Subject: Austin

• SXSW Extra: What's In My Pockets?

  March 12, 2008

• SXSW Last Night: Houston Hijacks the Austin Music Awards

  March 13, 2008

• SXSW Ephemera: Random Notes from the Field

  March 13, 2008

• SXSW Last Night: Coconut Coolouts, Black Angels, Young Mammals, Tontons, Studemont Project

  March 14, 2008

• SXSW: The Homosexuals at Spiros

  March 15, 2008

• Over the Weekend: SXSW, Rockets and Fishnet

  March 17, 2008

• Weekend Music: A Speeding Motorcycle and Lots More

  April 18, 2008

• Tonight: Donkeys and Listenlisten at Rudyard's

  September 4, 2008

• Photos: The Octopus Project at ACL

  September 28, 2008

• Tonight: A Place to Bury Strangers at Walter's on Washington

  October 15, 2008

• Wanna Go to Reverend Horton Heat Tonight?

  October 17, 2008

• First Names For SXSW Film Fest Are Out

  October 28, 2008

• Slideshow: Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin's Waterloo Park

  November 11, 2008

• It Ain't Easy Being the Live Music Capital

  According to an Associated Press article in today's Houston Chronicle, Austin's self-proclaimed status as "Live Music Capital of the World" is under siege by everything from condo-dwelling yuppies demanding those darn nightclubs turn that blasted music down and let them get some sleep (sound familiar, Walter's?) to lack of available downtown parking spaces (sound familiar, everyone?). Boo freaking hoo, Houstonians weary of all the fawning attention lavished on our northwesternmost su

  November 25, 2008

• Mail Call: Diagonals, Fountains of Wayne, Jason Isbell, Chess Records, Sally Crewe and More

  After a hot minute, Mail Call returns in a slightly revamped format... Pick of the Litter Diagonals (Austin), Valley of the Cyclops (Monofonus Press) They Say: "A sweet-and-sour dark-pop soundtrack for the dawn of the post-Bush era." Rocks Off Says: Loose-fitting, lo-fi melodic garage that may have been inspired by a bong hit or two (think the desiccated Sub Pop '90s blues of Chicago's Red Red Meat). Never cooks, never stalls, but Steve Garcia's lyrics keep it interesting - "Suitc

  January 26, 2009

• Tonight: Pat MacDonald and Melanie Jane at the Continental Club

  The only thing more disheartening than being a one-hit wonder is having your one hit's lyrical intentions misconstrued from here to eternity. Bruce Springsteen didn't write "Born in the USA" as patriotic anthem, but Ronald Reagan sure thought he did. Pat MacDonald, formerly of Austin's Timbuk 3, knows this reality all too well. His group's song "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" was not as happy and optimistic as it sounded. It was actually an ironic look into the future of a you

  February 12, 2009

• Tonight: Heybale! at Blanco's

  "Wine Me Up," live at D&L's Texas Music Cafe, Austin, SXSW 2005 I remember a time when it seemed like I went to Blanco's every week. If it wasn't the Hollisters, it was folks like Jim Lauderdale or Chris Wall or some other totally legit act that would pack the little joint like a sardine can. Unfortunately (and maybe not incoincidentally?) Blanco's seemed to kinda dumb it down a bit during the Bush years. That scene just seemed to go stale a few years back, and average rather than exceptio

  February 27, 2009

• SXSW Journal: Wild Moccasins

  [Note: Rocks Off asked a few Houston bands to keep track of their SXSW itineraries for us. This is Wild Moccasins singer/guitarist Cody Swann's report.]We got into Austin Tuesday night and woke up early to play at Club 1808 around 11 a.m. for the Rancho Relaxo day party. We played a short set to the other bands and their friends. Right after we finished playing the power cut out for 30 minutes, weird. Andrew Lee wore a black turtle neck, weirder. Some of the bands playing included Quiet Hooves

  March 19, 2009

• SXSW Snapshot: Hello, Officer Badass

  Craig HlavatyPeople talk about cops being arrogant cowboy types who only wanna shaft the little guy, but damn if I wouldn't want to cover up a crime with this guy, for real. We need more Houston cops to take the time to cheel out, like the cops in Austin do. They pretty much work in a fantasy land of marijuana and drunken college chicks - he needs his reality show, like, right now.

  March 19, 2009

• SXSW: Recovery

  Photo by Daniel Morrison The Sunday night after SXSW never fails to be a weird experience. Although you are dog-tired, and back in your own bed, you can't sleep. A phantasmagoria of sights and sounds from the past few days runs through mind on a reel that seems to have no end. You remember short conversations with old friends, most of whom you see too briefly to reconnect with, the hissing sound of ambient cymbal wash that bathes East Sixth Street nearly continuously for 100 or so hours, the

  March 23, 2009

• Over the Weekend: 12:15 a.m. at Sovino's White Party

  Lest you think our attention was too focused on Austin this weekend, we now present a bevy of photos from Saturday night at Sovino.

  March 23, 2009

• Sandy Ewen, Wols, Dogebbi

  April 2, 2009

• Aftermath: SXSW

  March 26, 2009

• Bayou City Buzz

  March 12, 2009

• Piano Vines

  Duo designs pleasant pop despite distance

  November 27, 2008

• “X=(ATX)3”

  Aerosol Warfare brings in some old school, out-of-town talent

  August 7, 2008

• Can Alternative Venues Jump-Start the Local Music Scene?

  July 17, 2008

• Justin C. Gordon

  An Austin author goes Out of the Gutter and onto the page

  June 26, 2008

• Alex Arizpe Benefit

  May 22, 2008

• Band of Heathens

  April 24, 2008

• Texas Crawfish and Music Festival

  Dozens of local and regional bands take the stage over six days

  April 17, 2008

• Got Live If You Want It

  Our Spring/Summer concert preview, part deux

  April 30, 2009

• Lonesome Onry and Mean: Poodie and the Hickoids

  www.myspace.com/hickoidsWe've received quite a few rememberances of Poodie Locke, Willie Nelson's stage manager who passed away Wednesday in Austin of a heart attack. But none of the rememberances quite have the zing of Saustex Media label honcho Jeff Smith's. Smith, singer of the Hickoids and former owner of Austin's Hole in the Wall, remembers Locke kicking him out of what is now Emo's in Austin: "Poodie owned what is now Emo's in Austin. It was called Raven's and then Poodie's Red River Saloo

  May 7, 2009

• Playbill: Strange Boys Hit Mango's Sunday Night

  Between the haphazard hooks, ramshackle rhythm section, mumbled vocals and lo-fi lust for vintage psych, Black Lips comparisons are unavoidable for Austin four-piece the Strange Boys. That doesn't mean there's not room for a few bands who plunder the 13th Floor Elevators with the kindergarten abandon of early Clean records. Following 2007's little-heard Nothing EP, last year In The Red issued the Dallas transplants' tinny two-minute single "Woe Is You and Me," setting the table for this past M

  June 5, 2009

• Aftermath: White Rhino at Boondocks

  Photos by Chris Gray "They're 'classic heavy rock,' or so they tell me," Aftermath texted a friend shortly before Austin's White Rhino went onstage at Boondocks Monday night. "Heavy metal, or just heavy?" came the reply. White Rhino had just gone on, with some menacing guitar spray and a kinetic bassline reminiscent of Detroit proto-punks the MC5. "Heavy. Little/no metal." The band played a couple more songs. "OK...maybe a little metal." Maybe a little more than a little.

  June 30, 2009

• The Belleville Outfit

  July 2, 2009

• Oh Noes!!!111!!!! Barton Springs In Austin Might Be Closing For Awhile!!

  Photo by rutloBarton Springs, Austin's landmark pool that has chilled generations even in the hottest Texas summers, is in trouble. It's not trouble that can't be fixed, but it will require time and money.Time, as in closing the pool for six to eight months. Money, as in almost $5 million the city doesn't have.The Austin American-Statesman is reporting on a city memo that says the underground tunnel that diverts dirty creek water around the pool has developed a dozen or so cracks and holes.Worke

  July 22, 2009

• Sahm Does Sahm

  July 23, 2009

• Things to Do This Weekend If You're (Almost) Broke

  Friday​Twice the Classic Numbers this week. Free admission Saturday with Friday's ticket stub. Dallas electronica-rockers Ishi gets bodies moving at Walter's with DJs Cuba Gooding Jr., Fredster and Stiletto Chrome. Ride your bike and get in free. The Urbane Guerilla Sound System spins vintage soul, R&B, reggae and ska in the Mink's front room. $3 wells and Red Stripe until 11 p.m. Fuzzy Mexico City trio Hello Seahorse! brings its shoegaze pop north of the border to Dean's. Italian DJs Blat

  August 21, 2009

• Start the Guessing Now: Which Fun Fun Fun Fest Artists Will Also Play the Next Block Party?

  ​ Fun Fun Fun Fest, the scuzzier, noisier cousin to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, announced its lineup this afternoon. Held November 7 and 8 in Austin's Waterloo Park, FFFF is up to 91 artists this year, everyone from rappers the GZA, the Pharcyde and the Cool Kids to electronic/dance acts Broadcast, Ratatat and Yeasayer, power-pop (Destroyer) to hardcore (Fucked Up, Gorilla Biscuits), garage rock (Strange Boys, King Khan and BBQ), comedians (Brian Posehn) and lots of bands us thirtys

  August 25, 2009

• Lonesome Onry and Mean: R.I.P. Amy Farris

  ​Fiddler Amy Farris, an Austin native who played most recently with Dave Alvin's Guilty Women band, died last weekend in Los Angeles. Information is still sketchy at this point, but a press release from Yep Roc Records Wednesday stated that Farris had passed away Sept. 26 "after battling a long illness." She was 40. Austin360.com also reported Farris's passing, but noted there was a suspicion of suicide, although the cause of death had not been determined. Farris had been a legal secretary in

  October 1, 2009

• Aftermath: Grupo Fantasma at Discovery Green

  Photos by Bryan Parras​Grupo Fantasma found their way back to Houston last night to "rock the green" for the third installation of the Capital One Bank Thursday concert series at Discovery Green. Billed as "hip-shaking, horn-blaring, Grammy-nominated Latin funk at its best," Grupo didn't fail to live up to their reputation. Even the weather was cooperating. The cool breeze made it feel like an authentic autumn evening giving Houstonians the opportunity to appreciate the outdoors. Good

  October 2, 2009

• ACL 2009 Day Two: Flogging Molly Brings a Little Bit of Ireland to Austin

  Photos by Groovehouse​Okay, so between the Guinness and the pissing-down rain, Flogging Molly actually brought a lot of Ireland to Austin today. Lead singer Dave King wasn't phased by the weather, proclaiming that it was just like being at home. The band then proceeded to put on a belter of a show, climbing on amps and jumping manically around like scalded dogs as the crowd cried out happily for more.Enjoy the photos below and pretend you're dancing around in the rain, too.

  October 3, 2009

• ACL 2009: This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

  Photos by Mark C. Austin​From the Austin American-Statesman comes word that Zilker Park, which hosted the three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival this weekend, will have to remain closed until the end of the month. Why? Because ACL more or less destroyed the park. For the next 25 or so days, the City of Austin will be hard at work cleaning the filthy festival grounds and replanting all the luscious green sod that was obliterated by the thundering herds of crowds, the tractors and trai

  October 5, 2009

• ACL Just Keeps on Giving: Welcome to the "Poopshow"

  As you may already know if you followed Rocks Off's copious ACL coverage, Austin's Zilker Park is a muddy ruin. We use the term "muddy" loosely, as much of the turf churned into muck by dancing festival-goers was a substance called "Dillo Dirt," which is part recycled sewage. As a salute to the brown soup created by the City of Austin's efforts to go green, we've put together a slideshow of album covers featuring dirt, mud and, of course, poop. Enjoy! ​

  October 8, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Haunted Austin

  Photo by Brittanie Shey​The state capitol holds many secrets gleaned throughout its long history as a center for settlement, trade and politics. Here are a few of our favorite spooky places in Austin. The Driskill Hotel Often cited as one of the most haunted buildings in Texas, The Driskill opened in 1886 as one of the most lush and expensive hotels in the country, and certainly the nicest in Texas. What was meant to be the finest hotel West of the Mississippi suffered from its own hubri

  October 12, 2009

• The Fabulous Thunderbirds

  November 5, 2009

• Oyster Season Opener

  ​My first oysters on the half shell this season came from Captain Benny's in Austin. They were good-looking and reasonably tasty, considering we haven't had much cold weather yet. If I had to bet, I'd say these oysters were harvested in Louisiana a week or so ago. (The season opens in October over there.) I like to wait until November 1 to start eating oysters because that's the day the season opens in Texas. It was a little odd to be eating my first oysters of the year in Austin rather th

  November 4, 2009

• Rocks Off's Picks for This Weekend's Fun Fun Fun Festival

  You can think of this weekend's Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin as the indie, metal, and hip-hop little brother of the more staid Austin City Limits Music Festival. The fourth edition of the two-day event held in Waterloo Park in Austin starts tomorrow afternoon. Per our stated life path, Rocks Off will be there covering all the bands, fans and assorted debauchery that all that comes with. This year's line-up is rife with musical pioneers, unsung heroes, along with the usual "It" bands that you will

  November 6, 2009

• R.I.P. Bill Narum, KLOL Co-Founder, Leading Texas Counterculture Artist and ZZ Top Stage Designer

  ​Bill Narum, a key figure in Houston's counterculture in the late 1960s and early '70s, passed away Wednesday night at his home in Austin. The cause of death was an "apparent heart attack or something that took him quickly while sitting in his studio at the art table in his chair," said Narum's close friend Margaret Moser, who profiled him for the Austin Chronicle in 2005. Austin native Narum, who was in his early 60s, grew up in Houston and discovered his talent for graphic design early on. "

  November 19, 2009