Thursday, March 5, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

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Spoon Benders at Parish
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six buzz bands to see at SXSW 2026

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The 2026 edition of South By Southwest (SXSW) is fast approaching with the festival running March 12-18. The list of acts making their way to Austin for the seven-day music festival spans multiple genres and geographic origins. With this in mind, The Cosmic Clash team has curated a group of official artists or buzz bands we think you should put on your list for the long week of around-the-clock music. With a smaller setup than previous years, the SXSW music programming will offer a touch-and-go path for locals and travelers alike to see an array of both tenured and up-and-coming talent. All set times, along with venues, can be found on the SXSW website and the SXSW GO mobile app. 

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Blackwater Holylight Radio East Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Blackwater Holylight drew diehards in droves to Radio East Tuesday

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The industrial area of southeast Austin carries a unique vibe. With no gentrification within yelling distance (or amplified music distance) in our case, there’s not much worry about noise complaints and the fuzz coming with the decibel reader to dock the venue for “Rock and roll mischief.” For Los Angeles-based via Portland shoegaze outfit Blackwater Holylight, an early-week bill on Tuesday evening at Radio East drew Austin diehards in droves to experience the Austin Psych Fest alums alongside local favorites, Glassing and The Well. With new LP Not Here Not Gone showcasing their multi-layered brand of luscious psych-infused soundscapes, the Blackwater quintet accounts for all the sounds that make up their dreamy biome.

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Parker Woodland Free Week 26 Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Free Week returned in 2026 with cover free showcases

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Free Week returned to the Red River Cultural District last weekend, marking another successful year of cover free showcases that benefit local businesses throughout downtown Austin. The RRCD non-profit presents Free Week to keep venues and other establishments running during the slow period in both the service and music industries for employees and musicians until the Spring. With 80+ artists across 10+ venues, Free Week 2026 proved a massive success, as thousands attended to welcome yet another year in the vibrant Austin scene. The Cosmic Clash team participated in both days of the festival and wanted to highlight what stood out to us about the extravaganza.

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Big Bill BBB 8 6 Radio East Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Big Bill Ball 8 at Radio East offered accurate snapshot of Austin music scene

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The eighth annual Big Bill Ball at Radio East in the Southeast part of town, marked another celebration of the Austin scene, offering a snapshot of local music in 2025 with a six-band bill featuring some of the best active acts in the Austindie sphere. For this year’s installment, the philosophical art punk mainstays celebrated the release of their new studio LP, Sick Myth. Continuing the Big Bill way of inclusive activism through comedic lyrical punchlines and a variety of punk rock angles, the one-day event gave attendees one of the most coveted evenings of live music in 2025 during Saturday night’s (November 22) gig at the southeast Austin backyard venue. The mini-fest was co-sponsored by famed photographer and show promoter, Pooneh Ghana for the annual showcase.

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Die Spitz Stubb's Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Die Spitz sold-out Stubb’s for debut album release

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A sold-out show at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin can be one of the most treacherous live music experiences in the downtown area. For the occasion of hometown heroes Die Spitz, exceptions had to be made to celebrate their debut album release Something To Consume via Jack White’s Third Man Records on Friday, October 24. The Austin hard rock quartet has been busy the last couple of years, racking up multiple headlining tours, opening slots for the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers, Viagra Boys, and Sleater-Kinney, and dropping new tracks ahead of their recent full-length studio release. For their homecoming after multiple stints worldwide, Die Spitz brought fellow Austin acts The Opera and Fuck Money to help them celebrate this monumental occasion. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

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

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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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Semihelix HSN 2025 13th Floor Troy Gonzales
Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Hot Summer Nights featured Andrew Cashen, Semihelix, Portrayal of Guilt and more

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The Red River Cultural District’s cover-free Hot Summer Nights event took place last weekend in venues all over the downtown neighborhood July 24-26. Nearly 150 primarily Austin-area artists took to the stage at Mohawk, 13th Floor, Elysium, Chess Club and a dozen other RRCD venues. This is the eighth year the neighborhood organization has organized the event which spawned from its original sister event, Free Week which takes place the first week of January each year. Resound Presents founder, Graham Williams is credited with originating that event while he was working as a talent booker at the original Emo’s on Red River and Sixth Street. featured in this photo story is Andrew Cashen and Disciples of Creation, shoegaze/psych rockers, Queen Serene, Pearl Z, Sexpop, Mujeres Podridas, Stop Motion Orchestra, Portrayal of Guilt, Semihelix and lots more.

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Hawt Dawg Fest 3 2025 contestants Troy Gonzales
Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Hawk Dawg 3 with Tear Dungeon, Queen Serene and Dregs

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An ignominious event, Hawk Dawg 3 took place on a rainy July 4 at Red River Cultural District favorite Mohawk with a hot dog eating contest that left no wiener untouched. The Cosmic Clash even had staff photographer and writer Drew Doggett joining the fun with our man trying to stuff as many dogs into his face as possible (evidence below) but the main event of the day party which got going at 4 p.m. was headliners, Tear Dungeon, fronted by Andrew Cashen (A Giant Dog, Andrew Cashen and the Disciples of Creation) with a bevy of well-known local players did their best ATX approximation of shock rock acts like Gwar complete with masks, spewing blood, mosh pits and stage dives. Fellow local acts, Queen Serene and Dregs joined the party.

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Lauren Mayberry 6 Scoot Inn Drew Doggett
Drew DoggettLive MusicReview

Live music review: Lauren Mayberry begins captivating new chapter after CHVRCHES

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Lauren Mayberry has spent over a decade commanding festival stages as the charismatic front woman of CHVRCHES. I remember seeing her at Pitchfork Fest 2015, right after Mac Demarco, playfully pointing out the scattered cigarette butts left on the floor. The sound of CHVRCHES is filled with shoegaze-y synths, shimmering reverb and pulsating beats. But on February 26 at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, she stepped out in a new role as a solo artist.

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Die Spitz mohawk Troy Gonzeles
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Cold rain could not stop Die Spitz fans on Valentine’s Day

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Rain was sprinkling down on a cold February Friday night as the moshers and crowd-surfers at Austin Red River Cultural District staple Mohawk caused crisis-level pandemonium for a sold-out Valentine’s Day gig. For local rockers Die Spitz, the usual attendees are sure to bring their worst, punk rock behavior.

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Fuzz - Pooneh Ghana
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

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

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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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