Friday, June 6, 2025

Swallow The Rat

"MMA Math"

Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Levitation drops 2025 genre spanning lineup today with new location

evitation Festival returns on September 25-28 this Fall, bringing another masterfully curated lineup by famed booker Rob Fitzpatrick and co-producers Resound Presents. This year’s setup will change from its regular format, featuring a new central home of the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin while retaining late-night programming in the Red River Cultural District. The 2025 festival lineup is an eclectic, genre-spanning showcase of psych rock, metal, punk, electronica, indie rock, and everything in between – a celebration of independent music in the live music capital.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: White Denim returns to Austin for Hot Luck Fest with Nolan Potter

Austin to Pasadena indie outfit White Denim, the musical fusion of chief songwriter James Petralli has seen many forms. Since making the West Coast his home, the Austin-bred group has undergone a creative shift, no longer a vehicle of constant members and making Petralli’s name synonymous with the consistent stream of records released amid numerous lineup changes throughout the years. On Saturday night (May 24) at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District as a part of the annual Hot Luck Festival culinary celebration, White Denim fed their hometown once again, their third stop in Central Texas in 18 months.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Metal madness with GWAR at Radio East

It’s Halloween every day in GWAR land. The Richmond shock metal outfit has been at it with their comically serious hustle since 1984.  Despite numerous lineup changes and the untimely passing of David “Oderus Urungus” Brockie, the chaos, vibe, feel, spew, and unhinged madness at their shows remain intact. At Austin’s Radio/East on Thursday night, the long-running spectacle ensured nothing was safe in their mesmerizing presentation.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: experimental metal act Deafheaven at Emo’s

Now 12 years removed from its release, Deafheaven has morphed back to peak form with 2025’s Lonely People With Power. At Austin venue Emo’s on Wednesday night, an action-packed bill helped pave the way for the screaming spectacle that didn’t let up until the last note. Upon arriving at the Riverside venue, metalheads of all ages were spotted in the audience, showing the generational appeal of fury that still holds on the masses. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: London punk legends The Damned sold-out Radio East

Punk rock is an ageless art form. Whether you’re 16 or pushing 70, the act of rebellion is best vented through a massive concussion of rock and roll. For London legends The Damned, a decades-long existence without a disbandment is an utmost rarity in the books. On Saturday night in the southeast industrial area of Austin at Radio/East, a sold-out crowd was treated to a history lesson over 50 years in the making. When entering the new Austin music hotspot for the evening, fans were greeted with the return of the venue’s mainstage. Supposedly, the large stand was sidelined given some permitting issues, but the party was back on for the onslaught about to commence. 

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: New Order back in Utah after 35 years at Kilby Block Party 2025

By now, most indie rock fans have heard about Kilby Block Party, the mid-tier sized festival that has taken place in Salt Lake City over the past six years. The paean to indie rock produced by S&S Presents has grown in stature in the music festival scene each year since it was founded in 2019 with a single-day event at its namesake Kilby Court’s location in SLC’s Granary district. This year’s expansion to a fourth evening of music was largely driven by the availability of England’s New Order who hadn’t played Utah in 35 years.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at Kilby Block Party 2025

he DIY spirit of Kilby Court runs through the heart of the SLC music scene culminating each May with Kilby Block Party at the Utah State Fairpark. This year’s edition has expanded to a fourth evening on Thursday, May 15. The fest runs through Sunday, May 18 with a lineup of bands that stands out among American music festivals this year. The added day was to accommodate the schedule of New Order who haven’t played Utah in 35 years. The rest of the lineup is mind blowing with acts like Beach House, Weezer and Justice who will perform in Salt Lake for the first time. Four-day passes and single day tickets are still available here. Read on to learn more about six bands to see at Kilby Block Party in 2025. 

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kim Gordon Nailed It at Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge

On Saturday, April 26, a spry Kim Gordon (age 71) stepped on stage at South Austin’s Far Out Lounge and Stage in boy-shorts bikini bottoms and a white, long-sleeved t-shirt by brand Old Baby  with “Gulf Of Mexico” in red, bold font on the front, and the still quiet crowd erupted. We would be negligent not to proclaim Kim Gordon nailed it at Austin Psych Fest 2025.

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AlbumReviewScott Rollins

Album review: new Willie Nelson record Oh What a Beautiful World covers Rodney Crowell

I first heard “The Banks of the Old Bandera” when Rodney Crowell’s album The Houston Kid debuted in 2001. I love that record and still feel it’s Crowell’s most artistic and intellectually stimulating recording, which is no small observation. I felt “Bandera” sounded like a Willie Nelson song. It only took twenty-four years, but Willie covered this song, and eleven other songs penned by Rodney Crowell on his newest release Oh What A Beautiful World, which dropped April 25, 2025. If you clicked the link, you saw a limited edition white vinyl only available from Willie’s website.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Austin Psych Fest brought eclectic talent from across the psych spectrum

The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to The Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Austin for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. For 2025, the billed talent stretched its boundaries by bringing a diverse array of artists that catered to fans of Psych Fest past and present. Here’s what stood out to us over the weekend-long stand in South Austin. 

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Drew DoggettLive MusicReview

Live music review: Khruangbin Spins a World of Their Own at Moody Amphitheater

Tuesday, April 22 at Austin’s Moody Amphitheater felt like it would never dry out. A curtain of rain blanketed the city in the early evening, forcing fans to huddle under trees and the few dry patches the venue had to offer. I, running from improv class on the other side of town, took respite under a bridge for 15 minutes before the rain subsided. By the time Khruangbin finally took the stage after a brief delay, the air was so heavy with humidity that it clung to your skin, like you could reach out and grab it. But the moment the band walked out, framed by three glowing window panels inspired by their newest album, A La Sala, the crowd roared like the sun had risen through the parted clouds, 9 p.m. in the evening.

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