Review

LCD Soundsystem KBP 5
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party days two and three featured LCD Soundsystem, The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis

Greg Ackerman 1617 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The fifth Kilby Block Party celebrating 25 years of Salt Lake City’s most beloved DIY venue, Kilby Court was as good as billed last weekend as the upstart music festival concluded days two and three with standout performances not only by headliners LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service with Jenny Lewis but scene-stealing sets by Belle and Sebastian,  CSS, Pond and Santigold. Not since Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest has there been a mid-tier sized festival as well run, booked and executed.

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Kilby Block Party 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kilby Block Party on day one featured Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers

Greg Ackerman 1212 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

In Salt Lake City one of the most beloved and revered music venues is Kilby Court, the tiny, DIY performance space for which the Kilby Block Party music festival is named. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the legendary club, organizers and venue operators, S&S Presents are also marking the fifth year of the festival with another stellar lineup that attracted fans from all over the country to the Utah State Fairpark for what is turning out to be an incredible weekend of musical performances. Friday’s lineup included Vampire Weekend and a host of gifted female performers including; Joanna Newsome, Courtney Barnett, Alvvays and Blondshell among others.

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Mikaela Davis at Austin Psych Fest 2024
April RiggsLive MusicReview

Live music review: Mikaela Davis was angelic at Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge

April Dawne 1332 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

My first time seeing Mikaela Davis was on the BMI stage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2015, and I expected her sound to be folkie, singer-songwriter music that I’m not typically into. When she took the stage with her harp, I heard an angelic, neo-psychedelic country sound that pleased my ears and I have followed her career via social media since. 

Fast forward nine years to Day Three at Austin Psych Fest (2024), when festival-goers almost lost a mellow day of music due to the weather. The rain moved on and Van Mary eased us into a swampy day at the Janice Stage with a super-chill set. The afternoon continued to heat up as Mikaela Davis & Southern Star took to the Willie Stage for the final day of APF.

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Mannequin Pussy
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Philly punks Mannequin Pussy rocked sold-out Mohawk in rain on 420 Day

Case Cockrell 997 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Sometimes, we’re stubborn as Austin music fans. Austin’s Red River Cultural District venue Mohawk drew a sold-out crowd on a 420 Day  evening when the weather forecast threatened to do away with the night’s concert festivities. Luckily for fans of Philadelphia punk outfit Mannequin Pussy, folks were ready to have floods of fun as the rain poured down right as the Pennsylvania band took the stage.

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Wine Lips at Shakey Knees Pooneh Ghana
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Album Review: Wine Lips new album Super Mega Ultra emphasizes their growth and trajectory

Brian Hillsman 1384 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

On April 5, Wine Lips released their latest LP, Super Mega Ultra, the much-anticipated follow-up to their breakout album, Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party. The Toronto-based act thrilled at Austin Psych Fest last year. Then dropped this punk rock banger recorded and mixed by Simon Larochette at the Sugar Shack in London, Ontario.

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Chicano Batman APF 2024
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclectic Austin Psych Fest returned to Far Out Lounge last weekend

Case Cockrell 1286 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to the Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Texas for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. Event organizers, Levitation was, in part founded by local psych rock revivalists, The Black Angels, but the local organization has become much more over the years.

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Two Step Inn 2024
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Ludacris Came to Party and Hank Jr Wants You to Know He’s Not Gay at Two Step Inn

Robert Dean 1698 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The Two-Step Inn people are getting this thing right. Last year, being the first kick-off event, there were a few holes in the ship regarding accessibility and general needs being met, but this year, they’ve kicked up everything from just a few notches to feet, including lockers to water stations and tents for drug testing. Last year, I was lucky enough to catch both days. This year, I managed to sneak into the fest only on Sunday, April 21 but what I saw was worth the risk of getting towed.

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Madonna at Moody Center
April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Madonna delivered a fiery show at Moody Center Sunday night

April Dawne 3366 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Was it just a fever dream, an acid trip, or did my friends and I catch Madonna’s Celebration Tour Sunday night in Austin, Texas at the new Frank Erwin Center, aka the Moody Center? After what I experienced April 14, I’d say it might have been all of the above.

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Danny Brown at Empire 3 Caitlin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Danny Brown threw down a rager at Empire Garage

Case Cockrell 1333 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Sometimes, live music crowds can be major downers. Austin, Texas’ vibrant music scene has a massive influx of live shows that draw a variety of different crowds, some good, some bad. For Detroit-turned-Austin oddball rapper Danny Brown, an unforgettable live spectacle made sure to cancel out the entitled personalities that attempted to harsh the triumphant vibes of Danny’s homecoming for yet another Austin appearance, this time at Empire Garage on Thursday, April 11.

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The Bright Light Social Hour at Scoot Inn
Amanda QuraishiLive MusicReview

Live Music Review: The Bright Light Social Hour headlined stellar Scoot Inn performance last Saturday

Amanda Quraishi 1769 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The band played Austin for a few SXSW-adjacent shows this spring and now they’re back on the road, taking Emergency Leisure eastward – but not before one more local show at Austin’s Scoot Inn on Saturday, April 13. Local favs The Mammoths opened early, followed by Mo Lowda & the Humble who are scheduled to continue on tour with The Bright Light Social Hour through the end of spring. By the time Mo Lowda was done vibing, the crowd was primed and the mood shifted in anticipation. 

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Case CockrellFilmReview

SXSW film review: This is a Film About The Black Keys premiered at Sx Film Festival

Case Cockrell 1477 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

For South By Southwest 2024, The Black Keys premiered their triumphant story of rock and roll stardom, which didn’t come as an immediate success as their long tenure as a band might suggest. In the premiering “This Is A Film About The Black Keys,” we get to see their rise as a band, along with the friends they met and the legends they crossed paths with along the way, allowing for all the laughs, pitfalls, and eventual success of being famous rock stars in the present. 

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