Thursday, June 4, 2026

music festival

Brian HillsmanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: upstart Remo Fest to feature reggae acts from Texas and beyond

Upstart reggae music event, Remo Fest ‘25 will take place at Hill Country Caribbean Vybez on Saturday, September 20, in Blanco, Texas.  Doors at the second-year reggae festival open at noon, with music kicking off at 2 p.m. The Caribbean music vibes continue until 11 p.m. 

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: MeadowFest Saturday at Far Out Lounge to benefit SIMS Foundation

This Saturday, September 23 the punk to funk, MeadowFest benefiting music mental health organization, The SIMS Foundation takes place at Far Out Lounge and Stage in South Austin. The event is the brainchild of the Meadow Goodman Foundation for Mental Health Awareness and Austin music professional and SIMS Foundation Advisory Board Member, Adrienne Lake. The festival bill is a who’s who of Austin music led by funk fusion acts, Golden Dawn Arkestra and Brownout.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Levitation drops 2025 genre spanning lineup today with new location

evitation Festival returns on September 25-28 this Fall, bringing another masterfully curated lineup by famed booker Rob Fitzpatrick and co-producers Resound Presents. This year’s setup will change from its regular format, featuring a new central home of the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin while retaining late-night programming in the Red River Cultural District. The 2025 festival lineup is an eclectic, genre-spanning showcase of psych rock, metal, punk, electronica, indie rock, and everything in between – a celebration of independent music in the live music capital.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: New Order back in Utah after 35 years at Kilby Block Party 2025

By now, most indie rock fans have heard about Kilby Block Party, the mid-tier sized festival that has taken place in Salt Lake City over the past six years. The paean to indie rock produced by S&S Presents has grown in stature in the music festival scene each year since it was founded in 2019 with a single-day event at its namesake Kilby Court’s location in SLC’s Granary district. This year’s expansion to a fourth evening of music was largely driven by the availability of England’s New Order who hadn’t played Utah in 35 years.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at Kilby Block Party 2025

he DIY spirit of Kilby Court runs through the heart of the SLC music scene culminating each May with Kilby Block Party at the Utah State Fairpark. This year’s edition has expanded to a fourth evening on Thursday, May 15. The fest runs through Sunday, May 18 with a lineup of bands that stands out among American music festivals this year. The added day was to accommodate the schedule of New Order who haven’t played Utah in 35 years. The rest of the lineup is mind blowing with acts like Beach House, Weezer and Justice who will perform in Salt Lake for the first time. Four-day passes and single day tickets are still available here. Read on to learn more about six bands to see at Kilby Block Party in 2025. 

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April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Friday at Austin Psych Fest with Explosions in the Sky, Octopus Project and Godspeed You Black Emperor

Austin has no shortage of music festivals and while most of them are amazing in some way, my favorite is Austin Psych Fest. This year, I caught Texas act, Explosions in the Sky, Austin’s The Octopus Project and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as some other worthwhile bands. This gem of a festival melted into Levitation (close second fave) and then split back into two different but equal festivals in 2023. APF is held at The Far Out Lounge, one of my favorite venues in Austin since the apocalypse.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Holiday Hootenanny with Danny Brown, HEALTH, Of Montreal, Water From Your Eyes set for December 14-15

Resound Presents’ annual winter formal returns this year with a two-day event set to take place on December 15 and 16 with a worthy lineup to ensure Austin music fans send off their year with a bang. The 16-band excursion dubbed the “Holiday Hootenanny,” is an enormous opportunity to see the up-and-coming and well-established talent with many acts that have torn through Austin in 2024 as show favorites as the stacked concert calendar in town has continued to unfold. The event is also co-presented by all-star concert photographer Pooneh Ghana and famed local radio station KUTX. The annual programming will take place at the multi-stage Radio/East, located in South Austin, one of the city’s most exciting new venues

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Wizard Rodeo festival is set for year four with thoughtfully curated eclectic bill

The annual Wizard Rodeo music festival returns to The Long Time Sandlot for another year of folk-oriented fun on December 7. An eclectic lineup put together by San Antonio country rock sensation and Lonesome Rose venue owner Garrett T. Capps, Little Mazarn’s Lindsey Verrill, and The Long Time owner Jesse Ebaugh, Wizard Rodeo promises a celebration that defies all the current era’s normalities with a genre-spanning music lineup, art installations, and multiple stages, (Including one located inside of an onsite boarding house, go figure.) The booked talent will showcase the widespread creativity of Central Texas and beyond.

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

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

Halloween night 2024, marked the opening evening of Levitation Festival this year.  With artists from around the globe opening on stages at venues throughout Austin, Kairos Creature Club and Osees presented a Halloween kickoff at East Sixth’s Hotel Vegas. It was a show that would surely deliver. Each year, Osees make their way to Austin for a four-night residency at East Austin live music hub. And every year, they put on versatile sets that exceed the expectations of music fans. Halloween night last Thursday was no exception.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven more bands to see at Levitation 2024

The 2024 edition of Levitation is coming up fast this Halloween weekend. Each year, Austin’s The Black Angels and trusted booking powerhouse and Festival Director Rob Fitzpatrick continue to deliver star-studded lineups and cutting edge acts that never disappoint local and out-of-town music fans traveling to Austin for the annual multi-venue programming. The Cosmic Clash team is here to provide another list of bands you need to see over the four-day festival takeover at venues all over the Austin area. Fans have the option of purchasing access to the entire lineup or purchase individual shows. Set times and tickets can be found on the Levitation website for fans to plan their daily excursions to see all the music they can throughout the weekend. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at LEVITATION 2024

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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