Chvrches- 'Recover' EP

Glasgow band, CHVRCHES were one of the big buzz bands I heard about going into this years SXSW.  Unfortunately I didn't make it in to any of their shows, but I did manage to catch a live session the band performed for SiriusXM, and I really liked what I heard from the group on top of their insanely catchy first single, "Recover." The trio has recently signed up with Glassnote records here in the U.S. (Phoenix, Mumford & Sons, Daughter) and their Recover EP is due out at the end of this month, on March 26th.
Try out a couple of the tracks below. 



http://chvrches.tumblr.com/

SXSW Photos: Shakey Graves at South By San Jose

SXSW Photo Set: Local Natives @ American Rag Presents- FILTER Showdown at Cedar Street

Very special thanks to Alyssa Jones at Filter.

SXSW Photos: Night Beds @ Urban Outfitters Backlot Sesh

SXSW Photos: Frightened Rabbit @ Dickies Presents FILTER On Rainey Showcase

A very special thanks to Alyssa Jones at Filter.

SXSW Photos: Afghan Whigs @ FADER FORT Presented by Converse

The Afghan Whigs are an all-time favorite of mine, and it had been 15 years since I saw the band live. The last time was back on their '1965' tour in '98 at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. Brought back a lot of great memories. At their Fader Fort show this past Fri. night they were even joined onstage by special guest Usher, who performed their song "Something Hot" with the band as well as his own rock version of "Oh My God."

 Very special thanks to Sonia Aneja at Fader.

SXSW Photo Set: Lord Huron @ DTS And Slacker Present-FILTER On Rainey Showcase

Very Special thanks to Alyssa Jones @ Filter.

SXSW Preview: Fader Fort Presented by Converse

One of the party's I'll be hitting this year at my very first SXSW. Some must see's for me include The Afghan Whigs, Cayucas, Jake Bugg and Parquet Courts.
Here's more from the press release via the Fader Fort:
The FADER FORT Presented by Converse, our annual four day SXSW party featuring Solange, Future, Earl Sweatshirt, DIIV, Sky Ferreira and many more, opens next Wednesday, March 15th at 1101 E. 5th Street in Austin. See the complete FORT lineup and a day-by-day schedule above.
FORT wristband pickup information will be posted here on Monday, March 11th. SXSW badge-holders must pick up wristbands to enter the FORT, but will be given priority access on a first come, first serve basis. For up-to-the-minute FORT announcements, follow FADER on Twitter.
If you’re not headed to Austin this year, watch the entire show streaming live on theFADER.com.


More at http://www.thefader.com/category/faderfort/

SXSW Preview: Get to Know Shakey Graves

Shortly after moving from NY to Austin a few months ago I started poking around the local music scene to see what's good in town. One of my very first finds was the one man wonder known as Shakey Graves. For those unfamiliar with him, he's a bit of an old throwback, a rare talent of sorts, and a real performer if you've come across his live work. Armed with just his guitar and suitcase drum kit he delivers an intense blend of soul, blues, and gritty rock that just plain ol' leaves me speechless. 
He's most definitely one of my must see acts here at SXSW. Get familiar with a few of his tracks below and visit his website for all his upcoming appearances.




http://shakeygraves.com/

City & Colour (new song): "Of Space & Time"

 Pretty excited about this one. Dallas Green of City & Colour unveiled a brand new track today titled, "Of Space & Time." It comes from his new forthcoming LP, which has no release date as of yet. Stream it below and check out his upcoming live dates with a brand new line-up for SXSW below. 



March 14:
SXSW - Express Rocks
Austin Music Hall
w/ Tegan and Sara, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Sheepdogs & more
... STAGE TIME: 10:55pm

March 15:
HGTV and Paste presents Stages on Sixth
The Stage on Sixth
w/ Billy Bragg, The 1975, Lissie, Ron Sexsmith & more
STAGE TIME: 2:00PM

more at http://cityandcolour.ca/

Song of the Week: Bird Courage- "Mayshower"

A new discovery that I'm quite happy about finding is the three piece Brooklyn band, Bird Courage. The group originally started as a duo with founders Erik Meier (Vocals, Guitar, Ukelele) & Samuel Saffery (Vocals, Xylophone), who interestingly enough met through constantly crossing paths with each other while out busking in the NYC subways. The pair recently brought on board a new member Sean McMahon (Vocals, Bass, Percussion) to round things out and they just released a brand new single titled, "Mayshower" with the new unit. According to the band the new single is from an upcoming full length release called 'Maia Manu' that is in the process of being completed. They're hoping to launch a kickstarter campaign soon and raise funds to finish mixing and mastering in the next month.
Listen to "Mayshower" below and check out the bands site for more info and current tour dates HERE.

MAYSHOWER from jimjims on Vimeo.

http://birdcourage.com/

Stream Pickwick's Debut Full-Length, 'Can't Talk Medicine'

If the first 2 plus months of 2013 are any indication, this year will be remembered as the year that the album as a whole made a serious comeback. We're not talking about wow there's three-four really good songs on this disc, but man this thing is solid gold from start to finish. Keeping up that trend of outstanding long players is the new debut disc, Can’t Talk Medicine from Seattle, Wa. band Pickwick. The band is self releasing the album this March 12th, but for a limited time if you head on over to their souncloud page you can stream it before it's release.

http://www.pickwickmusic.com/

David Ramirez- "The Bad Days"

A brand new single from Austin singer/songwriter David Ramirez surfaced today titled, "The Bad Days." It comes from a forthcoming EP The Rooster that will be out this May 7th.
For more David Ramirez and to grab some free tunes he has posted you can visit his website HERE.


http://www.facebook.com/davidramirezaustin

Cayucas-"High School Lover"

"High School Lover" is one of the more catchier things I've heard so far this year. It comes from the forthcoming LP Bigfoot by California band, Cayucas. 'Bigfoot' was produced in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in Oregon with producer Richard Swift (Damien Jurado) in charge of production. Sounds pretty promising.

http://cayucas.com/

Parquet Courts- "Stoned & Starving"

Parquet Courts' lead vocalists and songwriters, Austin Brown and Andrew Savage, met at a record-listening club while attending the University of North Texas. Though made up of Texan transplants, Parquet Courts are hailed as a New York band through and through. Making conscious efforts to draw from the city's musical past, from bands like Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground all the way to Bob Dylan. The result is their electric debut full-length album, Light Up Gold, released last August. The highlight for me is the 70's punk infused, "Stoned & Starving" which you can stream below.

http://parquetcourts.wordpress.com/