Concerts

THE JOY FORMIDABLE @ BLUEBIRD | 3/17/12With a sample of spoken words as an intro, one of the moments in the set where The Joy Formidable shined the brightest was during “Buoy.” From its moody, murky beginning to its steady, rapid progression into something altogether more bombastic and expansive, the…

Thursday, March 15: Thousands of bands were packed into stages around town, fans were going nuts on every street corner. How’d the Morning Clouds spend their off day? Doing laundry. We’re pretty rock like that. With piles of clean undies and non-smelly socks back in our room, we managed to…

Coming into our seventh year playing SXSW, we’ve got it down to a science. We’ve already been out on the road for two weeks and have two to follow after SXSW, so it’s about getting in, playing your heart out, supporting your friends and hopefully catching a few new bands…

There is a place somewhere in the pacific ocean that is essentially a cesspool for plastic waste and various other bits of debris and man-made trash. The rudimentary physics and science behind this collection is that all ocean currents from all over the world eventually whirlpool and cycle through the…

Farewell, Austin: Kalyn here checking in for Wheelchair Sports Camp and Company’s last night at SXSW! Grab a cup of coffee — you missed a lot since our last check-in: We took our precious time getting out of our RV park home yesterday and loaded in our gear to The…

MIRANDA LAMBERT @ 1STBANK CENTER | 3/17/12 Miranda Lambert is justifiably incredulous. She’s twenty songs into a 22-song set, and just as this St. Patrick’s Day edition of her She-Woman Men Haters Club is winding down, someone on her crew has taken it upon himself to preempt the proceedings by…

Nick RalloJustin Townes Earle at Stubb’s BBQSo, we come to it: the end of all things. Four days of madness, Doritos, Skrillex and finally, St. Patrick’s Day. Before we bid SXSW 2012 farewell, allow us to share our favorite moments from SXSW day four. Later, we’ll let you know which…

Marco Torres50 Cent and Eminem at the Austin Music Hall. More photos below.If you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day…

GIRLS @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 3/16/12 When Girls took the stage at the Gothic Theatre last night, it was like seeing something out of the early ’90s, the time when not having a fashion statement was a fashion statement, when the attitude of the musicians and their performance spoke volumes…

Tarantulas, Fireballs, and Doppelgängers – SWSX Day One: I had heard a story from a friend of mine about driving through west Texas in the pre-dawn hours. He recounted that after about nine hours on the road heading south from Denver, just before sunrise, he and his co-pilot encountered hundreds,…

Local beatsmith Selko has officially inked a licensing agreement with Atom Factory Music Licensing last month. According to Selko, the deal came about when he sent a recent instrumental of his to music supervisor, Paul Stewart, who liked what he heard and responded rather quickly. The licensing company later presented…

This weekend’s best party bets come to you in the form of reggae and head noddin’ beats courtesy of Peter Black, Mu$a and Nofrendo, who will be rocking the Meadowlark tonight, getting their groove on like they do. Govahment Promotions, meanwhile, will be keeping the reggae crowd moving this evening…

During SXSW, and especially in the last five years or so, Sixth Street turns into one long, strange sensory overload. People nearly give you eyeball papercuts trying to get their fliers in your hands, before they’re promptly tossed on the ground. If you get the right combo of marketing types…

Nick RalloOh nothing, just a guy in a wolf mask playing “Happy Birthday” on the violinIf you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing…

Mark Farina is back for another soul-filled evening that’s bound to pack the dance floors at Bar Standard; Detroit’s Mike Huckaby will also be in town tonight, which might make things difficult for lovers of electronic music in this city. And that’s far from the only such conundrum on this…

With pretty much the entire music world holed up in Austin this weekend for this year’s edition of SXSW, it’s amazing that there’s any musical options to choose from this weekend at all, much less decent ones. Alas, though, there are still plenty of compelling reasons to leave the house…

If you’re in Austin right now at SXSW, we envy you (if only for the music you’re getting to see right now; weather wise, we’re stuck in the majestic Mile High City where it’s, oh, a brilliant 64 degrees right now). As grizzled SX vets, we also trust that you’re…

Nick RalloSharon Van Etten, at the NPR showcase, was a stunner. Plus, there was a box accordion​If you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with…

The Joy Formidable (due this Saturday, March 17, at the Bluebird Theater with A Place to Bury Strangers) is one of the most aptly named bands of the last several years. Its dream pop atmospheres and sheer exuberance as a live band have wowed audiences wherever the band plays. Part…

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (due Friday, March 16 at the Gothic Theatre) is based on Portland, Oregon. The band’s frontman, Ruban Nielson, however, spent nearly a decade in punk band the Mint Chicks while based out of Auckland, New Zealand. After a few records on the legendary Flying Nun label, Nielson…

Update 3/14/12: The polls are officially open. Please feel free to make your way to the 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot and register your vote! The 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot is here — no more waiting. Well, that’s not entirely true: You will have to wait another day or…