On this week’s program, In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a tribute to the the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 90th anniversary of his birth, featuring addresses by his widow, Coretta Scott King, and former President Barack Obama.
Archives for January 2019
KUT Weekend – January 18, 2018
Surprise medical bills and the imperfect recourse available to some Texans. Plus, the new obstacles dockless scooters create for the visually impaired. And the history of Austin’s new major league soccer stadium site. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Bring On The Next
You’ve been hearing about it. Tonight’s the night, and – if you haven’t noticed by now – your Austin Music Minute host is smitten with the line-up.
Welcome to THE NEXT, a showcase taking over the room tonight at Antone’s, 305 E. 5th St., presented by the Austin Music Foundation and KUTX 98.9. The event features seven local bands/artists participating in this year’s AMF Artist Development Program, an essential element of providing career development resources to local musicians that include instruction in marketing, promotion, and navigating the industry, as well as mentorship and more.
This evening’s badass line-up includes Aaron Stephens, Alesia Lani (featured on today’s AMM), Kalu & The Electric Joint, Otis Wilkins, KUTX January Artist of the Month Shy Beast, Superfónicos, and Western Youth. The party starts at 8 p.m. You don’t want to miss a single set. Very recommended.
Revenge Fantasies
In the heat of the moment, revenge can be an appealing idea to consider but often it has devastating results with fleeting satisfaction. Revenge narratives permeate popular media and we dislike when a wrongdoer goes unpunished, so why don’t we actually decide to carry out justice ourselves?
On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about revenge fantasies.
Texas Standard: January 18, 2019
A federal appeals court hands the state of Texas a major victory in its fight to defund planned parenthood, we’ll have details. Also, after spending millions fighting civil rights lawsuits over cash bail, Harris county does a dramatic about face, pledging to end a system critics say discriminates against the poor. And what’s in the water beneath our feet? If you live near a coal power plant in Texas, quite possibly very scary stuff. We’ll hear about hidden dangers in the h2o. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Scooters
Dockless scooters: like ’em or hate ’em, they’re everywhere these days, and are likely here to stay because tech companies refuse to stop “disrupting” the way we get around. While they can be fun for a quick whirl around town, they also go faster than some expect when they first hop on, which has led to many an accident. They’ve become such a problem that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even announced the launch of a special study in Austin to evaluate the health risks of these two-wheeled menaces. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Nick Waterhouse: “Songs for Winners”
L.A. guitarist-vocalist-producer and overall analog recording geek Nick Waterhouse is back with another entry into his already impressive catalogue. In the past decade Waterhouse has taken his band around the world and produced everyone from Ty Segall to Leon Bridges, with a sound that recalls stylistic elements of the 1960s but aren’t without their own character.
In that vein, Waterhouse has decided to self-title his fourth full-length, out March 8th. With ten new originals and a cover, Waterhouse will be hitting the road after his namesake LP comes out, eventually joining us at the Parish on Friday, May 24th. Today you can turn the heat up with a new single from Waterhouse, one that embodies the essence of ’60s psychedelia and a touch of surf, soul, and blues: “Song For Winners”!
– Jack Anderson
Texas Standard: January 17, 2019
A proposal to put off the state of the union: a break with tradition, or perhaps a return to one? We’ll take a look at the history with historian Jeremi Suri. Also, what’s being done to keep guns out of the hands of those convicted of domestic violence? We’ll take a look. And the green new deal: some see it as radical, why the Houston Chronicle claims it’s a natural for Texas. Plus, how much do you like eggs? If you’re Instagram, more than 40 million times, at last count. What a viral sensation tells us about the state of social media. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Neyla Pekarek: “The Attack”
Beginning in 2010 cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek became one of the strongest additions in folk rock force The Lumineers, but only recently wandered off to illuminate her own path. Pekarek spent the last two years touring with The Lumineers while writing her debut solo album, only now defying built-in success to pursue music on her own.
Inspired by her 20th century home state hero of Rattlesnake Kate, Pekarek’s narrative first-person lyrics on the upcoming Rattlesnake LP are light and quirky, while her arrangements and performances are seriously spectacular. Pekarek’s frontier flourishes on Rattlesnake are emboldened by producer M. Ward and you can hear the full record tomorrow! Neyla joins us at the Scoot Inn on Saturday, February 2nd and in case you just want to coil up somewhere cool ’til then, we’ve some sonic snake oil to wrap your scales around: “The Attack”!
Photo: Liza Nelson
Who Were The Streets In This North Austin Neighborhood Named After?
Who were Miranda, Esther, Lisa and Rufus?
No Mere Imitation
Look, even NPR Music pointed out the following information in a recent review, so it’s not as though your Austin Music Minute is telling tales out of school. But…there have been those critics who have snidely dismissed ’80s-era R&B as lame, watered-down, or bereft of soul – that last one being the most caustic critique of all. However, if you were growing up in the ’80s, surely you’ll see the fallacy of this assumption. To refer to all ’80s R&B as collectively soulless when the roster includes Janet Jackson, Sade, Tina Turner, and – hellooo? – Prince, is to completely miss the mark. Lisa Lisa or TLC may not necessarily be your jam, but the grooves could be just as addictive, just as seductive.
Being the artistic goddess that Meshell Ndegeocello is, you very quickly realize the kind of unique experience she brings to her latest release, Ventriloquism, which features a collection of covers of a few of the aforementioned ‘80s-era gems, in a most refreshing and reinvigorating way. Suffice to say, this is no ordinary cover album. Two very important factors come into play: The brilliant way Ndegeocello covers these songs, and the very track selection itself – Prince, Sade, Turner, Jackson, George Clinton, Lisa Lisa, and featured on today’s AMM, Al B. Sure!.
Dang. Don’t miss out on Meshell Ndegeocello, performing tonight at 3Ten, 310 Willie Nelson Blvd., with special guest opener, Hanna Benn. Doors open at 7 p.m. Very recommended.
-Photo courtesy of the artist.
Be On Fire
Brookly electronic artist Jeremy Malvin is the mind behind Chrome Sparks, and he follows last year’s popular self-titled release with a new EP, Be On Fire. Multiple influences charge the lush synth grooves of this latest work, especially with a lo-fi vibe owing a lot to ‘80s soul (relish the slightly obscure reference that is “In2 Your Love” an all-out tribute to composer George Smallwood), jazz, psych, and elements of contemporary and old school hip-hop.
Catch Chrome Sparks tonight at Empire Control Room, 606 E. 7th. Ambient synth-pop artist Teen Daze opens the show. Doors at 8 p.m.
-Photo courtesy of the artist.
This Song: Sharon Van Etten
On Sharon Van Etten’s upcoming release Remind Me Tomorrow, due out January 18th, she explores themes of love, partnership, parenthood, and visions of the past through a collection of gorgeous synth-laden songs. When she sat down with This Song, she told us how listening to Neil Young’s “Harvest” as a kid helped her connect with her father. She also shared how her own experiences with parenthood pushed her to pursue her own music again after a long break working on other projects.
Listen to this episode of This Song
 |
|---|
Subscribe via the Podcasts App, iTunes or Stitcher to get the new episodes of This Song delivered to you as soon as they come out.
Check out Sharon Van Etten’s new record “Remind Me Tomorrow”
Check out Sharon Van Etten’s Tour Dates
Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song
Texas Standard: January 16, 2019
Dallas and Houston both reporting slowdowns at airports as unpaid TSA workers call in sick. Now a call for airport screeners to go on strike. We’ll explore. Also, what’s worse than a partial government shutdown? Ask someone living in the UK right now. Why an impasse over Brexit could leave a mark here in Texas and what happens next. Also the discovery of three new species of salamanders in Texas, what it means for Texans of the human variety. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Buke and Gase: “Derby”
Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez aren’t just master players, they’re musical mad scientists. Between 2008 and 2013 their NY-based duo Buke and Gase was batting at just under an album a year…until they suddenly disappeared. Their namesake instruments (buke/baritone ukelele & gase/guitar-bass) have since taken a backseat in Buke and Gase’s recordings in favor of innovative electronic devices, ushering in a new wave of music from Dyer and Sanchez.
Cut down from more than sixty songs and hundreds of hours of raw recording completely different from anything we’ve heard from them before, Buke and Gase almost renamed the group what has become their latest album title, Scholars. Scholars is a deep investment in electronic music, a proof of Buke and Gase’s aural academia, and you can enjoy the twelve new songs on Friday, starting right now with “Derby”!
Texas Standard: January 15, 2019
The nation’s first execution of 2019 is set for today. But it won’t happen. The Texas court of criminal appeals orders a second look at bite mark evidence used in a murder trial, we’ll have more. Also, the political committee behind the upset victory of democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a new objective: to topple a veteran congressman from Texas who’s a fellow democrat. We’ll hear why. Plus, is the shutdown saving the government money? An expert does the math and more today on the Texas Standard:
Heart Rattling
There are some deep-running roots that bind The Districts together. Three of the Philadelphia band’s founding members were impressing fans with their music even before graduating high school, cultivating a loyal following since their self-released full-length debut Telephone (2012), through the much-acclaimed A Flourish and a Spoil (2015) and their most recent album, Popular Manipulations (2017), the latter achieving a balance that’s simultaneously sweetly melodic and ferocious. Vocalist Rob Grote can croon disarmingly heartfelt ruminations of broken romance amidst massive guitar blasts; things are bigger, louder and bolder this time around on their third LP.
The Districts just kicked off their Fuzzy Dice Tour in Dallas last night. Tonight, they return to Austin for a show at Barracuda, 611 E. 7th. Chicago band Deeper and Austin outfit Duncan Fellows join them on the bill. Doors open at 8 p.m. Welcome to this night of rock. Recommended.
Pedro the Lion: “Powerful Taboo”
After fifteen long years, the pride of Seattle singer-songwriter David Bazan finally emerges from its den. Bazan first formed his rock group Pedro the Lion in 1995, then dissolved it in favor of solo efforts in 2006. Now Pedro the Lion has their first album in a decade and a half and you can dig your claws into it this Friday. Inspired by memories of the past, exhaustion from solo touring, and the titular Arizona city, Pedro the Lion’s new LP Phoenix just premiered on NPR’s First Listen, showing off Bazan’s intense lyricism and heavy arrangements.
Get your paws on one of the album’s more beastly numbers and put some fur on your chest with “Powerful Taboo”!
-Jack Anderson
Texas Standard: January 14, 2019
Leaders of both the Texas senate and the house promising to hike teacher salaries so more will stay in the classroom. But how much money is enough? Also, to weather the government shutdown, the state steps in to help people who rely on what used to be known as food stamps. But experts warn of a hidden hit for grocers. We’ll hear about it. Plus a prominent Texas politician pitches his hat into the 2020 presidential race. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Sean Pawling: “Rio Grande”
California singer-songwriter Sean Pawling has been enamored with music since he was a boy. He built up his chops on trombone over his formative years and throughout college before taking his multi-instrumental talents to the studio with the 2011 EP Inner Child and 2014 LP Eye for an Eiger.
Now, heavily inspired by his home state’s diverse landscapes and its duplicitous light and dark elements, Pawling is set to release his sophomore full-length Sunsinking, out next Friday. These dozen new tunes feature Pawling’s lush lyrical imagery, heartwarming horn arrangements, and some stabby pop synthesizer to boot, so ford into one of Sunsinking’s lead singles, with “Rio Grande”!
Photo: Mikel Darling