city. Hopefuls trek thousands of miles to play 1 a.m. showcases, hoping a record exec attends their gig, digs their sound and changes their life forever. Dreams fuel the festival, and it’s that sense of discovery that makes SXSW Music special.
After covering SXSW Music last year, I’ve learned valuable lessons on how to ease your experience. Get prepared, valiant festival goer, and get ready for a fantastic SXSW! [Read more…]
Credit: Bill Tucker
For seven days in the middle of March, Austin becomes the epicenter of the music world. Over 2,000 artists will play official SXSW Music showcases this year. And that doesn’t count those playing unofficial shows, parties, festivals or busking on Sixth Street. Thousands of musical dreamers road-trip to our city with nothing but a song and the desire to get it out to the masses.
But of the 2,000 officially invited artists, 244 are our hometown heroes. From DJs to punk rock, electro-pop to indie, ATX is well represented at this year’s festival. And I listened to every single band to bring you my Top 15 list of Austin bands playing SXSW 2017. Enjoy the list, enjoy SX and–most importantly–enjoy local live music. [Read more…]