jazz – The Cosmic Clash

Charlie Brown Christmas 2 Parker Jazz Club Robert Dean

Live music review: A Charlie Brown Christmas at Parker Jazz Club evokes deep nostalgia

December 5, 2025 Robert Dean 1276 Views A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charles Schultz, Christmas show, jazz, live music, Parker Jazz Club, Review, The Ryan Davis Trio, Vince Guaraldi

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending The Parker Jazz Club’s tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and it’s now on my must-do tradition list. Hosted every Monday in December, The Ryan Davis Trio puts on an hour-and-a-half show with a little history of the special, a few jokes, and plenty of timeless music. The experience was cozy and pleasant, full of smiles and wistful audience members diving deep into their pasts as the music played. Even Snoopy had his place on top of the doghouse—Charlie’s little tree was there, too.

Been There 4_Mix Master Mike 2_20251108_OlkerPhoto_096

Brian Hillsman Live Music Review

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

November 13, 2025 Brian Hillsman 987 Views Austin Music, Been There, Ben Kweller, dance pop, Deadeye, DJ, electronic music, folk rock, Grandmaster, indie rock, jam band, jazz, live music, Lucas Hudgins, Mix Master Mike, Radio East, Real Ale, Review, rock n roll, Ruby Jane, songwriter, TC Superstar, The Other Ones Foundation

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.

Water From Your Eyes Brushy St Commons Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Water From Your Eyes returned to Austin with new record

October 24, 2025 Case Cockrell 1300 Views Brushy Street Commons, experimental music, Hooky, indie rock, It's A Beautiful Place, jazz, live music, Matador Records, Nate Amos, new music, Parish, Rachel Brown, Review, rock n roll, Samira Winter, thanks for coming, This is Lorelei, Water From Your Eyes, Wet Dip, Winter

Noise pop duo Water From Your Eyes formed when Amos relocated to Brooklyn, spurring a songwriting partnership that’s several records deep and becoming a tenured indie act. Since the release of their critically acclaimed Matador Records full-length Everyone’s Crushed in 2023, songwriting team Brown and Amos have been working to build their sonic relationship that shows the crowds getting bigger and the chatter in the online music spheres louder. For the unveiling of their seventh studio album and second Matador entry It’s a Beautiful Place doubling down on their hard-to-pinpoint approach, the duo hasn’t stopped creating or halted their relentless stints of touring. For their third stop in Austin in two calendar years at the recently rebranded Brushy Street Commons (formerly known as Parish), the Amos and Brown-led group showcases that they’re here to stay awhile and continue their surreal, self-aware brand of Gen-Z social commentary.

Live Music Review Troy Gonzales

Live music review: Swans played final big sound performance at Mohawk

September 24, 2025 Troy Gonzales 2728 Views concert, experimental rock, jazz, Little Annie and Paul Wallfisch, live music, Michael Gira, mohawk, post rock, Review, Swans

Legendary experimental rock band Swans returned to Austin on September 10 to play Mohawk for what is being touted as the group’s final full band tour. in support of Birthing, their 17th studio album. Bandleader, Michael Gira has stated that the record would be the last “big sound” Swans album, with future releases from the band being “significantly pared down” and that it would mark his last album as the main producer of Swans. For music fans who made it to Mohawk earlier this month, it was a bittersweet moment from artists who have deeply influenced various experimental music genres since their inception in 1981.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

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

June 10, 2025 Case Cockrell 4113 Views 13th Floor, ambient music, garage rock, Hooveriii, indie rock, jazz, Levitation, live music, new music, psych-rock, punk rock, Review, Rich Ruth

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

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: White Denim returns to Austin for Hot Luck Fest with Nolan Potter

May 28, 2025 Case Cockrell 4453 Views fusion, Hot Luck Festival, indie rock, James Petralli, jazz, mohawk, Nolan Potter, Nolan Potter's Nightmare Egg, psych-rock, Raze Regal, rock n roll, White Denim

Austin to Pasadena indie outfit White Denim, the musical fusion of chief songwriter James Petralli has seen many forms. Since making the West Coast his home, the Austin-bred group has undergone a creative shift, no longer a vehicle of constant members and making Petralli’s name synonymous with the consistent stream of records released amid numerous lineup changes throughout the years. On Saturday night (May 24) at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District as a part of the annual Hot Luck Festival culinary celebration, White Denim fed their hometown once again, their third stop in Central Texas in 18 months.

Album Brian Hillsman Review

Album review: Hard Proof dropped third LP Code Noir last month

March 6, 2025 Brian Hillsman 2773 Views Afrobeat, album, Austin Music, Black Pumas, Code Noir, fusion, Hard Proof, Hip Hop, jazz, Kalu James, new music, Review, Spoon, World Music

Austin’s hometown jazz-funk collective, Hard Proof, released their latest album, Code Noir, in early February. The all-star Afrobeat collective released their third studio record followed by a Continental Club album release party. The recording is a listen that is bound to get you up and dancing in living room. It may be their best effort yet.

Album Amanda Quraishi Review

Album Review: Savannah Red’s Christmas Album is Your New Holiday Classic

December 12, 2024 Amanda Quraishi 2760 Views album review, Anslee Connell, Brian Scartocci, Christmas, Christmas Music, Holiday, jazz, Mariah Carey, Melissa Engleman, Savannah Red

At some point after Halloween and before Thanksgiving, we begin to detect familiar melodies in the background while we’re at the grocery store or waiting in a doctor’s office. By the time December rolls around, the holiday music is in full effect. Which might not be so bad except that out of the decades of popular Christmas music available, there seems to be only a handful of Christmas songs that get played ad nauseam. By the time Christmas is over, even the most ardent Mariah Carey fan needs a break. Which exactly is why A Savannah Red Friends & Family Christmas should be on tap for all your holiday festivities this year

Brian Hillsman Live Music Review

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

July 23, 2024 Brian Hillsman 2690 Views Daniel Fears, David Shabani, Empire Garage, Hip Hop, Hot Summer Nights, jazz, live music, Moody Banks, R&B, Red River Cultural District, Review, soul

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.

Amanda Quraishi Live Music Review

Live Music Review: Flakefest Vol. 1 defied expectations at Mohawk June 28

July 3, 2024 Amanda Quraishi 3877 Views Como Las Movies, Cumbia, experimental, Flakefest, funk, fusion, Jackie O'Brien, jazz, Latin music, mohawk, new music, rock n roll, Starflake, TBLSH

Nowhere could this phenomenon be better illustrated than at FLAKEFEST Vol. 1 on Friday, June 28, 2024 at Mohawk. Two bands – Como Las Movies and Starflake – took to the stage along with a handful of other local music luminaries and brought us an evening of homegrown, Latin-infused, experimental music that defies expectations and crushes definitions.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

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

May 22, 2024 Case Cockrell 2543 Views Dodo, funk, Grandmaster, Grandmaster Orchestra, jazz, live music, May the Fourth, Nolan Potter, Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band, R&B, Raze Regal, Review, rock, Stateside Theatre

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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