Review

Redd Kross Parish Troy Gonazales 8
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Legendary alt rockers Redd Kross played Parish on Rock and Roll Party tour

Case Cockrell 1084 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Since reforming and recording a double, self-titled record, Redd Kross is touring again and bringing what bassist McDonald would call a “Rock and Roll Party” to every city the Kross has placed on their itinerary. For the Austin stop on their tour, the California alt-rockers rolled into East Side hideaway, Parish on August 7, ready to deliver their top-down assault of tunes that made for a career-spanning performance. 

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Urban Heat at Metro Ryan Odom
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Rising Austin synth act Urban Heat played Metro Music Hall with Gvllow

Greg Ackerman 1266 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Rising Austin synth pop, post-punk act Urban Heat played Salt Lake City’s Metro Music Hall on August 7 with intense, darkwave band Gvllow from Southern California.. Led by veteran musician, Jonathan Horstmann whose previous project, BLXPLTN was well regarded in a crowded Austin music scene. With Urban Heat, Horstmann has elevated his game, earning Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards last March with the single “Have You Ever.” The trio’s superlative performance last Wednesday in SLC showed just how far the young band formed in 2019 has gotten in a relatively short period of time.

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Snooper parish Troy Gonzales 8
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Nashville punks Snooper played sold out Parish with Blank Hellscape and Water Damage

Case Cockrell 1105 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

For Snooper’s Summer Austin appearance on August 3, the band enlisted the help of Blank Hellscape and Water Damage. After their last SXSW appearance of 2024 that featured the former, Snooper was ready to make it all about their Texas musical kindred spirits at ATX East Side alternative music stronghold, Parish. It was a business as usual Saturday night for the Country Music town punks in the best and most incendiary of ways. 

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Pat G skyscaper portrait
AlbumBrian HillsmanReview

Album Review: Austin Hip-Hop artist Pat G released Talk To Me Nice

Brian Hillsman 1188 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

In July, Pat G released his latest EP, Talk To Me Nice, July 11 on his own, Be Relentless label. It was his first release since his 2019 LP, Whatever it Takes. So much happened in the time between the two album releases, the Temple-born, Austin-based emcee felt it appropriate to convey his personal and artistic growth with this, his fifth record.

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Buzz Electro PR photo
AlbumReviewRobert Dean

Album review: Spare Parts by Austin act Buzz Electro features loud guitars and nasty riffs

Robert Dean 1303 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Guitars should be loud, and riffs should be nasty. The drums should sound like they hold the keys to the entryway to hell. Luckily, Buzz Electro got the memo. On their newest record, “Spare Parts,” the band gives it their all as one of the acts in Austin doing their best to be the loudest, horns up, drinks spilled version of rock and roll out there.

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Tied Up band Ausitn
ReviewRobert DeanSong

Song Review – Anyway You Like: Tied Up is one of Austin’s Newest to Check Out

Robert Dean 1048 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Taking the hip-hop approach by dropping singles one at a time, Tied Up recently gave us their newest, “Anyway You Like,” on the heels of their prior single, “Gun.” Both are wicked glimpses into what the band will give us moving forward, which says a metric fuck ton, considering they only have two tracks out for public consumption. And those two tracks do not play. This is the rock and roll you want;

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: A Hot Summer Nights ramble through the weekend with great local acts

Case Cockrell 1189 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Another Hot Summer Nights in Austin has come and gone. Twice a year, the Red River Cultural District holds a cover-charge-free, street-wide event that features mountains of Austin talent and beyond in both a January and July edition at venues such as Mohawk, Chess Club, Empire Garage & Control Room, Swan Dive, The 13th Floor, Elysium, and more. For each festival edition, an eclectic lineup that spans all genres invades Red River for thousands of attendees to get a helping of great, local talent, new and old. During the festival weekend, programming lasts from the early evening to closing time to give local music fans a taste of what makes the Austin music scene one of the best destinations in the country.

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Empire Garage Hot Summer Nights
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Hot Summer Nights Thursday lineup with Moody Banks, David Shabani and Daniel Fears at Empire Garage

Brian Hillsman 1053 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Empire Garage is one of the many participating venues, and their opening-night Hip Hop, R&B, and Soul showcase Austin Chronicle party on Thursday evening did not disappoint with performances by Moody Banks, Daniel Fears and hip-hop artist, David Shabani.

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Sound Mass at Levitation 2015
AlbumGreg AckermanReview

Album review: Sprawling Post Rock project Sound Mass announced third album and Texas mini tour

Greg Ackerman 1527 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

When our friends with Austin band, My Education and Salt Lake City’s Theta Naught told us a new album was coming ten years after the release of their second collaboration, it was a bit of a surprise it took that long to make the follow-up to Sound Mass II: Spiritual Docking. It was particularly perplexing given that the recording sessions for this release, entitled Ampersand were made in 2019 not long before the worldwide pandemic put a stop to pretty much everything including collaborations between awesome post-rock bands. 

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Cage the Elephant 2 Moody Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Cage the Elephant came back from five year hiatus with Young the Giant at Moody Center

Case Cockrell 2975 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

When a band like Cage The Elephant moves out of their place of formation for England, you know they intended to live up to their titular mission statement. Kentucky-born Cage The Elephant is many records removed from super-hit “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” becoming one of the mainstream’s most hard-hitting arena rock and roll acts while churning out a discography with inarguable depth that carries the torch for contemporaries such as The White Stripes, Beck, Modest Mouse, and The Black Keys. On Thursday night at Austin’s downtown basketball arena, as Melvins’ Buzz Osborne would call a “Non-venue,” the Kentucky-England band pumped out 80 minutes of virtually banterless cuts that saw the six-piece outfit tearing through their accomplished career of steady but worthwhile material. An eclectic audience made their way to the Moody Center for the Friday eve show.

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The Black Angels at Stabile Hall
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: The Black Angels rocked the new Stable Hall in San Antonio last week

Case Cockrell 1573 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Black Angels headed to San Antonio to give their Central Texas fans a blueprint of what will come in their 20th year. The Black Angels have stayed plugged into the depths and hardliners of the indie scene, and their relevance and expertise in the underground music sphere have been an inspiring force due to their many years in the business. The Black Angels delivered a smoking set at Stabile Hall on Friday, June 28 in San Antonio for their Central Texas fans, which saw Austin and local SATX supporters alike flocking to the new(ish) Stable Hall venue to witness a masterclass in Texas Psychedelia. 

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