Review

Idles at Moody Amp
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: England’s Idles delivered wild night at Moody Amphitheater May 21

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Sometimes, chaos is laced with love. Bristol, England’s Idles have been shooting off musical mortar shells since 2009, and each new release has seen the English band building off the previous. If you’re a fan of post-punk, hardcore, dance-punk, or anything punk rock-related in new music, Idles is a band that will strike a chord with your music listening holes. On their latest album, Tangk, Idles enlisted the help of Radiohead’s right-hand man, Nigel Godrich. The result was a more dialed-back, calculated effort from the group, touching on hints of dance music and soft rock cuts that aren’t without the England band’s carefully calibrated  ballistic nature that their rabid fanbase has become accustomed to.

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Grandmaster at Gala
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: The Grandmaster Orchestra Gala at Stateside Theatre promises more annual events

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May is a big season for any city like Austin. College students are closing the book on school, prom kids are, well, prom-ing, and the city of Austin has its usual everyday festivities going in full force. Austin’s Grandmaster Orchestra has been at it for over a year, assembling a lineup that spans some of the best artists the local music sphere offers. The members of the Grandmaster ensemble, honorably dubbed “Zealots,” take their leader, the Grandmaster’s mission, to heart. The local nonet, turned duodecet for the Austin act’s album release show at Stateside Theatre in downtown Austin, featured a star-studded bill that delivered musicianship and auras of longtime friendship that showed a pivotal moment for the Austin music scene of the current era

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Wine Lips and Forty Feet Tall rocked 13th Floor

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On Monday, May 6, Red River Cultural District venue, The 13th Floor was flooded with patrons stoked to check out Wine Lips on the heels of their latest full-length release, Super Mega Ultra. One month to the day after the LP release, the Canadian quartet put on a raucous, mosh-inducing performance with enough pull to prompt friends Forty Feet Tall to fly in from Portland for the pairing. The two bands rocked 13th Floor with stand-out performances.

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Ty Segall at Mohawk 6 Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Ty Segall brought his Three Bells tour to Mohawk April 22 with Sharpie Smile

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Prolific garage rocker, Ty Segall brought his current tour to Mohawk on April 22 in support of his latest album, Three Bells. The new record has seen generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 82. A frequent performer in Austin, Segall always draws a devoted audience to his Central Texas shows and last month’s gig was no exception. 

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LCD Soundsystem KBP 5
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party days two and three featured LCD Soundsystem, The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis

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The fifth Kilby Block Party celebrating 25 years of Salt Lake City’s most beloved DIY venue, Kilby Court was as good as billed last weekend as the upstart music festival concluded days two and three with standout performances not only by headliners LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis but scene-stealing sets by Belle and Sebastian,  CSS, Pond and Santigold. Not since Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest has there been a mid-tier sized festival as well run, booked and executed.

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Kilby Block Party 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party on day one featured Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers

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In Salt Lake City one of the most beloved and revered music venues is Kilby Court, the tiny, DIY performance space for which the Kilby Block Party music festival is named. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the legendary club, organizers and venue operators, S&S Presents are also marking the fifth year of the festival with another stellar lineup that attracted fans from all over the country to the Utah State Fairpark for what is turning out to be an incredible weekend of musical performances. Friday’s lineup included Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers including; Joanna Newsome, Courtney Barnett, Alvvays and Blondshell among others.

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Mikaela Davis at Austin Psych Fest 2024
April RiggsLive MusicReview

Live music review: Mikaela Davis was angelic at Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge

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My first time seeing Mikaela Davis was on the BMI stage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2015, and I expected her sound to be folkie, singer-songwriter music that I’m not typically into. When she took the stage with her harp, I heard an angelic, neo-psychedelic country sound that pleased my ears and I have followed her career via social media since. 

Fast forward nine years to Day Three at Austin Psych Fest (2024), when festival-goers almost lost a mellow day of music due to the weather. The rain moved on and Van Mary eased us into a swampy day at the Janice Stage with a super-chill set. The afternoon continued to heat up as Mikaela Davis & Southern Star took to the Willie Stage for the final day of APF.

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Mannequin Pussy
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Philly punks Mannequin Pussy rocked sold-out Mohawk in rain on 420 Day

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Sometimes, we’re stubborn as Austin music fans. Austin’s Red River Cultural District venue Mohawk drew a sold-out crowd on a 420 Day  evening when the weather forecast threatened to do away with the night’s concert festivities. Luckily for fans of Philadelphia punk outfit Mannequin Pussy, folks were ready to have floods of fun as the rain poured down right as the Pennsylvania band took the stage.

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Wine Lips at Shakey Knees Pooneh Ghana
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Album Review: Wine Lips new album Super Mega Ultra emphasizes their growth and trajectory

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On April 5, Wine Lips released their latest LP, Super Mega Ultra, the much-anticipated follow-up to their breakout album, Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party. The Toronto-based act thrilled at Austin Psych Fest last year. Then dropped this punk rock banger recorded and mixed by Simon Larochette at the Sugar Shack in London, Ontario.

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Chicano Batman APF 2024
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclectic Austin Psych Fest returned to Far Out Lounge last weekend

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The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to the Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Texas for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. Event organizers, Levitation was, in part founded by local psych rock revivalists, The Black Angels, but the local organization has become much more over the years.

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Two Step Inn 2024
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Ludacris Came to Party and Hank Jr Wants You to Know He’s Not Gay at Two Step Inn

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The Two-Step Inn people are getting this thing right. Last year, being the first kick-off event, there were a few holes in the ship regarding accessibility and general needs being met, but this year, they’ve kicked up everything from just a few notches to feet, including lockers to water stations and tents for drug testing. Last year, I was lucky enough to catch both days. This year, I managed to sneak into the fest only on Sunday, April 21 but what I saw was worth the risk of getting towed.

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