Bob Schneider isn’t completely awake at the moment. It shows too. As he drives through Seattle, the Austin-based singer-songwriter can’t help but yawn and stammer. One of the many “perils” of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle: After-show parties seem to make pre-lunch interviews a near impossibility. And yet, somehow, here…
Pop-punk and an errant exclamation point are nothing but distant memories on Panic at the Disco’s second album. The Las Vegas quartet makes a bold—and brilliant—stab at baroque pop on Pretty. Odd, as if somebody had switched the band’s Fall Out Boy CD collection with copies of Sgt. Pepper and…
We don’t only want Man Man to bring the drama—we expect them to. On 2004’s The Man in a Blue Turban With a Face and 2006’s Six Demon Bag, wickedly charismatic lead singer Honus Honus ranted and railed like his sweater was on fire, and the band bashed and clanged…
Pikahsso, Picnic and Tahiti have pretty much become synonymous with Dallas hip-hop in recent years. The contagious fun of their debut album, 2006’s Tres Monos in Love deserves its share of credit. So does PPT’s constant performing and knack for self-promotion. But something happened between that first release and the…
The influences of the Blackheart Society’s Oh!! Oh!! are clear from first listen. It’s Brit rock meets classic rock, and for a few standout tracks, the mix works very well. The raucous “Don’t Say You Love” and “I Want You” are especially reminiscent of The Rakes’ best work with their…
Fans of Pavement have been clearly divided on their opinions of lead singer Stephen Malkmus’ post-Pavement material. Half accept their hero following his muse. The other half hopes in vain for another Wowee Zowee or Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Malkmus’ fourth solo record, Real Emotional Trash, won’t do anything to…
The Subchronicles Crew (Mark Zizzo) It’s been a while since local hip-hop heads actually had to decide between two shows going down at the same time. But tomorrow is one of those nights. As part of their whirlwind local Denglish CD release tour, PPT will perform with Chomsky vet Glen…
Wondering why DC9 blogger Quia Querisma called last weekend’s Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z show “best concert I’ve attended in my life”? Well, this video might help a little… …but I imagine it doesn’t quite do the show justice. Or so the rest of her lavish praise on the gig…
Blackheart Society has a new disc coming out. (Fred Holsten) You’ll see my review of Blackheart Society’s new disc Oh!! Oh!! in this week’s Observer. It’s a lukewarm review. But I outwardly praise a few of the track on the disc, including this one: Download that ish. It’s pretty a…
Well, is it well? John Spengler, the youthful mastermind behind local rockers It is Well is staying busy, recording new songs and trying to figure out exactly where his music belongs. “I get so caught up in the expectations of what genre I need to be that I lose sight…
The preliminary cuts of The Opposite Attract’s “Nervosa” video have been up on Vimeo since late February. But the video’s only been watched 45 times–which is a shame, since it looks badass: Nervosa from Vicious Symmetry on Vimeo. We’ll let you know when we catch wind of the final version…
Ozzy at last year’s Ozzfest.The gossip mill is grinding away about this year’s Ozzfest. First it was about an Ozzfest date in London. Then speculation on the bands (nearly every fan site claims Metallica will play). Now, word is there will be two-day festivals held in London and Dallas. That’s…
Megadeth is metal. (Matt Mueller) Gigantour featuring Megadeth, In Flames and Children of Bodom April 15, 2008 Nokia Theater Better Than: Taste of Chaos and Take Action tours combined. Download: Check out Matt Mueller’s photos from last night’s show. No one has been able to tell me why this year’s…
Freddie King. The Art Decade blog, which specializes in “music of the ‘long seventies,'” recently posted a couple of live tracks from a performance by local blues legend Freddie King in France in 1974. The tracks are pretty solid, too, so head on over and download ’em. –Pete Freedman…
We already told you about Jon Bon Jovi joining Bruce Springsteen on stage at the AAC over the weekend. Now we have news that Alejandro Escovedo joined Bruce on stage last night in Houston. Here’s the video… It looks like the Houston deal was more planned out; Bon Jovi basically…
Torn ACL fest? Austin City Limits announced its lineup today for its September 26-28 festival…and we’re a little underwhelmed by it. There are a lot of good bands on the bill, sure. But we’re most excited about the fact that both Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears and Sharon…
We’ve been going on and on about forthcoming Ultraviolet compilation album. Well, we finally have news on its rock show counterpart (where you can pick up the disc). Bunches of your/our favorite locals are playing the Ultraviolet Rock Show & Art Auction at Club Dada including: El Gato, Lovie, Bridges…
Big D’s Forever The Sickest Kids are one of four bands up for Yahoo! Music’s “Who’s Next” monthly competition. Back in September 2007, The Rocket Summer nabbed top honors in the same Yahoo! Music contest. For the current round, FTSK are up against Paddy Casey, Tristan Prettyman and Lady Antebellum…
Decent sound. Minimal obstruction. Up close. And it all comes from the British Sea Power show at The Loft on Friday. Ch-ch-check it out: And the guy who shot it also shot a whole lot more. Pretty much the whole set from the looks of it. –Pete Freedman…
So, I alluded to this earlier today… …and, of course, it was only a matter of time before it ended up on Youtube. –Pete Freedman…
Brad Bevill, guitarist for old-school area punkers, Greyskull, is currently working for a digital marketing/advertising agency in Finland. But Bevill promises to return to town in July with some new music in tow. Apparently, when not learning how to con honest folks out of their money overseas, he’s has been…
If you’re an e-friend of John Freeman–or his defunct DIY venue–chances are you recently received a bulletin item letting you know that you can still donate toward Sloppyworld’s outstanding legal fees. We spoke to the Dutch Treat today, and he clarified (again) that Sloppyworld will not reopen. Even if he…
