Results tagged “nashville”

This project is a direct response to Austin’s lack of world-class entertainment infrastructure, and it’s a bold attempt to bridge the gap between a mid-level entertainment industry with huge potential (which Austin is) and a mature industry with world-class production facilities and creative professionals (which Austin, says Villa Muse, could be).

Freshie and Zero is made with love and a hammer. Beth Porter is bringing her jewelry line down from Nashville again for the second year in a row. Although she only started her business a year and a half ago, she won last year's $1000 Stitch Grant. Beth says her jewelry is "light and modern, delicate and feminine." Her irregular, one-of-a-kind earrings and necklaces are made from sterling silver or gold filled wire formed into...

Emo’s presents a southern style country-rock bonanza tonight. The wonderfully named Whiskey & Co. kick things off at 10 p.m. with authentic country sounds and impressive song titles such as “Nightlife” and “Happy Hour”, streaming readily on their MySpace page. When we last spoke with one of Nashville’s favorite sons, Bobby Bare Jr., we learnt of the upcoming Bare Jr. reunion in November, as well as Bobby’s desire to possibly incorporate the banjo in his...

According to their MySpace page, buxom AC/DC impersonators The Donnas "are for real and are here to stay", just in case you were wondering. Suffice it to say, they've paid their dues over the course of seven albums with their brand of unabashedly referential rock 'n' roll and still soldier on, recently starting their own label for a new release. Ours is not to judge their swaggering shred, however, just to inform you that...

So the 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival has come and gone but you still haven’t had enough music. Thankfully, the 2007 Wall Of Sound Festival is just around the corner. Besides catching headliners such as Explosions In The Sky, Midlake, and Ghostland Observatory, be sure to check out Spectrum. The brainchild of Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom (a.k.a. Peter Kember), the act will be performing new songs while Spacemen 3 era tracks are also promised....

Trent Summar’s story-telling capabilities and straight-up country sound drive his latest album, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. His music has been covered by artists such as Jack Ingram (who scored a hit with his adaptation of Summar’s “Love You”) while Summar has also collaborated with country stars like Pat Green. (They co-wrote “Somewhere Between Texas And Mexico” off Green’s Lucky Ones record.) Summar fronted the band Hank Flamingo prior to working with The New Row Mob....

Since 1975, Grammy Award winners BeauSoleil have charmed audiences as being one of the most heralded and esteemed Cajun groups in American music history. Band leader Michael Doucet artfully takes the rich traditions of Louisiana culture and blends other southern folk elements such as Zydeco, Jazz, Tejano, Country, Blues to astonishing effect. Beau Soleil have played The Grand Ole Opry, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival in the past....

Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight (Warner)

Charles Walker was a veteran vocalist edging his way toward retirement. The Dynamites were a skilled band with little hope of a hit unless they could find a compelling frontman. It was a match made in heaven. The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker are a neo-soul outfit worth listening to. The sound is so funky you'd be hard-pressed to sit still while listening. Walker's years of experience and strong voice are perfectly showcased by the sharp instrumentation and tight grooves. The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker are probably the closest most of us will ever get to experiencing the early days of funk in the 1960s, but, with a band this good, maybe it's close enough.

Jennifer Nicely cites many of country's solid gold heroes as her influences, but she has publicly professed her love for female jazz vocalists including Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. The influences show: her voice has the rich tone of a seasoned lounge singer who's spent too many nights singing her heart out for the indifferent audience, and her music relies on the steady walking beats that have characterized so much produced in the wake of...

In a town as creative as ours, there is plenty of ongoing chatter about “the next big thing," and (usually) further discussions regarding the viability of the buzz related to those bands. We strive to bring our readers show listings and news updates for some of Austin’s finest, be it Spoon or Ghostland Observatory. Amidst all that, we also do our best to recommend some of the city’s lesser known but equally talented acts....

It's been a week of "lasts" at the original Alamo Drafthouse, including the last Terror Thursday, Master Pancake Theater, A/V Geeks and Butt-numb-a-thons ever to happen at the venerable Colorado St. location. And tonight marks another sad Alamo last--one that we're particularly bummed about--the last Music Monday. Though the series is slated to continue at the Alamo's fancy new 6th Street location sometime in the fall, tonight will probably be the last installment programmed by...

Monday, June 25musicGreat Northern, Experimental Aircraft, Seaholm Electric at Emo’s musicWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Pataphysics, The Jimmy Buffet Experience at Emo’s music"Wet Hot American Summer" with Friends of So at Beauty Bar film"The Princess Bride" Quote-along at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown filmMusic Monday: "Nashville Girl" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown...

Gangsters retire and move to Miami; rock stars never retire, but some do move to Nashville, have kids, and start making records by the numbers. Who wouldn’t? It’s not like you’d need to impress anybody anymore. Exhibit A: Icky Thump, the 6th LP from the Artists Formerly From Detroit, the White Stripes. Icky Thump follows a similar template as last year’s under-appreciated Get Behind Me Satan—open with an iconoclastic berserker of a single and spend...

Great Lake Swimmers Ongiara (Nettwerk) Ongiara sees Great Lake Swimmers move a little further into country with prominent banjo strums and unforgiving Nashville-esque male/female harmonies. The themes are still dark, open and intimidating, never belying the band's daunting name. Production-wise, the songs are gorgeous: layers of acoustic guitars over a banjo and reverberating snare never sounded better. Tony Dekker's voice is straight out of the old dance hall and as slide guitars subtly make...

Cortney Tidwell may be from Nashville, but her music seems to be the product of an entirely different world. Her debut album, Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up, makes you struggle to keep up with comparisons and references to other bands you might admire (our list included Hope Sandoval, Mogwai, St. Etienne, and Bjork.) This is all quite wonderful, because the parts all meld into a style that is dreamy, catchy, and quietly...

Austin filmmaker Bob Ray's Hell on Wheels tells the story of Austin's roller derby revival, following a group of hard-hitting Texas women who pulled the sport from the brink of obscurity and into the international spotlight. Five years in the making, this rock-meets-rollerskates doc will be premiering at this years' South by Southwest film festival. We recently had a chance to talk to Bob about Roller Derby, filmmaking and one-man bands. How did Hell on...

Austin remains the nation's fifth safest large city, according to the latest annual rankings published by Morgan Quitno Press. The Lawrence, Kansas-based research firm placed Dallas and Houston on the other side of the spectrum -- both are among the country's most dangerous, at sixth and tenth, respectively. Meanwhile, our northern neighbors in Round Rock should be happy to know that they're still living in of the overall safest cities, despite dropping to thirteenth...

TUESDAY [24] film • The Best of Sex-Ed with Owen Egerton at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $9) film • Chocolat Feast at Alamo South (7pm, $50) film • AFS Essentials: Laura at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • The Yes Men at The Space (8pm, Free) film • Young Frankenstein at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) tv • SXSW Presents: The Dreams of Sparrows on KLRU (9pm) film • Bubba Ho-Tep at Alamo Village (9:45pm) music •...

Wilco’s not trying to break your heart by skipping Austin on this tour, they’re just trying to focus on some of the towns they rarely get a chance to visit. Fortunately for us, one of those towns is our neighbor to the south, San Antonio. So, why not jump in the car and head down to Sunset Station in the Alamo City tomorrow night to check out one of America’s finest bands? Hell, grab some...

The Mexican government last week sent a diplomatic note to Washington criticizing the plan for 700 miles of new fencing along the border and threatened to bring the dispute in front of the United Nations. Garbage, Recycling, and Yard Trimmings to slide one day so that Solid Waste Services (SWS) staff can attend the funeral services of a SWS employee who died in a traffic accident. Democratic gubernatorial Chris Bell has announced his support...

Well, I can't quite believe I'm finished. Last night I posted the few remaining previews, which means that for the second year in a row, I have previewed each and every act performing at the Austin City Limits Festival. I couldn't have done it without help though, so once again, I would like to thank John, JD, Jeff, Chris and Becky, who each contributed guest previews to help me finish my project. I would...

Well, I posted the last of my guest previews last night, and I want to once again thank John, JD, Jeff, Chris and Becky for helping me out this year. Together they wrote 28 previews for me, and I wouldn't have been able to finish the site without their help. Well... it's not actually finished left, I have six previews left to write. While I work on those, here's an additional set of previews...

I can't believe that one week from today, it will all be over - and I'll be waking up and getting ready to fly home to Nashville. But I guess I should just focus on getting through the next four days... and it's going to be hard, because something tells me I'm going to distracted to the point of being completely useless this week at work. Anyway, here's your Monday morning dose of ACL...

Here's another batch of bands from my ACL Artist Previews Page; remember you can check out the whole site at any time. David Ford - "State of the Union" is quite possibly the most amazing song I have stumbled upon while writing these previews, proving that David Ford is not just another singer/songwriter. (full preview) Ghandaia - Austin's Ghandaia is a nine-piece "Latin groove ensemble" that blends as many influences as there are members...

Every day we live history. Part of what makes life in Austin unique is the living of music history. Every night of the week we can hit one of the local venues and hear a band we’ve never heard before. That band that hauled itself into town in a rusted out van from the far reaches of Texas—or elsewhere—for the opportunity to play at the Saxon Pub, Antone’s or Stubb’s on a Tuesday night just might be the next big thing.

Another week, another batch of ACL bands from my Austin City Limits Festival Artist Previews Page. Here's the latest: Son Volt - After seven years and four solo albums, Jay Farrar returned to the studio with Son Volt and emerged last year with Okemah and the Melody of Riot, and proof that his group is still one of the best country-influenced rock bands out there. (full preview) The Long Winters - After about four...

Time for another look at some of the artists playing the Austin City Limits Festival in September. There are only 49 days left and I have oh... just about a ton of artists left to preview on my ACL Artist Previews Page. But rainy weekends are made for writing, so if the lousy weather in Nashville holds up, I'll have a more than a few for you next Friday. Here's what I've covered since I last checked in:

When Atlantic decided to open its Nashville division, the label shipped Jerry Wexler out to scout talent. While in Tennessee, Wexler went to a guitar-pickers’ party where a few old hands were taking turns playing and singing. At some point in the night, however, the guitar stopped in the hands of Willie Nelson. Nelson played through a cycle of songs, a meditation on divorce that later became Phases and Stages, likely the first concept album in country.

Nashville country singer Willie Heath Neal was, in his young adulthood, part of a punk rock troupe during a few years spent traipsing around Asia with the Navy. Born in the backseat of a Georgia state trooper's car, Neal inherited his mother's dream of having a career in music, and after returning to the states in his early twenties decided to return to the country and honky tonk that had informed much of his...