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The Cosmic Clash

live music

Neko Case Paramount Theater Troy Gonzales
Live MusicReviewTroy Gonzales

Live music review: Neko Case returned to the Paramount Theater in Austin for Thanksgiving

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So on a warm Tuesday night, a two days before Thanksgiving, Neko Case and her touring band returned to the Paramount Theatre in support of her latest album, Neon Grey Midnight Green, her eighth studio album, which also follows her recent bestselling memoir,  The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.  I’ve been lucky enough to have seen the New Pornographers on a couple of occasions but have only seen Neko Case solo once at the Paper Tiger in San Antonio. While I haven’t always thought of the Paramount Theatre as my go to place to see live music, I will concede that certain musical artist do benefit from its historic ambience, which can lend a sense of intimacy and warmth that you can’t find at any other venue.

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Bouncing Souls 6 Empire Garage Justin Clark
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Old school punks The Bouncing Souls and H2O played Empire last Sunday

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As an official Old Head, it’s an experiment in time for me: I got into punk in the early ’90s, and now that it’s 2025, I’m somehow in my fourth decade of this thing. The people we looked up to — and the kids I was crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with at basement shows — are now comparing cholesterol scores and scheduling their first colonoscopy. So when The Bouncing Souls and H2O rolled into town on Sunday, I got off my Rascal scooter and made my way down to enjoy the cool sounds of bands who’ve been around for thirty years, joining the rest of the AARPunks at Empire Control Room.

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Tear Dungeon 23 Radio East Justin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Holiday Hootenanny returns to Radio East December 13 with stacked lineup

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The Resound-Pooneh Presents-KUTX Holiday Hootenanny returns to Radio / East on December 13, marking another year of music, vendors, and holiday-themed festivities to close out another year of Austin live music. The event will run all day, with two non-overlapping music stages running until midnight. Holiday Hootenanny is an all-ages opportunity to see local talent and touring acts alike in southeast Austin, with plenty of parking, food trucks, and ample drink selections to keep festival-goers energized throughout the day.

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Charlie Brown Christmas 2 Parker Jazz Club Robert Dean
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

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

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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.

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Big Bill BBB 8 6 Radio East Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Big Bill Ball 8 at Radio East offered accurate snapshot of Austin music scene

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The eighth annual Big Bill Ball at Radio East in the Southeast part of town, marked another celebration of the Austin scene, offering a snapshot of local music in 2025 with a six-band bill featuring some of the best active acts in the Austindie sphere. For this year’s installment, the philosophical art punk mainstays celebrated the release of their new studio LP, Sick Myth. Continuing the Big Bill way of inclusive activism through comedic lyrical punchlines and a variety of punk rock angles, the one-day event gave attendees one of the most coveted evenings of live music in 2025 during Saturday night’s (November 22) gig at the southeast Austin backyard venue. The mini-fest was co-sponsored by famed photographer and show promoter, Pooneh Ghana for the annual showcase.

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Murder City Devils 4 Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Murder City Devils brought rock and roll fury to Mohawk

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I love a show where the band is not there to fuck around. No small talk, no rare material, no rambling monologues about the world. Just pure rock and roll fury. At the Mohawk on Sunday, November 23, The Murder City Devils crashed into Planet Austin and left no survivors. The band barely tours anymore—just fly-in one-offs where they show up, sell the same three merch designs they’ve had for twenty years, and play the hits.

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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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Los Blenders 2025 foto PR
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

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

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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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