Sunday, August 2, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

Review

Stabbing Raven Mayhem Fest Justin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: inaugural Mayhem Fest at new Crow Bar ended on blistering note

Case Cockrell 96 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Austin metal venue, The Crow Bar hosted Raven Mayhem Fest 2026 ended on a blistering note on Saturday, July 25 featuring bands from all across the Austin heavy spectrum and beyond for the inaugural three-day long extreme metal music festival at the newly reopened Crow Bar in far East Austin off Highway 183 at 523 Thompson Lane. Since reopening for SXSW 2025, co-owner Aryn Jonathan Black and booker Jay McDowell have been curating some of the heaviest-hitting bills in the Austin area. After the first Crow Bar location was lost to arson, owners Black and Steve Gee are back with a vengeance, and there’s been hell to pay since getting the underground-leaning establishment back up and running.

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Tomahawk 5 Emos Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Tomahawk and Melvins descended on a sold-out Emo’s

Case Cockrell 607 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Mike Patton has spent three decades collecting bands like other people collect vinyl, and every one of them draws the same crowd, showing up less for the setlist than for whatever version of Patton decides to appear. This time it was Nashville’s Tomahawk, and the Monday, July 20 stop at Emo’s Austin sold out fast. After a canceled Sick New World Festival in 2025 for the band’s 25th anniversary, Tomahawk’s reunion after 12 years off took a backseat until now.

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Hatebreed 1 The Rumble 2026 Brian Martinez
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Hardcore music festival The Rumble featured Hatebreed, Turmoil and more

Robert Dean 513 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

On Friday, July 17 as part of the annual festival The Rumble, Turmoil made their way back to Chicago for a triumphant return, playing songs from The Process Of and giving it everything they had in the process. I felt like a kid again, bobbing to the riffs of “Let It Die” while screaming along to the opening salvo of the hardest intro of all time, yelling “what the fuck?” alongside frontman John Gula.

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Flagman Lost Well Justin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Flagman brought deep fried alt metal to Lost Well

Case Cockrell 408 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Seattle-by-way-of-Orlando trio Flagman made their way south this summer to deliver their slap-bass mayhem to Austin metal stronghold Lost Well on July 16 – the second stop on their summer tour to spread their self-proclaimed brand of “deep-fried alt-metal.” Formed in 2015 around frontman and bass virtuoso Sam Stewart, the band has rotated through members over the years while keeping the bassist as the focal point of their roadshow. Since the dawn of the doomscroll era, artists and brands alike have been riding the algorithm to rack up streams and hopefully, enough chump change for Denny’s on the road. If you’re a Primus guy or a Mr. Bungle kind of weirdo, this band is for you.

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Corrosion of Conformity 8 Far Out Lounge Justin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Metal veterans Corrosion of Conformity rocked Far Out Lounge

Case Cockrell 508 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

It’s July in Texas. means it dsis a season of hiding inside until the deadly laser we call the sun disappears before even remotely considering an outdoor venture. Outdoor shows in Austin are a tall order, but for the return of North Carolina metal veterans Corrosion of Conformity, exceptions can be made. The Raleigh heavy-hitters made their way to South Austin on July 8 at The Far Out Lounge & Stage to deliver a career-spanning set, backed by an opening bill that paved the way in furious fashion. During an usually slow season for live music, both older heads and the young ones made their way to the homegrown Austin backyard for some metal riffs on a sweaty Wednesday night.

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Patrick Sweany 3 Lisbon Robert Dean
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Lisbon shared Fado, Patrick Sweany and incredible food

Robert Dean 953 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Lisbon, Portugal, is a complex, strange place. It’s somewhere else — a city of hills that murder your legs and drug dealers on every tourist block asking if you want to buy a bag of blow, and then, around the corner, the most amazing views and pastel de nata bubbling out of half the storefronts. The city moves uphill, so by nature it forces you to slow down, to stop, to have a drink, to think, to make your people wait just a moment. The food is incredible and the Portuguese are charming. After my first rip into a bifana pork sandwich among chattering locals who yelled for more beers, Add magical Fado performances and an unexpected Patrick Sweany gig and I realized Lisbon was a place I’d think about for the rest of my life.

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Billy Srings ACL TV 2 Jesse
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Billy Strings returned to stage for Austin City Limits TV taping

Case Cockrell 1085 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Flat-picking mega star Billy Strings returned to the stage for his first full-band gig since April after busting his leg doing an ill-fated skateboard trick backstage at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. After an unintentional break, Strings and his associates returned to ACL Live for Season 52 of Austin City Limits TV. For each consecutive season of the long-running PBS program, there is a show or two that sees high demand, with tons of hopeful fans waiting in line hoping to get a spot for the coveted performances. This was one of those tapings, as Billy’s return has been highly anticipated after a slew of cancellations following the injury in the spring. Despite arriving onstage on crutches and having not played a show in several months, things got right back to business for one of the most revered guitarists making his way around the touring circuit.

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Shakey Graves 2 UAF 2026 Ryan Odom
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Shakey Graves headlined Utah Arts Fest Saturday with a huge crowd

Greg Ackerman 708 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

On the 50th Anniversary of Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake City’s premier annual arts event chose to host Austin folk-Americana artist, Shakey Graves on Saturday, June 21 on the street adjacent to Library Square in the downtown civic center area. As huge fans of Graves’ since his return to Austin from Los Angeles where he was pursuing an acting career we’ve seen his steady ascent in music.

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Big Dumb Fest 4 crowd surfers Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Rickshaw Billy’s Big Dumb Fest Four invaded Mohawk again

Case Cockrell 910 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Annual traditions by Austin bands make the city unique. The Black Angels have Levitation, Big Bill hosts the Big Bill Ball, and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol runs Big Dumb Fest. For its fourth year, the band  curated a heavy lineup across both Mohawk stages in the Red River Cultural District. Along with booking standout bands, Rickshaw ensures fans arrive early and stay late by collaborating with local food spots like Bad Larry Burger Club, Epic Jerk, and Busty’s to keep energy high. After returning from a tour with American Sharks (also on Saturday’s bill), Rickshaw kicked off another successful year of Big Dumb Fest, channeling undeniable energy in their tribute to their hometown.

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