Brian Hillsman

Bali Yaaah at The Electric Church
AlbumBrian HillsmanReview

Album review: Bali Yaaah “Make Belief” EP debuted at Electric Church last week

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Bali Yaaah puts on quite the performance spectacle. For almost a decade, the band has commanded Austin stages, formulating their own soundtrack fortified with the unique blend of 80’s synth, 90’s grunge and 60’psych-rock, merging various genres of world music throughout.

“Make Belief,” the band’s new EP released by The Sound Barrier Records, is now available on all streaming platforms, including Bandcamp and was debuted at The Electric Church on November 22.

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Christine Renner
Brian HillsmanReview

Album review: New EP “Tonight” from Austin singer Christine Renner

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Austin-based, indie-pop artist Christine Renner teamed up with established music production legend Chris “Frenchie” Smith, delivering an EP that transmits a modern-yet-familiar twist on Austin music. The record dropped Friday, November 22 after an EP release show at Mohawk on November 21.

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David Bryne American Utopia poster
Brian HillsmanLiveReview

Live music review: David Byrne’s American Utopia

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Last Saturday (November 16), we were blessed with an opportunity to attend one of the hottest musical performances of this year. If you were lucky enough to see David Byrne at Austin City Limits Festival in 2018, you were got a little taste of what now resonates through the walls of The Hudson Theatre on 44th Street in Manhattan, David Byrne’s Broadway production of American Utopia.

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Cage the Elephant at ACL TV
Brian HillsmanReview

Live Music Review: Cage the Elephant Austin City Limits TV Taping

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On Friday, September 27, Cage the Elephant made a triumphant return to Austin for a taping for the 45th season of Austin City Limits.  This would mark the band’s second performance in Austin since late July, when they amazed in a stellar performance at Circuit of the Americas, co-headlining with Beck with support from Austin’s Spoon on their Summer tour.

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Lou Rebecca
Brian HillsmanLiveReview

Live music review: Synth pop artist Lou Rebecca album release show at Mohawk

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September 19 was a big day for Lou Rebecca.  Unbeknownst to her until the day before, she landed the cover of The Austin Chronicle. The up and coming synth-pop artist would then play her album release show for her first full-length, Restless at The Mohawk the next evening.

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Frederico 7
Brian HillsmanInterviews

Interview: Pan-American Soul band Frederico7 and their amazing live act

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Last month at Stubb’s hosted Press Junkie PR’s 10-year Anniversary party. Frederico 7, the mesmerizing Austin Pan-American, soul musical group, performing in Portuguese, English, and Spanish graced the stage with a gleaming set featuring Guitarist Sergio Yazbek, formerly of the popular Brazilian reggae-fusion act, Cidade Negra.

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Kalijah at HITW
Brian HillsmanLive

Live music review: Austin rockers Kalijah at Hole in the Wall

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Saturday night, legendary campus-area venue Hole in the Wall across from the University of Texas hosted up-and-coming Austin-based rockers Kalijah. The late night show followed a busy day on the Drag as LSU narrowly defeated Texas in a thriller of a game.

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Brian HillsmanPreview

Live music preview: Drummer Babes is coming back to Cheer-Up Charlie’s Thursday

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Catch The Cosmic Clash’s end of Summer party, Drummer Babes at Cheer Up Charlie’s on August 29 (Thursday). This annual event features some of Austin’s best drummers. On this bill each happens to be a badass woman too.

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The Acid Test
Brian HillsmanLiveReview

Live music review: Best Party You’re Missing – The Acid Test at Swan Dive

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On the third Friday of every month, with the help of a few close friends, Laura Mendoza, of Austin-based band Cosmic Chaos, organizes an event at Swan Dive that should pique any live music lover’s interest. 

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Wand band
Brian HillsmanLiveReview

Live music review: Wand delivered spellbinding magic at Mohawk Austin

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While the outdoor stage was booked with the likes of Black Joe Lewis and Emily Wolfe, The smaller, more intimate indoor venue was blessed with the psychedelic, ultra-creative musical stylings of the Los Angeles-based five-piece, Wand.

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