Our Austin Homegrown Heroes, Class of 2007
For the 11th year 101X & Andy Langer presents spotlights on our favorite local bands playing SXSW.
These local Austin bands are sure to be "don't miss" shows for those of you out-of-towners. Surely you wouldnt want to skip out on some of the best talent Austin has to offer.
Tune in, drone out. That’s their official slogan and a pretty good indication of what these Red River mavericks are all about. Infamous for out-of-control live shows featuring dizzying film projections, The Black Angels specialize in heavy psychedelic rock, cut with a slight Velvet Underground - influenced drone. Their full-length debut, Passover earned them rave reviews; the folks at Pitchfork described it as “a darkly iridescent screw… full of nervous, jangled intensity.”
After five playing years up and down Red River and plenty of roadwork Cruiserweight have made their national debut with Sweet Weaponry – record that proved this is more than a pop-punk band and Stella Maxwell’s far more than your average frontwoman. Last week they released a new rarities album called The Push And The Pull- featuring a bunch of unreleased material as well as a majority of the songs form their two self released eps. back to the top
Red River favorites The Faceless Wearwolves are about to bring the Medium Freaky to SXSW. Medium Freaky is the title of this Austin trio’s debut- a record the Austin Chronicle described as “deep-fried sex… 10 riff-heavy, innuendo-filled cuts about carnivorous outer-space creatures, mythical showdowns that set Pegasus against the Unicorn"), and amputees.” Sound interesting. It is. These Werewolves – who originally formed in Denton and moved here two years ago- put on notoriously frisky live shows- there’s dark blues, glistening pop and plenty of reasons to dance. back to the top
Last year they played Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Music Festival and killed em’ at both- walking away from each festival as the most-talked about young band. Their record - Paparazzi Lightning – stands up well to all the attention- if offers a lot of noise for just two folks and plenty of memorable tunes. And their live shows- well, that’s why people are talking, aren’t they? Nobody right now puts on a show with more energy - and nobody offers us more chances to dance along. back to the top
Golden Bear describe what they do as “Galactic Forest Rock.” We have no idea exactly what that means, but the buzz around the band is much easier to explain- people love memorable hooks and choruses and this is band that’s got em’. The Austin American statesman declared “Golden Bear easily can give the sainted Arcade Fire a run for their money in tunes, energy and sheer exuberance.” Then they gave the band’s debut 4 stars. Meanwhile Spin.com dug one of their recent live shows, noting their guitar-swinging, trumpet-blasting orgy of anthemic pop. Now they’ll try to capitalize on all that acclaim with a hometown SXSW blitz, which finds them playing an official showcase SXSW Thursday at Habanna Calle 6 back to the top
Yep, The Meat Puppets- featuring Austin’s Curt Kirkwood- are back. Brothers Kurt and Chris are onboard for a new record and tour- their first together since 1995’s No Joke. Just a year earlier they joined Kurt Cobain for acoustic performances of three Meat Puppet tunes- "Plateau", "Oh Me" and "Lake of Fire”- all three of which appeared on Nirvana’s MTV Unpluuged In NY album. What their reunion now will bring is anybody’s guess, but you can bet it’ll sound like the Meat Puppets- which is to say a plenty rock, a little bit country and defiantly loud, quirky and interesting. Their Emo’s show the Saturday of SXSW is a can’t miss- it’ll no doubt offer both a look back and a look into the future of one of alternative rock’s most important and influential bands ever. back to the top
Peel have a new record hitting stores in April – it’s their sefl-titled debut and already bloggers all over the country and hinting it couldwell end up on their year end top-10 lists. What’s it sound like? By their own admission, it’s Texas edition syth-rock, The record, they say, plays like a pursuit of the perfect three-minute pop song handicapped by youthful enthusiasm and ADD. Like a bad child, Peel can't write a beautiful song without also giving in to the irresistable compulsion to destroy it with unhinged noise. For fluff from a bio it’s a decidedly dead-on description- and because of the record’s raw power, Peel are definitely headed into SXSW with more than their share of pre-festival buzz back to the top
Last year Pompeii offered up their full-length debut- Assmebly- a record of which Distort Mag in the.UK said, “Pitching camp in the no-man's land between latter-day Nada Surf and Death Cab For Cutie, these Austin-based newcomers lavish us with tasteful, thoughtful, American indie of the highest order." Indeed, this is a band that skillfully splits the difference between indie pop and indie rock- resulting in something that sounds familiar, yet edgy, instantly appealing, yet faintly dangerous. They’ve been regulars on the Next Big Thing for six months or so – and Assembly suggests this is a band that’s just getting started- there’s a lot of promise here…afterall, this is a band that knows how to use SXSW. back to the top
These former citizens of Denton have cultivated a crazed fanbase with their super-aggressive live shows; shows that by their own account have led to broken teeth, lacerated body parts, and thousands of dollars in medical bills. What they call “Bumcore” got a national roll-out last year on their 101X single-spawning record- To The Confusion Of Our Enemies. It’s a set as manic as their stage-show- equal parts punk and garage, comedy and rage. Expect a similar range of emotions- plus plenty of blood, sweat and tears- literally- at their SXSW show – show at the Auditorium Stage that you don’t need a stinkin’ wristband to see. It’s free. back to the top
What’s there left to say about Spoon? A huge record. Sold out shows. Top 10 lists. That was the story of Spoon and Gimme Fiction. They are arguably Austin’s most important alternative rock export of the moment, and perhaps ever. A new record is in the can and awaiting release sometime this Spring. At SXSW audiences from around the world will get to see them on their home turf, perhaps previewing some of that new material. This is a band that thrives on huge crowds and there’s no doubt they’ll find themselves in front of one at SXSW – where they’ll set the stage for the Stooges at Stubb’s. back to the top
Tacks, The Boy Disaster is an Austin band every bit as intriguing as their name. The Austin Chronicle recently caught a show and said "Tacks had the formula down: killer hooks, ear-teasing lyrics; and the crowd was doing something that rarely occurs at shows anymore – dancing." Their debut EP is called “Oh Beatrice,” and we’ve been playing a tune from it week after week on the Next Big Thing – a song called “Frozen Feet.” back to the top
The Lemurs are easily one of Austin’s most talked about young bands and they’ve got a debut record in stores that’s earning rave reviews - A record the Austin Chronicle called “sleek and stylish” and that the influential indie tipsheet The Tripwire said easily holds its own against Bloc Party, The Strokes, The Faint, The Killers or Franz Ferdinand. They regularly play to packed houses up and down Red River and by my count they’ll play at least a half dozen SXSW shows across the four days of the festival – including a proper showcase at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop. back to the top
Voxtrot's leading up to SXSW with a tour of the UK that includes an NME Awards show with the Shins) and Europe, then head home for some SXSW appearances and tour the U.S. that puts them on the road solid until June. Meanwhile, in May, they’ll release their proper debut – a full-length due for international release – a record that follow three critically acclamied EPs- including last fall's Your Biggest Fan. This is a band that bloggers from all over the world - not to mention proper music critics - can’t get enough of. So expect reports on each of their SXSW shows to be beamed across the web almost immediately – including blow-by-blow descriptions of the new material they’ll no doubt debut right here at SXSW. back to the top
This is a band with a reputation for impeccable songwriting and transcendent live shows- the Austin Chronicle has described their shows as “exhilarating to watch, and the sound is huge. When Zykos is in its comfort zone, the sky's the limit.” With the home court advantage during SXSW and a batch of new songs slated for release this Spring you can bet they’ll be in that zone. back to the top
Black Angels
