The Cosmic Clash

Lauren Mayberry 6 Scoot Inn Drew Doggett

Live music review: Lauren Mayberry begins captivating new chapter after CHVRCHES

April 2, 2025 Drew Doggett 72 Views CHVRCHES, electro pop, electronic music, Historic Scoot Inn, Lauren Mayberry, live music, new music, reverb, Review, Scoot Inn, shoegaze, Vicious Creature

Lauren Mayberry has spent over a decade commanding festival stages as the charismatic front woman of CHVRCHES. I remember seeing her at Pitchfork Fest 2015, right after Mac Demarco, playfully pointing out the scattered cigarette butts left on the floor. The sound of CHVRCHES is filled with shoegaze-y synths, shimmering reverb and pulsating beats. But on February 26 at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, she stepped out in a new role as a solo artist.

Album Review Robert Dean

New music: Teddy Long, Dim Light and Hugo Monster albums are fresh finds

March 28, 2025 Robert Dean 204 Views album review, Americana, Dim Light, Duct Tape and Super Glue, Head for the Hills, Hip Hop, Hugo Monster, lounge music, neo soul, new music, rap, singer, songwriter, Teddy Long

I wanted to give you a few new things to listen to if you’re in the market for new ear candy. When the world is a constant depression machine, the power of music is unmatched, a salve that can make us feel human again when there’s just too much punishment on our hearts and souls and by the grace of god, some caveman, somewhere, figured out that if you beat a few rocks together with sticks over a cowhide, the beautiful noise happened.

Tear Dungeon 2 HV SXSW 2025 Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: SXSW 2025 finished with Space Agency Booking, Webberville Block Party

March 24, 2025 Case Cockrell 406 Views electronic musc, experimental rock, Gus Baldwin, hard rock, High On Fire, La Sécurité, live music, Matador Sphere, Play to the Plants, psych-rock, Review, Riverboat Gamblers, sludge metal, South by Southwest, Space Agency Booking, SXSW, SXSW 2025, Tear Dungeon, The Opera, The Thing, Webberville Block Party, YHWH Nailgun

Austin’s South by Southwest finished things up with countless showcases that made the last two days of the music festival a pick-and-choose affair that didn’t let up until the crack of 2 a.m. on Saturday night. For most festival goers, energy can run slim on these last two days, and seeing what you can before the festival’s end is essential to closing the book on yet another March festival edition. Here’s who we closed out our SXSW with on the final two days of our festival experience at Hotel Vegas for Space Agency Booking’s annual showcase along with a closing festival celebration at the Webberville Block Party followed by a return to Hotel Vegas to close out SXSW 2025.

DoomBoyz 2 Stoner Jam SXSW 2025 Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Midweek SXSW 2025 jaunt to Radio East and Stoner Jam at Far Out

March 19, 2025 Case Cockrell 344 Views Amplified Heat, Being Dead, Bridge Farmers, Cardinals, Castle Club, DoomBoyz, Far Out Lounge, Native Sun, Pooheh Presents, Radio East, Slumbering Sun, Stoner Jam, Wand, Wishy, YHWH Nailgun

A hectic downtown Austin isn’t exclusive to the annual South By Southwest Festival. Whether a college student is people-watching on

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: SXSW 2025 music week began with a wide range of musical styles

March 13, 2025 Case Cockrell 681 Views classic rock, cold wave, Exotic Fruitica, experimental rock, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Grocery Bag, hardcore, Holy Wire, John Fogerty, live music, Mugger, Mulch Cult, My Son the Doctor, pop-punk, Population II, Porcelain, Portrayal of Guilt, post rock, psych-rock, punk rock, Review, Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol, rock n roll, Skloss, South by Southwest, SXSW, The Holy Temple, TVOD

The 2025 South By Southwest music festival kicked off on Monday and Tuesday this week, featuring artists from around the Austin music scene and worldwide. Each day of music starts at noon and usually continues until the 2 a.m. closing time for each day of programming. For the first two days of the SXSW music showcases, we rounded up some of our favorite acts that started off our music festival coverage with stops at Hotel Vegas, 13th Floor and Stubb’s BBQ to see bands with a wide range of musical styles from the hardcore noise punk of Exotic Fruitica to experimental act Skloss to legendary songwriter John Fogerty and back to the heavy psych rock of Frankie and the Witch Fingers. SXSW runs the musical genre gamut as our coverage attests.

Live Music Review Robert Dean

Live music review: Not So Fun WKND with Trapped Under Ice, God’s Hate and more at Far Out Lounge

March 12, 2025 Robert Dean 481 Views Dmize, Far Out Lounge, God's Hate, hardcore, hardcore music, live music, metal, Not So Fun WKND, NSFW, Parade of Flesh, Queensway, Review, rock n roll, Sagebrush, Suburban Scum, Trapped Under Ice

I bitch about Austin a lot—parking, traffic, rent prices. But every once in a while, the city gets it right. Not So Fun WKND at The Far Out Lounge March 8 was one of those moments. The all-day fest with Trapped Under Ice, Parade of Flesh, God’s Hate and many others took place at the popular South Austin venue. An opening party was held Friday, March 7 at Sagebrush with Suburban Scum, Dmize, Creeping Death and more. Hardcore bands from across the country descended on Austin, turning the weekend into a cathartic release of bad vibes and raw energy.

farmers wife sxsw 2025 hotel vegas drew doggett

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: SXSW 2025 opening weekend ramble

March 11, 2025 Case Cockrell 494 Views 13th Floor, Almost Heaven, Andrew Cashen, Annabelle Chairlegs, Club X, Dead Canyon Family Reunion, Die Spitz, Do512, Farmer's Wife, French Film, Geto Gala, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Grandmaster, Gus Baldwin, Heartbyrne, Hotel Vegas, Lauren Lakis, live music, Night Ritualz, Queen Serene, Review, rock n roll, Smoke Show, So Many Cults, Soundcheck Saturday, South by Southwest, Strange Lot, SXSW, Tremours, Urban Heat

. The SXSW week began with opening all-day showcases such as the Hotel Vegas Anniversary Party, SX Soundcheck, Do512 Smokeout, and others, there’s plenty to keep music attendees busy before official music week begins the following Monday. Here’s what stood out to us in the opening days of SXSW, all of which will likely perform again before the week concludes. Follow these acts on social media for the most up-to-date information on live appearances throughout the festival.

Case Cockrell Music Video Premiere

Video premiere: synth punk act Death Palmz introduce Clear In My Mind

March 7, 2025 Case Cockrell 258 Views Clear In My Mind, Death Palmz, Exotic Fuitica, Liars, new music, Nine Inch Nails, single premiere, Suicide, synth punk, video premiere

French has duly chosen to have his own solo project, taking on a new synth-punk venture entitled Death Palmz. After the release of a debut EP produced by Xavier Juarez of Wall Of Fog Studios and released on Mr. Pink Records, the French solo outfit has released and premiered a new video for the brand-new single “Clear In My Mind.” The new single was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jonas Wilson

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Seven SXSW day parties not to miss in 2025

March 7, 2025 Case Cockrell 1018 Views 13th Floor, day parties, Far Out Lounge, Hotel Vegas, indie rock, live music, Marshall Amps, mohawk, preview, psych-rock, Psychedelic Plants Clash, rock n roll, South by Southwest, Spring Break Boogie, Stoner Jam, stoner rock, SXSW, The Cavalier, Webberville Block Party

For every year’s SXSW installment, different activations pop up all over the city to bring SX-goers daytime programming before things switch over to an all-official format in the evening. These day Parties mostly feature cover-free programming, sometimes even featuring official SXSW artists that give opportunities to non-credentialed music fans to join in on the festivities during the week. All listed events occur between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., are free for attendees, and no badge is required, subject to capacit

Album Brian Hillsman Review

Album review: Hard Proof dropped third LP Code Noir last month

March 6, 2025 Brian Hillsman 343 Views Afrobeat, album, Austin Music, Black Pumas, Code Noir, fusion, Hard Proof, Hip Hop, jazz, Kalu James, new music, Review, Spoon, World Music

Austin’s hometown jazz-funk collective, Hard Proof, released their latest album, Code Noir, in early February. The all-star Afrobeat collective released their third studio record followed by a Continental Club album release party. The recording is a listen that is bound to get you up and dancing in living room. It may be their best effort yet.

Album Case Cockrell Review

Album review: New Killer Kaya record Live at Wall of Fog a revelation

March 5, 2025 Case Cockrell 404 Views album, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Killer Kaya, Latin music, Live at Wall of Fog, new music, Osees, progressive rock, psych-rock, Review, stoner rock

With powerhouses in the realm of Osees, Ty Segall, The Warlocks, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre all still in prolific, touring machine form, Santa Barbara-tested, Austin-approved Killer Kaya has been a worthy entry into the vortex of whirling, reverberated uproar that continues a 60s legacy that is irreversibly alive and well. With the release of new LP Live At Wall Of Fog yesterday, the now-Austin residents have crafted an effort that further proves trippy expertise as well as genre-clashing, tasteful retro emulation.

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