Friday, June 5, 2026

rock n roll

Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: garage rock behemoths Osees played Hotel Vegas residency

Los Angeles garage rock behemoths Osees returned to Austin for their annual, (sometimes bi-annual) residency at Eastside live music stronghold Hotel Vegas over the last weekend. Continuing their regular Austin tour stop tradition with a discography that gets bigger with every calendar rotation. With a solidified lineup defining the current iteration of esteemed bandleader John Dwyer’s everlasting rein, the Osees delivered another weekend of the eclectic paradigm that set the standard for the dozens of psych punk groups that make the Dwyer-led company a source of everlasting influence. Despite being on the road to promote their latest release Abomination Revealed At Last, the West Coast berserkers only performed one song from the new release and ventured into a rare, deep cuts, setlist territory. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Halloween Freakend by Levitation is coming to Far Out Lounge

Levitation and Resound Presents have teamed up again for a Halloween weekend two-day festival in South Austin. The mini-fest will take place at The Far Out Lounge & Stage on October 31 and November 1, the current site of the Spring edition of Austin Psych Fest. The Freakend lineup kicks off on Halloween night with Bitchin Bajas, J’Cuuzi, Stereolab, Black Lips, and Viagra Boys arriving for their first Austin headlining excursion.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Love is for Evermore benefit with Shinyribs, Sara Hickman at Radio East

Saturday, October 25 marks the third annual Love is for Evermore benefit at Radio East. The event supports Evermore, a national bereavement non-profit that advocates for benefits, education and resources for all Americans coping with the death of a loved one. One example is the group has gotten paid bereavment leave for military members. This year’s concert features Shinyribs, a rare live appearance by songwriter, Sara Hickman and special guests, Carruthers & Roush (members of The Bright Light Social Hour). There may even be some surprise guests onstage stage. Tickets for the event are currently on sale. There are VIP options which include a meet and greet with artists before the show.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eight artists that stood out at ACL Festival 2025

Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) 2025 weekend one on October 3 – October 5 marked another successful installment at Zilker Park, with an eclectic array of acts making their way to Austin for yet another October in the heart of the city. The talent performing featured acts from all over the world, bringing all genres to generations of music lovers who make their way to Central Texas by the tens of thousands for the musical extravaganza. Between legacy acts and rising artists, there was no shortage of spectacle to behold during the first weekend at the big park with a beautiful view of the city skyline. The Cosmic Clash team made their way to Zilker to capture the action and highlight eight artists that stood out to us throughout the first weekend of programming. 

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Live MusicReviewTroy Gonzales

Live music review: Unwound marked 30 years of The Future of What at Mohawk

On Thursday September 11, one of the 90’s most influential post-hardcore bands, Unwound played at the Mohawk as part of their ‘30 Years of The Future of What’ tour, which would see the band play their third album in it’s entirety. Admittedly, I had not seen them live during their heyday, but this time around I would not let the opportunity slip away again.

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April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review:  A Funky Levitation Full of Surprises or How April Spent the Fest

Adulting is mostly a bummer, and Levitation weekend (September 26-28) coincided with a very important work event happening all day Saturday. Thankfully, the big boss sent an email to the team instructing us to do what we needed to do for self-care, leading up to Saturday. Perfect! I consider live music to be something that can soothe the beast, and from Tuesday through Sunday, I got my fill. It was a funky Levitation that was full of surprises.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation 2025 ramble with Pavement, Mastodon, The Black Angels and more

Levitation Festival 2025 took place September 26 – 28  and marked another successful installment in a new location, with more than 30 acts making their way to Austin for yet another Black Angels-sponsored party featuring talent from all over the world. With a new HQ at Palmer Events Center on Barton Springs Road, the convention center turned into Levitation’s psychedelic playground for three days over the last weekend. Each day of the event brought unique vibes that spanned the festival’s usual suspects, first-timers, and legacy acts, all of which helped bring the star-studded booked talent to life for the three-day, two-stage rager. The Cosmic Clash team made their way to the convention center for the weekend to capture the action and highlight every moment that stood out to us at Palmer.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six must see bands at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2025

Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual music extravaganza that takes place in the heart of Austin every Fall, and the curated talent ranges from worthy up-and-coming artists and legacy acts to round out its eclectic, genre-spanning array of music. For this year’s installment, The Cosmic Clash has put together a list of six must-sees you need to put on your list for the first weekend at Zilker Park which begins October 3. Tickets and set times can be found via the ACL website or through recommended resellers.

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Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Acid Bath, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol led Levitation 2025 metal day

Hats off to the folks behind the scenes at Levitation Festival. They pulled off a diverse event at a little-used location to great effect. The Palmer Events Center sounded great and showed a lot of promise for what the festival can be in the future. Keeping parking at $10 a day was a smart move that kept fans happy. The food and drink options were crazy expensive, but I understand that goes with the territory of putting a festival on – but on the real? $19 for a brisket sandwich is banana town. Just walk down the street to Whataburger next year. 

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Becky RodriguezReviewSong

Song review: Austin act Lola Tried released single off new EP, Hot Shot Barbie

“And just like that…” Austin’s rock four-piece, Lola Tried released the latest single on September 8 for their EP, Feast which dropped four days later. As this is the fourth EP release for the long-running local act, “Hot Shot Barbie” is clear in its effort to build upon their power pop, garage, and indie rock background and make giant leaps toward revamping and further evolving their sound with the upcoming record.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven more must see bands at Levitation 2025

The 2025 edition of Levitation is coming up fast. Each year, Austin’s The Black Angels and trusted booking powerhouse Rob Fitzpatrick cast star-studded lineups that never disappoint the 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 during the festival takeover at Palmer Events Center and venues throughout the Austin area. Set times and tickets can be found at the Levitation website for fans to plan their schedule to see all the music they can throughout the weekend. 

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