Thursday, March 5, 2026

13th Floor

Greg AckermanPremiereSong

Video premiere: SoundMass releases new single, prepares for SXSW 2026 shows

On March 14, SoundMass will gather at The 13th Floor for Cosmic Plants Clash IV, the SXSW day party our publication and Play to the Plants has produced at the venue the past four years. We’ve invited the group, which is really two awesome post-rock bands, Austin’s my education and Salt Lake City’s Theta Naught combined. The merging of the two acts produces a powerful, orchestral style performance with rock instrumentation. With two of every instrument, the stage becomes crammed with talented musicians which is basically our ideal scenario. Today we’re premiering SoundMass’ latest single, “Last Gasp.”

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Live MusicPreviewRobert Dean

Live music preview: Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids is coming to 13th Floor

I have a deep love for The Get Up Kids. Their 1999 classic Something to Write Home About is an all-timer for me—one of those records that somehow still hits the same decades later. (I’ve been caught hoarse-singing along to “Action-Action” more than once in my life.) So when word came down that frontman Matt Pryor is dropping back into town, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, I was immediately in.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Free Week starts January 9 with over 80 bands

Free Week in Austin’s Red River Cultural District returns this coming weekend on January 9 and 10, bringing yet another array of cover-free showcases to the downtown area to kick off 2026 with live music from the city’s fruitful scene. The event will feature a baker’s dozen venues and over 80 performing artists to showcase Austin’s nightlife. The RRCD is managed by the Red River Merchants’ Association, a coalition of over forty local small businesses found within the District, which include not only live music venues, restaurants, hotels, retail shops, and other small businesses, but also the Austin Symphony Orchestra, First Baptist Church, German-Texan Heritage Society, and Waterloo Greenway.​

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Mexico City rockers Los Blenders set to play 13th Floor on Saturday with Hidden Ritual

You may be too young to remember the first wave of Rock en Espagnol that spread across North America in the 90s. Bands like Caifanes, Mana, Maldita Vecindad and countless others were heard across airwaves in the U.S. and across Latin America. For this writer, it was the first time we’d heard Spanish language music that rocked like the bands we loved to discover on college radio and cool stations like L.A.’s KROQ. We even attended a concert where Spanish and English-speaking rock bands shared a bill at Universal Amphitheater the oddly indoor venue at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The possibilities seemed endless. Fast forward to 2025 and Rock en Espagnol seems to have returned en force. Latin music is one of the fastest growing sectors in American music sales. Bad Bunny is slated to play the Super Bowl and killer garage-psych band, Los Blenders are coming to the 13th Floor in downtown Austin on Saturday. Tickets are still available for this underplay at the intimate Red River District venue.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six showcases to see at Hot Summer Nights in Austin this weekend

Hot Summer Nights (HSN) in the Red River Cultural District of Austin is an annual RRCD-sponsored event that features hundreds of local artists performing across the downtown area. Each showcase will not charge a cover at the door, meaning dozens of free showcases akin to the annual Free Week, which takes place the first week of every January. HSN runs July 24  – July 26 and will feature talent from all over Austin and surrounding areas. Venues participating in the event include Mohawk, Chess Club, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Empire Control Room & Garage, and The 13th Floor among several others. For the three days of packed, free live music programming, The Cosmic Clash team has curated a list of showcases we think attendees will want to catch while wandering the streets of Red River during the free festival. Hot Summer Nights will also feature participating food vendors to keep you full and energized throughout the event.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: L.A. psych punk act Hooveriii at 13th Floor

Los Angeles psychedelic rock collective Hooveriii made a not-so-rare Austin appearance at The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District on Monday, June 2, bringing an intimate experience ahead of their planned 2025 Levitation Festival appearance. The cross-country tour comes in support of 2025 LP Manhunter, a ripper packed with supercharged tracks that shows the Bert Hoover-led outfit staying the course as one of the indie rock underground’s most exciting acts

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: SXSW 2025 opening weekend ramble

. The SXSW week began with opening all-day showcases such as the Hotel Vegas Anniversary Party, SX Soundcheck, Do512 Smokeout, and others, there’s plenty to keep music attendees busy before official music week begins the following Monday. Here’s what stood out to us in the opening days of SXSW, all of which will likely perform again before the week concludes. Follow these acts on social media for the most up-to-date information on live appearances throughout the festival. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven SXSW day parties not to miss in 2025

For every year’s SXSW installment, different activations pop up all over the city to bring SX-goers daytime programming before things switch over to an all-official format in the evening. These day Parties mostly feature cover-free programming, sometimes even featuring official SXSW artists that give opportunities to non-credentialed music fans to join in on the festivities during the week. All listed events occur between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., are free for attendees, and no badge is required, subject to capacit

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: supergroup MIEN played 13th Floor ahead of sophomore album

t The Black Angels-owned The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District on Friday evening, the stronghold of continuous overflow fusion of music for fans that dabble in the deep cuts in the realm of Primal Scream and The Jesus and the Mary Chain, Maas’ psychedelic supergroup MIEN graced the stage for the first time in seven years. Coming with an announced new sophomore full-length LP, a head-bobbing new single, and a tour overseas on deck to prove another busy year for Maas and a band with recruits from all over the globe.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: 13th Floor hosting art and music benefit for SIMS Foundation Saturday with Satalights, Semihelix and The Stayres

This Saturday, 13th Floor on Red River is hosting a SIMS Foundation benefit featuring art and live music by Austin musicians at the venue. Live music by Satalights, Semihelix, The Stayres with tunes by DJ Dead Flowers will begin at 8 p.m. In addition, four musicians; Conrad Keely (And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead), Anna Troxell, Ruben Mendez and Wes Coleman will be presenting their visual art for sale, all to benefit The SIMS Foundation, a music mental health organization that provides mental health and recovery services to Austin area music industry members and their dependent families.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: LEVITATION 2024 music festival lineup and schedule is out

Austin-based psychedelia collective Levitation has announced the 2024 edition lineup and schedule of their multi-venue festival to take place in downtown Austin over Halloween weekend. The festival will retain its four-day format, featuring venues in the Red River Cultural District and other parts of Austin. The event runs from October 31 – November 3.  Each day of programming will contain multiple shows at various locations throughout its duration, including; Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Mohawk, Empire Garage & Control Room, Elysium, The 13th Floor, and the new addition of downtown EDM favorite, Kingdom. 

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