live music – Page 7 – The Cosmic Clash

Murder City Devils 4 Mohawk Troy Gonzales

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

December 2, 2025 Robert Dean 1971 Views Coady Willis, concert, Dann Gallucci, Derek Fudesco, hard rock, hardcore, Leslie Hardy, live music, MCD, mohawk, Murder City Devils, punk, punk rock, Review, rock and roll, Spencer Moody, Sub Pop

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Standout rapper Earl Sweatshirt cemented his legacy at Stubb’s

November 25, 2025 Case Cockrell 2108 Views beats and bars, Cletus Strap, Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt, Hip Hop, Liv.e, live music, Mavi, Odd Future, rap, rapper, Review, Stubb's, Stubb's BBQ, Tyler the Creator, Zelooperz

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Emo originals Cap n Jazz played Mohawk last Monday

November 24, 2025 Case Cockrell 1659 Views Cap n Jazz, crowd surfing, Emo, indie pop, indie punk, indie rock, Kinsella brothers, live music, mohawk, Nate Kinsella, punk rock, Review, Tom Kinsella

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.

Live Music Review Robert Dean

Live music review: The seance will be televised – Queens of the Stone Age ACL TV taping

November 23, 2025 Robert Dean 2093 Views ACL TV, Alive in the Catacombs, art rock, Austin City Limits TV, cocert, episode taping, hard rock, Josh Homme, live music, performance art, QOTSA, Queens of the Stone Age, Review, rock n roll, taping

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong packed Mohawk last Friday

November 19, 2025 Case Cockrell 1473 Views Alex Petropulus, Ben Carrey, funk, Greg Ormont, jam band, jam funk, Jeremy Schon, Justin Timberlake, live music, mohawk, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Review, rock n roll, Scrambled Greg, The Who

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.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

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

November 18, 2025 Greg Ackerman 1924 Views 13th Floor, Christian Bland, concert, garage rock, Hidden Ritual, latin rock, live music, Los Blenders, preview, psych-rock, rock en espagnol, rock n roll

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.

Case Cockrell Interviews Live Music

Interview: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong talk Austin, Domefest and touring in 2025

November 17, 2025 Case Cockrell 2142 Views Ben Carrey, funk, Greg Ormont, Interview, Interviews, jam band, live music, mohawk, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, PPPP

Baltimore funk institution Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are a staying force in the world of jam bands. Rounded out by singer and guitarist Greg “Scrambled Greg” Ormont, bassist Ben Carrey, guitarist Jeremy Schon, and drummer Alex “Gator” Petropulos, the road warriors from Maryland aren’t accustomed to taking any time off since their inception 17 years ago. Ahead of their show at Mohawk on Friday, November 14 in the famed Red River Cultural District in downtown Austin, The Cosmic Clash caught up with Ormont and Carrey to discuss their storied career and thoughts about Austin’s vibe

Jeff Tweedy 4 Paramount Theater Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live Music Review: Jeff Tweedy Celebrates New Triple Album at Paramount Theatre

November 14, 2025 Case Cockrell 1572 Views alt-country, Austin Music, Daniel Johnston, Jeff Tweedy, live music, Macie Stewart, Paramount Theatre, Review, singer, songwriter, Tweedy, Twilight Override, Wilco

A songwriter like Jeff Tweedy is rare company. With an ever-growing gaunlet of books, records, and musical outlets, the Illinois-born artist has maintained an unrivaled prolific streak that’s shown no signs of letting up as he reaches the not-so-ripe age of 60. After a phenomenal three-day stint with his primary vehicle, Wilco, at ACL Live last December, Tweedy and his family band made their way to the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin on Wednesday night. The Austin stop comes as a part of the tour to celebrate the release of triple LP Twilight Override, a 30-song epic chronicling the Midwest wordsmith’s more hopeful side. For the gig at one of Austin’s most coveted and beautiful venues, the results did not disappoint, given a storied career spanning over four decades.

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 1493 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.

Patrick Sweany PR photo Joshua Black Wilkins

Live Music Review Robert Dean

Live music review: Patrick Sweany deserves a bigger stage

November 12, 2025 Robert Dean 1673 Views blues rock, Continental Club, Jack White, live music, Nashville, new music, Patrick Sweany, Review, rock n roll, singer, songwriter, soul

Every time Patrick Sweany rolls through town, I ask myself the same question: how is this guy not bigger? It’s the eternal curse of music nerds — finding an artist you love and wondering what the hell is wrong with everyone else. But Sweany’s different. He belongs in the same conversation as Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Marcus King, and the Black Keys. He’s that good.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Big Thief played their biggest Austin show at Moody Amphitheater

November 11, 2025 Case Cockrell 1619 Views Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief, Buck Meek, folk, Hanna Reed, indie rock, indie-folk, live music, Lomelda, Moody Amphitheater, Review, rock n roll, singer songwriter

Emotions are running deep this year. Hints of hope are dwindling, leaving the house costs $50, and making ends meet is becoming increasingly daunting. For Brooklyn’s Big Thief, cautious optimism is the North Star, and being present in the moment and looking inward are the keys to maintaining a gratifying existence. For their graduation from mid-sized theaters to larger headlining appearances, an adoring array of fans made their way to Waterloo Park’s Moody Amphitheater on Wednesday night to celebrate the release of new LP Double Infinity. Their biggest Austin headlining show to date, the confidence and dynamic connection between them brought everything full circle for their career, which has seen personal development that feels unrivaled in 2025.