Results tagged “emos”

A mention of the name Adam Franklin is either greeted with enthusiastic nods of approval, or uninterested, blank expressions. And you could argue that his most recognizable band Swervedriver, an obvious source of inspiration to many, continues to be an unknown commodity to some. Swervedriver, a key player in the shoegaze explosion of the early '90s, reunited in 2008 and performed at Emo’s the same year as a part of its first tour in almost a decade. Franklin was back in Austin in late 2008 as well, teaming up with Interpol’s Sam Fogarino to play Fun Fest, and finding time to sit down with us for a quick chat.

Ah man, Haunting Oboe Music, is this really goodbye? Well, how about one last fling for old time's sake? Oh yeah? And a freebie? Wow.

Free week continues this evening with a strong bill that features Austin's closest approximation to the Crystals and helpings of both Godzilla-sized and stripped-down rock and roll.

James Ravelle directed this psychedelic animated clip for Moth Fight! It kind of reminds us of Delicious 9's DVD for Caribou, Marino. Buy Moth Fight!'s "Hopscotch" 7" through their MySpace and stay tuned - we're promised a full length in 2010. The band will be at Emo's with Yellow Fever for free week on January 5.

According to Pitchfork, Jay Reatard was attacked by two fans after last night's show at Emo's. Reatard "fought back with his mic stand."

Mash-up maestro Chris Rose, better known as DJ Car Stereo (Wars)*, has established himself as one of the Austin’s most popular disc jockeys over the course of the last few years, and lately, he’s been making some noise nationally as well. We’ve known him to regularly furnish the soundtrack to many a shindig around town, but earlier this year, he started spinning in Brooklyn periodically, and in August, he turned in a manic set at Lollapalooza ‘09. During that Chicago performance, Rose invited fellow Austinite Neil Petty (a.k.a. Neiliyo) on stage, leading to much pandemonium and one heck of a day time dance party. The two have forged a firm friendship ever since, and this Thursday, they combine forces yet again to present a Christmas Sweater Party at Emo’s.

Iron Age threads the fine line between hardcore and metal but if you were to expand the family tree of the thrash and speed metal scene from that decade, you’d surely find this young Austin band in the rungs of the 21st century. The band formed here in 2005, dropped its debut Constant Struggle the following year, and performed at the inaugural Fun Fest in December 2006. This past August, Iron Age released its second full-length, The Sleeping Eye, a sonic blitzkrieg that should satisfy metal and hardcore fans alike.

A night out on town can involve a wide range of activities based on your agenda, company, and mood. On certain occasions, you leave your home with the sole purpose of watching that one artist that means the world to you. Some forays into the night are meant to be wild ragers with no regard for humanity or your health. Then there are those evenings where you want to find the right balance between catching an intriguing band and carrying on regular conversations, while also finding time for an unruly moment or two. Tonight, Emo’s brings in Little Dragons to cater to just that disposition. The Swedish band’s polished compositions provide an agreeable backdrop for casual banter but are fascinating enough to warrant much discussion with your friends. And lest you harbor an occasional inkling to shake your booty, Little Dragon’s intermittent electro-thump accommodates for those instances as well.

Kansas City’s The Get Up Kids formed in 1995 and fast became an integral part of the emo movement that captured many a heart in the latter half of the decade. Chock-full of enduring melodies and introspective lyricism, the band’s seminal recordings (full-lengths Four Minute Mile and Something To Write Home About, and the Woodson and Red Letter Day EPs) positioned them at the forefront of a genre that has inspired much of today’s rampant pop-punk scene. Sure, “emo” was originally utilized to refer to hardcore bands in both the ‘80s and the early ‘90s but after the music world got a taste of Weezer’s Pinkerton as well as artists such as The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, and Texas’ own Mineral, the use of the term shifted to signify a slightly softer side of punk -- a mainstream-ready, pop-friendly sound marked by poignant tales of personal plight. You could probably blame thank attribute much of the Warped Tour’s 21st century roster to the lingering effects of The Get Up Kids’ heyday and the influence of those aforementioned albums.

With Gossip, you're going to get a seasoned group of creative minds who are truly talented. They've got ten years under their belt in which time they've pumped out four full-length albums, a bunch of EPs and a live album. They've toured with Cindy Lauper, Le Tigre and CSS and have been remixed by MSTRKRFT, among others. Self-proclaimed feminists, Gossip must have thought it'd be cute to call their latest album "Music for Men."

Photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana.

The Pablove Foundation is a California-based organization whose aim is to "improve the lives of children with cancer, at both a national level as well as a local level here in Los Angeles."

Pinback, an indie rock alternative duo from San Diego, is known for presentation of nimble lyrics and inventive musicality with a high drum mix. Their records are full of pulsating beats that march into the brain by rote, but the mesmerizing brilliance can only be truly appreciated after multiple listens. The cryptic messages lying beneath the musical layering mean Pinback's capabilities are only truly realized after witnessing a live performance.

Two is a magic number when applied to garage bands. This year has seen a glut of talented duos ripping it up - WAVVES and Lullabye Arkestra are just a few examples - and similarly, the Vancouver band Japandroids have been pushing their own "maximal," duo-driven agenda since 2006.

Photos courtesy Tyler Nutter.

Johannesburg’s Blk Jks made more than a few new fans during their last stop in Austin for SXSW. Having built up a good head of steam with their first EP, they were one of the bands that everyone seemed to be buzzing about. Seven months later, they return to Emo’s outside with a brand-new full length under their belt, the ambitious After Robots. The record is a cavernous-sounding, guitar-based rock record that fuses elements of prog, mbaqanga, experimental noise, metal, and dub, and stands in stark contrast to Kwaito, the popular music of South Africa’s post-apartheid generation. Overall, the band and album are one of the few bright exports from a city with a 37% unemployment rate, in a country that's still struggling to build a reliable infrastructure.

We’ll admit it. We’re still not fully recovered from the mud-a-thon that was this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. And the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest, which has us licking our chops in anticipation, is still a few weeks away. Just when we thought it was safe to stay home for the weekend, a look at the line-up in store for us at The Mohawk has done away with any such feeble notions. Yes, the redoubtable Red River St. venue is home to three amazingly appealing nights of raucous rock ‘n’ roll all weekend.

If you’re a Wu-Tang Clan fan, you best be thanking your lucky stars. GZA performs in Austin next month at the fourth edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest, and this Sunday, Ghostface Killah (a.k.a. Dennis Coles) rolls into town in support of his brand new record Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City. The album finds Ghostface venturing into the R&B; realm and collaborating with the likes of John Legend, Kanye West, and Raheem “Radio” DeVaughn, who guests on the auto-tuned first single “Baby.”

If you've been paying any attention to excitable music blogs or enjoy browsing new, poorly-recorded music, you've probably caught wind of WAVVES, a.k.a. songwriter Nathan Williams and his drummer of choice. Right now he's on the road with the venerable Zach Hill (Hella, many more) and the duo will be at Emo's on Saturday evening on the outdoor stage.

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Wye Oak, Blitzen Trapper and The Walkmen performing at an official aftershow of the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2009 at Emo's, Austin Texas, October 1, 2009. Photos courtesy Steve Hopson.

Photos courtesy Tyler Nutter.

Photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana.

Brooklyn’s Tigercity last graced our fair city during SXSW, when they offered up an NPR-sanctioned take on Leonard Cohen’s immortal “Suzanne” during a mini-tribute set to the great songwriter at Waterloo Records. It was a somewhat unexpected if intriguing exercise for a band better known for infectious disco-influenced pop, but it turned the heads of more than a few casual show-goers and may have won Tigercity a few new fans. Don’t expect them to dwell too long on the maudlin or introspective tonight though—their headlining set at Emo’s will focus on the aforementioned disco with the goal of getting bodies moving. They’ll need to bring their a-game, as they’re following a band that, in addition to being one of Tennessee’s best-kept secrets, provides an excellent reason to head to Emo’s early: Knoxville’s experimental garage-dance-spazz-electro quintet Royal Bangs just released their second album Let it Beep, and it’s a burner.

Austinites sure are going to be spoilt for choice this weekend. If ten plus hours a day of live music on eight stages at Zilker Park isn’t enough, we get to pick from a plethora of mouth-watering late night gigs to satisfy our yearning ears. And since this turbulent economy has everyone pinching pennies, we’re offering our readers a chance to win tickets to two choice aftershows in town this Friday.

The Horrors strut into Emo’s on Saturday in support of their Mercury Prize nominated second album Primary Colours. The English five-piece was all the hype across the pond a few years ago on the strength of an eponymous EP and the debut full-length Strange House which featured a not-to-be-missed video in “Sheena Is A Parasite.” With Primary Colours, the band wanders further into the textured terrain that is atmospheric psychedelia, expanding and evolving its sound and successfully avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump.

Having changed its name from Volume to Mixx earlier this year, the spot that is 612 E. Sixth Street is now aiming to make the switch from dance club to live music venue. (Information for bands looking to play there can be found on the TwoGroove blog.) This Friday, the club takes a step in right direction by bringing in Rob Dickinson from Catherine Wheel for a solo set. The list of opening acts -- STEREO IS A LIE, Buttercup, and Lost Werks -- is not too shabby either. We fondly remember and still enjoy Catherine Wheel’s brilliant first two albums Ferment (1992) and Chrome (1993). The former contained gems like “Black Metallic,” “She’s My Friend,” and “I Want To Touch You” (which was included in The Brit Box, a Rhino collection from 2007) while “Crank,” “The Nude,” and “I Confess,” were some of our favorites on the latter. Three more full-lengths followed before Catherine Wheel hung up their boots after 2000’s Wishville, although there is no clear record of them officially calling it quits.

This Saturday night sees Red River institution Emo's put on a different suit than it's used to, as the outdoor stage is momentarily retiring the drum kit and throwing up a single mike for a four-deep display of both nationally-known and locally-bred comedy. Headlining the show is a formidable twosome, as stand-up staple Janeane Garofalo and former SNL and Daily Show man-on-the-rise Rob Riggle lend their unique talents to the stage. That alone should be enough of a draw for any audience; throw in the locals, edgy JT Habersaat and wild man Chris Trew and, you know, something funny is bound to happen.

Photos of Kill Hannah before and during their show at Emo's on September 11, 2009. Photos by Steve Hopson.

After doing the rounds of the L.A. club scene, Adam 12 (Adam Bravin) and Justin Warfield found mainstream success a few years ago via the electro-rock outfit She Wants Revenge. With driving guitars, synth nuances, and an Ian Curtis-esque drawl, all encased in a sense of gloom and doom, the duo delved into the 21st century new-wave and scored legitimate hits with undeniably catchy singles like “These Things” and “Tear You Apart.” A modern day Joy Division? Unlikely. An Interpol rip-off? Not really. Three years removed from the release of their stellar self-titled debut, She Wants Revenge soldiers on, withstanding the aforementioned comparisons, and is set to release a new EP Up and Down this month.