Archives for March 2019

Valley Maker: “Light On The Ground”

Like it or not, SXSW is officially in full swing! Joining the thousands of musicians making their annual pilgrimage is Seattle singer-songwriter Austin Crane, best known as Valley Maker. Crane began landscaping Valley Maker’s indie folk sound with his 2010 self-titled debut that also doubled as his senior thesis project at the University of South Carolina. Crane hurdled over creative crests and came out on top with 2015’s When I Was A Child. Most recently he went deeper into the sonic canyon with 2018’s Rhododendron, an album engrained in nature and Crane’s most cohesive record to date.

Valley Maker is in town with four shows for SXSW starting tomorrow. For today let’s illuminate somethin’ good from Valley Maker, “Light On The Ground“!

Valley Maker’s SXSW Dates

Wednesday 3/13 @ Barracuda

Thursday 3/14 @ Native Hostel

Thursday 3/14 @ Hotel Vegas

Friday 3/15 @ Cheer Up Charlie’s

So, About The Origin Of ‘The Live Music Capital Of The World’… We Were Wrong. Here’s The Real Story.

OK, now we have the definitive story of Austin’s official nickname (we think).

Texas Standard: March 11, 2019

Political lightning round: capitalist or socialist? High profile Democrats get a grilling in an unlikely venue as SXSW gets political. Democratic luminaries shining bright this weekend at what many think of as a music and film festival. We’ll hear who was making news and what it means for election season 2020. Also, an infectious disease specialist says San Francisco is beating HIV, why not Houston or other southern cities? Plus the $7,000 film: director Robert Rodriguez gets back to his DIY roots with a scrappy new release about a budding filmmaker. All of those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:

SXSW 2019: Monday

It’s the first round of Austin Music Minute picks for Monday, during the escalating chaos we in Austin know as SXSW 2019:

–The Nothing Song Official SXSW Showcase tonight at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 901 Red River. Featuring sets by French Vanilla (Los Angeles; featured on today’s AMM), ANDY, Quivers (Australia), Big Bill, and Emme on the outside stage; Daniel Francis Doyle and The Dreams, Sub-Sahara (Dallas), Pecas (Brooklyn), Hey Jellie, and Van Mary, along with DJ Big Daddy B inside. Doors 7 p.m., music 7:30 p.m.

–Do512 and Covert Curiosity present Strange Brew VIII, today/tonight at Hotel Vegas and The Volstead, 1500 E. 6th St. Featuring D.C. artist Sneaks, Nashville band Thelma and the Sleaze, Oh Sees, Croy and the Boys, Annabelle Chairlegs and more. Music starts at 2 p.m. RSVP here.

–The Loyalty Firm Official SXSW Showcase tonight at Barracuda, 611 E. 7th St., with Swallow the Rat (Auckland, NZ), Blushing, Honey and Salt and more.

-Photo of French Vanilla by Adam Sandor Nagy.

Walker Lukens: “Heard You Bought A House”

Let’s face it. If you’ve listened to KUTX at any point in the past five years, you’re all-too-familiar with the name Walker Lukens. Walker got his start around the same time we did, with his 2013 debut Devoted, and he’s since become one of the most beloved and heralded songwriter-producers Austin has to offer. With his trusty backing band The Side Arms always at the ready, Lukens and his loop-heavy cocktails of pop, rock, electronic, soul and blues make electrifying audiences look easy.

In late April we’ll hear Walker Lukens’ latest full-length, ADULT, an apt marker of musical maturity in Lukens’ still-budding career. Walker Lukens performs this Saturday at Barracuda as part of SXSW and to get you in the mood for the new stuff, listen to this vape dream of millennial homeownership, “Heard You Bought A House”!

Higher Ed: Trust And Communication Can Help “Helicopter” Parents Land Safely

The idea of “helicopter” parenting may not have a formal definition. But we all have a pretty good sense of it when we encounter it – those parents who seem to control and hover too closely over many aspects of their children’s lives, often to the detriment (and sometimes embarrassment) of those children. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton take a discussion about helicopter parenting to a live audience of – yes – parents and students at Southwestern.

First of all, Ed believes a couple of things about “helicopter” parenting: it has always been around, perhaps exacerbated in more recent times by the abundance and reach of personal technology. And, it can come from a place of wanting what is best for children. But that concept of what is best for children, and how to achieve it, can be a sticking point.

“I think the question is: ‘what’s the definition of what’s best?’,” says Ed. “And if you take away all the independence and agency, are you really helping, or in some sense are you manufacturing a problem for the future?”

So how can parents back off from such close monitoring but still help their children learn and develop skills to maneuver through life? Ed believes setting an environment of trust and open communication will go a long way.

So will helping children establish realistic expectations about life before they head out on their own.

“Life is really a roller coaster, but certainly one’s undergraduate formal career is honestly a roller coaster of that sort,” says Ed. “You get to these peaks which are really exciting and you’re really happy and you want to stay there forever…. And then all of a sudden, you go way down and something awful happens… Instead of thinking about that as a down moment, I think we need to realize that life…. is a roller coaster. So those peaks and valleys are going to happen. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when…. It’s the downturns where the real learning can happen.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more of the discussion with some college parents about easing off of helicopter parenting. And hear some answers to a provocative question for the future: what might happen when a generation of children with hovering parents become parents themselves?

No puzzler this week. It took off early for Spring Break but will be back in a few weeks!

This episode was recorded on Feb. 23, 2019.

Dr. Derrick R. Brooms (Ep. 14, 2019)

On this week’s program, In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. discusses the educational experiences of African American men in college with Dr. Derrick R. Brooms, assistant professor of Sociology and Africana studies at the University of Cincinnati. and author of Being Black, Being Male On Campus.

Pottery: “Hank Williams”

Montreal-based five-piece Pottery crafts a chaotic, high-energy brand of post-punk that echoes early Devo in a decidedly modern fashion. Frantic vocals and noodly guitar riffs layer over [strict] drums, creating a sonic tension that eventually crashes into resolve. Their double-sided single, released in November 2018, is a promising debut that’s created an air of excitement and mystery around the up-and-comers, who as of yet have a relatively small online presence.

The boys of Pottery are hitting SXSW hard this year with 9 shows stretched out across four days, kicking off their USA/Canada tour with Viagra Boys.

Keep an eye out for what’s to come for this exciting new act and enjoy a free download from Pottery “Hank Williams”!

– Emily Wilson

Pottery’s SXSW Dates

South-By Saturday

It’s alarming to find your humble Austin Music Minute host’s brain has already gone numb, when SXSW has just started. Not enough caffeine in the world. Ever heard of Death Wish Coffee? It’s barely helping.

After that lovely caffeinated shout out, let’s take a look at today’s handful of must-see recs that include official showcases and shows off the beaten path:

-Starting today at NOON, the On Vinyl Spring Showcase, 6016 Wilcott Ct., gets the day going for all the lovely locals. Featuring performances by Marijuana Sweet Tooth, PR Newman, Torre Blake, Eimaral Sol and more. Presented by On Vinyl Media with love.

–Tonight, there’s the /start showcase at The Parish, 214 E. 6th St., featuring AMM fave CAPYAC, The Vapor Caves, and Kid Monks. Doors at 9 p.m. Please RSVP here at Do512. And thanks for doing that.

-The big SX Soundcheck Saturday party tonight at Hotel Vegas and The Volstead, 1500 E. 6th St., starring Golden Dawn Arkestra, Calliope Musicals, Löwin, Belcurve and more.

-Awaken the beast. Yeast by Sweet Beast continues tonight at Elysium, 705 Red River, featuring Book of Shadows, Many Birthdays, Ouiness and more.

-Photo of CAPYAC courtesy of the artist.

KUT Weekend – March 8, 2019

The high cost of childcare in Austin. Plus, neighbors of last year’s Austin bombing victims reflect on their recovery. And a chat with the new general manager of KUT/X. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at weekend.kut.org

Herizen: “Come Over To My House”

Happy International Women’s Day!

In the spirit of the holiday let’s take a minute to acknowledge Herizen F. Guardiola, known mononymously as Herizen. Historically Herizen might best be recognized for her role as Mylene Cruz on Netflix’s The Get Down, but with the show wrapped up, Guadiola’s got plenty of time to write killer tunes and sing her heart out.

Last year Herizen dawned onto the music world with her seven-song debut, Come Over to My House, featuring classic R&B formulas laden with lush, exotic tones. Most recently Herizen’s focus has been on a series of upcoming singles, highlighting deep electronic grooves and Guardiola’s effortless pop vocals. While you’ve got that on your radar, be sure to see Herizen live at SXSW for three performances! And for today get in the weekend mood with the tantalizing title track from “Come Over To My House“!

Herizen’s SXSW Dates

March 11th TwitterHouse Lustre Pearl 11:00pm-11:40pm

March 13th FLOODFest Cedar Street Courtyard 1:30pm-2:00pm

March 13th Bandsintown Big Break Showcase Maggie Mae’s Rooftop 11:00pm-11:40pm

Grocery Store Grackles

You’re in the deli department and you hear a tweet — but not the king that came from a phone. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: March 8, 2019

After weeks without wedge issues in the legislative session, two GOP lawmakers say Texas cannot remain silent on the issue of late-term abortions. In the wake of fights in Virginia and New York, we’ll have more on how the abortion issue could rattle the work on bread and butter matters here in Texas. Also, former CBS newsman Dan Rather tells us about a story he thinks is as big as the development of the atomic bomb, and his concerns we’re not talking about it. Plus the week in Texas politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Signal Detection (Part Two)

We’ve covered what signal detection theory is, so how does it come up when we assign labels to behaviors that could be considered “micro aggressions”? Are there significant benefits to these labels?

In the second episode of this two-part conversation on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke continue their discussion on signal detection.

Eight Years A Go-Go

Your Austin Music Minute host gets overwhelmed trying to keep up with…well, everything. A big chunk of said “everything” comes from all the performances, parties, comedy sets, fundraising events, and general lunacy you’ll find at any given time at the shared space of Hotel Vegas and The Volstead on E. 6th. From the trippy head-spaces of Me-Mer-Mo Monday, to Oh Sees annihilating the area in a ballroom blitz frenzy two nights in a row, to ULoveI‘s tantalizing cumbia and hip=hop nights, to the mondo bizarro shakedowns paying tribute to Hunter S. Thompson, it’s been an endless adventure, and then some.

Today marks the venues’ 8-year anniversary, and that means – what else? – a major party to celebrate. Doors open early at 4 p.m. today, and the event kicks off with songwriter sets by Leslie Sisson of Moving Panoramas, Brendan Bond, Corey Baum of Croy & The Boys, Mike Wiebe of Riverboat Gamblers (and AMM fave Drakulas) and more. Later in the evening, soak in sets by A Giant Dog, Leather Girls, Sailor Poon, Mean Jolene, Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band and Borzoi.

Definitely an evening of not behaving. A very Happy Anniversary to Hotel Vegas and The Volstead. And here’s to more fun on the way.

-Photography of the band A Giant Dog by Mike Manewitz.

Texas Standard: March 7, 2019

Alarming figures from the border show an 11 year high in the number of migrant families apprehended. But do the numbers add up? Just a few weeks ago, we were hearing that the claim of a border emergency was overblown, but now mainstream news outlets report what sounds like, at the very least, a crisis overwhelming customs and border patrol. We’ll try to get a better sense of what’s happening. Also, a first of its kind effort in Texas to be prepared for wildfire season. And a top doctor warns of a looming crisis in Texas health care. All of those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

The Fur.: “Short Stay”

It’s less than a week out from SXSW and we’re ready to put some proverbial hair on our chests! Taiwanese trio The Fur. got their start in 2016 and broke out from their stomping grounds early last year for an international tour, earning praise across Europe and the UK. In late 2018 The Fur. dropped their debut studio album, Town, an eight-track featuring far-from-matted performances and well-combed production, all untangled over an indie dream pop spectrum.

Their current tour includes stops in Japan, China, and the US, and The Fur. graces us with their presence for two official shows next week for SXSW! Drift into this Taiwanese dream right now with the introductory track from Town, “Short Stay”!

The Fur.’s SXSW Dates

Devil’s Tune

The clinking glasses, perhaps a wisp of smoke, and the faraway stares of lovelorn people whose minds are preoccupied, for better or worse…that may very well be the cinematic, romanticized image that comes to mind when one thinks of a Piano Lounge. Perhaps some of these elements come into play at the Historic Scoot Inn‘s event tonight. But most importantly, it’s all about the performance by Datura.

Jessica Pyrdsa is the soul-jazz artist behind the Datura moniker, delivering a sultry mix of jazz, pop, soul and R&B that doesn’t necessarily adhere to a specific genre. It’s more about blurring the lines and stirring up those feelings that just won’t quit. Datura’s often backed by a band of rotating musicians, turning each set into a unique performance.

Don’t miss Datura tonight at the Scoot Inn,1308 E. 4^th. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Raise your glass to the “Devil’s Tune.” Recommended.

-Photo courtesy of the artist.

This Song: Moving Panoramas Return

Moving Panoramas have a new record out called “In Two.” Listen as vocalist and instrumentalist Cara Tillman describes the joy that Elton John’s “Burn Down the Mission” brings her, followed by guitarist Rosie Castoe who explores her life long love of Peter Gabriel’s “Steam.” And lead singer and songwriter Leslie Sisson explains why “Some Song” by Elliot Smith made her feel less alone, and all the “happy accidents” that led to the band’s latest sound.

Listen to this episode of This Song

Moving Panoramas is KUTX’s Artist of the Month for March.

Listen to Moving Panoramas new record In Two

See the Moving Panoramas Tour Dates

Check out all the things KUTX is doing at SXSW this year

Check out the first Moving Panorama’s early This Song episode

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

Texas Standard: March 6, 2019

The senate approves pay raises for Texas teachers. The House has a bill of its own. What does it add up to for school reform in a larger sense? We’ll try to reconcile the differences between two approaches for fixing Texas public schools. Also, here’s a sentence some thought they’d never hear: the push to decriminalize marijuana gains momentum in Texas. We’ll get the how and why. And after a wicked cold snap, your forecast for bluebonnets. All those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard: