Wednesday, May 13, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

Review

Earl Sweatshirt 2 Stubbs Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Standout rapper Earl Sweatshirt cemented his legacy at Stubb’s

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For the release of his fifth studio LP Live Laugh Love, the Earl hive is as healthy as ever, even if it means the 31-year-old’s legacy is a long way from his angst-ridden years. Earl and his worthy entourage made their way to Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater on November 21, an evening filled with beats and bars that affirmed his consistent, independent trajectory, which has mounted to that of one of hip-hop’s most forward-thinking figures.

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Cap n jazz 10 Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Emo originals Cap n Jazz played Mohawk last Monday

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The Midwest Emo Kinsella dynasty feels everlasting in 2025. For this outing, the emo originals Cap’n Jazz made their way to Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District on Monday night to assert a legacy that proved undeniable for an endless gauntlet of bands that came after them. Frontman Tim Kinsella, guitarist Nate Kinsella, and drummer Mike Kinsella remain a staying force within their niche. With all the records between them, the music has never halted, with over 35 years of nonstop creativity and touring. With bands like Owls, American Football, Joan of Arc, Owen, and many more making up their rotation of projects throughout the last few decades, the Kinsellas feel like they can’t miss. 

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QOTSA 3 ACL TV Nov 20
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: The seance will be televised – Queens of the Stone Age ACL TV taping

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Marcel Proust was a dark-minded poet-philosopher, once musing: “Our vanity, our passions, our spirit of imitation, our abstract intelligence, our habits have long been at work, and it is the task of art to undo this work of theirs, making us travel back in the direction from which we have come to the depths where what has really existed lies unknown within us.” Imagine him at a Parisian café with Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme, trading cigarettes and wine. Would they challenge death or toast to it? These thought and more came as QOTSA’s Austin City Limits TV taping took place on November 18 at ACL Live. 

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PPPP 5 Mohawk Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong packed Mohawk last Friday

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Baltimore funk jam outfit Pigeons Playing Ping Pong soared into Austin for another musical extravaganza, their third visit since 2022, in celebration of their eighth studio LP Feed The Fire. This time, the venue of choice came in the form of Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District on Friday night. Over the three-hour excursion, fans from all kinds of music spheres made their way to pack out the downtown Austin venue for two sets of pure joy. With loyalists being dubbed,”The Flock,” the level of fan inclusiveness was palpable throughout the packed venue for an episode of victorious energy. 

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Jeff Tweedy 4 Paramount Theater Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live Music Review: Jeff Tweedy Celebrates New Triple Album at Paramount Theatre

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A songwriter like Jeff Tweedy is rare company. With an ever-growing gaunlet of books, records, and musical outlets, the Illinois-born artist has maintained an unrivaled prolific streak that’s shown no signs of letting up as he reaches the not-so-ripe age of 60. After a phenomenal three-day stint with his primary vehicle, Wilco, at ACL Live last December, Tweedy and his family band made their way to the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin on Wednesday night. The Austin stop comes as a part of the tour to celebrate the release of triple LP Twilight Override, a 30-song epic chronicling the Midwest wordsmith’s more hopeful side. For the gig at one of Austin’s most coveted and beautiful venues, the results did not disappoint, given a storied career spanning over four decades.

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Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Essay: Is Hip Hop dead or just resetting?

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For the first time in a crazy long time, there were no hip-hop tracks in the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of October 25, 2025. The last time that happened was in February 1990 — Nirvana was still an indie band, and Run-DMC were already a nostalgia act. So what’s going on? Is hip hop dead or just resetting?

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Been There 4_Mix Master Mike 2_20251108_OlkerPhoto_096
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Been There 4 benefit at Radio East featured Mix Master Mike and Austin artists

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The two-stage setup in the Radio/East backyard was the perfect setting for the Been There 4 benefit live music event – “the party to end homelessness.”  The event took place on Saturday, November 8 with Beastie Boys’ wax authority, Mix Master Mike atop an impressive bill that included a raft of high quality Austin artists amid a decidedly upbeat vibe. The annual fundraiser began humbly at Camp Esperanza, the state-ordered Northeast Austin homeless encampment that The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF) set about to support with a wealth of services for folks struggling to make ends meet. The TOOF staff included many members of the music community and their friends, including filmmaker Aaron Brown (Onion Creek Productions) and his partner at Been There Lenny Barszap. 

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Patrick Sweany PR photo Joshua Black Wilkins
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Patrick Sweany deserves a bigger stage

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Every time Patrick Sweany rolls through town, I ask myself the same question: how is this guy not bigger? It’s the eternal curse of music nerds — finding an artist you love and wondering what the hell is wrong with everyone else. But Sweany’s different. He belongs in the same conversation as Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Marcus King, and the Black Keys. He’s that good.

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Big Thief Moody Amp Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Big Thief played their biggest Austin show at Moody Amphitheater

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Emotions are running deep this year. Hints of hope are dwindling, leaving the house costs $50, and making ends meet is becoming increasingly daunting. For Brooklyn’s Big Thief, cautious optimism is the North Star, and being present in the moment and looking inward are the keys to maintaining a gratifying existence. For their graduation from mid-sized theaters to larger headlining appearances, an adoring array of fans made their way to Waterloo Park’s Moody Amphitheater on Wednesday night to celebrate the release of new LP Double Infinity. Their biggest Austin headlining show to date, the confidence and dynamic connection between them brought everything full circle for their career, which has seen personal development that feels unrivaled in 2025. 

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Acid Mothers Temple 2 29th St Ballroom Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple at 29th Street Ballroom with The Macks and ST-37

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Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple returned to Austin for their fourth local appearance in two years at the 29th Street Ballroom in the University of Texas campus area on Sunday, marking another stopover for the band’s constant touring schedule that often has seven shows in seven cities per week. Acid Mothers Temple is a prolific force in the world of psychedelia, bringing their noise-infused brand of the genre through the crossbreeding of progressive rock, drone, and krautrock. For this stop, Acid Mothers Temple enlisted the help of Portland, Oregon garage rock outfit The Macks and local Austin psychedelic institution ST-37. 

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Porcelain 3 Halloween Freakend Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Freakend day two got weird

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The second day of Levitation’s Halloween Freakend at the Far Out Lounge & Stage showcased the more experimental side of the current indie music landscape, marking the third installment of Austin festival programming in 2025. With the Rob Fitzpatrick and The Black Angels-run music celebration entering its second decade, the Halloween two-day mini fest served as an optimal finale to a year of buzzing amps, underground artists, and legacy acts. Following a long-awaited headlining performance from Swedish dance punk stars Viagra Boys on Halloween night, the second day tapped into something a little different for the music fans who scour the internet for the weird and nothing but. 

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