Greg Ackerman

Video premiere: supergroup Primitive Ring drop new single and video today – play Metro in SLC Friday

April 14, 2026 Greg Ackerman 565 Views Bert Hoover, Charles Moothart, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Fuzz, garage rock, Jon Modaff, Lies From the Other Side, Metro Music Hall, new album, new music, premiere, Primitive Ring, punk rock, rock n roll, song premiere, Ty Segal, Video

If you’re a garage or punk rock music fan then you likely know who Ty Segall is. The prolific musician is known for releasing a wide range of music under various names that all stem from the same punk rock ethos. One of Segal’s longtime collaborators, Charles Moothart (Fuzz) launched a new project in 2024 with Bert Hoover (Hoover III) and Jon Modaff (Frankie and the Witch Fingers) called Primitive Ring. Today the band premieres their latest single and video, “Lies from the Other Side.” in advance of their new self-titled LP, due out May 15. Fans can pre-order vinyl of the forthcoming album via In the Red Records.

Thr Groanies 1 SLC Urban Lounge Ryan Wesley Odom

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: SLC act The Groanies dropped new EP, album release show April 10

April 5, 2026 Greg Ackerman 603 Views album release, album review, Church and State, garage psych, garage rock, live music, Musor, new music, psych-rock, punk rock, Salt Lake City, SLC, SLC music, The Groanies

One of the first Salt Lake City acts we saw after dipping into the SLC underground music scene was The Groanies who played Urban Lounge a couple years back. The garage punks impressed with a hard hitting set that had us coming back for more the next time the group played at International Bar. Then we caught ’em again at Urban’s Psych Lake City event. We were hooked. This up and coming band, hit us right in our garage-psych sweet spot. Naturally we were thrilled when The Groanies dropped a new EP this week and announced an album release show with Musor and Skrude on Friday, April 10 at Church and State. Advance tickets are available in the link or click the poster to grab your $10 ticket to what promises to be a fun night. The band let us know they organized a taco truck along with ice cream and coffee vendors.

Comedy Review Robert Dean

Museum review: Saturday Night Live is at Harry Ransom Center for one more weekend

March 20, 2026 Greg Ackerman 728 Views Chevy Chase, comedy, Dan Ackroyd, Harry Ransom Center, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Lorner Michaels, museum, Review, Saturday Night Live, SNL, University of Texas

It’s impossible to hate Gilda Radner or John Belushi. Chevy Chase, on the other hand, that’s a different story. The

Greg Ackerman Premiere Song

Video premiere: SoundMass releases new single, prepares for SXSW 2026 shows

March 3, 2026 Greg Ackerman 1153 Views 13th Floor, art rock, concert, Cosmic Plants Clash, day party, live music, My Education, new music, Play to the Plants, post rock, preview, progressive rock, song premiere, SoundMass, SXSW, Theta Naught, video premiere

On March 14, SoundMass will gather at The 13th Floor for Cosmic Plants Clash IV, the SXSW day party our publication and Play to the Plants has produced at the venue the past four years. We’ve invited the group, which is really two awesome post-rock bands, Austin’s my education and Salt Lake City’s Theta Naught combined. The merging of the two acts produces a powerful, orchestral style performance with rock instrumentation. With two of every instrument, the stage becomes crammed with talented musicians which is basically our ideal scenario. Today we’re premiering SoundMass’ latest single, “Last Gasp.”

Culture Greg Ackerman Preview

SXSW preview: Flatstock offers unparalleled free fine art show to fans

February 26, 2026 Greg Ackerman 1471 Views Billy Perkins, culture, fine art, Flatstock, live music, poster art, preview, printmaking, South by Southwest, SXSW

As a purveyor of good music, The Cosmic Clash rarely discusses visual art as we’re usually busy telling readers about music we love. Fans already know, visual art is a relevant component of the independent music scene that matters to us. Flatstock, the fine art poster show that has been present at South by Southwest (SXSW) as long as we can remember. In fact, Flatstock has been around since their first exhibition in San Francisco in 2002. The show features hand-printed and limited-edition poster art by over 50 artists and studios from around the globe for sale – all of whom will be in attendance to interact with visitors directly. The location this year is new as the Austin Convention Center is a pile of rubble at the moment. The new location at Moonlight Exhibit Hall is in the Austin Marriott Downtown (304 E Cesar Chavez St.) on March 13-15, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Megafauna and Slomo Drags premiere singles, play Mohawk February 6

February 3, 2026 Greg Ackerman 975 Views 101X Homegrown, Andrew Cashen, Austin, DJ Dead Flowers, hard rock, indie pop, live music, Megafauna, mohawk, new music, preview, prog rock, psych-rock, rock n roll, Slomo Drags, song premiere, Transit Method

This Friday, January 6 Andrew Cashen and Disciples of Creation are set to headline Mohawk. We love Cashen’s solo act as well as his other projects, A Giant Dog and Tear Dungeon but we’re here to tell you about a couple of impressive singles dropping this week from veteran Austin acts, Megafauna and Slomo Drags who are on the bill with the singer. Both bands have new songs to share with fans while they prepare to release more material in 2026 and perform for fans Friday evening at the crown jewel of Red River Cultural District rock clubs. The entire bill is worthy of any real Austin music fan’s attention with the three aforementioned artists, along with Transit Method and DJ Dead Flowers. The whole shebang is presented by 101X Homegrown and show host John Laird who knows a thing or two about Austin music.

Live Music Preview Robert Dean

Live music preview: Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids is coming to 13th Floor

January 8, 2026 Greg Ackerman 1417 Views 13th Floor, concert, Emo, Emo rock, indie rock, live music, Matt Pryor, new music, preview, rock n roll, Semihelix, singer songwriter, The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams, The Salton Sea

I have a deep love for The Get Up Kids. Their 1999 classic Something to Write Home About is an all-timer for me—one of those records that somehow still hits the same decades later. (I’ve been caught hoarse-singing along to “Action-Action” more than once in my life.) So when word came down that frontman Matt Pryor is dropping back into town, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, I was immediately in.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Mexico City rockers Los Blenders set to play 13th Floor on Saturday with Hidden Ritual

November 18, 2025 Greg Ackerman 1464 Views 13th Floor, Christian Bland, concert, garage rock, Hidden Ritual, latin rock, live music, Los Blenders, preview, psych-rock, rock en espagnol, rock n roll

You may be too young to remember the first wave of Rock en Espagnol that spread across North America in the 90s. Bands like Caifanes, Mana, Maldita Vecindad and countless others were heard across airwaves in the U.S. and across Latin America. For this writer, it was the first time we’d heard Spanish language music that rocked like the bands we loved to discover on college radio and cool stations like L.A.’s KROQ. We even attended a concert where Spanish and English-speaking rock bands shared a bill at Universal Amphitheater the oddly indoor venue at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The possibilities seemed endless. Fast forward to 2025 and Rock en Espagnol seems to have returned en force. Latin music is one of the fastest growing sectors in American music sales. Bad Bunny is slated to play the Super Bowl and killer garage-psych band, Los Blenders are coming to the 13th Floor in downtown Austin on Saturday. Tickets are still available for this underplay at the intimate Red River District venue.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Love is for Evermore benefit with Shinyribs, Sara Hickman at Radio East

October 13, 2025 Greg Ackerman 2310 Views alt-country, BENefit, Carruthers & Roush, concert, cosmic cowboy, Evermore, funk, Kevin Russell, live music, preview, R&B, Radio East, rock n roll, Sara Hickman, Shinyribs, singer songwriter, soul, Texas blues, The Bright Light Social Hour

Saturday, October 25 marks the third annual Love is for Evermore benefit at Radio East. The event supports Evermore, a national bereavement non-profit that advocates for benefits, education and resources for all Americans coping with the death of a loved one. One example is the group has gotten paid bereavment leave for military members. This year’s concert features Shinyribs, a rare live appearance by songwriter, Sara Hickman and special guests, Carruthers & Roush (members of The Bright Light Social Hour). There may even be some surprise guests onstage stage. Tickets for the event are currently on sale. There are VIP options which include a meet and greet with artists before the show.

Greg Ackerman Premiere Song

Song premiere: Starflake and AILA collab puts futuristic spin on Spanish classic Porque Te Vas

September 16, 2025 Greg Ackerman 2461 Views AILA, alternative rock, Austin Music, dance music, indie pop, Jeanette, new music, Porque Te Vas, post-punk, song premiere, Spanish music, Spanish pop, Starflake

Austin act Starflake featuring Jackie O’Brien of The Bright Light Social Hour has collaborated with Mexican turned Austin artist AILA on a futuristic update to Jeanette’s classic Spanish song, “Porque Te Vas” (1974). O’Brien who is founding bassist and vocalist of TBLSH also operates their Escondido Sound studio where he tracked this impressive update to an iconic Spanish pop song. Today, the premiere of the new version of the track is being presented here. The song can be found wherever you stream music.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Review

Live music review: Psych Lake City rocked with The Groanies, Seeking the Sun and Musor

August 26, 2025 Greg Ackerman 3642 Views Cumbia, Cumbia fusion, funk, garage rock, latin rock, live music, Musor, prog rock, psych-rock, punk, Review, Seeking the Sun, terror funk, The Groanies, Urban Lounge

One of the aspects of the Salt Lake City music scene that can be appreciated is the strong foundation provided for cutting edge local acts provided by venue operators like annual Urban Lounge event Psych Lake City which took place August 15-16 at the popular downtown spot. Eleven years in, this mini-fest has consistently showcased up and coming psych-rock acts along with psych-adjacent artists. This year’s edition was a perfect example. The Cosmic Clash was on hand for the second evening of performances, as The Groanies, Seeking the Sun and headliners, Musor rocked Urban. The showcase put a spotlight on the quality of young acts SLC has to offer.

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