Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Review

Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Park City Song Summit day two featured My Morning Jacket, Larkin Poe and Anders Osborne

The fifth Park City Song Summit festival continued on day two (August 16) at Canyons Village Amphitheater with two-hour headlining set by My Morning Jacket.. The undercard featured standout performances from the talented guitarist sisters of Larkin Poe and Anders Osborne with Jackie Greene. Those high-quality acts plus grade-A production and event values amid astounding mountain views and ideal Summer condition minus an afternoon thunderstorm on Saturday added up to an exceptional experience for fans and artists alike.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

A Different Kind of Music Fest: Park City Song Summit Labs featured Jim James with Danny Clinch and Steve Poltz with Jay Blakesberg

Last weekend musicians, music industry members and fans gathered at Canyons Village in Park City for the fifth edition of the Park City Song Summit which took place August 15-17. The small capacity festival provided an intimate and gorgeous setting for fans to engage in Summit Labs sessions that included performing artists discussing various aspects of music as it relates to mental health and wellness. Programming included a presentation by Canadian singer-songwriter, Steve Poltz and photographer Jay Blakesburg as well as a session that included, My Morning Jacket band leader, Jim James and longtime MMJ photographer, Danny Clinch. The festival offered daytime performances by various acts with headlining shows in the amphitheater situated on the adjacent Canyons Village ski slope which provided top-tier sound and lighting throughout the weekend. It was evident that this was a different kind of music fest than most fans are accustomed to. 

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Drew DoggettLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kings of Leon and Phantogram Prove They Have Plenty of Fire at Moody Center

I hate the term “guilty pleasure.” Loving music based on the approval of others will drain you. While I’m not saying I’ll grab the aux cord to blare “Sex on Fire” during a road trip, I will die on the hill that Aha Shake Heartbreak was a seminal record for 2000s alternative and indie rock. Maybe it’s the Nashville boy in me, the lover of arena rock, or the nostalgia for how their southern riffs colored my upbringing in Tennessee. Kings of Leon rock. And on August 14 at Austin’s Moody Center, they brought a 28-song, anthemic setlist to prove it.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Legendary alt rockers Redd Kross played Parish on Rock and Roll Party tour

Since reforming and recording a double, self-titled record, Redd Kross is touring again and bringing what bassist McDonald would call a “Rock and Roll Party” to every city the Kross has placed on their itinerary. For the Austin stop on their tour, the California alt-rockers rolled into East Side hideaway, Parish on August 7, ready to deliver their top-down assault of tunes that made for a career-spanning performance. 

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Rising Austin synth act Urban Heat played Metro Music Hall with Gvllow

Rising Austin synth pop, post-punk act Urban Heat played Salt Lake City’s Metro Music Hall on August 7 with intense, darkwave band Gvllow from Southern California.. Led by veteran musician, Jonathan Horstmann whose previous project, BLXPLTN was well regarded in a crowded Austin music scene. With Urban Heat, Horstmann has elevated his game, earning Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards last March with the single “Have You Ever.” The trio’s superlative performance last Wednesday in SLC showed just how far the young band formed in 2019 has gotten in a relatively short period of time.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Nashville punks Snooper played sold out Parish with Blank Hellscape and Water Damage

For Snooper’s Summer Austin appearance on August 3, the band enlisted the help of Blank Hellscape and Water Damage. After their last SXSW appearance of 2024 that featured the former, Snooper was ready to make it all about their Texas musical kindred spirits at ATX East Side alternative music stronghold, Parish. It was a business as usual Saturday night for the Country Music town punks in the best and most incendiary of ways. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: A Hot Summer Nights ramble through the weekend with great local acts

Another Hot Summer Nights in Austin has come and gone. Twice a year, the Red River Cultural District holds a cover-charge-free, street-wide event that features mountains of Austin talent and beyond in both a January and July edition at venues such as Mohawk, Chess Club, Empire Garage & Control Room, Swan Dive, The 13th Floor, Elysium, and more. For each festival edition, an eclectic lineup that spans all genres invades Red River for thousands of attendees to get a helping of great, local talent, new and old. During the festival weekend, programming lasts from the early evening to closing time to give local music fans a taste of what makes the Austin music scene one of the best destinations in the country.

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

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

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.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Cage the Elephant came back from five year hiatus with Young the Giant at Moody Center

When a band like Cage The Elephant moves out of their place of formation for England, you know they intended to live up to their titular mission statement. Kentucky-born Cage The Elephant is many records removed from super-hit “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” becoming one of the mainstream’s most hard-hitting arena rock and roll acts while churning out a discography with inarguable depth that carries the torch for contemporaries such as The White Stripes, Beck, Modest Mouse, and The Black Keys. On Thursday night at Austin’s downtown basketball arena, as Melvins’ Buzz Osborne would call a “Non-venue,” the Kentucky-England band pumped out 80 minutes of virtually banterless cuts that saw the six-piece outfit tearing through their accomplished career of steady but worthwhile material. An eclectic audience made their way to the Moody Center for the Friday eve show.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: The Black Angels rocked the new Stable Hall in San Antonio last week

The Black Angels headed to San Antonio to give their Central Texas fans a blueprint of what will come in their 20th year. The Black Angels have stayed plugged into the depths and hardliners of the indie scene, and their relevance and expertise in the underground music sphere have been an inspiring force due to their many years in the business. The Black Angels delivered a smoking set at Stabile Hall on Friday, June 28 in San Antonio for their Central Texas fans, which saw Austin and local SATX supporters alike flocking to the new(ish) Stable Hall venue to witness a masterclass in Texas Psychedelia. 

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