Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Cosmic Clash

The Bright Light Social Hour

"Call My Name"

Reviews

King Gizzard at Germania
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: King Gizzard played marathon three hour set at Germania Amphitheater

Case Cockrell

The trek out to Austin’s Circuit of the Americas racetrack where Germania Amphitheater is located is a daunting one. From taking in an hour of traffic, ludicrous drink prices, and baffling ticket expenditures, the Formula 1 Racing spot has most Austin music fans disinterested in driving out to the sticks to experience its monstrosity. (17 miles outside of the downtown area to be exact.) In last Friday night’s case, fans of a certain Australian band made an exception.

Fastball at Scoot Inn
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Fastball played Scoot Inn in support of their new album Sonic Ranch

Greg Ackerman
The Sword 1 Stubb's
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Day 3 and 4 of Levitation wrapped with standout performances by The Sword, Wine Lips and more

Case Cockrell
Osees at Levitation
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Kickoff at Hotel Vegas with Osees and Kairos Creature Club

Brian Hillsman
The Bright Light Social Hour
Greg AckermanMusic VideoPremiere

Video Premiere: The Bright Light Social Hour release “Call My Name” today

Greg Ackerman 443 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Austin’s The Bright Light Social Hour release a brand new video for the track “Call My Name” today at The Cosmic Clash. The song is from their latest release, Emergency Leisure which dropped August 2, 2023. The band soon followed with their most ambitious tour in five years, playing dates across North America from September of last year through May of this year. The 36 city tour took the band as far north as Canada and across the United States. This exceptional act has put in a ton of miles, making new fans and bringing old ones back into the fold with a stellar new record and a long overdue extended tour. The new video highlights a track that stood out when the album dropped last year so it makes sense the band would make a corresponding video.

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LCD Soundsystem at Branzos Hall for IQOS Greg Ackerman
April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: LCD Soundsystem at Brazos Hall or Fake New Wave Bullshit and How I Became a Fan

April Dawne 782 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Editor’s Note: As is standard operating procedure at TCC, we loosen the rules a bit for our writers, encouraging each to write in their own voice while staying true to our ethos as music lovers and journalists who intend to do no harm to artists and peers we choose as subjects. I’ll briefly set the stage for April Dawne’s hilarious and very real diatribe on seeing LCD Soundsystem on Saturday, October 19 at Brazos Hall as guests of IQOS and Rolling Stone who generously offered my wife Haley and me, plus a few lucky artists and friends early entry to the concert / brand activation of the weekend for the Austin Grand Prix F1 Race. Thanks for reading and enjoy… 

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CultureInterviewsMike Cosmic

Interview: Besides music Trail of Dead member Conrad Keely is a gifted visual artist

mikecosmic 303 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Music fans might know Conrad Keely’s art through his band …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead without realizing Keely often designed and created the album artwork. Music isn’t where Keely’s creative endeavors end. The man is a gifted painter, working in a variety of mediums; oils, acrylics, pen and ink on paper, canvas and even wood surfaces. I sat down with Keely for a video interview and we discussed all aspects of his art and where it might head in the future.

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Grupo Fantasma-BeenThere-150
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Been There 3 for The Other Ones Foundation levels up at Radio East November 2

Greg Ackerman 521 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Other Ones Foundation is entering year three of their annual event, Been There which launched with performances by Grupo Fantasma and the once red-hot Nané (whose incendiary bandleader tragically passed away not long after) played the inaugural event at Camp Esperanza which is also where The Other Ones Foundation is located, providing housing, job training, meal service and more to unhoused individuals. Many staffers are musicians which makes this organization particularly beloved amid the sea of NPOs with Austin’s music community. This year’s event, Been There 3 moves to Radio East’s more accessible outdoor venue space on Nov 2, while the lineup upgrades to something worthy of an annual event fans may opt to travel to Austin for with headliners Galactic and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe along some of Austin’s best musical acts on the bill; Carolyn Wonderland, Chali 2Na, Deadeye, Grandmaster and Riders Against the Storm. It’s a full day of amazing live music programming versus an evening event like the previous events. 

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THE BLACK ANGELS at Stubb's
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at LEVITATION 2024

Case Cockrell 496 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

World-renowned psychedelic Austin musician Roky Erickson once said, “At one time, I had it notarised that I was from another planet. By a lawyer.” Regardless of whether that makes sense or not, Erickson’s legacy still holds true in the city of Austin, Texas. We’re decades removed from the 60s, but folks like Austin’s The Black Angels and their proxies have kept his legacy alive by delivering endless programming of neo-psych rock utopia.  Festival founders Rob Fitzpatrick and The Black Angels’ Levitation is back this Halloween weekend for yet another multi-venue installment, and the booked talent continues to deliver a factor of “Wow.” The Cosmic Clash team will join the festivities yet again and is here to prescribe another list of bands you need to see for the end-of-October festivities. All set times can be found on the Levitation website.

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High On Fire at Mohawk
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: High On Fire sold-out Mohawk with Weedeater and Burnt Skull

Case Cockrell 346 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

When it’s October in Austin, Texas and it’s still 95 degrees outside, outdoor sold-out shows can feel like the Summer season never changed. With Austin Italian cuisine staple Marinara Miracles slinging their signature dishes and Lone Star Beers overflowing the venue trash cans, fans in attendance at Mohawk on October 5 were indulged and ready to see a modern heavy metal favorite deliver a gig doing what they do best. For Oakland’s High on Fire’s second Austin appearance in just under a year on Saturday night, stoner metal fans came in full force to experience another helping of crushing riffs, bombastic drum beats, and relentless stampedes of bass that have become their trademark since being assembled in 1998. 

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White Denim Sagebrush Paul Ramsey landscape
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: White Denim delivered epic two set show at Sagebrush

Case Cockrell 473 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

White Denim appeared earlier this year at Red River Cultural District staple Mohawk, joined by Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, and featured a sit-in from guitarist Raze Regal to commemorate their long-awaited joint album Raze Regal and White Denim Inc. Petralli and company opted for far-South Austin haunt Sagebrush on September 26 for their triumphant return to Austin. Not only this, the announcement came with the note that the Austin gig would be a two-set performance, producing a career-spanning evening with the legendary Austin indie rock act. To describe the Thursday night shindig, a word that comes to mind is “Epic.”

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King Dunn at Antone's
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Butthole Surfers member JD Pinkus and Melvins front man Buzz Osborne at Antone’s

Case Cockrell 434 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

If you’ve ever seen Washington’s Melvins in a live setting, you know the uncontrolled chaos that ensues with every live occurrence. For frontman Buzz Osborne, he lives and breathes it. Since releasing the latest Melvins LP Tarantula Heart, Osborne has embarked on a solo acoustic tour with none other than Texas legend JD Pinkus from the titans of weird, The Butthole Surfers. A chilled-out crowd made their way to coveted downtown Austin music haunt Antone’s on September 21 for a stripped-back gauntlet of tunes fans of the main Melvins act rejoice in with thunderous audience fury in their typical, abrasive format.

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ALC Festival 2023 Greg Ackerman
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six buzz bands to see at ACL Festival 2024 Weekend One

Greg Ackerman 1301 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Each year when the lineup for Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) drops, reactions to the headliners listed often dominate the online discussion that follows but logically with nearly 80 acts on the bill each weekend, there are bound to be buzz bands to see. Weekend One has quite a few artists that made our list of acts to watch perform. We narrowed that list down further to two recommendations per day. Also included are the remaining bands that we took note of when examining the exhaustive roster which includes newbie pop sensation, Chappell Roan whose set got moved from Saturday to Sunday in order to move her performance to the largest stage at the festival, Amex.

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Bat Fest 2024 Kotah Mack
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Bat Fest 2024 featured Ghostland Observatory, Paul Wall and more

Brian Hillsman 463 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The 18th annual Bat Fest took place, once more, on the South Congress Bridge, from 3 p.m. to the late hours of the evening on Saturday, September 7.  On a warm, late summer afternoon, the sun beamed down on patrons and vendors, as preparations for the showcase ensued. The all-day party which takes place on the bridge where the largest urban colony of bats reside with performances by an eclectic list of artists; hard-rockers, CORE, hip-hop duo Luniz, Screw legend, Paul Wall and headliners, Ghostland Observatory. The fest is known for its unusual lineups and the 2024 edition was no exception. 

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